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TIKTOK RESTORES SERVICE IN US
SANDIGAN CONVICTS EX-QC MAYOR ‘BISTEK’
WORLD / A6
NEWS / A3
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 340 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025
Chinese nabbed for spying on PH S
Part of group collecting data on AFP camps, EDCA sites By Pot Chavez and Rex Espiritu
ECURITY officials said on Monday they had arrested a Chinese software engineer suspected of spying on Philippine military and police camps.
The Chinese national, identified as Deng Yuanqing, and his two Filipino drivers were arrested last week as part of counter-espionage operations that began last month, National Bureau of Investigation chief Jaime Santiago told a news conference. He alleged that Deng was affiliated with a Chinese university controlled by the People’s Liberation Army and was part of a team sent to “conduct espionage in our territory.” The Chinese embassy in Manila did not respond immediately to requests for
comment on the arrest and allegations. The NBI’s cybercrime chief Jeremy Lotoc said Deng had made frequent visits to “critical infrastructure, specifically military camps, local government offices, power plants, police camps, stations, even shopping malls.” “They were basically collecting data and they have this remote application which transmits outside the country in real time data that they collected in our country,” Lotoc said. Lotoc said it was “alarming” because Next page
Triumphant Trump vows new ‘golden age’ for US WASHINGTON—Donald Trump will be sworn in for a historic second term as US president Monday (early Tuesday dawn, Manila time), promising a new “golden age” for America as the world braces for a return of his unpredictable lead-
FOREIGN SPOOK. A National Bureau of
Investigation agent presents a suspected Chinese spy (middle, in denim polo) and two Filipino ‘cohorts’ during a press conference at the Department of Justice on Monday, January 20, 2025. Inset photo shows the vehicle and some of the equipment used by the three. Danny Pata and Norman Cruz
ership. Freezing weather has forced the 78-year-old’s inauguration at the US Capitol indoors, but the first hours of the most extraordinary comeback in American politics will be a blaze of activity. The Republican vowed to unleash a blitz of executive
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PBBM denies blank GAA items, says Rody ‘lying’ By Charles Dantes and Darwin Amojelar PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday called out his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, for “lying” and making false and baseless allegations of blank items in the 2025 budget. “He’s lying,” Mr. Marcos said in an interview. “He’s a former President. He
knows that you cannot pass a GAA (General Appropriations Act) with blank (items).” “In the entire history of the Philippines, it has never been allowed for an item in the GAA to lack details on the project, the expenses, or the funding,” he added. Duterte and Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab earlier raised concerns over alleged discrepancies in the bicameral conference committee report on the na-
tional budget. Duterte said the GAA was signed with multiple items left blank, likening it to giving the government a blank check that is “invalid and unenforceable.” Ungab pointed out missing budget allocations for items under the Department of Agriculture as well as unprogrammed appropriations. The 2025 GAA, signed into law last Next page
EV PUSH. Tesla Motor Philippines
president Isabel Fan shows the features of an EV car to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the launch of the Tesla Center Philippines in Taguig City on Monday, January 20, 2025. Revoli S. Cortez
TRIUMPHANT RETURN. Melania Trump watches her husband, US Presidentelect Donald Trump, speaks at a candlelight dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, on January 19, 2025 (Monday, Manila time), a day before his inauguration ceremony. AFP
Marcos vows to veto ‘woke’ sex education bill By Charles Dantes and Ram Superable PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. vowed to veto Senate Bill 1979 or the Comprehensive Sexuality Education Bill if it is passed in its current form, criticizing provisions he described as “woke absurdities” that undermine parental authority and tra-
Tesla urged to consider PH as manufacturing site By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. urged American automotive and clean energy company Tesla to expand its Philippine operations by establishing an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facility, as the e-vehicle brand opened its first domestic showroom. Speaking at the Tesla Center Philip-
pines’ launch in Taguig on Monday, the President highlighted the government’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and support the growth of the EV sector. “With plans to expand further, Tesla is building a generation of Filipinos equipped to lead in the global shift towards sustainable technologies such as this,” Mr. Marcos said. Next page
ditional values. “This is all this woke that they are trying to bring into our system,” he told reporters, expressing shock over sections of the bill he reviewed over the weekend. “You will teach four-year-olds how to masturbate? That every child has the right to try different sexualities? This is ridiculous, abhorrent, and a travesty of what sex education should be,” he said.
The President also voiced concern about the diminished role of parents under the proposed legislation. “What about the parents? Do they no longer have the right to decide what and when their child is taught,” he said in Filipino. As it stands, Mr. Marcos said he supports teaching children about anatomy, Next page
President backs proposal to adjust govt hours By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is supporting a proposal by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to adjust government office hours earlier in a bid to
ease traffic congestion ahead of this year’s planned EDSA rehabilitation. Speaking at the Tesla Center launch in Taguig City, President Marcos said the government is studying the feasibility of the plan and is open to implementing it if it proves
effective. “Well, we’re studying. If it works, we’ll do it,” the President said when asked about the MMDA’s recommendation for a 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. work schedule for government employees. Next page