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PH slams China move to turn Panatag into a ‘nature reserve’ site of repeated clashes in the South China Sea. China revealed plans a day earlier for a reserve to THE Departmaintain "diverment of Foreign sity, stability, and Affairs (DFA) sustainability of protested yesthe natural ecoterday against a system of HuangChinese scheme NEWS / A3 yan Island," Beito create a "najing's name for the ture reserve" on Next page contested chain of reefs. the disputed Scarborough Shoal, the
By Katrina Manubay and Rex Espiritu
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 207 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2025 •
EO out to create pres’l probe body Marcos arms it with broad authority
PH-Japan reciprocal access agreement takes effect
Groups staging ‘Black Friday’ protest to denounce flood control anomalies By Vince Lopez and Katrina Manubay Several groups representing varied political affiliations are scheduled to hold mass actions in separate locations around Metro Manila and some cities in the provinces today to denounce massive corruption in the government’s flood control program.
Dubbed the “Black Friday protest,” participants are expected to come from various student and youth organizations, militant groups, and the Duterte-aligned Bangon Sambayanan Movement, based on announcements posted online. In a Facebook post, staunch Duterte supporter Eric Jeff Celiz called supporters to gather at the EDSA Shrine today.
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By Charles Dantes
P
ANTICORRUPTION.
resident Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has created an independent fact-finding body armed with sweeping powers to investigate alleged misuse of funds and corruption in flood control and other government projects.
Various anticorruption groups gather at the EDSA Shrine on September 11, 2025 to condemn anomalous flood control projects. The protest is held ahead of the ‘Black Friday’ protest on Friday, September 12, with student organizations and other progressive groups expected to join. Manny Palmero
Mr. Marcos yesterday signed Executive Order No. 94 creating the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) tasked to hear, investigate, and gather evidence on anomalies, misuse of funds, and possible corruption in the planning, financing, and implementation of government projects, with priority on flood control works undertaken in the past 10 years. Malacañang said the President will announce members of the commission “very shortly” following the publication of the EO. The commission is empowered to issue subpoenas, compel the production of documents, recommend criminal, civil, and administrative cases before the Department of Justice, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Civil Service Commission, and coordinate with other government agencies. Next page
COMMEMORATION.
PBBM celebrates FM’s 108th bday in Batac rites
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads commemoration rites on the 108th birth anniversary of his father and namesake, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., in Batac, Ilocos Norte on September 11, 2025. RTVM/Screenshot
Lacson confirms P355-m fund insertion for Bulacan projects By Ram Superable
tional budget. Lacson said his staff discovered the allocation after verifying claims by former Bulacan engineering official Brice Hernandez that Senator Jinggoy Estrada funneled projects to
SENATE President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Thursday confirmed a P355 million insertion for flood control projects in Bulacan NEWS / A2 under the 2025 na-
Raps filed vs. 4 contractors, 20 DPWH staff with OMB
By Charles Dantes MARKING his father’s 108th birth anniversary, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. led a wreath-laying ceremony in Batac, Ilocos Norte where he urged Filipinos to remain worthy of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s legacy. Speaking before local leaders, relatives, and supporters at the former strongman’s hometown, President Marcos said his father’s life was defined by a deep commitment to public service and national dignity.
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House coalition closes ranks behind Speaker’s leadership
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DILG rolls out first phase of national 911 hotline
LEADERS of various political groups in the House of Representatives have reaffirmed their support for Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez amid allegations about his involvement in the raging flood control controversy. Those who renewed their full backing of the Speaker included leaders of the Lakas-CMD, Nationalist People’s
Coalition, Nacionalista Party, National Unity Party, Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and the Party-list Coalition. Romualdez met on Wednesday with other party leaders of the House of Representatives, among them presidential son and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander "Sandro" Araneta Marcos III. Next page
By Vince Lopez THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday launched Unified 911, a single hotline that consolidates all local emergency numbers across the country. Under the setup, all emergency calls — whether for police, fire, medical, or disaster response — will be routed through one integrated network connecting the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and local governments. “We had 35 local government units with their own numbers, we had the Philippine National Police, we had Next page
SOLID. Leaders of the various parties led by Senior Deputy Speaker Sandro A. Marcos express their full support for House Speaker Martin G. Romualdez during a meeting on Wednesday at the House of Representatives. Ver Noveno