Daily News Highlights – June 8, 2016 Edition

Defeated vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr will file an electoral protest this month to question the victory of Vice President-elect Leni Robredo. Marcos’ lawyer George Garcia said they are now preparing several documents as they will be raising more issues besides under voting.

Get more details about Marcos’ plans to file an electoral protest.

President Benigno Aquino III lauded administration standard-bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II for his second-place finish in the presidential race, saying it is “nothing to be ashamed of.” In an exclusive interview with Rappler, the President pointed out that Roxas ranked 4th in pre-election surveys, but wound up second in the final tally of votes. Aquino, however, admitted they should have done “more, better effort” at an earlier time to help boost Roxas’ candidacy.

Read more about Aquino’s comments on the presidential polls.

Outgoing President Benigno Aquino III again defended Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, who has been widely criticized for the state of Metro Manila’s public transportation systems. Aquino told Rappler that Abaya is “not corrupt” and had training in the fields related to his job. The President also said he does not prioritize friendship over the country’s interests.

Here’s more on what Aquino had to say about his friends in government.

Senate President Franklin Drilon confirmed that 16 to 17 senators are backing Senator Aquilino Pimentel III’s bid for the Senate leadership. Drilon also said he will be the next Senate President Pro Tempore while Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III will be majority floor leader.

Read more about the developments in the Senate.

From being the ruling party, the Liberal Party (LP) will become a member of the new majority bloc led by PDP-Laban at the House of Representatives. House Speaker Sonny Belmonte told reporters on Tuesday, June 7, that the LP will “eventually” join the coalition. Meanwhile, Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Pantaleon Alvarez, who is expected to be the next Speaker, said he is confident PDP-Laban will be able to have a “super majority” in Congress “with the support of Speaker Belmonte.”

Check out this story on the PDP-Laban alliances in Congress.

Hillary Clinton is poised to be the first female White House nominee of a major US party, with results from Tuesday’s primaries set to secure her status as the Democrats’ flagbearer. She is now on course for a brutal showdown with presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November elections.

Take a look at the latest developments in the White House race.

Inflation rose 1.6% in May 2016, hitting its highest level in a year, according to data from the National Economic and Development Authority. NEDA attributes the increase to higher demand due to election spending and also to supply constraints in agriculture caused by El Niño.

Get more details about the May 2016 inflation rate.

A new study from the Boston Consulting Group showed that only 1% of the world’s population can call themselves millionaires or richer. Together, however, they hold almost half the world’s wealth. The elite 1% have also grown their share of global wealth from 45% in 2013 to 47% in 2015.

Check out the rest of the study’s findings.

The World Health Organization announced that Thailand has become the first Asian country to eliminate mother-to-baby transmission of HIV. The WHO described the elimination as a “remarkable achievement.” Cuba is the only other country to have eliminated mother-to-baby transmission under the WHO’s criteria.

Read the full story on Thailand’s health milestone.

A ground-breaking physics mission has opened up space as the next frontier for exploring an invisible force predicted by Albert Einstein. Scientists said the performance of a demonstration probe dubbed LISA Pathfinder raised hopes that it would contribute to proving core predictions of Einstein’s theory.

Here’s more on the LISA Pathfinder mission.