Latest news with #NicolasTorre
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Philippine police chief bests Duterte's son in phantom fight as ‘Baste' flees to Singapore
What was billed as a bruising bout between the Philippines ' police chief and a prominent Duterte heir fizzled into farce on Sunday, as the much-hyped challenger chose exile over engagement, leaving an arena and a nation watching in bemused disbelief. Sebastian 'Baste' Duterte, acting mayor of Davao and youngest son of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte , challenged police chief Nicolas Torre to a fist-fight last week. But on Sunday, as an expectant crowd gathered at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila, it was Torre who stood alone in the ring – his opponent having quietly left the country for Singapore As the referee counted to 10 before the 4,000 or so attendees, Torre was declared the winner by default. The much-anticipated contest was born of the younger Duterte, 37, using his podcast on July 20 to mock Torre, 55 – a long-time target of Duterte family ire – and issue a challenge. Sebastian 'Baste' Dutere, ex-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's son. Photo: Facebook/CMBasteDuterte 'You're only brave because you have the position. But in a fist-fight, I can take you on. It's that simple,' Duterte snarled, in remarks that quickly went viral. 'You're a coward, you're nothing without your position.'
GMA Network
21-07-2025
- GMA Network
PNP arrests Chinese national for murder
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday announced the arrest of a Chinese national who is accused of killing an individual in Makati in 2024. PNP chief Police General Nicolas Torre said the individual was arrested on July 19 in Tawi-Tawi after returning to the Philippines. 'Ayon sa ating intelligence, natanggap natin na siya ay babalik sa bansa sa pamamagitan ng southern backdoor, ang ruta na pinaghihinalaan natin na ginamit niya sa pag takas,' Torre said in a media briefing. (According to our intelligence, we received information that he will return to the country through the southern backdoor, the route we suspect he used to escape.) According to Torre, the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 59 issued the arrest warrant against the suspect. He said the individual was charged for kidnapping a Chinese acupuncturist in 2022 in Manila. However, he said the case was dismissed. 'Hindi ligtas ang Pilipinas sa mga kriminal na nagtatago rito o gumagawa ng krimen at tatakas papunta sa ibang bansa. Hindi tayo magpapabaya at hindi natin kinokonsinte ang mga sindikatong ito na nang bibiktima ng mga banyaga at nag sasagawa ng krimen dito man o sa ibang bansa,' he said. (The Philippines is not a safe haven for criminals who are hiding here or committing crimes and then fleeing to other countries. We will not be negligent and we do not tolerate these syndicates that victimize foreigners and commit crimes either here or abroad.) Travel warning Meanwhile, Torre slammed as "baseless," China's travel warning urging Chinese students who are considering to enroll in Philippine schools. The Chinese Ministry of Education advisory warned that the "security situation in the Philippines has been unstable recently, with a surge in crimes targeting Chinese nationals." 'At the end of the day nakita niyo naman sa ngayon, maraming propaganda, maraming ang lalabasan mga statements designed to shape a narrative,' Torre said. (At the end of the day you've seen it now, there's a lot of propaganda, many statements will come out that are designed to shape a narrative.) Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs has also protested the warning, saying it "mischaracterizes the situation in the Philippines." —VAL, GMA Integrated News
The Star
11-07-2025
- The Star
Search for missing cockfighters begins at lake in murder probe
Gruelling endeavour: Coast guard personnel preparing to depart to the site where the bodies of cockfighters were allegedly dumped, in Taal Lake off Talisay town, Batangas province, south of Manila. — AFP Search teams arrived at a lake south of the capital Manila to look for dozens of cockfighters allegedly murdered by rogue police, the Justice Department said. Fifteen police officers are under investigation over a spate of mysterious disappearances in 2022 in the cockfighting industry. The case went back into the public eye last month with the televised appearance of a witness claiming to know where bodies had been submerged in Lake Taal. Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla has since said that he has 'multiple witnesses' who can identify the location of the missing in the lake, which spans more than 230sqm. 'The purpose of (yesterday's mission) is to ... identify the area covered by the search, see initial water conditions and to measure the depth of covered area,' the department said in a statement. The Philippine Coast Guard will participate in the preliminary assessment alongside police. National Police Chief Nicolas Torre this week said authorities needed to act swiftly. 'The typhoon season is coming in,' he told journalists on Tuesday. 'We are moving fast to at least try to locate the bodies. We know that it is very, very challenging.' Remulla said he had requested technical assistance from Japan including help with mapping the lake bed, parts of which are as deep as 172m. The Japanese embassy in Manila said it had received the request without providing further details. But Torre believes the Philippines had the necessary equipment on hand to begin the search. Some wager millions of dollars on matches weekly between roosters who fight with razor-sharp metal spurs tied to their legs. Former president Rodrigo Duterte banned the livestreaming of cockfights shortly before leaving office in 2022, but it has continued due to lax enforcement. — AFP
Bangkok Post
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Bangkok Post
Search for missing cockfighters begins at Philippine lake
MANILA — Search teams arrived Thursday at a lake south of the Philippine capital Manila to look for dozens of cockfighters allegedly murdered by rogue police, the Department of Justice said. Fifteen police officers are under investigation over a spate of mysterious disappearances in 2022 in the country's huge cockfighting industry. The case erupted back into the public consciousness last month with the televised appearance of a witness claiming to know where bodies had been submerged in Lake Taal, located about two hours south of the capital. Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla has since said he has "multiple witnesses" who can identify the location of the missing in the lake, which spans more than 230 square kilometres (89 square miles). "The purpose of (Thursday's mission) is to ... identify the area covered by the search, see initial water conditions and to measure the depth of covered area," the justice department said in a statement. The Philippine Coast Guard will participate in the preliminary assessment alongside police. National Police Chief Nicolas Torre this week said authorities needed to act swiftly. "The typhoon season is coming in," he told journalists on Tuesday. "We are moving fast to at least try to locate the bodies. We know that it is very, very challenging." Remulla on Friday said he had requested technical assistance from Japan including help with mapping the lake bed, parts of which are as deep as 172 metres (564 feet). The Japanese embassy in Manila told Agence France-Presse (AFP) it had received the request without providing further details. But Torre believes the Philippines had the necessary equipment on hand to begin the search. "We have a very, very robust shipping industry here and in other parts of the Philippines, so we can do it." Filipinos from all walks of life wager millions of dollars on matches every week between roosters who fight to the death with razor-sharp metal spurs tied to their legs. The sport, banned in many other countries, survived coronavirus pandemic restrictions by going online, drawing many more gamblers who use their mobile phones to place wagers. Former president Rodrigo Duterte banned the livestreaming of cockfights shortly before leaving office in 2022, but it has continued due to lax enforcement.
Straits Times
10-07-2025
- Straits Times
Search for missing cockfighters begins at Philippine lake
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Philippine coast guard personnel prepare to depart to the site where the bodies of cockfighters were allegedly dumped, in Lake Taal on July 10. MANILA - Search teams arrived on July 10 at a lake south of the Philippine capital Manila to look for dozens of cockfighters allegedly murdered by rogue police, the Department of Justice said. Fifteen police officers are under investigation over a spate of mysterious disappearances in 2022 in the country's huge cockfighting industry. The case erupted back into the public consciousness in June with the televised appearance of a witness claiming to know where bodies had been submerged in Lake Taal, located about two hours south of the capital. Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla has since said he has 'multiple witnesses' who can identify the location of the missing in the lake, which spans more than 230 sq km. 'The purpose of ( the July 10 mission) is to ... identify the area covered by the search, see initial water conditions and to measure the depth of covered area,' the justice department said in a statement. The Philippine Coast Guard will participate in the preliminary assessment alongside police. National Police Chief Nicolas Torre this week said authorities needed to act swiftly. 'The typhoon season is coming in,' he told journalists on July 8 . 'We are moving fast to at least try to locate the bodies. We know that it is very, very challenging.' Mr Remulla on July 4 said he had requested technical assistance from Japan including help with mapping the lake bed, parts of which are as deep as 172m. The Japanese embassy in Manila told AFP it had received the request without providing further details. But Mr Torre believes the Philippines had the necessary equipment on hand to begin the search. 'We have a very, very robust shipping industry here and in other parts of the Philippines, so we can do it.' Filipinos from all walks of life wager millions of dollars on matches every week between roosters who fight to the death with razor-sharp metal spurs tied to their legs. The sport, banned in many other countries, survived coronavirus pandemic restrictions by going online, drawing many more gamblers who use their mobile phones to place wagers. Former president Rodrigo Duterte banned the livestreaming of cockfights shortly before leaving office in 2022, but it has continued due to lax enforcement. AFP
