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FIVE LOCALDEAD, MISSING RISING; BATANGAS EMERGES AS HAVING MOST FATALITIES ‘KRISTINE’ HOLIDAYS IN OCT.

By Pot Chavez and Rex Espiritu

Metro Manila now on ‘white alert’ status

AIR BRIDGE.

Presidential helicopters, THE death toll from/ A3 Severe Tropical Storm Kristine NEWS top photo, and a Black (Trami) has risen to about 90 to 100 individuals as of Hawk helicopter, late Sunday afternoon based on official and unofficial bottom photo, were tallies. among the air assets NEWS / A2 Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator Undeployed by the dersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said his agency exgovernment to bring pects fatalities to rise as reports from previously cutrelief goods to isolated VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 227• 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGESareas • P20 •MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 • affected by off communities pour in. WORLD / A6 “Kristine’ in Albay and He noted that most of the fatalities were killed by Camarines Sur. 9th landslides while a number drowned in the floods that Infantry ‘Spear’ Division, NEWS / A2 were often accompanied by raging waters.

ISRAEL CONTINUES TO POUND HEZBOLLAH

DA calls on farmers to adopt safety measures

PNP resurrecting probe into PCSO official's slay PA

VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 255• 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 •MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2024 •

Speaker grateful for PMA Class '83 vote of confidence in Quad Comm

Shun political dynasties T in polls, CBCP tells voters By Rio N. Araja

HE Philippine National Police (PNP) is reopening its investigation into the 2020 murder of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga.

Prelates petition Comelec to disqualify political scions

On Sunday, PNP Chief Police General Rommel Francisco MarBysaid Vito Barcelo bil he ordered the reopening of the cold case after whistleblower Police Lt. Col. Mendoza told HE Santie Catholic the House Quad Committee that he Bishops helped carry out the killing at the behest of ex-PCSO generalof manager Conference the Royina Garma. Philippines (CBCP) urged Mendoza narrated before convoters how to shun members gressmen Garma allegedly facilitated the PCSO official’s roadside of political dynasties assassination on July 30, 2020 by runningtheinnecessary the May providing information about hismidterm schedule, details about his 2025 elections, vehicle and the funding necessary to saying carry it out.their candidacies The whistleblower alsoerosion implicated contribute to the incumbent National Police Comof democratic principles missioner Edilberto Leonardo in the planning the murder. in the ofcountry. Barayuga was a retired police general lawyer who supposedly In aand radio interview on Sunday, threatened to exposePabillo, corruption withBishop Broderick chairman inoftheCBCP’s PCSO Commission shortly beforeonhe Laity, was shot in Mandaluyong City.dynassaiddead the power to end political Garma, herself ex-police ties once and for allanis in the handsLt.of Colonel, the votingallegedly public. gained the top spot “What at the we PCSO of her can because do as voters is toinbe Next page discerning. When we know that the candidates are relatives, son, daughter, spouse of the incumbent, let us not vote for them,” the prelate said over Radio Veritas. The bishop’s views were echoed by Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Erwin Garcia himself, who recently admitted that he opposes the rule of a handful of clans. “Personally, I’ll say it upfront, that I am against political dynasties,” Garcia said in a mixture of Filipino and English during a recent media forum. However, the Comelec chairman pointed out that while the prohibition on political dynasties is stated in the 1987 constitution, there needs to be legislation from Congress before it can be implemented. Still, Pabillo argued that political dynasties, which dominate both local and national level politics, weaken

DOTr’s Bautista says online news report‘unfounded'

Next page BAUTISTA

By Darwin Amojelar

PAGASA

Gov’t readies P1.48b aid as 'Julian' strengthens THE government has readied P1.48 billion worth of aid for communities that may be hit hard by typhoon ‘Julian’ which PAGASA says could turn into a supertyphoon. As of 5:00 PM on Sunday, PAGASA raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3 over Batanes and the northeastern portion of Babuyan Islands. “’Julian’ is forecast to continue intensifying over the next 24-36 hours as it moves towards Batanes and/or Babuyan Islands. With the current trend in its intensification, NEWS the possibility of / A4 reaching super typhoon category is not ruled out,” PAGASA said in its advisory. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that a total of 1.9 million family food packs worth P1.48 billion, other food items worth NEWSP276 / A3 million, and non-food items (NFIs) worth P919 million were already prepared by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Some P171 million in standby fund is also available for utilization by the DSWD, including P123 million which can be allotted as Quick Response Fund (QRF) in the central office of the DSWD. In Batanes, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) advised residents to secure their roofs and install window shutters as Typhoon Julian is expected to make landfall

SPACEX DONATES STARLINK DEVICES TO COAST GUARD

37 PERCENT FEEL LIVES ARE BETTER — SWS SURVEY

A WEB OF CRIME? leaders AurelioToyota Gonzales and David presented this matrix during the last QUAD A hearing REVVED UP House WORKHORSE. presented the Suarez next-generation Comm which shows the operations of a criminal allegedly ledAraneta by fugitive Michael Yang, then economic Tamaraw workhorse to President Ferdinand Marcos,syndicate Jr. and First Lady Liza adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte, that controlled the illegal activities of theto POGOs and was involved in the drug Marcos at the Palace last Friday. Toyota donated Tamaraw ambulances, top photo, tradesupport and extrajudicial killings. the First Lady’s 'Lab for All' project which brings essential healthcare services closer to underserved communities, especially in geographically isolated areas. Middle photo shows the fabled Tamaraw while bottom photo shows the First Lady taking the hydrogen-powered Toyota Corolla Cross H2 Concept car for a spin at the Palace grounds. Revoli Cortez

Yang's lawyer mocks probers amid heated inquiry PBBM hails P5.5b investment for producing new Toyota ‘Tamaraws’ THE legal counsel of Chinese businessman Tony Yang sought to disparage lawmakers’ conclusions about his client’s supposedly sketchy past and his alleged ties with Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGOs) and even By Vince Lopez organized crime. Lawyer Raymond PRESIDENT Marcos on Fortun Friday questioned the Quad welcomed Toyota House Motor PhilipCommittee’s impartiality and for its pines’ P5.5 billion investment ability to pin Chinese national Yang the mass production of next-generdown ay wrongdoing in ainreal ationfor Toyota Tamaraw vans the criminal court. country. “I"This am very howstronthey willinterested bring moreinjobs, [Quad Comm members] can prove ger support for our small businesses this criminal network in court. In Congress, lawmakers act as both prosecutor and judge,” he said. Yang, who already admitted having a fake Philippine birth certificate, is the brother of Michael Yang, a presidential economic

adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Fortun, a lawyer who often finds himself at the center high-profile cases, apparently sought to mock congressmen, calling their probe “unacceptable.” and a dependable partner on However, Housecommutmembers argued the road for daily they come by their suspicions ers,"did Mr.not Marcos said. about Yang recklessly. According to the On Friday,the Senior Deputy Speaker President, JapaAurelio Gonzales giant, Jr. of Pampanga nese automotive and Deputy David Suarez of through itsSpeaker local subQuezon a matrix sidiary, presented donated ambu- showing Yang’s appearance lances infirst support of First and his subsequent activitiesNext atpage the Quad Comm hearing. “We saw a pattern, and we tracked it to the top of these corporations... we stripped it of its layers , to get to the top and through it all, we have discovered and identified at least two main actors or players in the issue against Vice President Sara Duterte should she fail to account for the P112.5 million in confidential funds, which were encashed as cash advances by one of her close aides when she was then the Department

of illegal drugs and illegal activities associated with POGOs,” Suarez said in a mixture of Filipino and English. The solons explained how the matrix details Yang’s connections to other individuals involved in illicit activities, including the operations of illegal POGOs. Among the companies implicated are Brickhartz Technology Inc. and Xionwei Technology Co. Ltd., which are being linked to alleged kidnapping. The two firms supposedly have connections with the Baofu Compound in Bamban, Tarlac, which, in turn, can be directly traced to disgraced ex-mayor Alice Guo. During Friday’s Quad Comm hearing, lawmakers cited Tony Yang in contempt for “lying” to about his businesses and business partners.

THE Philippine government on Sunday publicly called for the United Nations (UN) to give it a seat on the UN Security Council, highlighting the country’s strong record and dedication to upholding the rule of law. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo in a speech delivered at the UN General Assembly in New York said the Philippines continues to emphasize the “importance of upholding the rule of law and the integrity of the multilateral system in the face of today’s global challenges.” Quoted by reports, Manalo also said: “The Philippines has consistently pursued peace, the sovereign equality of states, the rights and dignity of all persons.” He added that the country is also recognized as the “first Asian Re-

Plunder raps seen over VP Sara’s confi funds

By Rio N. Araja

Navy spokes debunks China claim of military exercises in Scarborough shoal THE House of Representatives Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability may consider recommending a plunder case

By Rex Espiritu

THE Philippine Navy debunked on Sunday the recent announceTRANSPORTATION Secretary Jaime ment by China that it conducted Bautista denied an online news report military exercises off Bajo de claiming that Malacañang was angry Masinloc, also known as Scarborwith the increase in airport fees without ough Shoal, in the West Philipthe approval of the Cabinet members. pine Sea (WPS). “The Bilyonaryo article is maliChina reportedly made the ancious and unfounded,” Bautista said nouncement coinciding with the in a Viber message, referring to the fourth Multilateral Maritime Cowebsite that published the said story. operative Activity between the “Bilyonaryo is inconsistent,” he added. Philippines, Australia, Japan, Bilyonaryo reported online that New Zealand, and the United “Bautista and his long-time protege in States within Manila’s exclusive Philippine Airlines, Undersecretary for COUNTRY MOVER. National Grid Corp. of the Philippines economic zone (NGCP) (EEZ) President in the and reAviation and Airports Bobby Lim, are CEO Anthony L. Almeda, third from left, receivesgional the Country Movers Award from Special waters over the weekend. atAssistant the center of the storm after it was to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Secretary Frederick D. Go, Philippine Navy Spokesperson 2nd from left, who was joined by officials of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and for WPS Rear Admiral Roy VinNext page Industry (PCCI) at the ceremonies.

of Education (DepEd) secretary. Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. made the statement as he continued to demand for an answer on the questionable disbursement. The House

growth.

Army, police nab two more top Red officials

By Rex Espiritu

NGCP bags PCCI’s Country Movers Award for advancing PH’s infra growth

cent Trinidad told reporters that Manila troops did not monitor any such activity, adding that Beijing’s statement was meant only for its internal audience. “Our troops did not observe any we have underTHEexercise, National Grid Corp.to of the Philstand that sometimes, China ippines (NGCP) was awarded is the doing thisMovers for their internal audi“Country Award” by the Philence, Forofthem not to and look ippineright? Chamber Commerce Inweak and embarrassed,” Trinidad dustry (PCCI). said.The PCCI, the largest business Two Chinese were organization in thewarships Philippines, said monitored at a distance ranging the Country Movers Award is given from eight to 14 miles. to corporations thatnautical have undertaken One of these went up to 1,000 projects of national significance and yards at the MMCA site butcreation, evencontinue to contribute to job tually away. “It not povertywent alleviation, andwas building threatening, just normal,” accordsustainable, resilient, and inclusive

PH lobbies UN for Security Council seat

PHILIPPINE army troops backed by police arrested yesterday two highranking officials of the New People’s Army (NPA) in joint operations held in the cities of Valenzuela and Makati. Second Infantry Division spokes“We are grateful for the recogniperson Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrex tion from a prestigious institution like Molina identified the alleged rebel PCCI. This recognition is a testament leaders as Gavino Panganiban and to the hard work and dedication of Maritess David. our entire team, and a reflection of the Their arrests came four days after company’s commitment to AWARD.ongoing Hans Sy, Chairman of the Executive Committee of SM Prime Holdings, law enforcement authorities nabbed was honored thepivotal Philippine with its Outstanding excellence andbyits roleRetailers in na- Association acting(PRA) Communist Party of the PhilFilipino Retailers President Award for his visionary leadership development. tional development,” the NGCP said. ippines (CPP)in retail chairperson Wigberto (From left to right): PRA Director and Director ofVillarico SM RetailinJorge T. Mendiola, As the country’s power transmisQuezon City. PRA Viceservice President and President of Golden, ABC, Inc. (The Penshoppe Group) sion provider, NGCPand is COO at the Panganiban was captured by virAlice T. Liu, SM Prime Holdings Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans T. Sy, forefront of modernizing the Philippine tue of arrest warrants forRoberto Murder and PRA President and Chairman of Quorum International, Inc. (Toby’s Sports) power grid,and implementing infrastrucAttempted Int’l. Murder in Infanta S. Claudio, PRA Director and President of Sportshouse Leisure, Inc. andand Guture improvements to enhance gridAward reli- Marsmaca, proponent of PRA OFR President’s C. ChuaQuezon. Meanwhile, David ability and resilience. Next page Next page