LTFRB okays subsidy for modern jeepneys
FESTIVE LIGHTS.
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VOL. XXXIX • NO. 281 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES NOVEMBER 23, 2025
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NEWS / A3
DOH pushes for total ban on vape products
Stunning parols and holiday displays adorn Ayala Ave. The design and colors of the displays were inspired by the ‘sarimanok’ (a symbol of prosperity) and ‘anahaw’ (a symbol of resilience) in a reinterpretation of Filipino heritage. Boy Bautista
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NEWS / A2
227 pupils, teachers kidnapped in Nigeria WORLD / A4
Cassandra Ong last traced in Japan – PAOCC By Charles Dantes CASSANDRA Li Ong’s last confirmed location was in Japan early this year, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on Saturday said. PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said Ong was last traced to Japan during the first quarter of the year, shortly before a warrant for her arrest was issued. “That was the last update we got – Japan. After that, we have no idea where she went,” Casio said. Casio said investigators now have to “backtrack everything” related to Ong’s movements, with no confirmed information on her whereabouts since her last recorded departure. Ong has an active warrant of arrest for qualified human trafficking issued by the Pampanga Regional Trial Court in May. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian earlier disclosed that Ong was released during the transition from the 19th Congress to the 20th Congress while in detention at the House of Representatives and is now at large. Ong is facing qualified human trafficking charges tied to the operations of Lucky South 99 Outsourcing, Inc., a POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga where authorities previously rescued workers alleging torture, forced labor, and illegal detention. Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros urged authorities to cancel Ong’s passport as soon as possible. “Cassie Ong should not be allowed to go scot-free. She has a human trafficking case, not a minor traffic violation which can be shrugged off,” she said. “Aside from an Interpol red notice, the government should also cancel the passport of Cassie Ong and her conspirators,” Hontiveros added.
Church leaders junk push for junta, rev gov’t PNP: Ready for rallies; Lacson: Stay angry, but not violent By Rex Espiritu and Joel Zurbano
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HURCH leaders have opposed calls to install a military junta or revolutionary government amid the protest actions to denounce corruption in flood control projects. The Catholic Church will lead today’s (Nov. 23, 2025) nationwide protest that coincides with the 100th-year commemoration of the Feast of Christ the King and is part of the build-up toward the Nov. 30 Trillion Peso March Movement at the People Power Monument. “Some want to twist our anger into chaos. We won’t let them,” said Msgr. Manny Gabriel of the Clergy for Good Governance. “No extra-constitutional means,
no to a revolutionary government, no to a military junta, no to selective justice. Yes to prosecuting all the guilty forthwith. We choose truth over spectacle, institutions over personalities,” he added. Fr. Robert Reyes, convener of the Clergy for Good Governance, said priests have been mandated to celebrate Masses in honor of Christ the King, integrating current societal and political issues into the theme. The gathering will take place at
the EDSA Shrine, beginning with a short procession at 2 p.m., followed by a mass led by Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David at 4 p.m. “Aside from expressing anger and hatred in the streets, it should be coupled with prayers,” John Castriciones of the Catholic Advocates for a Responsible Electorate (CARE) said. Senator Panfilo Lacson, for his part, said public anger over irregular government contracts “should not lessen” but also cautioned protesters against resorting to violence. “I don’t want public outrage to lessen, so long as people remain non-violent. If public anger diminishes, the government might slacken their efforts,” he said in a
Tracker teams deployed to arrest Co, 17 others over flood infra mess By Rex Espiritu TRACKER teams have been dispatched to enforce the arrest warrants issued by the Sandiganbayan against resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co and 17 others in connection with a questionable P289 million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said. “We have tracker teams in place for all of them. As we speak, the teams are going to all those involved, all their homes, all their known addresses,” Remulla said in a mix of English and Filipino during a radio interview. “We are always one step ahead. We anticipate
By Vito Barcelo
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STILL MISSING. Taguig City Police personnel attempt to serve the warrant of arrest against former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co in his condo in Taguig City on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. The property’s duty manager said Co was not at the unit, which has been sealed for almost a month. Taguig City Police Station FAREWELL.
The late chief presidential legal counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, who died of pneumonia on Nov. 13 at the age of 101, is laid to rest at the Libingan Ng mga Bayani on Saturday, Nov. 22 2025. Norman Cruz
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Pope Leo names new San Jose de N. Ecija bishop
what’s ahead... We have had tracker teams (ready) since Tuesday,” he added. The DILG chief said they will have to review video surveillance on Co’s office, as well as his known residences, to check if he is anywhere in the Philippines. “Otherwise, the court will have to apply for a red notice (with Interpol) and cancellation of passport,” Remulla said. The Taguig City Police on Saturday attempted to serve the arrest warrant at Co’s condominium unit in Bonifacio Global City. The resigned lawmaker, however, was not in the condo.
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radio interview. “No matter how long it takes, (we need to) get to the bottom (of the irregularities) to achieve the logical conclusion,” Lacson added. He noted that the release of the arrest warrants against resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co and 17 others in connection with a questionable P289 million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro should cause some critics to “eat their words” that Co is “untouchable.” As this developed, the National Capital Region Police Office said it will implement extensive security measures for the 2nd Trillion Peso March scheduled on Nov. 30, aiming to ensure public safety and maintain order throughout the event.
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POPE Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Samuel Agcaracar of the Societas Verbi Divini (SVD) as the new bishop of the Diocese of San Jose in Nueva Ecija, ending nearly eight months of sede vacante for the northern Nueva Ecija diocese. Agcaracar, 55, succeeds Bishop Roberto Mallari, who was installed earlier this year as the bishop of the Diocese of Tarlac. The bishop-elect currently serves as rector of the Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay City and as provincial admonitor of the SVD Philippine Central Province. Born in Claveria, Cagayan to a family of farmers, Agcaracar began his vocation in education, working as a teacher while volunteering as a catechist at St. Joseph Parish. Turn to A4
JPE laid to rest at Libingan ng mga Bayani By Rex Espiritu FORMER Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile was laid to rest on Saturday at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) in Taguig City where he was accorded full military honors in recognition of his long service in government. A solemn funeral Mass, attended by
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family members, colleagues, and friends, was held at the Santuario de San Antonio Church in Makati City before the burial. Uniformed personnel stood in formation outside the church as the flag-draped casket was carried out. Enrile received full military honors led by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. Turn to A4
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