Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Friday, March 21, 2025.

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READ: VP Sara nixes early return

VICE President Sara Duterte said Thursday she could not return to the Philippines yet, because she is building a legal support group for her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, who faces trial before the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity in connection to his bloody war on drugs. In a virtual press briefing on Thursday, Duterte said she was the one who chose international criminal lawyer Nicholas Kaufman as their lead defense counsel. She said she will be talking to another lawyer who will assist Kaufman in the defense.

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READ: ‘I’m prepared for arrest order’

VICE President Sara Duterte said she is ready to face a possible arrest warrant against her from the International Criminal Court (ICC) but that would depend on whether it would be served in The Hague or in the Philippines. The vice president issued the statement after rumors that she would be among the next in line to be arrested by the ICC, along with former police chiefs Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa and retired general Oscar Albayalde. Both Dela Rosa and Albayalde have been mentioned in ICC documents, but the vice president has not been cited.

READ: No conspiracy vs Duterte, Cabinet officials say

NATIONAL Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Año on Thursday denied reports that he orchestrated the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is now facing trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity related to his deadly war on drugs. In a Senate hearing called by Sen. Imee Marcos, he also denied that he, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. had conspired to plan Duterte’s arrest. ‌Año also said the situation was particularly challenging for him, as he had served for a long time under the Duterte administration before he was appointed national security adviser in the current Marcos administration. At the same hearing, Cabinet members corroborated Año’s statement, asserting that the government’s decision to arrest Duterte was not strategic. Instead, it was a necessary action in compliance with the country’s obligations to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) rather than a response to any request from the ICC.

READ: Most Filipinos believe Duterte should answer for drug killings

A MAJORITY of Filipinos believe former president Rodrigo Duterte should be held accountable for the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) related to his war on drugs, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey shows. The survey, commissioned by the Stratbase Group, was conducted in February or a month before Duterte was arrested by the International Criminal Court, through the International Police, to face charges of crimes against humanity. Duterte was arrested on March 11 and flown to The Hague in the Netherlands. He is now detained at the Dutch prison Scheveningen in The Hague awaiting trial. Conducted from Feb. 15 to 19, the SWS survey interviewed 1,800 respondents nationwide and has a ±2 margin of error, Stratbase said. The survey showed that 51 percent of Filipinos agree that Duterte should be held accountable for the killings related to his antidrugs drive during his administration, while 25 percent said they disagree. Fourteen percent said that they were undecided, while 10 percent said that they lacked knowledge to give an opinion.

READ: More women need to get into politics – Poe

SEN. Grace Poe on Thursday raised the need for more women to get involved in politics as they have the potential to be “transformational leaders.” The senator made the call during The Manila Times Women’s Circle forum with the theme: “Ladies Who Lead: Serving, Inspiring, Empowering Nation Builders.” Filipino women have proven to “be pioneers and champions” in business, arts, sports, politics and many other significant fields, she said. However, Poe said women legislators “have always been in the minority”. She said out of the current 23 senators, there are only seven women.

BUSINESS: Creative economy growth slows anew

Topping business, the country’s creative economy grew by 8.7 percent to 1.94 trillion pesos last year, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Thursday, but growth slowed for a second straight year. While down from 9.9 percent in 2023 and 13.3 percent a year earlier, the sector continued to expand for a fourth straight year following a 9.0-percent contraction in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic started, PSA data showed. As a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), meanwhile, the creative economy has still not returned to the pre-pandemic level of 7.5 percent: the latest 7.3-percent ratio was unchanged from 2023 and was also lower than the 7.4 percent recorded during the pandemic years. The creative economy includes audio and audiovisual media; digital interactive goods and services; advertising, research and development and other artistic services; and symbols and images and other related activities.

SPORTS: Can Brownlee play for Ginebra in Game 4?

Over to sports, TNT guns for a commanding 3-1 lead when it faces a Barangay Ginebra side that might not have injured import Justin Brownlee in Game 4 of their PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Friday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. The Tropang Giga take on the Gin Kings at 7:30 p.m. Brownlee’s presence is doubtful after sustaining a dislocated right thumb midway in the third quarter of Game 3 on Wednesday. TNT scraped past Ginebra in the third game of the best-of-seven series, with Rey Nambatac hitting the crucial go-ahead triple to secure the 87-85 win and the 2-1 series lead. The Gin Kings, however, have the option to bring in a new import to replace Brownlee in Game 3. Given the short span of time, the Gin Kings will have difficulty finding a suitable replacement for their resident import. Worse-case scenario is Barangay Ginebra may just have to play all-Filipino against a TNT side that is looking to secure its second straight PBA championship after ruling the Governors Cup against the same Ginebra quintet last November. Still, TNT coach Chot Reyes expects Ginebra to be at its best in the ongoing series.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today’s front page columnists. Tiglao compares President Ferdinand Marco Jr. to a Congolese dictator who betrayed a compatriot, while Tatad imagines the next “revolution”.

Today’s editorial calls for a unified response from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in combating human trafficking. Read more on the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

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