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COA flags discrepancies in OVP 2022 confi funds use, liquidation By Maricel Cruz, Ram Superable and Katrina Manubay
VOL. XL • NO. 171 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2026
HISTORIC WIN
THE Commission on Audit flagged several discrepancies in the utilization of confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) as well as in the liquidation documents it submitted. COA auditor Roderick Wamil, in his testimony before the Senate Im-
Eala stuns Pegula, bags DC Open crown By Jeremiah Sevilla
A
LEXANDRA “Alex” Eala etched another historic feat by clinching her first WTA Tourlevel title.
The Filipina tennis star dismantled American top seed Jessica Pegula in the decider for a resounding 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory in the 2026 Mubadala DC Open final at the FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington, D.C., United States early Tuesday (Philippine time). “To all my supporters, thank you guys. Especially the Filipino community, here in DC and back home, wherever you are in the world. I really feel all the love,” Eala said in an interview after bagging the DC Open crown. “Standing here in the middle of all this love -- my first chance at a title, knowing it won’t be my last -- already having achieved this feat and this milestone for my career, I knew that whatever would’ve happened after this match, it would’ve already been a win for me,” she added. Pegula described Eala as an “amazing player.” “Just to see how far you’ve come over the last couple years when we first played, to see the amazing fans that follow you every place you go...I think it’s amazing,” Pegula said. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. lead the nation in congratulating Eala for her historic feat. “The Philippines now has its first WTA 500 champion. Congratulations on yet another historic achievement. You continue to redefine what is possible for Philippine tennis and inspire countless young Filipinos to dream without limits,” the President said. Coming off a one-set deficit before the postponement of the match due to inclement weather, Eala showed grit to force a third set then came out with guns ablaze in the winner-take-all frame to reign supreme in the WTA 500 tournament. Already a two-time WTA Challenger winner,
By Rex Espiritu and Maricel V. Cruz THE Sandiganbayan Second Division on Monday denied, for lack of merit, a motion seeking to remove former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan as a co-accused in the graft case arising from the alleged flood control anomalies. This comes as Ombudsman Boying Remulla said investigators remain dissatisfied with Bonoan’s disclosures and are evaluating whether to proceed with the motion to discharge him. “We’re studying that because I already gave instructions. I want him to be forthcoming about everything and provide complete information. He shouldn’t hold back any information, especially regarding restitution. It has to be clear, and we’re evaluating it now,” he said in a radio program last Friday. The Ombudsman warned the former Department of Public Works and Highways chief that he would face trial alongside former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and the other respondents if he failed to fully cooperate. “I told him that if the value of his testimony is half-baked, we’d rather not use it and just proceed with the case against him,” Remulla said. He added that Bonoan, a co-respondent in the case against Estrada, has yet to adeNext page
‘Bonoan being muzzled to link former Speaker’
WINNING MOMENT. Alex Eala kisses her
DC Open trophy after beating world no. 3 Jessica Pegula. Eala is the first Filipina to win a WTA Tour title. Mubadala DC Open
DOLE to ask OSG ‘Probe OMB for insinuating Sandigan corruption’ to seek lifting of TRO on wage hike FORMER Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) president and law dean Judd Roy called for Ombudsman Boying Remulla’s investigation
By Vito Barcelo THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will send its lawyers to assist the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) in defending the government and seeking to lift the temporary restraining order (TRO) that has halted the implementation of the minimum wage increase in the National Capital Region (NCR). Meanwhile, organized labor including the Partido Manggagawa (PM) is poised to file a motion for intervention before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court to oppose the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued against the implementation of the ₱85- minimum wage increase in Metro Manila. Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino issued the statement on Monday after meeting with workers who staged a rally outside the DOLE central office in Intramuros, Manila to express concern over the suspension of the wage hike. Tolentino said DOLE remains comNext page
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Bonoan stays as co-accused, may be dropped as state witness
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By Charles Dantes and Maricel Cruz
peachment Court, noted the OVP’s non-compliance with liquidation report regulations, in particular Joint Circular 2015-01 that provides for the guidelines on the entitlement, release, use, reporting and audit of confidential/intelligence funds. “The OVP was not compliant with the Joint Circular. The OVP did not indicate
for insinuating corruption on the part of justices who granted former senator Bong Revilla. Revilla is facing a malversation case in connection with a P92.8-million non-existent flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.
“So, dapat maging maingat na maingat tayo dito sa mga pinapakita niyang si Ombudsman. Yang sinasabing tinatrabaho, paratang ‘yan ah. It’s an accusation of corruption,” Roy said in an interview Monday over raNext page
Honey trap plot vs. ES Recto ‘abhorrent’ By Charles Dantes and Pot Chavez
ANTI-TRO PROTEST. Members of Partido Manggagawa (PM) stage a rally before filing a motion to intervene before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court against the temporary restraining order blocking the implementation of the P85 minimum wage increase in the National Capital Region. PM Facebook page
MALACAÑANG on Monday condemned an alleged plot to carry out a “sexual and character assassination” against Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, saying those responsible should be held accountable if claims by supposed witnesses are proven true. Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the alleged scheme, described as an effort to embroil Recto in a fabricated Next page
FORMER Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan is apparently being pressured to produce evidence linking former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez to the alleged flood control scam, a lawyer and spokesman for the former House leader said Monday. Lawyer Ade Fajardo told dzRH’s Magandang Umaga Pilipinas that Bonoan could not present any proof because no such evidence exists. He said the former DPWH chief would be placed in a difficult position if he were compelled to produce evidence against Romualdez. “Former Secretary Bonoan most likely has nothing to say because there is nothing to present. It would be unfair to place him in a difficult situation by forcing him to say things that he cannot truthfully say,” Fajardo said. “The situation of Congressman Romualdez shows that there appears to be an effort to force the production of evidence or proof that, in reality, does not exist,” he added. There have been reports that the Office of the Ombudsman is considering Bonoan as a state witness in its investigation into the alleged trillion-peso flood control scam. In the same interview, Fajardo said the Next page
PRO-CHINA OFFICIALS MUST RESIGN—GIBO NEWS / A2