Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Thursday, February 26, 2026. Today’s episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines’ leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer—your Trusted Building Partner. READ: Duterte waives appearance at ICC review of detention FORMER president Rodrigo Duterte informed the Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that he does not wish to attend the annual review of his continued detention, either in person, from outside the courtroom or via videoconference. In a one-page waiver dated Feb. 23, Duterte informed the chamber he would not participate in the hearing scheduled for Friday, Feb. 27. The document, prepared and read to him by his legal team, was signed without citing a specific reason for his absence. READ: EDSA protesters press anti-dynasty measures CIVIL society groups marking the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on Wednesday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. must be the last in his family to serve as president, calling for the immediate passage of an anti-political dynasty bill. Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Kiko Aquino Dee said political dynasties have no place in the country — particularly those from the Marcos and Duterte families. READ: Ethics complaint filed vs absentee senator dela Rosa A CIVIL society organization led by former Finance undersecretary Cielo Magno has filed an ethics complaint before the Senate against Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, citing his continued absence from official duties for more than three months. The group, “Wag Kang KuCorrupt,” accused Dela Rosa of neglecting his responsibilities as a lawmaker and committing what it described as a grave abuse of the public trust. In the complaint submitted to the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges, the organization argued that the senator’s prolonged absence undermines the mandate given to him by Filipino voters. It stressed that elected officials are duty-bound to attend plenary sessions, participate in committee hearings and deliberate on measures affecting national policy. READ: ARTA sues 117 LGUs before Ombudsman SOME 117 local government units (LGUs) across the country are facing charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged violations in connection with the establishment of the mandated electronic Business One-Stop Shop (eBOSS), the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said on Wednesday. ARTA Secretary Ernesto Perez, however, declined to say if there were LGUs in the National Capital Region included in the complaints filed before the anti-graft office. He told The Manila Times that ARTA would file more cases against other “noncompliant LGUs” next month after a series of inspections the agency conducted. BUSINESS: Unprogrammed funds boost budget to P6.5T THE government exceeded the 2025 national budget by more than P160 billion via unprogrammed appropriations (UAs) based on data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). Preliminary figures showed the budget had ballooned from the approved P6.326 trillion to P6.486 trillion as of end-December, with P160.59 billion added to unprogrammed appropriations. The DBM has reported disbursing 97.7 percent or P3.59 trillion of the allocated P3.68 trillion for government departments in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA). For special purpose funds, disbursements were at 93.6 percent, totaling P495.6 billion of the total allocation of P529.6 billion. SPORTS: Gilas battles New Zealand in FIBA World Cup qualifiers GILAS Pilipinas plunges into action for the first of two scheduled home games, starting with dangerous New Zealand on Thursday in their FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Game time is scheduled at 7:30 p.m., with team Philippines expecting to fill the famed sports arena to the rafters with basketball-crazy fans as Gilas tries to draw the needed morale support from the visiting Tall Blacks. Half of the Tall Blacks, who dealt the Filipinos a 94-86 beating in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, will be back in the second window, raring to bounce back and steal a win in enemy territory after losing to the Australian Boomers by an average losing margin of just 3.5 points in window 1. Forward Jordan Ngatai and guard Taylor Britt will be at the forefront of the New Zealand side, which is out to exorcize the ghost of its 93-89 loss to the Philippines in their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers in November 2024 at the same SM Mall of Asia Arena. Gilas coach Tim Cone said in facing New Zealand, they can’t afford to play with a subpar effort. READ: Opinion and editorial Antonio Contreras and Ricardo Saludo are today’s front page columnists. Contreras analyzes the recent ICC hearings, while Saludo talks about Marcos wanting a “like-minded” successor. Today’s editorial calls for a more assertive action from government in boosting the country’s economic growth. Read the full version in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times. For more news and information, read The Manila Times on print, subscribe to its digital edition or log on to www.manilatimes.net. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn; and be part of our communities on Viber, Telegram, and Mastodon.