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PH PUSHES BACK ON CHINA RHETORIC, THREATS OVER WPS By Katrina Manubay, Maricel Cruz, Rex Espiritu and Vince Lopez
THE Philippines on Wednesday pushed back against threatening Chinese rhetoric over local officials’ actions asserting the country’s rights and sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea (WPS). Tensions between the countries over the vital waterway sharpened this week as Beijing warned against what it described as
“smears” by Philippine officials. This prompted pushback from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), lawmakers, political groups led by the Liberal Party, and renewed assertions of Manila’s commitment to defending its maritime rights under international law. In a statement, the DFA expressed its support for officials and institutions “that are lawfully defending Philippine sovereignty” in the WPS. Next page
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 341 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2026
Remulla: Co sending ‘feelers’ Ex-solon telling priests, friends he wants Ombudsman dialogue
Lacson:‘Minority report’ on flood control belongs in the trash bin
By Vince Lopez, Ram Superable and Pot Chavez
F
ORMER congressman Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co has sent “feelers” seeking a possible dialogue with the Ombudsman through intermediaries, including priests known to him, regarding his involvement in anomalous flood control projects, Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla said Tuesday. This developed as government officials and lawmakers tightened pressure on Co as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the Senate signaled tougher actions amid their ongoing investigations. DILG chief Remulla, whose brother Jesus Crispin Remulla is the Next page
By Ram Superable, Pot Chavez and Joel E. Zurbano SENATE President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday said the socalled “minority report” on the alleged flood control scandal presented by Senators Imee Marcos and Rodante Marcoleta belonged in the trash because it carried no weight under Senate rules. “There is no other place for that ‘minority report’ but the trash bin. How Next page
HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENT. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. takes a selfie with Filipino athletes who competed in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, praising their discipline and resilience as the Philippines finished sixth overall and recorded its highest medal haul in recent editions of the regional meet. ‘It is always an honor and a joy to be surrounded by highachieving athletes like we have today. You are a shining example of what can be done with discipline, with commitment, with passion, with sacrifice,’ Mr. Marcos said. The Philippines collected a total of 277 medals, surpassing its medal output in the 2023 and 2021 SEA Games. PCO
NEWS / A4
Plunder, graft complaints filed vs. VP Sara before Ombudsman FORMER senator Antonio Trillanes IV and civil society group The Silent Majority on Wednesday filed plunder, malversation, and graft complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte over the alleged misuse of billions of
pesos in public funds. The complaints, filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, cover Duterte’s actions from her time as vice mayor and later mayor of Davao City up to her terms as vice president and secretary of education.
“This is about accountability,” Trillanes told reporters after filing the complaints, adding that the Vice President should not evade scrutiny over her repeated refusal to explain how her office spent public funds, particularly
PLUNDER CHARGES. Former Senator Sonny Trillanes and members of the civil society organization The Silent Majority file plunder and graft charges against Vice President Sara Duterte before the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday, January 21, 2026. Manny Palmero
SOLON FILES LIBEL CASE VS. BARZAGA
confidential allocations. The complaints allege, among others, the plunder and malversation of at least P650 million in confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the
WB, AMRO CUT PH GROWTH FORECAST BUSINESS / B1
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Bato resurfaces on social media: ‘Alive, well, and seeking justice’ By Ram Superable SENATOR Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who has been absent from public view including Senate sessions since last November amid reports of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him, resurfaced on social media Wednesday with a message marking his 64th birthday. “Here I am, alive and well, gratefully celebrating 64 years of this God-given life. I am waiting. Waiting, for a true seeking for justice to emerge and take
over. Not this threat of fake and foreign meddling, from those who do not and can never know us or be us,” he said. Early on, the Department of Justice (DOJ) denied a request of Dela Rosa’s camp for information about the purported arrest warrant issued by the ICC against him. Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla has said Dela Rosa was last known to be in his home province of Davao, stressing there was no ICC warrant against him. Next page
Political clout of billionaires weakens PH—Oxfam By Jimbo Gulle BILLIONAIRES are now 4,000 times more likely to hold political office than ordinary citizens, a concentration of power that is hollowing out democracies and fueling corruption and public anger, including in the Philippines, according to
a new report released by Oxfam. The report, “Resisting the Rule of the Rich: Protecting Freedom from Billionaire Power,” was published as global leaders and corporate elites convened at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week. Oxfam warned that the growing po-
litical influence of the ultra-wealthy is weakening public institutions, undermining democratic accountability, and worsening inequality worldwide. It said the Philippines remains the 15th most unequal country globally and among the most unequal in SouthNext page
Over 400 offshore quakes in S. Kudarat in 3 days OVER 400 weak to moderate earthquakes were recorded around Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat, from 10:52 p.m. Jan. 19 to 1 p.m. Wednesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said. At least 135 of these, with magnitudes ranging from 1.5
to 5.2, were plotted or located. Phivolcs said 20 of the earthquakes were felt. The agency, in an advisory, urged the public to be prepared and do the “duck/drop, cover and hold.” Next page
EARTHQUAKE PLOT. Map shows the epicenters of plotted earthquakes from 10:52 p.m. on January 19, 2026, to 1:00 p.m. on January 21, 2026 in the offshore area of Sultan Kudarat. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology