The week in photos: June 27 to July 3, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – On June 30, members of the religious group Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) massed in parts of Metro Manila in support of embattled Senator Rodante Marcoleta. The rally temporarily closed White Plains Avenue in Quezon City, along EDSA, due to heavy traffic buildup. Police authorities estimated the crowd at 12,000 at its peak.

Marcoleta, an INC member, is facing a plunder complaint before the Ombudsman amid questions about his campaign donations.

On July 3, the Office of the Ombudsman filed a non-bailable plunder case with the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan against Marcoleta due to questions about his P75-million campaign donations. Aside from plunder, Marcoleta is also charged with three counts of alleged violation of Presidential Decree No. 46 (receiving gifts).

At the Senate, a public hearing on July 1 examined how online extremist networks recruit vulnerable young people following the fatal Tacloban school shooting, with experts describing a multistage grooming process that extends far beyond violent video games and into encrypted messaging platforms and online communities.

Experts tell senators that online grooming networks, not games alone, drive nihilistic violent extremism, as lawmakers consider new safeguards for children.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and Canada, on July 2, elevated their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, marking a new chapter in what President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. described as an “unprecedented momentum in the deepening of bilateral relations.”

Marcos and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney formalized the elevation of ties during the Philippine leader’s official visit to Vancouver. Marcos is the first Philippine president to visit Canada since the late Benigno Aquino III’s state visit in 2015.

Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was:

A woman holds a toy gun next to a Pride flag featuring an image of former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban wearing makeup, as people gather to attend the Budapest Pride march in Budapest, Hungary, on June 27, 2026. PHOTO BY MARTON MONUS/REUTERS

Members, supporters, and advocates of the LGBTQ+ community display their color as they celebrate diversity, inclusion, and equality during the 2026 Cebu Grand Pride Parade in Cebu City on June 27. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE HERNANDEZ/RAPPLER

Vespa riders drive past the Colosseum on the last day of ‘Vespa Roma 2026 – 80 Years of an Icon,’ a four-day global gathering marking the 80th anniversary of the iconic Italian scooter brand, in Rome, Italy, on June 27, 2026. PHOTO BY REMO CASILLI/REUTERS

People wait to buy ice cream on the first day of BST Hyde Park as an amber extreme heat warning remains in place over southeast England amid an ongoing heatwave, in London, Britain, on June 27, 2026. PHOTO BY JACK TAYLOR/REUTERS

Cardi B performs during the 26th BET Awards at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, on June 28, 2026. PHOTO BY MARIO ANZUONI/REUTERS

Children who lost their homes in the earthquakes rest on a pile of donated clothes on a street in La Guaira, Venezuela, on June 29, 2026. PHOTO BY GABY ORAA/REUTERS

Members of the Iglesia ni Cristo gather along White Plains Avenue in Quezon City on June 30, 2026, to support Philippine Senator Rodante Marcoleta while calling for ‘transparency for a better democracy.’ PHOTO BY JIRE CARREON/RAPPLER

People look at the newly acquired Tomb of Francois, a 4th-century BC masterpiece bought last month by Italy’s Culture Ministry for 15 million euros, at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia in Rome, Italy, on June 30, 2026. PHOTO BY REMO CASILLI/REUTERS

Brazil’s soccer legend Pele’s FIFA World Cup 1958 final jersey at Sotheby’s auction house in New York City on July 1, 2026. PHOTO BY JORDAN TOVIN/REUTERS

Britain’s King Charles arrives for the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland, on July 1, 2026. PHOTO BY JANE BARLOW/POOL VIA REUTERS

Chinese President Xi Jinping looks on as People’s Liberation Army honor guards hold party flags during a ceremony marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on July 1, 2026. PHOTO BY MAXIM SHEMETOV/REUTERS

The mother of Joyancee Separa, one of the victims in the Tacloban City school shooting, joins the hearing online as the Philippine Senate, led by Senator Risa Hontiveros, conducts a public hearing on July 1, 2026, on the shooting incident and online game platforms. SENATE SOCIAL MEDIA UNIT

Relatives of war on drugs victims take part in a candle-lit vigil to commemorate the 10th anniversary of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign at the Bantayog ng Bayani in Quezon City on July 1, 2026. PHOTO BY NOEL CELIS/REUTERS

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visit a Jollibee store in Vancouver on July 2, 2026, following a bilateral meeting between the two leaders. At a press conference, Carney had joked that they did not get to eat during their working luncheon and would be ‘going to Jollibee to get some real sustenance.’ PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE

Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales, and former tennis player Tim Henman watch the Wimbledon second-round match between Britain’s Arthur Fery and Finland’s Otto Virtanen from the stands in Court 18 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, Britain, on July 2, 2026. PHOTO BY MARKO DJURICA/REUTERS

Angela Nikolau and Vanya ‘van’ Beerkus, the couple who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building spire, kiss at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall train station after exiting New York City Criminal Court after their arraignment, in the Manhattan Borough of New York, on July 2, 2026. PHOTO BY BING GUAN/REUTERS

Workers set up curtains inside Madison Square Garden, the venue for the reported wedding celebrations of singer Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce, in New York, on July 3, 2026. PHOTO BY DAVID DEE DELGADO/REUTERS

Filipino girl group BINI meets with Philippine Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay during a courtesy visit at the Department of Tourism Central Office in Makati City on July 3, 2026. The courtesy call highlights opportunities for the group to support the country’s tourism initiatives through future promotional campaigns showcasing the Philippines’ diverse destinations and culture. PHOTO BY RAPPLER

Egypt’s Mohamed Hany scores Australia’s first with an own goal past Mostafa Shoubir during the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match between Australia and Egypt at the Dallas Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, on July 3, 2026. PHOTO BY KAI PFAFFENBACH/REUTERS

Women gather near the coffins of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members as international delegates participate in a farewell ceremony for Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 during Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran, at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran, Iran, on July 3, 2026. PHOTO BY MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA VIA REUTERS

– with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com