Teodoro on Aug. 7 said elected officials who do not support the government’s position defending the West Philippine Sea against China’s intrusion should resign, arguing they have a constitutional duty to defend Philippine territory based on the 2016 United Nations arbitral ruling. He did not name specific officials.

That statement sparked immediate backlash from the Duterte faction. 

On Aug. 2, Rep. Duterte criticized Teodoro for “demonizing China” and said the defense secretary’s job is to strengthen national defense, not conduct “loyalty exams” on elected officials. 

Vice President Sara Duterte, in an Aug. 6 interview in Davao City, challenged Teodoro to name any officials he considers “pro-China.”

Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela, spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard for the WPS, responded directly to the vice president on Aug. 5, listing seven traits he considers indicative of betrayal—including silence when China harasses Philippine forces, declaring the 2016 arbitral award “just a piece of paper,” and openly praising Chinese President Xi Jinping. He ended his statement by asking the vice president: “Do you know anyone doing this?”

Tarriela later confronted Duterte, asking why the congressman issued no statements despite all of China’s “bullying” of the Philippine navy and fisherfolk. “It seems you are siding with them — you have the same line. Are you pro-China, sir?” Tarriela wrote.

Rep. Duterte countered that diplomacy requires private statecraft, not media sound bites. 

Tarriela retorted that diplomatic engagement through embassies and bilateral mechanisms is ongoing, and reminded the congressman that attending congressional sessions and crafting laws is his job. “Politics has nothing to do with the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela said.

The confrontation highlights longstanding ties between the Duterte family and Beijing.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte promoted Chinese loans for infrastructure projects during his Build, Build, Build program, including the Coastal Road and Samal Island-Davao Bridge.

Davao City maintains sister-city agreements with five Chinese cities: Nanning (signed 2007), Jinjiang (2018), Chongqing (2019), Tai’an (August 2023), and Dalian (approved by the city council in 2025, ceremony held Sept. 27, 2025).

Relations between the Dutertes and China have also drawn criticism. The administration faced controversy over the influx of offshore gaming operators following allegations of human trafficking linked to former mayor Alice Guo.

Several Chinese citizens were also arrested for falsifying citizenship documents through a municipality in Davao del Sur province. (davaotoday.com)

In a resolution dated July 8, the High Court directed several Philippine Army units — including the 48th Infantry Battalion, 60th Infantry Battalion and 10th Infantry Division — to submit their comments on the family’s petition.

“The main purpose of elevating the case to the Supreme Court is to find accountability for my father’s whereabouts,” said Marklen Lariosa, the labor organizer’s son. 

The family viewed the legal action as a form of protection amid concerns for their safety.

He considered the Supreme Court resolution a welcome development because it did not immediately reject or deny their petition.

“Regarding the recently released resolution, we are thankful because it’s a good development for the case. Our family hopes the case will move forward,” Marklen told Davao Today.

Lariosa, who was reported missing on April 24, 2024, in Quezon, Bukidnon, has not been located. His family and support groups allege that elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines operating in the area were involved in his disappearance.

As of now, the family still has received no information about Lariosa’s whereabouts, Marklen said, adding they continue to hope to find out whether he is still alive or has died.

The family filed the petition with the Supreme Court in October 2025 after the Court of Appeals and the Regional Trial Court in Bukidnon denied their petitions for the writs of habeas corpus, habeas data and amparo.

The legal action seeks to compel state forces, particularly the military units named as respondents, to produce or surface Lariosa. The family hopes the Supreme Court will find the evidence sufficient and rule in their favor.

“Hopefully, the Supreme Court will see how sufficient the evidence we presented, then they will decide in favor of our side and will see what really happened, and we also hope that our judiciary system will not be biased,” Marklen said.

The Surface William Lariosa Network (SWLN) also welcomed the Supreme Court’s action, saying it remains “vigilant and steadfast” in pursuing legal remedies and advancing its campaign to find Lariosa.

Karapatan-Southern Mindanao said the directive for respondents to comment is part of the judicial process and will allow the court to consider the respondents’ side before deciding on the petition.

Significance of the petition

“The significance of the comment is for the Supreme Court to weigh on the decision if they will grant the petition, hearing the side of the respondents,” the rights group said.

Karapatan-SMR disclosed that the Commission on Human Rights conducted an independent investigation into the case. The family and support groups are also awaiting developments at the prosecution level, though some details remain confidential due to ongoing legal proceedings.

Beyond the legal arena, the SWLN continues to campaign in communities and schools to raise awareness about Lariosa and enforced disappearances. 

Desaparecidos Philippines also campaigns for Lariosa among cases of enforced disappearance documented under the Marcos Jr. administration.

Karapatan-SMR said it hopes the Supreme Court will rule in favor of the family, which could help pressure the military respondents to surface Lariosa and address allegations concerning his disappearance. (davaotoday.com)

On Aug. 4, the council approved a resolution urging Davao Light and Power Co. (DLPC) to secure emergency and long-term bilateral power supply agreements with other baseload power plants to reduce reliance on the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), where prices have surged in recent months.

Councilor Louie John Bonguyan, chair of the Committee on Energy and Water, said Department of Energy officials reported that Mindanao currently holds a power reserve of 729 to 1,000 megawatts. 

Despite the surplus, consumers face higher rates because electricity generated locally trades under the national market system established by the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).

“If only the power plants in Mindanao served Mindanao alone. But that is not the case. There’s the EPIRA law, many regulations… It has to go through the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). It’s really not allowed that we in Mindanao simply cooperate among ourselves,” Bonguyan said.

Electricity from Mindanao plants sells through the national grid and WESM, while part of the island’s supply transmits to the Visayas via the Mindanao-Visayas interconnection, leaving local consumers exposed to price fluctuations despite adequate generating capacity.

Bonguyan suggested DLPC pursue emergency procurement from other baseload generators in Mindanao instead of sourcing more power from WESM.

“Hopefully, in two to three months, electricity costs in our city will go down,” he said, noting the move remains subject to existing ERC rules.

He cited the Agus-Pulangi hydropower complex, operated by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM), as a cheaper source, though aging facilities have reduced its output.

“Mentioned earlier that PSALM’s rate is only half the price… But the problem now is with the Agus-Pulangi hydro power plant… it can now only generate very little power,” Bonguyan said.

The national government is proceeding with rehabilitation efforts after PSALM announced talks with a prospective private partner.

Repeal EPIRA

Progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Southern Mindanao Region (BAYAN SMR) welcomed the council’s initiative but argued local measures alone cannot address structural causes of high electricity prices.

“The local government can only do so much… If it were up to us, we would push for the regulation of our electric services and eventually, the repeal or scrapping of EPIRA, which puts control of electricity distribution in the hands of some private companies,” said Rauf Sissay, spokesperson for BAYAN-SMR.

Sissay called for greater investment in renewable energy over coal dependence, noting that a coal-fired plant near Toril has not provided adequate supply.

Mindanao already draws power from renewable sources including Mount Apo geothermal plants in North Cotabato and Davao del Sur, alongside various solar projects across the region.

Sissay highlighted regulatory actions contradicting President Marcos’ fifth State of the Nation Address promise to lower electricity costs. 

The Feed-in Tariff Allowance (FIT-ALL) rose from ?0.2011 per kilowatt-hour to ?0.3359 beginning the August billing period—a charge supporting renewable energy developers under the Renewable Energy Act.

The group urged the government to ensure future energy projects remain environmentally sustainable while protecting farmers, Indigenous Peoples, and rural communities. (davaotoday.com)

“My children are already dead, and we parents will be the ones to find justice,” said Emily, whose son Angelito was among seven people killed in the 2016 Caloocan massacre.

Dahlia, whose son Jesus was killed during a buy-bust operation in March 2019, said Duterte’s remarks ignored the suffering of bereaved families.

“So much blood was shed from so many victims of Tokhang,” she said. “We want truth and justice for why this happened to our children.”

Llore, whose sons Crisanto and Juan Carlos were found dead in a funeral home after going missing in May 2017, described the vice president as harsh and dismissive toward the poor. 

“She views the poor as trash, clutter that should be swept away,” Llore said. “Her statement is alarming and distressful for us families of victims.”

The condemnations came in response to the vice president’s speech at a “Free Duterte” rally outside the ICC detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands, on July 29. During her address, the vice president questioned whether those included in the ICC case against her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, were genuine victims of the anti-drug campaign.

“They cannot even say right now if the victims are truly victims of the drug war because gun violence is so common in the Philippines,” the vice president said.

She also argued that not all killings cited by complainants could be linked to government operations. “It can be a crime of passion. It can be murder because of a third party in a relationship. It can be a plain hold-up,” she said.

“How a program is implemented—whether there were mistakes, errors, it was a bad program—is not a crime against humanity,” she added.

The Rise Up for Life and for Rights (Rise Up) coalition also condemned the remarks, saying the vice president’s speech “belittled the memory” of victims’ families and denied years of their search for justice.

“The speech of VP Sara claiming her father committed no crime is a lie—fake news,” the group said in a statement.

Rise Up maintained that the ICC case was built on evidence gathered during an investigation that began in 2017 following communications filed before the tribunal. 

Families of drug war victims have spent nearly a decade seeking truth, justice and accountability, the group said.

The coalition also noted that victims’ families have continued speaking out despite fear, joining protests, congressional proceedings and legal efforts in pursuit of justice.

Former President Duterte has been in ICC custody for more than a year after being arrested in the Philippines and transferred to The Hague to face charges of alleged crimes against humanity linked to his anti-drug campaign as president and as former Davao City mayor.

Rise Up also criticized the vice president for delivering a speech against the ICC while impeachment proceedings against her remain pending before the Senate. 

The group called on the Marcos administration to take the impeachment trial seriously and ensure accountability in both domestic and international legal processes. (davaotoday.com)