The Manila Times
Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Monday, May 25, 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: Senate minority says choice of Gatchalian non-negotiable THE Senate minority bloc’s quest to install Sen. Win Gatchalian as the new Senate president is “non-negotiable,” Sen. Panfilo Lacson said on Sunday. Lacson refused to say whether Gatchalian will openly challenge Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate head when sessions resume on Monday. Reports were circulating that Sen. Chiz Escudero, who helped Cayetano oust Sen. Vicente Sotto III as Senate president on May 11, was trying to form a separate group to wrest the chamber’s leadership. Cayetano is in a precarious position as the majority bloc to which he belongs is now down to 12 members, with Sen. Ronald dela Rosa having gone into hiding to elude arrest. In contrast, the 11-member minority bloc is still strong and has promised “not to abandon each other,” Lacson said. Lacson dismissed speculations that the minority’s move is linked to efforts to amend the Constitution or influence the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Aside from Lacson, Sotto and Gatchalian, the other members of the minority group are Senators Bam Aquino, JV Ejercito, Risa Hontiveros, Lito Lapid, Kiko Pangilinan, Erwin Tulfo, Raffy Tulfo, and Migz Zubiri. READ: Rescuers search for 19 feared trapped in collapsed building RESCUERS used their hands and sniffer dogs to search for 19 people who are feared trapped after a building under construction in Angeles City collapsed early on Sunday. The building collapsed on itself while also heavily damaging an adjacent hotel where two of the 26 people who were rescued had been staying, they said. Local delivery rider James Bernardo, 30, told AFP by telephone he had just dropped off food on the same street when the disaster occurred. A video clip taken by Bernardo and verified by AFP showed a giant pile of twisted steel beams, power pylons and slabs of concrete blocking the street as fellow witnesses took photographs with their phones. Angeles City information officer Jay Pelayo told AFP the nine-story building’s walls and scaffolding had buckled, likely trapping people in a pile of debris. While there were no initial reports of casualties, “there are 19 personnel that usually report in the area, so they are the ones we are trying to locate now,” Pelayo said. Initial reports suggested 24 people had been rescued from the rubble, as well as two from a hotel that was also hit when the building came down, the city government said. Firefighters, police and disaster-response teams used their hands and sniffer dogs to search for the trapped survivors, Public Works Secretary Vinzon Dizon told reporters. The building collapsed after a fierce thunderstorm. Among the 21 people who remained unaccounted for, most were believed to be workers at the building, according to Francis Pangilinan, who heads Angeles City’s disaster mitigation office and was at the scene. READ: Parts of Metro Manila, nearby areas to have water, power cut-offs this week PARTS of Metro Manila and nearby areas will have water and power service interruptions this week. Water distributors Manila Water Co. Inc. and Maynilad Water Services Inc. attributed the interruptions to maintenance work and high demand. Aside from Metro Manila, Rizal and Cavite will also experience service interruptions. The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) also announced on Sunday power interruptions in parts of Metro Manila and five provinces because of maintenance work. Affected areas in Metro Manila are Marikina, Taguig, Caloocan, Parañaque, Quezon City, Muntinlupa, Pasig, Manila and Malabon. The affected provinces are Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Quezon and Rizal. For the full list of the affected areas, log on to www.manilatimes.net READ: Ahead of French Open, Eala receives birthday cake from friend Jovic AHEAD of her campaign in the French Open, Alex Eala received a birthday cake from her tennis buddies, which included Iva Jovic, whom she will face in the tournament’s first round. Eala, who turned 21 on May 23, was presented the cake by Jovic, Eva Lys of Germany, and Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey after a practice round. The Filipina tennis sensation also had a simple birthday dinner with her family, with the iconic Eiffel Tower as the backdrop. With no exact match time announced, anticipation builds for what will be the first-ever singles match between Eala and Jovic, the 17th-seeded American. Earlier this year, the two teamed up in doubles at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, reaching the semifinals before falling to the third-seeded Chinese pair Xu Yi Fan and Yang Zhao Xuan. At Roland Garros, Eala will partner up in the women’s doubles with world No. 9 Victoria Mboko of Canada. They will go up against Leylah Fernandez of Canada and Diana Shnaider of Russia in the first round. Messages of support for Eala poured in from across the tennis world and beyond, including from fellow Filipina and Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz. BUSINESS: Impeachment raising PH risks – BMI analysts POLITICAL instability linked to the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte could weigh on the Philippines’ outlook if tensions escalate into broader social unrest, Fitch Group unit analysts said. Brandon Ong, BMI country risk analyst, told The Manila Times that political risks and social polarization had increased as impeachment proceedings against Duterte had intensified the power struggle between the Duterte and Marcos political camps ahead of the 2028 presidential elections. GeoQuant, which is part of BMI, last week said that both government and social polarization could be expected to continue rising “as long as the process continues, with the potential for political violence rising if Duterte is sidelined.” BMI analysts acknowledged the GeoQuant outlook but said that risks remained muted for now. BMI head of political science Ross Schaap, meanwhile, said rising political tensions could eventually affect the country’s credit outlook if impeachment proceedings led to turmoil. Schaap said the social polarization risk began climbing after the Senate convened as an impeachment court for Sara’s trial and that government risk started rising shortly afterward. Her trial is expected to begin in July. SPORTS: Djokovic begins quest for 25 at Roland Garros Novak Djokovic will headline the opening day of Roland Garros as the 24-time Grand Slam champion begins his latest tilt at history. Lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires for a fourth time would send the 39-year-old clear as the player with the most major titles. Djokovic’s last Grand Slam title came at the US Open in 2023, and every subsequent major has been claimed by tennis’ two new dominant forces — Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. With double-defending champion Alcaraz missing through injury, Djokovic will enter his first-round match in the night session on Stade Philippe Chatrier against France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard knowing this may well be his best chance of claiming a record-breaking 25th crown. Knicks down Cavs to reach brink of Finals The New York Knicks are on the brink of their first NBA Finals since 1999 after a 121-108 victory at Cleveland on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) stretched their playoff win streak to 10 games. Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 30 points, O.G. Anunoby added 21 and Mikal Bridges contributed 22 on 11-of-15 shooting as New York pushed the Cavaliers to the edge of elimination. The Knicks seized a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals and could complete a sweep in Game 4 on Monday in Cleveland. No team in NBA history has recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. The Knicks last reached the NBA Finals 27 years ago when they lost to San Antonio. They have not won the NBA championship since 1973. Belen claims Rookie of the Year award BELLA Belen was a game-changer for Capital1 once finally unleashed in a delayed debut season in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL). Fully settled in her new home, the Alas Pilipinas member instantly became the Solar Spikers’ primary offensive weapon in the mid-season Reinforced Conference and the season-ending All-Filipino Conference. Her stellar performance earned her the Rookie of the Year honor in the 2nd Pilipinas Live PVL Press Corps Awards Night set May 30 at the Novotel Manila Araneta City in Cubao, Quezon City. The top overall pick out of National University received 69 media votes and 26 team votes behind an amassed 91.284 statistical points (SPs) for a total of 186.284 points to bag the recognition in the annual awarding rites.Belen, a three-time UAAP champion and MVP, bested her other 2025 Draft class batchmates AC Miner (85 points), Jean Asis (83.896), and Riza Nogales (64.479). Belen will also headline the Mythical Team in the formal awards night, celebrating the season’s finest players in the league, organized by Sports Vision. She is also set to receive the Best Outside Spiker award after topping the polls with 91.284 SPs, alongside 45 media votes and 33.4 team votes. Opinion and editorial The Times, in its Editorial, warns against a super El Nino, calling it a new and more severe threat that could have a devastating impact not only on the economy but on food supply, water sources and agricultural output as well. Read the full version on print or digital or listen to The Voice of the Times. Columnists on the front page are Rigoberto Tiglao and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino. Tiglao calls the ICC case against Duterte and Bato dela Rosa a colossal deception; Aquino defines what colleges and universities should be. 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
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