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DECEMBER 12-18, 2025
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President Marcos urges priority action on DATELINE USA Two bills in US Congress anti-dynasty, party-list and transparency bills FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
reignite scrutiny over dual citizenship
Two separate bills introduced in the U.S. House and Senate are reigniting national debate over dual citizenship, underscoring sharply divergent views on how the United States should treat individuals with allegiance to more than one nation
by AJPress MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has directed Congress to fast-track four major political reform measures, marking his administration’s strongest push to date to overhaul systems governing accountability, representation and fiscal transparency. The directive was issued during the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC)
meeting on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, according to Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro. Marcos asked both chambers to prioritize the Anti-dynasty bill, the Independent People’s Commission Act, the Party-list System Reform Act and the Citizens Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act. Present at the meeting were Senate President Vicente Sotto III, House Speaker Faustino Dy III,
Sandiganbayan rules Zaldy Co is a fugitive DFA moves to cancel passport
HOUSE bill seeks census data on dual citizens The first measure, H.R. 6486, was introduced in the House of Representatives on December 5 by Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-Arizona). The bill directs the U.S. Census Bureau to collect information on dual citizenship status as part of the decennial census. u PAGE 4
by AJPress
Working while collecting Social Security: The “slow fade” more Americans choose
More Americans now work while collecting Social Security, creating a phased retirement shaped by rising costs, longer life spans, and multigenerational responsibilities THE changing architecture of retirement More Americans now collect Social Security while continuing to work, creating a phased transition instead of a fixed retirement date. Research from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College shows that about 40 percent of beneficiaries work at some point after they claim benefits. Rising longevity, higher living costs, and shifting expectations about retirement contribute to this trend. It is also common among Filipino American households, where older adults often support multigenerational families in the United States and abroad. A growing workforce of older Americans Government labor data confirms this shift. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that u PAGE 5
House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos and other senior congressional leaders. The measures central to the administration’s reform push The Anti-dynasty bill seeks to operationalize the Constitution’s mandate for Congress to regulate political dynasties. Nearly four decades after ratification of the 1987 Charter, no implementing law has u PAGE 2
YOUTH VS. CORRUPTION. Youth sector representatives join anti-corruption groups during a protest rally marking International Human Rights Day at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila on Wednesday (Dec. 10, 2025). The demonstrators called for greater transparency and accountability from government officials, emphasizing the need for reforms to ensure that public funds are used effectively and ethically. PNA photo by Yancy Lim
MANILA — The Sandiganbayan has ruled that resigned Ako Bicol party-list representative Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co is a “fugitive from justice”, issuing an order for the cancellation of his Philippine passport as part of ongoing efforts to enforce an arrest warrant tied to corruption charges involving a flood control project in Oriental Mindoro. The ruling, released through a resolution posted on the court’s official website, directed the Department of Foreign Affairs to revoke Co’s passport to restrict his ability to travel while the cases proceed. The resolution was dated December 10, 2025, coinciding with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s separate announcement that Co’s passport had already been cancelled and that embassies abroad had been instructed to coordinate with law enforcement agencies. Court says Co failed to submit to its jurisdiction According to the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, Co did not comply with subpoenas, did not file counter-affidavits during the Ombudsman’s investigation, u PAGE 4
DOJ claims sufficient evidence to charge Atong Ang Prosecutors claim there is prima facie evidence to pursue kidnapping and homicide charges in the missing sabungeros case while clearing several individuals, including actress Gretchen Barretto, and signaling potential reinvestigation of a related Manila case by AJPress
disappearance of multiple “sabungeros,” or cockfight enthusiasts, a set of cases that has MANILA — The Department of Justice drawn nationwide attention since 2021. claims it has sufficient prima facie evidence In its announcement, the DOJ asserted that to pursue criminal charges against gam- prosecutors found prima facie evidence with ing businessman Charlie Tiu Hay Ang, also what it described as “reasonable certainty of known as “Atong” Ang, and more than twen- conviction” for ten counts of kidnapping with ty other respondents in connection with the u PAGE 2
Contractor Sarah Discaya 2 more years of ICI surrenders to NBI ahead work possible – Hosaka Bong Revilla submits counteraffidavit as DOJ expands review of expected arrest warrant of Bulacan flood-control cases Former Senator Bong Revilla
where Reyes is coming from when he said two years,” ICI executive director Brian Keith Hosaka told MANILA — The Independent The STAR’s online show “Truth Commission for Infrastructure on the Line” on Thursday, add(ICI) can continue fulfilling its ing, “It can even be longer.” mandate for at least two years, Hosaka said the commission’s regardless of the challenges different working parts are now faced by the fact-finding body, beginning to function. The Deaccording to its executive direc- partment of Budget and Managetor. ment (DBM) has already downICI chairman Andres Reyes loaded P39 million of the ICI’s Jr. on Wednesday mentioned a P41-million budget, enabling the two-year timespan for the com- commission to pay staffers who mission, created by President have been working without wagMarcos to investigate anomalous es since September. infrastructure projects over the The funding, which is only past 10 years. good until the end of 2025, will “The sheer volume itself is also pave the way for the hiring huge, so, definitely, maybe that’s u PAGE 5
Photo from Facebook/@bongrevillajrph
by EJ Macababbad Philstar.com
by AJPress
CEZARAH Rowena “Sarah” Discaya, a contractor accused in an alleged 96.5 million peso ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental, appeared at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday, December 9. Her lawyer, Cornelio Samaniego III, said she surrendered voluntarily as authorities prepare to serve an arrest warrant expected later this week after earlier remarks from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Samaniego added that Ma.
Roma Angeline Rimando, an executive linked to one of Discaya’s firms, also surrendered to local authorities earlier in the week and turned over her passport to show she does not intend to leave the country while the case is pending. The NBI has not yet announced whether Discaya will be held once the warrant is issued or allowed supervised release. Officials said coordination continues with prosecutors and the Office of the Ombudsman. Charges tied to alleged u PAGE 5
by AJPress FORMER Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. has filed his counter-affidavit before the Department of Justice (DOJ), formally responding to allegations linking his office to flood-control projects under government scrutiny. The submission, made on December 10, advances the DOJ’s preliminary investigation into a set of complaints involving public works in Bulacan.
Revilla appeared through counsel and denied involvement in procurement or implementation decisions. His legal team said his filing includes documentary responses addressing each allegation raised in the complaint. The DOJ acknowledged receipt and said the review process remains ongoing. Scope of the investigation The complaints naming Revilla arise from alleged irregular or u PAGE 2