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Discayas stop helping ICI; More put under ILBO THE Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) yesterday announced that the Discaya couple, Pacifico and Cezarah, will no longer cooperate with the fact-finding body. The couple attended the ICI session
Senate, House okay livestream of bicam–PBBM By Charles Dantes and Maricel V. Cruz VOL. XXXIX • NO. 240 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2025 •
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PBBM, to open HeadingCabinet heading SALNs to heading public access heading head Congress leaders back Ombudsman order for transparency By Charles Dantes, Ram Superable and Maricel Cruz
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has persuaded leaders of both chambers of Congress to allow the livestreaming of the next bicameral conference committee (Bicam) deliberations in a move aimed at promoting greater transparency in the budgeting process.
Speaker Dy assures safeguards for UAs NEWS / A2 The chief executive yesterday said that both Senate President Tito Sotto and the House Speaker Bojie Dy have agreed to broadcast the sessions in full, eliminating opportunities for hush-hush Next page
TRANSPARENCY CALL. Students of Mapúa
University walked out of their classes yesterday to protest wholesale corruption in public infrastructure projects. Photo shows a student carrying a placard calling for a lifestyle check for all public officials. Danny Pata
P
RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he will make his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth accessible to the public as he urged his Cabinet to follow his lead. The leadership of both the House of Representatives and the Senate also expressed support for the order of Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla restoring full public access to the SALNs. Mr. Marcos said he supports a return to the “old rules” that allowed the public and media easier access to SALNs before restrictions were imposed during the Duterte administration. “We’ll follow the old rules. These old rules were suspended in the last administration. I was quite surprised to find out when I first came into office that it was almost impossible to get a copy of the SALN. We’re just going back to the old procedure,” he said in a press briefing Wednesday. “My SALN will be available to whoever would like to begin… If the ICI asks me, of course I will give it. If the Ombudsman asks, we will provide it,” the President said. Asked if he would encourage his Cabinet to do the same, Mr. Marcos replied, “Yes, of course.” Under the Constitution and Republic Act 6713, all public officials are required to file annual SALNs, but a 2020 memorandum of former Ombudsman Samuel Next page
Marcos confident corruption probe will clear his own administration By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. yesterday expressed confidence that the ongoing investigations into alleged corruption in the government infrastructure projects will clear his administration of wrongdoing. "I am confident that whatever mud
might be slung at the administration, we will be able to show that these are politically motivated and do not actually have any validation in fact," President Marcos said in a press conference in Malacañang. The President accused his critics of attempting to weaponize corruption claims to destabilize his leadership. Next page
WASH AND MASK. Masked students of Marikina Elementary School join the ceremonial ‘Global Handwashing Day’ activity yesterday at the school's existing SafeWash facility. The event took place a day after the public schools were closed for two days in Metro Manila for health and hygiene reasons. Manny Palmero
VP Sara agrees Khan had ‘conflict of interest’ VICE President Sara Duterte believes there is a conflict of interest on the part of International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan which led to his disqualification from the tri-
al of the crimes against humanity filed against her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte. “I have not read the papers to know the contents of the decision to dis-
qualify (Khan), but my understanding was he really had conflict of interest because he previously represented the alleged or supposed witnesses,” the Next page
Apl.de.ap launches Seven in 10 Pinoys believe corrupt will be punished—survey 100 million coconut By Katrina Manubay and Charles Dantes SEVEN in 10 Filipinos (71 percent) believe that government officials involved in the irregularities in flood control projects will be held accountable, according to latest Pulse Asia survey.
Meanwhile, Malacañang on Wednesday defended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s performance amid slight declines in recent trust ratings, saying the public is increasingly aware of his efforts to fight corruption and uplift living conditions despite ongoing national challenges. Next page
trees campaign
BLACK Eyed Peas member Apl. de.ap found a new stage in the fields of Laguna as he kicked off his ambitious plan to plant 100 million coconut trees across the Philippines. The Filipino-American rapper Next page
PLANTING COCONUTS. Black Eyed Peas member Apl.de.ap found a new stage in the fields of Laguna as he kicked off his ambitious plan to plant 100 million coconut trees across the Philippines. The Filipino-American rapper and producer launched the project in Liliw, Laguna, on October 14, aiming to make farming both sustainable and community-driven.