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Criminal charges await DPWH exec in ghost projects
House wrangling on flood control spending heats up
DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vivencio Dizon yesterday said that the agency will pursue criminal charges against former Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara after finding him “guilty” of corruption. Next page
By Maricel V. Cruz VOL. XXXIX • NO. 202 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2025 •
House drops bid to send back 2026 budget plan Defers DPWH budget hearing to allow errata on flagged items
AKO Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin pushed back against accusations hurled at his party-mate Rep. Zaldy Co, saying the real issue lies in the budget insertions of Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco and controversial contractors in the latter's district. Garbin revealed that Tiangco had P529 million worth of insertions in the 2025 budget, 65 to 70 percent of which went to flood control projects in Navotas. “Why attack others when contractors in your own district are being investigated for ghost projects?” Garbin Next page
Leviste denies collecting donations NEWS / A2
By Maricel V. Cruz POWER ON. President
T
HE House of Representatives will no longer return the proposed P6.783-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2026 to the executive branch and will allow instead departments to correct flagged entries.
Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. joins workers in applauding switch-on yesterday of the new Siquijor Power Plant. The new plant has a capacity of 17.8 megawatts (MW), more than the required 9MW peak demand of the entire island province. PCO
The committee also decided to defer deliberations on the proposed P880 billion budget for the Department of Public Works and Highways to give the agency time to submit errata or corrections. “We can definitively say that the House will not return the NEP to the executive. So, that is clear today. The Congress will not return the NEP to the executive,” House Committee on Appropriations chairperson Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing said. Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, for his part, vowed to get rid of the flagged errors and questionable entries in his department's proposed budget. “The President has already instructed me, and if it is necessary to change the entire budget of the DPWH… I Next page
Marcos declares power supply shortage in Siquijor over By Charles Dantes and Alena Mae S. Flores
CHARITY SUMMIT. Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Mel Robles delivers his speech
during the PCSO 2025 Charity Summit held at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel. The summit gathered stakeholders and partners to strengthen collaboration in advancing PCSO’s health and welfare programs for Filipinos. Norman Cruz
PCSO vows full delivery to all LGUs of PTVs this year By Pot Chavez THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) revealed yesterday it would equip all local government units (LGUs) in the country with patient trans-
port vehicles (PTVs) this year. In his message during the 2025 Charity Summit, PCSO General Manager Melquiades Robles noted they have committed P1-billion funding for the procurement of additional 375 PTVs by the end of 2025.
ICC prosecution, Rody defense teams agree on basic data By Rex Espiritu THE prosecution and the defense in the trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have reached an agreement on certain basic issues, including his identity and the definition of the smallest unit of government in the Philippines.
The details were outlined in a document titled “Joint Prosecution and Defense Submission on Agreed Facts” dated Sept. 1 and published on the ICC website. The submission bore the signatures of ICC deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang and Duterte’s lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman. Next page
“Today, we have delivered 1,297 [PTVs] to [LGUs] covering 75.23% of the 1,724 LGUs nationwide. This marks a significant leap towards achieving universal access to medical transport. This Next page
Bigtime hike in fuel prices next week; inflation up By Alena Mae S. Flores CONSUMERS can expect next week a big time oil price hike of as much as P1.50 per liter to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market. Next page
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday declared that the island province of Siquijor now has a stable power supply after the government and a local cooperative took over electricity generation operations, following daily brownouts, sometimes lasting up to 20 hours. Mr. Marcos led the ceremonial switch-on of the 17.8-megawatt New Siquijor Diesel Power Plants at the Province of Siquijor Electric Cooperative (PROSIELCO) in the municipality of Larena. The three new facilities, 4.4 MW in Larena, 6.6 MW in Lazi, and 6.8
MW in Siquijor, were fast-tracked after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) revoked the authority of Siquijor Island Power Corp. (SIPCOR) to operate due to multiple violations amid the island’s continued supply problems. The President said the island’s total power supply has now reached 17 megawatts, well above its current demand of about nine megawatts. He credited the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Electrification Administration (NEA), the ERC, and PROSIELCO for restoring and stabilizing electricity services. "We had to take over the operations of SIPCOR for the simple reason that we did not see any improvement in Next page