EX-PCSO HEAD GARMA BACK IN PH – IMMIGRATION VOL. XXXIX • NO. 203 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES SEPTEMBER 7, 2025
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MANILAO
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JUST LANDED. Ex-PCSO chief Royina
Garma arrives at NAIA Terminal 1 Saturday evening. Bureau of Immigration
By Joel E. Zurbano FORMER Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Royina Garma is back in the country almost 10 months after she was arrested in the United States for a cancelled visa, the Bureau of Immigration said. Garma left the country in November last year after she testified in several hearings conducted by the House Quad Committee regarding the Duterte administration’s drug war. Her return to the country came three weeks before the confirmation hearing of former President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity for murder over the drug war killings before the International Criminal Court on Sept. 23. She confirmed implementing the “Davao Model” for the drug war during the Duterte administration. The model involved three levels of payments or rewards – including a reward if the suspect is killed, funding of planned operations, and refund of operational expenses.
BRINGING POSITIVE ENERGY.
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Palace hits ‘spin’ to blame Cabinet over budget issue Bersamin to solons: Clean own house first, stop holding NEP hostage
By Charles Dantes
M
ALACAÑANG on Saturday pushed back against lawmakers who are “attempting to shift the blame for their own corruption and failures onto the Executive Branch.” In a strongly worded statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the Cabinet objects “recent spins coming from certain members of the House of Representatives.” “The members of the Cabinet will not tolerate any attack on the integrity and reputation of the Executive Branch, and any effort to hold the budget process hostage by political theatrics,” Bersamin said. Earlier, House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno said their review of the 2026 National Expenditure Pro-
Taguig court orders release of mining executive Joseph Sy By Othel V. Campos THE Taguig City Regional Trial Court has ordered the immediate release of Global Ferronickel Holdings chairperson Joseph Sy, ruling that his detention by the Bureau of Immigration had no legal basis since he is a Filipino citizen. In a statement, Sy’s legal counsels, Carla Santamaria-Seña and Dennis Manalo said the RTC Branch 271 granted their client’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus and declared that the BI has no authority to detain or deport a Filipino. The court cited the long-standing doctrine in Chua Hiong v. Deportation Board, which limits deportation to aliens only. The counsels said the RTC ruling recognized Sy’s citizenship, noting that the BI itself, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Office of the President, and even the Supreme Court have upheld his Filipino nationality in earlier proceedings. They said the court gave weight to Sy’s birth certificate and Philippine passports over the BI’s Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) I-Card, ruling that the latter is not a public document with a presump-
gram uncovered serious and systemic anomalies, particularly within the budget books of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Department of Agriculture (DA). Anomalies include multiple funding entries for similar projects, absence of allocations for multi-year projects, as well as funding allocations for projects which were already completed, Puno said. He earlier suggested returning
the NEP to the executive but the House leadership said they will instead allow departments to correct flagged entries. Bersamin said investigations into anomalies would be “futile” if corruption in Congress remained unaddressed, urging lawmakers to heed public calls for accountability. “All our investigations into the anomalies will be futile if the sources of corruption remain unchecked. Hence, we urge the House of Representatives to heed the demand of the people for full accountability: Clean your house first!” Bersamin said. Meanwhile, Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, co-chairperson of the House Infrastructure Committee (InfraComm), said Saturday efforts to suspend congressional inquiries on the alleged anomalies in flood control projects should be decided jointly by
both chambers of Congress. Ridon made the statement as President Marcos’ independent investigating body is already being formed. “This (stopping the congressional probes) is something that should be decided jointly by the Senate and the House… to take a step back, to suspend proceedings and to refer everything to the independent commission,” he said. “But I think, very important that it is undertaken jointly. It cannot be that it is just the House of Representatives or only the Senate that takes a step back,” Ridon added. President Marcos earlier said the independent investigating commission would need forensic investigators, lawyers, justices, and prosecutors who will look at the pieces of evidence on alleged anomalous and ghost flood control projects.
Corruption costs lives: Over 100 groups call for systemic reform amid flood control mess By Othel V. Campos A BROAD coalition of civil society, business leaders, faith groups, academics, labor organizations, disaster volunteers, and former condemned what they called a multibillion-peso “flood control scandal” that has cost lives and worsened the impact of climate disasters. “We have had enough. We must reject the system of corruption that kills our fellow Filipinos and erodes our confidence in government,” the coalition said in a joint statement. The signatories — among them the Makati Business Club, Financial
Executives Institute of the Philippines, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, De La Salle Philippines, the Liberal Party, Akbayan, church leaders, retired generals, and former Cabinet officials — called for sweeping reforms in flood management, budgeting, procurement, and accountability mechanisms. The groups expressed indignation at government officials, contractors, and private sector parties allegedly involved in anomalous projects, accusing them of flaunting wealth while siphoning taxpayer money. They urged the Department of
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By Peter Atencio IT’S on to the finals for Alex Eala after she whipped Kayla Day of the United States, 6-2, 6-3, early Saturday morning (Manila time) in the semifinals of the Guadalajara 125 Open. World no. 75 Eala will now be in contention for the $15,500 top purse in her attempt to make history as the first Filipina to capture a World Tennis Association crown when she goes up against
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Garbin accuses Tiangco of more insertions for flood control By Maricel V. Cruz THE P500 million in flood-control funds for Navotas was only “the tip of the iceberg,” Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin, saying he will reveal in the coming days more insertions allegedly done by Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco. “I’m not diverting from the issue of controversial allocations. There’s also no question that Navotas, like many other areas, is prone to floods and needs government help,” Garbin said in a statement on Saturday. “But I take issue with Congressman Tiangco’s hypocrisy against insertions when he himself had billions coursed to his small district. Worse, the contracts were bagged by contractors flagged by President Marcos and the Department of Public Works and Highways.” “At the proper time, I will expose more of his insertions which run into the billions,” Garbin said. Tiangco earlier defended the P529 million in additional allocations Navotas received. Tiangco said he could not have made any insertion in the budget because he was not a member of the bicameral conference committee. But Garbin countered that Tiangco’s denial sidestepped the bigger question of why contractors flagged by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. were allowed to handle major works in Navotas. “You rail against alleged insertions by Ako Bicol and other lawmakers, yet billions flowed into your backyard and cornered by contractors the President himself called out,” Garbin said. “The people deserve to know whether these funds actually translated into protection from floods or just lined the pockets of favored builders,” he added.
Eala barges into Guadalajara Open finals
Alex Eala
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Public Works and Highways and the Department of Budget and Management to convene an independent multisectoral review committee to reassess projects in the 2026 budget and shift from cement-heavy infrastructure to sustainable, naturebased solutions such as watershed restoration and reforestation. They also pressed Congress to abolish opaque “insertions” in the national budget and to establish an open bicameral conference committee and transparency server that would make changes traceable in real time.
Monks chant and offer prayers at the Seng Guan Buddhist Temple in Tondo, Manila as the ‘Ghost Month’ reached its peak on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. This year, the ‘Ghost Month’ period when it is believed departed souls make their presence felt on Earth takes place between Aug. 23 and Sept. 21. Richmond Chi
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Hungarian netter Panna Udvardy today (Sunday, 2 a.m. Manila time). A long forehand volley was too far out of Day’s reach as Eala clinched the final game point that allowed her to win the second set, and that match. This will be Eala’s second finals’ appearance in a WTA tournament after making it to the Lexus Eastbourne Open championships, where she lost to Maya Joint. Turn to Page 4
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