A Quezon province court granted their motion to quash, which in effect cleared them of the arson charge filed by the police. The four had been arrested by local police after they were suspected of burning down a modern jeepney in the town of Catanauan.

Their arrest brought about renewed criticisms of how police handle warrantless arrests and hot pursuits.

In this episode of Rappler Talk, justice and police reporter Jairo Bolledo sits down with Castro to talk about his detention and his perspectives on the country’s justice system after his warrantless arrest.

Bookmark this page to watch the interview at 11 am on Wednesday, March 13. – Rappler.com

Data from travel and experience app Klook showed that Filipinos were the top buyers globally of Klook ticket bundles for Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” in Singapore, accounting for somewhere between 10% to 15% of the ticket bundles sold. In comparison, the percentage of sales from other ASEAN countries was only in the single digits per market.

“Philippines was a big chunk of that,” Michelle Ho, general manager of Klook Philippines and Thailand, said. “Malakas si Taylor Swift sa Pilipinas (Taylor Swift has a strong presence here in the Philippines).”

Klook told Rappler that at one point, over 10 million users entered their queue in the span of one second. And Klook’s infrastructure held up – something that not all platform can say. (READ: ‘Unprecedented’ demand for Taylor Swift tour crashes Ticketmaster website)

“That’s not normal. It’s not even normal not to crash when the spike is that high,” Ho told Rappler. “What was a success for us was even as a newbie in the entertainment scene, our app did not crash. We could hold a number of people on queue, and people were able to successfully book tickets on the app.”

It also looks like Taylor Swift was able to beat inflation as hundreds of thousands flocked to Singapore – her only stop in Southeast Asia – despite the pricey tickets. For instance, the cheapest Klook ticket bundle, which comes with two concert tickets and a room night in a 4-star hotel, reached $542 or almost P30,000.

“For a price point as high as that, sometimes you would think that demand will be very much affected. But that’s not true. We sold out in less than six hours,” Ho said on Tuesday, March 12. “People these days are willing to travel for new experiences, for experiences that they want to share with their loved ones.”

[ANALYSIS] Why airport ‘surot’ and Taylor Swift matter

Revenge travel ‘still very much alive’

Looking at the overall tourism landscape, Ho also noted that 2023 was a “great year for tourism recovery.” In the past year, Klook’s bookings tripled while its gross sales figures grew by four times between 2022 and 2023.

Filipinos also seem to be spending more on travel, as the average basket size of consumers grew by 21% based on Klook’s 2024 Travel Pulse study. For international travel, most Filipinos have a budget ranging from P15,000 to P50,000 for their overall spending. For local destinations, the average Filipino’s budget ranges from P15,000 to P30,000 for a four to six day trip.

“One could argue that: is this only about price increases, interest rates going up? But we’ve seen a double-digit growth, above 21%,” Ho said. “So it’s not really that the travel budget has gone down. But it’s really more about being intentional of what they’ve purchased.”

Filipinos who traveled internationally in 2023 and early 2024 usually visited nearby destinations, the most popular ones being Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Thailand. Locally, the most visited destinations by Klook users were Tagaytay, Baguio, Batangas, Boracay, and Palawan.

Ho said that the results of their study showed revenge travel was “still very much alive,” with 92% of survey respondents saying they have plans to travel domestically in 2024 and 76% saying they have plans to travel internationally this year.

“People are traveling more. People are not choosing between domestic or international. They’re going for both if they can.” – Rappler.com

Revenge travel is here – so where do Filipinos go?

“I got a phone call just this morning from PNP-RIAS, Regional Internal Affairs Service, that they filed, motu proprio, administrative [case] against the chief of police, the investigator, and the arresting officers,” lawyer Michael Marpuri said in a press conference on Tuesday, March 12.

A document seen by Rappler showed it was the main IAS that filed the case. The IAS is the unit mandated to probe police abuses.

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Police Captain Daniel dela Cruz, Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonjon Pordan, and Police Corporal Christian Abenilla face a less grave misconduct case over the director’s unlawful arrest.

An administrative case is different from a criminal case. In these cases, the PNP determines the punishment – ranging from suspension to dismissal from service – against the police personnel or police officer who would be found guilty.

After their 40-day detention, Castro and his friends were finally released from detention on Monday, March 11. The Catanauan Regional Trial Court Branch 96 granted the four’s motion to quash, which, in effect, dismissed the charge against them. The court said it could not acquire jurisdiction over the four accused because the police “arrested them not in accordance with Section 5(b), Rule 113 of the Rules of Court.”

The court simply meant Castro and his companions’ arrest did not fall under the allowed instances where warrantless arrest is justifiable. Under the Rules of Court, a person may be arrested without a warrant if he or she is caught in the act, if there’s probable cause to believe that a crime was committed, or if the person is a fugitive.

The court found that the arresting cops had no probable cause “based on personal knowledge or even on reasonable suspicion” to proceed with their operation.

Castro – who helmed critically acclaimed films like Endo and Zombadings – and his friends were arrested without a warrant on February 1 for allegedly burning a modern jeepney in Catanauan, Quezon.

The alleged crime was committed in Catanauan, which is less than an hour away from Mulanay town, where Castro and his friends were staying for a vacation. A closed-circuit television or CCTV footage showed Castro and his friend’s car passing through a Mulanay road at around 7 pm on January 31, about the same time when the crime was being committed in Catanauan.

Mulanay town officials also said that Castro and his friends were with them when the alleged arson transpired in Catanauan.

During the press conference, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, who was also part of Castro’s legal team, reiterated that warrantless arrests should only be done in exceptional circumstances stated by the law. But, Diokno said there are instances where warrantless arrest becomes the default option of law enforcement.

“In practice, nagiging subject siya ng pang-aabuso sa mga nahahawakan namin na kaso (it becomes a subject of abuse in cases we handle). That’s probably the number one violation that we encounter,” the human rights lawyer said.

Must Read

What is hot pursuit, and why is film director Jade Castro still in jail? 

Pursuing the case

Will Castro go after the cops who arrested them? In an interview with Rappler, Castro said they have yet to decide on the matter.

But unlike the film director, the regional PNP is already sure about its next move.

In a statement on Tuesday, PNP Calabarzon director Police Brigadier General Paul Kenneth Lucas said they will continue investigating the arson charge against the four since the court said that the charge filed against them constituted destructive arson.

“We, in the Police Regional Office CALABARZON, remain committed to ensuring justice is served and will continue our thorough investigation into the case. The ruling, in no way, undermines the dedication of the men and women of this regional office in building a strong case against the suspects. We will diligently gather appropriate evidence and work towards re-filing the case of destructive arson against the accused,” Lucas said.

In the event that the case is refiled, it would not constitute double jeopardy since their case did not reach arraignment. Arraignment is where “the judge reads the charges filed against the defendant in the complaint and the defendant chooses to plead ‘guilty,’ ‘not guilty’ or ‘no contest’ to those charges.” – Rappler.com

Liza’s smile felt genuine — not just the kind worn for flashing cameras and eager eyes. It had the feeling of authenticity that could only stem from sincere gratitude and contentment to be at the point in her life she was currently in. 

For a brief 26 hours, Filipina actress Liza Soberano returned to the Philippines for a special event with Maya. Liza, on Tuesday, March 5, launched her new campaign with the Philippine digital bank — marking another milestone in their prosperous relationship. This time, she teamed up with Golden Globe and BAFTA-nominated actress Dolly de Leon in a new film to promote Maya’s unique e-banking experience. 

In this interview, Rappler catches up with the newly-minted Hollywood actress. Here, Liza talks about her experience working on the film Lisa Frankenstein, her liberating partnership with Maya, and all that she has learned about herself along the way. — Rappler.com

Castro and his friends – sales manager Ernesto Orcine, civil engineer Noel Mariano, and civil engineer Dominic Ramos – were freed, according to Jasper Castro, Jade’s brother, in a screenshot shared on X by human rights lawyer and legal counsel Chel Diokno.

An ABS-CBN report said that Judge Julius Francis Galvez of Catanauan Regional Trial Court Branch 96 trashed the destructive arson complaints filed against the group.

“The information was quashed on the ground of lack of jurisdiction of the court on the persons of the accused due to the invalidity of their arrest. Technically, case is dismissed but without prejudice as to refiling,” Michael Marpuri, one of Castro’s lawyers, told ABS-CBN.

Arson charges

Castro, who helmed critically acclaimed films like Endo and Zombadings, and his friends had been accused of burning down a modern jeepney on January 31. The alleged crime was committed in Catanauan town in Quezon, less than an hour away from Mulanay town, where Castro’s group was staying for vacation.

Closed circuit television (CCTV) footage showed Castro and his friend’s car passing through a Mulanay road at around 7 pm that day, about the same time when the crime was being committed in Catanauan. Another CCTV footage showed that at around 7:25 pm of the same night, the film director was seen filming the rehearsal of a local pageant in Mulanay town plaza. Two Mulanay town officials also noted that they were with Castro and his friends when the alleged crime happened in the other town.

No basis

“Sa aking pagsusuri, walang sapat na dahilan na hulihin sina Jade (Based on my observation, there’s not enough basis to arrest Jade and his companions),” said Diokno, also one of Castro’s counsels. “They were not caught in the act of committing a crime; there was no legitimate hot pursuit operation; and they did not escape from custody.”

Castro’s case has brought renewed criticisms on how police handle warrantless arrests and hot pursuits. Human rights lawyer Sol Taule, who often responds to cases of activists arrested without a warrant, said on X that “the arrest of Direk Jade Castro and companions is a result of sloppy police work for the sake of apprehending someone.” – with reports from Jairo Bolledo/Rappler.com

Big and rising names from Hollywood gathered on Monday morning, March 11 (Sunday night, March 10 in the US) at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, USA, for the 2024 Oscars. 

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Arguably one of the biggest events in Hollywood, the Oscars signal the nearing culmination of a months-long awards season. Oppenheimer, the atomic bomb drama by Christopher Nolan, led this year’s nominations with 13 nods. Jimmy Kimmel is hosting the ceremony.

But aside from the winners, audiences also look forward to the Oscars red carpet as their favorite stars arrive in their glitziest and glammed-up ensembles.

Here are some of the celebrities who delivered stunning red carpet looks for Oscars 2024:

Cillian Murphy

Michelle Yeoh

Cynthia Erivo

Bradley Cooper

Emma Stone

Jennifer Lawrence

Emily Blunt

Margot Robbie

Ryan Gosling

Vanessa Hudgens

Zendaya

Jessica Lange

Issa Rae

Lupita Nyong’O

Charlize Theron

Florence Pugh

Olivia Munn

Ariana Grande

Hailee Steinfield

Jack Quiad

– Rappler.com

Must Read

Strong silhouettes, sparkles dominate Oscars 2024 red carpet

Anatomy of a Fall best actress nominee Sandra Huller donned a black gown with a dramatic neckline, as did actresses Eva Longoria and Rita Moreno. Cynthia Erivo donned a green gown with large cap sleeves that led to a train down the back. 

Poor Things best actress nominee Emma Stone wore a light green outfit with a flared, strapless bodice. 

America Ferrera, a best supporting actress nominee for Barbie, wore a sparkly pink form-fitting gown.

Midnight blue was also popular among women, like Killers of the Flower Moon best actress nominee Lily Gladstone, Nyad best actress nominee Annette Bening and co-star and best supporting actress nominee Jodie Foster. 

Several men also broke with tradition. While many wore the standard black tuxedo, several went in other directions. 

Rustin best actor nominee Colman Domingo wore a silver button tuxedo, complete with a brooch on his bow tie. 

Barbie best supporting actor nominee Ryan Gosling wore a suit with sparkly trim and no tie. Maestro best actor nominee Bradley Cooper also skipped the tie, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appeared in a teal shiny suit and no tie. 

And a few of the women opted for a pantsuit, like best director nominee Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall, who chose a suit decorated with sparkly lines. 

Another accessory on the carpet were red pins calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, spotted on songwriting siblings Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell and actor Mark Ruffalo. 

Members of the Osage Nation, who will sing the nominated best song from Killers of the Flower Moon, came to the red carpet in colorful tribal dress. – Rappler.com

For the 22nd year, Lash Fary, founder of Los Angeles-based marketing company Distinctive Assets, has put together a mix of treats for a select number of nominees at the Academy Awards.

“We call it ‘Everyone Wins’ and we do this independently of the Academy, which means I get to decide who gets it and it’s only the top acting and directing nominees,” Fary told Reuters.

“That’s 25 people this year and we also get to decide what goes in it and it’s some fabulous stuff this year.”

The swag bag includes nearly 60 items worth over $170,000, with the most expensive a $50,000 dollar trip to a luxury chalet in the Swiss Alps.

Companies pay a fee for their spot in the bag, but the exposure to A-list celebrities can be priceless.

“They’re so famous and their names have such value and such cachet and that’s exactly what they can bring to these products,” Fary said.

Other gift bag items this year include beauty products, movie-inspired chocolates, gourmet popcorn, sleep aide products, as well as a Rubik’s Cube.

The Academy Awards take place on Sunday, March 10. – Rappler.com

What is GMA Network Incorporated (GMA) going to air after the media conglomerate and Jalosjos-led Television and Production Exponents Incorporated (TAPE) decided to axe Tahanang Pinakamasaya (Home of the Happiest)? The decision to air movies from 12 noon to 2 pm is likely just temporary, and it doesn’t look like ex-convict Romeo Jalosjos Sr. can put up another show and pay air time fees to GMA. 

Will GMA move ABS-CBN’s It’s Showtime from its free TV channel Good TV (GTV) to its flagship station GMA-7? Or will it move its pre-noon variety show TictoClock, led by ex-Kapamilyas Kim Atienza and comedienne Pokwang, to 12 noon and prolong it by an additional hour or so? Or, will it put up an entirely new noon show?

The easiest step would be to just move It’s Showtime from GTV to Channel 7 (GMA-7) because ABS-CBN’s noon show is competing quite well against TV5’s E.A.T. Bulaga. If unofficial ratings are correct, It’s Showtime now often rates slightly higher than the Kapatid channel’s noon show led by showbiz veterans Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon (TVJ).

From a financial point of view, GMA would earn from the air time fees without having to spend a peso for talent fees and production. No headaches at all. 

But those familiar with how GMA’s former president/CEO and now chairman Felipe Gozon thinks say this may not be the case. 

GMA is now the Philippines’ undisputed broadcast leader after the Lopez-led ABS-CBN Corporation lost its free TV and radio business in May 2020. Moving a purely-ABS-CBN produced show to replace TAPE’s Tahanang Pinakamasaya may not look good on the GMA brand. 

Notwithstanding Gozon’s declaration in June 2023 that the TV war is over – which he said after signing a deal with ABS-CBN to air It’s Showtime on GTV – GMA has thus far protected its flagship Channel 7 from being, in a sense, purely Kapuso. 

In the case of the hit teleserye (TV series) Unbreak My Heart, which was aired on Channel 7 and GTV last year, this was a co-production with ABS-CBN. GMA called it “A first in Philippine television history” and a “dream TV collab between GMA and ABS-CBN.”

Its main cast were Kapamilya stars Jodi Sta. Maria, Joshua Garcia, and Kapuso stars Richard Yap and Gabbi Garcia. Although Kapamilya movies are shown on Channel 7, the credit to ABS-CBN is only at the start and the end, and the GMA logo stays on the screen while the movie is being shown.

The more logical step, therefore, is to beef up TictoClock’s hosts, add more talents and variety show segments to compete with TV5’s E.A.T. Bulaga and ABS-CBN’s It’s Showtime. TictoClock already has the elements of a noon show: a singing competition Tanghalan ng Kampeon (Champion’s Stage) similar to It’s Showtime’s popular singing contest Tawag ng Tanghalan (Stage Call), as well as games such as a fake news segment Ulo ng mga Balita (News Headlines).

With ABS-CBN’s talent pool decimated after losing its franchise, GMA has enough performers it can tap to support “Kuya” (Brother) Kim Atienza and Pokwang. 

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Kuya Kim – who incidentally is a former It’s Showtime co-host – is no comedian, and he’s certainly not in the league of It’s Showtime’s Vice Ganda and E.A.T. Bulaga’s Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon. 

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GMA has an ace that it can tap to lead TictoClock: popular Kapuso comedian Michael V, also known as Bitoy. That would make the country’s noon show truly exciting. It would be the mother of all noon shows: Vice Ganda and the Madlang People gang versus TVJ and the Legit Dabarkads (Legitimate Friends) versus Michael V plus Kuya Kim, Pokwang, and some Kapuso comedy show Bubble Gang cast.  

I can already see Bitoy’s commercial endorsers committing to place ads on TictoClock. With a stronger TictoClock, GMA can get advertising revenues from its network-produced show and get air time revenues from ABS-CBN via It’s Showtime on GTV. It also gets to protect its flagship channel, making it still truly Kapuso. 

As we wait for GMA’s move, expect It’s Showtime and E.A.T. Bulaga to get slight upticks in their television ratings.

On Monday, March 11, Michael V. told GMA News online that he’s not keen on being part of a noon show again for now.

“Parang hindi pa time. There’s a reason why I left ‘Eat Bulaga’ before. I think it’s the same reason kung bakit hindi pa siguro ako sasabak,” he said after signing a new contract with his home network.

(It’s like it’s not yet time. There’s a reason why I left ‘Eat Bulaga’ before. I think it’s the same reason why I won’t be joining for now.)

Michael V. opted to drop his co-hosting of Eat Bulaga! years ago as he took on more projects for GMA and became too busy. – Rappler.com 

ALSO ON RAPPLER

• Home of the saddest: A life lesson from Isko Moreno
• TAPE stops using Eat Bulaga! as Tito, Vic, Joey start using it for noon show
• TV ads decline, influencer marketing rises: Why it’s harder now for TV shows to make money
• GMA’s ‘Sumasapuso’: Why radio is still alive in the Philippines
• The alliance continues: GMA shows to stream on ABS-CBN’s iWanTFC
• New battle shapes up: It’s TV5 + RPN vs GMA
• 9 months after Tito, Vic, Joey leave TAPE, Jalosjos axes noon show

India Willoughby, who was Britain’s first transgender newsreader, has accused Rowling of a “hate crime” over remarks the author posted on X on Monday.

Rowling has rejected the allegation, saying that it was not a crime to hold gender-critical views.

“I contacted Northumbria constabulary yesterday … I have reported J.K. Rowling to the police for what she said,” Willoughby said in an interview with independent news publisher Byline Times which it posted on X late on Wednesday.

“Calling a trans person a man, deliberately knowing that that person is a woman – and I am a woman regardless of what J.K. Rowling says … my birth certificate says female, my passport, all my documents, I am legally recognized as a woman, and for J.K. Rowling to deliberately, and that is the key word, misgender me knowing who I am, is grossly offensive.”

The author has become a controversial figure on transgender issues and the definition of what it is to be a woman, leading to fierce criticism from some trans activists but vocal support from some women’s rights campaigners.

“Some time ago, lawyers advised me that not only did I have a clearly winnable case against India Willoughby for defamation, but that India’s obsessive targeting of me over the past few years may meet the legal threshold for harassment,” Rowling wrote on X.

Asked about the Willoughby’s accusation, Northumbria Police, in Northern England, said in a statement: “On Monday, March 4, we received a complaint about a post on social media. We are currently awaiting to speak to the complainant further.” – Rappler.com