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PRIVATE SCHOOL MENTORS GET RAISE IN ANNUAL STIPENDS By Vito Barcelo
PBBM WARNS NON-PERFORMING GOV’T OFFICIALS
THE annual stipend for qualified private school teachers will be increased to P24,000 from P18,000 this school year as part of the Government Assistance to Students and Instructors in Private Education (GASTPE) program. Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the increase in the annual subsidy
NEWS / A2
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VOL. XXXIX • NO. 170 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2025
Revisit impeach ruling—Puno Philconsa: SC decision upends balance of powers Romualdez pushes for prosecutors’ hazard pay
By Rio N. Araja
T
HE Philippine Constitution Association (PhilConsa) has issued a powerful and urgent appeal for the Supreme Court (SC) to reconsider its July 25 decision on the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte, warning that the ruling threatens to “upend the delicate balance of powers enshrined in the 1987 Constitution.”
By Rio N. Araja
In a four-page statement signed by PhilConsa chairman, former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, the group said the ruling must be re-examined for potential violations of core constitutional principles, including the separation of powers and the exclusive authority of the House of Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings. “Decisions of the Supreme Court that rearrange the articles of the principle of separation of power, redefine the limits of power of government or change the calculus of the balance of power between and among the three
Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno
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HOUSE Speaker Martin Romualdez has resubmitted a bill seeking to grant a monthly hazard pay to public prosecutors exposed to life-threatening risks in the performance of their duties. House Bill No. 2664 proposes a ₱5,000 monthly hazard pay for prosecutors handling dangerous assignments such as inquest proceedings, preliminary investigations, and prosecutions involving terrorism, illegal drugs, graft and corruption, money laundering, and other high-risk offenses. Romualdez, who is also president of the Philippine Constitution Association, highlighted the indispensable role of public prosecutors in upholding the rule of law and protecting citizens, while also pointing out the serious threats they face, including a growing number of attacks in recent years. Next page
Pope to youth: Aspire for great things, holiness POPE Leo XIV presided over a final mass in Rome for over one million young people on Sunday, the culmination of a youth pilgrimage that has drawn Catholics from across the world. “Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less,” Pope Leo told the young people during his homily. The week-long pilgrimage ending Sunday, a highlight of the Jubilee holy year, was an enormous undertaking for the Vatican, with a half a million young pilgrims in Rome for most of the week. On Saturday night, before a twilight vigil led by the pope, organizers had confirmed the attendance of 800,000 people in the vast, open-air space on Next page
DOH on alert on leptospirosis as cases surge in Quezon City By Ram Superable THE Department of Health yesterday raised an alert over a potential surge in leptospirosis cases following intense monsoon rains and successive tropical storms that inundated parts of the country in recent weeks. “There have been 3,037 cases of leptospirosis recorded from January 1 to July 19, 2025. Of this number, 1,114 were reported starting June 8, or one week after PAGASA officially declared the start of the rainy season on June 2,” the health agency said.
It identified East Avenue Medical Center, Sta. Ana Hospital, and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute as having the most admissions related to the disease. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection transmitted through direct contact with the urine of infected animals such as rats and pigs, or through floodwaters contaminated with their waste. Symptoms of the disease include fever, chills, body aches, headaches, and eye redness, which typically appear between two days and Next page
YOUTH JUBILEE. Catholic faithful
welcome Pope Leo XIV, who leads a mass at Tor Vergata for the Jubilee of Young People in Rome, Italy on Sunday, August 3, 2025. Vatican Media
GILAS REPEATS VS. JORDAN 5 SPORTS / A8
PH NAMED GIVING NATION IN REPORT BUSINESS / B4
Lawyer’s group backs street parking proposal to decongest NCR roads By Pot Chavez A LAWYERS’ group seeks the adoption of long-term solutions to traffic congestion in Metro Manila, notably partial ban to street parking in the metropolis. The lawyers were reacting to a recommendation of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in coordination with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), to prohibit street parking. In a statement, the Lawyers for Commuters’ Safety and Protection (LCSP)
viewed the proposal as “a step in the right direction,” while stressing longterm reforms must be considered. “LCSP supports the DILG and MMDA’s initiative to ban street parking, particularly along main roads… We urge the government to take bold, systemic steps to address traffic congestion while ensuring the safety and convenience of all commuters,” the statement read. The group recommended mandatory proof of parking, noting that “a law Next page
SINGLE FILE. Vehicles occupy both sides of Escolta Street in Manila on Sunday reducing the road to a single lane for passing motorists. The group Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection (LCSP) supports the proposed partial ban on street parking in Metro Manila but insists that a total ban should be enforced at all times, citing Republic Act No. 4136, which prohibits parking on public streets. Norman Cruz