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FIVE LOCAL HOLIDAYS IN OCT. NEWS / A3
ISRAEL CONTINUES TO POUND HEZBOLLAH
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 227• SECTIONS 16NOVEMBER PAGES • P20 •MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 • VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 260• 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P203•SATURDAY, 2, 2024 WORLD / A6 •
Millions pay tribute PNP resurrecting probe to departed loved slay ones into PCSO official's
PAYING RESPECTS. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visits and offers PAGASA flowers yesterday at the tomb of his father, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., at the Heroes' Cemetery. In his remarks at the ceremonies, the President described his father's good leadership qualities and his commitment to continue what he started for the development of the country. He was accompanied by former First Lady Imelda Marcos in the mass which was attended by several supporters of the former President who passed away on September 28, 1989 was THE government hasngreadied P1.48 buried at the Libingan mga Bayani on billion worth of aid November 18, 2016. PCOfor communi-
Gov’t readies P1.48b aid as 'Julian' strengthens
ties 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 By Charles Dantes and/or Babuyan Islands. With the current trend in its intensification, PRESIDENT Marcos on Friday visthe reaching super ited possibility the gravesiteof of his late father and typhoon category not ruled out,” namesake, formeris President FerdiPAGASA saidSr., in its advisory. nand Marcos at the “Libingan ng Meanwhile, the National DisasMga Bayani” [Heroes’ Cemetery] on ter and ManageAll Risk Saints'Reduction Day, a traditional holiday ment Council (NDRRMC) said thatas of remembrance known in Filipino a“Undas.” total of 1.9 million family food packs P1.48 billion, other Theworth chief executive was met at the Next and page food items worth P276 million, 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 NEWS / A3 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 NEWS /toA4make landfall Julian is expected
PBBM visits Dad’s Some wade through thick mud in 'Kristine'-hit cemeteries Speaker grateful for PMA Class '83 vote of confidence in Quad Comm grave; seeks prayers
EVOUT Filipinos clutching candles and flowers By Rio N.poured Araja into cemeteries on Friday to pay tribute to Philippine loved ones on All Saints' Day. HE
D T
Close to two million flocked to sprawling graveyards in Metro Manila, while others waded through floodwaters left by the Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” in neighboring areas to qui-
etly pray and celebrate the lives of departed relatives. Even inmates at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City had an Next page
National Police (PNP) is reopening its investigation into the 2020 murder of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga.
On Sunday, PNP Chief Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil said he ordered the reopening of the cold case after whistleblower Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza told the House Quad Committee that he helped carry out the killing at the behest of ex-PCSO general manager Royina Garma. Mendoza narrated before congressmen how Garma allegedly facilitated the PCSO official’s roadside assassination on July 30, 2020 by providing the necessary information about his schedule, details about his vehicle and the funding necessary to carry it out. The whistleblower also implicated incumbent National Police Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo in the planning of the murder. Barayuga was a retired police general and lawyer who supposedly threatened to expose corruption within the PCSO shortly before he was shot dead in Mandaluyong City. Garma, herself an ex-police Lt. Colonel, allegedly gained the top spot at the PCSO because of her inNext page
SPEAKER GRATEFUL FOR PEOPLE’S TRUST
MIRU SHIPPING OUT LAST MACHINES Next page
Quad Comm UN heads PH lobbies offer findings forEJK Security HONORING THE DEPARTED. to state prosecutors Council seat Yang's lawyer mocks probers amid heated inquiry A WEB OF CRIME? House leaders Aurelio Gonzales and David Suarez presented this matrix during the last QUAD Comm hearing which shows the operations of a criminal syndicate allegedly led by fugitive Michael Yang, then economic adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte, that controlled the illegal activities of the POGOs and was involved in the drug trade and extrajudicial killings.
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 organized crime. Lawyer Raymond Fortun questioned the House Quad Committee’s impartiality and its ability to pin Chinese national Yang down for ay wrongdoing in a real criminal court.Lopez By Vince “I am very interested in how they [Quad Comm members] can prove THE Department of the Interior and this criminal network in In Local Government (DILG) court. on Friday Congress, lawmakers act as both commended the Philippine National prosecutor and for judge,” he said. Police (PNP) recording a signifiYang, who already admitted having a fake Philippine birth certificate, is the brother of Michael Yang, a presidential economic
Millions of Filipinos visited their departed loved ones in cemeteries nationwide. Tens of thousands gathered in festive air, top photo, at the Manila North Cemetery. In adviser of former President Rodrigo General of Santos illegal City, drugs and illegal activities bottom left, armed Duterte. with POGOs,” Suarez Coast associated Guard personnel guard inside the said Fortun, a lawyer who often finds Antonio in aC mixture of Filipino and English. Acharon Memorial Park. At himself at the center high-profile bottom right, The residents solons explained how the light up wood cases, apparently sought to mock duringmatrix details Yang’s connections the traditional panagapoy at the to Anglican Cemetery in Sagada, congressmen, calling their probe Sagada other individuals involved in illicit Mountain province. Mannythe Palmero, SN2 of “unacceptable.” activities, including operations However, House members argued As Mintongpcg illegal POGOs.
DOTr’s Bautista says onlinehardest news DILG chief lauds PNP for country’s crime rate decline Batanes report hit by‘unfounded' typhoon ‘Leon’, says OCD By Rex Espiritu THE Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Cagayan Valley on Friday said Super Typhoon Leon inflicted the most severe damage on the island province of Batanes. "Fortunately, our kababayans here weren’t much affected. The mainland of Cagayan Valley has experienced fair BAUTISTA weather, but our fellow citizens in the island province of Batanes bore the brunt of the typhoon,” OCD Cagayan By Darwin Amojelar Valley Director Leon DG Rafael said. Director Rafael indicated that he TRANSPORTATION Secretary Jaime has coordinated with Batanes GovBautista denied an online news report ernor Marilou Cayco and provincial claiming that Malacañang was angry disaster officials to assess the extent with the increase in airport fees without of the destruction. “There has been the approval of the Cabinet members. damage to houses and various crops, “The Bilyonaryo article is malias well as landslides on major roads in cious and unfounded,” Bautista said Batanes,”he reported. in a Viber message, referring to the Meanwhile, Cagayan Valley is now website that published the said story. experiencing fair weather in time for “Bilyonaryo is inconsistent,” he added. the observance of All Saints’ and All Bilyonaryo reported online that Souls’ Days. “Minor flooding was re“Bautista and his long-time protege in ported in cemeteries, but the floods Philippine Airlines, Undersecretary for have subsided,” Rafael added, noting Aviation and Airports Bobby Lim, are an influx of residents visiting memorial at the center of the storm after it was parks to pay their respects to departed loved ones. Next page Next page
for ‘Kristine’ victims
they did not come by their suspicions about Yang recklessly. On Friday, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. of Pampanga and Deputy Speaker David Suarez of Quezon a matrix showing cant 62 presented percent decrease in crime rate Yang’s firstfirstappearance his during the two years of and President subsequent activities at the Quad Marcos’ administration. Comm In ahearing. statement, DILG Secretary “We saw a pattern, and his we tracked Jonvic Remulla said agency itonly to therecorded top of these corporations... a total of 83,059 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
Among the companies implicated are Brickhartz Technology Inc. and Xionwei Technology Co. Ltd., which are being linked to alleged kidnapping. The incidents two firms supposedly crime from July 1, 2022 have connections with much the Baofu to July 28, 2024, lower Compound in 217,830 Bamban, Tarlac, compared to crime inciwhich, turn, can be traced dents inregistered in directly the same petoriod disgraced ex-mayor Alice Guo. in 2016-2018. During Friday’s Quad Next Comm page hearing, lawmakers cited Tony Yang in contempt for “lying” to about his businesses and business partners.
US poll results will impact on PH — Imee
Navy spokes debunks China claim of military exercises in Scarborough shoal US President Joe Biden once said that "America is the beacon of the world." With the US presidential elections only four days away, Senate Foreign
Relations chair Imee Marcos warns that the Philippine should "prepare for the impact of the US elections on the Philippines and the world.
By Rex Espiritu
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 exercise, we have to understand that sometimes, China is doing this for their internal audience, right? For them not to look weak and embarrassed,” Trinidad said. Two Chinese warships were monitored at a distance ranging from eight to 14 nautical miles. One of these went up to 1,000 yards at the MMCA site but eventually went away. “It was not threatening, just normal,” accord-
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With nearly 4.5 million Filipino Americans living in the United States, including both U.S. citizens and Next page
THE Philippine government on By Maricel V. Cruz Sunday publicly called for the UnitedTWO Nations (UN) to give of it a the seatHouse on co-chairpersons the UN Committee Security Council, Quad urged highlightthe National ing the country’s strong record and its Prosecution Service (NPS) to take dedication to growing upholding theofrule of cue from the body evidence law. gathered by the mega panel and begin Department Foreign Affairs filing criminal of cases for extrajudicial (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo in killings (EJKs) that the Duterte admina istration speech delivered at the UN Genallegedly sanctioned. eral Manila Assembly in Bienvenido New York said the Jr. Rep. Abante Philippines emphasizesaid and Lagunacontinues Rep. DantoFernandez the upholding the the “importance Department ofofJustice (DOJ) should rule of law theComm’s integrityfindings of the to leverage theand Quad multilateral the face of to- of build strongsystem cases in against stalwarts day’s global challenges.” the previous administration who allegQuoted by reports, Manalo also edly orchestrated the summary execusaid: Philippines has consistions“The of drug suspects, among others. tently pursued peace,did the not sovereign They, however, mention equality of states, rightsought and digthe persons they the thought to be nity of all persons.” Next page He added that the country is also recognized as the “first Asian Re-
US swing state voters drown in election ads Next page
NEW YORK—Voters in a key part of swing state Pennsylvania have been THE Philippine Navy debunked subjected to a deluge of campaign ads on Sunday the recent announceahead of Tuesday's vote, with candiment by China that it conducted dates spending billions of dollars to military exercises off Bajo de boost their chances nationally. Masinloc, also known as ScarborAlongside roadside billboards, ough Shoal, in the West Philipnewspaper ads, and targeted online pine Sea (WPS). campaigns, TV ads remain vitally imChina reportedly made the anportant to candidate efforts to boost nouncement coinciding with the their profiles and attack their rivals. fourth Multilateral Maritime CoDuring the 8:00 pmHoldings, to 11:00 pm AWARD. Hans Sy, Chairman of the Executive Committee of SM Prime operative Activity between the was honored by the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) with primetime slot its onOutstanding the last Wednesday Philippines, Australia, Japan, Filipino Retailers President Award for his visionary leadership in retail before election day,development. viewers of the (From left to right): PRA Director and Director of SM Retail Jorge T. Mendiola, PRA New Zealand, and the United NBC affiliate serving Philadelphia and Vice President and President and COO of Golden, Inc. (The Penshoppe Group) were States within Manila’s exclusive keyABC, surrounding swing counties Alice T. Liu, SM Prime Holdings Chairman of theshown Executive Committee Hans T. Sy, economic zone (EEZ) in the re22 political ads. PRA President and Chairman of Quorum International, Inc. (Toby’s Sports) Roberto gional waters over the weekend. Of those, eight were explicitly proS. Claudio, and PRA Director and President of Sportshouse Int’l. Leisure, Inc. and Philippine Navy Spokesperson LAST ROUNDS. Vice President Kamala Harris, and former US President Donald Trump held rallies in election states as MarsHarris proponent of PRAbattleground OFR President’s Award C. Chuaor anti-Trump, six were antifor Rear Roy Vin-divided American electorate. AFP Next page Next page pollsWPS show an evenAdmiral contest and a much