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FIVE LOCAL HOLIDAYS IN OCT. NEWS / A3
ISRAEL CONTINUES SEN. SANTANINA TOTILLAH POUND HEZBOLLAH RASUL, 94 NEWS / A6 A2 WORLD
VOL. SEPTEMBER VOL.XXXVIII XXXVIII••NO. NO.227• 288•33SECTIONS SECTIONS16 16PAGES PAGES•• P20 P20 •MONDAY, •SATURDAY, NOVEMBER30, 30,2024 2024••
PNP resurrecting probe Marcos: Impeachment vs. VP a waste of time into PCSO official's slay
Leaves door open to possible reconciliation with Duterte Speaker grateful for PMA Class '83 vote of confidence in Quad Comm
By Vince Lopez, Maricel Cruz and By Rio N. Araja Joel Zurbano
T P
HE Philippine RESIDENT National FerdinandPolice (PNP) is reopening “Bongbong” Marcos its into to Jr. investigation left the door open the 2020 murder of a possible reconciliation Philippine Charity Sara with Vice President Sweepstakes Duterte as heOffice confirmed (PCSO) secretary sending board a private message Wesley Barayuga. to lawmakers in the House of Representatives On Sunday, PNP Chief Police General Francisco MarurgingRommel them not to file an bil said he ordered the reopening of impeachment against the cold case aftercase whistleblower Police her. Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza told the House Quad Committee that he helped out interview the killingwith at the In acarry chance rebehest ex-PCSO manager portersofon Friday, general Mr. Marcos said Royina Garma. pursuing an impeachment proceedMendoza narrated coning is the least of hisbefore priorities as gressmen allegedlyconfathere are how other Garma more important cilitated the PCSO roadside cerns that warrantofficial’s the attention of assassination legislators. on July 30, 2020 by providing “What the willnecessary happen ifinformation somebody about detailsItabout files his an schedule, impeachment? will his tie vehicle andHouse, the funding to down the it willnecessary tie down the carry it out. Senate. It will just take up all our time The also implicated and forwhistleblower what? For nothing, for nothincumbent Police Com-a ing. None ofNational this will help improve missioner Edilberto single Filipino life,”Leonardo he said. in the planning of the murder. Next page 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 in-
China launches ‘combat readiness patrols’ in WPS Next page
NOTHING TO GAIN.
Yang's lawyer mocks probers amid heated inquiry
DOTr’ Bautista By RexsEspiritu says online news report‘unfounded' Let’s have a budget that puts Filipinos first—Speaker CHINA has begun conducting "combat readiness patrols" around Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea to defend its sovereignty, a Beijing official said on Thursday. The Chinese military's Southern Theater Command said these air and naval patrols are aimed at "enhancing vigilance" in the region. Scarborough Shoal, located 240 km from the Philippines and nearly 900 km from China, has been a site of frequent clashes between Philippine and Chinese vessels, leading to injuries and damages. Next page
NEWS / A2
VP no show at Gov’t NBI;readies vows ‘we P1.48b aidbreak’ as will not PAGASA
'JByulian' strengthens Pot Chavez and
THE government has readied P1.48 Maricel V. Cruz billion worth of aid for communities thatNational may be Bureau hit hard of by Investigatyphoon THE ‘Julian’ which PAGASA says could tion (NBI) tentatively rescheduled Vice turn into a Sara supertyphoon. President Duterte's appearance As ofthe5:00 PMofonthe Sunday, before Office DirectorPAon GASA raised December 11 afterTropical she failedCyclone to appear Wind Signal No. but 3 came over out Batanes on Friday morning with a and thestatement northeastern portion of Ba-to video expressing gratitude buyan Islands.helping her through onprofessionals “’Julian’ is forecast to continue going legal challenges. intensifying thethenext Earlier thisover week, NBI24-36 asked hours as it moves towards Batanes Duterte to explain her viral video and/or Babuyan the clip wherein sheIslands. claimedWith to have current in itstointensification, hired antrend assassin kill President the possibility of reaching super Marcos, First Lady Liza Aranetatyphoon category is not ruled out,” Marcos, and House Speaker Martin PAGASA said in its advisory. Romualdez. Meanwhile, the National In a press conference, NBIDisasDirecter Risk Reduction and tor Jaime Santiago said theyManagereceived ment Council a letter from (NDRRMC) an Office of said the that Vice aPresident total of (OVP) 1.9 million family food lawyer requesting packs worth P1.48 billion, other Next page food items worth P276 million, and non-food items (NFIs) worth P919 million were already prepared by NBI Director Jaime Santiago of Social Welfare the Department 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
PBBM tells troops to ignore ongoing PH lobbies UN ‘political noise’ Next page
APresident WEB OFFerdinand CRIME? House leaders Aurelio Gonzales and David Suarez presented this matrix during the last QUAD R. Marcos Jr. answers Comm hearing which shows the operations of a criminal syndicate allegedly led by fugitive Michael Yang, then economic questions from the media adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte, that controlled the illegal activities of the POGOs and was involved in the drug about his call for the trade and extrajudicial killings. House not to entertain impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte. He was in Lucena City to distribute agrarian reform certificates to beneficiaries yesterday. Inset shows the President THE legalthecounsel of Chinese adviser of former President Rodrigo of illegal drugs and illegal activities saluting colors during businessman Tony Yang Duterte. associated with POGOs,” Suarez said arrival ceremonies at the sought to disparage conclusions Fortun, a lawyer who often finds in a mixture of Filipino and English. Southernlawmakers’ Luzon Command (SOLCOM) about his headquarters client’s supposedly himself at the center high-profile The solons explained how the at Camp Guillermo sketchy past and hisNakar alleged ties cases, apparently sought to mock matrix details Yang’s connections to City, Quezon. within Lucena Philippine Overseas Gaming congressmen, calling their probe other individuals involved in illicit ABS-CBN Screengrab/ Operators (POGOs) SSg and even “unacceptable.” activities, including the operations of Ambay/PAOAFP 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. “I am very interested in how they [Quad Comm V. members] By Maricel Cruz can prove this criminal network in court. In Congress, act asG.both SPEAKERlawmakers Ferdinand Martin Roprosecutor andthe judge,” mualdez said Househeofsaid. RepresenYang,is committed who already admitted tatives to ensuring its having a fake"reflects Philippine birth budget version the priorities certificate, is the brother of Michael of the Filipino people." Yang, a allpresidential economic "We’re here because we’ve been trusted with a responsibility. Let’s live
VELOSO TO RETURN TO PH IN JANUARY
However, House members argued 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 presented a matrix showing Yang’s first appearance and his subsequent activities at honest, the Quad up to that trust. Let’s have proComm ductivehearing. discussions, and let’s find the “We sawground a pattern, common that and putswe thetracked people itfirst," to theRomualdez top of these saidcorporations... in his speech we stripped it ofmeeting its layers to bicamget to during the first of ,the the and through it all, we(bicam) have eraltopconference committee discovered and identified at least two tasked to reconcile the budget versions main in the issue of theactors Houseorofplayers Representatives and the Senate.
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, "We focused on what’s Tarlac, urgent: which, in turn, be directly traced keeping food can prices down, creating tojobs, disgraced ex-mayor Aliceaccessible, Guo. making healthcare During education, Friday’s Quad Comm improving and ensuring dihearing, lawmakers cited saster preparedness... We Tony owe itYang to evinery contempt Filipinofor who“lying” wakes to upabout every his day businesses and business partners. trying to make ends meet, hoping that their government has their back. Next Let’s page Next page
for Security Council seat PRESIDENT Marcos on Friday in-
By Vince Lopez
structed troops at the Southern Luzon THE Philippine government on Command (SOLCOM) to stay focused Sunday publicly called for the Unittheir mandate to give defend republic edonNations (UN) to it athe seat on andUN notSecurity to be distracted the ongoing the Council,byhighlightpolitical noise. strong record and ing the country’s “Don’t fooled bythewhat’s dedication tobeupholding rule ofgoing on. Let’s stay focused,” said the law. Commander-in-Chief duringAffairs his visit Department of Foreign to members of the ArmedManalo Forces of (DFA) Secretary Enrique inthe Philippines (AFP) in Camp Guillermo a speech delivered at the UN GenNakar in Lucena City, York Quezon. eral Assembly in New said the Mr. Marcos advised soldiers to Philippines continues to emphasize drown out the noise focus onthe their the “importance of and upholding duties amid political squabbles. rule of law and the integrity of the He madesystem this remark multilateral in thedays face after of to-former global President Rodrigo Duterte urged day’s challenges.” the military to “withdraw Quoted by reports, Manalosupport” also from the Marcos administration and insaid: “The Philippines has consistervene to “correct” what he described tently pursued peace, the sovereign as “fractured governance," a move equality of states, the rights and dig- interpreted as intending to destabilize the nity of all persons.” current leadership. He added that the country is also “What when there’s tooRemuch recognized Iasdothe “first Asian noise and commotion, I always think to NextIspage myself, what is my job really? it my Next page
Navy spokes debunks China claim of military exercises in Scarborough shoal PhilHealth approves first preventive
HONORING BONIFACIO. BAUTISTA
Workers from the Caloocan City Hall spruce up By Darwin Amojelar the monument of the Great Plebian, Secretary Jaime TRANSPORTATION Andres Bonifacio, Bautista denied an online news report in time for today's claiming that Malacañang was angry celebration of his with161st the increase in airport fees without birthday. This the approval of the Cabinet members. year’s Bonifacio Day “The themeBilyonaryo is: ‘Filipino article is maliciousUnity: and Foundation unfounded,” Bautista said a Freemessage, and in a for Viber referring to the Prosperous People.’ the said story. website that published Bonifacioislitinconsistent,” the “Bilyonaryo he added. revolutionaryreported flame Bilyonaryo online that that spread and “Bautista and his long-time protege in eventually ended Philippine Airlines, for Spanish colonial Undersecretary rule Aviation and Airports Bobby Lim, are in 1898. at theAndrew center Rabulan of the storm after it was Next page
By Rex Espiritu THE Philippine Navy debunked on Sunday the recent announcement by China that it conducted military exercises off Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). China reportedly made the announcement coinciding with the fourth Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity between the Philippines, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States within Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the regional waters over the weekend. Philippine Navy Spokesperson for WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vin-
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,” accordNext page
oral healthcare package—Herbosa
HEALTH Secretary Teodoro J. Herin a statement released yesterday by the bosa together with the Board of DirecDepartment of Health. tors of the Philippine Health Insurance The DOH said the next step will be Corporation (PhilHealth) approved the for PhilHealth to write and publish the country’s first preventive oral healthdetails in a Circular, which will then care benefit package which will be lead to the development or enhanceimplemented by the second quarter of ment of IT systems that will be used to 2025. capture data and facilitate payments. “Universal health care must have PhilHealth staff will also be training AWARD. Hansand Sy, Chairman theto Executive Committee SM Prime Holdings, oral health care, the best of way and orientingofstakeholders prior to rollwas honored by the Philippine (PRA) with its Outstanding make it sustainable and felt Retailers by all Association out and implementation of the package Filipino is Retailers President Award his visionary in retail development. Filipinos through primary care.for The nextleadership year. (Fromagreed left to right): Director and Director of SM Retail Jorgepackage T. Mendiola, PRA Board on aPRApreventive oral The benefit is designed to Vice President and President and COO of Golden, ABC, Inc. (The Penshoppe Group) health benefit to be delivered by denpay for annual routine preventive oral Alice T. Liu, SM Prime Holdings Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans T. Sy, tists working in PhilHealth Konsulta care services for every Filipino, such as PRA President and Chairman of Quorum International, Inc. (Toby’s Sports) Roberto package providers, also and by standmouth examination/oral screening, S. Claudio, and PRAand Director President of Sportshouse Int’l. Leisure, Inc. and denalone dentists based on referrals from tal prophylaxis or cleaning, and fluoride proponent of PRA OFR President’s Award Mars C. Chua the Konsulta providers,” Herbosa said varnish application. Next page