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City mayors back Marcos’ push for transparency in flood deals By Joel E. Zurbano
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 191 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2025 •
CITY mayors across the country have expressed their support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to restore the participation of local government units in the planning and execution of projects funded by the national
government. "This directive is crucial in minimizing, if not eliminating, the inefficiencies that have long plagued large-scale infrastructure projects, particularly those undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Next page
DPWH Batangas exec nabbed for bribe try
Leviste: P3.1-m offered to halt House flood deals probe By Pot Chavez, Maricel Cruz and Ram Superable
A
DISTRICT engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways was arrested over the weekend after attempting to bribe neophyte lawmaker Leandro Leviste P3.1 million in exchange for stopping the House probe on anomalous flood control projects.
Emma Tiglao Miss Grand Philippines 2025
ENTRAPPED. This photo released by the Batangas Provincial Police Office (BPPO) shows Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) District Engineer Abelardo Calalo following his arrest by members of the Taal Municipal Police Station for allegedly attempting to bribe Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste. BPPO
TIGLAO IS CROWNED MS. GRAND PHILIPPINES SHOWBIZ / C2
Sen. Risa warns of Alice Guo 2.0 security issue By Ram Superable and Othel Campos
Senate subpoenas flood infra contractors
SEN. Risa Hontiveros yesterday warned of national security risks after the arrest of a businessman accused of posing as a Filipino citizen and joining the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Auxiliary. Authorities identified the businessman as Joseph Sy, chair of Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc., who was detained by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for allegedly using falsified Philippine identity documents. "This is like Alice Guo Part 2: pretending to be Filipino, with a fake passport and fake IDs. It seems there
NEWS / A2 DPWH Batangas district engineer Abelardo Dionglay Calalo was arrested by the Taal Municipal Police Station (MPS) for alleged violation of the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act, specifically concerning the corruption of public officials.
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Solon to DOJ: Accept DPWH whistleblowers into WPP By Maricel V. Cruz
HONORING THE YOUNG. President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. gamely salutes a group of Boy Scouts who attend the National Heroes Day rites yesterday at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. PCO
Bonoan says Kennon rockshed project not useless By Dexter See PUBLIC Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan on Monday defended the Kennon Road rockshed
project, which President Marcos dismissed as "useless" during his inspection on Sunday. Bonoan said that he will brief the President on the original design of
Marcos urges people to fight corruption, abuse of power By Charles Dantes and Maricel V. Cruz PRESIDENT Marcos on Monday said the Philippines must fight not only to strengthen its defences, but also to confront corruption and abuse of power, warning that such acts rob future generations of their health, dreams, and future.
“As Filipinos, we have a responsibility to our country to be more critical of wrongdoing, to expose deception, and to stand up for what we know is right, even if it is not easy,” the President said at the Libingan ng mga Bayani during the National Heroes Day commemoration.
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the Kennon Road rockshed, which was intended to span 250 meters to fully cover the hazardous section prone to landslides.
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Eala ready to make more memories, history in US Open By Peter Atencio ALEXANDRA Eala is ready to make more memories and history at the US Open 2025. The 20-year-old Eala said this
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BACOLOD lone district Rep. Albee Benitez urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to place under the whistleblower program employees from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) who wish to testify on anomalous flood control projects in the country. In a statement he posted on social media, the lawmaker called on the DOJ to ‘‘protect under the mantle of the whistleblower program those officials and employees of the DPWH, along with other persons with key information, who wish to stand as witnesses
MILESTONE WIN. Alexandra
Eala of the Philippines celebrates match point against Clara Tauson of Denmark during their Women's Singles First Round match on Day One of the 2025 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. AFP
against the massive, corrupt conspiracy that is at work.’’ He said the justice department must be proactive in seeking out witnesses crucial to building strong cases instead of waiting for them to “step forward if we want to try, convict, and imprison all those who have plundered public funds intended to save our people from the threats of flooding.’’ The lawmaker said it is the government’s duty to provide witnesses a
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