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Marcos: Veloso coming home
Indonesia: Transfer process to PH may begin in December By Charles Dantes, Rachelle Tonelada, Vito Barcelo, Joel Zurbano, Ralph Rirao and Maricel Cruz
O
VERSEAS Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso, who was sentenced to death in Indonesia on drug charges, will be handed over to the Philippines following years of “long and difficult” negotiations, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Wednesday. Mary Jane Veloso
The Indonesian government said it is eyeing to initiate the transfer process of Veloso next month once the conditions set Next page
‘Extremely happy’: Family hopeful after 14-year plight By Rachelle Tonelada CELIA Veloso waited 14 years to hear the words that her daughter, overseas FiliFili pino worker Mary Jane Veloso, will finally be brought back to the Philippines. It has been a roller coaster ride since Veloso was sensen tenced to death by a Yogyakarta court after she was caught with 2.6 kilos of heroin in InIn
donesia in 2010, including a Hail Mary reprieve of her execution in 2015. “The whole family is extremely happy. Her children are ecstatecstat ic. They could not believe it,” Mrs. Veloso said in a video interview posted online by the Philippine Information Agency. “Suddenly, their mother could return home. ‘At last,’ her youngest and eldest children said, ‘we will finally have a parent that can take care of us.’ BeBe Next page
Celia Veloso
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 279 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2024
Austin confirms US Task Force Ayungin presence in Palawan By Rex Espiritu UNITED States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin finally confirmed that American soldiers are deployed in the Philippines under a unit called ‘Task Force Ayungin,’ embedded within the Philippine military’s Western Command (WESCOM).
SEA DRONES. Defense Secretary Gilberto
Teodoro, Jr. and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin take a look at the US-provided T-12 unmanned surface vessel in Puerto Princesa City, in Palawan. Austin said the Philippines is expected to receive more T-12 vessels from the US under the US$ 500m foreign military financing program. Inset shows where US troops are stationed in EDCA sites in Balabac island and Puerto Princesa City in Palawan. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
Although the specific roles of the U.S. troops remain classified, their presence is linked to security operations in disputed parts of the West Philippine Sea (WPS). This is the first time since the two American military bases shut down in Next page
PBBM reaffirms support House panel moves to cite in contempt VP’s chief of staff for Ukraine’s sovereignty By Maricel V. Cruz
although I am undersecretary and the chief of staff, I am purely handling ZULEIKA Lopez, Vice President operational concerns. There are areas, Sara Duterte’s chief of staff, attended for example, that I am not privy to, one Wednesday’s congressional hearing of which is the matter of confidential but offered no clarity, insisting she does expenses,” she explained to 1-Rider party-list Reprenot know how the sentative Rodge Office of the Vice Bill nixing fake foreign Gutierrez. President (OVP) “Although I birth certificates filed spends its confiwould wish to dential funds. NEWS / A3 answer really, reLopez, who just spectfully as rereturned to the gards the matter country from a of confidential expenses, it is somepersonal trip to the United States, told the House Committee on Good Gov- thing that I have not really been privy ernment and Public Accountability, to from the very beginning,” she told that her job is only to oversee the insti- the panel. As this developed, Manila Rep. Joel tutionalization and implementation of Chua, the panel’s chair, said that only the all socioeconomic projects. “In the Office of the Vice President, Next page
By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reaffirmed the Philippines’ support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence as the war reached its 1,000th day on Wednesday. In a statement on social media, President Marcos highlighted the country’s enduring commitment to Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia, emphasizing the nation’s hopes for “comprehensive, just and lasting peace.” “Yesterday marked the 1,000th day since the war in Ukraine began,” Mr. Marcos wrote on X. “In my meeting with President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy on June 3, I reiterated the Philippines’ unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.” Mr. Marcos described Ukraine as a “valued partner” and noted that relations between the two nations continue to grow stronger. Next page
NO PNP GENERAL TO BE FIRED UNDER NEW DILG POLICY NEWS / A3
PBBM SEES NO OBJECTIONS TO JAPAN RAA NEWS / A2
OVP chief of staff Zuleika Lopez
Weak La Niña seen but two more cyclones forecast in December By Rex Espiritu and Maricel Cruz Geophysical and Astronomical SerTHE state weather bureau said yesterday there is a high chance – or a 74-percent probability – that a weak La Niña would develop between now and January and that the country could experience one to two tropical cyclones in December. “La Niña alert persists, with La Niña-like conditions currently prevailing in the tropical Pacific,” an official of the Philippine Atmospheric,
vices Administration (PAGASA) said in a forum. Climate monitoring and prediction section chief Ana Solis said the weak La Niña is forecast to persist until the first quarter of 2025, while a fullblown La Niña is unlikely at this point, Solis also said some areas in the country would experience near to above normal rainfall in December, mostly in the eastern section of the country. Next page
TALE OF SORROW. Super typhoon ‘Pepito’ may have dissipated into nothingness but the scars it left are far from healing. In Barangay Centro in Enrile, Cagayan, a relief worker hands over a gallon of water to a resident in thigh-high flood water. Philippine Red Cross