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Remulla vows to push disclosure of SALNs if named Ombudsman IF APPOINTED Ombudsman, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said he would allow access to government officials’ statements of assets and liabilities (SALN) as long as it will not be used to harass them.
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 200 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2025
In a press briefing after his interview with the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on Tuesday, Remulla said SALNs should not be “weaponized” against public officials. Next page
Discayas’ 10 luxury cars missing Only 3 vehicles found during Customs search in Pasig property
By Vito Barcelo
O
NLY three luxury cars were found by Customs agents inside the compound of the Discaya-owned St. Gerrard Construction in Barangay Bambang, Pasig City during a search of the property yesterday. At about past 6 p.m. yesterday, some of the missing luxury vehicles were brought back to the garage, including a red Toyota Tundra and a blue Bentley.
The search warrant covered 12 of the 28 luxury cars that the Discayas admitted to owning during Monday’s Senate hearing on questionable floodcontrol projects. Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said only two cars – a Maserati and a Toyota Land Cruiser – out of the 12 vehicles covered by the search were found inside the compound where contractors Sarah and Curlee Discaya reside. Next page
RAID. Armed with a
search warrant, the Bureau of Customs entered the building garage of the Discaya couple in Pasig yesterday only to discover, top left photo, most of their luxury cars could not be accounted for. Top photo on the right shows some of the luxury vehicles returning to the garage. Photo below shows Discayas’ car fleet during a previous interview with Julius Babcock. Bureau of Customs/ Screengrab from GMA News
Dizon to halt DPWH internal probe on infra mess By Vito Barcelo, Charles Dantes dependent commission being formed vestigate its own. That cannot be,” Diby the President to take the lead in the zon added. and Ram Superable investigation. He said whatever information culled “I will dissolve the DPWH internal by the DPWH committee will be turned PUBLIC Works Secretary Vince Dizon said he will dissolve the depart- investigation committee,” he said in a over to the independent commission. As this developed, Baguio City Mayor ment’s internal probe into anomalous television interview. “I do not believe an agency can inflood control projects to allow the inNext page
FIELD WORK. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and other medical personnel, let photo, check on a patient confined yesterday at the Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center in Balanga City. Inset shows the President pushing the button at the launch of the HD Hyundai Shipyard in Subic, Zambales. Presidential Communications Office
HD Hyundai shipyard launch heralds revival of PH shipbuilding By Charles Dantes
building industry and creating new opportunities for Filipino workers. Marcos said the company’s entry into PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday inaugurated the HD Hyundai the Philippines would more than double Shipyard in Subic, calling it a mile- the shipyard’s capacity, raising it from 1.3 stone in reviving the country’s shipNext page
Tricomm probe panel ordered to declare any conflict of interest THE House Infra Committee ordered its members Tuesday to disclose if they had any conflict of interest in the joint panel’s investigation into alleged questionable flood control projects. Before the inquiry began, Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno moved for House Infra Comm members to “make a full disclosure of financial, business or pecuniary interest that may be directly or indirectly affected by any investigation into the government’s past or present flood control projects.” “I believe we need to assure the public that this investigation will not be a whitewash and that no members of the three committees conducting this investigation have a conflict of interest,” Diokno said. His motion was seconded by Representatives Leila de Lima and
Edgar Erice. “When the House of Representatives investigates anomalies in flood control projects, we must ask: is it wise, is it prudent, is it proper for this Chamber to investigate itself, when there are already reports that some members here may be involved in these very projects?” De Lima said. “Conflict of interest here is not theoretical. It is not distant. It is real, and it will shape how this inquiry is seen or perceived. Where one is most probably the subject of the investigation, or is likely and liable to be a suspect, or has a personal interest of not being punished himself as an outcome of the investigation, he should not be part of the investigation,” she added. Next page
PH nearing full universal health care objective By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. announced Tuesday that the Philippines is nearing its goal of achieving full implementation of its universal healthcare goal during his visit to the Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center in Balanga City to check on its zero-billing policy. “We are 80% of the way to universal healthcare. We’re just a little bit away from achieving it,” Mr. Marcos Next page
GHOST PROJECTS COST PH P118.5 B—RECTO
20 MISSING AFTER INDONESIA PROTESTS
NEWS / A3
WORLD / A6
BOOSTING PH-EU TIES. Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez joins European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro for a photo during a courtesy call yesterday at the Speaker’s Office in the House of Representatives. They discussed ways to further deepen and strengthen long-standing EU-Philippines relations. Ver Noveno