https://www.scmp.com/rss/524469/feed The latest news and updates on Jesus Crispin Remulla, a seasoned Filipino lawyer and politician, he currently serves as Secretary of Justice, a role he assumed in 2022. His extensive career includes multiple terms as a Representative for Cavite and a period as Governor of the province. As Justice Secretary, he is focused on prison reforms, digitalising the justice system, and combating human trafficking and cybercrime. He has also notably sought international assistance for the search in Taal... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The arrest of fugitive former congressman Zaldy Co has revived a long-stalled Philippine corruption investigation and sharpened political pressure on President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whom the wanted lawmaker has accused of personally benefiting from a multibillion-peso kickback scheme tied to flood control projects. Observers called Co’s arrest a “notable step towards accountability” in a case that had stalled after the collapse of the commission set up to investigate it. Co resigned from the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350513/arrest-philippine-ex-lawmaker-zaldy-co-missing-puzzle-piece-flood-control-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350513/arrest-philippine-ex-lawmaker-zaldy-co-missing-puzzle-piece-flood-control-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:30:12 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles A plunder complaint filed against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio has reopened scrutiny of her use of “confidential funds” and opened a new legal front in a political stand-off that could shape the early dynamics of the 2028 presidential race. A highly placed source, who told This Week in Asia about the complaint a week before it was filed, said the move was intended to blunt Duterte-Carpio’s prospects in the 2028 presidential election by tying her down in a prolonged... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336367/plunder-complaint-against-philippine-vp-sara-duterte-attempt-blunt-her-2028-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336367/plunder-complaint-against-philippine-vp-sara-duterte-attempt-blunt-her-2028-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 09:30:09 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg A group of civilians including two former government officials, filed a corruption complaint against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte, in a fresh political challenge for the estranged deputy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. The complaint, filed with the Ombudsman’s office on Friday, alleged that Duterte and 15 other officials, misused 612.5 million pesos (US$10.4 million) in public funds through “coordinated schemes” implemented across both the Office of the Vice-President and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336233/philippines-vice-president-duterte-faces-new-corruption-charges-sparking-political-storm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336233/philippines-vice-president-duterte-faces-new-corruption-charges-sparking-political-storm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 09:30:22 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippine government is facing mounting legal and political uncertainty after reports emerged that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may have issued an arrest warrant for Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa – the former national police chief widely seen as the main enforcer of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s violent war on drugs. Dela Rosa, a long-time Duterte ally and now a sitting senator, oversaw the Philippine National Police during the early years of Duterte’s presidency, when... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3332521/were-rumours-philippines-icc-warrant-duterte-ally-dela-rosa-calculated-leak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3332521/were-rumours-philippines-icc-warrant-duterte-ally-dela-rosa-calculated-leak?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 02:00:25 +0000 Reuters Reuters The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Philippine Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, who oversaw then-president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, according to the nation’s ombudsman, although the ICC denied the assertion. Duterte, in office from 2016 to 2022, was arrested and taken to The Hague in March on a warrant linking him to murders committed during his war on drugs, in which thousands of alleged narcotics peddlers and users were killed. “The ICC has issued a warrant... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3332048/icc-arrest-imminent-dutertes-philippine-drugs-war-ally-dela-rosa-ombudsman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3332048/icc-arrest-imminent-dutertes-philippine-drugs-war-ally-dela-rosa-ombudsman?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2025 10:34:18 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem As the Philippines grapples with a corruption scandal over flood control projects that sparked protests across the country last month, the ramifications of the saga are being felt from as far away as Norway. After a Filipino television personality and broadcaster shared on social media that a family member in Norway was turned away at an airport foreign exchange over concerns her country had “money-laundering issues”, many others claimed to have had similar experiences. Analysts, meanwhile, warn... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3328321/has-philippines-lost-worlds-trust-over-flood-control-corruption-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3328321/has-philippines-lost-worlds-trust-over-flood-control-corruption-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2025 05:54:47 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has appointed an ally to lead the nation’s independent anti-corruption watchdog, as his administration continues a clampdown on corruption in infrastructure projects. As ombudsman, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla was “expected to uphold transparency, strengthen anti-corruption measures, and ensure that justice is administered fairly and efficiently,” Marcos’ communications office said in a statement on Tuesday. “There will be no sacred cows, no... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328116/philippines-marcos-names-ally-corruption-watchdog-post-amid-flood-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328116/philippines-marcos-names-ally-corruption-watchdog-post-amid-flood-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:36:22 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The youngest son of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has filed criminal charges against four cabinet secretaries and several senior officials, accusing them of “kidnapping” his father and spiriting him to The Hague to face crimes against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court. But legal scholars and political insiders contend the case is a thinly veiled attempt by the Duterte camp to derail the appointment of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla as the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325870/dutertes-son-files-kidnapping-charges-against-philippine-officials-save-vp-sara?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325870/dutertes-son-files-kidnapping-charges-against-philippine-officials-save-vp-sara?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 10:30:26 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The waters of Lake Taal have long captivated visitors with serene vistas and storied myths. But this idyllic image of the Philippines’ third-largest lake has since been darkened by a chilling discovery. Since July, divers have uncovered hundreds of skeletal fragments from its depths – and with them, an extraordinary story of gambling scams, alleged police pay-offs and men who never came home. Investigators believe the ribs, skulls and other bones found may belong to at least 35 sabungeros, or... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3325365/philippines-hidden-horrors-emerge-lake-taals-murky-depths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3325365/philippines-hidden-horrors-emerge-lake-taals-murky-depths?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 06:00:40 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles A former police ally of ex-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is a step closer to giving what lawyers have described as “smoking gun” testimony to the International Criminal Court linking Duterte to extrajudicial killings during his war on drugs. At the same time, Duterte’s defence team is seeking to delay the ICC case against him and secure his interim release on health grounds. Royina Garma, an ex-police colonel who served Duterte while he was mayor of Davao City, was reportedly scheduled to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324930/ex-ally-philippines-duterte-set-give-icc-drug-wars-smoking-gun-proof?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324930/ex-ally-philippines-duterte-set-give-icc-drug-wars-smoking-gun-proof?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 13:10:29 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Two contractors at the centre of the Philippines’ growing flood control scandal have named nearly 20 lawmakers and government officials they accuse of demanding kickbacks and offered to turn state witnesses, but legal experts say their alleged role in the scheme could undermine their plea for immunity. In sworn testimony presented to the Senate on Monday, Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya and Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya – a married couple – claimed that corrupt politicians and Department of Public Works and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324904/philippine-flood-control-scandal-contractors-allege-lawmaker-payoffs-entrenched-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324904/philippine-flood-control-scandal-contractors-allege-lawmaker-payoffs-entrenched-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 09:42:32 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippines has publicly accused a Chinese vessel of causing more than 11 million pesos (US$194,000) in damage to protected coral reefs near Thitu Island in the South China Sea. On Monday, Manila released the results of an environmental survey showing that a Chinese ship had ran aground near Thitu Island in June. Investigators found that the vessel dragged a parachute anchor across the sensitive marine ecosystem, scarring at least 464 square metres (4,994 square feet) of reef less than 3km... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318475/philippines-weighs-legal-action-against-china-over-us194000-coral-reef-damage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318475/philippines-weighs-legal-action-against-china-over-us194000-coral-reef-damage?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 00:00:10 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Three sacks weighted with sandbags recovered from the depths of a Philippine volcanic crater lake have added a dramatic new twist to the chilling case of at least 34 missing cock fighters, bolstering claims by a whistle-blower that the killings were orchestrated by a gambling tycoon with powerful political and police connections. The first sack, pulled from the murky waters of Taal Lake on Thursday, contained charred bones, according to the Department of Justice. Forensic tests have yet to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3317943/philippine-cock-fighters-deaths-duterte-drug-war-sack-bones-mark-mounting-mystery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3317943/philippine-cock-fighters-deaths-duterte-drug-war-sack-bones-mark-mounting-mystery?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jul 2025 07:00:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Fifteen police officers have been taken into custody and are being investigated for their alleged role in the abductions and feared killings of at least 34 cock fighters, the Philippine police chief said on Monday. The missing people were accused of cheating in the hugely popular sport, with their bodies reportedly dumped in a scenic lake with a restive volcano. The victims went missing around 2021 and 2022, mostly while on their way to or from cockfighting arenas dotting the main northern... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317252/philippine-police-detain-15-its-own-officers-missing-cock-fighters-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317252/philippine-police-detain-15-its-own-officers-missing-cock-fighters-case?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 10:27:48 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Philippines’ justice secretary said on Friday he has asked for Japan’s technical help to help in the search for dozens of cockfighting participants allegedly killed by rogue police and dumped in a lake south of Manila. The case is tied to a spate of mysterious disappearances in 2022 in the Southeast Asian nation’s huge cockfighting industry, known locally as “sabong”. Interest in the unsolved cases has surged since the televised appearance of a witness – since identified as Julie “Dondon”... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317001/philippines-urges-japan-help-lake-search-executed-cock-fighters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317001/philippines-urges-japan-help-lake-search-executed-cock-fighters?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 10:29:59 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A chilling new claim that police officers and a female celebrity were involved in the disappearance of dozens of missing cockfighting workers in the Philippines has reignited a long-dormant case that once shocked the country and raised questions about a possible cover-up. A suspect in the 2021-22 disappearances of 34 Filipino cock fighters has claimed that at least 30 people, including police officers, were involved in the case. “My estimate is about 10 are civilians, maybe more, while about 20... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3316189/mystery-missing-filipino-cock-fighters-has-chilling-twist-claims-police-complicity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3316189/mystery-missing-filipino-cock-fighters-has-chilling-twist-claims-police-complicity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 04:00:16 +0000