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FIVE LOCAL HOLIDAYS IN OCT.
I N A LEADER’S JOURNEY: S CELEBRATING NEWS / A3 PRESIDENT MARCOS JR.’S I 68TH BIRTHDAY ISRAEL CONTINUES D SECTIONS B & C TO POUND HEZBOLLAH ESEPTEMBER 30, 2024 • VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 227• 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 •MONDAY, VOL. XXXIX • NO. 208 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P20 • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2025 • WORLD / A6
Plunder raps vs. DPWH PNP resurrecting probe Heading heading execs, contractors eyed heading into PCSOheading official's head slay DOJ chief rules out state witness status for Discayas
Speaker grateful for PMA Class '83 vote of confidence in Quad Comm
By Pot Chavez By Rio N. Araja
JT
USTICE Secretary HECrispin Philippine Jesus Remulla saidNational the DOJPolice will file (PNP)ofispublic reopening malversation its investigation into funds and, where applicable, the 2020 murder of plunder raps against Philippine and Charity contractors Department Sweepstakes Office of Public Works and (PCSO) board secretary Highways (DPWH) officials Wesley Barayuga. involved in anomalous flood-control projects. On Sunday, PNP Chief Police
General Rommel Francisco MarNational of Inbil He saidsaid he the ordered the Bureau reopening of vestigation's anti-graft unit has started the cold case after whistleblower submitting findings the reported Police Lt. its Col. Santie on Mendoza told substandard and even “ghost’ the House Quad Committee flood that inhe frastructure deals. helped carry out the killing at the “TheofNBI is giving me findings albehest ex-PCSO general manager ready. They are giving findings about Royina Garma. ghost projects narrated and we will be filing Mendoza before concases very soon,” he said. gressmen how Garma allegedly fa“We will if plunder charges can cilitated the see PCSO official’s roadside be filed. Malversation charges will be assassination on July 30, 2020 by filed for sure,” Remulla added. providing the necessary information Thehis DOJ chief earlier signed immiabout schedule, details about his gration lookout bulletin orders (ILBO) vehicle and the funding necessary to against and DPWH execucarry itcontractors out. tives linked to anomalous flood-conThe whistleblower also implicated trol projects. incumbent National Police ComHowever, RemullaLeonardo said the in ILBO missioner Edilberto the request against former DPWH Secreplanning of the murder. taryBarayuga Manuel Bonoan still police being was a was retired processed. general and lawyer who supposedly As this developed, Remulla said the threatened to expose corruption withDOJ is not inclined to admit couple in the PCSO shortly before he was Pacifico and Cezarah shot dead“Curlee” in Mandaluyong City.Rowena “Sarah” Discaya as state witnesses Garma, herself an ex-police Lt. Colonel, allegedly gained Next the page top spot at the PCSO because of her in-
yesterday in various places in Metro Manila to denounce A WEB OF CRIME? House leaders Aurelio Gonzales and David Suarez presented this matrix during the last QUAD andshows demand prosecution of those syndicate allegedly allegedly led by fugitive Michael Yang, then economic Commanomalies hearing which thethe operations of a criminal involved in the plunder of the billions of pesos intended adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte, that controlled the illegal activities of the POGOs and was involved in the drug for flood controlkillings. projects. At the University of the trade and extrajudicial Philippines in Diliman, students, teachers, and personnel walked out and held a rally in front of Palma Hall. At the Senate, militants threw mud and kicked the tarpaulin images of senators tagged as recipients of kickbacks. A group of rallyists identified with former President Rodrigo Duterte held a mass action outside the EDSA Shrine. Manny Palmero, Norman Cruz, ABS-CBN grab
Yang's lawyer mocks probers amid heated inquiry
Marcos marks 68th birthday DOTr’ s Bautista sa Palasyo’ sayswith online‘Salo-salo news report‘unfounded'
BAUTISTA
By Darwin Amojelar
adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Fortun, a lawyer who often finds himself at the center high-profile cases, apparently sought to mock congressmen, calling their probe “unacceptable.” However, House members argued By Rex Espiritu they did not come by their suspicions and Vince Lopez about Yang recklessly. On Friday, Senior Deputyand Speaker STUDENTS, professors, nonAurelio Gonzales Jr. of Pampanga teaching personnel of the University of and Deputy Speaker David SuarezCity of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon Quezon presented a matrix showing Yang’s first appearance and his subsequent activities at the Quad Comm hearing. “We saw a pattern, and we tracked it to the top of these corporations... we stripped it of its layers , to get to By top Darwin G. Amojelar the and through it all, we have discovered and identified at least two PUBLIC Works Secretary Dimain actors or players in Vince the issue zon yesterday said he will meet with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) next week to discuss the possible freezing and seizure of assets of individuals found to be involved in corruption related to the agency's flood control projects
THE Philippine Navy debunked on Sunday the recent announceTRANSPORTATION Secretary Jaime ment by China that it conducted Bautista denied an online news report military exercises off Bajo de claiming that Malacañang was angry Masinloc, also known as Scarborwith the increase in airport fees without ough Shoal, in the West Philipthe approval of the Cabinet members. pine Sea (WPS). “The Bilyonaryo article is maliChina reportedly made the ancious and unfounded,” Bautista said nouncement coinciding with the in a Viber message, referring to the fourth Multilateral Maritime Cowebsite that published the said story. operative Activity between the “Bilyonaryo is inconsistent,” he added. Philippines, Australia, Japan, Bilyonaryo reported online that New and theR. United “Bautista his long-time protege in A day SALOandSALO SA PALASYO. beforeZealand, President Ferdinand States within Manila’s exclusive Philippine Undersecretary for reopened the Kalayaan Grounds for Marcos Airlines, Jr.'s 68th birthday, Malacañang the economic zone (EEZ) in the reSalo-Salo Palasyo.Bobby Along with Araneta-Marcos, the President Aviation andsa Airports Lim,First are Lady Louise gional waters over theand weekend. metcenter with supporters whoafter traveled from various parts of Metro Manila the at the of the storm it was Ilocos region to personally extend their greetings. PCO Philippine Navy Spokesperson for WPS Rear Admiral Roy VinNext page
By Charles Dantes, Ram Superable, Maricel V. Cruz, and Othel V. Campos
'Julian' strengthens
THE government has readied P1.48 MALACAÑANG has yet to reveal the billion worth of aid for communicomposition of the Independent Comties thaton may be hit hard(ICI) by typhoon mission Infrastructure that has ‘Julian’ which PAGASA says could been tasked to investigate massive corturn into supertyphoon. ruption in athe government’s flood con5:00 PM on Sunday, trolAs andofother infrastructure projects.PAGASA raised Tropical Cyclone Next page Wind Signal No. 3 over Batanes and the northeastern portion of Babuyan Islands. “’Julian’ is forecast to continue intensifying over the next 24-36 hours as it moves towards Batanes and/or Babuyan Islands. With the current trend in its intensification, the possibility of reaching super typhoon category is not ruled out,” PAGASA said in its advisory. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that a total of 1.9 million family food packs worth P1.48 billion, other food items worth P276 million, and non-food items (NFIs) worth P919 million were already prepared by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Some P171 million in standby fund is also available for utilization by the DSWD, including P123 million which can be allotted as Quick Response Fund (QRF) in the central office of the DSWD. In Batanes, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) advised residents to secure their roofs and install window shutters as Typhoon Julian is expected to make landfall
of illegal drugs and illegal activities associated with POGOs,” Suarez said in a mixture of Filipino and English. The solons explained how the matrix details Yang’s connections to other individuals involved in illicit activities, including the operations of illegal POGOs. Among the companies implicated are Brickhartz Technology Inc. and Xionwei Technology Co. Ltd., which are being linked to alleged kidnapping. NEWS / A2 The two firms supposedly have connections with the Baofu Compound in Bamban, Tarlac, which, in turn, can be directly traced to disgraced ex-mayor Alice Guo. During Friday’s Quad Comm hearing, lawmakers cited Tony Yang Dizon stressed thatto itabout is his not in contempt for “lying” enough to incarcerate those involved businesses and business partners. in anomalous flood control proj-
PH lobbies UN for Security Council seat THE Philippine government on Sunday publicly called for the United Nations (UN) to give it a seat on the UN Security Council, highlighting the country’s strong record and dedication to upholding the rule of law. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo in at the school’s Palma Hall aconverged speech delivered at the UN Genon Friday for a campus-wide Black eral Assembly in New York said the Friday protest, denouncing corruption Philippines continues to emphasize in the bureaucracy, construction the “importance of upholdingdelays, the and of sweeping cuts in the Genrule law andbudget the integrity of the eral Appropriations Act. Next page multilateral system in the face of today’s global challenges.” Quoted by reports, Manalo also said: “The Philippines has consistently pursued peace, the sovereign equality of states, the rights and dignity of all persons.” He added that the country is also ects—stolen public funds must also recognized as from the “first be recovered them.Asian ReHe noted that aside from filing Next page criminal cases and cooperating with the newly established Independent Commission on Infrastructure, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will also coordinate with the AMLC, in keeping with President Marcos’ order. Next page
Anti-corruption protests erupt on Black Friday AFP, DND reject calls to withdraw support for PBBM
Dizon eyes assets of infra scandal conspirators
Navy spokes debunks China claim of military exercises in Scarborough shoal By Rex Espiritu
PAGASA
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PROTESTS. Anti-corruption protests were held
THE legal counsel of Chinese businessman Tony Yang sought to disparage lawmakers’ conclusions Next page about his client’s supposedly sketchy past and his alleged ties with Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGOs) and even organized crime. Lawyer Raymond Fortun questioned the House Quad Committee’s impartiality and its ability to pin Chinese national Yang By Charles Dantes down for ay wrongdoing in a real PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. criminal court. on Friday celebrated a day “I his am68th verybirthday interested in earlier how they with the annual[Quad "Salo-salo sa Palasyo" at MalacaComm members] can prove ñang's Kalayaanthis grounds. criminal network in court. In The said tradition has come to symbolize Congress, lawmakers acthisasad-both ministration’s message of openness and connection prosecutor and judge,” he said. with the Filipino people. Yang, who already admitted The Palace having opened aits fake doors Philippine to supportersbirth from Metro Manila, nearby provinces, and far certificate, is the brother ofasMichael page Yang, a presidentialNexteconomic
Palace’s panel vs. corruption Gov’t readies still faceless P1.48b aid as
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Military ready to help DPWH probe projects NEWS / A7
OMB drops case ‘Overhaul not needed, House vs. Remulla; Imee stands united behind Speaker’ files appeal motion By Maricel V. Cruz
cent Trinidad told reporters that Manila troops did not monitor any such activity, adding that Beijing’s statement was meant only for its internal audience. “Our troops did not observe any exercise, we have to understand that sometimes, China is doing this for their internal audience, right? For them not to look weak and embarrassed,” JUSTICE Secretary JesusTrinidad Crispin said. Remulla yesterday said the Office Chinese warships were of Two the Ombudsman has dismissed monitored at filed a distance the complaint againstranging him by from eight to Marcos 14 nautical miles. Senator Imee in connecOne of these wentofup to 1,000 tion with the arrest former presyards the MMCA site but evenident at Rodrigo Duterte in March tually went away. was not upon orders of the “It International threatening, just(ICC). normal,” accordCriminal Court
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Former Surigao del FORMER Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Norte Rep. Ace Barbers, chief Communications Offi- Robert Ace cer of the Office Speaker, on Executive Friday Committee Barbers of SM Prime Holdings, AWARD. Hansof Sy,the Chairman of the dismissed Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco’s was honored by the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) with its Outstanding Filipino President Award his visionary leadership in retail development. call for aRetailers “total overhaul” of thefor House of (From left to right): PRA Director and Director of SM Retail Jorge T. Mendiola, PRA Representatives. Vice President and President and COO of Golden, ABC, Inc. (The Penshoppe Group) Barbers described Tiangco’s remarks T. Liu,more SM Prime Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans T. Sy, asAlice nothing thanHoldings political frustration, PRA President and Chairman of Quorum International, Inc. (Toby’s Sports) Roberto emphasizing the chamber remains firmly S. Claudio, and PRA Director and President of Sportshouse Int’l. Leisure, Inc. and united underofSpeaker Romualdez. proponent PRA OFRMartin President’s Award Mars C. Chua Next page