The Catholic Church in the Philippines passed important resolutions to strengthen campaigns for 'integral ecology', stating that it has consistently sounded the alarm on environmental abuses in the country

Thousands of Davao residents gathered with candles at former President Duterte residence on his 80th birthday, to express their well-wishes; Duterte is currently detained by the ICC in the Netherlands, facing charges related to his anti-drug campaign

Former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in Manila on an International Criminal Court warrant for crimes against humanity linked to his deadly war on drugs, which left up to 30.000 dead; he has been transferred to The Hague for the upcoming trial

The Philippines and China are open to joint oil&gas exploration despite territorial tensions; talks focus on energy cooperation while ensuring Philippine sovereignty in a bid to overcome past failures over legal issue and seek a mutually beneficial deal

Lejun dela Cruz, a human rights activist and midterm election candidate, was arrested in Pasig for a 1998 murder; once part of the armed struggle, he later shifted to peaceful activism and his arrest raises concerns over political repression