On February 24, 2006, the Tribune was raided by the Philippine National Police at the height of the State of Emergency imposed by Arroyo. The police presence remained in the paper's office until the State of Emergency was lifted on March 4, 2006. The paper continued to publish normally, making defiant statements throughout. Ninez Cacho-Olivarez, the paper's publisher, claimed that some of her reporters were practising self-censorship, but her own publishing decisions were unaffected. She received substantial publicity and her circulation expanded significantly during the crisis; however, she lost many advertisers who were intimidated by the unstable political situation. The Tribune is now said to face sedition charges, and it is unclear whether they will be in any way effective against the newspaper. During the campaign period for the 2010 elections, the paper threw all its support behind former President Joseph Estrada and his running mate, Jejomar Binay, because the editor is a member of their political party, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino. At present, the paper has been particularly critical of President Benigno S. Aquino III, presenting what it claims to be a more balanced or unbiased view of his administration and its efforts to prosecute Arroyo. It willingly and openly criticises the sitting President as opposed to other newspapers which usually feature and support the government's position.
Libel suits
Judge Winlove Dumayas of Regional Trial Court Branch 59, Makati City on June 5, 2008, found Cacho-Olivarez, publisher of The Daily Tribune, guilty of libel and sentenced her to a minimum of six months and a maximum of two years imprisonment. She was also ordered to pay ₱5 million in moral damages and ₱33,732.25 in civil damages, including a libel fine of ₱4,000, for writing a June 23, 2003 column that accused then-Ombudsman Simeón Marcelo of colluding with the supposedly influential law firm, Villaraza, Cruz, Marcelo & Angangco in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 deal. Villaraza, Cruz, Marcelo & Angangco stated that it will prosecute 47 more libel suits against the publisher of The Daily Tribune. In February 2006, the office of The Daily Tribune was searched by police during a plot to topple the Arroyo government that resulted in the imposition of the State of Emergency.
