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Taguba insists: Pulong, VP's hubby involved in P6.4b shabu smuggling
FIVE LOCAL HOLIDAYS IN OCT. NEWS / A3
By Maricel V. Cruz
ISRAEL CONTINUES TO POUND HEZBOLLAH
BUSINESSMAN Mark Taguba on Wednesday night reaffirmed his seven-year-old testimony implicating Davao City Rep. Paolo "Pulong" Duterte, Vice President VOL. XXXVIII • NO.•227• 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES29, • 2024 P20 •MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 • VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 287• 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES P20 •FRIDAY, NOVEMBER •
Sara Duterte's husband Manases Carpio, and other members of the so-called “Davao Group” in the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of shabu in 2017. Appearing before the House Quad Next page
WORLD / A6
PNP resurrecting probe DOJ: No terrorist tagging of VPPCSO Sara over ‘kill threat’ into official's slay But says her remarks may have already violated anti-terror law Speaker grateful for PMA Class '83 vote of confidence in Quad Comm
By Maricel Cruz and Vince Lopez By Rio N. Araja
T
HERE is no HE Philippine move yetPolice to National designate Vice (PNP) is reopening President Sara Duterte its investigation into as a terrorist even the 2020 murder ofas she was subpoenaed Philippine Charity by the National Office Bureau of Sweepstakes Investigation possible (PCSO) board for secretary violations of the AntiWesley Barayuga. Terrorism Act, an official On Sunday, PNP Chief Police of the Rommel Department of MarGeneral Francisco bil said he said. ordered the reopening of Justice
the cold case after whistleblower Police Lt.isCol. Mendoza told "She not Santie being designated as a the House Quad Committee thatJesse he terrorist," Justice Undersecretary helped the killing the Andrescarry said inout an interview withatdzBB. behest of ex-PCSO manager "There is no such general thing being done to Royina Garma. the Vice President now. She should not Mendoza narrated before conpreempt the government," he added. gressmen faAndreshow said Garma Duterte allegedly is being held cilitated the PCSO roadside accountable for theofficial’s threatening stateassassination on July 30, 2020 by ments she issued against President providing the necessary information Ferdinand Marcos, First Lady Liza about his schedule, about his Araneta-Marcos anddetails Speaker Martin vehicle and the funding necessary to Romualdez. carry"The it out. threat was not just in the mind The also implicated becausewhistleblower she already started to act on it... incumbent National Com-to She herself said that shePolice had spoken missioner in the someone, Edilberto identified Leonardo the targets—three planning of theclear murder. names—with instructions on what Barayuga was police to do,” Andres said. a retired Next page 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 atPRESIDENT the PCSO because of on her ThursinMarcos
‘No order, discussion to impeach Gov’t readiesVP Sara’ PAGASA
P1.48b aid as 'Julian' strengthens
THERE was no order from the House leadership to have Vice President Sara Duterte impeached, said the head of the panel investigating the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to OVP THE government has P1.48 and the Department ofreadied Education durbillion aid for communiing her worth tenure of as education secretary. ties "I that may be hit hard byabout typhoon don't know anything that. ‘Julian’ which PAGASA says could I have not received any communicaturn supertyphoon. tion into fromathe House leadership," said As ofRep. 5:00Joel PMChua. on Sunday, PAManila GASA raised Tropical Cyclone Next page 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, the possibility of 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 P276 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 expected to make landfall NOis STOPPING
CHRISTMAS.
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.
Next page First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos joins children in a groupie after lighting the Christmas tree yesterday at the Presidential mansion in Baguio City. Facebook page of Mrs. Marcos
PH lobbies UN for Security Council seat
Yang's lawyer mocks probers amid heated inquiry AFP restricts FB PBBM team works on funding priority projects amid political noise page access after Next page
day convened his economic team alongside the leaders of both Houses of Congress to discuss how the administration’s priority projects for next year will be funded. They were joined by Senate President Francis Escudero and
DOTr’s Bautista says online news report‘unfounded'
THE legal counsel of Chinese businessman Tony Yang sought to disparage lawmakers’ House Speaker Martinconclusions Romualdez about his client’s supposedly in threshing out crucial economic sketchy past andas his alleged ties matters even the administration withtries Philippine Overseas to navigate growing Gaming political Operators tensions. (POGOs) and even organized The crime. meeting, held in MalacaLawyer Fortun ñan Palace, Raymond sought to decide what questioned the House Quad key infrastructure, food security, Committee’s impartiality and its ability to pin Chinese national Yang down for ay wrongdoing in a real criminal court. “I am very interested in how they [Quad Comm members] can prove 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 often finds and business climatewho improvement himself at the center high-profile projects would be prioritized in the cases, apparently sought to mock 2025 national budget. congressmen, calling their After the meeting, Trade probe and “unacceptable.” Industry Sec. Ma. Cristina Roque However, House members said the executive branch isargued now they did not come by their suspicions “in sync” with Congressional leadabout recklessly. ers inYang achieving the government's On Friday, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. of Pampanga and Deputy Speaker David Suarez of Quezon presented a matrix showing Yang’s first appearance and his subsequent activities at 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
Navy spokes debunks China claim of military exercises in Scarborough shoal
of illegal drugs and illegal activities associated with POGOs,” Suarez said in a mixture ofgoals. Filipino and English. socioeconomic The solons explained how the She also expressed optimism matrix details Yang’s connections about new foreign investments, to other individuals illicit following the S&Pinvolved Global in Ratactivities, including operations of ing’s affirmation of thethe Philippines’ illegal POGOs. "BBB+" credit rating and outlook Among companies implicated upgrade fromthe "stable" to "positive." are Brickhartz Technology Next page 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.
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THE LAST YARD. Senate President Francis Escudero and House Speaker Martin Romualdez take time for a group photo yesterday with members of the Senate-House bicameral committee which began deliberations on the proposed 2025 national government budget at the Sheraton Ballroom Hotel in Pasay City. PRIB BAUTISTA
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 By Rex Espiritu a speech delivered at the UN General Assembly in NewofYork said the THE Armed Forces the Philippines Philippines continues emphasizesec(AFP) disabled the tocomments the of Facebook upholdingpage the to tion“importance of its official rule law and the integritypotentially of the curbof"suspicious activities" multilateral system in the face of tolinked to troll accounts. day’s“We global are challenges.” temporarily disabling feaQuoted by official reports,Facebook Manalo page also to tures on our said: hastheir consisdeny“The trolls Philippines a platform for suspitently peace, sovereign ciouspursued activities,” AFP the public affairs ofequality ofColonel states, the rightsTrinidad and dig-said fice chief Xerxes nity all persons.” in aofstatement on Thursday. He added that the is also “Troll farms are country a menace to sorecognized as choose the “first Reciety and we notAsian to empower inauthentic actors in their coordinated Next pageand attempt to spread disinformation malinformation,” he added. He apologized and asked for patience from legitimate followers who will be affected by the move.
attack by ‘trolls’
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Solon says AKAP is indigents’lifeline NEDA to submit
By Darwin Amojelar
TRANSPORTATION Secretary Jaime By Maricel V. Cruz Bautista denied an online news report HOUSEthat Deputy Majoritywas Leader Jaclaiming Malacañang angry nettethe Garin stressed the importance with increase in airport fees withoutof theapproval Ayuda saofKapos ang Kita Program the the Cabinet members. (AKAP) which provides one-time “The Bilyonaryo articlea is malicash assistance of P3,000 to P5,000 cious and unfounded,” Bautista saidto whose incomes inqualified a Viberbeneficiaries message, referring to the fall below povertythe threshold and website that the published said story. who are notiscovered by other “Bilyonaryo inconsistent,” he governadded. ment aid programs. Bilyonaryo reported online that Garin,and a representative of Iloilo's “Bautista his long-time protege in first district, said Undersecretary that the proposed Philippine Airlines, for ₱39 billion budget for AKAP would Aviation and Airports Bobby Lim, are benefit over 12 million lowatdirectly the center of the storm after it was income Filipinos struggling to make Next page ends meet.
By Rex Espiritu
THE Philippine Navy debunked on "AKAP Sunday isthevery recent announcehelpful for lowment by China that it income workers. Under conducted the AKAP, military exercises off who Bajo de we are able to help those are also Masinloc, also known as Scarborhelping themselves," Garin stated. ough Shoal, thestatement West PhilipGarin madein the as the pine Sea (WPS). bicameral conference committee beChina reportedly made theonangan Thursday its deliberations the nouncement coinciding proposed P6.352 national with budgetthe for fourth 2025. Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity thea Garin said AKAPbetween serves as Philippines, Australia, who Japan, safety net for individuals often New Zealand, and the United fall through the cracks of traditional States Manila’s exclusive social within protection programs, includeconomic zone (EEZ) in the ing near-poor individuals who arerenot gional weekend. coveredwaters by theover 4Ps the (Pantawid PamiPhilippine Spokesperson lyang Pilipino Navy Program). for WPS Rear Admiral Roy VinNext page
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 audiTHE National Economic Developence, right? For them not to look ment Authority (NEDA) will subweak and embarrassed,” Trinidad mit its review of the reduced rice said. import tariffs to President FerdiTwo Chinese warships were nand Marcos Jr. monitored at a distance ranging Earlier, the government anfrom eight to 14 nautical miles. nounced reduced tariffs on rice to One of these went up to 1,000 15% from 35%. yards at the MMCA site but evenThe NEDA said it is mandated to tually went away. “It was not review the tariff rate every four months threatening, just normal,” accordand to submit its findings and recomNext mendations. Nextpage page
report on reduced rice tariff impact
AWARD. Hans Sy, Chairman of the Executive Committee of SM Prime Holdings, was honored by the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) with its Outstanding Filipino Retailers President Award for his visionary leadership in retail development. (From left to right): PRA Director and Director of SM Retail Jorge T. Mendiola, PRA ViceRECANTATION. President and PresidentConvicted and COO of Golden, ABC, Inc. (The Penshoppe Group) NO prisoner Mark Taguba, left, reaffirms his drugAlice T.accusations Liu, SM Prime Holdings of the Executive Committee Hansduring T. Sy, dealing against Rep.Chairman Paolo Duterte and lawyer Manases Carpio PRA President and Chairman of Quorum Inc. (Toby’s Sports) the Quad Committee hearing yesterday at International, the House of Representatives. To Roberto his right Claudio, and PRA Director and President of Sportshouse Int’l. Leisure, Inc. andand is S. former Customs intelligence office Mr. Jimmy Guban who claims that Duterte proponent of PRA OFR President’s Award Mars C. of Chua Carpio were involved in the attempted smuggling P6-B worth of shabu at the Manila port in 2018. Ver Noveno