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Ping warns vs. destab attempt Palace: Baligod claims ‘recycled lies, lousy script’ vs. PBBM By Charles Dantes, Ram Superable and Rex Espiritu
M
ALACAÑANG on Wednesday dismissed as a “lousy script” the allegations raised by lawyer Levi Baligod and 18 former security staff of ex-Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co that they distributed some P805 billion to several officials, including about P115 million to support the ongoing investigation of the International Criminal Court VOL. XL • NO. 16 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2026
Palace Press Office Claire Castro said their accusations were “recycled lies against the President.”
“(The script) is not polished. You know there’s lying,” she said. Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said the fresh attempt to link the President to the flood control scandal also appeared to be part of destabiNext page
EDSA 40 commemorative rallies largely peaceful By Vince Lopez, Rolando Ng III, and Ram Superable THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday, Feb. 25, reported that protest actions marking the 40th anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution and the simultaneous anti-corruption rally “Trillion Peso March” remained largely peaceful and manageable.
Two protesters were arrested after allegedly throwing stones at police officers and causing a disturbance along the southbound lane of Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue leading to the EDSA Shrine which was earlier declared as a ‘no-rally’ zone. Three policemen were injured in the scuffle with rallyists. Senator Francis Pangilinan marked the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Pow-
er Revolution by urging stronger accountability in government and pushing for an end to political patronage and corruption. Senator Bam Aquino, for his part, described the EDSA revolution as an unfinished process that continues to demand accountability and public participation. Meanwhile, members of the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Next page
STATE OF THE UNION. US President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. AFP
TWO EDSAS. Two separate groups hold rallies yesterday along EDSA to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the People Power Revolution in 1986. The Yellows, at left, held fort at the People Power Monument while the militants, at right, broke through a no-rally zone to celebrate at the EDSA Shrine. Manny Palmero, Edd Castro
PBBM: Leader who understands economics best successor in ‘28 By Charles Dantes IF PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. can have his way, he wants his successor to understand economics, or at the very least listen to people who have “some training on it.” He said the country’s next leader should be someone “who understands how to create jobs, who understands how to keep the inflation rate down,
(and) who understands how to make food supply a given.” Mr. Marcos, during the ASEAN Editors and Economic Opinion Leaders Forum fireside chat Tuesday, underscored the importance of having a “like-minded” successor. “If we do not elect a like-minded president in 2028, all of (our economic gains) will just go by the wayside,” he said. Next page
MARKS & SPENCER STORES TO CLOSE AFTER 40 YEARS BUSINESS / B1
Trump trumpets ‘turnaround for House consensus seen on 2nd degree dynast ban the ages’in State of Union address By Maricel V. Cruz
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump boasted Tuesday of a “turnaround for the ages” in a State of the Union speech, seeking to reverse his dismal polls and see off mounting challenges at home and abroad ahead of crucial midterm elections. Addressing a joint session of Congress, Trump met repeated standing ovations from Republicans, while Democrats remained seated in protest—and sometimes heckled.
As US naval and air forces massed in the Middle East, Trump claimed Iran was seeking missiles able to hit US territory but said his “preference” was for a diplomatic solution. Trump began by painting an optimistic picture, declaring America was “bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before.” “Tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have
A SECOND-DEGREE civil relationship prohibition is emerging as the majority position as the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms consolidates 24 anti-political dynasty
measures into one substitute bill. This was disclosed by committee chair Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, who said the working draft is House Bill (HB) 6671 filed by Speaker Faustino G. Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander A. Marcos Jr.,
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ment under the Rules of Procedure and Evidence which mandates that a Pre-Trial Chamber must review the status of a suspect’s detention at least once every year. In a public filing released on Feb, 23, Next page
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NGCP restores power ahead of sked in Aklan
Rody waives presence in ICC review of pre-trial detention FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte has formally requested to waive his right to attend an upcoming annual hearing regarding his pre-trial detention, according to his legal defense team. The hearing, scheduled for Feb. 27, 2026, at 2:00 PM, is a require-
which has garnered 144 co-authors since it was filed last December. In a press conference, Adiong said the committee is now in the final stages of consolidating the 24 measures into a unified substitute bill that will be the
POWER ON. Workers of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines complete the restoration of power transmission services ahead of its March 2026 target to fully normalize power transmission services in parts of Aklan Province. NGCP
POWER transmission operator NGCP has completed the restoration of the Unidos-Caticlan 69-kiloVolt (kV) Line ahead of schedule, fully normalizing transmission services in parts of Aklan province. The company said it successfully energized the line at 1:31 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2026—finishing the project nearly a month before its March 2026 target. Transmission services for AKELCO’s Caticlan and Boracay substations have returned to their regular Next page