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PAGCOR orders gambling firms, ‘influencers’ to take down all ads By Rex Espiritu and Ram Superable THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) yesterday ordered the removal of all gamblingrelated billboards and advertisements throughout the country. PAGCOR’s management directed all gaming venue operators and licensees to submit an inventory of their existing billboard and wallscape ads by July 16, detailing their size, material, location, rental contract
STRONG DEMAND HIKES FUEL PRICES VOL. XXXIX • NO. 146 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2025 •
NEWS/ A2
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Marcos to meet Trump Tariff, defense top agenda during July 20-22 Washington visit By Charles Dantes
BUSINESS / B1
P
RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos will visit Washington next week to discuss trade and defense relations with United States President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday. The July 20 to 22 working visit, which was announced days after the US slapped a 20 percent tariff rate on Philippine exports, was confirmed by Malacanang and the Department of Foreign affairs said Friday, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said Mr. Marcos is set to meet with Trump, Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss "defense and economic ties." It will be the first official visit of Mr. Marcos to the United States since Trump took office, and the first bilateral meeting for the two leaders, who previously had an informal chat during the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican in April. “We have a great relationship with Japan and the Philippines, and work very closely with them on the economic corridor, on maritime security and territorial integrity – and continue to build upon that partnership, and look forward to hosting the president of the Philippines in Washington in a few days,” Rubio said in an interview during the sidelines of an ASEAN ministerial meeting in Malaysia. Next page
MERALCO RATES TO GO HIGHER
SABUNGERO REMAINS? Police scene of the crime operatives (SOCO) carry black body bags containing the bones in sacks recovered yesterday during the second day of the Philippine Coast Guard’s search and retrieval operations for the remains of missing sabungeros in Taal Lake in Laurel, Batangas. Norman Cruz
Most Pinoys want gov’t to assert rights over WPS Divers find more suspicious By Ram Superable A MAJORITY of Filipinos want the government to continue asserting the Philippines’ rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), according to a recent Pulse Asia survey.
Stratbase ADR Institute president Victor Andres Manhit presented the results of the survey during a forum on the anniversary of the Philippines’ 2016 arbitral win against China over the dispute in the South China Sea.
The 2016 Arbitral Award, issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague favored the Philippines and dismissed Beijing’s “ninedash line” claim as having no legal basis under international law. Next page
sacks on Taal Lake’s bottom By Pot Chavez, Charles Dantes, Rex Espiritu, and Rio N. Araja THE Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday confirmed the recovery of two more sacks from the lakebed following the commencement of search and retrieval operations in Taal Lake. In an ambush interview, DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano stressed that they will proceed with caution as they continue the search in the lake. “What we did was we sent prosecutors and NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) agents to witness the
retrieval of the sacks. The prosecutors, the NBI, the PCG (Philippine Coast Guard), and the PNP-CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) are also there. We move forward with caution because we still do not know what is in those sacks. It is also possible that the contents are not bones, but we are hoping for the best,” he said. About 24-48 hours is needed to ascertain that what was found are human bones, Clavano explained. The DOJ official said if the bones turn out to be human, whether or not they can be directly linked to the “missing sabungeros,” authorities have their Next page work cut out for them.
ALL FOR RULES-BASED ORDER. Stratbase Institute President Prof. Victor Andres ‘Dindo’ Manhit joins 26
ambassadors and other members of the diplomatic corps at the international conference marking the 9th anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award. With a unified stance on defending the rules-based international order, leaders reaffirm their commitment to peace, stability, and lawful maritime conduct. RPM
SC gives House, Senate 10 days to answer impeach suits By Pot Chavez and Maricel Cruz THE Supreme Court (SC) en banc ordered yesterday the Senate and the House of Representatives to submit information and documents relevant to the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The two chambers of Congress were given a non-extendible period of 10 days from receipt of the resolution to respond. Both Houses said they will comply with the Tribunal's order. In a resolution, the SC said the documents will help the Court in the full resolution of the various petitions assailing the impeachment complaints. Next page
PCO chief takes oath as senator, CSOs oppose appointment NEWLY appointed Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez took his oath yesterday even as a senator and several civil society groups opposed his appointment because of his previous ties with a multinational tobacco firm. Next page
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS. Over 2,500 attended the SM Cares Emergency Preparedness Forum 2025 for Persons with Disabilities and Senior Citizens. Empowering communities through inclusive disaster readiness, the SM Cares event provided vital training, expert insights, and practical resources tailored to the unique needs of persons with disabilities and senior citizens, reinforcing the importance of equitable disaster readiness across all sectors of society.