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PBBM names new DOH chief Mercado to replace Pujalte; Ho tapped as PhilHealth head
By Charles Dantes and Ram Superable
P
RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed PhilHealth President and CEO Edwin Mercado as the new secretary of the Department of Health following the resignation of Jose Pujalte Jr., Malacañang said on Monday.
Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. chief health officer Beverly Lorraine Ho will replace Mercado as PhilHealth acting president and CEO. “Secretary Pujalte voluntarily resigned because of his health Pujalte’s tenure at the DOH lasted less than four weeks, marred by a Next page
Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho Incoming PhilHealth chief
Dr. Edwin Mercado Acting DOH Secretary
Marcos weighing US request to extradite Quiboloy—Palace By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to decide on the US request to extradite detained Pastor Apollo
VOL. XL • NO. 178 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2026
Quiboloy within the next few weeks, a Palace official said Monday. At a Palace briefing, Presidential Communications Office UndersecreNext page
‘Habagat’ rains to last until Wednesday; death toll now at 15 Most Pinoys
adopt waitand-see stance in VP Sara’s trial
RAINS due to the southwest monsoon or “habagat” will continue over parts of Luzon until Wednesday, the state weather bureau said, as the death toll from the continuing inclement weather rose to 15 according to the national police, while about 1.3 million people have been affected as of Monday. Several areas in western Luzon recorded weeks’ worth of rainfall in just five days as the habagat continued to bring persistent rains on the heels of Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Assistant Secretary Laurence Mina of the Office of Civil Defense—which put the death toll at 13 as of last night— said during a Palace briefing that the casualties were caused by landslides, fallen trees, electrocution, rockslides and drowning. From 8 a.m. on Aug. 5 to 8 a.m. on Aug. 10, the PAGASA station in Baguio City recorded 1,143.2 millimeters of rain, equivalent to about 36 days’ worth of August rainfall in the city. Last week, PAGASA data showed Metro Manila stations received four days to two weeks’ worth of August rainfall between August 5 to 7, indicating extremely heavy and persistent rain. The wettest August rainfall event on record occurred in 2012, when the Science Garden in Quezon City logged 391.4 mm in a single day — the highest August daily rainfall in PAGASA’s 1961–2025 dataset. This extreme habagat episode, enhanced by Typhoon Gener (Saola), drenched Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, producing one of the heaviest five‑day rainfall accumulations – and catastrophic flooding
By Maricel V. Cruz MOST Filipino adults (55 percent) want to see the evidence presented during the impeachment trial before deciding whether Vice President Sara Duterte should be acquitted or convicted, according to a survey by the OCTA Research group. Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Janette Garin of Iloilo warned of what she described as a “coordinated, systematic, well-funded” online campaign targeting prosecutors, spokespersons and other figures involved in the Vice President’s impeachment trial. The latest Tugon ng Masa (TNM) poll showed that 21 percent of Filipinos prefer that the Senate vote to acquit Duterte and clear her of the charges, while 17 percent favor conviction and removal from office, and seven percent have no opinion or are undecided. Across major regions, the evidence-first stance was strongest in Balance Luzon Next page
LOWER FUEL PRICES TODAY NEWS / A2
DBM SUBMITS 2027 BUDGET
Next page
LANDSLIDE. Rescuers continue
NEWS / A2
to dig in yesterday to recover six people still buried in the landslide on Sunday night in barangay Guisad Surong in Baguio City. Ten persons have been recovered as of press time, two of them alive and eight dead. Conrad Rotor
EALA’S RUN ENDS IN TORONTO
Lawyer flags ‘double standard’ in using Maleta Boys testimonies PUBLIC interest lawyer and human rights advocate lawyer Antonio Bucoy has questioned alleged “double standards” in assessing the testimonies of the so-called “Maleta Boys” in the investigation involving former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Meanwhile, another lawyer assailed the government’s “selective use” of testimony from witnesses whose credibility is being challenged in connection with the flood control investigation, saying evidence being questioned as
false cannot be used against specific individuals while others implicated by the same testimony are cleared. Speaking on radio dzRH, lawyer Judd Roy cited the Department of Justice’s plan to file perjury and cy-
Senior US War officials see PH as ‘model ally’ PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday welcomed senior United States defense officials to Malacañang as Manila and Washington continued efforts to strengthen their longstanding defense partnership and promote a more credible regional deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. Mr. Marcos received US Undersecretary of Defense Next page
MODEL ALLY. President Ferdinand R. Marcos
Jr. engages US Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby during a courtesy call yesterday at Malacañan Palace. PCO
ber libel charges against the so-called “Maleta Boys” who signed a joint affidavit alleging that more than 20 people were involved in the alleged delivery of large amounts of money, Next page
SPORTS / A8
ANG BUYS STAKE IN LOPEZ INC. BUSINESS / B1
Manila Standard online editor bags two climate fellowships Manila Standard deputy online editor Ratziel San Juan.
MANILA Standard’s deputy online editor Ratziel San Juan was selected for two separate environment-themed media fellowships to produce stories on extreme heat and climate finance in the Philippines. Oxfam Pilipinas recently announced San Juan as one of its six individual fellows from different media organizations as part of the Patas na Bukas media fellowships. Next page