The Senate convenes on Monday, July 6, as an impeachment court to try Vice President Sara Duterte, opening what could be a months-long political and legal test for the administration and Congress. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian will preside over the proceedings, with 22 senators expected to sit as senator-judges. Duterte faces accusations ranging from alleged misuse of confidential funds and unexplained wealth to bribery involving Department of Education officials and purported grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

The trial’s first order of business under the Senate’s pre-trial directive is the article on alleged grave threats against the country’s top political figures. House prosecutors say they are ready to present their case and have lined up officials from the National Bureau of Investigation and the House Legislative Security Bureau as initial witnesses. They have also asked that the trial be conducted in both Filipino and English to widen public access to the proceedings. Senate rules allow Duterte to be represented solely by her lawyers, though prosecutors continue to urge her to appear in person.

An early flashpoint is emerging over a sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue box containing the income tax returns of Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio, and related entities. The box was subpoenaed by the House Committee on Justice in March, but the panel deferred opening it until the case reached the Senate. House prosecutor and Manila Representative Joel Chua argues that the contents should be opened publicly by the impeachment court, likening the Senate’s role to that of a regular court in tax-evasion cases where income tax records can be produced under subpoena. “There is no need for it to be opened in an executive session since this is already an impeachment court,” Chua said at a news forum, insisting transparency should prevail.

Other senior lawmakers are more cautious. Senator Panfilo Lacson said the impeachment court had agreed not to open the sealed box amid concerns that doing so could breach confidentiality provisions under the National Internal Revenue Code. He noted that tax records may generally be disclosed only with written authority from the Office of the President or via a waiver executed by the taxpayer. If no legal basis is established to examine the documents, Lacson said, “The impeachment court has no business keeping the BIR box,” suggesting the Senate should return it to the House rather than risk violating tax secrecy rules.

For now, both camps signal they want the trial to move without unnecessary delays. Defense spokesperson Michael Poa said Duterte’s team “will not be the cause of any delay,” while stressing they would still file motions when needed to protect the vice president’s rights. Gatchalian has warned that the 92 trial days set in the calendar could stretch the process to seven or eight months, with hearings initially slated from Monday to Wednesday at 2 p.m., before shifting to a Tuesday–Thursday schedule after President Marcos delivers his State of the Nation Address on July 27. With two senators absent from the opening — Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who is reported to be in hiding, and Jinggoy Estrada, who is under a 90-day suspension — the remaining members of the chamber will now have to balance constitutional duties as judges with rising public expectations for a transparent but legally grounded impeachment process.

Taipei is doubling down on efforts to cut consumption of single-use beverage cups, rolling out a city-backed discount that rewards customers for bringing their own containers to popular hand-shaken drink chains. From July 2 through Dec. 31, consumers who visit participating Taipei outlets of Milksha (迷客夏) and TEA TOP on Thursdays will receive a NT$10 discount per drink when they use a reusable cup, up from the standard NT$5 required by national rules.

The program, jointly launched by the Taipei Environmental Protection Department and the two chains, covers 46 Taipei stores and is capped at 50 discounted drinks per outlet each Thursday. The NT$10 reduction combines the existing NT$5 price difference that chains must offer under the "Restrictions on the Use of Disposable Beverage Cups" with an additional NT$5 subsidy from the city. The offer does not apply to prepaid or stored-value orders, and outlets in other municipalities continue to provide only the basic NT$5 discount.

Taipei officials say the initiative builds on a smaller 2023 pilot with five brands and 18 outlets that generated 4,385 instances of reusable-container use between Sept. 18 and Oct. 9. By expanding the scope and duration and partnering with high-traffic milk tea brands, the city estimates the latest round could spur about 50,000 drinks served in personal cups, cutting a similar number of disposable cups from the waste stream. Authorities argue that as more people adjust their daily purchasing habits, the cumulative impact on waste reduction, resource use and environmental pressure will become increasingly significant.

The city is also tying the push to its digital payments ecosystem. Consumers who register for the "Plastic Reduction EasyLife" (減塑EasyLife) campaign in the EasyCard Pay (悠遊付) app and link a mobile barcode can earn additional rewards when they buy drinks in reusable cups and opt for cloud invoices, on top of the price discount offered at the counter. Taipei officials frame the effort as a public–private partnership designed to make environmentally friendly behavior financially attractive, positioning the weekly rebate as both a way to trim beverage costs and a step toward a longer-term shift away from disposable cups in one of the world’s most beverage-focused urban markets.