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Solon sees more delays in Senate impeachment By Rio Araja
President Sara Duterte. He said the oathtaking of senators as judges in an impeachment court may ILOILO Rep. Lorenz Defensor, a House impeachment prosecutor, yes- be pushed back, following the postterday said he expects further delay ponement by Senate President Francis Next page in the impeachment process of Vice
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 107 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2025
PBBM puts off EDSA rehab Orders one-month review to make project less disruptive
• MMDA cancels odd-even scheme • PCCI, MBC welcome suspension By Vince Lopez, Ram Superable, Othel Campos and Rio N. Araja
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RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. yesterday ordered the suspension of the scheduled EDSA rehabilitation project, saying that government planners need more time to ensure its efficient execution to minimize public disruption. “We have identified new technologies that were not considered in the EDSA rehabilitation planning, so I instructed [Transportation Secretary] Vince Dizon and Secretary Manuel Bonoan of the Department of Public Works and Highways to pause the rehabilitation,” the President said. Mr. Marcos indicated that a month-long review of alternative approaches is needed but stopped short of saying exactly when the much ballyhooed EDSA Rebuild would finally get underway. He explained that, while he agrees EDSA needs repair, the project’s current cost-benefit ratio is unfavorable. “There are just too many sacrifices. It’s too heavy [financial], the traffic’s worse, so let’s pause that for now,” the chief executive added. Next page
FEELING THE PEOPLE’S PULSE. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. shakes the hand of a commuter inside the LRT train yesterday where he later on announced to media the suspension of the EDSA Rebuild project and the launch of the Pamilya Pass 1+3 promo for passengers on all three rail transit lines. Inset shows the President with the First Family during the press conference at the MRT station. Also with the President were Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Jay Ruiz, and other key officials. PPA POOL
MRT, LRT giving ‘Pamilya Pass 1+3’ free rides every Sunday AFTER putting the EDSA Rebuild program on hold, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. turned his attention to the Metropolis’ railway systems, launching the “Pamilya Pass 1+3 Promo,” an initiative that offers free rides to three companions of each paying passenger every Sunday.
The fare promo, which is seen to encourage more commuters to take the train, would apply across Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3), and Light Rail Transit Lines 1 & 2. To mark the initiative’s rollout yesterday, the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and their three sons
boarded an MRT-3 train at GMA-Kamuning Station in Quezon City. They invited the public to take advantage of the program aimed at strengthening Filipino family ties. “In Filipino culture, Sundays are for family, for loved ones. For bonding. That’s why we created this program
called the 1+3 program” Mr. Marcos said during the train ride. He explained that “Pamilya Pass 1+3 Promo” is intended to give more Filipinos a chance to spend quality time together, especially amid the daily pressures faced by commuting families. Next page
Allies band together to help PH repel cyber attacks By Rex Espiritu DEFENSE ministers of four allied nations attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore yesterday agreed to strengthen the Philippines’ ability to fend off sophisticated cyber attacks. In a joint statement, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, Japanese
EXPOSING DISINFORMATION. Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro and Armed Forces chief Romeo Brawner speak to journalists during a break at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore. AFP video grab
DND, AFP chiefs expose Chinese agents posing as journalists By Rex Espiritu DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. on Saturday slammed a malicious and misleading report from “Chinese intelligence agents posing as journalists” during a defense conference in Singapore. Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy rejected China’s claims of “readiness patrols” in Scarborough Shoal (Panatag
Defense Minister Nakatani Gen, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr., and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said they reached consensus on jointly investing in the Philippines’ cybersecurity and resilience. The defense leaders also recognized the importance of cooperation to counter threats to national security posed by malicious cyber actors.
“This marked the fourth Defense Leaders Meeting of these four countries in the last three years, underscoring their sustained and significant collaboration to advance a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” their statement read. The defense leaders also expressed continued serious concern about Next page
Speaker assures House will pass all priority bills By Rio N. Araja
Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc). In a video shared by the AFP on social media, Teodoro said those people claiming to be “journalists” asked him if the Philippines is a proxy of the United States during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. “When I was asked if the Philippines is a proxy of the US, I answered ‘No’ because we are Filipinos. I had an argument with them. They’re the ones stealing our territory. They have yet to
WITH just two weeks left before the 19th Congress adjourns sine die, the House of Representatives is set to resume session today and act swiftly on remaining priority legislation, according to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. “It’s time to finish the work we started. This is the final stretch of the 19th Congress, and we intend to make every day count,” Romualdez said on Sunday. Among the measures scheduled for final reading are House Bill No. 10987, or the Anti-Offshore Gaming
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MONITORING PRICES. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Cristina A. Roque led the inspection of school supplies prices yesterday at the Divisoria Market. Norman Cruz