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REPATRIATION OF 15 OFWS FROM LEBANON SET OCT. 3 NEWS | A3
‘JULIAN’ STRENGTHENS; SIGNAL 1 UP IN 11 AREA NEWS | A2
IMEE WITHDRAWS FROM ALYANSA; PING TO RUN AS INDEPENDENT
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IN MET R MANILAO
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 226 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES SEPTEMBER 29, 2024
LONGEST CHRISTMAS SEASON.
IMEE MARCOS
A parol maker in San Fernando, Pampanga prepares Christmas decors with less than 90 days to go before the holiday. Arturo de Vera Jr.
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PING LACSON
COUNTER-INTEL VS. CHINA SPIES IN PLACE – NSC
Michael Yang, the economic adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte, and Chinese businessman Allan Lim are linked by a lawmaker to the matrix of illegal POGO activities. The three are seen together in this file photo first released by former police officer Eduardo Acierto in 2021. Photo below is that of Chinese gambling kingpin She Zhijiang, who claimed dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo solicited money for her political run.
QUAD COMM UNVEILS POGO ILLEGAL SYNDICATE MATRIX
By Rex Espiritu, Maricel Cruz and Rolando Ng III
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HE government has implemented “effective counterintelligence efforts” to address the activities of Chinese spies and other foreign operatives working within the country, National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said. “The Philippines’ counter intelligence efforts are not only against People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of State Security spies but also other foreign spies operating in the country,” Malaya said. This came after a House panel discussed a documentary alleging the presence of Chinese sleeper agents in the Philippines. In the Al Jazeera documentary, She Zhijiang, a self-confessed PRC-MSS agent, released a “dossier” containing information about dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s alleged espionage work in the Philippines.
“Guo Huaping, China can’t be trusted. The two of us once dedicated our lives to China’s Ministry of State Security. Look at what happened to me. I don’t want to be eliminated. You should tell the world the truth,” Zhijiang said when asked by Al Jazeera if he had a message for Guo. Malaya, however, emphasized the need for caution, stating that Zhijiang’s credibility was questionable given his status as a wanted criminal and leader of an international crime syndicate. “We have yet to validate the information mentioned (in the documentary), considering that the
person is not entirely credible,” he said. The Armed Forces of the Philippines also assured the public they have “contingency plans in place” in response to reports of foreign spy operations in the country. “Our intelligence operatives are doing their roles in this. We are getting all the information that we need,” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said. Zhijiang admitted to being recruited as a Chinese spy in 2016 while in the Philippines. He claimed Guo solicited his financial support for her mayoral campaign in Bamban. Guo denied the accusations and expressed her intent to file formal charges against Zhijiang. “I am not a spy. Totally, I am not a spy. I am not the person (being referred to) in the picture. I think our government agencies can prove one day that I am not a spy because I am really not one,” Guo told Quad Committee chairperson Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers. Al Jazeera released the 25-minute documentary titled “The Curious Case of She Zhijiang” on Sept. 26 amid the ongoing congressional probe into the alleged ties of Guo to illegal POGOs and its connection to China.
PH, 4 ALLIES CONDUCT DRILLS IN WPS; CHINA PATROLS SCARBOROUGH By Rex Espiritu THE Philippines conducted joint maritime drills with forces from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States on Saturday, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said. Brawner said the five-country drills – officially called the Multilateral Maritime
Cooperative Activity – demonstrated “a collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open IndoPacific.” “The naval and air force units of participating nations will operate together enhancing cooperation and interoperability between our armed forces. The activity will be conducted
in a manner consistent with international law and with due regard to the safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other States,” he said. The AFP did not provide further details on the military assets deployed and location except that it was within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone. This developed as Chinese naval and air forces conducted patrols
around Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, in the West Philippine Sea, coinciding with the multilateral exercises. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims of several Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines among them, and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
MARCOS MARKS DAD’S DEATH ANNIVERSARY; REFLECTS ON HIS LEGACY By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Marcos commemorated the 35th death anniversary of his father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., with a heartfelt social media
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post reflecting on the latter’s legacy. “My father lived in service to our country. He advocated for development, justice, unity, and nationalism,” Mr. Marcos wrote. The President recalled a promise he
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made three decades ago to honor his father’s contributions. He also emphasized his father’s unwavering faith in the Filipino people, saying it was central to the beliefs of the late Marcos patriarch.
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“I hope that I have made you proud, Dad. We miss you every day,” Marcos Jr. said. Marcos Sr. died on September 28, 1989, in Honolulu, Hawaii, following a long battle with illness.
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CHEL DIOKNO
SENATOR Imee Marcos on Saturday said she was withdrawing from the senatorial lineup of the administration for the upcoming 2025 midterm elections. Former Senator Panfilo Lacson also declared he is running as an independent candidate despite his inclusion in the senatorial ticket of President Marcos. “My sincere thanks to President Bongbong who, despite the anger and extreme cruelty of some, defended me and even included me in the alliance. I decided to stand up alone so that my brother would not be put at risk, so that my true friends don’t cast doubt,” Senator Marcos said. The presidential sister was absent during the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas convention where the administration’s senatorial slate was unveiled. Alyansa campaign manager Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said the alliance holds Senator Marcos in high regard, given her advocacies and track record in public service. “Alyansa will continue to support Senator Imee to ensure the success of the legislative agenda of President Marcos, which aim for inclusive growth that leaves no one behind,” Tiangco said in a statement. Lacson, for his part, said he is proud to be part of the administration alliance even if he is running as an independent candidate. “I am running as an independent candidate, not being a member of a political party. I am a guest candidate of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), which is part of an alliance of five major political parties that includes the administration’s Partido Federal ng Pilipinas,” he said. “Make no mistake – I am proud to be part of a grand alliance of our country’s five major political parties. I have no doubt in my mind that should I win next year, President Marcos fully recognizes my consistent role as a fiscalizer guided only by our shared motto to fight for what is right and to fight what is wrong,” Lacson said. Lacson had said he and former Senate President Vicente Sotto III would file their certificate of candidacy on Oct. 2. Meanwhile, lawyer Chel Diokno was declared by Akbayan party-list as its first nominee for next year’s polls. “It is an honor to represent Akbayan and push for its principles and buckle down on protecting the welfare of the Filipino people, upholding our democracy and holding the corrupt accountable,” Diokno said. “From the beginning, we carefully examined all possible avenues to best serve our people. After thorough reflection, we determined that running under the partylist system is not only a principled choice but also the most pragmatic path to effectively confront the forces of corruption and injustice,” he added.
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