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Marcos open to tax e-gaming As admin intensifies crackdown vs. illegal online gambling sites
By Charles Dantes, Maricel V. Cruz and Ram Superable
P
RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is supportive of proposals to regulate and possibly tax online gaming platforms, provided it is backed by adequate research and serves the public interest, Presidential Communications Office Usec. Claire Castro said. Beyond taxing legitimate gaming platforms, Castro said the administration would also intensify efforts to crack down illegal or unregistered online gambling operations. Next page
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 143 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2025
‘Totoy’ under PNP protective custody; SC sets own probe By Vince Lopez and Pot Chavez
CONNECTING THE GRASSROOTS. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Leyte Rep. Martin G. Romualdez (in black glasses) lead the launch of the Free Public Wi-Fi site at the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park. During the event, the President conducts a speed test and connects with beneficiaries from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, while also joining several students in using the free Wi-Fi provided by the Department of Information and Communications Technology. Story on A3.
A SUSPECT-turned-whistleblower in the case of the missing “sabungeros” is now under the protective custody of the Philippine National Police as the government said it has already identified the “ground zero” in Taal Lake where the bodies of the disappeared cockfighting enthusiasts may have been dumped. The Supreme Court has likewise stepped in and has started investigating the alleged involvement of a former judge in the case, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said. This as whistleblower Julie “Dondon” Patidongan’s, who previously went by the alias “Totoy,” said a forNext page
Go, Bato join PBBM backs Chiz bid to lift bank secrecy for gov’t officials, employees reso calling for Rody’s return from Hague By Charles Dantes
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is supportive of the proposed measure to lift bank secrecy protections for government officials and employees, a move aimed at strengthening transpar-
SENATOR Robinhood Padilla announced on Monday that Senators Christopher Go and Ronald dela Rosa have signed a resolution calling for the immediate repatriation of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, however, denounced the move of Sen. Go and dela Rosa to press the Marcos administration to bring Duterte home from the Netherlands where he is detained while awaiting trial for the crimes against humanity filed against him before the International Criminal Court (ICC). “They are beating a dead horse. Truth is, they (Duterte camp) were just in denial. After a while, they will accept that the government has no more powers to bring Duterte back” De Lima told Padilla explained that “this is not just a proposal. It is a call for unity, respect for our sovereignty, and justice for a President who served the nation with utmost courage.”
ency and curbing corruption in public service, Malacañang said on Monday. In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said the President backs the principle of accountability in government and has no objections to
the proposal filed by Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero. “The President agrees that this is necessary and that we must enforce accountability and transparency in government,” Castro said.”We won’t be hearing a negative response from the
President on this matter,” she added. Escudero’s proposal seeks to amend the Bank Secrecy Law to exempt public officials from its protection, a safeguard long criticized for enabling the concealment of ill-gotten wealth and hamperNext page
US top guns join Cope Thunder air exercises By Rex Espiritu THE US Pacific Air Forces deployed their F-35 Lightning II aircraft, one of the most advanced and lethal fighter jets in the world, to the Philippines on Monday. The deployment was part of this year’s iteration of Cope Thunder Philippines 2025 with the Phil-
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TOP OF THE LINE. US Air Force F-35 Lightning II jets participating in
US-PH Cope Thunder air exercises, which started yesterday until July 18, fly in formation in Philippine skies. Philippine Air Force
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NCAP NOTIFICATION.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Romando Artes launches the “MayHuliKa WebApp SMS/Email Notification” system for the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP), which provides real-time information to motorists if they have committed a violation on July 7, 2025, at the MMDA Head Office in Pasig City. Story on A2. Manny Palmero
‘Habagat,’‘Bising’ displaces 87k in northern Luzon—OCD By Rex Espiritu THE confluence of the southwest monsoon (habagat) and Typhoon Bising has affected over 82,548 individuals or 27, 400 families in Northern Luzon, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC). The agency said the typhoon victims were in Region 1(Ilocos), Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), and the Cordillera Administrative Region. Region 3 appeared to be hit the hardest, logging 80,421 victims equivalent to Next page
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