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, WED., OCT. 14, 2026No. 10 · Morning, 6:00 a.m. PHT6 a.m. PHT
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Politics · ImpeachmentPress ✓ 9 outlets · the court’s vote and the article texts not seen

Impeachment court lets prosecutors drop three of four charges against Sara Duterte, leaving only unexplained wealth; she says she will never resign

The defence called the withdrawal unfair and warned of a mistrial. The court released its November schedule, and the defence presentation is slated for November 9, the Manila Bulletin reported.

The Senate, sitting as the impeachment court, allowed House prosecutors on Tuesday, October 13, the 39th day of the trial, to withdraw three of the four articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte (Inquirer, GMA News, Manila Times, ABS-CBN, Reuters). One article remains: the charge of unexplained wealth, which prosecutors said they would now concentrate on (GMA News, Rappler, Cebu Daily News). The day had been billed as a session to settle administrative matters before a recess (Inquirer, GMA News), and the day before, prosecutors had dropped their plan to call Duterte to the stand (Philstar, Rappler). Presiding officer Chiz Escudero called a short break after the motion was made (GMA News). Defence lead counsel Sheila Sison objected, asking why the case was being withdrawn after evidence had been presented, and warned that allowing it risked a mistrial, meaning a trial that ends without a verdict (Inquirer, ABS-CBN). The defence said it would still present its evidence despite the three dropped articles (GMA News). Pangilinan, one of the senator-judges, asked the court to reverse its ruling, and Duterte’s brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, also criticised the prosecutors (Manila Times). Prosecutor Rep. Chel Diokno said the evidence rests on independent, verifiable facts, and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said the trial has no time limit (GMA News). DailyDrop has not seen the full text of the three withdrawn articles or a tally of the senators’ vote on the motion.

Duterte said she would never resign (Inquirer, GMA News, ABS-CBN, Philstar). On the bribery charge, she said prosecutors had no evidence (GMA News). She also said she plans to run for president in 2028 and warned of fraud (GMA News). She denied owning the properties that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has tied to her (GMA News, Philstar), and said the agency’s property probe is meant to derail her bid (Inquirer). The Inquirer reported that the NBI will refer an alleged discrepancy in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) to the Ombudsman, and that it is looking into businessman Jaime Tan Cruz’s links to the Duterte family. Paolo Duterte challenged the NBI chief to prove its claim about a property in Samal (Inquirer). The court released its November schedule (Inquirer, GMA News), and the Manila Bulletin quoted Gatchalian as saying the defence presentation is slated for November 9. The reports reviewed do not say how the court will answer the mistrial warning. A conviction would remove Duterte from office. A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, meanwhile, put her trust rating at 56 percent against 36 percent for President Marcos (Inquirer, Manila Times, Philstar, Cebu Daily News).

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By the numbers
3 of 4articles of impeachment withdrawn with the court’s approval; unexplained wealth remains (Inquirer, GMA News, Reuters)
56% / 36%trust in Duterte and in Marcos in the latest SWS survey (Inquirer, Manila Times, Philstar)
Nov. 9date slated for the defence presentation, per Gatchalian (Manila Bulletin)
World · ReligionPress ✓ 5 outlets · diagnosis from press reports; no Vatican bulletin seen

Pope Leo XIV’s lung surgery went well, but reports say it showed cancer; the lower lobe of his right lung was removed

Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery in a Rome hospital on Tuesday to remove a lung nodule, and the Vatican said the operation went well (Reuters, GMA News). Later reports said the procedure showed the growth was cancerous. The Inquirer’s headline said the pope has lung cancer and that the lower lobe of his right lung was removed, and Politico and other outlets also reported a lung-cancer diagnosis. DailyDrop has not seen a medical bulletin that states the stage of the cancer or a treatment plan. The reports reviewed do not say that any of his duties have been handed over, although the Inquirer ran an explainer on who runs the Church if a pope cannot govern.

Cardinal Tagle will preside over Wednesday’s Mass while the pope recovers (GMA News). The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) had earlier asked the faithful to pray for the surgery and a full recovery (Inquirer). Readers should expect the Vatican to publish further health updates, and wait for those rather than for social-media posts.

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Weather · GovernmentPress ✓ 5 outlets

Palace defends Marcos’s “balde” advice as critics demand a real plan for a Super El Niño

President Marcos’s advice to prepare for a “Super El Niño” by collecting rainwater in buckets, or “balde,” drew criticism on Tuesday, and the Palace answered it (GMA News, Inquirer, ABS-CBN). The Palace told critics to “sit down and listen” to what the President was saying (GMA News, Inquirer), and said the bucket was only one of several measures he had mentioned (ABS-CBN). Atom said the remark was no substitute for a plan and urged solid action (Inquirer). Gatchalian called the advice practical amid the expected El Niño (Inquirer).

Officials listed other steps. Speaker Dy said the House added money for agriculture ahead of the drought (Inquirer), Aquino asked government lenders to waive loan interest while it lasts (Inquirer, Manila Times), the DENR set up early-warning systems (GMA News), and the DOE warned that Visayas could face more red alerts in 2027 without enough backup power (Rappler). The Inquirer reported provinces racing to save power and water, and the Manila Times, citing the EU’s climate monitor, said El Niño set a temperature record in a key Pacific zone. DailyDrop has not seen the Palace’s full list of measures or their cost.

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World · Middle EastPress ✓ 8 outlets · Aramco damage not confirmed

Saudi-led forces strike a Houthi oil site in Sanaa and blasts are heard near Aramco’s headquarters; Riyadh airport stays shut and PAL flights stay suspended

The Saudi-led coalition said it attacked an oil facility in Sanaa that the Houthis used to support their drone and missile attacks, after ordering it evacuated (Reuters, Guardian, Financial Times). On Tuesday evening in Saudi Arabia, loud booms were heard near Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran (Reuters, FinancialJuice), and the coalition said it intercepted a missile heading for the city (FinancialJuice). Bloomberg reported that the headquarters was hit; Reuters said only that blasts were heard nearby, and the reports reviewed carry no statement from Aramco on damage. Saudi Arabia issued a warning of a hostile aerial threat to Riyadh and later said the danger had passed (FinancialJuice). Brent crude settled at $105.69 a barrel, down 0.9 percent (FinancialJuice), and Trump said the Houthis were trying to push oil prices up before the US midterm elections (Reuters).

For Filipinos the effects continued. Riyadh’s airport was to stay shut this week (GMA News, Rappler), Philippine Airlines (PAL) extended its Riyadh suspension to November 29 (Inquirer), and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said there is no deployment ban on workers bound for Saudi Arabia (Philstar). Three Filipinos remained in intensive care after the earlier airport attack (Manila Times), and Villanueva condemned the Houthi attacks that hurt Filipinos (Inquirer). The Manila Times added that the DMW is helping a Filipino seafarer injured in a drone attack in the Persian Gulf.

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Markets · EconomyPress ✓ 7 outlets · no confirmed Tuesday US index closes

Asian chip stocks slump on AI worries as the IMF flags correction risk and two Fed officials back another rate hike

Asian stocks fell on worries about the artificial-intelligence boom (Reuters). South Korea’s Kospi dropped more than 5 percent on a sell-off in semiconductor shares (AP), and US chip stocks extended their slide as a report on Chinese memory chips and doubts about AI spending hit the sector (Reuters). The International Monetary Fund (IMF), at its annual meetings, flagged the risk of a correction in AI-linked markets, along with war and debt (Reuters, BusinessWorld). It also said the AI boom lifted global trade, to the benefit of China and India (Reuters). The Inquirer reported that the IMF sees the Philippines’ growth lagging its Asian peers, and Philstar said high food and energy prices will weigh on growth. DailyDrop has not seen the IMF’s growth figure for the Philippines in the reports reviewed.

In Washington, Federal Reserve officials pointed to higher rates. The Fed’s Williams said one more rate hike this year is appropriate (FinancialJuice, Bloomberg), and the Fed’s Collins said another hike was on the table before the end of 2026 (Reuters). JPMorgan reported a rare profit miss while Goldman Sachs and Citigroup beat estimates (Reuters), and Bloomberg called the big banks’ results mixed. DailyDrop has no confirmed closing levels for Tuesday’s US session. At home, the PSEi slipped as investors took profits (Philstar), and Inquirer reported consensus building for further rate increases by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). The BSP trimmed its balance-of-payments deficit forecasts for 2026 and 2027 (Philstar), and the Inquirer said the dollar deficit is seen narrowing as exports gain. Inflows of foreign direct investment were $689 million in July, a six-month high by the Inquirer’s account, yet Philstar headlined a 44 percent fall; the comparison base was not in the reports reviewed.

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In brief
  • Alex Eala lost her first-round singles match at the Wuhan Open to qualifier Han Shi; she and Zeynep Sonmez also went out of the doubles in round oneInquirer, ABS-CBN
  • At the ICC’s fourth status conference in Rodrigo Duterte’s case, prosecutors restructured their evidence list and asked to admit three recorded testimoniesGMA News, Philstar
  • The House approved a bill barring children under 13 from social media; Marcos had said earlier there was “no rush” on a ban for minorsManila Times, Inquirer
  • Albay broadcaster shot dead; the PNP condemned the killing and CCTV footage is giving investigators leadsInquirer, Rappler
  • The House gave final approval to a 50-year renewal of Cebu Pacific’s franchiseInquirer
  • The GCash parent’s IPO drew oversubscribed orders from brokersInquirer, Philstar
  • Meta released its Muse Wonder AI models, which it says match the best from OpenAI and AnthropicReuters
  • Toyota is pitching its Tamaraw jeepney to the public-utility vehicle sectorInquirer, Philstar
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Unverified — what we cannot confirm

“A video shows Claire Castro calling Marcos a ‘drug addict.’” Rappler’s fact check found the video altered. It is a single outlet’s finding (Rappler).
“Trillanes was cited in contempt by the impeachment court.” Rappler’s fact check says he was not cited in contempt (Rappler).
“Viral videos show the Riyadh airport attacks.” The Inquirer’s fact check found fake viral videos linked to the attacks (Inquirer).
Glossary · dotted words — economic, legal, security and science terms explained in context. The list grows every day.
INSIDEImpeachment court lets prosecutors drop three of four charges against Sara Duterte, leaving only unexplained wealth; she says she will never resignPolitics · ImpeachmentPope Leo XIV’s lung surgery went well, but reports say it showed cancer; the lower lobe of his right lung was removedWorld · ReligionPalace defends Marcos’s “balde” advice as critics demand a real plan for a Super El NiñoWeather · GovernmentSaudi-led forces strike a Houthi oil site in Sanaa and blasts are heard near Aramco’s headquarters; Riyadh airport stays shut and PAL flights stay suspendedWorld · Middle EastAsian chip stocks slump on AI worries as the IMF flags correction risk and two Fed officials back another rate hikeMarkets · Economy