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FIVE LOCAL HOLIDAYS IN OCT.
PH WORRIES OVER CHINA FIRING FLARES
NEWS / A3
NEWS / A2
ISRAEL CONTINUES POPE FRANCIS TO POUND HEZBOLLAH IN HOSPITAL
GALEDO WIN ASIAN CYCLING GOLD
FOR WORLD BRONCHITIS / A6
VOL.VOL. XXXVIII • •NO. SECTIONS16 16PAGES PAGES••P20 P20•SATURDAY, •MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30,2025 2024• • XXXIX NO.227• 4 • 33SECTIONS FEBRUARY 15,
NEWS / A2
PNP resurrecting probe MIRACLE WIN! into official's slay PH curlersPCSO bag 1st Asian Winter Games gold medal By Riera Mallari
Speaker grateful for PMA HE Philippines on Friday bagged aClass historic'83 vote of confidence in Quad Comm
T T
and unlikely gold medal by stunning South Korea By Rio N. Araja5-3 in men's curling at the Asian Winter Games in China's Harbin. HE Philippine The team and about Police two dozen supthe victorious team also composed National porters erupted in cheers after winning of Marc Pfister and brother Enrico, (PNP) is reopening the tropical country's first medal in the Christian Haller and Benjo Delarits investigation into 39-year history of the Games. mente. "We wanted to go for a medal, but "It feels so surreal, so unbelievable, the 2020 murder of the gold medal, this is overwhelmdoesn't it?" Philippine Next page ing," said AlanCharity Frei, a member of 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 in-
joy during yesterday’s awards ceremony of the Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, in northeast China's Heilongjiang province. Inset shows the Christian Haller (left) and Enrico Pfister of the Philippines competing in the men’s gold medal game. AFP
Yang's lawyer mocks probers amid heated inquiry adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Fortun, a lawyer who often finds himself at the center high-profile cases, apparently sought to mock congressmen, calling their probe “unacceptable.” fresh from successful campaign sorHowever, House members argued ties in Luzon and Visayas. they did not come by their suspicions Mindanao is considered as the about Yang recklessly. page On Friday, Senior DeputyNext 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
Alyansa bets kick off campaign in 'Duterte turf' Next page
DOTr’ s Bautista By Charles Dantes and Maricel V. Cruz says online news report‘unfounded'
THE administration-backed senato-
BAUTISTA
PBBM reiterates commitment to provide jobs, food
THE Philippine Navy debunked on Sunday the recent announceTRANSPORTATION Secretary Jaime ment by China that it conducted Bautista denied an online news report military exercises off Bajo de claiming that Malacañang was angry Masinloc, also known as Scarborwith the increase in airport fees without ough Shoal, in the West Philipthe approval of the Cabinet members. pine Sea (WPS). “The Bilyonaryo article is maliBy Charles Dantes China reportedly made the ancious and unfounded,” Bautista said nouncement in a Viber message, referring to the Marcos Jr. lauded coinciding with the PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Multilateral Maritime Cowebsite that published the said Chief Presidential Legal Counsel story. Juan Poncefourth Enrile as the “Bilyonaryo is inconsistent,” he added. latter celebrated his 101st birthday, calling himoperative a "statesman,Activity between the Bilyonaryo reported online legal luminary, and exemplary publicthat servant." Philippines, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United “Bautista and his long-time protege in accounts In a statement on his social media yesterday, States Philippine Airlines, Undersecretary for the President highlighted Enrile’s contributions towithin the Manila’s exclusive zone (EEZ) in the reAviation Airports Bobby country, and saying he has not Lim, only are witnessedeconomic history but gional waters over the weekend. at the center of it. the storm after it was actively shaped "In that time, he has amassed a wealth ofPhilippine wisdom Navy Spokesperson EDSA in 1986 for Next WPSpage Rear At Admiral Roy VinNext page
Marcos lauds Enrile's legacy
of illegal drugs and illegal activities associated with POGOs,” Suarez said in a mixture of Filipino and English. The solons explained how the matrix details Yang’s connections to other individuals involved in illicit activities, including the operations of 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, 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.
By Charles Dantes
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. reiterated the government's commitment to improving the lives of Filipinos through state subsidies, job creation, and ensuring access to affordable food. visit to Iloilo centSpeaking Trinidadduring told areporters that on Thursday, Mr. Marcos said the Manila troops did not monitor
Navy spokes debunks China claim of military exercises in Scarborough shoal
RAISING THEM YOUNG. Students of St. Scholastica's College, Manila participate in the One Billion Rising event, theBy largest global campaign to stop Rex Espiritu violence against women, girls, gender expansive people, and the Earth. ByNorman Darwin Amojelar Cruz
PCSO: Breach in Lotto winners' Gov’t readies data 'fake P1.48b aid asnews' PAGASA
'Julian' strengthens
THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) yesterday dismissed reports that a database containing the THE government hasofreadied P1.48 personal information lotto winners billion worthsaying of aid was hacked, thatfor thecommunifalsehood ties thatof may be hittohard by typhoon is part efforts “besmirch” the ‘Julian’ PAGASA says could agency’swhich reputation. turn“This into is a supertyphoon. fake news. There was no As ofnor 5:00 on Sunday, PAbreach anyPMsuccessful attempt GASA Tropical Cyclone to hack raised the systems of PCSO. We Wind Signal No. anything 3 over to Batanes have not reported DICT and the northeastern portion of Babecause nothing had happened,” buyan PCSO Islands. General Manager Mel Robles “’Julian’ is forecast to continue said in a statement. intensifying over data the next The supposed breach24-36 first hours as iton moves circulated socialtowards media Batanes but was and/or Babuyan Islands. With the later picked up by news organizations. current trend in its Facebook intensification, A Wednesday post the of reaching of apossibility supposed group calling super itself typhoon category is not ruled out,” “Philippines Exodus Security,” PAGASA said in its advisory. claimed that lotto winners’ profiles Meanwhile, the National DisasfromRisk 2016Reduction to 2025 hadand beenManageter
ment Council (NDRRMC) Next said page 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 cenBy Joel E. Zurbano tral office of the DSWD. In Bureau Batanes,of the Provincial DiTHE Customs yesterday saster Risk Reduction Manageannounced that it hasandtaken into ment (PDRRMO) advised custodyOffice P1.4 billion worth of imported residents to secure their roofs and luxury vehicles, including cars made install window shutters as Typhoon by Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maybach, Julian is expected makediscovered landfall and Maserati, whichtowere in separate warehouses in Pasay and Next page Parañaque cities. Customs Commissioner Bien Rubio identified the sellers as AC Che Gong Miao in Pasay City, and TopCar Specialist and Trading Corp. in Parañaque City. “This seizure reflects a significant shift in the operational strategies of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), indicating a more aggressive and proactive THE Philippine government on It approach in our enforcement efforts. Sunday calledtofor Unitserves publicly as a warning allthe importers ed Nations (UN) to give it a seat Next on page 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 a speech delivered at the UN General Assembly in New York said the Philippines continues to emphasize the “importance of upholding the rule of law and the integrity of the multilateral system in the face of today’s global challenges.” Quoted by reports, Manalo also said: “The Philippines has consistently pursued peace, the sovereign equality of states, the rights and dignity of all persons.” He added that the country is also recognized as the “first Asian Re-
BOC seizes P1.4-b in luxury cars; importers probed
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 activitiesGOLDEN of the POGOsFIRST. and wasProud involved in the drug members trade and extrajudicial killings. of the Philippine curling team react with
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 rial slate ‘‘Alyansa Para sa Bagong organized crime. Pilipinas’’ to hold its proclamaLawyer is setRaymond Fortun tion rally at Carmen MunicipalQuad Park questioned the House and Plaza in Davao del Norte today, 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
SPORTS / A8
NextBeipage any such activity, adding that jing’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,” accordIn Malacañang in 2025 Next page
Next page
PH lobbies UN for Security Council seat
Next page
IMPOUNDED. A
Ferrari, top, and Maserati, bottom, are among the luxury cars seized by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in a raid on warehouses in Pasay and Parañaque suspected of storing and illegally selling imported cars. Norman Cruz
Fuel prices to go as high as P0.75 per liter By Alena Mae S. Flores
diesel by P0.30 to P0.60 per liter and
by P0.15 to P0.30 per liter. AWARD. Hans Sy, Chairman of the Executivekerosene Committee of SM Prime Holdings,
THE Department Energy Retailers (DOE) Association was honored by theof Philippine (PRA) with Outstanding Romero saiditsthe oil gains for this Filipino pump Retailersprices President Award his visionary leadership in retail development. expects to go up for next week in the international oil market is (From right): Director anddue Director of SM Retail T. Mendiola, PRA East week byleft asto much asPRA P0.75 per liter driven “by Jorge the increasing Middle and President COO of Golden, ABC, Inc. toVice the President worsening Middle Eastand tensions tensions and(The the Penshoppe intensifyingGroup) sanctions Alice Liu, SM Prime Holdings Chairman of theofExecutive Committee Hans T. Sy, and UST. sanctions. US to Iran and Russia.” PRA President andRodela Chairman of Quorum Inc. (Toby’s Sports) Roberto DOE director Romero said International, She said the final price adjustments S. Claudio, and PRA Director and President of Sportshouse Int’l. Leisure, Inc. and the price of gasoline is projected to be determined after the last proponent of PRA OFR President’s Award Marswill C. Chua increase by P0.45 to P0.75 per liter, Next page