Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
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READ: Govt ready to arrest Go, dela Rosa for ICC if warrant is issued
THE government is obliged to cooperate should the International Criminal Court (ICC) issue arrest orders for Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Bong Go, just like it did with former president Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang said on Monday. However, this would only be possible if the serving of warrants would be coursed through the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, just like the case of former president who was turned over to the international tribunal in March last year. Dela Rosa and Go, along with former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II; former Philippine National Police (PNP) generals Oscar Albayalde, Camilo Cascolan, and Vicente Danao; former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Isidro Lapeña; and former National Bureau of Investigation director Dante Gierran, were named by the ICC as co-perpetrators of Duterte in his bloody war on illegal drugs when he served as Davao City mayor and later on as president.
READ: Sandiganbayan allows Revilla to file motion for reconsideration
THE Sandiganbayan’s Third Division granted former senator Bong Revilla permission to file a motion for reconsideration before the Office of the Ombudsman. Revilla and several other people are facing a malversation through falsification case before the court in connection with an alleged ghost project in Pandi, Bulacan. All accused are detained. Juanito Mendoza was also granted permission to file a motion for reconsideration. The court said in a resolution promulgated on Feb. 13, 2026 that the Ombudsman “will be unable to comply with the certification requirement under the 2018 Revised Internal Rules of the Sandiganbayan if this court does not grant leave allowing the accused to file their motions for reconsideration.”
READ: Pag-IBIG backs precast housing, targets over 7K units in 2 years
THE Pag-IBIG Fund, which provides funding for the housing projects of its mother agency — the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) — on Monday threw its support behind the latter’s plan to make use of modern construction technology to accelerate the socialized housing delivery. Pag-IBIG Fund CEO Marilene Acosta was specifically referring to the precast materials that would be manufactured by the Megawide Construction Corp. following the ceremonial launch of the company’s facility in Taytay, Rizal, which was graced by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, and Acosta. Aliling, who chairs the Pag-IBIG’s board of trustees, reiterated the agency’s plan to employ modern construction methods and deliver “safe and quality homes faster for Filipino families and also in line with President Marcos’ directive to expand access to affordable, decent housing.”
READ: Bribery tops list of most common corruption – Octa
BRIBERY remains the most widely perceived form of corruption in the Philippines, with nearly three in four adult Filipinos identifying it as the most common corrupt practice, according to the latest nationwide survey released by Octa Research. The findings came from the fourth quarter 2025 Tugon ng Masa (TNM) survey on public perceptions of corruption in government, conducted from Dec. 3-11, 2025 through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents nationwide. The poll, commissioned by the Office of the Ombudsman, carries a margin of error of ±3 percent at the national level. Survey results showed that 73 percent of adult Filipinos cited bribery as the most common type of corruption. This was followed by irregularities in the use of public funds at 66 percent, vote buying at 64 percent, and slow justice at 54 percent.
BUSINESS: Remittances hit all-time highs
MONEY sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) hit a record $3.89 billion in December, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Monday, bringing the full-year total to an all-time high of $39.6 billion. Personal remittances, which include cash sent through banks and informal channels, were 4.2 percent higher than the year-earlier $3.73 billion and up 20.4 percent from November’s $3.23 billion. The 2025 tally, meanwhile, was 3.3 percent higher than 2024’s $38.34 billion. It also exceeded the central bank’s $35.5-billion target for the year. Cash remittances reached $3.52 billion in December, up 4.2 percent from $3.38 billion a year earlier and were also higher compared to the $2.91 billion in November.
SPORTS: Eala faces world No. 8 Paolini in 2nd round
FILIPINO tennis ace Alexandra “Alex” Eala faces Italian Jasmine Paolini in the second round at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday. The round of 32 match between world No. 47 Eala and No. 8 Paolini doesn’t have a scheduled time at press time on Monday but is likely to be held late Tuesday night, Manila time. Eala advanced to the second round after claiming a walkover win on Sunday night against American Hailey Baptiste, who retired after the first game of the second set due to injury.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Orlando Mercado are today’s front page columnists. Contreras talks about Anti-Dynasty politics in his column while Mercado talks about the perils of labeling a generation.
Today’s editorial is about closing the gap in classroom construction.
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