PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte has no hand in the legal battle of Rappler.com and its CEO and executive editor Maria A. Ressa, Malacañang said on Monday.

PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Director-General Oscar D. Albayalde on Monday said a kidnapping case will be refiled against former Bayan Muna representative Satur C. Ocampo and his companions over the transport of minors in Talaingod town, Davao del Norte, on Nov. 28.

THE FAMILIES of eight alleged victims of the Dengvaxia vaccine have asked the Department of Justice to include among the accused Doctor Raymundo W. Lo, deputy executive director for Professional Services at Philippine Children’s Medical Center, and another doctor for facilitating the purchase of the vaccine.

PHILIPPINE National Police chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde yesterday said there is a “strong possibility” that the New People’s Army’s (NPA) hit squad Sparrow Unit might stage more killings after the police discovered they were behind 136 confirmed murders in the past three years.

THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested 30 individuals, including three Chinese nationals and the barangay captain of Manuali, for illegal quarrying activities in Porac, Pampanga.

CHIEF JUSTICE Lucas P. Bersamin, speaking in his first flag ceremony as head of the Supreme Court (SC), made no apologies for his appointment and appealed to court workers to “accept” and support him in his 11 month-stint.

OVER P8 million worth of equipment, fertilizer, seeds and other materials were distributed to farmers during last week’s 11^th Farmer-Scientists Congress organized by the Cebu provincial government under its Farmer-Scientists Training Program (FSTP).

LAW enforcement agencies in the Davao Region have asserted that militant organizations and the communist New People’s Army are using some schools in indigenous people (IP) communities for teaching their ideologies and using the students in their protest actions.

OIL COMPANIES have cut the prices of petroleum products as early as the weekend, with Petron Corp. among the last to send its advisory of a rollback of P2.00 per liter (/L) for gasoline, P2.10/L for diesel and P2.00/L for kerosene.

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

THE PEOPLE’S REFORM Party (PRP) of the late senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago is set to forge an alliance with presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio’s regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) on Monday, Dec. 3.

DAVAO CITY -- The opening of two new convention centers within the next three years will establish the city as a major meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) destination, government and business officials said.