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(Story on A4) FIVE LOCAL EXPANDED E-VOUCHER FOOD PROGRAM TO BENEFIT 750K POOR FAMILIES HOLIDAYS IN OCT. By Darwin G. Amojelar NEWS / A3
MORE poor Filipino families will now benefit from the government’s evoucher food stamp program after the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board approved its expansion. The three-year Reducing Food InWORLD / A6 security and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers (REFUEL) Project worth P74.6 billion will cover some 750,000 food-insecure households,
ISRAEL CONTINUES TO POUND HEZBOLLAH
ENSURE ROAD SAFETY—PBBM
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 227• 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 •MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 •
PNP resurrecting probe First Couple joins world into PCSO official's slay leaders for Pope’s funeral Next page
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 69 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 •FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025 •
Speaker grateful for PMA Class '83 vote of confidence in Quad Comm
CBCP head, 2 other Filipino cardinals to join conclave By Rio N. Araja
T P
HE Philippine By Charles Dantes
LAST LOOK. Visitors walk inside St. Peter's Basilica to pay their respects as Pope Francis' body, top photo, lies in state in The Vatican. The Vatican said that as of April 24, 2025, nearly 60,000 people had so far paid their respects to Pope Francis, whose body is lying in state at St. Peter's Basilica for three days before his funeral. Inset at left shows flags at half mast at the Rizal monument in Luneta national park as the nation mourns the Pope’s passing. AFP/ Norman Cruz
National Police (PNP) is reopening RESIDENT Ferdinand its investigation intoMarcos Jr. and “Bongbong” the 2020 murder First Lady of Liza AranetaPhilippine Marcos leftCharity for the Vatican Thursday Sweepstakes Office evening to attend the funeral of Pope (PCSO) board secretary Francis on Saturday. Wesley Barayuga. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Justice Secre-
taryOnJesus CrispinPNP Remulla, Agrarian Reform SecSunday, ChiefandPolice retary Conrado Estrella III will serve as caretakers while General Rommel Francisco Marthe President is away. bil said he ordered the reopening of and whistleblower the First Lady will convey the the "The coldPresident case after thoughts and prayers of the Filipino people, who fondly Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza told recall Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines in 2015, his the House Quad Committee that he compassion, and his life of humility and service to the helped carry out the killing at the world," the Presidential Communications Office said in behest of ex-PCSO general manager a statement. Royina Garma. Mr. Marcosnarrated will joinbefore world leaders, Mendoza con- including US President Donald Trump, French Emmanuel gressmen how Garma allegedly President faMacron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and cilitated the PCSO official’s roadside Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in paying their last reassassination on July 30, 2020 by spects to the 88-year-old late pontiff. Next page 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 inNext page
DOTr’s Bautista says online news report‘unfounded'
A RANKING national security official said yesterday that Chinese proxies in the country are conducting operations to influence the outcome of next month’s midterm elections.
BAUTISTA
ULTIMATE SUMMER SPORTS By Darwin Amojelar DESTINATION.
Get ready for non-stop Secretary Jaime TRANSPORTATION action as the spiritan online news report Bautista denied of sports takes claiming that over Malacañang was angry through SM Active with the the increase in airport fees without Hub at SM City Bataan. the approval of the Cabinet members. With a variety of sports “The and Bilyonaryo activities goodies article is malicious and unfounded,” Bautista said to choose from, SM in a Viberismessage, Supermalls turning referring to the website thatSopublished up the heat. lace up the said story. “Bilyonaryo inconsistent,” he added. your sneakers,isgather your squad, and dive Bilyonaryo reported online that into a summer “Bautista and filled his long-time protege in with play, laughter, Philippine Airlines, Undersecretary for and endless Aviation andfun. Airports Bobby Lim, are at the center of the storm after it was Next page
MOON INDICTED OF CORRUPTION PAGASA WORLD / A6
Gov’t readies YOLANDA P1.48b aid VICTIMS as REMEMBER POPE 'Julian' strengthens NEWS / A3 THE government has readied P1.48 billion worth of aid for communities that may be hit hard by typhoon ‘Julian’ which PAGASA says could turn into a supertyphoon. As of 5:00 PM on Sunday, PAGASA raised Tropical Cyclone 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 By Charles Dantes, and/or Babuyan Islands. With the Othel V. Campos and current trend in its intensification, theMaricel possibility of reaching super V. Cruz typhoon category is not ruled out,” PAGASA said in its advisory. MALACAÑANG and its allies Meanwhile, the Disasin Congress are notNational taking lightly ter attempts Risk Reduction and Manageto cast aspersions on the ment Council sincerity and(NDRRMC) timing of thesaid Mar-that a total of 1.9 million family food cos administration’s P20-perpacks worth P1.48which billion, kilo rice program, will other be food itemsacross worthWestern, P276 million, piloted Central,and non-food items (NFIs) worth and Eastern Visayas next week.P919 million were already prepared In a press briefing yesterday, by thePresidential Department of Social Welfare Communications andOffice Development (DSWD). (PCO) Undersecretary Some P171 million Next in standby page 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
Palace: Attacks on cheap rice push ‘crab mentality’
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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.
Yang's lawyer mocks probers amid heated inquiry 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 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 members] can prove this criminal network in court. In Congress, lawmakers act as both “There are informaprosecutor andindications judge,” hethat said. tionYang, operations are being conducted or who already admitted that Chinese state-sponsored actors in having a fake Philippine birth the Philippines arebrother actuallyofinterfering certificate, is the Michael in the forthcoming elections,” NSC Yang, a presidential economic Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said at the Senate. This was his reply to Sen. Francis Tolentino’s question on whether for-
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.” 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 the Quad Comm hearing. “We saw a pattern, and we tracked in thecorporations... 2025 elections iteign to interference the top of these is happening. we stripped it of its layers , to get to are very alarmed this the "We top and through it all, about we have situation, asand Sen.identified Tolentinoatrevealed in discovered least two his exposé, farms are main actors troll or players in producing the issue more than just pro-China narratives. There's also a clear intention to interfere in Philippine politics," Malaya
By Rex Espiritu
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 By Jessica Bacud doing this forM. their internal audience, right?Barcelo For them not to look and Vito weak and embarrassed,” Trinidad said. MAYOR Joel Ruma of Rizal, CagayChinese warships were an Two was shot dead during a campaign monitored at a distance rally in his hometown, police ranging reported from eight to 14 nautical miles. yesterday. One of was theseshot went to 1,000 Ruma whileup greeting supyards at the MMCA site but evenporters and posing for photos outside tually went hall away. “It was not the barangay at about 9:30 p.m. threatening, normal,” Wednesday in just Barangay IlluruaccordSur.
China influencing midterm polls outcome—NSC exec
By Rex Espiritu and Ram Superable
NEWS / A7
Navy spokes debunks China claim of military exercises in Scarborough shoal 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-
PH lobbies UN for Security Council seat
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.
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 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-
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Cagayan town mayor shot dead in rally
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TRACKING SHANDONG. The Philippine Navy released surveillance images of the PLA-Navy aircraft carrier CNS Shandong (17) operating within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off northern Luzon, where US and Philippine forces are currently conducting the Balikatan joint military exercises.
China aircraft carrier, 8 warships spotted near northern Luzon "This was one of the larger or more unusualofformations we have AWARD. Hans Sy, Chairman of the Executive Committee SM Prime Holdings, monitored," said Rear Admiral Roy was by theNavy Philippine Retailers (PRA) with its Outstanding THEhonored Philippine (PN) has Association Filipino Retailers President Award for his visionary leadership in retail Vincent Trinidad, Navydevelopment. Spokesperconfirmed the presence of a Chi(From left to right): Director and of SM JorgePhilippine T. Mendiola,Sea, PRAin forRetail the West nese carrier strikePRA group — led byDirectorson Vice and President and COO ABC, Inc.interview. (The Penshoppe Group) an ambush the President aircraft carrier Shandong — of Golden, Alice T. Liu, SM Prime Holdings Chairman of the Executive Hans tracked T. Sy, He addedCommittee that the Navy operating near Northern Luzon, PRA President and Chairman of Quorum International, Inc. (Toby’s Sports) Roberto the vessels as they approached the approximately 100Director nautical S. Claudio, and PRA andmiles President of Sportshouse Int’l. Leisure, Inc. and Next page northwest of Burgos, Ilocos Norte. proponent of PRA OFR President’s Award Mars C. Chua
By Rex Espiritu