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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Volume 24 - No. 47 • 12 Pages
T h e F i l i p i n o A m e r i ca n C o m mu n i t y N e ws pa p e r
Volume 18 - No. 17 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages
November 21-27, 2025
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Marcos rejects resignation calls as protest DATELINE USA First Filipina American wave and graft cases jolt PH politics 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
by AJPress As the Philippines confronts widening corruption investigations and the largest street protests of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term, Malacañang said the Ppresident has no plans to resign and will continue overseeing the government’s response to the flood-control controversy. Officials say Marcos intends to allow investigations to proceed through the proper institutions while maintaining stability in gov-
ernment operations. Mayors express support as pressure on Palace escalates The League of Cities of the Philippines, representing 149 mayors, publicly reaffirmed its support for Marcos as the country’s elected leader. In a statement on Nov. 19, the group said it would continue aligning local programs with national priorities in education, health and infrastructure while calling for transparent public spending.
Budget insertion scandal deepens as Zaldy Co’s claims coincide with Cabinet shake-up
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 Al-
Zaldy Co’s P100 billion budget insertion claim intensifies scrutiny of the national budget process by AJPress
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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 judge federal panel concluded that Texu PAGE 4
The League of Municipalities of the Philippines also declared its backing for the president, warning that political instability could disrupt essential services in more than 1,400 towns. Both organisations acknowledged public frustration over alleged irregularities in flood-control projects but encouraged investigations that do not disrupt government workflows. Their statements came as tens of thousands participated in anti-corruption protests across Metro Mau PAGE 2
FLOOD CONTROL. Metropolitan Manila Development Authority workers remove silt and debris from the Buhangin Creek in Barangay Plainview, Mandaluyong City on Wednesday, November 19. The activity was part of the “Bayanihan sa Estero” flood control program that will dredge creeks and canals. PNA photo by Joan Bondoc
Former Ako Bicol party-list representative Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co has escalated his claim that approximately P100 billion was added to the 2025 national budget at the direction of senior government officials. His allegations, delivered in a video released on November 14, now unfold alongside a significant Cabinet shake-up that has intensified public and institutional scrutiny of the administration’s budget process. Co alleged that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. issued the instruction through Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and that then House Speaker Martin Romualdez supported the move. He said the questioned items consisted largely of flood control and infrastructure projects allegedly inserted during the bicameral conference committee proceedings. u PAGE 2
High-level departures test Marcos admin as infrastructure scandal widens Marcos reorganizes top leadership, naming new Executive Secretary, DBM OIC and Finance Secretary as infrastructure and budget probes deepen by AJPress MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has accepted the departure of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, a significant reshuffling of his senior leadership as
the administration confronts a widening corruption scandal involving alleged ghost flood control projects and contested budget allocations. The Palace announced the changes on Monday, November 17, 2025, and described the exits as acts of delicadeza (a u PAGE 4
Sen. Imee Marcos
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
Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero Philstar.com file photo
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 u PAGE 4
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. 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 Communiu PAGE 4