NAGA CITY—John Oliver Mimay, 32, and 13 others travelled for five hours from the town of Irosin in Sorsogon to this city to join a prayer rally against the widespread corruption involving politicians in infrastructure projects undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways and private contractors. The group composed of volunteers from the...
Category: News
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‘Allocable’ funds are the new pork barrel
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) builds bridges that connect people, streetlights that make roads safer, and classrooms that serve schoolchildren. In the agency’s words, it is their mission to bring about “a comfortable life for Filipinos through safe, reliable and resilient infrastructure.” But recent congressional investigations have exposed the true nature of...
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Duterte to spend Christmas in detention after ICC rejects his release
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected former president Rodrigo Duterte’s appeal for temporary liberty. The 80-year-old former prosecutor and mayor, who gained a reputation as “The Punisher” for his iron-fisted anticrime policy, will remain in detention in The Hague where he will spend Christmas thousands of kilometers from his home in Davao City. The...
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Under Naga’s ‘Carless Sunday’ program, Magsaysay Avenue becomes a playground
NAGA CITY— Magsaysay Avenue, normally a four-lane artery buzzing with traffic, transforms into a playground on Sunday nights. Under this city’s “Magsaysay Carless Sundays” program, the avenue is filled, not with motor vehicles, but with strolling families, children busy drawing on the street, cruising skaters, and fitness buffs moving to the beat of Zumba music....
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As ‘Tino’ and ‘Uwan’ leave their mark, Haribon marks 53 years of protecting nature’s first line of defense
The devastation wrought by Typhoons “Tino” and “Uwan” made more Filipinos aware of how forests provide protection during storms. This is the continuing advocacy of the Haribon Foundation throughout five decades of science-based, community-centered conservation work. With only 24% forest cover remaining, the Philippines is losing its most critical natural defense against climate disasters. Healthy...
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Zaldy Co makes bombshell claims, Roberto Bernardo names more names
Zaldy Co begged off from participating at the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon committee inquiry into the flood control corruption scandal on Friday, supposedly for health reasons. But three hours into the hearing, the former Ako Bicol party list lawmaker who has been out of the country since July surfaced in a video on Facebook...
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‘Uwan’ submerges Albay villages; nearly 257,000 evacuated
LEGAZPI CITY—Toppled electric poles, fallen tree branches and leaves, and debris littered key streets of the city after Supertyphoon “Uwan” surged past Albay on Sunday on its way to northeastern Luzon. Uwan (known internationally as Fung-wong) unleashed powerful winds and heavy rains that brought floods to neighborhoods, farms and commercial districts in many areas in...
Flooding in Barangay District III, San Miguel, Catanduanes —PHOTO FROM MDRRMO LGU SAN MIGUEL FB PAGE
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Supertyphoon ‘Uwan’ batters Bicol as it moves toward Aurora
NAGA CITY—Supertyphoon “Uwan” (internationally known as Fung-wong) pounded the Bicol region with torrential rains and violent winds that brought massive flooding in many areas as it moved toward Aurora early afternoon of Sunday. In Catanduanes, floodwaters swept parts of Virac, the capital town, including Barangay Gogon Centro, VTC (Virac Town Center) near the public market,...
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No word yet from ‘Bato’ on rumored ICC warrant of arrest, Sotto says
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said there has been no word yet from Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa regarding the arrest warrant purportedly issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his being an alleged co-conspirator in Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs.” Sotto replied in the negative on Saturday when CoverStory asked if Dela Rosa...
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Marcos admin freed up ₱214B in unprogrammed funds for ‘priority’ infra in 2023-2024
The term “unprogrammed appropriations,” or UAs, sounds innocent enough. But to politicians, public works officials and contractors, they are an opportunity for graft. UAs are standby funds sourced from new or excess government revenues and foreign loans. These revenues were not expected and so were not included in the regular budget. In 2023 and 2024,...