Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Sunday, June 8, 2025. Today's episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines' leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer—your Trusted Building Partner.

Groups skewer Senate on impeach trial delay

CALLS to start impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte began to snowball over the weekend, with academics, civil rights, and religious groups skewering the Senate for not doing its constitutional duty. Reacting to a resolution circulated by Duterte ally Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa to dismiss the impeachment complaint, the Ateneo School of Government said "dispensing the case without the benefit of a trial is a dereliction of duty and a clear attempt to whitewash the accusations raised against a public official." The impeachment case against Vice President Duterte, filed earlier this year, involves serious allegations, including misuse of public funds, unexplained wealth, conspiracy to commit murder, and betrayal of public trust.

US urges allies to back sanctions vs ICC

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday urged international allies to rally behind sanctions imposed by the United States against the International Criminal Court (ICC). This move comes in response to what the US deems wrongful actions by the ICC, including recent arrest warrants that have drawn ire from American officials. Rubio emphasized the US commitment to safeguarding its sovereignty and that of Israel and other allies. The sanctions target four ICC judges, all women, who were involved in issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Under these sanctions, the judges, Beti Hohler of Slovenia and Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin, will be barred from entering the United States, and their properties and interests within the country will be blocked. Alapini-Gansou is also a notable figure in the case involving former president Rodrigo Duterte, prompting his legal team to seek her disqualification.

Govt to intensify program for WPS fishers

THE government intends to intensify the Kadiwa ng Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda (KBBM) Program to provide better opportunities for Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Saturday. In a weekly news forum in Quezon City, PCG spokesman for the WPS, Cdre. Jay Tarriela said the government would make sure that the conditions and livelihood of fishermen would improve. The government on Wednesday launched the KBBM Program in Palawan province after its successful pilot run at the Panatag Shoal off Zambales province on May 9.

Degamo: Move Teves to Manila City Jail

NEGROS Oriental 3rd District Rep. Janice Degamo urged authorities to transfer expelled lawmaker representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) detention facility in Muntinlupa City to Manila City Jail. Degamo, widow of slain Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, said Teves should not be allowed to enjoy a "comfortable" detention setup. Teves was facing multiple murder and terrorism charges for being the alleged mastermind of the March 2023 massacre in Pamplona, Negros Oriental, whose victims include Governor Degamo and nine others.

Yulo snares floor exercise gold in South Korea

PERFORMING razor sharp as if he didn't have a 10-month layoff following a historic Paris Olympics run last year, Carlos Yulo snared the gold medal in floor exercise at the 2025 Men's Artistic Gymnastics Senior Asian Championships in Jecheon, South Korea, Saturday afternoon. Yulo garnered 14.600 points built on 5.700 in difficulty, 8.800 in execution, and a 0.100 bonus for his clean and exquisite performance in the final, where he treated the fans with his dazzling acrobatic moves. The 4-foot-11 dynamo showcased a lethal combination of power and grace in his twirls and tumbling, which he mostly ended by sticking his landing on the mat. The act proved more than enough for the 25-year-old to win the event for the fourth straight year.

SPORTS: Eldrew Yulo guns for gold at Asian junior tilt

Yulo's younger brother, Karl Eldrew, meanwhile, is seeking to defend his vault apparatus title at the 2025 Men's Artistic Gymnastics Junior Asian Championships in Jecheon, South Korea, on Sunday. The younger Yulo scored an average of 13.250 points on Friday in the qualification where the top eight advanced to the championship round. The 16-year-old finished behind South Korea's An Dae-geon (13.633) and Bak Jun-woo (13.500), and India's Akshat Bajaj (13.316). Eldrew, who finished ninth in the individual all-around with a total of 75.698 points, also shoots for a medal in floor exercise, horizontal bar and pommel horse.

BUSINESS: Berry good!

FOR a budget-friendly fee of 100 pesos, a farm in Ilocos Norte is offering visitors the unique experience of harvesting mulberries. Located in the rice farming village of Pasiocan in the town of Bacarra, the farm is owned by Richard Eugenio "Richie" Lamug, a former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who worked as an architect for five years in Dubai before settling home for good with his family. Using a piece of land he and his siblings inherited from their parents, Lamug, together with wife Mary Grace, decided to set up a mulberry plantation in September 2023. Named Enrique's Great Mulberry Farm after the late Lamug family patriarch, a retired police inspector who passed away in 2021, the farm became the first and largest mulberry farm in Ilocos Norte, with around 500 well-grown Illinois variety mulberries attracting curious tourists for "pick and pay" during harvest season.

Opinion and editorial

Marlen Ronquillo is today's front page columnist, as he welcomes the new chief of the Philippine National Police, Gen. Nicolas Torre III. Today's editorial says the Constitution is not optional. Read more in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

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Source: The Manila Times.