Here are today's headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world:
- Missing sabungeros mastermind ‘powerful,’ influence can reach even SC – Remulla - Full of ‘falsehood’: Prosecution rebuts Sara Duterte’s answer to impeachment case - La Union group slams court protection order in favor of PrimeWater - Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom end engagement, split after 9 years together - Cats of Satori’ volunteer group seeks help to find missing community cats
00:06Justice Secretary Boying Remulia says the alleged mastermind in the missing Sabongero case is powerful.
00:19The House prosecution team accuses Vice President Sara Duterte of spreading false claims and delaying tactics in her response to her impeachment case.
00:26A La Union Consumer Group slams a court decision in favor of Villar-owned Prime Water.
00:33Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom split up after nine years together.
00:37And the condo residence group Cats of Satori seeks the public's help in finding their missing community cats.
00:46Justice Secretary Boying Remulia says the alleged mastermind in the missing Sabongero or Copfighting Enthusiasts case is powerful.
00:54He adds, the mastermind's influence can reach even the Supreme Court.
00:58Remulia also says this is something they might need to discuss with the Chief Justice, emphasizing the syndicate behind E-Sabong has big money at its disposal.
01:07The Justice Secretary doesn't name the individual but says the mastermind is a prominent person.
01:12One of the suspects in the missing Sabongero case told GMA News that the victims were strangled and dumped in Taal Lake for cheating in the cockpit.
01:20Last week, Remulia said authorities would verify this claim and would need tactical divers to search for the remains.
01:26GMA News also reported that at least 30 people were involved in the kidnappings, including about 20 police officers.
01:33In response, the National Police Commission orders an investigation into the alleged involvement of 30 policemen in the disappearance of around 34 cockfighting enthusiasts.
01:44The prosecution team counters Vice President Sara Duterte's response in her impeachment case, accusing her of spreading false claims and trying to delay the trial.
01:53The reply reads, quote,
01:54Respondent Duterte continues to perpetuate falsehood, deception and injustice by misleading the court with, quote, inaccuracies and false contentions.
02:03The prosecution panel says the public has a, quote, fundamental right to witness the process commenced without a bloodbath.
02:10It also called on the impeachment court to reject Duterte's plea to dismiss the case.
02:14Duterte was impeached on grounds of betraying public trust, violation of the Constitution, bribery, corruption and other high crimes.
02:21She was also accused of plotting to kill President Marcos, misusing confidential funds, bribing officials and being involved in extrajudicial killings in Davao City, among others.
02:31The reply says, quote,
02:33The severity of the charges leaves no room for technical evasion.
02:37The prosecution team adds, quote,
02:39A trial is not only warranted but necessary to reinforce justice, uphold democratic principles and affirm that no individual stands above the law.
02:47The fate of the trial is unclear, as Senate President Chief Escudero says, the Senate of the 20th Congress can dismiss it with a majority vote.
02:55A consumer network in La Union expresses dismay over a court ruling granting the Villar-owned Prime Water a protection order.
03:05The order allows the company to retain full control of water operations in San Fernando City and neighboring towns in La Union.
03:11In a statement Wednesday, June 25, the Water for the People Network, La Union, called a regional trial court decision in San Fernando unacceptable and a setback for consumers in the province.
03:21The group cites what it described as Prime Water's quote-unquote incompetence and failure to meet its obligations under a 2016 Joint Venture Agreement with the Metro San Fernando Water District or MSFWD.
03:33The agreement covers San Fernando City in the towns of Bawang, Bacnotan, San Juan, and San Gabriel in La Union.
03:40MSFWD terminated the agreement on May 8 and assumed control of operations the following day.
03:45It says Prime Water failed to meet its commitment to increase daily water production to 28.3 million liters by 2021.
03:53Prime Water's service is plagued by weak water pressure, reduced service hours, and widespread disruptions, affecting thousands of residents.
04:02After nine years of being together, pop star Katy Perry and actor Orlando Bloom break up.
04:07The split has been confirmed by multiple reports, although neither side has released an official statement.
04:12Bloom is spotted alone in the wedding celebration of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez in Venice in Italy,
04:19while Perry is reportedly in the middle of her world tour.
04:22A source tells People magazine, the split is amicable and, quote,
04:26they got to a point where they feel there is no going back to a healthy relationship and that it's better to live separate lives.
04:32Perry and Bloom were first seen together in January 2016 in a Golden Globe after party.
04:37They briefly split in March 2017 and were back together by February 2018.
04:43They got engaged in February 2019, but the wedding never pushed through.
04:48They welcomed a daughter, Daisy Dove, in August 2020.
04:53A residence group from a passing condominium are asking for the public's help in finding nine community cats missing since June 11.
04:59The residence group, Cats of Satori, is from DMCI Homes' Satori Residences.
05:05The group first grew concerned on June 11 when the cats didn't show up for their usual feeding time.
05:10Weeks later, the cats are still missing, despite the group checking with the local city pounds in Pasig and Marikina.
05:15The group writes on Facebook, quote,
05:17The group also shares a list of the missing cats, along with their usual spots.
05:30Cats of Satori is encouraging the public to sign a petition addressed to DMCI Homes,
05:35calling for clear information on the missing felines and better protection for cats.
05:39According to the group, the Property Management Office of Satori has expressed concern
05:43and denied involvement in the disappearance of the community cats,
05:46but has yet to act on their request to access CCTV footage.
05:52And that's today's wrap. I'm JC Gutinga. Thank you for watching.
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