Kathleen de Villa

Reports on foreign affairs, migrant workers and human rights for the Philippine Daily Inquirer 📰✍️

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

It’s been three weeks since former President Duterte was whisked off to The Hague. As we played catch up with ICC proceedings, among the recurring issues raised were jurisdiction, interim release and the number 43. But where does the process start and how can the case end? ⬇️

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

Former President Duterte informs the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I that he intends to skip the confirmation of charges hearing starting Feb. 23 in a letter he signed. He maintains the ICC has no jurisdiction over him and accepts his fate should he die in prison. @inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

He once threatened that drug addicts would spend their last Christmas during his first year in Malacañang. Almost a decade later, he will be spending his first Christmas in detention. @inquirerdotnet
https://t.co/xl6EKJJTGL

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

Juan Ponce Enrile is accorded with full military honors before his remains are laid to rest at the Libingan ng mga Bayani--a move that critics say is a rewriting of history as he was deemed a symbol of impunity. @inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

As ICI issues its fourth interim report, this time flagging a P95-million flood control project in Bocaue, Bulacan with Topnotch Catalyst/Beam Team as contractors, Chair Andres Reyes, Jr. borrows a 1965 song by Burt Bacarach: “What the world needs now is love.”@inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

The asset technical working group of the ICI is considering taking the route of filing a civil forfeiture case first, which he noted, was faster than prosecuting a criminal case. The group meets today at the ICI headquarters. @inquirerdotnet

[Inquirer @inquirerdotnet]

ICC ruling vs Duterte release bid shows he’s fit for trial https://t.co/Eu4PFqDsqb

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

LOOK: Ramon Magsasay awardee Fr. Flavie Villanueva leads the inurnment rites at Dambana ng Paghilom for eight more victims of extrajudicial killings in former President Duterte's drug war. @inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

Former Senate President Chiz Escudero would rather see the questionable "insertions" in the national budget as "amendments," which he says are part of the budget process and oversight powers of both chambers of Congress. @inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

Brice Hernandez, ex-district engineer for Bulacan, is back in the ICI after having a short meeting with the fact-finding body in the morning. He is turning over another luxury car, Lamborghini Urus, after he surrendered last week his GMC Yukon Denali. @inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

LOOK: Former DPWH 1st district engineer Brice Hernandez turns over another luxury car, a Lamborghini Urus, to the ICI. Hernandez faces the investigating body on Wednesday. @inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

@inquirerdotnet Aside from Tiangco and Poe, also seen in attendance at today's ICI hearings are Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, but both declined to be interviewed by the media. Both were tagged as having received kickbacks from budget insertions. @inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco says today's tell-all account of former DPWH district engineer Henry Alcantara in the Senate finally linked the budget insertions with the alleged kickbacks given to lawmakers. Tiangco appeared before the ICI to turn over evidence. @inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

@inquirerdotnet Former Sen. Grace Poe is also called in as a resource person in today's closed-door sessions with ICI. She denies being part of the bicam committee in the 19th Congress that allegedly made changes to the 2025 budget. @inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

LOOK: Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is in between closed-door sessions of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) after former DPWH district engineer Henry Alcantara named him as one of the lawmakers who got kickbacks from the anomalous flood control contracts.@inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

The BOC has started its own investigation into the opulent collection of high-end vehicles that they showed off on vlogs that recently made rounds all over spcial media. @inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

WATCH: The headquarters of Discaya-owned St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corporation in Pasig City is a huge complex with multi-storey buildings. The Bureau of Customs served a search warrant for their luxury vehicles today, Sept. 2. @inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

One of the buildings has a "residential" permit with the Discaya couple named as owners.

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

Only those who have goods to declare at customs need to present their e-Travel for clearance.

However, all arriving travelers will still have to register and fill out the mandatory e-Travel forms in the app before passing through the customs gates. @inquirerdotnet

[Kathleen de Villa @kdevillaINQ]

Arriving foreign and local tourists with nothing to declare at Naia will no longer have to present their e-Travel QR codes for scanning starting today. The temporary BOC policy aims to eliminate the long queues at the arrival section of NAIA. @inquirerdotnet

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

As the statement implies, people from the broadsheet Inquirer, known to us media peeps as PDI, will lose their jobs as 'dotnet' takes over. This is a shakeup felt across the board, another indication of a broader media crisis, so close to press freedom day.