Daily Tribune (Philippines)
Palace, Imee word war erupts over BBM’s ailment
Malacañang and Senator Imee Marcos on Sunday intensified a very public rupture within the Marcos clan, as she blasted those around President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for allegedly failing to care for him during a recent illness. In response, Palace...
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PhilHealth abuse undermines care
The manipulation of state-owned Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s (PhilHealth) reserve funds opened the public’s eyes to the deplorable state of healthcare in the country, where basic medicines have become scarce in government-run provincial...
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ETHICS RAPS PILE UP
Ejercito attributed the delay to the marathon deliberations, including the bicameral conference committee, for the passage of the 2026 national budget. Ethics complaints against senators have stacked up, signaling intensifying public scrutiny of...
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‘WHAT FORBES PARK HOUSE?’
THE KICKBACKS WERE SUPPOSEDLY INTENDED FOR ROMUALDEZ AND PRESIDENT FERDINAND MARCOS JR. Malacañang on Thursday said it had no information on whether President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. owned a property in Forbes Park, Makati City, amid intensifying...
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Forbes Park ‘drop-off’ claims shadow Marcos
Will the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s flood control investigation eventually lead to the President? Testimony during the panel’s 19 January hearing has renewed scrutiny of the Forbes Park mansion at 30 Tamarind Road. The address was earlier...
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SOLONS: IMPEACH BBM BID ‘DEAD ON ARRIVAL’
The first-ever impeachment complaint filed against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is “dead on arrival,” House members said on Tuesday. Caloocan City 2nd District Representative and Senior Deputy Minority Leader Edgar Erice echoed the sentiment, while...
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Finally, some good news: Malampaya gas jackpot
Aside from natural gas, the discovery includes condensate — a high-value liquid fuel that can support efforts to stabilize the country’s power supply. A fresh natural gas discovery at Malampaya could secure at least a year’s worth of power for the...
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Pope’s Santo Niño message sets Sinulog’s tone
Cebu City, Manila and many other places like Marinduque did what they always do every January: Make room for faith, space for the crowd, and allow the streets to belong to the Santo Niño. On Sunday, as Cebu City marked the
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Big fish exploiting WPP
Moves to have former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials placed under the Witness Protection Program (WPP) may be a strategy to spring one of the “big fish” in the “Floodgate” scandal. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said there...
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Politicians escape; we pay price — Discaya
Embattled contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya has expressed his deep frustration with the government, claiming that despite exposing the corruption in flood control projects, he and other contractors have been punished, while politicians allegedly...
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Marcos changes tune on Sara impeachment
Malacañang on Monday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is ready to face any impeachment complaint against him, even as the Palace signaled a noticeable shift in tone on the possible impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, now leaning more firmly...
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Taxpayers footing bill for ‘uppity’ OFW hubs
Aiding distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) remains a top priority of the Marcos administration, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) assured the public over the
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PINOYS BEAR A HEAVY CROSS
As millions of barefoot devotees fill the streets of Manila today for the Traslacion, straining under the Black Nazarene’s cross, another burden is being carried far from the procession route—one borne not on shoulders, but on balance sheets.
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Feisty Maduro heckled in U.S. court debut
Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro made a defiant first appearance in a New York courtroom on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), declaring himself innocent, denouncing his arrest as a “kidnapping” by US forces, and claiming that he remains the president...
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2026 GAA test looms
House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Edgar Erice confirmed to DAILY TRIBUNE that the case will proceed and is likely to be filed this week, once he ‘secures a copy of the budget.’ Budget watchdogs and administration critics are determined to proceed...
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WHO MADE IT TO THE 2025 LIST?
‘People’s preferences, priorities and expectations have changed. This is the first time in our history that we will undertake renovations to four flagship stores simultaneously.’ The malls operated by the country’s oldest conglomerate are being...
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Trump-ordered raid ‘bags’ Maduro
President Donald Trump on Saturday said US forces had captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after launching a “large-scale strike” on Caracas. “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and...
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Global journalist killings rise; Phl remains dangerous
A total of 128 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, more than half of them in the Middle East, underscoring what press freedom advocates described as a worsening climate of violence and impunity against the media. The...
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2025: RESILIENCE AMID BROKEN VOWS
As 2025 draws to a close, the Philippines looks back on a year of extremes — a year where triumph and tragedy seemed to arrive hand in hand. From record-breaking wins in sports and tourism to devastating natural disasters, political turmoil, and...
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Ombudsman, Leviste clash over ‘Cabral files’
The controversy surrounding the so-called “Cabral files” deepened on Monday after the Office of the Ombudsman cautioned the public against treating circulating copies as conclusive evidence, while Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste insisted...
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Bicam clears ’26 budget under corruption cloud
Long derided as the stage where dubious insertions quietly found their way into the national budget — most notoriously in 2025, when lawmakers and the President himself were alleged to have received billions of pesos in kickbacks — the Bicameral...
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HOUSE BUDGET JUMPS P10.5B
Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste on Saturday sounded the alarm over what he described as a quiet and unexplained P10.5-billion increase in Congress’ own internal budget, urging lawmakers to come clean on where the money is going...
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Leo's debut
Pope Leo XIV held the first Christmas Mass of his pontificate, greeting thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square before the service. During the Mass, Leo said Christmas is a feast of 'faith, charity and hope,' and criticized a 'distorted...
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JONVIC: CABRAL HAUNTED BY ROCK NETTING SCANDAL
BENGUET — A steep cliff down the side of Kennon Road became the final backdrop for a tragedy that intertwined corruption, public accountability and human frailty. On 19 December, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary...
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Sara dismisses drug, POGO claims as ‘noise’
Vice President Sara Duterte has broken her silence to deny allegations made by detained kidnapping suspect Ramil Madriaga, who claims to be her former aide and has accused her of receiving money from illegal drugs and Philippine Offshore Gaming...
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Police shift probe focus on Cabral’s final hours
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has shif ted its investigation to reconstructing the final hours of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, following official confirmation that the remains...
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Cabral’s formula farmed out P1.2T pork
The formula for allocables — or reservations for the pet projects of legislators in the past three years’ budgets — that the late former Department of Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral came up with bore the initials BBM,...
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HOUSE’S BIGGEST CONTRACTOR NAMED
Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste has described fellow lawmaker Rep. Edwin Gardiola as the “biggest contractor” currently sitting in the House of Representatives, raising fresh questions about lawmakers’ links to infrastructure...
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Leviste: P60-B diversion bankrolled flood projects PhilHealth funds diverted to DPWH
The P60-billion PhilHealth reserve fund which the Supreme Court recently ordered returned to the state insurer was funneled into the controversial unprogrammed appropriations (UA) in the 2025 national budget that helped bankroll flood control projects...
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BONDI SHOOTERS VISITED DAVAO LAST MONTH — AFP
The suspects in Monday’s deadly Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney, Australia recently traveled to the Philippines, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) confirmed on Tuesday, but stressed that they had no verified connection to local terrorist...
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Simbang Gabi: Faith before daylight
Before the sun rises, churchyards across the Philippines fill with the smell of puto bumbong and bibingka. Breath fogs in the December air. The cold feels sharper when the world is awake ahead of schedule. Long before offices open and streets fill,...
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Dy’s district tops DPWH insertions
Amid ongoing efforts to curb or eliminate budget insertions in the proposed 2026 National Budget, a Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) analysis shows that House Speaker and Isabela Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III’s district is set to...
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Growth seen slowing to 3.8%
The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate will likely contract to 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 — a further slowdown from the third quarter’s 4.0 percent and a steep drop from the 5.3 percent recorded in 2024, according to...
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SARA LINKED TO DIRTY MONEY
A self-proclaimed “bagman” of Vice President Sara Duterte has accused her and her close circle of receiving drug and Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGO) money through covert cash deliveries spanning several years and two administrations. In a...
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Marcos’ reform resolve questioned
Certify the anti-dynasty bill as urgent along with other landmark bills, reform advocates dared President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday. Akbayan Partylist Rep. Chel Diokno said there’s a difference between prioritizing bills and certifying them as...
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COA: SSS’ P92 PER TP ROLL STINKS
THE PAYMENTS WERE MADE UNDER THE AGENCY’S PRESTIGE AWARD WHICH, ACCORDING TO INTERNAL MEMOS, RECOGNIZE EMPLOYEES WHOSE ACHIEVEMENTS BRING FURTHER ACCLAIM TO THE INSTITUTION. Irregular and overpriced purchases are a curse for the government and this...
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Foreign investments drop nearly half
With political tensions rising and corruption scandals tarnishing the country’s image abroad, investor confidence is taking a direct hit — reflected in the sharp drop in investment approvals, which stand at just over P800 billion, barely half of the...
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Minority sounds alarm: Give ICI teeth now
Minority lawmakers renewed their call for Congress to swiftly pass pending bills aimed at strengthening the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI). Critics have argued that the body lacks the power to compel attendance in its...
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Leonen: Marcos enabled inserts
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. enabled the bicameral conference committee to increase the unprogrammed appropriations (UA) in the 2024 budget by P450 billion, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said in a separate opinion to the Supreme Court’s ruling on...
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SC rejects 2024 PhilHealth pilferage
The Supreme Court (SC) upheld the primacy of the Universal Health Care Act over provisions inserted into the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) that allowed the Department of Finance (DoF) to sweep up excess funds from state firms. SC spokesperson...
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Singson exit signals deeper trouble
There’s more than meets the eye in the resignation of Rogelio “Babes” Singson from the Independent Commission for
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Singson bails from sinking ICI
The integrity of the anti-graft fact-finding body, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), was dealt a heavy blow yesterday with the resignation of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson....
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Duterte faces Christmas cold and alone
Former President Rodrigo Duterte is likely to spend Christmas without family visits as the International Criminal Court detention center, where he is currently held on charges of crimes against humanity, will observe an official holiday shutdown from...
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CORRUPTION BLIGHT GUTS GROWTH GOALS
The President met recently with BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. where both acknowledged that corruption allegations largely drove the tepid growth. The economy will miss its 2025 growth target, the country’s top economist said, mainly due to the...
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Trillion-Peso tempest roils Marcos gov’t
Thousands of Filipinos gathered in major cities on Sunday, 30 November, to protest alleged largescale corruption in government flood-control projects, marking the second wave of demonstrations
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Date bait
Two patients’ encounter in a hospital in November 2018 while they were recovering from similar traumatic injuries blossomed into friendship and romance. Zach Zarembinski was 18 when he suffered a brain bleed and collapsed on the sidelines of a...
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19 OFWs rescued, 1 missing in HK fire
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday confirmed that 19 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were affected by the massive fire that swept through public housing apartments in Hong Kong’s Tai Po District. At a press briefing in Makati City,...
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Many House solons will take a hit — Remulla
Saying that many legislators would be affected, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said he plans to talk with House Speaker Faustino Dy regarding the ongoing investigation into members of Congress who are also contractors of high-value projects. The...
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Power move
The NingNing 6.55-megawatt peak solar rooftop power facility at Pasinaya Homes Prime Central in Naic, Cavite was developed by the Joy~Nostalg Group through Jin Navitas Solaris Inc. and Raemulan Lands Inc. NingNing is the country's first-grid-connected,...
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SECRET VAULT IN FORBES PARK
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez are alleged to have received a staggering P56 billion in
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Cooperation is key
As of rolling up his sleeves to tackle the perennial flood problem, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. spearheaded ‘Oplan Kontra Baha’ during a cleanup at the Balihatar Creek in San Dionisio, Parañaque City on Wednesday, 12 November. He stressed the...
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EITHER WAY, SEN. BATO JOINING RODY AT ICC JAIL
CHAN NOTED THAT ANY GOVERNMENT MOVE COULD BE AFFECTED BY THE PENDING HABEAS CORPUS PETITION FILED BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT BY THE CHILDREN OF FORMER PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE. The department of Justice (DoJ) has confirmed that the government is...
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Over 1K houses damaged
‘Our teams are trying to reach the isolated barangays, but some roads are still impassable. Power and communication remain intermittent.’ Typhoon “Uwan” (international name: Fung-wong) left a wide swath of destruction across Luzon and parts of the...
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Nearly a million flee Uwan’s fury
Nearly one-million people have been evacuated across the Philippines as super typhoon “Uwan” (international name: Fung-Wong) barreled across Luzon and the Visayas, bringing destructive winds, torrential rain and widespread flooding. The Philippine...
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SENATE GRANTS BATO ASYLUM
Even with an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, which Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla claimed has been issued, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa can find refuge in the Senate chambers, as Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III affirmed...
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‘FLOODGATE’ SINKS GROWTH
The backlash from the flood control scandal has started to manifest in the economy’s growth, which slumped in the third quarter to 4 percent, a 1.2-percentage point drop from a year ago. The government underspent on public projects during the period,...
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Taiwan brokers of distressed OFWs suspended
Labor Attaché David Des Dicang of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Kaohsiung City announced on Thursday the suspension of the Taiwan brokers of two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who
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Bong Go not on Ayala Alabang map
Former Senator Antonio Trillanes was shown to have lied when he claimed that Senator Christopher “Bong” Go had a property in Ayala Alabang Village, after a barangay official of the swanky village in Muntinlupa City said the allegation was not...
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Typhoon ‘Tino’ leaves over 2 dozen dead
at least 26 people were confirmed dead and nearly 400,000 displaced as typhoon “Tino” (international name: Kalmaegi) unleashed torrential rains and fierce winds across the Visayas and parts of Mindanao on Tuesday, submerging entire towns and...
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Chiz, Martin tagged in P1.45-T budget mess
Funds worth P141 billion to bankroll flood control projects in 2023 and 2024 were also allegedly drawn from the UA, which has been at the center of a sweeping corruption probe involving members of Congress, DPWH officials, and private...
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All PR, lawmaker says of BBM’s graft stance
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has expressed confidence that his administration and congress can produce a “good, clean budget” for 2026 as both chambers resume deliberations on the national spending plan. Fresh from the ASEAN and APEC summits,...
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APEC seals ‘Gyeongju Declaration’
GYEONGJU, SOUTH KOREA — Leaders of the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies wrapped up the two-day summit here with the adoption of the Gyeongju Declaration, a sweeping agreement that reaffirms the region’s commitment to inclusive...
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Sokor chief accepts Marcos invite to visit
GYEONGJU, South Korea — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has invited South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to visit the Philippines as the two leaders reaffirmed the strong ties between Manila and Seoul during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines...
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Christmas jail cells await 3
Secretary Vince Dizon of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Thursday said three persons linked to anomalous flood control projects in Bulacan could
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Devastation
This RAMMB/CIRA satellite image shows Hurricane ‘Melissa’ southeast of Jamaica on 27 October as it intensified into a Category 5 storm. The main photo captures the storm’s raw power, while insets show the destruction it left behind: a man surveys a...
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Manotoc joins clamor to save Club Intramuros
Tommy Manotoc — hailed as one of the greatest Filipino amateurs never to turn pro — has added his voice to the growing outcry to save club intramuros, the storied, century-old golf course nestled within the historic walls of intramuros.
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LBC balikbayan drugs eluded tight U.S. check
The recent busting of a shipment of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu from Southern California, packed inside four LBC balikbayan boxes, has raised questions about the vaunted American border control. The Bureau of Customs (BoC) intercepted the...
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Tabuena restores Phl pride
as the nation reeled from one corruption scandal after another, miguel Tabuena rose above it all, giving Filipinos a reason to smile — and to believe in honest success again. under the sweltering Laguna sun, the 31-year-old stood steady at sta. Elena...
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EXECS: CONFIDENCE CRISIS BATTERING NATION
The country is sinking into a crisis of confidence due to corruption, and unseen groups are fueling the situation, two top business executives have warned. Philippine Stock Exchange president Ramon Monzon said the sentiment in the business sector is...
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SUSPEND EN MASSE, OMBUDSMAN DARED
Several law experts have urged Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla to issue preventive suspension orders on members of the Senate implicated in the flood control scandal to test the resolve of the chamber in dealing with its members accused of...
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AMLAC freezes P5.2B in flood control ‘loot’
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLAC) has reported freezing around P5.2 billion worth of cash and properties in connection with the ongoing investigation into alleged corruption involving flood control projects.
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Bats call PIA building home
Employees of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in Quezon City are worried about their health because bats have taken over their decrepit building. This despite claims by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that rehabilitation work...
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Marcos thanks partners for One RFID
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday expressed his gratitude to the government’s private sector partners for making the vision of a unified RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system a reality.
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22 classrooms in 2025 — seriously?
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) came under heavy criticism after it revealed it had built only 22 classrooms this year — a shocking shortfall from its target of 1,700 rooms. The revelation fueled outrage and deep disappointment,...
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Trump crowns himself amid ‘No Kings’ marches
Huge crowds took to the streets in all 50 US states at “No Kings” protests on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), venting anger over President Donald Trump’s hardline policies, while Republicans ridiculed them as “Hate America” rallies. Organizers said seven...
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