(Story on A4) Bed-ridden Rody? Fake, manipulated photo, says VP A BED-RIDDEN former President Rodrigo Duterte? Fake news, according to his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte. The Vice President, who is in The Hague to visit the Duterte patriarch at the detention center of the International Criminal Court, said he was healthier even if he lost weight. She dismissed a photo shared online allegedly showing the detained leader bedridden in a hospital. “Someone sent me a photo that appeared to show former
FAKE
President Rodrigo Duterte in a hospital bed with two wristbands. That photo is not real. It was likely edited with my father’s face superimposed,” the Vice President said. “He is not in the hospital section of the detention unit. He is in the regular wing. And earlier today, he was walking on his own with a cane. He’s not suffering from any illness that would render him bedridden,” she added. The Vice President acknowledged that her father significantly lost weight.
VP Sara to respond to confidential funds issue during impeachment trial NEWS / A2
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‘Totoy’ to file cases vs. Ang, 15 cops
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 147 • 5 SECTIONS 20 PAGES JULY 13, 2025
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2 more sacks of bones recovered from Taal Lake
FRUITS AND VEGGIES COME TO LIFE.
By Rex Espiritu
Students parade through the streets of Barangay Bagong Silangan in Quezon City wearing colorful fruit and vegetable costumes in celebration of National Nutrition Month. Edd Castro
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HISTLEBLOWER Julie “Dondon” Patidongan said he will file a case against gaming tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang and 15 police officers whom he accused of being involved in the case of the missing “sabungeros.” As this developed, two more sacks containing what are believed to be human bones were retrieved by technical divers of the Philippine Coast Guard on Saturday during the ongoing search for the remains of the disappeared “sabungeros” in Taal Lake. Divers have since recovered five sacks from the lake. For his part, Patidongan, who previously went by the alias “Totoy,” said he will go to the National Police Commission tomorrow (Monday) to file a complaint against the 15 cops he accused of having a hand in the disappearance and killing of the cockfighting enthusiasts. He also told dzBB that one of the police officers has a fishery at Taal Lake where the missing “sabungeros” were likely dumped. “This police officer is active. He is likely at Camp Crame,” Patidongan said.
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Fish catch from Taal dwindles amid search for missing ‘sabungeros’ – Laurel mayor THE number of boats going out to harvest tilapia and milkfish have dwindled from 10 to only about two daily since news broke that the remains of some of the missing “sabungeros” were dumped in Taal Lake. “They can’t go out to fish because orders have dwindled,” Mayor Lyndon Bruce of Laurel, Batangas told ABS-CBN News in an interview.
“Maybe it’s because people saw on social media that the missing ‘sabungeros’ are here,” Bruce added. Previously, daily harvest was at an average of 40 tons of fish. The mayor said the daily average has since dropped to about eight tons. ABS-CBN News reported there are about 1,700 fish pen operators in Laurel alone that are feeling the
13 Pinoy seafarers remain missing—DMW
pinch amid the ongoing retrieval operations for the remains of the disappeared “sabungeros.” Earlier, Batangas governor Vilma Santos-Recto appealed to the public not to link Taal Lake to the case of missing “sabungeros.” She said the issue has affected fishermen catching “tawilis” (Sardinella tawilis), an endemic species which is found only in the lake.
AT LEAST 13 Filipino seafarers from the ill-fated MV Eternity C remained unaccounted for, the Department of Migrant Workers said on Saturday. DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said the 13 were among the 25 sailors – one Russian, 21 Filipinos, two Indians, and one Greek security personnel – on board the vessel when it was hit by a suspected Houthi drone attack off the coast of Yemen on July 7. Three of the 25 sailors were confirmed dead, while six were reported abducted. Olalia said the government has yet to verify the nationality of the fatalities and those held hostage.
To date, eight Filipino seafarers have been rescued from the vessel. “As for the eight, we are still working on their repatriation because they need to be brought first to a safe port and fix their exit and visas,” he said. Meanwhile, the rest of the Filipino crew members of the MV Magic Seas – the second Filipino-carrying vessel attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea this month, were set to arrive at NAIA last night. Olalia said the 11 seafarers will receive full government support, including a safety net in the form of financial assistance worth P75,000 from the DMW’s AKSYON Turn to Page 4
PUP says veto of Nat’l Polytechnic University bill a setback to inclusive higher education By Charles Dantes
SONA SIMULATION. Members of the Manila Police District–Civil Disturbance Management conduct a simulation training at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Saturday. Nearly 12,000 members of the Philippine National Police will secure the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Bongbong Marcos on July 28, 2025. Norman Cruz
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THE Polytechnic University of the Philippines expressed disappointment at the veto of the National Polytechnic University (NPU) Bill, saying it threatens its regional campuses and sets back inclusive public higher education. In a statement, PUP called the veto a “rejection of the urgent call to expand access to quality, inclusive, and relevant public higher education.” The bill, had it been signed into law, would have formally elevated PUP to national polytechnic univer-
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sity status, ensuring P100 million in annual support for five years and greater institutional autonomy. “This is not merely a legislative setback, it threatens the future of our university, our campuses, and the communities we serve,” the university said, noting that several of its regional campuses may face closure without national government funding. PUP said the bill was not about prestige, but about addressing long-standing structural issues that have hindered the university’s growth and modernization. Turn to Page 4
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