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PBBM: Rumors of my death are highly exaggerated ‘WAG MASYADONG EXCITED.’ President Ferdinand
Marcos Jr. addresses rumors surrounding his health, saying his condition is not life-threatening.
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday said he is recovering from diverticulitis and assured the public that his condition is not life-threatening. “I’m fine. I’m feeling very, very different from the way I was feeling before.
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 342 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2026 •
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Palace open to talk to Co, stresses ‘truth’
Jonvic heading to Portugal to verify info on ex-lawmaker
By Charles Dantes
M
ALACAÑANG on Thursday said it is open to dialogue and possible cooperation with resigned lawmaker Zaldy Co, but stressed the administration’s priority is to establish the truth and ensure accountability in alleged anomalies involving government flood control projects.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the government would welcome information that could clarify the cases against Co, provided it contributes to uncovering the facts and help identify those responsible for the multibillion-peso scams the ex-congressmen has been implicated in. “Ang nais lamang ng Pangulo ay lumabas ang katoto-
hanan at kung sinuman ang maaaring responsable sa mga maanomalyang flood control projects, sila ay maimbestigahan at managot,” Castro said during a Palace briefing. (The President only desires for the truth to come out and for anyone who may be responsible for the anomalous flood control projects to be investigated and held accountable.) Next page
Online failures force DepEd to extend NCAE By Rolando Ng III and Jimbo Gulle WIDESPREAD system malfunctions have forced the Department of Education (DepEd) to extend the conduct of the Computer-Based National Career Assessment Examination (CB-NCAE) by another month, to the end of February, as teachers and students alike called for its suspension. The errors raised concerns about the DepEd’s readiness to implement nationwide simultaneous online activities on its platforms. The NCAE, which used to be a penand-paper exam, is the standardized aptitude test administered to Filipino high school students for both public Next page and private schools.
2 more impeach raps vs. Marcos filed with House By Maricel Cruz and Charles Dantes CIVIL society groups and opposition figures on Thursday filed -- or attempted to file – two more impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., accusing him of corruption, betrayal of public trust, and constitutional violations linked largely to alleged anomalous flood control projects and budget insertions. Members of civil society, backed by the Makabayan bloc in Congress, accused Marcos of “systematically bilking taxpayers” through so-called ghost flood control projects. In their filing on Thursday morning, the group alleged that more than ₱545.6 billion was siphoned to favored allies and contractors and used as a “private war chest” for the 2025 midterm elections.
NEW CASE. Makabayan lawmakers Sara Elago, Antonio Tinio and Louise Co and Bayan leader Renato Reyes hold copies of an impeachment complaint
against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after submitting the documents to the Office of the Secretary-General in the House of Representatives in Quezon City.
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Journalist convicted on terror charge rights groups called ‘absurd’ By Rex Espiritu A REGIONAL Trial Court (RTC) in Tacloban City on Thursday convicted journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and lay worker Marielle Domequil in their terrorism financing case, but acquitted them of charges related to illegal possession of firearms and explosives. Cumpio, 26, is the first Filipina journalist to be prosecuted under the terror financing laws, which defense lawyer Julianne Agpalo
said have become the government's "weapon of choice" for silencing dissent. Cumpio and her former roommate, Domequil, broke down in tears and hugged each other as the guilty verdict was read and they were sentenced to up to 18 years in prison by judge Georgina Uy Perez of the Tacloban regional court. The duo, who were both acquitted on a lesser weapons charge, will be eligible for parole in about 12 and a half years. Next page
THE FIGHT GOES ON. Frenchie Mae Cumpio (right), a detained Filipino journalist, and her former roommate Marielle
Domequil (left)—both wearing yellow shirts—arrive at Tacloban Regional Trial Court in Leyte on Thursday, January 22, 2026, to attend the promulgation of their court cases. Cumpio was found guilty of terror financing in a case rights groups and a UN expert labeled a ‘travesty of justice.’ AFP
Ang likely fled to Thailand or Cambodia—DILG By Vince Lopez and Pot Chavez INTERIOR and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla on
Thursday said authorities are verifying reports that gaming tycoon and fugitive Charlie “Atong” Ang may have already left the country and could be staying in Thailand or Cambodia.
In a phone interview, Remulla said initial information suggests Ang may have set up an online sabong network along the Cambodia-Thailand border. He said the information has not yet Next page
DUCK, COVER, HOLD. Students of the University of Santo Tomas participate in an earthquake simulation at the Quadricentennial Park on Thursday, January 22, 2026, to raise awareness and preparedness for a possible Intensity 8 earthquake. Norman Cruz