Here are today’s headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world:
- Duterte endorses 2025 Senate bets in Club Filipino proclamation rally
- House quad comm clears Porac officials in Lucky South 99 probe
- Willie Ong withdraws from Senate race due to health reasons
- Marcos appoints Vince Dizon as new secretary of transportation
- Court dismisses acts of lasciviousness charges vs Nones, Cruz in Sandro Muhlach case
https://www.rappler.com/video/daily-wrap/february-13-2025/
- Duterte endorses 2025 Senate bets in Club Filipino proclamation rally
- House quad comm clears Porac officials in Lucky South 99 probe
- Willie Ong withdraws from Senate race due to health reasons
- Marcos appoints Vince Dizon as new secretary of transportation
- Court dismisses acts of lasciviousness charges vs Nones, Cruz in Sandro Muhlach case
https://www.rappler.com/video/daily-wrap/february-13-2025/
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NewsTranscript
00:00Today on Rappler
00:13The senatorial slates, backed by Marcos and Duterte, heat up the campaign trail with simultaneous
00:18sorties.
00:19The House Quad Committee clears product-suspended officials of wrongdoing in connection with
00:23illegal POGO operations.
00:26Secretary Dr. Willie Ong withdraws his senatorial bid due to health concerns.
00:31President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appoints Vince Dizon as the new Transportation Secretary.
00:37And a Pasay court dismisses Sandro Mulak's complaints of acts of lasciviousness against
00:42GMA contractors whom he has also accused of rape.
00:48Candidates heat up the Senate race with simultaneous sorties Thursday, February 13.
00:53Candidates of the Duterte-allied PDP-LABAN kick off their campaign at Club Filipino in
00:57San Juan City.
00:59Former President Rodrigo Duterte attends the event, solidifying his support for his
01:03chosen candidates.
01:07Meantime, the administration-backed senatorial slate holds its proclamation rally in Iloilo
01:15City with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. taking the role as chief campaigner.
01:20All 12 candidates are present in the event.
01:27Candidates running for national posts officially started campaigning last February 11 for 90
01:32days until Election Day on May 12.
01:37The House Quad Committee clears the suspended officials of Borak Pampanga of wrongdoing
01:41in connection with illegal offshore gaming operations or POGO.
01:45The following officials are cleared, including the mayor, vice mayor, and four councillors.
01:54Quad Committee Chair Ace Barbers said the committee finds no connection between the
01:58officials and POGOs, including the scam hub LuckySouth99.
02:03But Barbers tells Rappler this shouldn't prevent the police or the National Bureau of Investigation
02:07from conducting their own investigations.
02:10This comes as local politicians gear up for the start of their election campaign period
02:14in March.
02:15Borak Mayor Jaime Capil is seeking a third term while his daughter Tricia Angeli is running
02:20for vice mayor.
02:22Capil and the other politicians proved by the House remain suspended.
02:27He says he has yet to meet with his lawyers about getting his suspension lifted.
02:34Celebrity doctor Willie Ong withdraws from the 2025 senatorial race due to health concerns.
02:40In a social media post on Thursday, February 13, Ong says, quote, I'm officially withdrawing
02:45my candidacy for the 2025 elections so I can focus more on taking care of my health.
02:51He thanks his supporters and promises to continue his health advocacy in a private capacity.
02:56Ong disclosed in September 2024 that he was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare cancer affecting
03:02the bones and soft tissues.
03:04He underwent treatment and in December, announced he was cancer-free.
03:08Ong's wife, Dr. Lisa Ong, filed his certificate of candidacy while he was undergoing treatment
03:13in Singapore.
03:14Ong ranked between 19th and 21st in the January 2025 Pulse Asia survey.
03:21Aside from Ong, Congressman Wilbert Lee and former Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson
03:26also pulled out of the Senate race.
03:30President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, February 13, appoints Vivian Chauvin's Dizon
03:35as the new Transportation Secretary starting February 21.
03:40Dizon will replace Jaime Bautista, who was brought out of retirement in 2022, to lead
03:45the Department of Transportation.
03:47Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin says the office of the president has already authorized
03:51Dizon to begin the handover from Bautista's team.
03:55Dizon will oversee major infrastructure projects, including the Metro Manila subway project
04:00and the North-South Commuter Railway System.
04:03He served as the COVID-19 testing czar during the Duterte administration.
04:07Meantime, Bautista says he stepped down upon his family's request due to exhaustion and
04:13health concerns.
04:16A Pasay court dismisses actor Sandro Mulac's complaints of acts of lasciviousness against
04:21GMA-independent contractors he accused of rape.
04:25The court granted the petition from the accused, Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz, to quash the
04:30case saying it was, quote, overkill.
04:33That's because both suspects have already been charged with rape, stemming from the
04:36same incident.
04:38In a statement, Senator Jingo Estrada says the dismissal of the acts of lasciviousness
04:41case was due to a mere technicality and doesn't diminish the seriousness of the rape charge.
04:47The Justice Department filed both the rape and acts of lasciviousness charges against
04:51Nones and Cruz in October.
04:53The DOJ said there was enough evidence to pursue charges of rape through sexual assault,
04:58as actor Sandro Mulac provided a detailed account of Nones and Cruz's alleged actions.
05:03Mulac filed the complaints in August 2024 after going public with his allegations the
05:09previous month.
05:13And that's today's wrap.
05:14I'm Kara Oliver, thank you for watching.
05:16Click the link below for the full story.
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