REPORT FROM THE MANILA TIMES:

MANILA, Philippines — A non-commissioned survey conducted by Tangere found that a majority of Filipinos support the appointment of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as Senate President Pro Tempore, while public opinion remained divided over the leadership dispute in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and skeptical of allegations made by a group claiming to be former Marines.

Results of the nationwide survey, conducted from June 5 to 6, showed that 67 percent of respondents favored Gatchalian’s appointment, while 25 percent opposed it and 8 percent remained undecided.

According to Tangere, support for Gatchalian’s elevation was largely driven by a desire to end the recent impasse in the Senate and allow lawmakers to focus on pressing national concerns.

Senate employees decry leadership dispute

Among respondents who backed the appointment, 95 percent cited the need to move beyond the political deadlock, while 75 percent identified fighting government corruption and 60 percent cited increasing salaries and wages as top priorities.

The survey found that support for Gatchalian came from a broad coalition of respondents, including administration supporters, backers of former vice president Leni Robredo, Liberal Party supporters, and politically neutral respondents.

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In contrast, opposition to Gatchalian’s appointment was concentrated among supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte and former president Rodrigo Duterte, who accounted for 78 percent of those who disapproved of the move.

The survey also examined public opinion regarding the ongoing dispute over the leadership of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

Sixty-one percent of respondents said Sen. Erwin Tulfo held the legitimate claim to head the committee, while 30 percent favored Sen. Pia Cayetano. Nine percent were undecided.

Romualdez, four lawmakers no-show at Senate Blue Ribbon hearing

Romualdez, four lawmakers no-show at Senate Blue Ribbon hearing

Tangere reported that support for Cayetano was strongest among Duterte-aligned respondents, with 80 percent of supporters of Sara Duterte and Rodrigo Duterte backing her claim to the committee leadership.

Meanwhile, support for Tulfo came largely from respondents aligned with Robredo, administration supporters, and politically neutral Filipinos.

When asked about the perceived neutrality of the two senators, 67 percent of respondents said they believed Tulfo would be fair and less influenced by political factions. Only 23 percent expressed the same confidence in Cayetano, while the remainder were undecided.

The survey likewise measured public trust in the testimony of 18 individuals who claimed to be former Marines and alleged that cash-filled suitcases had been delivered as part of a controversy that has recently drawn public attention.

Results showed that 62 percent of Filipinos did not believe the group iwastelling the truth, while 25 percent said they found the allegations credible. Thirteen percent remained undecided.

Tangere said skepticism toward the testimony was strongest among administration supporters, Robredo supporters, and politically neutral respondents, while belief in the claims was primarily concentrated among Duterte supporters.

The survey categorized respondents according to political affiliation, with 38 percent identifying as supporters of Sara Duterte and Rodrigo Duterte, 28 percent as politically neutral or undecided, 18 percent as supporters of Robredo and the Liberal Party, and 16 percent as administration or Marcos supporters.

The mobile-based survey interviewed 1,200 respondents nationwide using a stratified random sampling method with quota-based sampling. Tangere reported a margin of error of ±2.77 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

Respondents were distributed across the country, with 12 percent from the National Capital Region, 23 percent from Northern Luzon, 22 percent from Southern Luzon, 20 percent from the Visayas, and 23 percent from Mindanao.

Tangere, a market research and technology company, said the survey was conducted independently and was not commissioned by any individual or organization.

Atty. Levi Baligod, sinabing nagkamali lang ang 2 sa 18 “ex-bodyguards” sa pagdawit kay Sen. Loren Legarda sa mga nakatanggap umano ng maletang may laman ng pera.

Wala naman daw pagkakamali sa sinabi nilang pagdadala ng maleta ng pera kay Sen. Mark Villar.

WATCH FULL VIDEO:

ON JUNE 9, 2026, Atty. Baligod said the 18 men stand by their affidavit that suitcases were brought to the alleged house of Sen. Mark Villar some time in 2022.

With over 50 exhibiting galleries from here and abroad and hundreds of artworks in all shapes and sizes, colors and texture — works made in the ’60s forwarding to the present, Art Fair Philippines 2026 displayed a glimpse of the history and development of Philippine modern and contemporary art and a whiff of art happening outside the country.

The primary goal of art fairs is to showcase premier modern and contemporary visual arts to boost local talent and accessibility. Similar art fairs are held in a number of major cities in the world — Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Miami, London, etc.

The impact of new technologies and the current social and political unrest in the world has generated a shift towards art, a form of psychic centering that helps in making sense of what’s happening today.

The only way I could digest the whole visual experience of Art Fair Philippines and make sense of what I saw, I felt a need to view it from a macro standpoint, mentally distinguishing works that resonated with me as a viewer, skipping those that felt impersonal and almost clinically aesthetic. With this in mind, I  cannot help but see the dividing line between "Art for art's sake" and “Art from the heart.”

"Art for art's sake" pushes the idea that art has intrinsic value and needs no external justification, while “Art from the heart" highlights art as a medium for genuine emotional and personal expression and connection with the audience.

In the 19th-century figures like Oscar Wilde and Théophile Gautier, argued for the autonomy of art. 

According to them, art's value is intrinsic, based purely on its own aesthetic and formal qualities such as line, color, composition… and that art should stand alone — independent of all social, political, moral, or educational responsibility. From this point of view, art is seen as a pursuit of beauty for beauty's sake, an end in itself.

Conversely, “Art from the heart” believes that art has a deep human and social purpose, often linked to the artist's inner life. It is a powerful way for an artist to get in touch and express his "deepest truths" and to share his genuine inner feelings therefore creating a sense of connection and universality with his audience, creating a direct impact on human life — a form of social and moral function.

Leo Tolstoy, like the Greek philosopher Plato, believed art is too important to be judged in terms of art alone. Because art is capable of making people better or worse, the social and ethical consequences of art must be considered in judgments about art.

Pseudo-art comes from insincerity, or the attempt to create a work of art that does not grow from an actual experience or feeling. These types of artists try to imitate historically accepted art in the hope of achieving recognition but who have nothing to communicate.

The final judgment on a work of art must be a moral judgment as well as an aesthetic judgment. Tolstoy writes, “The estimation of the value of art (or rather, of the feelings it transmits) depends on men’s perception of the meaning of life; depends on what they hold to be the good and evil of life.”

 TOKYO, Japan — The first permanent Pokemon theme park opened in Tokyo on Thursday, featuring cute rides and a woodland area where visitors can try and "catch 'em all".

It is Japan's latest tourist attraction catering to a record influx of overseas travellers, and tickets are already sold out for the next two months.

Visitors to PokePark Kanto, within Tokyo's largest amusement park Yomiuri Land, are greeted by statues of the electric mouse Pikachu and other creatures from the franchise.

Pokemon -- one of Japan's top cultural exports -- began in 1996 with video games on Nintendo's Game Boy console.

Inspired by the Japanese summer childhood tradition of bug-collecting, players catch and train in battle hundreds of "pocket monsters".

The phenomenon has evolved since then to become wildly popular worldwide, with anime series, movies, a trading card game and the augmented reality smartphone app "Pokemon Go".

PokePark Kanto has two areas: a hilly outdoor zone nearly half a kilometer long (1,600 feet) full of Pokemon figurines, and a town modeled on those in the games for shopping and rides.

To access the woodland area, visitors must be able to climb 110 steps without assistance, the park's website says.

A record number of tourists entered Japan in 2025, despite a steep fall in Chinese visitors in December due to a diplomatic row between the nations.

Another big theme park, Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, said last month it was also planning Pokemon-themed attractions, without giving details.

Author: Reynald Daguio

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