WITHERING PINES Photo taken on March 20 shows pine trees beginning to wither at a formerly sequestered property where a new hotel is being built. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on March 14 issued a cease order on the project, after Baguio residents reported the condition of the trees to the agency. But SMI Development Corp., the company behind the six-story construction and owner of the property which used to be a watershed and forest reserve, said the damage to the trees was “unintentional.” The DENR also found that the company had been authorized since three years ago to cut more than 90 trees. Nevertheless, SMI has appealed for the resumption of its hotel project. —NEIL CLARK ONGCHANGCO
RUNNING CONTROVERSY Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon meets with Mody Floranda, president of transport group Piston, during a picket by the group outside the Department of Transportation headquarters on Friday. Since his appointment in February, Dizon has sought to accommodate the concerns of commuters. But the jeepney modernization program being pushed by President Marcos since 2022 has proved too complicated that even a labor coalition like the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines has stepped in, urging Dizon to “heed … our transport groups” as they cope with the cost of modernization. —LYN RILLON
FALLOUT OVER DU30 ARREST The front view of St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral is blocked by signs expressing support for Rodrigo Duterte. The city’s archdiocese on Wednesday denied reports that it recently held a “special Mass” for the detained former president. Amid the controversy over Duterte’s arrest on March 11 and his transport to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands, Philippine National Police officials led by its chief Gen. Rommel Marbil appear on Thursday before the Senate committee on foreign relations led by Sen. Imee Marcos, who has criticized the conduct of the arrest and continues to associate herself with the Dutertes, the estranged allies of her brother, President Marcos. According to some international reports on the developments in the Philippines, the country has become a captive audience in a high-stakes game among its dynasts. The country’s law enforcers, who also come from humble origins, are also caught up in this episode by their own police mandate. —SCREEN GRAB FROM JOYLEEN BALABA’S FACEBOOK AND PHOTO BY NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
