BAN Toxics said their recent monitoring of toys sold in the local markets in kiosks and ambulant vendors in Manila, such as water guns, swim goggles, floating plastic ducks and play sand are not only highly toxic, but also improperly labeled.

Using a handheld chemical analyzer, the device detected high levels of toxic substances beyond safety standards set by health institutions. These include cadmium at up to 250 parts per million (ppm), chromium up to 2,600 ppm, lead up to 230 ppm, and mercury up to 1620 ppm.

Chlorine labels of up to 100,000 ppm were also found, indicating the presence of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) , a common plastic material.

These elements are part of the manufacturing of toys with prescribed limitations.  But BAN Toxins said there should be stricter enforcement and monitoring of toys sold on the streets that have not been registered.

Lead, a known neurotoxin, can impair brain development and cause long-term cognitive effects in children, while cadmium is considered a suspected carcinogen linked to cancer risks with prolonged exposure.  Chromium is known to have irritating properties that can induce allergic reactions and cause cancer.

BAN Toxics Advocacy Campaign Officer Thony Dizon urged government agencies and local governments to take action, noting that hazardous toys are sold across the nation.

“We know that there are gaps when it comes to enforcement. That’s why we are encouraging our local governments to pass an ordinance to stop the sale of these kinds of products,” he said.

Dizon also urged regulators to intensify monitoring and confiscation of such unregistered products. 

“It is important for regulatory agencies to be more vigilant and proactive in inspecting and monitoring these products,” he said.

Under the Philippine law, toys sold in the market must comply with the safety labeling and manufacturer requirements in compliance with the Republic Act 10620 (Toy and Game Safety Labeling Act of 2013).  (davaotoday.com)

The Moro-Christian Peoples Alliance (MCPA) disputes the statement of the Police Regional Office – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BARMM) that the ten persons killed were members of the Dawlah Islamiya (DI) – Maute group which the government branded as a “terrorist group.”

Police said their operation with the 103rd Infantry Haribon Brigade in Barangay Banga Pantar last April 17 intended to arrest two persons they alleged were DI-Maute members, that resulted in a gun battle.

Killed were Amerol Mangonraka and Benjie Amor Macabato, who were subjects of the arrest warrants.  Also killed were their wives, their companions Nahara Khairiya Hamin, Jamail Ibrahim alias “Orak,” Fahmi Aminodin alias “Pakmin,” Sohaile Borud Bato, Mohaimen Aragon andan alias Polindan.

MCPA said there are inconsistencies in the police accounts, as reports from the community said they did not witnessed or heard a gun battle.

They also raised concern that four women and a student of the Mindanao State University were among the casualties.  An infant was also reportedly wounded in the incident but was brought to the hospital for emergency treatment.

The group also said families have left the village as adult and young male members of the village are being profiled and suspected by authorities as Maute members.

MCPA Secretary-General Amirah Ali Lidasan said the incident reflects broader concerns over the treatment of Moro communities in counterterrorism operations, particularly allegations of post-operation labeling, evidence planting, and the association of civilians with armed groups.

“These institutions carry a documented record of human rights violations and impunity—from the killings during the war on drugs to abuses committed during the Marawi siege and in Moro communities,” Lidasan said.

The group called for an independent investigation into the operation, arguing that inconsistencies between official reports and community testimonies warrant deeper scrutiny.

MCPA also urged authorities to prevent the stigmatization of Moro residents and ensure that security operations do not lead to collective suspicion against civilians. (davaotoday.com)

With that decision, the Department of Justice has ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to implement the arrest.

The senator and former Philippine National Police commander is facing  charges in the ICC as co-perpetrator of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs campaign. 

Dela Rosa is now “a fugitive from justice”, says Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida, describing the senator’s actions last week that found him resurfacing at the Senate after hiding for six months over reports of his arrest, only to slip off from protection of the Senate building at the dawn of May 14.

The senator filed the petition to the SC in that same week, as lawyers argued there are legal questions for the Philippines to effect an arrest issued by an international court without a local warrant.

Families of the victims of the drug war operations urged authorities to effect the arrest, calling this another step towards justice.

They also want the Marcos Jr. administration to act immediately.   “The Marcos administration should not drag its feet in surrendering Bato to the ICC,” said Llore Pasco, a mother of two victims, in an interview with Bulatlat.

The families raised this case to the ICC through human rights lawyers, as they believed Philippine courts failed to prosecute authorities in the alleged summary killings of their family members without due process.

“This ruling is important. It affirms that attempts to block arrest through last-minute petitions and technical maneuvers should not be used to frustrate justice,” said Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives, including ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago, and Kabataan Rep. Renee Co.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that the 230,000-strong PNP will be mobilized to search for dela Rosa.  PNP Chief Jose Nartatez said the police force have also monitored possible exit points in case the senator attempts to flee the country.

Bato dela Rosa was a former head of the Davao City Police, and prided himself as one of the architects of the city’s ‘tokhang‘ operations, which served as basis for the nationwide anti-drug operation when he held the PNP national post starting June 2016.

Rights groups also revealed an early documentary showed dela Rosa in the mid-1980s was a police officer who headed the anti-communist vigilante Tadtad in his home province in Davao del Sur.(davaotoday.com)

The incident happened around 1:15 p.m. in Purok 8, Barangay New Carmen after days of heavy rainfall that happened two days earlier.

Initial reports from barangay officials showed that at least 123 homeowners, one renter household, six sharers, and their dependents were displaced and have evacuated to the barangay gym beside the barangay hall in Purok 3.

Authorities recorded one fatality, two injured individuals, and two missing senior citizens.

Rescue teams continued retrieval operations for the missing residents as of this writing.

(https://davaotoday.com/headline/davao-floods-left-one-dead-areas-without-electricity/)

The incident renewed concerns over Davao City’s worsening waste management problem as the New Carmen sanitary landfill has long been reported to be operating beyond capacity.

Environmental group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) said the incident highlighted the increasing volume of waste disposed of in landfills and the need for stronger waste reduction, segregation, recycling, composting, and responsible disposal systems.

The group also pointed to the conditions faced by informal waste workers who rely on landfill sites for livelihood.

“Waste pickers and other informal workers play a significant role in waste recovery and recycling. However, many continue to work under unsafe and vulnerable conditions,” the group said.

It added that informal waste workers should be given safer workplaces, recognition, social protection, and livelihood support.

Waste management has long been a concern among environmental groups, who have warned that weak waste segregation and dependence on landfill disposal continue to strain the city’s garbage system.

The city government is currently fast-tracking the construction of a new nine-hectare sanitary landfill beside the existing site.

(https://davaotoday.com/headline/lack-of-waste-segregation-in-davao-worsens-landfill-problem/)

(https://davaotoday.com/headline/green-approaches-pushed-to-address-davaos-garbage-disposal/). (davaotoday.com)

The Center for Women’s Resources (CWR), a research and training institution in Quezon City that advances women’s rights, had documented at least 40 cases of state-perpetrated VAW from 2022 to 2025 involving police and military personnel.

The cases included physical assault, rape, sexual harassment, molestation, domestic abuse, and murder of women and children.

CWR’s monitoring of government data recorded a total of 13,211 VAW cases in that same time period, which shows an average of 36 women experiencing violence in a day.

“For every case that reaches the public, countless others remain hidden behind fear, intimidation, and institutional silence,” said Cham Perez, executive director of CWR. “Cases like (the police officer’ wife) are not isolated incidents. They expose a systemic problem in institutions that continue to tolerate abuse within their ranks while failing to ensure justice for women survivors.”

The said police officer was relieved from duty pending investigation.

Barriers to reporting

In Davao City, women’s rights organizations said abuse involving state actors have long persisted, especially among vulnerable sectors such as prostituted women, minors, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Talikala Executive Director Jeanette Laurel-Ampog recalled one incident during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when two barangay tanod (watchmen) in Baragnay Agdao were charged for raping an intoxicated 15-year-old who had been detained for violating curfew.

Ampog’s NGO has provided counseling and supported for women and minors caught in the sex trade in Davao, and she noted often authorities would dismiss complaints from prostituted women who seek help from assault and abuses from their clients.

“Hearing from the law enforcers like, ‘Ah, that’s part of your job, that’s part of being in prostitution. So you should accept it as a reality,’ that men would tend to abuse you and demand you to have sex. It’s still violence,” she said.

Another controversial VAW case in Davao was the murder of model-entrepreneur Yvonne Chua in 2024, where an army general was tagged by police investigators as the mastermind, claiming he was romantically linked to Chua.

The general was later absolved by the military court martial but kept him in custody, while his two subordinates were found guilty for the murder.

Digital activism vs ‘macho’ culture

The Young Feminists Collective Mindanao said youth activists have increasingly turned to digital platforms to expose cases often ignored by institutions.

The group’s co-founder Rose Marie Quimod said platforms such as TikTok and Facebook reels have become effective tools for documenting cases, amplifying survivor stories, and pressuring institutions to respond.

This happened In the case of Chua, where she had earlier documented herself with bruises over her face which she claimed came from assault from her perpetrator.

Quimod also pointed to what she described as a deeply rooted masculinity culture within police and military institutions as a fault for their tendency towards violence.

“A lot of military and police spaces are still shaped by masculinity culture, where aggression, emotional stoicism, and dominance are valued,” Quimod said.

The group called for stronger civilian oversight mechanisms, improved implementation of women’s hubs and VAWC desks, and greater participation of young women in local governance spaces.

“Complaints involving uniformed personnel should not stay only within their own institutions because civilians also deserve a role in oversight and ensuring women’s safety,” Quimod said.

CWR called on the Marcos administration, the Philippine National Police, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to establish independent oversight mechanisms, ensure impartial investigations, and strengthen survivor-centered support systems.

The group also pushed for sustained gender sensitivity and human rights education within uniformed services and the full implementation of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004 and the Magna Carta of Women.

“At a time when violence against women remains widespread, the state cannot remain complicit through inaction, let alone allow its own agents to become perpetrators of abuse and violence against women,” said Perez. (davaotoday.com)