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Zambo shooting unplanned—DILG; ‘Mentors’ sought
MORNING SUN.
After days of incessant rain, the sun glows gloriously yesterday morning over the eastern mountain ranges of Benguet in the Cordilleras. Dave Leprozo
By Vince Lopez, Pot Chavez, Joel Zurbano, Gabriel Oliva, and Maricel Cruz THE Department of the Interior and Local Government said Thursday the deadly shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU) was unplanned, but the Department of Justice is not ruling out terrorism as a possible aspect of the attack that left two students dead. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the Grade 9 student linked to the Next page
House too wants speedy trial, but calls out defense for delays By Maricel V. Cruz
VOL. XL • NO. 188 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 •FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2026 •
THE House prosecution team on Thursday said they share Vice President Sara Duterte's wish for a speedy impeachment trial. “Well, regarding her statement that she wants to fast-track the process, we don't see any problem with that. We
Palace: Paying witnesses to target people alarming Erwin: Guteza likely felt guilty; Ping: Recantation expected
share the desire to complete this process as quickly as possible,” lawyer Benjamin Tolosa said in a news briefing. However, he stressed that the prosecution would not sacrifice its duty to fully present evidence supporting the impeachment charges against the Vice President for the sake of speed. Next page
TRUMP TO MEET NOKOR’S KIM WORLD / A6
SENATE TO SCRAP TRAVEL TAX BUSINESS / B3
By Charles Dantes, Ram Superable, Maricel Cruz and Rex Espiritu
A
TTEMPTS to pay individuals to make false accusations and implicate specific people in the flood control mess are alarming as this erodes trust in the justice system, Malacañang on Thursday said. “This is concerning because this will erode the justice system and affect what the people believe, because there will be more wrong information, fake news, false information – that will affect the truth,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said. Castro made the statement after retired Marine T/Sgt. Orly Guteza retracted his testimony that connected former House Speaker Martin Romualdez to the flood-control scandal, saying he was offered money in exchange for falsely implicating the lawmaker. “What the president wants is what is within the law, not made-up evidence. If it is true that Guteza made up stories, that will not be helpful in pursuing the people who should be held accountable,” Castro said. “You may make money (from peddling false information), but the persons you discredited — the damage
TAKING NO CHANCES.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. checks on the Tripa De Gallina pumping station in Pasay City while residents of Barangay Sta. Fe in San Marcelino, Zambales inspect the remains of their homes that were submerged by sand and water when the Sta. Fe river overflowed at the height of the rains . Revoli Cortez, San Marcelino PIO Facebook page
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1,262 areas hit by flooding even as rainfall eases By Rex Espiritu and Rio N. Araja A TOTAL of 1,262 areas across the country experienced flooding
over the past few days, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). Meanwhile, the weather agency reported that tropical depression “Ne-
neng” weakened into a low-pressure area (LPA) and exited the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) on Thursday afternoon. Next page
More Pinoys feel Palace: P180m Ligtas Pinoy evac centers per region not for 2028 polls poor and hungry, By Charles Dantes
SUPPLEMENTAL PETITION. Lawyer Ade Fajardo, counsel of former Speaker Martin Romualdez, shows the sworn statements contained in the supplemental counteraffidavit submitted with the Office of the Ombudsman. Manny Palmero
MALACAÑANG on Thursday defended the proposed uniform P180 million allocation for evacuation centers in each of the Philippines’ 17 regions, saying the projects are governed by a lawmandated site selection process and are not intended to serve as election spending ahead of the 2028 polls.
In a Palace briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro made the clarification after Senator Panfilo Lacson questioned why the proposed 2027 budget sets aside the same amount for every region despite the absence of specific locations for the facilities in the National Expenditure Program. Next page
says OCTA survey
By Katrina Manubay and Charles Dantes MORE Filipino families consider themselves poor and hungry, with both self-rated indicators rising in the second quarter of 2026, according to a survey by the OCTA Research group. Next page