Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II said the Liberal Party’s plans will become clear in the “next few weeks or months” and revealed a series of talks with Senator Grace Poe. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, March 12, Roxas said he twice met with Poe in April and May. The second meeting was held in Malacañang on May 5 with the President. Roxas, the presumptive standard bearer of the Liberal Party did not give details on what was discussed, but called the discussions “good”. The meetings, according to Roxas, were part of the party’s process to prepare for the 2016 elections.

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With elections in the Philippines a year away, political analysts and academics say it’s time to start getting the pulse of the nation and know who Filipinos want to put in power in 2016. This was the key message in the #PHVote: The Leader I Want forum on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 held at the De La Salle University. At the forum, academics from De La Salle University, the Asian Institute of Management, UP National College of Public Administration and the Ateneo School of Government discussed the challenges faced by the country and the necessary qualities of the next set of leaders who will address these challenges. Professor Winnie Monsod said the chief problem the Philippines needs to solve is corruption. Others agreed and added that vote buying, patronage politics, and personality-based politics also need to be addressed. Professor Leonor Briones challenged the crowd to bring the discussion to the streets and in their own communities to really listen to the voice of the people. The Leader I Want forum was jointly organized by Rappler and the Building an Inclusive Democracy Consortium.

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A new earthquake and several powerful aftershocks hit devastated Nepal on Tuesday, May 12, killing at least 4 people and sending terrified residents running into the streets of the traumatized capital. The 7.3-magnitude quake struck at 12:35 pm, some 76 kilometers (47 miles) east of Kathmandu, the US Geological Survey said, more than two weeks after a 7.8-magnitude quake which killed more than 8,000 people. The quake was felt as far away as New Delhi. Nepalese police urged people to stay outside and avoid jamming the fragile cellphone network. Scientists say the earthquake is part of a chain reaction in a notorious seismic hotspot.

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The Court of Appeals (CA) issued a freeze order on 242 bank accounts of Vice President Jejomar Binay, his family, allies and alleged dummies. The freeze order is effective immediately and covers assets totaling P600 million. The order was issued following the granting of a freeze petition by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). The order also covers the bank accounts of Binay’s son Makati Mayor Jejomar Eriwn “Junjun” Binay Jr., his wife Elenita, and other alleged dummies. The AMLC petition stemmed from complaints filed by Nicolas Enciso VI and Renato Bondal in the Office of the Ombudsman against Binay and his son over corruption charges. The CA said it agreed with the AMLC that there was “probable cause to believe that the individual and joint bank accounts of investments made by, and insurance policies issued” to Binay, his son and associates were “related to unlawful activities.”

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Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr said on Tuesday, May 12, the House of Representatives has the numbers to pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) despite delays in putting the bill to a vote. Amid a tight deadline, however, Belmonte said that the House would rather finalize a working draft rather than rush the passage of the law. The 75-member House ad hoc committee on the BBL was supposed to put the bill to a vote on Monday but amendment proposals from about 12 legislators took up the time, causing the vote to be postponed. The vote was initially reset to Tuesday, May 12. But House leaders agreed to move it to Monday, May 18, to give legislators more time to study the bill. Despite the delay, Belmonte said the House can still beat the deadline to pass the law before Congress adjourns in June 11.

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Following criticism over her decision not to prioritize the third batch of pork barrel cases, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Tuesday, May 12 backtracked and said the DOJ will continue to pursue the cases. “I know there are many who are now criticizing me with respect to that, and I take this opportunity to clarify that I did not say that this is no longer a priority. It still remains to be a priority, only that, there are still may other cases that are also our priority,” De Lima told reporters. The pork barrel scam involves an elaborate scheme to steal lawmakers’ discretionary funds through the use of non-governmental organizations. De Lima said she will give the prosecution team two weeks to make a final recommendation.

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The Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao mega fight generated an eye-watering $400 million in US revenues fueled by more than 4.4 million pay-per-view buys, making it the highest-grossing fight in boxing history, organizers announced Tuesday, May 12. The welterweight world championship showdown, which Mayweather won by a unanimous decision, may have failed to live up to its hype in the ring, but it did meet the goal of becoming the richest fight in boxing history. The fight also generated more than $71 million from the sale of 16, 219 tickets at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Estimated gross revenues from all sales and sponsorships are reported to top $500 million.

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A Singaporean teenager was found guilty Tuesday, May 12, over an expletive-laden YouTube video attacking the city-state’s late founding father Lee Kuan Yew and Christianity, in a case activists said amounted to censorship. Amos Yee, 16, was convicted for offending religious feeling and circulating “obscene” content. He pleaded not guilty. The judge has yet to hand down a sentence. Activists slammed the decision and said the government was effectively censoring any dissent by its citizens. Others, however, have criticized Yee for his irreverence for Christianity and for Lee Kuan Yew, considered a national hero in Singapore.

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After giving away their album for free on iTunes, rock music legend U2 decided to do something different. Together with the Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, members of the band dressed up in some not-too-subtle disguises and played music in a New York City subway station as buskers. The disguise act didn’t last for too long, however, as people caught on that this group of street artists was different from the rest. When a substantial crowd gathered, Jimmy, Bono, the edge and the rest of the band took off their disguises and sang ‘Desire’. Not bad for some subway stop music. Now, when will U2 come to the Philippines?

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A Picasso masterpiece and a Giacometti statue smashed world records Monday, May 11, for the most expensive art sold at auction, fetching more than $179 million and $141 million respectively in New York. Pablo Picasso oil painting, “The Women of Algiers (Version 0),” sold for $179,365,000 after 11 and a half minutes of furious bidding from 4 to 5 prospective buyers at Christie’s, where two auction rooms were packed. The Picasso and Giacometti both soared over their pre-sale estimates of $140 million and $130 million respectively.

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