November 22-28, 2025 Volume 36 - No. 47 • 1 Section – 14 Pages
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Government crackdown sharpens as Marcos confirms DATELINE USA arrest warrants for Zaldy Co and multiple respondents First Filipina American from the AJPress NEWS TEAM across America
San Francisco supervisor Beya Alcaraz resigns after one week in office San Francisco’s District 4 supervisor Beya Alcaraz resigns as scrutiny over her former pet store’s inspection history intensifies
President orders full turnover of evidence related to Co and former Speaker Martin Romualdez to the Ombudsman
by AJPress MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. confirmed on Friday, November 21, 2025, that the Sandiganbayan has issued arrest warrants for former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and 17 other re-
spondents connected to an allegedly irregular flood control project in Oriental Mindoro. He instructed law enforcement agencies to enforce the warrants immediately and said that no individual, regardless of position, will receive special treatment during the inquiry.
Marcos rejects resignation calls
Beya Alcaraz, the newly appointed supervisor for San Francisco’s District 4, resigned Thursday night, November 13, after roughly one week in office. Her departure followed intensified scrutiny over her former ownership of a Sunset District pet store, including questions stemming from inspection records and employee messages that surfaced in local media. Alcaraz, 29, had been appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie on November 6 to replace recalled Supervisor Joel Engardio. Community groups initially noted the milestone, as Alu PAGE 4
Marcos rejects calls to resign as arrest warrants, mass protests and expanding graft probes unsettle PH politics. Local leaders continue to back him while Congress examines the flood-control controversy by AJPress
Court blocks GOP friendly Texas voting map in major blow ahead of 2026 Federal court blocks Texas’s new GOP drawn congressional map, ruling it racially gerrymandered. Decision keeps current districts for the 2026 midterms AUSTIN, TEXAS – A federal judicial panel has barred Texas from using its newly drawn congressional map for the 2026 midterm elections, ruling that the Republican backed plan relied unconstitutionally on race when reshaping districts. The decision prevents the state from implementing a mid decade map that GOP leaders hoped would create an advantage in at least five additional U.S. House races. Republicans currently hold 25 of Texas’s 38 seats under the existing boundaries. Judges find race predominated in key districts In a 2 to 1 ruling on November 18, the three
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The confirmation came as the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure delivered a separate referral to the Office of the Ombudsman recommending the filing of plunder, graft and direct bribu PAGE 2
DIGITAL LEARNING. Students use new computers at the Suaybaguio-Riña Elementary School in Tagum City, Davao del Norte on Friday (Nov. 21, 2025). SM Foundation and SM Store turned over a state-of-the-art digital learning hub equipped with 20 computers and multimedia tools to boost student access to technology. PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.
As the Philippines confronts arrest warrants, widening anti-graft investigations and the largest street demonstrations of his presidency, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has rejected calls for him to resign and directed authorities to continue pursuing what he describes as the most extensive corruption probe in years. Malacañang said Marcos will “stay in office and face the allegations directly” through established investigative bodies. Local officials rally behind Marcos as pressure intensifies Support for Marcos among local leaders widened this week, with the League of Cities of the Philippines, u PAGE 2
Palace departures reshape admin leadership as political and legal pressures mount Marcos reorganizes top leadership, naming new Executive Secretary, DBM OIC and Finance Secretary by AJPress MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has accepted the departure of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman. The move represents a major shift in his senior leadership at a time when the administration is facing intense scrutiny over alleged ghost flood control projects and disputed budget
insertions. Malacañang announced on November 17 that both officials resigned out of delicadeza, which refers to a gesture of ethical propriety. Palace officials said neither Bersamin nor Pangandaman is named in the criminal complaints filed so far. Both have denied any involvement in wrongdoing. Bersamin, however, has publicly stated Sen. Imee Marcos u PAGE 2
Photo from Facebook/@ImeeMarcos
Escudero faces graft complaint Guo gets life for qualified trafficking Senator Imee Marcos accuses President Marcos of drug use; Palace rejects over P352 million Sorsogon funds claim as family members push back by Mark Ernest Villeza Philstar.com
by Elizabeth Marcelo Philstar.com
MANILA — A lawyer has filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Sen. Francis Escudero and several officials of Sorsogon over the alleged misuse of the provincial government’s funds in 2021 amounting to P352 million, during Escudero’s term as governor. In a 51-page complaint filed on November 14, lawyer Eldridge Marvin Aceron urged the ombudsman to investigate Escudero and several Sorsogon provincial officials for violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero u PAGE 4 Philstar.com file photo
MANILA — Former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and seven others were convicted of qualified trafficking in persons by a Pasig trial court on Thursday, Novemmber 20 and sentenced to life in prison. The Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 167 found Guo, Jaimielyn Santos Cruz, Rachelle Malonzo Carreon and Walter Wong Rong guilty of organizing human trafficking at the Baofu compound, while Chinese nationals Wang Weili, Wuli Dong, Nong Ding Chang and Lang Xu Po were convicted for acts of trafficking. Each was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined P2 million per case. The entire P6-billion
Baofu compound in Bamban, Tarlac was also ordered forfeited in favor of the government. Guo, who attended the hearing through videoconference, will be transferred immediately from the Pasig City Jail to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City. Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission executive director Benjamin Acorda Jr. said the ruling demonstrated the impact of cooperation among agencies and whistleblowers. He said the conviction was “a victory for the government,” noting that the case started from an employee complaint. “It’s a show of how unity works – that no matter how powerful or u PAGE 4
by AJPress MANILA — A new rift within one of the country’s most prominent political families erupted this week after Senator Imee Marcos publicly alleged that her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., has long used illegal drugs. The accusation, delivered before a massive crowd at an Iglesia ni Cristo gathering on Monday, November 17, was swiftly rejected by Malacañang and members of the First Family, who pointed to official records and described the claim as baseless. Speaking from the stage at
the Quirino Grandstand, Senator Marcos said she had long been concerned about her brother’s well-being and decision-making. She expanded her allegation by naming members of the First Family and several individuals she identified as close to the President. No documents, medical records or laboratory findings were presented to substantiate her remarks. Palace cites 2021 test results and PDEA clearance In a livestream later that evening, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro dismissed the allegation u PAGE 4