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Marcos accepts resignations of 3 execs, names new SEC chief By Charles Dantes
curities and Exchange Commission, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday. The President accepted the resignaaccepted the courtesy resignations of three government officials and tions of Presidential Commission for Next page named a new chairperson of the Se-
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 109 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2025
HIV public emergency looms
DOH chief cites 500% hike in cases among 15 to 25 years old • 2k bite patients daily at San Lazaro • Pakil emergency state over dengue By Ram Superable and Charles Dantes
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HE Department of Health on Tuesday warned of a looming “public health emergency” as HIV infections have soared this year, with cases involving individuals aged 15 to 25 up by 500 percent. Aside from the surge in HIV cases, the DOH is also addressing other public concerns such as increases in dengue and rabies cases as well as misinformation on monkeypox cases. “Our biggest problem isn’t monkeypox but the spread of HIV. We’ve seen a 500 percent increase in HIV cases among those aged 15 to 25. In fact, the youngest person we’ve diagnosed is a Next page
BETTER SAFE THAN RABID. Hundreds of people who were bitten or scratched by animals flocked to the San Lazaro Hospital to be administered with anti-rabies vaccines on tuesday. The San Lazaro Hospital said about 2,000 patients have gone every day to its Animal Bite and Treatment Center in the past week. Norman Cruz
Senate chief under fire for impeachment delay By Maricel V. Cruz and Ram Superable
tor and congresswoman-elect Leila de Lima view that the Senate’s inaction violates the 1987 Constitution. A MEMBER of the prosecution panel Over at the Senate, opposition Senain Vice President Sara Duterte’s im- tor Risa Hontiveros also slammed the peachment case echoed former sena- continued delays in the impeachment
process, likening it to a basketball game without a shot clock. “Convening as an impeachment court and commencing trial is expressly mandated by the Constitution. And yet this process has been Next page
DSWD welds P20-rice to ‘Walang Gutom’ program By Charles Dantes and Othel V. Campos THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has stared integrating the P20-per-kilo rice program into the government’s flagship anti-hunger initiative dubbed “Walang Gutom,” Secretary Rex Gatchalian confirmed Tuesday. The Department of Agriculture (DA) has approved DSWD’s request
for the supply of 490,000 sacks of rice from June to December. Speaking during a media briefing, Gatchalian said the move follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive for agencies to coordinate efforts in addressing food insecurity. “The President’s order is that no department on its own should act without coordination with other departments,” he said. Next page
Torre to PNP: Respond to all complaints regardless of area
PRO-IMPEACH PROTEST. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan militants march to the Senate to condemn the delay in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Danny Pata
CJ Opiaza is 2024 Miss Grand 2025 International CJ OPIAZA is Miss Grand International 2024, becoming the first Filipina to wear the golden crown in the pageant’s history. Opiaza, looking radiant in a green and gold Mak Tumang gown, was crowned yesterday by Miss Grand International (MGI) founder Nawat Itsaragrisil following the resignation of India’s Rachel Gupta. Next page CJ Opiaza
NEWLY appointed Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Nicolas Torre III has directed all police stations to receive and act on complaints from the public — regardless of jurisdiction. In an interview with the media, Torre emphasized that police officers must not turn away individuals simply because their concerns fall under a different station’s area of responsibility.
“I don’t want people being passed around,” he said, adding that “when someone goes to a police station, they should leave with their issue addressed — or at the very least, with the assurance that they’re being helped.” If a complaint cannot be resolved on-site, Torre said the station must personally endorse the complainant to the Next page
SC updates plea bargaining rules on drug cases By Pot Chavez THE Supreme Court (SC) announced on Tuesday updated guidelines on plea bargaining in drug-related cases. In a decision penned by Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao, the High Tribunal ruled that prosecutors must raise all their objections when an accused offers to plead guilty to a lesser offense. Any objections not raised at the time will be deemed waived, the SC said. Next page
NAIA 3 INSPECTION. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. inspects upgraded facilties of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 yesterday in Pasay City. He was joined by San Miguel Corporation President and CEO Ramon S. Ang, DOTr Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac, and DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla. Story on A3. PPA POOL