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2 dead in Zambo school shooting High school student kills schoolmate before taking own life
By Gabriel Oliva, Vince Lopez, Charles Dantes, Maricel Cruz, Ram Superable and Joel Zurbano
A
HIGH school student livestreamed himself shooting another schoolmate dead before taking his own life at a high school in Zamboanga City on Tuesday, authorities said.
VOL. XL • NO. 186 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026
• PBBM orders agencies: Conduct thorough probe • DILG: Security needed for private schools too
The school shooting, the country’s second in as many months, took place at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, a Catholic private institution in western Mindanao. “What we know so far is that (the shooter) went to the classroom of our Next page
UNSAFE ZONE. Police gather
at Ateneo de Zamboanga University following a shooting at the school in Zamboanga on August 18, 2026. Inset shows one of the guns used by the shooter. AFP/ PNP Zamboanga
Gov’t focuses on safety, swift response amid ‘habagat’rains, flooding Impeach court ready to rule on socmed posts PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered government agencies to prioritize the safety of residents and ensure swift assistance to communities affected by widespread flooding as heavy rains continued to batter Metro
Manila and other parts of the country. Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said Mr. Marcos had directed a coordinated, whole-of-government response as the southwest monsoon, or Habagat, and
successive weather disturbances continued to disrupt communities. The Office of Civil Defense has mobilized response agencies and search-and-rescue teams, while relief, clearing and medical operations continue in flood-hit areas.
Free rides have also been ordered in Metro Manila to assist stranded commuters. The government is monitoring health risks associated with prolonged flooding, including leptospirosis. Castro Next page
Palace extends alternative work, learning setups in NCR, 17 provinces By Charles Dantes MALACAÑANG ordered government offices in Metro Manila and 17 provinces to adopt alternative work arrangements on Wednesday, Aug. 19, as these areas continue to deal with heavy rains from the enhanced southwest monsoon or ‘habagat.’ The directive was issued through Memorandum Circular No. 129, signed Tuesday by Acting Executive Secretary Ralph Recto.
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RELIEF GIVERS. Social workers use an improvised banca to deliver food packs and other relief goods to a
By Ram Superable, Maricel V. Cruz SENATE Impeachment Court spokesperson Reginald Tongol confirmed to Manila Standard yesterday that presiding officer Francis Escudero will announce the prepared ruling on the defense panel’s manifestation during the resumption of trial proceedings. According to Tongol, Escudero has already evaluated the context, content and timing of a social media post by private prosecutor Amando Virgil Ligutan regarding court procedures. Ligutan will be given 30 minutes during the next open session to present his side before Escudero finalizes the decree covering Rule 18. “If Atty. Ligutan’s statement on the open floor of the impeachment Next page
flooded community in Pangasinan. PCO
Ombudsman suspends Mendoza, OMB flags Sen. Guadiz over Stradcom IT system Loren, son’s extended leaves ‘suspicious’ By Rex Espiritu and Rio Araja
OMBUDSMAN Jesus Crispin Remulla has ordered the preventive suspension of former Land Transportation Office (LTO) chiefs Vigor Mendoza II and Teofilo Guadiz III over the continued use of the STRADCOM-operated LTO information technology system, which resulted in an additional P13.3 billion
in computer fees for the government. Mendoza, now chairman of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and Guadiz, currently chairperson of the Office of Transportation Cooperatives, were placed under preventive suspension without pay for six months or until the resolution of the administrative case against them. Next page
THE Office of the Ombudsman has flagged the two-month travel authority obtained by Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste and the extended medical leave of his mother, Senator Loren Legarda, as “suspicious” amid its ongoing investigation into alleged undelivered solar power resources. “We were able to obtain a travel authority wherein he asked for two Next page
‘BULAKBOL.’ Sen. Robin Padilla’s FB post earned him bad reviews online, with some
netizens likening to an act of ‘bulakbol.’ The post read: ‘Dito lang kami ng birthday boy na si Senator Mark Villar, kasama ang ‘bisyo ay magserbisyo’ na si Senator Bong Go sa Senate lounge, nakikinig sa trial.’ Robin Padilla FB
NBI: False testimony may lead to obstruction case By Rex Espiritu
Teofilo Guadiz III
Vigor Mendoza
PERSONS who might have encouraged former bodyguards of fugitive lawmaker Zaldy Co to give false tes-
timonies on the flood control scandal could face additional criminal charges if an investigation confirms the allegations, according to National Bureau of Investigation director Melvin Matibag.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano also said the four ex-bodyguards of ex-Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co who recanted their allegations linking Next page