Cesar Chavez

07/10/2026

07/10/2026

LEANDRO LEVISTE NOT YET A FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE; DOJ CHIEF EXPLAINS WHY

SITREP/Justice: Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste, who is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 235 for alleged violation of the Public Service Act, is not yet technically a fugitive from justice.

But the case against him cannot move forward until he is either arrested or surrenders to the court, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida told DZRH News program "The Situation Report" on Wednesday, October 7.

Vida explained the legal distinction on the program, saying that the term "fugitive from justice" has a specific technical definition that has not yet been met in Leviste's case.

The Justice chief said once an arrest warrant is issued, law enforcement agents are given a reasonable period to implement it.

Only after that process plays out, and the person remains at large, does a more specific legal status attach, he said.

"Binibigyan ng reasonable time ang ating law enforcement agents na ma-implement ito. Kapag ito ay nag-return, either hindi siya nahuli o nahuli siya, uusad ang proseso sa husgado," Vida said.

"Ang problema kasi, kapag hindi siya nahuli, walang jurisdiction over the person kaya hindi gagalaw ang kaso," he said.

Vida said the constitutional right to due process is central to this arrangement: a person cannot be convicted without first being formally charged in their presence, and the court cannot exercise jurisdiction over someone who has not been brought before it.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed the arrest warrant to reporters Wednesday morning, with documents showing it was signed by Presiding Judge Ricardo Moldez II on October 5, 2026, and setting bail at ₱72,000.

Vida confirmed that Leviste's two co-accused have already surrendered, posted bail, and have been given arraignment and hearing dates.

07/10/2026

PARKING DISPUTES, FAMILY QUARRELS, UNPAID DEBTS
The DOJ is dismissing criminal cases that should never have been filed

SITREP: The Department of Justice (DOJ) is actively dismissing complaints where the prosecutor's office is being used as a collection mechanism for debts, a venue for family disputes, or a weapon in homeowners association conflicts.

These include cases that are clearly civil in nature but have been dressed up as criminal complaints to gain leverage over the other party, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said Wednesday, October 7.

Vida described the pattern in an interview on DZRH News program "The Situation Report," saying the DOJ's prosecutors are now sharp enough to identify these cases quickly and dismiss them without allowing them to clog the criminal docket.

He said the problem has a name: "weaponizing the prosecutor's office," and that stopping it is one of the DOJ's clearest mandates under the current administration.

"'Yung ayaw na ayaw namin ay wini-weaponize ang opisina ng piskalya. Minsan away magkapatid, away sa Homeowners Association, o kaya naman talaga namang may utang lang at may kontrata sila, pero medyo lalagyan ng anggulo para maging kunwari ay estafa. Matalas na ang ating mga piskal; napapag-aralan 'yan at dini-dismiss namin," Vida said.

He said the DOJ has set a target of resolving every filed complaint within 120 days, ensuring that even legitimate cases are not left to languish in the preliminary investigation stage indefinitely.

Vida said the combination of a sharper preliminary investigation standard and the 120-day resolution target is already producing results: fewer frivolous cases are making it to the courts, and prosecutors are spending more time on cases that actually deserve their attention.

07/10/2026

DOJ REFORMS DESIGNED TO BE INSTITUTIONAL, RATHER THAN PERSONAL

SITREP: The reforms implemented by the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Secretary Fredderick Vida are designed to be institutional rather than personal.

These are embedded in department orders, permanent plantilla positions, and funded training programs that will continue operating regardless of who holds the secretary's office after 2028, Vida said Wednesday, October 7.

The Justice chief laid out the architecture of permanence in an interview on DZRH News program "The Situation Report," responding directly to a question about whether the DOJ's improvements would survive a change in leadership.

Vida said the key is that the reforms are not based on his personality. They are encoded in systems, positions, and processes that cannot simply be switched off when the current team leaves.

"Hindi siya magiging personality-based. Hindi siya subjective. Bakit siya magiging objective? Kasi nakalatag, may mga department order kami, may mga circular kami, at may mga bagay tulad nito, nabigyan na kami ng plantilla position, permanent na," Vida said.

"Hindi na 'yan mawawala sa DOJ, hindi na mawawala sa BuCor, hindi na mawawala sa Bureau of Immigration dahil permanent positions na 'yun," he stressed.

Vida said the ultimate test of whether the reforms have truly taken root is not what happens when he is still in office but what ordinary Filipinos demand after he is gone: whether citizens who have experienced a better justice system will refuse to accept a return to the old ways.

"Ang susi dito ay dapat ang taong bayan ang maghanap. Nararanasan na namin ito sa panahon ni [Bureau of Corrections chief] General [Gregorio] Catapang. Dapat 'yung preso ang maghanap, 'Eh dati ganito, bakit ngayon walang kubol?'" Vida said.

He said the the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has also invested significantly in training programs for DOJ personnel, ensuring that institutional knowledge is not concentrated in a few senior officials but distributed across the entire system.

07/10/2026

BREAKING: The Philippines’ unemployment rate fell to 5.3% in August 2026, translating to 2.77 million unemployed Filipinos, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

This is lower than the 6% unemployment rate recorded in July, when 3.14 million Filipinos were unemployed, the PSA said.

07/10/2026

Aray.

HOW TO EAT HEALTHY: MAGKANO NA ANG PRESYO NG REPOLYO SA INYONG LUGAR?

Batay sa Bantay Presyo monitoring ng Department of Agriculture, naglalaro na sa pagitan ng P120 hanggang P200 mahigit ang kada kilo ng repolyo, depende sa klase.

Sa datos ng ahensya as of October 5, 2026, ang pinakamababang presyo ng repolyo sa ngayon ay nasa P120 habang pinakamahal na ang P280 kada kilo.

Una rito, sinabi ng mga nagtitinda sa BFCT Terminal sa Marikina sa ulat ni DZRH reporter Edniel Parrosa noong isang linggo na ang dahilan ng pagsipa ng presyo ng repolyo at iba pang gulay ay dahil sa mahal na presyo ng gasolina.

07/10/2026

MGA MULTA KAPAG LUMABAG SA NCAP

INFOGRAPHIC: The following traffic violations and their corresponding fines or penalties apply to motorists apprehended under the No Contact Apprehension Policy in Metro Manila.