Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte announced on Monday, September 7, that he would not run for president in the 2016 elections. Addressing supporters, he said that he arrived at the decision after consulting with his family. It is no secret that at least his daughter Sara – also a former mayor of Davao – was against him running.  Duterte also said that in 2016, he will retire from public life. “I believe it’s no longer my time to be in politics,” Duterte said. Teary-eyed, Duterte hurriedly left the venue and did not entertain questions from reporters.

Read more on Duterte’s decision.

The son of businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, Mark,  said he “fought for” Vice President Jejomar Binay as the opposition standard-bearer asked the endorsement of the Nationalist People’s Coalition. It was the first time the Vice President formally met with members of the NPC, most of whom had openly expressed support for Binay’s toughest rival, neophyte Senator Grace Poe. Cojuangco highlighted Binay’s experience as mayor of Makati for 21 years. The NPC is the country’s second largest political party. During the meeting, Binay presented his defense on the corruption allegations against him.Among those who attended the meeting were Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. Sotto was firm in his support for Poe. Sotto said, “If Senator Grace decides to run, I cannot not support her.”

Read more on Binay meeting with NPC.

Public prosecutors with the Office of the Ombudsman filed a motion for reconsideration to the Supreme Court (SC) on its decision granting bail to Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, arguing that it arbitrarily altered “constitutional principles governing the right to bail.” The Ombudsman also pointed out the lack of a bail hearing in Enrile’s case, saying the SC decision which cited humanitarian grounds was not raised in the Enrile’s petition. Enrile is charged with plunder, a non-bailable offense, for allegedly pocketing money from allowing foundations controlled by Janet Napoles to receive government money from his Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel.

Read more on the Ombudsman’s appeal against Enrile’s bail.

The Ombudsman also asked the Supreme Court to junk former President now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s plea for bail. Public prosecutors said Arroyo’s arguments in assailing the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan’s ruling denying her bail do not apply to her plunder case, and that granting her bail would “entail a mockery of our justice system.” In Arroyo’s bail petition, she argued that her hospital detention impairs her health and that she is not a flight risk. But the Sandiganbayan division trying her had already ruled that the evidence for her guilt is strong. Arroyo is under hospital arrest at state-run Veterans Memorial Medical Center since October 4, 2012. She is charged of plunder for allegedly conspiring with former officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to divert corporate funds to confidential and intelligence funds totaling P366 million.

Read more on the Ombudsman appeal to junk Arroyo’s plea.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) deployed 150 members of its Highway Patrol Group (HPG) on Monday to declog 6 choke points along EDSA. PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez minced no words as he spoke to the HPG, saying EDSA should be a “show window of road discipline” and to “enforce the law without fear or favor.” At the end of the first day, HPG director Chief Superintendent Arnold Gunnacao said 3 of the 6 “choke points” along EDSA were less congested. Gunnacao reported lighter traffic along Balintawak, Guadalupe, and Taft Avenue, but Cubao, Ortigas, and Shaw Boulevard have yet to see significant improvement.

Read more on the deployment of the HPG along EDSA.

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) said Monday, September 7, that September power rates dropped by P0.57 per kilowatt hour (kWh) due to a lower generation charge last month. Meralco added, this month’s power rates cut brings the total reduction to P2.13 per kWh over the past 5 months. September’s reduction also marks the seventh time this year that rates have gone down. Meralco said this is the biggest rate drop since January 2010.

Read more on Meralco rate drop.

Police said one of the two men arrested over last month’s deadly Bangkok bombing admitted to a charge of possessing explosives.The suspect, Yusufu Mieraili, was arrested last week in possession of a Chinese passport with a birthplace listed as Xinjiang – home to the country’s oppressed Uighur Muslim minority. A second man identified as Adem Karadag was caught in a flat in Bangkok with bomb-making paraphernalia and dozens of fake Turkish passports. Police said neither man physically planted the bomb on August 17 at a religious shrine in downtown Bangkok that killed 20 people but are confident the pair are involved in the network blamed for the attack. The motive for the bombing was not immediately known as police follow leads pointing China’s Turkic-speaking Uighur minority. Thailand deported scores of Uighur refugees to China early in the summer.

Read more on the Bangkok bombing.

Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain will take 20,000 Syrian refugees from camps near the war-torn country’s borders over the next five years. “In doing so, we will continue to show the world that this is a country of extraordinary compassion, always standing up for our values and helping those in need,” he added. Britain will continue to take refugees from the camps and from elsewhere in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, he said. “This provides refugees with a more direct and safe route to the UK, rather than risking the hazardous journey to Europe.” Britain will give priority to vulnerable refugees such as orphans, according to the prime minister. More than four million Syrians have fled the war.

Read more on Britain’s response to refugee crisis.

After its silver medal finish in the Jones Cup, Philippine national men’s basketball team Gilas Pilipinas gears up for the MVP Cup, its final tilt ahead of the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship later this month. The 3 other participants of the MVP Cup are the Taiwan national team, the Wellington Saints of New Zealand, and PBA team Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters. Talk ‘N Text, the 2015 PBA Commissioner’s Cup champion, will join the 4-nation pocket tournament in lieu of the Lebanon national team that backed out last week due to “unexpected circumstances.”

Read more about Gilas Pilipinas’ Jones Cup silver medal finish.

Some fans are not content to countdown to opening day, others were waiting for a different release date: #ForceFriday.  #ForceFriday is the latest Star Wars merchandising campaign that set up event areas with all the new toys hidden away under a big black curtain. #ForceFriday events were held all over the world, kicking off in Sydney, Australia, with live streaming from London and the grand finale at Lucasfilm headquarters in San Francisco. Manila was also host to a #ForceFriday event at the SM Mall of Asia. With a New Year’s eve-style countdown to midnight, the stormtroopers of the Philippine Garrison of the 501st Legion made an appearance and pulled off the curtain to unveil the toys at the stroke of midnight.

Read more on The Force Awakens’ toys.