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Cops closing in on Quiboloy, find his quarters — Torre VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 201• 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 •WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2024 •
POLICE are closing in on fugitive pastor Apollo Quiboloy, the Police Regional Office in Davao Region (PRO-11) announced Tuesday. “If we arrest him, Filipinos will know they can trust us. We are almost there. Let’s do it together,” PRO-11 Director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said in a press briefing
P390-m aid released to 'Enteng'-hit regions Death toll climbs to 12; over 300,000 displaced — OCD
here. “We are really hell bent on bringing him to justice...We will not stop until he surrenders. And he has no right to demand anything. Who is he? Is he above the law?,” said Torre. Torre said information from a Next page
BARMM ALLOWED TO TAP ODA LOANS BUSINESS / B1
POPE LANDS IN INDONESIA WORLD / B4
By Maricel Cruz, Rex Espiritu, Rio N. Araja and Joel Zurbano
S
PEAKER Martin Romualdez facilitated the release of P390 million in financial aid to indigents affected by the “Enteng,” which intensified into a severe tropical storm yesterday, leaving in its wake at least 12 dead and more than 300,000 displaced. “We requested separate financial aid for the affected districts in accordance with the directive of President Bongbong Marcos to support those affected by the typhoon,” Romualdez said as his office and that of Tingog party-list began distributing 35,000 food packs—each containing canned goods, noodles, and rice— yesterday at evacuation centers in Metro Manila and Rizal. “I understand how overwhelming it must be to face these challenges backto-back, and I want you to know that you are not alone – we stand with you during this difficult time,” he added. “Enteng” is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility today (Wednesday), even as rains brought about by the storm and the enhanced southwest monsoon or “habagat” may persist until Friday. Landslides and extreme flooding during the height of the “Enteng” left at least 12 people dead, the Office of Civil Defense said Tuesday. Next page
RELENTLESS ENTENG. Even as severe tropical storm “Enteng” moves away from the country, it continues to dump heavy rain in northern and central Luzon, forcing the release of water from Bustos, top photo, and Ipo dams in Bulacan and wreaking havoc in various parts of Luzon. In La Trinidad, Benguet, (bottom right photo), police with K9 dogs search for a person swept away by the raging waters of Balili river. Center photo shows a road being cleared after a landslide which killed three people in Antipolo, while Coast Guard personnel in a rubber boat check homes in Pililla, Rizal for trapped residents. Screen grab from ABS-CBN/ DAVE LEPROZO/MANNY PALMERO/PCG
203 Chinese vessels seen in WPS amid increased tensions in Escoda By Rex Espiritu A TOTAL of 203 Chinese ships were spotted in the West Philippine Sea from Aug. 27 to Sept. 2 – the highest number of vessels to swarm the country’s waters this year -- more than a fourth of which were deployed to Escoda Shoal that is emerging to be the latest flashpoint between Manila and Beijing. Of the 71 Chinese vessels in Escoda Shoal, nine were China People’s Liberation Army warships, 53 were maritime militia vessels, and nine were China Coast
Guard. On the other hand, standing guard against the big Chinese fleet in Escoda Shoal is the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) largest ship, BRP Teresa Magbanua. “This is the highest we have recorded in the vicinity of our nine occupied features in WPS for this year,” Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said. “While it is not normal, it is within Next page
Palace declares Day of Mourning for Federico Caballero on Sept. 3 By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos declared Sept. 3, 2024, a Day of National Mourning, to honor Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures) awardee Federico Caballero. The proclamation, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, highlights the nation’s collective loss, stating that Caballero’s passing is “a great loss to our nation,” and recognizes his dedication to preserving the cultural heritage of the Panay Bukidnon community. Caballero, who hails from Calinog, Iloilo, is a respected figure in the Panay
Bukidnon community. He was recognized as a Manlilikha ng Bayan in 2000 for preserving the Sugidanon tradition, the epic stories of Central Panay. U n d e r Proclamation No. 678, the national flag will be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on all government buildings Next page
FEDERICO CABALLERO
Comelec to issue deep fake, disinformation guidelines THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it will release its guidelines in addressing campaign-related misinformation and disinformation on social media, including the so-called “deepfakes” or audiovisual materials produced using artificial intelligence (AI), as early as next week. At the House Committee on Appropriations hearing on its proposed 2025
budget on Tuesday, Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said the poll body is ready to publish its “historic resolution” versus false information or ‘fake news’ soon. “We will release as early as next week our guidelines on social media, guidelines on AI, guidelines on deepfakes including misinformation/disinformation,” Garcia told House Deputy
Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro. “This is a historic resolution because it’s never been done before— this kind of resolution—but we will attempt to do that simply because we don’t have laws that regulate social media,” the Comelec chief noted. Castro inquired about the status of Next page
Gatchalian vows to scrutinize 'Only 3% of 6,379 intel funds following Guo's escape classrooms built By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz CONGRESS continues seto unravel the web of se crets behind Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGOs), their deep connections in government agencies, and the illegal activities they helped fund during the Duterte Administration. On Tuesday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian vowed to challenge the intelligence funds of the country’s law enforcement agencies following their failure to prevent the escape of dismissed Bamban
Mayor Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping, and her cohorts. “There was indeed a failure of intelligence within our law enforcement agencies,” the senator told reporters. “Once we deliberate on their budgets for 2025, I will definitely ask these agencies how their intelligence funds are being spent and how they build an efficient intelligence network,” he added. Gatchalian said the intelligence community should have kept tabs on Guo after her last appearance at a Senate hearing on May 22. “They freely transferred from different places and even reached a seaport,” the Ways and Means Committee chair noted. “What happened to the network created by [our law] enforcement agencies? Whether there was collusion or a failure of intelligence, there should be accountability on this issue,” GatchalNext page
by DepEd in 2023' THE Department of Education (DepEd) either failed to deliver or poorly delivered on already-funded projects in 2023, the Commission on Audit (COA) revealed in its latest report. State auditors reported that the agency only managed to build 192 classrooms out of its goal of 6,379 classrooms last year, when Vice President Sara Duterte was still at its helm. “Only 192 (3.01 percent) out of 6,379 classrooms were completed/constructed in 2023 due to realignments because of modifications in the projects’ design,” the COA disclosed in its 2023 annual report. These figures put the DepEd’s classroom-building accomplishment rate in 2023 at only three percent. “A total of 4,391 classrooms are still under construction, and 550 are yet to undergo various stages of procurement,” Next page