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VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 198 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES SEPTEMBER 1, 2024
USHERING IN THE ‘BER’ MONTHS.
A store attendant displays different kinds of Christmas decor at the Dapitan Arcade in Quezon City ahead of the start of the ‘ber’ months today. Manny Palmero
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Catriona Gray
CATRIONA FALLS VICTIM TO LONDON ROBBERS NEWS | A2
Hayao Miyazaki
MIYAZAKI AMONG FIVE MAGSAYSAY AWARDEES NEWS | A3
‘NO GUARANTEE QUIBOLOY WON’T BE EXTRADITED TO US’ DELA ROSA JOINS CALL FOR FUGITIVE PASTOR TO SURRENDER
By Charles Dantes
T
HE Philippine government could not guarantee that fugitive pastor Apollo Quiboloy will not be extradited to the United States, the Department of Justice said on Saturday. This after Quiboloy’s camp reiterated the embattled pastor’s condition for President Marcos to issue a written guarantee that he would not be extradited to the US where he was indicted for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, and sex trafficking of children. “As to the guarantee that he is asking for, no one in the government can give that guarantee,” DOJ Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
FUGITIVE. Police put up wanted posters of fugitive pastor Apollo Quiboloy outside of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound in Davao City on Saturday, August 31, 2024. Screengrab from ABS-CBN
“That is a legal issue that needs to be carefully studied because in the first place, no government official would want to violate the law. And all our treaties have the force of law once they are signed and concurred in by the Senate. That is part of our
legal obligation. And you can just imagine if we renege on our international obligation in favor of an individual,” he added. Vasquez, however, noted the US has yet to request Quiboloy’s extradition. The police are now halfway through its search at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound in Davao City to find Quiboloy. On Saturday, Senator Ronald dela Rosa urged Quiboloy to surrender so that the lives of KOJC members could “return to normal.” “I am also among those who would like to urge Quiboloy to surrender so that peace would return in the KOJC compound in Davao and for the lives of its people to go back to normal,” he said in a radio interview. Dela Rosa is an ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who serves as administrator of KOJC properties after arrest warrants were issued by Davao City and Pasig courts against the pastor and his accomplices. “If only we could encourage him to surrender but at the end of the day, it’s his call,” Dela Rosa said. Interior chief Benhur Abalos also urged Quiboloy to surrender and face the charges filed against him.
NAIA ADOPTS MPOX SCREENING, QC LOGS 1ST CONFIRMED CASE By Joel E. Zurbano and Maricel Cruz THE Bureau of Quarantine at Ninoy Aquino International Airport is now requiring arriving and departing travelers to declare if they have experienced rashes, vesicles, or blisters in the past month in order to prevent the entry of more mpox cases in the Philippines. The Department of Health made a minor change to screening questions for travelers in the electronic travel (eTravel) form, which should be completed before arriving or departing airports. Passengers departing from or arriving in the Philippines are required to check “yes or no” as to whether they have been sick in the past 30 days, experienced rashes, vesicles, or blisters. As this developed, the Quezon City government recorded its first mpox case, bringing the total number of active cases to five. The patient, a 37-year-old male and a resident of the city, is currently admitted at San Lazaro Hospital in Manila.
EMERGING FLASHPOINT.
UNITED IN PRAYER. Seminarians from the University of Santo Tomas on Saturday join Malabon Zoo’s celebration ahead of today’s World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation as declared by Pope Francis. Malabon Zoo owner Manny Tangco led the tour inside the zoo as he called on the public to ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle.’ Andrew Rabulan
SPEAKER LEADS ‘TULONG ESKWELA’ LAUNCH; P5.28B AID FOR SHS STUDENTS By Maricel V. Cruz SPEAKER Martin Romualdez led the launching of a transformative new social amelioration program by distributing a total of P5.28 billion in financial aid in just two days to 1.32 million Filipino parents of senior high students. Romualdez, the main proponent of the Tulong Eskwela Program, said this project was part of the directive of President Marcos during his 3rd State of the Nation Address. “This initiative is designed to alleviate the financial burdens that often hinder our senior high school students from realizing their full potential. By providing critical financial assistance to families across the nation, we are ensuring that education remains a reachable goal for every Filipino child, regardless of their economic background,” he said. The program was launched in 220 areas in all provinces nationwide, with each area of implementation having a total of 3,000 parents of senior high school students chosen as beneficiaries for the financial assistance under the Ayuda para sa Kapos Ang Kita Program (AKAP) of DSWD and another 3,000 for employment assistance under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay Sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) of DOLE. “The integration of AKAP and TUPAD within the Tulong Eskwela Program not only provides immediate relief but also employment opportunities for the families of our students. This dual approach ensures that we are addressing both the short-term and longterm needs of our communities,” Romualdez said. All in all, some 660,000 parents will be receiving P3,000 each from AKAP in cash aid and another 660,000 will receive P5,000 in employment assistance, for a total of P5.28 billion in financial aid to P1.32 million beneficiaries in simultaneous distribution ceremonies. Romualdez said the Tulong Eskwela Program not only provides monetary aid but also fosters an environment of encouragement and support by investing in Filipino students on the cusp of achieving their dreams.
CHINA VESSEL DELIBERATELY RAMS PCG SHIP THRICE IN ESCODA
This screen grab from a handout video footage taken and released on August 31, 2024 by the Philippine Coast Guard shows a Chinese Coast Guard ship (left) colliding with the BRP Teresa Magbanua near Escoda Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. PCG / AFP
By Rex Espiritu and Rachelle Tonelada THE Philippine Coast Guard BRP Teresa Magbanua was deliberately rammed multiple times by a Chinese vessel yesterday on Escoda Shoal, which has emerged as a new hotspot in the longrunning maritime confrontations between Manila and Beijing. “This afternoon, the Chinese Coast
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Guard (CCG) vessel deliberately rammed and collided with the BRP Teresa Magbanua three times, despite no provocation from the Philippine Coast Guard,” PCG spokesperson for West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said. Escoda Shoal is about 140 kilometers off Palawan and about 1,200 kilometers from Hainan island, the nearest major Chinese landmass.
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The BRP Teresa Magbanua has been stationed there since April due to reports of Chinese reclamation activities. Beijing, however, accused the Philippine ship of deliberately running into a Chinese Coast Guard vessel. China claims almost all of the economically vital waterway despite competing claims from other countries and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
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