logo
Marcos extends sympathies after Air India plane crash

Marcos extends sympathies after Air India plane crash

GMA Networka day ago

Rescue team members work as smoke rises at the site where an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/ Amit Dave
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday sent his condolences to the Indian government and the families of the passengers of a London-bound Air India plane that crashed minutes after taking off from the city of Ahmedabad.
'Filipinos are deeply saddened by the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad. On behalf of the Filipino people, I extend our most heartfelt condolences to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India, and especially to the families and loved ones of all those who lost their lives,' Marcos said in a social media post.
'Our thoughts are with every family, across India and beyond, grieving this profound loss. We stand in full solidarity with the people of India in this moment of sorrow. May the victims be remembered with dignity, and may the ongoing efforts to understand this tragedy bring comfort and clarity to those left behind,' the President added.
According to a Reuters report, at least 30 of the 242 people on board died.
Police said the plane crashed into a residential area near the airport.
The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants, a source told Reuters. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, Air India said. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

ACT Teachers party-list solons urge Imee, Robin to recuse from impeachment trial
ACT Teachers party-list solons urge Imee, Robin to recuse from impeachment trial

GMA Network

time19 minutes ago

  • GMA Network

ACT Teachers party-list solons urge Imee, Robin to recuse from impeachment trial

"Well, para sa akin, matagal naman na nating alam na talagang... supporter pa rin ng mga Duterte. Kaya dapat ay mag-inhibit sila as senator-judge doon sa magaganap na trial para doon sa impeachment,' ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said in an interview. The ACT Teachers Partylist today called on Senators Imee Marcos and Robin Padilla to recuse from the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. This developed after Imee Marcos and Padilla went with Sara Duterte to Kuala Lumpur and attended an event with overseas Filipino workers, during which the two senators openly expressed their support for the impeached official. "Well, para sa akin, matagal naman na nating alam na talagang... supporter pa rin ng mga Duterte. Kaya dapat ay mag-inhibit sila as senator-judge doon sa magaganap na trial para doon sa impeachment,' ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said in an interview. "Mukhang wala na tayong magagawa sa dalawang yan kung ganyan ang mga statement. Hindi pa nagsisimula ang paglalabas ng mga testimony, mga witnesses, mga documents, ay meron na silang predjudgment doon sa impeachment trial, impeachment case,' she added. GMA News Online is trying to get a comment from Imee Marcos and Padilla and will publish their comments as soon as they are available. Castro's party mate, representative-elect Antonio Tinio, echoed the call but said he didn't expect Sara Duterte's allies to recuse from the impeachment trial. 'Dapat talaga mag-inhibit sila. Pero pangungunahan na rin natin na alam natin na hindi naman nila gagawin yon kasi inhibition ay voluntary. At wala tayong ilusyon na mag-iinhibit ang dalawang yan o yung mga senators na openly supportive kay Vice President Sara Duterte,' Tinio said. House Assistant Majority Leader Jude Acidre of Tingog Partylist said the issue against the two senators, who will be sitting as judges in the impeachment trial, is not only moral and ethical but also goes against the oath they took as public servants. 'It's a moral question. It's an ethical question, yes. But most importantly, it appears to be a betrayal of the oath they took. They did not take an oath; no one, including myself, took an oath to protect one single political leader. We all took an oath to protect the institution, the Constitution,' Acidre said in an interview. ''Yon naman talaga ang trabaho namin. Wala naman kaming trabahong protektahan kahit sinong pulitikko, mataas man o mababa sa amin. Ang trabaho namin ay sundin ang Konstitusyon, na nilabag ng Senado sa usapin ng impeachment,' he added. House Deputy Majority Leader Francisco Paolo Ortega of La Union said it was unethical for a senator-judge to be vocal about their support for the impeached vice president. 'They're still making the obvious very obvious. As a senator judge, dapat impartial ka,' Ortega said. Acidre and Ortega did not join the calls for the Duterte allies to recuse from the impeachment trial. 'The Senate would be the best judge on how to address this issue. In the end, consistent tayo sa ating pananaw that the Senate cannot look into the affairs of the House on how we conduct our proceedings, and only presume regularity of our actions. I'm giving them the same presumption of regularity,' Acidre said. 'It depends sa Senate… Nasa sa kanila yan kasi I cannot speak for them. I can only speak for the House. Siyempre yung context ng pagiging judge, siyempre may dapat… requirement talaga na impartial ka,' Ortega said. –NB, GMA Integrated News

Telecom operators call for review of Konektadong Pinoy Act
Telecom operators call for review of Konektadong Pinoy Act

GMA Network

time2 hours ago

  • GMA Network

Telecom operators call for review of Konektadong Pinoy Act

The Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators (PCTO) urged the administration to closely review the measure before signing the bill and to ensure that its implementing rules establish clear, enforceable guardrails are the ones that promote real digital inclusion, ensure national security, and preserve a fair and future-ready industry. The Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators (PCTO), composed of the country's leading telcos, is calling for a review of the Konektadong Pinoy Act that was ratified by both chambers of Congress and awaiting the President's signature. The PCTO said, that while it supports the bill's goal of expanding internet access across the country, it warned that the version passed by the bicameral committee could 'lead to national security vulnerabilities, weaken regulatory oversight, and destabilize the telecommunications sector in the long run.' 'We support providing broader connectivity to all Filipinos. However, the bill lowers the bar for accountability and opens the country to risks tied to unregulated infrastructure and potential foreign control,' said Atty. Froilan Castelo, PCTO president and Globe general counsel. Under the measure, new data transmission players are no longer required to secure a legislative franchise or Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) — a move that removes key filters historically used to evaluate legal, financial, technical, and cybersecurity readiness. 'This creates a two-tier system. Existing players remain subject to full regulation, while new entrants operate with fewer checks. That's a national security concern and a fairness issue,' said Castelo. The PCTO also raised concern about the law's exemption for satellite direct access services from any form of registration or authorization from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) or the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). This stands in contrast to the law's own principle of technology neutrality under Section 19. 'You cannot claim to be technology-neutral and at the same time give one technology a free pass. The provision requiring satellite services to apply for NTC spectrum use was removed in the final version. That opens a dangerous backdoor,' Castelo said. On cybersecurity, the group flagged that the law allows new players a two-year window to comply with national and international security standards. The PCTO believes this delay is unacceptable in today's environment of escalating cyber threats. Another gap in the law is the absence of any requirement for new players to serve geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), according to the group, adding that 'this could incentivize new entrants to focus only on high-density urban areas, leaving rural communities behind.' The telecom operators also noted the risks of rushing legislation without deeper stakeholder review, citing the POGO law as a cautionary example of well-intended but poorly executed policy. 'We've seen what happens when laws are rushed and under-vetted. We cannot afford another case where gaps in the law create bigger problems down the road,' Castelo said. The PCTO urged the administration to closely review the measure before signing the bill and to ensure that its implementing rules establish clear, enforceable guardrails are the ones that promote real digital inclusion, ensure national security, and preserve a fair and future-ready industry. — BAP, GMA Integrated News

Palace urges neutrality among senator-judges after Robin, Imee's KL trip with Sara
Palace urges neutrality among senator-judges after Robin, Imee's KL trip with Sara

GMA Network

time4 hours ago

  • GMA Network

Palace urges neutrality among senator-judges after Robin, Imee's KL trip with Sara

Malacañang on Friday urged some senator-judges to show neutrality and not their personal biases in the wake of the pending impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. At a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro was asked for comment on Senators Imee Marcos and Robin Padilla openly expressing their support for the Vice President at an event in Kuala Lumpur on Independence Day. ''Sa batas naman po, sinasabi na kapag kayo ay tumayong senator-judges, dapat mayroon kayong neutrality, dapat hindi bias. Sa ngayon po, harap-harapang ipinapakita ang biases,'' Castro said. (Under the law, if you're sitting as senator-judges, you should be neutral and not biased. At present, they're showing their biases.) ''Sana po, igalang nila ang taumbayan at magpakita naman ng kaunting kahihiyan, dahil ang sinisilbihan nila ay ang taumbayan, hindi para sa iisang tao lamang,'' she added. (I hope they respect the public and show some shame because they are serving the nation and not just one individual.) The two senators were with Sara Duterte during her trip to Malaysia. As seen in Raffy Tima's report on '24 Oras,' Padilla went up on stage during the event, attended by overseas Filipino workers, and declared Sara Duterte as the next president of the Philippines. 'Gusto ko muna kong mabigay-pugay unang-una sa susunod na pangulo na si Inday Sara Duterte,' Padilla said, followed by the chanting of 'Duterte' by the audience. 'Ang sarap! Kapag sinisagaw mo lalo akong tumatapang eh!' he added. Imee Marcos called for support for Sara Duterte. 'Samahan ninyo ako na tayong lahat, sa likod ni VP Inday Sara Duterte, ay maninindigan para sa bayan, para sa konstitusyon, para sa ating bansa, dahil tayo ay malayang mamayang Pilipino, ang mga tunay na hukom ng bayan,' Imee Marcos said. (Let us join together, behind VP Inday Sara Duterte, to stand for the country, for the Constitution, because we are free Filipino citizens, the true judges of this country.) Imee Marcos also referred to the robes of senator-judges that she, Padilla, and Sen. Cynthia opted not to don on Wednesday night. 'Alam po ninyo, dalawang gabi, isang gabi, hilo na kami. Tumayo kami bilang hukom at nagsuot ng damit bilang hukom. Nakita siguro ng iba sa inyo. Pero kami, mga pasaway ni Robin, hindi kami nagsuot. Ayaw namin nun, pangit. It's not my color. Alam po ninyo, ang totoo, tumayo kami pagkat kaakibat ng kalayaan ang responsibilidad na maging patas at marangal,' she added. (You know, two nights, one night, we're dizzy. We stood as judges and wore the robes. Some may have seen it, but Robin and I were being naughty. We did not wear it. We don't want it, it's ugly. It's not my color. You know, the truth is, we stood up because with freedom comes the responsibility to be fair and honorable.) The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, returned the impeachment complaint against the Vice President back to the House of Representatives, but without dismissing or terminating the Articles of Impeachment. The motion was approved with 18 affirmative, five negative votes, and zero abstentions. Sara Duterte was impeached by the House on February 5, with more than 200 congressmen endorsing the verified complaint against her. The Vice President stands accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. She has since denied the allegations. The Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa) has called out the Senate for its move, saying that this action raises constitutional concerns. –NB, GMA Integrated News

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store