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IN MET R MANILAO
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 309 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES DECEMBER 21, 2025
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CELEBRATION! Poy Erram, (right) a member of the Gilas
Pilipinas, celebrates after clinching the gold medal against host Thailand in a thrilling final in the Southeast Asian Games basketball competition. The Philippines finished its SEAG journey in sixth place with 50 gold medals, 73 silver and 153 bronze. (Top deck, from left): EJ Obiena and Elijah Cole (pole vault); the women’s 4x100M relay team, composed of Kayla Sanchez, Heather White, Cloe Isleta, and Xiandi Chua; Eumir Marcial (boxing) and Alex Eala (tennis). POC
Autopsy shows no foul play in Cabral’s death Remulla: Ex-DPWH exec’s phone to undergo forensic analysis LAST KNOWN PHOTO.
By Rex Espiritu and Vince Lopez
A selfie taken by driver Cardo Hernandez showed former DPWH Usec. Maria Catalina Cabral sitting on a concrete barrier along Kennon Road around 8 a.m. Thursday, hours before she was found dead in a ravine. Facebook page of Jesus Falcis
NITIAL autopsy results indicate that former Public Works undersecretary Maria Catalina “Cathy” Cabral died from blunt force trauma from her fall, with no signs of foul play, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Saturday said.
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“The initial reports show that with all certainty that she died of blunt force trauma. So, what we saw fractured were the right side of her face, behind her head, with her ribs entering her internal organs, and her feet were broken,” Remulla said in a mix of English and Filipino. “We didn’t see signs of struggle in the car, no
skin cells were seen underneath the fingernails, and no gunshot wounds were seen so far…So far, no signs of foul play,” he added. The Interior Secretary also confirmed that the selfie circulating on social media showing Cabral was taken from the cellphone of her driver, Cardo Hernandez. Turn on A4
Secure Cabral’s list of flood infra proponents—Ridon THE government should move to secure the list of flood control project proponents of former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said. “We should be able to retrieve it,” Ridon said in a press forum yesterday. He said the probe into questionable flood control projects should not end with Cabral’s death. Ridon also called on Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste to make public a list that the former claimed was given to him by Cabral as early as September. “My question to him (Leviste) is —It has been several months since the supposed document had been provided to him. Why has he not disclosed it up until today?” Ridon said. He said the list supposedly details who are involved in corruption and kickbacks from flood control projects. “This cane from Rep. Leviste. The challenge to him is basically disclose that list if he actually wants to honor the memory of former Usec. Cabral,” Ridon said. Leviste, in a Facebook post, said the “list of all the proponents of DPWH insertions” is contained in Cabral’s computer.
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Successful SEAG run: Key victories and breakthroughs By Riera U. Mallari BANGKOK—Team Philippines wrapped up its campaign in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games with 50 gold, 73 silver and 153 bronze medals for a total of 276 podium finishes, settling for sixth place overall—one rung below its pre-Games’ target, but a performance that top sports officials still deemed a success. The gold-medal tally fell short of the 58 golds and fifth-place finish achieved in the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia and was well below the record 149-gold haul when the Philippines hosted the Games in 2019. Still, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Patrick Gregorio stressed that the results went beyond medal counts, pointing to breakthroughs, defended titles and key victories against the host nation. “Very successful para sa amin. We broke many records, we defended, we beat their games—’yun ang importante,” said Tolentino. “We beat their games (football). We defended our games (basketball). Ganoon lang kasimple.” Turn on A4
Drug war victims want ICC to start Rody trial ASAP By Pot Chavez
FESTIVE WELCOME. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. greets returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families during the ‘Tara sa Palasyo’ Christmas festivities at the Palace’s Kalayaan Grounds Friday evening. PBBM Facebook page
Bondi shooter visited gun shop during PH stay—police ONE of the two alleged Bondi Beach shooters visited a gun store during their stay in the Philippines, police said on Saturday as they attempted to retrace the pair’s movements. An Australian counter-terrorism
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team is investigating whether Sajid Akram and his son Naveed met with Islamist extremists during a nearly month-long visit to Mindanao before the mass shooting that killed 15 people in Sydney last week.
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The staff of Davao City’s GV Hotel told Agence France Presse this week that the two men had stayed holed up in their small room for most of their 28-day stay, leaving only briefly each morning. Turn on A4
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THE victims of the past administration’s deadly war on drugs expressed hope the International Criminal Court Pre-Trial Chamber will consider former President Rodrigo Duterte fit to stand trial and begin proceedings immediately. In an interview with Manila Standard, ICC-accredited lawyer Gilbert Andres expressed confidence the Chamber will find Duterte fit to participate in the pre-trial proceedings. “The victims of the war on drugs considered a positive development that the public redacted versions of observations by parties and participants point to the Expert Panel considering Mr. Duterte competent for the purpose of the pre-trial proceedings,” he said. Andres, who is also the Executive Director of Center for International Law (CenterLaw), added: “We really Turn on A4
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