Monday Dec 15, 2025

GOOD MORNING

The San Juan Daily Star, the only paper with News Service in English in Puerto Rico, publishes 7 days a week, with a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday edition, along with a Weekend Edition to cover Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Fiscal board questions high cost of proposed affordable units in Bayamón

By THE STAR STAFF

The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico has requested an urgent meeting with local housing authorities after raising concerns about the financial viability and cost structure of a proposed affordable housing development in Bayamón, which at first glance does not appear to be so affordable.

In a recent letter to La Fortaleza Chief of Staff Francisco Domenech, the oversight board acknowledged receiving documentation from the Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority (AAFAF by its initials in Spanish) seeking approval for a debt transaction tied to the Apolonia Apartments project. The development, which would add 138 units, carries an estimated price tag of $101.6 million, funded through $79.6 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds and $22 million from Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).

Although the project complies with federal program standards and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines, the oversight board expressed serious reservations under Section 207 of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act, commonly known as PROMESA.

The board noted that the cost per unit -- some $736,000 -- is significantly higher than similar LIHTC projects previously approved, and nearly half of the total development costs are attributed to soft costs and developer fees. It also highlighted that the project anticipates operating losses for the first 20 years, requiring a $7.8 million reserve to offset deficits. Forecasts show annual operating expenses of $7,300 per unit, well above the average for comparable developments, and a projected $21.8 million deficit in years 21 through 40.

Beyond the financial concerns, the oversight board questioned whether the island Housing Finance Authority (HFA), Department of Housing (DOH), and AAFAF have a coordinated, long-term strategy to maximize federal funds and expand affordable housing efficiently. The DOH’s own estimates place average development costs at $300,000 per unit, far below the Apolonia project’s figures. The board also requested clarity on the procurement process and how qualified allocation plans and notices of funding availability are marketed to ensure competitive bidding, the Dec. 10 letter said.

The oversight board called for a joint meeting with the DOH, HFA and AAFAF before this Friday to discuss oversight, financial thresholds and a harmonized housing strategy.

By THE STAR STAFF

With the purpose of improving safety on Puerto Rico’s beaches, Luis Márques, the commissioner of the Navigation Office of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER), announced on Sunday the installation of new signage and buoys marking the areas authorized for use by bathers at Boquerón Beach in Cabo Rojo.

“Part of our Secretary Waldemar Quiles’ public policy focuses on improving safety conditions at beaches throughout Puerto Rico,” Márques said. “In line with this, last week, personnel from the Office of the Navigation Commissioner were at Boquerón Beach, installing new signage to explain beach conditions to swimmers using a flag system, as well as informing everyone which area is designated for swimming.”

The new signage details the flag system, a platform that notifies bathers about weather conditions, including wave height. The red flag indicates high risk, while the yellow flag indicates moderate risk, and the green flag indicates low risk.

The buoys, delineating the area exclusively for bathers, were approved by the United States Army Corps of Engineers

The swimming area is defined as the first 150 feet from the shoreline into the sea. Typically, the depth in these areas does

not exceed 15 feet.

“Every buoy that needs to be installed on the seabed requires approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” Márques noted. “We reiterate our request to all swimmers, as well as those who practice other water activities, to always be aware of the areas properly marked for the exclusive use of swimmers.”

The new buoys have a useful life of up to two years, depending on currents and marked atmospheric events, such as tropical storms and/or hurricanes.

House leaders support move to end LUMA contract

By THE STAR STAFF

Puerto Rico’s government has taken its first legal step to end its multimillion-dollar contract with LUMA Energy LLC, the private operator responsible for the island’s electricity transmission and distribution system. The lawsuit, announced late last week, comes as the island continues to battle chronic outages, rising power bills and a sluggish reconstruction of its grid devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Núñez and House Government Committee

Chairman Víctor Parés Otero voiced strong support on Sunday for the governor’s decision, framing last Thursday’s announcement as the culmination of years of legislative oversight.

Méndez Núñez emphasized that the New Progressive Party (NPP) delegation had monitored LUMA since 2021 and laid the groundwork for the filing of the lawsuit through House Bill 268 -- now Law 2-2025 -- which set the legal foundation for contract termination.

“We committed to canceling the contract during the campaign, and we acted on that commitment,” he said, adding that the lawsuit aligns with the delegation’s longstand-

ing position.

Parés Otero echoed that sentiment, noting that the oversight initiative originated in the NPP-controlled House and included measures such as appointing a compliance coordinator and rejecting a controversial $300 fee for photovoltaic system owners.

“This lawsuit is another step toward LUMA’s departure,” he stated.

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, who pledged during her campaign to oust LUMA, criticized the company for failing to deliver promised improvements.

“Despite their assurances, the electrical system has not improved with the speed, consistency, or effectiveness Puerto Rico deserves,” González Colón said.

She highlighted that LUMA has access to nearly $11 billion in federal funds but has recovered only about $550 million in reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“This is unacceptable,” the governor added, accusing the company of misleading the public about its expertise in handling federal processes.

Energy Czar Josué Colón Ortiz detailed that the lawsuit alleges that the company’s failures include poor management of federal

Carlos Díaz re-elected as president of Physicians & Surgeons Assn.

By THE STAR STAFF

With a total of 2,063 votes, Dr. Carlos Díaz Vélez was re-elected over the weekend as president of the Physicians and Surgeons Association of Puerto Rico for a new three-year term.

Díaz Vélez competed against Dr. Ramón Méndez, former president of the medical licensing board, who received 469 votes. Likewise, the entire board led by Díaz Vélez was re-elected.

Dílez Vélez emphasized that, although membership is no longer mandatory, nearly 9,000 doctors remain active in the institution.

The association was holding its convention through Sunday at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in Miramar.

Dr. Carlos Díaz Vélez, president of the Physicians and Surgeons Association of Puerto Rico (Facebook via Colegio de Médicos Cirujanos de Puerto Rico)

ping the Public-Private Partnerships Authority (P3A) and PREPA of their decision-making authority, prioritizing private interests over the public good. It further argues that the extension was approved without the necessary votes from the P3A board and without the regulatory or legislative approvals required by law.

Signed on Nov. 30, 2022, the extension eliminated the original time limit and linked the contract’s continuation to LUMA’s acceptance of PREPA’s debt restructuring plan. The lawsuit contends that the arrangement left Puerto Rico locked into an agreement lacking enforceable performance standards or clear accountability measures.

funding, power outages that cripple the electrical grid, unaddressed vegetation hazards, cost overruns and evasive audits.

“The Government of Puerto Rico will no longer subsidize incompetence or excuse insubordination,” Colón Ortiz said. “Puerto Ricans deserve an electricity grid operator that keeps the lights on, respects public funds, and abides by the terms and conditions of the signed contract.”

LUMA, a consortium of Calgary, Alberta, Canada-based Atco and Houston’s Quanta Services Inc., took over Puerto Rico’s grid in June 2021, inheriting infrastructure weakened by decades of neglect under the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), which is still struggling to restructure more than $9 billion in debt. The ongoing outages -- also linked to Genera PR, which manages power generation -- have disrupted daily life, shuttered small businesses and endangered residents with medical needs.

The government is already in talks with mainland U.S. power companies to ensure a smooth transition if the contract is terminated.

The lawsuit, filed as a request for declaratory judgment and a preliminary injunction, aims to invalidate a 2022 contract extension and ensure a smooth transition process. In addition, the governor has asked the Puerto Rico Supreme Court to urgently review the legal and public interest issues raised by the case.

According to the complaint, the extension effectively gave LUMA unlimited control over Puerto Rico’s electrical grid while strip-

The government is asking the court to declare the extension invalid, confirm that the interim contract expired after 18 months, and mandate an organized transition. It also seeks an injunction compelling LUMA to provide critical operational data within 48 hours, including employee and contractor rosters, customer databases, inventories, georeferenced maps, maintenance schedules, and technology systems. Last Friday, Judge Arnaldo Callejo in San Juan denied the preliminary injunction request and scheduled a hearing for Dec. 22.

The governor defended the legal filing on Friday, noting that, among other things, it aims to protect the island while the transition stipulated in the contract is carried out.

“The original contract states that if there is a cancellation, there is a one-year transition period,” she said at a press conference in Corozal.

She added that the goal is to ensure operational continuity even when a new operator is selected.

“That is why this legal action is the orderly way to handle this situation … and that is one of the provisions we want to see implemented in an orderly manner through the courts,” González Colón said.

Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Núñez

Lawmakers sound off over veto of bill to repeal police escorts law

By THE STAR STAFF

Sen. Juan Oscar Morales Rodríguez, who represents the San Juan District and authored Senate Bill 752 (SB 752), expressed disappointment on Sunday over Gov. Jenniffer González Colón’s decision to veto the measure aimed at eliminating police escorts for former government officials.

“The veto of Senate Bill 752 ignores the broad legislative consensus and the sentiment of a large majority of citizens who support optimizing public spending,” Morales said in a written statement. “It disregards the people’s demands and raises concerns by prioritizing the maintenance of an expensive privilege over sound fiscal management.”

The New Progressive Party senator added that the decision “sends a regrettable message about the Executive’s priorities, where preserving certain privileges takes precedence over efficiency in public spending and social justice.”

“It is disappointing that fiscal prudence, which this historic moment demands, was not honored,” he said. “We will await the new proposal announced by La Fortaleza to evaluate it responsibly.”

The bill, which passed both legislative chambers by consensus, sought to amend Puerto Rico’s Police Law to restrict the aforementioned benefit. Morales lamented that the veto represents a missed opportunity to reassign police resources and achieve an estimated annual savings of $1.2 to $1.5 million for priority public safety needs.

The deputy majority leader in the Senate emphasized that the measure was fiscally responsible and did not leave

former officials unprotected. SB 752 included a mechanism allowing the police superintendent to grant temporary protection only in cases where a real and imminent threat to a former official’s life was demonstrated.

Meanwhile, Popular Democratic Party (PDP) minority leader in the island House of Representatives, Héctor Ferrer Santiago, called the governor’s veto “a betrayal of the country’s trust.”

“While thousands of families face real problems -- high living costs, lack of essential services, and security concerns -- the governor chose to defend benefits for Wanda Vázquez and herself,” Ferrer Santiago said, referring to the former NPP governor who last August pleaded guilty to a campaign finance violation. “Just one year into her administration, the people want nothing to do with her. Her tenure has been a disaster, and even within her own party, there is talk of finding another candidate for governor. Her government is marked by disconnection, improvisation, broken promises, and, worst of all, when forced to choose between the public interest and protecting her own, Jenniffer chooses to protect her own.”

PDP Senate minority leader Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz also criticized the decision, stating, “Once again, the governor shows her double standards.”

“She vetoed a bill that would have eliminated escort privileges for former governors, including those convicted of crimes,” he said. “With this decision, she protects a convicted former governor from her own party and ensures her own escorts after leaving office.”

Hernández Ortiz noted that González Colón now promises to send an administration-backed bill to address the issue.

“It would have been simpler to present it from the start when the matter was being debated in the Legislature,” he said. “This shows the governor’s duplicity in handling government affairs. We will continue to provide responsible oversight and propose solutions.”

Amendments to 2020 Electoral Code get mixed reviews

By THE STAR STAFF

Recent public hearings by the Joint Committee of the Legislature for the Review of Puerto Rico’s Electoral System brought together prominent voices, including State Elections Commission (SEC) Chairman Judge Jorge Rivera Rueda, Bar Association President Vivian Godineaux Villaronga, and former electoral commissioners from various parties. The discussions centered on Senate Bill (SB) 717, which proposes amendments to the 2020 Electoral Code aimed at improving efficiency, reliability and participation in the electoral process.

Public hearings will resume today with testimony from current party electoral commissioners and the Justice Department.

Rivera Rueda endorsed early voting for citizens aged 55 and older but urged lawmakers to clarify the location and nature of voting centers, stressing they should not coincide with permanent registration boards due to logistical concerns. He recommended that the voting centers be set up in government or municipal facilities free of charge, meeting

accessibility and security standards. Additionally, he proposed that electoral balance boards within the Absentee and Early Vote Administrative Board begin operations 90 days before general elections, aligning with early voting request periods.

On closing the electoral registry, Rivera Rueda defended the 50-day cutoff before elections, citing its importance for logistical preparations. He also revealed that the SEC is finalizing a request for proposals to acquire new vote-counting machines, with procurement expected by mid-2026 to ensure readiness for the 2028 elections. Budget negotiations with the Office of Management and Budget and the Election Oversight Board are ongoing.

Former commissioners offered varied perspectives on SB 717. Vanessa Santo Domingo Cruz of the New Progressive Party supported the bill, highlighting its potential for strengthening the SEC’s administrative structure. She urged that any acquisition of technology affecting voting or ballot handling receive final approval from the commission’s plenary. Nelson Rosario Rodríguez of the

Dignity Project called for a “multipartisan and multisectoral” study group to set rules for the 2032 elections, while Karla Angleró González of the Popular Democratic Party advocated for the SEC chairmanship to be tied to the majority party’s electoral commissioner.

Echoing earlier testimony, Olvin Valentín Rivera of the Citizens’ Victory Movement and Godineaux Villaronga, the Bar Association president, stressed the need for broad consensus before implementing reforms.

“Consensus has to be the pillar on which such a purpose is sustained,” Godineaux Villaronga said, criticizing the limited inclusivity of the current hearings.

Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, author of the bill, addressed concerns raised by the Bar Association, clarifying that SB 717 does not eliminate school-based voter registration programs or restrict youth participation. He emphasized

that the current Electoral Code expands registration options through electronic platforms and reaffirmed that party representation in the SEC is based on electoral results, not discretionary criteria.

Popular Democratic Party Senate Minority Leader Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz

State Elections Commission Chairman Judge Jorge Rivera Rueda

Individual detained after deadly shooting at Brown

By THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFF, MARK ARSENAULT and MITCH SMITH

Federal agents detained a suspect in connection with a deadly shooting at Brown University after officers tracked him to a hotel about 20 miles from campus, the FBI director said in a social media post Sunday. Local officials at a news conference declined to provide much information about the investigation, including details about the person in custody.

The attack Saturday afternoon killed two students, injured nine and forced students and faculty members to spend the night locked in classrooms, libraries and dorms while a search spread across Rhode Island’s capital city. Mayor Brett Smiley of Providence praised the bravery of the victims, some of whom he visited at the hospital.

“The resilience that these survivors showed and shared with me is, frankly, pretty overwhelming,” he said.

Authorities described the suspect, who was taken into custody around 4 a.m. by U.S. Marshals and local officers at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, only as a “person of interest” in his 20s. (Earlier, they had said he could be in his 30s.) Kash Patel, the FBI director, said on social media that federal agents and local police officers tracked the suspect based on a lead from the Providence police.

Police, fire and rescue personnel gather near the scene of a shooting at Brown University in Providence, R.I., Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. A gunman shot 11 people, killing two of them, on the campus Saturday afternoon, local officials said. A person of interest was in custody early Sunday. (Mark Arsenault/The New York Times)

The shooting occurred around 4 p.m. during a final exam review for a Principles of Economics class. “It’s devastating,” Christina Paxson, the Brown University president, said Sunday. A shelter-in-place order was lifted across the campus shortly before 6 a.m.

Joseph Oduro, 21, a teaching assistant in the economics class, said he had been wrapping up the review session when a man with a face mask and a rifle burst into the classroom. The

man shouted something that Oduro could not make out and started shooting.

Here are the details:

— The victims: Seven of the nine students who were injured and taken to a hospital were in stable condition as of Sunday morning. One remained in critical condition.

— The suspect: Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief, said officials were not ready to publicly name the person in custody. “We’re in the process of collecting evidence and seizing items that we need to seize, search locations that we need to search,” he said, declining to comment on the details in Patel’s social media post.

— Survivor’s account: A first-year student wounded in the attack, Spencer Yang, described helping another victim as they hid in the classroom where the attacker opened fire. “To keep him conscious, I just started talking to him, so he didn’t close his eyes and fall asleep,” Yang said.

— Exams called off: Brown officials said exams would not be held as scheduled for the rest of the semester, and that students were free to go home. “For the moment, we encourage everyone to focus on their own safety and well-being,” the provost said.

— School shootings: At least two of the Brown University students on campus during the deadly attack had survived school shootings before.

House GOP releases health plan that would allow subsidies to end

By MICHAEL GOLD and MARGOT SANGER-KATZ

House Republicans plan to hold votes this week on a narrow health care bill that would allow expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire as scheduled at the end of the month while making several changes aimed at holding down costs.

They released the measure late Friday afternoon, just a week before Congress was scheduled to depart for the year and as the party faced mounting political pressure to do something to address the rising premiums expected when the subsidies end.

The legislation does nothing to preserve those subsidies, though a leadership aide said that a group of Republican moderates who have been pressing for an extension would get a vote on whether to add that proposal to the bill.

But that effort faces long odds in the House, where most Republicans are deeply opposed to bolstering any portion of the Affordable Care Act. The bill they put forward instead includes a range of health care policies that congressional Republicans have been discussing for years, including a measure to allow small businesses to band together to buy insurance; new regulations on pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen who help health plans administer prescription drug benefits; and the restoration of payments to health insurers that President Donald Trump canceled during his first term.

Some of the changes could eventually affect the cost of health insurance, but they would be unlikely to immediately address rising health care premiums — an issue that Democrats spotlighted during the government shutdown fight and have promised to make

a central focus of their midterm election efforts.

In the House and Senate, Democrats proposed a three-year extension to the insurance subsidies. Republicans blocked the Senate proposal on Thursday.

An alternative proposed by Senate Republicans aimed to replace the subsidies with an expansion of tax-advantaged health savings accounts and direct payments of up to $1,500 to people who purchase the most basic health insurance plans. But Senate Democrats thwarted that measure as well, leaving Congress at a stalemate.

House Republicans did not include a version of either proposal in the bill that they released Friday. But GOP leaders expect to allow a floor vote on an amendment that would somehow address or extend the subsidies, according to the leadership aide, who requested anonymity to discuss ongoing plans.

The details of that amendment were not yet clear, but it may struggle to win majority support. Many Republicans oppose extending the subsidies outright, while others favor scaling them back, adding restrictions and phasing them out more rapidly. But any such changes could alienate Democrats who want a broad extension.

In a statement, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., knocked the Democrats’ proposal as encouraging a “bloated” health care system rife with fraud.

“Republicans are offering clear, responsible alternatives that will lower premium costs and increase access and health care options for all Americans,” he said.

Many of the provisions in the new Republican bill were

part of the House version of the major tax and domestic policy bill that became law this summer, but were stripped out when the Senate revised the legislation.

It would expand the reach of health savings accounts, a way for individuals to set aside pretax money to pay their health care costs directly, though unlike the bill that stalled in the Senate this week, it would not offer federal money for the accounts.

The bill would allow funding starting in 2027 for a kind of Obamacare subsidy known as “cost-sharing reduction payments.”

That money, which Trump canceled during his first term, would go to insurers to help lower the cost of some individual insurance premiums while also reducing the generosity of subsidies that help people buy coverage.

Changes to the rules for pharmaceutical benefit managers have bipartisan support, and a package to restrict some of the industry’s profit-maximizing strategies came close to becoming law in the waning days of the Biden administration. But the bill differs in a few ways.

Republicans have long championed the idea of association health plans, a way for small businesses to team up so they can purchase the kind of insurance available for larger companies. Insurance markets for small businesses have become troubled in many states, and the plans are often very expensive for small companies and their workers.

But Democrats have tended to dislike the solution because it could allow small businesses with younger, healthier workers to exit insurance markets, further increasing costs for workers in industries with workers who are older and sicker.

Trump panel abruptly postpones release of FEMA overhaul recommendations

By SCOTT DANCE

Atask force that President Donald Trump created to explore an overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency late last week abruptly postponed a meeting where it had been scheduled to vote on recommendations to reshape the agency.

Less than an hour before the meeting’s scheduled 1 p.m. start, members of the panel, known as the FEMA Review Council, did not appear to be aware of the postponement. One was Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, who is a leader of the council and whose department oversees FEMA. She left early from an appearance before the House Homeland Security Committee, saying she had to attend the council’s meeting.

Homeland security officials directed inquiries about the FEMA council to the White House. A White House official said the meeting was canceled during Noem’s testimony in Congress because White House officials had not been fully briefed.

The report had been highly anticipated. Though any road map for a FEMA overhaul would not have been binding, the group’s recommendations had been expected to carry significant weight as the White House and Congress pursue changes at FEMA that could shape the future of federal disaster response.

But after Thursday’s turn of events, some analysts questioned whether the council would be influential after all.

“The members of the council took this seriously and went all over the country listening to constituents,” said Sarah Labowitz, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who studies disaster recovery. “It seems clear the White House is driving the train and that the council has been undercut.”

CNN said Wednesday night that it had obtained a copy of the task force recommenda-

tions. The network reported that the panel was calling for further reductions to the agency’s workforce and changes to the way it pays out aid to disaster-struck communities.

A House bill that has received bipartisan support and that passed a committee by a 57-3 vote in September includes many changes similar to those described in the CNN report.

The group’s report did not call for FEMA to be eliminated, as Trump suggested this year, according to CNN. Nor did it call for removing FEMA from the Homeland Security Department to become a standalone Cabinet agency, CNN said, something emergency managers on the council and members of Congress have endorsed but Noem has resisted.

The discussions come as disasters are becoming more frequent and costly as a result of climate change, which is intensifying storms and wildfires, as well as

continued growth and development in disaster-prone areas. In the first six months of this year, disaster costs across the United States were on pace for a record, according to a database created by Climate Central, a nonprofit research group.

At the House hearing, after Noem’s departure, Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., lamented that she wasn’t present to answer questions about FEMA, calling it “an agency that’s needed more now than when it was created.”

According to CNN, the panel’s report was set to include a plan to distribute aid via block grants, by which state and local governments receive lump sums that they choose how to spend, instead of the existing system based on reimbursement, in which it often takes months for aid to flow because of reviews and delays. The report also suggested raising the thresholds for disasters to qualify for federal assistance, CNN said. It was just the latest upheaval for FEMA this year. The agency is on its third acting administrator since May, and none of those leaders have had a background in emergency management, which is required by law for the agency’s leader. Firings and buyouts prompted by the Department of Government Efficiency, the initiative run by Elon Musk, reduced FEMA’s staff by a quarter, leaving the agency without some of its most experienced staff members.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington, June 16, 2025. A task force that President Donald Trump created to explore an overhaul of FEMA on Thursday, Dec. 11, abruptly postponed a meeting where it had been scheduled to vote on recommendations to reshape the agency. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)

Heightened scrutiny on FEMA spending by Noem, including a requirement that she personally review all expenditures of $100,000 or more, has slowed the flow of aid to communities and cut off investment in disaster preparedness. Communities like a western Maryland town overwhelmed by spring floods have been left wondering if federal help would ever come.

This week, a leading proponent of election fraud conspiracy theories that have been amplified by Trump will take the helm of the FEMA division responsible for overseeing disaster response and recovery.

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Every few years, I am reminded of one of my cardinal rules of journalism: Whenever you see elephants flying, don’t laugh, take notes. Because if you see elephants flying, something very different is going on that you don’t understand but you and your readers need to.

I bring that up today in response to the Trump administration’s 33-page National Security Strategy, released last week. It has been widely noted that at a time when our geopolitical rivalry with Russia and China is more heated than at any other time since the Cold War — and Moscow and Beijing are more and more closely aligned against America — the Trump 2025 national security doctrine barely mentions these two geopolitical challengers.

While the report surveys U.S. interests across the globe, what intrigues me most about it is how it talks about our European allies and the European Union. It cites activities by our sister European democracies that “undermine political liberty and sovereignty, migration policies that are transforming the continent and creating strife, censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, cratering birthrates, and loss of national identities and self-confidence.”

“Should present trends continue,” it goes on, “the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less.”

Indeed, the strategy paper warns, unless our European allies elect more “patriotic” nationalist parties, committed to stemming immigration, Europe will face “civilizational erasure.” Unstated

but implied is that we will judge you not by the quality of your democracy but by the stringency by which you stem the migration flow from Muslim countries to Europe’s south.

That is a flying elephant no one should ignore. It is language unlike any previous U.S. national security survey, and to my mind it reveals a deep truth about this second Trump administration: how much it came to Washington to fight America’s third civil war, not to fight the West’s new Cold War.

Yes, in my view, we are in a new civil war over a place called home.

Humans have an enduring, structural need for home, not only as a physical shelter, but as a psychological anchor and moral compass, too. That is why Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” (my favorite movie) got it exactly right: “There’s no place like home.” And when people lose that sense of home — whether by war, rapid economic change, cultural change, demographic change, climate change or technological change — they tend to lose their center of gravity. They may feel as if they are being hurtled around in a tornado, grabbing desperately for anything stable enough to hold onto — and that can include any leader who seems strong enough to reattach them to that place called home, however fraudulent that leader is or unrealistic the prospect.

With that as background, I cannot remember another time in the past 40 years when I have traveled around America, and the world, and found more people asking the same question: “Whose country is this anyway?” Or as Itamar Ben-Gvir, the farright nationalist Israeli minister, put it, in Hebrew, in his political banner ads during Israel’s 2022 election: “Who is the landlord here?”

And that is not an accident. Today, more people are living outside their country of birth than at any point in recorded history. There are approximately 304 million global migrants — some seeking work, some seeking education, some seeking safety from internal conflicts, some fleeing droughts and floods and deforestation. In our own hemisphere, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office reports that migrant encounters at our southern border hit historical highs in 2023, while estimates from the Pew Research Center suggest that the total unauthorized population in America grew to 14 million in the same year, breaking a decade-long period of relative stability.

But this is not just about immigrants. America’s third civil war is being fought on multiple fronts. On one front it is white, predominantly Christian Americans resisting the emergence of the minority-dominated America that is now baked into our future sometime in the 2040s, driven by lower birthrates among white Americans and growth in Hispanic, Asian and multiracial American populations.

On another front are Black Americans still struggling against those who would raise new walls to keep them from a place called home. Then there are Americans of every background trying to steady themselves amid cultural currents that seem to shift by the week: new expectations about issues like identity, bathrooms and even a typeface, as well as

how we acknowledge one another in the public square.

On yet another front, the gale-force winds of technological change, propelled now by artificial intelligence, are sweeping through workplaces faster than people can plant their feet. And on a fifth front, young Americans of every race, creed and color are straining to afford even a modest home — the physical and psychological harbor that has long anchored the American dream. My sense is that we now have millions of Americans waking up each morning unsure of the social script, the economic ladder or the cultural norms that are OK to practice in their home. They are psychologically homeless.

When Donald Trump made building a wall along the Mexican border the central motif of his first campaign, he instinctively chose a word that did double duty for millions of Americans. “Wall” meant a physical barrier against uncontrolled immigration that was accelerating our transition to a minority-majority-led America. But it also meant a wall against the pace and scope of change: the cultural, digital and generational whirlwinds reshaping daily life.

That, to me, is the deep backdrop to Trump’s National Security Strategy. He is not interested in refighting the Cold War to defend and expand the frontiers of democracy. He is, in my view, interested in fighting the civilizational war over what is the American “home” and what is the European “home,” with an emphasis on race and Christian-Judeo faith — and who is an ally in that war and who is not.

Municipio de San Juan inicia construcción y rehabilitación a gran escala del Complejo Deportivo Cupey Track

POR EL STAR STAFF

SAN JUAN – El alcalde de la ciudad capital, Miguel A. Romero Lugo, anunció hoy, domingo, en el Complejo Deportivo Cupey Track, en San Juan, el inicio de los trabajos de construcción y rehabilitación a gran escala de esta instalación deportiva. El proyecto representa una inversión estimada de $3,950,781 y forma parte del plan municipal dirigido a recuperar y modernizar espacios deportivos seguros, funcionales y accesibles para la comunidad.

“Hoy comenzamos un proyecto que refleja claramente cómo estamos invirtiendo en infraestructura deportiva y comunitaria para el beneficio directo de nuestra gente. Estas obras no solo modernizan facilidades, también fortalecen el deporte, la recreación y el bienestar de nuestras comunidades”, expresó Romero Lugo.

La inversión del proyecto es cubierta mayoritariamente con fondos ordinarios del Municipio de San Juan por $3,613,935.49, lo que representa más del 90 % del total de la inversión, con fondos complementarios de FEMA por $303,160.96 y CDBG-DR por $33,684.55.

“El que el municipio esté aportando la mayor parte de la inversión demuestra nuestro compromiso con ejecutar proyectos responsables, bien planificados y que respondan a las verdaderas necesidades de nuestras comunidades”, indicó Romero Lugo.

“Son cosas de

Entre los trabajos generales se incluyen mejoras a la infraestructura del complejo, como el reemplazo de la verja perimetral, mejoras a aceras con rampas de accesibilidad, sustitución de luminarias, rehabilitación de baños, mejoras al sistema de drenaje pluvial y control de escorrentías, así como trabajos de repavimentación y marcado del estacionamiento. El proyecto impacta directamente la pista atlética, el parque de béisbol, la cancha de baloncesto, el área de gimnasio y las oficinas administrativas.

“Estas mejoras no son cosméticas. Son intervenciones estructurales que aseguran que las facilidades cumplan con estándares de seguridad, accesibilidad y durabilidad para los próximos años”, añadió Romero Lugo.

En el área de oficinas administrativas y gimnasio se

dictaduras”,

señala

realizarán trabajos de mejoras al sistema eléctrico, reemplazo de luminarias, reacondicionamiento de pintura, instalación de ventanas de seguridad, reparaciones al techo y sustitución de equipos de ejercicios.

El parque de béisbol será rehabilitado con mejoras a la superficie de juego y reemplazo de grama, mejoras al sistema de drenaje, iluminación, trabajos en los techos de las gradas y mejoras en las áreas de los dugouts.

En la cancha de baloncesto se realizarán mejoras a la estructura y superficie de juego, trabajos en el sistema de drenaje del techo, instalación de pasamanos en las gradas y reemplazo de luminarias.

En cuanto a la pista atlética, el proyecto contempla mejoras estructurales dirigidas a modernizar la superficie, la iluminación y las áreas de gradas, conforme a los estándares de pista y campo.

“Cada inicio de construcción es una acción concreta de nuestro compromiso con San Juan. Estamos devolviendo espacios públicos seguros, funcionales y listos para servir a atletas, jóvenes y familias”, añadió Romero Lugo. El equipo de trabajo a cargo del proyecto está compuesto por Vázquez Associates, PSC como diseñador, Integra Design Group, PSC en la inspección, Enviro Tab, Inc como contratista y Slocum Ventures, LLC en la gerencia del proyecto. La duración estimada de los trabajos es de aproximadamente 12 meses, con inicio en enero de 2026.

Manuel Calderón Cerame

sobre aprobación del proyecto que limita la información pública

POR EL STAR STAFF

SAN JUAN – El secretario general del Partido Popular Democrático (PPD), Manuel Calderón Cerame, reaccionó a la aprobación por parte de la gobernadora Jenniffer González, del Proyecto del Senado 63, ley que impone requisitos adicionales para acceder a información pública.

“Nuevamente el País recibe otro golpe a la democracia por la mayoría del liderato Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP). Esta medida tiene el repudio de las organizaciones periodísticas. La medida contó con la oposición de la delegación del Partido Popular Democrático (PPD), en el Senado y la Cámara, así como de cuatro miembros del Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP) en la Cámara y de la representante de Proyecto Dignidad Lisie Burgos Muñiz, junto con los tres miembros del Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño (PIP). Es una medida propia de las dictaduras que tanto critican”, aseguró Calderón Cerame.

La medida enmienda la Ley de Transparencia y Procedimiento Expedito para el Acceso a la Información Pública y le imponer requisitos adicionales a las solicitudes de información en poder de las agencias gubernamentales. “Si usted requiere información pública, ahora se impone un término de 20 días laborales para la entrega de información, en lugar de los 10 días actuales, pero solo para aquellos documentos que no excedan las 300 páginas o que su antigüedad sea menor a tres años contados a partir de la fecha en que fue producido originalmente”, señaló el secretario general popular a manera de ejemplo.

En momentos en que la tecnología digital ha acelerado los procesos gubernamentales en todo el mundo libre, ahora en Puerto Rico se eleva a 30 días laborables para producir la información que sobrepase las 300 páginas o tenga tres años de antigüedad. “Sumado a eso, el lenguaje de la medida deja permite la solicitud de una extensión de 20 días adicionales para cumplir con la petición de información. En resumen, esa medida

tiene el efecto se reducir las garantías de fiscalización pública, pues se extienden los plazos de entrega de información y establecer nuevas condiciones para las solicitudes”, finalizó Calderón Cerame.

The San Juan Daily Star

Monday, December 15, 2025 9

Raul Malo, frontman of the Mavericks, dies at 60

By BILL FRISKICS-WARREN

Raul Malo, the big-voiced singer and principal songwriter for the Mavericks, a Grammy Award-winning band whose Latin-inflected sound helped broaden the boundaries of country music in the 1990s, died Monday. He was 60.

His publicist, Michelle Steele, said that the cause was cancer. She did not say where he died. Malo announced in June that he had Stage 4 colon cancer. Several months later, he said he learned that he also had leptomeningeal disease, a condition in which cancer cells attack membranes around the brain and spinal cord.

Best known for Top 20 country hits including “There Goes My Heart” and “O What a Thrill,” the quartet that eventually became the Mavericks first came together in Miami in the late 1980s as a bar band called the Basics. More rock than country, the group featured Robert Reynolds on lead vocals and guitar, Malo on background vocals and bass, Paul Deakin on the drums and Ben Peeler on lead guitar.

It was not until 1989, after Malo and Reynolds switched roles, that Malo’s sonorous, vibrato-rich baritone came to the fore and helped create the Mavericks’ trademark blend of country, rock ’n’ roll and Latin music.

In addition to being the group’s frontman, singing with what critics described as formidable range and versatility akin to that of George Jones or Frank Sinatra, Malo also became its

main producer and songwriter. He wrote all but two songs on the Mavericks’ first two albums, including the title track on the 1992 album “From Hell to Paradise” about his aunt’s travails as a Cuban emigre to the United States:

This 90 mile trip has taken 30 years to make

They tried to keep forever what was never theirs to take

Malo broadened the band’s sonic palette to embrace an array of styles, from Mariachi horns and traditional AfroCuban modalities to bel canto crooning and dramatic, Roy Orbison-style balladry. His musical syncretism, he said, came from his parents.

“They were young enough to turn me on to some really great music,” Malo told NPR’s “Weekend Edition” in 2024. “My dad, for example, was a huge country fan. My mom was a rock ’n’ roll, big band, swing opera fan.”

“I remember when I first heard Elvis’ ‘It’s Now or Never,’” he added. “I thought that was the greatest rock ’n’ roll record in my life, and I loved the way that he blended Italian aria into this rock ’n’ roll song.”

The Mavericks’ creative peak coincided with their greatest commercial success. Their third album, “What a Crying Shame” (1994), yielded five singles and was certified platinum for sales of 1 million copies.

The Grammy Award-nominated “Music for All Occasions” (1995) placed three more singles on the country chart,

among them “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down” (No. 13), a collaboration with Tejano accordionist Flaco Jiménez, who died in July. “Here Comes the Rain” (No. 22), a twanging ode to heartbreak, won a Grammy in 1996 for best country performance by a duo or group with vocal.

“Music for All Occasions” also found the Mavericks incorporating elements of lounge music into their sound. With their cover of Frank and Nancy Sinatra’s 1967 pop smash “Somethin’ Stupid,” Malo and his bandmates, including his duet partner on the recording, Trisha Yearwood, seemed determined to prove how elastic commercial country music could be.

At times, critics dismissed the Mavericks’ genre-fluid approach as kitsch, but Malo insisted that the group’s approach was not ironic or condescending but performed with sincere commitment to its audience.

“I think that culturally we, and not just in country music, but culturally in general, we try to dumb it down so much, from television to movies to just about anything,” he said in a 2010 interview with the now-defunct alternative newspaper OC Weekly.

“Go to Hank Williams,” he went on. “That was country, but that wasn’t dumb, you know? Even songs like ‘My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It,’ that’s hillbilly poetry and it’s done cleverly and it’s about as country as you can get, but it’s not dumb, you know?”

Raul Francisco Martínez-Malo was born Aug. 7, 1965, in Miami, the elder of two children of Raul and Norma (Martínez) Malo, Cuban exiles who fled their homeland soon after the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power.

Music was always playing on the radio or hi-fi in the Malo home in the Little Havana neighborhood. At 12, Raul formed his first band, playing bass at quinceañeras and other social gatherings. Instead of working purely in Cuban idioms, he absorbed honky-tonk, jazz, blues and other musical genres.

The Mavericks broke up and reunited twice in the 2000s, releasing albums with various lineups, the one constant being the force of Malo’s voice and musical imagination. Malo also released solo recordings over the last two decades, from “You’re Only Lonely” (2006), a set of pop standards, to “Say Less” (2023), a collection of instrumentals. As with his work with the Mavericks, his solo projects steadfastly pushed at the edges of country music.

“I’m not in the mainstream country music game anymore,” he told OC Weekly. “I can experiment a little, you know, and try different things. I’m sure my accountant would have wished that I’d stuck to the same thing that I’ve been doing, you know, over and over and over and over again, but that just wasn’t for me.”

Malo sang with Los Super Seven, the Grammy-winning Latin American collective that included singers Rick Trevino and Ruben Ramos as well as members of the roots-rock band Los Lobos.

He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Betty Fernandez Malo; three sons, Max, Victor and Dino; his mother; and a sister.

Raul Malo, the Mavericks frontman, performs at a festival in Indio, Calif. on May 5, 2007. Malo, a lush-voiced singer whose expansive, Latin-inflected sound breathed new life into country music in the 1990s, died on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025 after a battle with colon cancer. He was 60. (Heidi Schumann/The New York Times)

Stocks

US equity funds draw first weekly inflow in 3 weeks ahead of Fed easing

U.S. investors bought equity funds for the first time in three weeks in the week through December 10 in anticipation of a policy rate cut by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday.

They ⁠purchased a net $3.3 billion worth of U.S. equity funds during the week, closely reversing a net $3.52 billion outflow the prior week, LSEG Lipper data showed.

Investors, however, remained concerned over a slower pace of profitability for artificial intelligence companies ⁠as earnings guidance from Oracle missed market expectations on Wednesday.

U.S. equity sectoral funds received a net $2.81 billion, the largest weekly inflow since a $4.03 billion net purchase in the week to October 22.

Metals and mining, industrials and healthcare funds saw weekly inflows to the tune of $672 million, $548 million and $527 million, respectively.

U.S. bond funds witnessed $3.49 billion weekly net purchase, significantly higher than the previous week’s $291 million net inflows.

Investors pumped $2.61 billion into short-to-intermediate investment-grade funds, the largest amount in seven weeks. They, however, shed general domestic taxable fixed income funds of $902 million.

Money market funds, meanwhile, had a net $4.58 billion weekly outflow following a robust $105.03 billion weekly net purchase the prior week.

The U.S. dollar rose against major currencies on Friday after falling in recent sessions, but was still on track for its third straight weekly drop amid the prospect of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve next year.

Sterling also eased after data showed the UK economy unexpectedly shrank in the three months to October.

The euro was flat at $1.1735 after hitting a more than two-month high on Thursday.

The dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against six others, rose 0.1% to 98.44, rallying from a twomonth low hit on Thursday but still on track for its third weekly decline with a 0.6% fall. For the month of December, the greenback has been 1.1% weaker so far.

The index was also down more than 9% this year, on pace for its steepest annual drop since 2017.

“It’s Friday ⁠fatigue. The dollar is down on the week and it’s pretty much down the whole month,” said Bob Savage,

head of markets macro strategy at BNY in New York. “And is it because the Fed cut rates? Yes partially.”

Against the yen, the dollar rose 0.2% to 155.93 yen ahead of next week’s Bank of Japan meeting, where the broad expectation is for a rate hike. Markets are focused on comments from policymakers on how the rate path will look in 2026.

Reuters reported that the BoJ would likely maintain a pledge next week to keep raising interest rates, but stress that the pace of further hikes would depend on how the economy reacts to each increase.

The pound edged down 0.2% against the dollar to

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$1.3375, but not far from a seven-week peak hit on Thursday, after economic data that was likely to boost expectations for Bank of England ⁠interest rate cuts.

Both sterling and the euro are poised for their third straight week of gains against the dollar.

The Fed cut rates as expected this week but comments from Chair Jerome Powell and the accompanying statement were viewed by investors as less hawkish than expected and reinforced dollar-selling momentum.

“That was a neutral cut,” said BNY’s Savage, disagreeing with market participants describing the Fed’s move last Wednesday as a some form of “hawkish” easing.

Abodada-Notario

15 victims and a gunman dead after attack on Hanukkah festival in Sydney

By YAN ZHUANG and VICTORIA KIM

The death toll in the mass shooting at a Jewish holiday celebration in Australia rose to 15, officials said Monday morning, a day after gunmen opened fire on Bondi Beach, one of Sydney’s most famous destinations.

The New South Wales police said more than three dozen people remained hospitalized after the attack, which targeted a Hanukkah celebration in what officials described as an act of terrorism.

One of the gunmen was also killed, authorities said, and another was said to be wounded and in custody. Hours after the shooting, law enforcement officials swarmed a home in Bonnyrigg, a suburb west of Sydney. Two people were escorted out of the house, which was surrounded by a heavy police presence.

On Sunday evening, Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon of the New South Wales Police Force said that officers had found what they believed to be several improvised explosive devices in a vehicle linked to the slain suspect, who was previously known to the police. The vehicle had been parked near the scene of the attack, and bomb disposal units were deployed, he said, adding that police were still looking into the possibility that other people had been involved.

Video verified by The New York Times shows a bystander sneaking up on one of the attackers from between two cars and

Police activity near a house in Bonnyrigg, a suburb west of Sydney, Australia, on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, following a deadly shooting on Bondi Beach in Sydney. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Austrailia called the shooting a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community during a Hannukah celebration. (Matthew Abbott/The New York Times)

tackling him from behind before wrestling a long gun from his hands. Chris Minns, the premier of the state of New South Wales, called the man “a genuine hero.” Minns said he had “no doubt that there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery.”

Hundreds of people had gathered at Bondi, Australia’s best-known beach, for a Hanukkah event, where children played as music and bubbles filled the air. Then gunshots ripped through the celebration.

Danny Ridley, a photographer who was documenting the Hanukkah gathering,

said one attacker fired at him as he was hiding behind a parking meter, leaving him with a gash on his left rib. “It was just carnage,” he said.

The mass shooting, a rarity in Australia, sent the crowd scattering. Video from the scene aired by the Australian Broadcasting Corp., the country’s public broadcaster, shows police officers fanning out across an area where a gun was lying near a tree.

“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. He added, “An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.”

Here’s what else to know: — Initial reports: The police began receiving reports about 6:45 p.m. local time that multiple people had been shot. The gunmen emerged from a small silver hatchback parked by a footbridge near the beach and began firing into the crowd celebrating Hanukkah, according to a witness who said he was walking a few dozen yards from the shooters. Soon after, the New South Wales police issued an alert asking people to stay away from

the beach, which is over a half-mile long and within a few miles of downtown Sydney.

— Hanukkah celebration: Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, is a global organization based in Brooklyn, New York, dedicated to strengthening and enriching Jewish life by providing religious, educational, social and cultural services around the world. The group’s chapter in Bondi Beach was hosting the Hanukkah event on Sunday.

— The victims: Investigators have not released the names of the victims. The Israeli foreign ministry said that at least one Israeli national was known to have been killed and another injured. Sydney Hatzolah, a local chapter of a Jewish emergency medical service organization, said on Facebook that one of its team members had been injured.

— Rare shooting: Mass shootings are rare in Australia, a country with strict gun laws and one of the lowest gun-related death rates among wealthy nations.

— Antisemitic attacks: The shooting was the latest in a series of antisemitic attacks in Australia, which has the world’s highest concentration of Holocaust survivors after Israel. Arsonists last year targeted a Jewish business and a synagogue, prompting calls for greater accountability. Some leaders and organizations from the Jewish community said Sunday that their warnings about violence had not been heeded.

Hamas confirms top commander’s death in Israeli strike in Gaza

By ISABEL KERSHNER and AARON BOXERMAN

Asenior Hamas official on Sunday confirmed the death of a top commander in the Gaza Strip, a day after the Israeli military carried out a missile strike on a car in which he was riding.

The killing of Raed Saad on Saturday was the most high-profile assassination of a senior Hamas figure since Israel and the militant group agreed to a ceasefire about two months ago.

Saad’s death was confirmed by Khalil

al-Hayya, one of Hamas’ top leaders in exile, who spoke in a televised address on the 38th anniversary of the group’s establishment. He described the killing as one of a series of ceasefire violations by Israel that he said were “threatening how long the agreement might last.”

Israel has accused Hamas, in turn, of repeatedly violating the ceasefire.

Israeli authorities said Saad was a senior commander in the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, responsible for producing weapons and building up its forces. They described him as one of the

architects of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that set off the two-year war in Gaza.

In a statement released on Saturday, Hamas accused the Israeli military of striking “a civilian car.” Four people were killed in the attack, said Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Saad and the other three people with him in the car were buried on Sunday.

The Qassam Brigades said Sunday that Saad had been killed alongside “a number of his jihadi comrades,” suggesting that

the other three men in the vehicle were militants. The Israeli military said the other three were Hamas militants.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Hamas described the October 2023 attack as “a firmly rooted milestone in our people’s path of struggle and independence.”

It added that the Palestinian people alone would decide who governs them, in an apparent warning to the Trump administration and others leading an international effort to make Hamas relinquish its weapons and give up control over Gaza.

3 Americans killed in ISIS attack in Syria, Trump says, vowing to retaliate

By ABDI LATIF DAHIR, CHRISTINA GOLDBAUM, JOHN ISMAY and ERIC SCHMITT

President Donald Trump vowed on Saturday to retaliate against the Islamic State militant group after an attack in central Syria killed two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian U.S. interpreter, the first American casualties in the country since the fall of dictator Bashar Assad last year.

“This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “There will be very serious retaliation.”

The soldiers were supporting counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State group in Palmyra, a city in central Syria, when they came under fire from a lone gunman, according to U.S. officials. Syrian security forces subsequently killed the gunman, U.S. and Syrian officials said.

Three U.S. military personnel and two members of Syrian security forces were also wounded in the attack, according to U.S. officials and Syrian state media. In the aftermath, U.S. helicopters were deployed to evacuate the wounded to the al-Tanf U.S. base in southeastern Syria, Syrian state media said.

Although the United States’ deployment in the Middle East is a fraction of what it once was, the assault was a stark reminder of the danger in the region and the quandary of whether to keep U.S. forces there.

It also highlighted the challenges for the nascent Syrian government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as it steers a deeply-fractured country emerging from nearly 14 years of civil war.

Since his rebel coalition toppled the Assad government, al-Sharaa has had to contend with threats from the Islamic State and various other armed groups, while simultaneously building a new national military.

The attack also comes months after the United States began to draw down its military presence in Syria, from about 2,000 troops at the start of the year to about 1,000 today, ac-

A peddler waits for tourists at the ancient ruins of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site that was damaged during Syria’s civil war and occupation by the Islamic State group, Feb. 26, 2025. Two U.S. soldiers and a civilian U.S. interpreter were killed Saturday while supporting counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State group in Palmyra, in central Syria, when they came under fire from a lone gunman, according to U.S. officials. (David Guttenfelder/The New York Times)

cording to a Pentagon official.

It remains unclear whether the lethal attack on U.S. soldiers Saturday will affect that strategy.

The decision to draw down forces reflected the shifting security environment in Syria after Assad’s government collapsed. While Islamic State cells have continued to carry out attacks in Syria, Assad’s departure diminished the threats posed by the Iranian-backed militias and Russian troops who had supported him.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forcefully condemned the attack, writing in a post on social platform X, “if you target Americans — anywhere in the world — you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you and ruthlessly kill you.”

No group has yet claimed responsibility

for the attack though initial assessments suggest that it was likely carried out by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, according to a Pentagon official.

Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said: “This is a glaring reminder that the radical Islamic threat against the U.S. and our service members abroad is still very real, and we must continue to treat ISIS, and any other radical terror group, like the deadly threat they are.”

The attack Saturday unfolded outside a building in Palmyra where Syrian Interior Ministry officials from the capital, Damascus, were meeting with their counterparts in the city, according to a U.S. official.

The U.S. soldiers and their interpreter were providing security outside when a lone gunman opened fire on them from a nearby building with what appeared to be a machine gun, the official said. Syrian security forces then opened fire and killed the gunman, according to the U.S. official and Syrian officials.

The U.S. soldiers killed were part of an Iowa National Guard contingent assigned to the Syria mission, Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa said.

A spokesperson for the Syrian Interior Ministry, Noureddine al-Baba, said in a statement that the Syrian government had warned U.S. counterparts about the possibility of attacks by the Islamic State on their forces.

“The international coalition forces did not take the Syrian warnings about the possibility of an ISIS breach into account,” al-Baba said.

Since 2014, U.S. forces have been deployed in Syria across various U.S. bases. For years, their main objectives have included combating the Islamic State, guarding strategic areas such as oil fields and curbing Iranian influence.

U.S. forces have also partnered with the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia that controls much of the nation’s northeast, to provide training and equipment, and maintain pressure on the Islamic State. The group seized control of Palmyra in 2015, destroying invaluable archaeological sites and carrying out brutal attacks on civilians and military personnel.

After suffering stinging defeats in 2017, the Islamic State’s capabilities in Syria were greatly diminished. Remnants of the group remained at large in the remote desert of eastern Syria.

But the group has continued to carry out small-scale attacks since Assad’s departure, primarily targeting soldiers from al-Sharaa’s government. There are also growing concerns about the possibility of the group breaking thousands of its hardened militants out of detention, which could further destabilize the region.

Last month, after meeting with Trump in the White House, al-Sharaa signed a declaration of political cooperation with the U.S.led coalition that combats the Islamic State in Syria.

The move reflected both al-Sharaa’s eagerness to establish stronger ties with the United States and the volatility his country continues to face, as it grapples with sectarian violence, deep humanitarian crises and the formidable challenge of rebuilding its military and security forces.

The attack Saturday “comes at a critical juncture in the formation of U.S.-Syria bilateral security ties which behind the scenes have been coming on leaps and bounds in the last six months,” said Charles Lister, the director of the Syria Initiative at the Middle East Institute.

On Saturday evening, the situation in Palmyra remained fraught. Throughout the afternoon, the sounds of gunfire and planes were heard across the city and many roads remained closed, residents said.

“The situation in Palmyra is tense,” Mohammed Al-Fadhil, a human rights activist in Palmyra, said in a phone interview. “Civilians are living in fear.”

A seized oil tanker and the big business of dark fleet smuggling

By REBECCA F. ELLIOTT and PETER EAVIS

The United States’ seizure of a tanker last Wednesday off the coast of Venezuela was clearly meant to rattle that country’s autocratic government.

The move will most likely make it more difficult for Venezuela to export oil, squeezing a crucial source of revenue for the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

“It will affect all vessels to Venezuela for sure,” said Angeliki Frangou, the CEO of Navios Maritime Partners, a Greek tanker owner and operator. “It’s a very loud message.”

But shipping and oil market experts said the operation was unlikely to significantly disrupt a broader network of vessels that move oil from Russia, Iran and Venezuela in violation of sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries.

Tankers at the refinery near Punto

Shipping and oil market experts said the U.S. military’s seizure of an oil tanker in the Caribbean was unlikely to significantly disrupt a broader network of vessels that move oil from Russia, Iran and Venezuela in violation of sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries. (Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times)

There is no formal count of the ships engaged in this trade, but experts widely agree that it has ballooned since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. S&P Global Energy estimated the fleet grew 45% in the year that ended in May. In response to that war, the United States, the European Union and others placed sanctions on Russia, one of the world’s biggest oil producers.

It is hard to determine who owns or operates the aging tankers, which are often referred to as a dark or shadow fleet. The vessels, which shipping and energy experts estimate make up 10% to 20% of the global tanker fleet, often disguise where they are traveling. They do that by manipulating the system that large vessels must use to transmit their location and speed.

Venezuela, which has been subject to various U.S. sanctions for years, relies heavily on the dark fleet to export its oil, most of which finds its way to China. The seizure last week, and President Donald Trump and other administration officials saying that they intend to target more vessels, could deter tanker operators from sending ships to Venezuela, analysts said.

“This is going to increase the cost of running shadow fleet ships, and it’s going to make it less appealing, even for some of these inscrutable characters,” said Robin Brooks, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

On Thursday, the Treasury Department, citing a 2018 executive order targeting Venezuela, said it was putting sanctions on six shipping companies that it said were operating vessels that transported Venezuelan oil to Asia, or were obfuscating their locations. The seized tanker, the Skipper, was placed under U.S. sanctions in 2022 for what the Treasury Department said were its ties to Iran. The vessel is about 20 years old, according to S&P Global Energy, and went by another name at the time.

The United States has seized oil before, but the practice is uncommon and rarely becomes a public spectacle, as it did Wednesday when Trump confirmed it had happened and Attorney General Pam Bondi posted a video of U.S. forces boarding the ship on social media.

Enforcement actions under the Biden administration and first Trump administration targeted Iranian oil and other fuel. Sanctions also work by deterring many larger shipping companies from getting involved with moving oil from certain countries in the first place.

Venezuela produces less than 1% of the oil the world uses, which means that even if its exports were eliminated, it would have little effect on the global energy market. That said, some refineries may struggle because they are most efficient at producing gasoline, diesel and other fuels when they blend unusually thick oil from Venezuela with other, lighter varieties from elsewhere.

Politicians often weigh the benefits of enforcing trade restrictions against the risk that such actions cause oil prices to rise.

Indeed, Wednesday’s seizure had little effect on oil prices, which climbed modestly in the immediate aftermath, but have given up those gains, trading on Friday morning below $58 a barrel.

As well as obfuscating ownership and disguising vessel locations, operators involved in transporting oil from sanctioned countries must take other measures to be successful. They often have to forgo traditional shipping insurance because most insurers are unwilling to violate U.S.

and European laws and regulations. As a result, ports in some countries may deny the entry of shadow tankers. To get around those restrictions, the tankers often transfer their oil at sea to other ships that have the appropriate insurance so the oil can be delivered.

Such practices can make it very difficult to determine the origin of any given barrel of oil.

Not all Venezuelan crude oil is restricted, however. Some of it has been making its way to U.S. refineries legally under a license held by Chevron, the second-largest U.S. oil company.

“It’s not as if this oil travels around the world with a label saying, ‘I am shadow oil’ or ‘I am sanctioned oil,’” said Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council who studies maritime threats.

Shipping companies now have to spend a lot more time and money to determine that oil is from legitimate sources, said Frangou, the shipping executive.

Wednesday’s tanker seizure will also ratchet up pressure on China, which relies on heavily discounted oil from countries like Venezuela and Russia, said Clayton Seigle, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

“Adding tanker seizures to the tools in the current tool kit will be noticed in Beijing,” Seigle said.

As dramatic as seizing a ship may appear, other actions, particularly the recent sanctions that Trump imposed on Russian oil companies, are more likely to cause shadow fleets to shrink, analysts said. In October, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s largest oil businesses, a move that appeared to cause a drop in tanker shipments.

“The U.S. is really putting the pressure on Russia on that front,” Brooks, the Brookings Institution analyst, said.

In an effort to reduce how much money Russia could earn from oil exports, the Group of 7 nations, the European Union and Australia in 2022 imposed restrictions aimed at capping the price of Russian crude at $60 a barrel. The European Union and Britain have since lowered their price target.

Fijo, Venezuela, Dec. 30, 2021.

Flying abroad? Get ready for a biometric ‘corridor.’

By CHRISTINE CHUNG

Imagine you’re preparing to board an international flight at a U.S. airport. Instead of juggling your belongings as you pull out your passport for the gate agent, you barely break your stride as you head onto the jetway. The agent reviews your identity on a computer screen.

This swift identity-confirmation process, powered by facial recognition, could someday be coming to airports across America. But travelers will see it first at Orlando International Airport, which will test new biometric technology for select international departures next month.

Passengers leaving the United States from Orlando could encounter one of three 90-day pilot programs, including a “contactless corridor,” a subtly defined zone with several mounted cameras that can simultaneously process several people in motion.

The corridor is a collaboration among three biometric technology companies — Paravision, AiFi and Embross — and pairs cameras and artificial intelligence with facial-recognition and movement-tracking software.

A passenger uses Biometric technology made by iProov is part of three identityconfirmation pilot programs at Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 4, 2025. New facial-recognition tools being tested at Orlando International Airport could soon be keeping track of travelers at departure gates across the country. (Jacob Langston/The New York Times)

“Our goal is that you don’t have to tell travelers to do anything specific at all,” Joey Pritikin, Paravision’s chief product officer, said during a recent demonstration of the product at the airport’s innovation lab. “The idea is to make the technology disappear,” he added. “We know exactly who is where, when.”

As passengers approach the gate agent, cameras capture their biometrics, which are rapidly matched against

government records, including a photo database of travelers, to confirm their identities and their authorization to be in the United States. The gate agent reviews this information on a separate screen.

Biometric identity verification, optional for American citizens but required for foreign visitors, dates back to a 2001 congressional mandate in the aftermath of Sept. 11. The technology has long raised concerns among privacy experts, who question how biometric data is used and stored, as well as its accuracy.

Helping families wait less

Orlando International, Florida’s busiest airport, with 56 million passengers so far this year, has emerged as a prominent testing ground for biometric technology. This is, at least in part, because facial recognition helps efficiently process the many families who come to visit attractions such as Disney World and the new Universal Epic Universe theme park. At the airport on a recent Thursday, multigenerational families and children clutching Disney stuffed animals and wearing Minnie Mouse ears filled the security lines.

“Technology enables us to move passengers more effectively without compromising safety and security,” said Lance Lyttle, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which manages the airport. International destinations served by the airport include such cities as Frankfurt, Germany, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Paris.

In May, Orlando International teamed up with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to introduce a faster biometric process for Americans entering the country. The optional program, called enhanced passenger processing, uses facial recognition to confirm travelers’ identities at the

CBP checkpoint without requiring them to show a passport. It is now available at more than a dozen U.S. airports, including Kennedy International in New York and Charlotte Douglas International in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In 2018, Orlando was the first airport in the U.S. to commit to using facial recognition to process all international arrivals and departures. To date, it has installed biometric exit at 65 of its 113 gates.

Next month, in addition to the biometric corridor, passengers will see two other pilot programs at separate gates, both intended to speed up passenger verification using biometrics. One consists of tall, white kiosks made by tech vendor iProov, and the other is hardware by biometrics company Aware that can quickly capture and simultaneously process several people.

The new technology could simplify getting through airport checkpoints, said Dominic Forrest, iProov’s chief technology officer.

“No getting your passport out, no getting your ticket out,” Forrest said. “Four people at a time, people carrying kids, people pushing wheelchairs. That’s what the technology can do.”

Momentum at the gate

CBP’s mission to create a biometric entry-exit system dates back decades. While biometric entry for arriving international passengers, in use since January 2004, is fully operational at airports, biometric exit for departing flights has lagged because of operational and logistical challenges, including the cost. Generally, airlines and airports pay for the biometric exit equipment.

However, the pace has picked up this year, with biometric exit now available at dozens of airports. A new federal rule that goes into effect Dec. 26 will further supercharge biometric exit to expand to all airports, seaports and land crossings across the country. CBP estimates that this could be accomplished within the next three to five years. Biometric entry and exit will now also be required of all nonU.S.-citizen travelers; previously, children younger than 17 and adults older than 79 were exempt.

Diane Sabatino, acting executive assistant commissioner for field operations at CBP, emphasized that the biometric entry-exit system always starts with security — identifying travelers and their authorization to be in the country.

In the 2025 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, about 52% of departing air travelers were biometrically confirmed, a CBP spokesperson said. Since June 2017, 848 million people have undergone the process. As of this month, more than 529,000 foreign nationals who have overstayed visas have been identified using this process.

Sabatino said biometric entry and exit benefited travelers by increasing speed and convenience. American citizens, she added, can choose to opt out in favor of a traditional inspection by a CBP officer, and she reiterated that the process would always be optional for U.S. citizens.

Jonatan Ramos Director Funerario

The

How do ultraprocessed foods affect the gut?

By ALICE CALLAHAN

Walk into a typical supermarket in the United States, and much of what you see — breakfast cereals, frozen meals, processed meats, sodas — is considered ultraprocessed food.

These products, typically defined as foods and drinks made with ingredients you wouldn’t find in a home kitchen, make up more than half of the calories people in the United States consume and have been associated with various health conditions including obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Now emerging evidence has also linked ultraprocessed foods to poor gut health, said Kevin Whelan, a professor of dietetics at King’s College London.

What studies suggest

Over the last few years, a growing body of research has suggested that people who eat more ultraprocessed foods have higher risks of developing certain conditions that affect the stomach and the intestines. (Jiaqi Wang/The New York Times)

Over the last few years, a growing body of research has suggested that people who eat more ultraprocessed foods have higher risks of developing certain conditions that affect the stomach and the intestines.

The most consistent link, Whelan said, is with Crohn’s disease — an often-debilitating inflammatory bowel disease that causes abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue and weight loss.

In a review published in 2023, scientists found that adults who consumed the most ultraprocessed foods had a 71% greater risk of developing Crohn’s disease than those who consumed the least.

Other research has linked ultraprocessed foods with increased risks of irritable bowel syndrome, stomach ulcers and colorectal cancer. In a study of more than 29,000 female nurses published this month, researchers reported that those who consumed the most ultraprocessed foods were 45% more likely to develop a certain type of precancerous colorectal polyp than those who consumed the least.

Most of these studies have been observational, meaning they could find associations between eating patterns and health conditions but could not prove that those eating patterns caused the conditions, Whelan said.

Still, the associations “are pretty strik-

ing” and “consistent,” said Dr. Andrew T. Chan, a gastroenterologist at Mass General Brigham and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

How ultraprocessed foods might cause harm

When ingredients like wheat, oats and corn are processed into products like breakfast cereals, sliced breads and crackers, they lose beneficial fiber and healthful plant compounds called polyphenols.

Fiber and polyphenols feed the “good” microbes in our guts, which prevent inflammation and keep the linings of our intestines healthy, said Dr. Chris Damman, a clinical associate professor of gastroenterology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. When those healthful components are stripped away during processing, those benefits disappear.

Ultraprocessed foods are also often high in added sugars (which have been linked to greater risks of colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease) and sodium (which may increase “bad” bacteria in the gut and play a role in IBD).

Additives like emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners may also harm gut health, said Dr. Neeraj Narula, a gastroenterologist and

an associate professor of medicine at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

Researchers are particularly concerned about emulsifiers, which are found in many ultraprocessed foods, including certain breads, salad dressings and dairy products.

A few small studies in humans have shown that eating emulsifiers is associated with potentially harmful microbiome changes, abdominal pain and greater levels of inflammation throughout the body. But most research on emulsifiers has been in rodents, which are easier to study, Whelan said.

Those studies have found that when rodents consume certain emulsifiers — at levels similar to those in ultraprocessed foods — “bad” gut microbes grow more than “good” ones, the protective layer of mucus that lines the intestines thins, and gut inflammation increases, said Benoit Chassaing, a microbiome researcher at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Chronic gut inflammation may increase the risk of developing conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer, Chan said.

Researchers have also found that when people with Crohn’s disease avoid emulsifiers, their symptoms improve.

Some rodent studies have suggested

that consuming artificial sweeteners like sucralose, acesulfame K and saccharin may lead to an unbalanced gut microbiome and a “leakier” intestinal lining.

There’s not enough research to demonstrate whether those sweeteners have the same effects in humans. But in a trial of 137 adults published in 2022, researchers found that those who consumed foods and drinks containing the sweeteners every day had worse gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea, constipation and burning in the chest than those who avoided them.

What this means for you

There’s a lot scientists don’t understand yet about how ultraprocessed foods affect the gut, and not enough evidence to recommend avoiding such products completely, Whelan said.

But we do know that it can be worth cutting back, Narula said, since there is good evidence linking ultraprocessed foods to other health conditions like cardiovascular disease, dementia and obesity.

He recommended thinking about the ultraprocessed foods you eat regularly and identifying ways to swap them with unprocessed alternatives — drinking sparkling water or iced coffee instead of soda, or making a homemade vinaigrette instead of using a packaged salad dressing.

For a healthy gut, focus on consuming plenty of fiber-rich whole foods like fruits and vegetables. And limiting sodium, added sugars and saturated fats is good for your health in general. If you follow that advice, Whelan said, you are likely to consume fewer ultraprocessed foods along the way.

San Juan Daily Star

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL

GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE FAJARDO ORIENTAL BANK

Parte Demandante V. PEDRO CANTRES

SANJURJO T/C/C

PEDRO LUIS CANTRES

SANJURJO T/C/C PEDRO L. CANTRES SANJURJO; LILLY IVETTE CARDONA COLÓN

Parte Demandada

Caso Núm.: LU2025CV00082. Acción Civil De: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE.UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. AVISO DE PÚBLICA SUBASTA. El que suscribe, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Fajardo, hago saber a la parte demandada PEDRO CANTRES

SANJURJO t/c/c PEDRO LUIS

CANTRES SANJURJO t/c/c

PEDRO L. CANTRES SANJURJO, LILLY IVETTE CARDONA COLÓN y al PÚBLICO EN GENERAL; que en cumplimiento del Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia expedido el 30 de octubre de 2025, por la Secretaría del Tribunal, procederé a vender y venderé en pública subasta por el precio mínimo de $120,600.00 y al mejor postor, pagadero en efectivo, cheque de gerente o giro postal, a nombre del alguacil del tribunal, la propiedad que se describe a continuación: 197

A, 6 STREET FORTUNA COMMUNITY MAMEYES WARD, LUQUILLO, PR 00773, y que se describe de la siguiente manera: RUSTICA: Parcela de terreno marcada con el #197-A de la Comunidad Rural denominada Fortuna Segunda, sita en el Barrio Mameyes Primer del Municipio de Luquillo, Puerto Rico, con cabida de 1,078.92, por el NORTE, con la parcela 150, por el SUR, con Calle 6, por el ESTE, con parcela 195 y por el OESTE, con parcela 197. Enclava una casa. Finca 5519 inscrita al folio 15 del tomo 103 de Luquillo, Registro de la Propiedad de Fajardo. La finca antes descrita se encuentra afecta a los siguientes gravámenes: (i) HIPOTECA constituida en garantía de un pagaré a favor de R-G Premier Bank of P.R., o a su orden, por $120,600.00, al 6.75%, vencedero 1 de marzo de 2040, según Esc. #68, otorgada en San Juan, el 26 de febrero de 2010, ante Ruth Castro Algarín, inscrita al folio

197 vto. del tomo 234 de Luquillo finca 5,519, inscripción 15ta, Registro de la Propiedad de Fajardo. La hipoteca objeto de esta ejecución es la que ha quedado descrita en el inciso (i). Será celebrada la subasta para con el importe de la misma satisfacer la sentencia dicta el 16 de septiembre de 2025, mediante la cual se condenó a la parte demandada pagar a la parte demandante la suma de $73,376.50 de principal, más $2,490.01 de intereses al 6.750%, computados desde el 1 de diciembre de 2024 hasta el 2 de junio de 2025, que continuarán acumulándose hasta el saldo total a razón de $13.5695 diarios, más $195.55 de cargos por demora, $12.00 de cargos de inspección, $689.44 de Principal Forbearance Covid, $1,657.19 Interest Forbearance Covid, $15.00 de otros cargos, -$128.74 de reserve escrow y $12,060.00 de costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado, más cualquier otro desembolso que haya efectuado o efectúe la parte demandante durante la tramitación de este caso para otros adelantos de conformidad con el Contrato Hipotecario, incluyendo primas de seguro de hipoteca, prima de seguro de siniestro y cargos por demora. La PRIMERA SUBASTA será celebrada el día 13 DE ENERO DE 2026 A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA, en la oficina del Alguacil, sita en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Servirá de tipo mínimo para la misma la cantidad de $120,600.00, sin admitirse oferta inferior. De no haber remate ni adjudicación, celebraré SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 21 DE ENERO DE 2026 A LAS 10: 00 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar, en la que servirá como tipo mínimo, dos terceras (2/3) partes del precio pactado para la primera subasta, o sea, $80,400.00. Si no hubiese remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, celebraré TERCERA SUBASTA el día 28 DE ENERO DE 2026 A LAS 10:00 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar en la que regirá como tipo mínimo, la mitad del precio pactado para la primera subasta, o sea, $60,300.00. El Alguacil que suscribe hizo constar que toda licitación deberá hacerse para pagar su importe en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América, de acuerdo con la Ley y de acuerdo con lo anunciado en este Aviso de Subasta. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables. Se

entiende que todo licitador que comparezca a la subasta señalada en este caso acepta como bastante la titulación que da base a la misma. Se entiende que cualquier carga y/o gravamen anterior y/o preferente, si la hubiere al crédito que da base a esta ejecución continuará subsistente, entendiéndose, además, que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción cualquier parte del remanente del precio de licitación. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. Por la presente se notifica a los acreedores que tengan inscritos o anotados sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la inscripción del crédito del ejecutante o acreedores de cargas o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca ejecutada y las personas interesadas en, o con derecho a exigir el cumplimiento de instrumentos negociables garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito ejecutado, para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les convenga o satisfacer antes del remate el importe del crédito, de sus intereses, costas y honorarios de abogados asegurados, quedando subrogados en los derechos del acreedor ejecutante. Vendida o adjudicada la finca o derecho hipotecado y consignado el precio correspondiente, en esa misma fecha o fecha posterior, el alguacil que celebró la subasta procederá a otorgar la correspondiente escritura pública de traspaso en representación del dueño o titular de los bienes hipotecados, ante el notario que elija el adjudicatario o comprador, quien deberá abonar el importe de tal escritura. El alguacil pondrá en posesión judicial al nuevo dueño, si así se lo solicita dentro del término de veinte (20) días a partir de la confirmación de la venta o adjudicación. Si transcurren los referidos veinte (20) días, el tribunal podrá ordenar, sin necesidad de ulterior procedimiento, que se lleve a efecto el desalojo o lanzamiento del ocupante u ocupantes de la finca o de todos los que por orden o tolerancia del deudor la ocupen. Y PARA CONOCIMIENTO DE LOS LICITADORES Y DEL PUBLICO EN GENERAL y para su publicación de acuerdo con la Ley, expido el presente Edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal. En Fajardo, Puerto Rico, hoy 18 de noviembre de 2025. SANDRALIZ MARTÍNEZ TORRES, ALGUACIL CONFI-

DENCIAL #737, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA DE FAJARDO. JORGE A. ORTIZ ESTRADA, ALGUACIL REGIONAL #622.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAROLINA SALA SUPERIOR BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante Vs. OLGA IVETTE DIAZ

ROSA, POR SI Y COMO MIEMBRO DE LA SUCESION DE EDWIN RAMIREZ

DIAZ; LA SUCESION DE EDWIN RAMIREZ

DIAZ COMPUESTA POR

JOHANNA RAMIREZ

DIAZ; FULANO Y FULANA DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION; CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM)

Demandados Civil Núm.: CA2024CV00051. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA (VÍA ORDINARIA). EDICTO DE SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe por la presente CERTIFICA, ANUNCIA y hace CONSTAR: Que en cumplimiento de un Mandamiento de Ejecución de Sentencia que le ha sido dirigido al Alguacil que suscribe por la Secretaría del TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAROLINA, SALA SUPERIOR, en el caso de epígrafe procederá a vender en pública subasta al mejor postor en efectivo, cheque certificado en moneda legal de los Estados Unidos de América el 7 DE ENERO DE 2026, A LAS 10:15 DE LA MAÑANA, en su oficina sita en el local que ocupa en el edificio del TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAROLINA, SALA SUPERIOR, todo derecho, título e interés que tenga la parte demandada de epígrafe en el inmueble de su propiedad que ubica en: URB.

CASTELLANA GARDENS F-21 CALLE 6 CAROLINA, PR 00983 y que se describe a continuación: URBANA: Solar número veinte y uno del bloque F de la Urbanización Castellana Gardens del Barrio Sabana Abajo de Carolina, Puerto Rico, con una cabida de trescientos veinte y dos metros cuadrados. Colinda por el NORTE en catorce metros con la calle seis:

por el SUR, en catorce metros con los solares uno, dos y tres del Bloque F; por el ESTE, en veinte y tres metros con el solar veinte del bloque F; y por el OESTE, en veintitrés metros con el solar veintidós del bloque F. Contiene una casa de concreto armado y bloques de concreto de una sola planta que consiste de sala-comedor, cocina, tres habitaciones, dos baños, marquesina y balcón. La propiedad antes relacionada consta inscrita al Folio 192 del Tomo 329 de Carolina, finca número 12,476, en el Registro de la Propiedad de Carolina, Sección Primera. El tipo mínimo para la primera subasta del inmueble antes relacionado, será el dispuesto en la Escritura de Hipoteca, es decir la suma de $76,500.00. Si no hubiere remate ni adjudicación en la primera subasta del inmueble mencionado, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA en las oficinas del Alguacil que suscribe el día 14 DE ENERO DE 2026, A LAS 10:15 DE LA MAÑANA. En la segunda subasta que se celebre servirá de tipo mínimo las dos terceras partes (2/3) del precio pactado en la primera subasta, o sea la suma de $51,000.00. Si tampoco hubiere remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA en las oficinas del Alguacil que suscribe el día 22 DE ENERO DE 2026, A LAS 10:15 DE LA MAÑANA. Para la tercera subasta servirá de tipo mínimo la mitad (1/2) del precio pactado para el caso de ejecución, o sea, la suma de $38,250.00. La hipoteca a ejecutarse en el caso de epígrafe fue constituida mediante la escritura de hipoteca número 1011 otorgada en Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, el día 15 de diciembre de 2006, ante el Notario Rafael Bras Benítez y consta inscrita al Folio 69 del Tomo 329 de Carolina, finca número 12,476, inscripción 12da, en el Registro de la Propiedad de Carolina, Sección Primera. Dicha subasta se llevará a cabo para con su producto satisfacer al Demandante total o parcialmente según sea el caso el importe de la Sentencia que ha obtenido desde el pasado 8 de agosto de 2024 contra condenando a Olga Ivette Díaz Rosa y La Sucesión de Edwin Ramírez Díaz, a satisfacer a la parte demandante por concepto de hipoteca la suma de $50,943.15 por concepto de principal, desde el 1ro de diciembre de 2023, más intereses al tipo pactado de 6.375% anual que continúan acumulándose hasta el pago total de la obligación. Además, Olga Ivette

Díaz Rosa y La Sucesión de Edwin Ramírez Díaz adeuda a la parte demandante los cargos por demora equivalentes a 5.00% de la suma de aquellos pagos con atrasos en exceso de 15 días calendarios de la fecha de vencimiento; los créditos accesorios y adelantos hechos en virtud de la escritura de hipoteca; y las costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado equivalentes a $7,650.00. Además Olga Ivette Díaz Rosa y La Sucesión de Edwin Ramírez Díaz se comprometió a pagar una suma equivalente a $7,650.00 para cubrir cualquier otro adelanto que se haga en virtud de la escritura de hipoteca y una suma equivalente a $7,650.00 para cubrir intereses en adición a los garantizados por ley. Que los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al Procedimiento incoado estarán de manifiesto en la SECRETARIA DEL TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAROLINA, SALA SUPERIOR durante las horas laborables. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titulación del inmueble y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio de remate. La propiedad no está sujeta a gravámenes anteriores y/o preferentes según las constancias del Registro de la Propiedad. Por la presente se notifica a los acreedores conocidos y desconocidos que tengan inscritos, no inscritos, presentados y/o anotados sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la inscripción del crédito del ejecutante o acreedores de cargas o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca del actor y a los dueños, poseedores, tenedores de o interesados en títulos transmisibles por endoso o al portador garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito del actor que se celebrarán las subastas en las fechas, horas y sitios señalados para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les conviniere o se les invita a satisfacer antes del remate el importe del crédito, de sus intereses, otros cargos y las costas y honorarios de abogado asegurados quedando subrogados en los derechos del acreedor ejecutante. La propiedad objeto de ejecución y descrita anteriormente se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores

una vez el Honorable Tribunal expida la correspondiente Orden de Confirmación de Venta Judicial. Y para conocimiento de licitadores del público en general se publicará este Edicto de acuerdo con la ley por espacio de dos semanas en tres sitios públicos del municipio en que ha de celebrarse la venta, tales como la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía. Este Edicto será publicado dos veces en un diario de circulación general en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, por espacio de dos semanas consecutivas. Expido el presente Edicto de subasta bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal en Carolina, Puerto Rico, hoy día 3 de diciembre de 2025. HÉCTOR L. PEÑA RODRÍGUEZ, ALGUACIL DE SUBASTAS, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, CENTRO JUDICIAL DE CAROLINA, SALA SUPERIOR. ***

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE TOA ALTA

PHALANX CAPITAL SERIES 5 REAL ESTATE LLC

Demandante Vs. SUCESION DE CARMELO VAZQUEZ RAMOS COMPUESTA POR FULANO I Y FULANA I DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; SUCESION DE BLANCA ROSA PADILLA FIGUEROA T/C/C BLANCA ROSA PADILLA COMPUESTA POR SUTANO I Y SUTANA I DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; SUCESION DE CARMELO VAZQUEZ PADILLA COMPUESTA POR MELISSA VAZQUEZ OCASIO, FULANO II Y FULANA II DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; SUCESION DE NÉSTOR VAZQUEZ PADILLA COMPUESTA POR SUTANO II Y SUTANA II DE TAL COMO

POSIBLES HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS; CENTRO DE RECAUDACIÓN DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES

(CRIM) Demandados Civil Núm.: BY2024CV06210. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO; EJECUCIÓN DE PRENDA Y EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PR, SS. AVISO DE VENTA EN PÚBLICA SUBASTA. Yo, ROSAMARIE MELÉNDEZ PEÑA, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Toa Alta, a la parte demandada y al público en general les notifico que, cumpliendo con un Mandamiento que se ha librado en el presente caso por el Secretario del Tribunal de epígrafe con fecha 19 de septiembre de 2025, y para satisfacer la Sentencia dictada en el caso de autos fechada 14 de marzo de 2025, notificada el 17 de marzo de 2025, publicada el 20 de marzo de 2025, procederé a vender el día 14 DE ENERO DE 2026, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en mi oficina, localizada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Toa Alta, al mejor postor en pago de contado y en moneda de los Estados Unidos de América, cheque certificado y/o giro postal, todo título, derecho o interés de la parte demandada sobre la siguiente propiedad: RÚSTICA: Solar: 851. BARRIO SABANA SECA de Toa Baja. Cabida: 346.72 Metros Cuadrados. Radicada en la comunidad rural Sabana Seca, del término municipal de Toa Baja. En lindes por el Norte con la parcela 865 de la comunidad; por el Sur con la calle 62 de la comunidad; por el Este con la parcela 850 de la comunidad; y por el Oeste con la parcela 852 de la comunidad. Inscrita al folio 120 del tomo 376 de Toa Baja, Finca Número 22,014, Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección II de Bayamón. Dirección Física: Calle Violeta #851 Sector Villa Marisol, Bo. Sabana Seca, Toa Baja, PR. Con el importe de dicha venta se habrá de satisfacer a la parte demandante las cantidades adeudadas, o sea, la suma principal de $41,336.66 más intereses al tipo convenido y demás términos y condiciones, según la Sentencia dictada en el caso de epígrafe, por el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Toa Alta. La PRIMERA SUBASTA se llevará a cabo el día 14 DE ENERO DE 2026, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en la cual el tipo mínimo será de $66,134.78. De no haber adjudicación en la primera subasta, se celebrará

una SEGUNDA SUBASTA, el día 21 DE ENERO DE 2026, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar, en la cual el tipo mínimo será de dos terceras (2/3) partes del tipo mínimo fijado en la primera subasta, o sea, la cantidad de $44,089.85. De no haber adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA, el 28 DE ENERO DE 2026, A LAS 10:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar, en la cual el tipo mínimo será la mitad (1/2) del tipo mínimo fijado en la primera subasta, o sea, la cantidad de $33,067.39. A la propiedad no le afectan gravámenes preferentes. A la propiedad le afecta el siguiente gravamen (a ejecutarse): Hipoteca en garantía de un pagaré a favor de Santander Financial Services, Inc., haciendo negocios como Island Finance, o a su orden, por la suma principal de $66,134.78, con intereses al 9% anual, vencedero a la presentación, constituida mediante la escritura número 56, otorgada en Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, el día 17 de marzo de 2008, ante la notario Claribel Toro Hernández, e inscrita al folio 16 del tomo 596 de Toa Baja, finca número 22,014, inscripción 6ta. A la propiedad le afecta el siguiente gravamen posterior: Aviso de Demanda de fecha 17 de octubre de 2024, expedido en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Bayamón, en el Caso Civil número BY2024CV06210, sobre Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución de Hipoteca, seguido por Luna Performance II, LLC versus Carmelo Vázquez Ramos, Blanca Rosa Padilla Figueroa, también conocida como Blanca Rosa Padilla y la Sociedad Legal de Bienes Gananciales compuesta por ambos, por la suma de $41,336.66, más intereses y otras sumas adicionales o en su defecto la venta en Pública Subasta, anotado el día 25 de octubre de 2024, al tomo Karibe de Toa Baja, finca número 22,014, Anotación “A”. Se le advierte a los licitadores que la adjudicación se hará al mejor postor, quien deberá consignar el importe de su oferta en el mismo acto de la adjudicación en moneda de curso legal de los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica en efectivo, cheque certificado o giro postal a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal, y para conocimiento de la parte demandada y de toda(s) aquella(s) persona(s) que tenga (n) interés inscrito con posterioridad a la inscripción de los gravámenes que se están ejecutando, que los mismos serán eliminados del Registro de la Propiedad, y para conocimiento de los licitadores y el público en general, y para su publicación en un periódico de circulación general, una vez por semana durante el termino de

dos (2) semanas consecutivas con un intervalo de por lo menos siete (7) días entre ambas publicaciones, y para su fijación en tres (3) lugares públicos del municipio en que ha de celebrarse la venta, tales como, la Alcaldía, el Tribunal y la Colecturía, y se le notificará además a la parte demandada y a su abogado o abogada vía correo certificado con acuse de recibo siempre que haya comparecido al pleito. Si el (la) deudor (a) por Sentencia no comparece al pleito, la notificación será enviada vía correo certificado con acuse de recibo a las últimas direcciones conocidas. Se les advierte a todos los interesados que todos los documentos relacionados con la presente acción de ejecución de hipoteca, así como la de la subasta, estarán disponibles para ser examinados en la Secretaría del Tribunal. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titulación y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere al crédito de ejecutante, continuarán subsiguientes entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate. Y para conocimiento de la parte demandada, de los acreedores posteriores, de los licitadores, partes interesadas y público en general, expido el presente Aviso para su publicación en los lugares públicos correspondientes. Librado en Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, a 29 de octubre de 2025. ROSAMARIE MELÉNDEZ PEÑA, ALGUACIL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE FAJARDO.

BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

DEMANDANTE VS. DOMINGO MEDINA

VIDAL, SU ESPOSA CARMEN AIDA REYES RODRÍGUEZ Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

DEMANDADOS

CIVIL NÚM.: FA2025CV00995

SOBRE: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA (IN REM). EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA

EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU. EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R. ss.

A: DOMINGO MEDINA

VIDAL POR SI Y COMO MIEMBRO DE LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE BIENES GANANCIALES

COMPARTIDA CON CARMEN AIDA REYES RODRÍGUEZ

-URB. MONTE BRISAS, DD-4 CALLE 6, FAJARDO PR 00738. DIRECCION

POSTAL: URB. MONTE BRISAS I, D-14 CALLE 7, FAJARDO PR 00738 y VISTA DEL FARO, CALLE C FINAL ESTE, URB. LAS ROCAS, FAJARDO PR 00738.

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www. poderjudicial.pr/index.php/ tribunal-electronico/, salvo que el caso sea de un expediente fisico o que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaria del tribunal y notificar copia de la misma al (a la) abogado(a) de la parte demandante o a ésta, de no tener representación legal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Además, se le apercibe que, en los casos al amparo de la Ley Núm. 57-2023, titulada Ley para la Prevención del Maltrato, Preservación de la Unidad Familiar y para la Seguridad, Bienestar y Protección de los Menores, entre los remedios que el Tribunal podrá conceder se incluyen la ubicación permanente de un (una) menor fuera del hogar, el inciso de procesos para la privación de patria potestad, y cualquiera otra medida en el mejor interés del (de la) menor. (Artículo 33, incisos by f de la Ley Núm. 57-2023). Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. Representa a la parte demandante, la representación legal cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono se consigna de inmediato:

BUFETE FORTUÑO & FORTUÑO FAS, C.S.P. LCDO. JUAN C. FORTUÑO FAS RUA NUM.: 11416 PO BOX 3908, GUAYNABO, PR 00970 TEL: 787- 751-5290,

FAX: 787-751-6155

E-MAIL: ejecuciones@fortuno-law.com

Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, hoy 05 de DICIEMBRE de 2025. WANDA l.

SEGUI REYES, Secretano(a). LINDA I MEDINA, SEC AUX TRIB I.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE FAJARDO SALA SUPERIOR DE FAJARDO GREGORIA VIZCARRONDO MILLAN Y OTROS

Demandante V. ASSOCIATES INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION Y OTROS

Demandado(a)

Caso Núm.: RG2025CV00444. (Salón: 301). Sobre: CANCELACIÓN O RESTITUCIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO. JOSE O MERCADO GELYJMERCADO@COMASREVUELTA. COM.

A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD ROE: DIRECCIÓN

DESCONOCIDA.

(Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 03 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2025, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 03 de DICIEMBRE de 2025. En FAJARDO, Puerto Rico, el 03 de DICIEMBRE de 2025. WANDA SEGUÍ REYES, SECRETARIA. SHEILA ROBLES HERNÁNDEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO EN EL TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTAN-

Monday, December 15, 2025

CIA SALA DE RÍO GRANDE EN FAJARDO CARLOS IVÁN PÉREZ ALDOY, MARCOS GARZA GARCÍA; RAÚL SILVA LABOY, CARMEN LYDIA MELÉNDEZ ROSA

Demandantes Vs. DORAL MORTGAGE

CORPORATION; DORAL MORTGAGE LLC; BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO; FIRSTBANK PUERTO RICO; FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION (FDIC); DEMANDADOS DESCONOCIDOS: “JOHN DOE”, COMO POSIBLES TENEDORES DEL PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO

Demandados Civil Núm.: RG2025CV00595. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EEUU, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, S.S. A: DORAL MORTGAGE CORPORATION; DORAL MORTGAGE LLC; DEMANDADOS DESCONOCIDOS: “JOHN DOE”, COMO POSIBLES TENEDORES DEL PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. Por medio del presente edicto se les notifica la radicación de una Demanda de Cancelación de Pagaré Extraviado en la que se solicita la cancelación del siguiente pagaré hipotecario, desconociéndose su paradero, luego de haber sido pagado en su totalidad: Hipoteca a favor de Doral Mortgage Corporation, por la suma de Veintinueve Mil Dólares ($29,000.00) de principal, intereses al Nueve punto Noventa y Cinco (9.95%) por ciento anual, vencedero el primero de junio de dos mil quince (01/06/2015), según consta de la escritura número Quinientos Dieciocho (518), otorgada el (25) de mayo de (2000), ante el Notario Miguel A. Arroyo Díaz. Inscripción (3ª) de la Finca (24,931) de Río Grande. La referida hipoteca grava el siguiente inmueble: “Rústica: BARRIO ZARZAL ARRIBA de Río Grande. Solar: Cabida: Una (1) Cuerdas. Linderos: NORTE, en setenta y dos punto veinte (72.20) metros, con Federico Pizarro; SUR, en ochenta y uno punto ochenta y seis (81.86) metros, con parcela Carlos Brac Hernández; ESTE, en setenta punto trece (70.13) metros, con José Silca; OESTE, en veinticinco (25.00) metros, con camino municipal que separa la parcela de Ana Brac Hernández”. Inscrita: Finca (24,931) de Río Grande; Catastro (119-055-140-35-000). La

parte demandante solicita del Honorable Tribunal que declare con lugar la demanda y en su consecuencia ordene al Secretario del Tribunal que expida Mandamiento al Registrador de la Propiedad, para que dicho funcionario proceda a cancelar en los libros a su cargo la referida hipoteca dejando la propiedad aquí descrita libre de dicho gravamen hipotecario. Por medio del presente edicto se le emplaza y requiere para que presente al Tribunal su alegación responsiva a la Demanda de epígrafe dentro del término de treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación del edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Administración y Manejo de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired.ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaría del tribunal, Sala de RÍO GRANDE y notificándole con copia de dicha contestación a la abogada de la parte demandante. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Abogada de la Parte Demandante: Lcda. Beatriz Cay Vázquez - RUA 18,234

HC 5 Box 57394, Caguas, Puerto Rico 00725-9252

Tel. (787) 731-0526; Email: beatrizcayvazquez@gmail.com

POR ORDEN DEL TRIBUNAL, expido el presente Edicto en Río Grande, Puerto Rico, a 02 de diciembre de 2025. WANDA I. SEGUÍ REYES, SECRETARIA GENERAL. LYDIA E. RIVERA MIRANDA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE PONCE FIRST BANK PUERTO RICO

Demandante V. JOHN DOE; RICHARD DOE

Demandados Civil Núm.: PO2025CV03478. Sobre: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: JOHN DOE Y RICHARD DOE.

1. Quedan emplazados y notificados de que en este Tribunal se ha radicado una demanda

SUB-SECRETARIA.

en su contra. Se les notifica para que comparezca ante el Tribunal dentro del término de treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación de este edicto y exponer lo que a su derecho convenga, en el presente caso. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://poderjudicial.pr/tribunal-electrónico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. En la Demanda se alega que, como parte de la garantía del préstamo se encuentra un pagaré a Afavor de First Federal Savings Bank, o a su orden, por la suma principal de $42,000.00, devengando intereses al 8½% anual, con vencimiento el 1ro de noviembre del año 2024. Tasada la finca en la suma equivalente al principal por $42,000.00, según la inscripción 4, al folio 58vto del tomo 299, de Ponce Sur, de fecha 10 de enero de 1995. En Virtud de la escritura número -52- otorgada en Ponce, Puerto Rico a 27 de octubre de 1994 ante la Lcda. Aida Antonia Mari Roca. 3. La descripción de la finca grabada 18,559 es la siguiente: Urbana: Solar: M-46. URBANIZACIÓN EXTENSIÓN REPARTO SAN ANTONIO de Ponce Sur. Cabida: 338 Metros Cuadrados. Linderos: Norte, con la calle número 8, por donde mide 13.00 metros. Sur, con los solares número 8 y 9 del bloque “M”, por donde mide 13.00 metros. Este, con el solar número 47 del bloque “M”, por donde mide 26.00 metros. Oeste, con el solar número 45 del bloque “M”, por donde mide 26.00 metros. Finca 22362 antes, hoy 18559 de Ponce Sur. Inscripción en el sistema Karibe, finca 18,559, DEMARCACION , Ponce Sur, sección II, Ponce. Se les apercibe y notifica que, si no contestan la demanda radicada en su contra, radicando el original de la misma y enviando copia de su contestación al abogado de la parte demandante: Lcdo. Luis F. Piñeiro Enríquez; Edificio Asociación De Maestros, 452 Avenida Ponce De León Ste. 515, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918; Teléfono 787-547-6239; Correo Electrónico Iawpineiro@yahoo.com dentro del término de treinta (30) días de la publicación de este edicto, se les anotará la rebeldía en su contra y se dictará sentencia en su contra, conforme se solicita en la Demanda, sin más citar, ni oír. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal, a 5 de diciembre de 2025. CARMEN G. TIRÚ QUIÑONES, SECRETARIA. JOAN M. ROSARIO ALBINO,

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA REGIÓN JUDICIAL DE FAJARDO SALA SUPERIOR DE RÍO GRANDE

WILLIAM ADORNO RIVERA, JOSE ROLANDO ADORNO RIVERA, WANDA IVETTE ADORNO RIVERA Y LUIS ADORNO RIVERA Peticionarios EX-PARTE

Civil Núm.: RG2025CV00582. Sobre: EXPEDIENTE DE DOMINIO. EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.

A: Todos los que tengan cualquier derecho real en la finca que más adelante se describe, personas ignoradas, naturales o jurídicas, a quienes pueda perjudicar la inscripción de dicha finca a favor de los Peticionarios y a las personas desconocidas, naturales o jurídicas que tuvieren derecho a oponerse o se creyeron con derecho a oponerse a la inscripción del inmueble que se describe más adelante.

POR LA PRESENTE se le notifica que se ha presentado ante este Tribunal el expediente arriba mencionado con el fin de justificar el dominio a favor de la Peticionaria sobre la siguiente propiedad: URBANA: Solar G en el barrio Ciénaga Alta, Malpica, en el municipio de Río Grande, Puerto Rico. Con una cabida superficial de 2,154.4546 metros cuadrados equivalentes a 0.5482 cuerdas. Colinda por el Norte en una distancia de 75.12 metros con Luis Torres; por el Sur en dos alineaciones que totalizan una distancia de 69.11 metros con Llidoro Torres; por el Este con tres alineaciones que totalizan una distancia de 33.27 metros con la calle Evaristo Torres; y por el Oeste con cuatro alineaciones que totalizan una distancia de 26.89 metros con Jaime R. Calzada Trenche. Los Peticionarios adquirieron dominio de la propiedad descrita en el párrafo anterior en comunidad hereditaria conforme a Resolución sobre Declaratoria de Herederos para la Sucesión de Lidia Rivera Martínez del 21 de agosto de 2025 en el caso civil número RG2025CV00409 y Resolución sobre Declaratoria de Herederos para la Sucesión

de José Adorno Díaz del 22 de agosto de 2025 en el caso civil número RG2025CV00408.

SE LE NOTIFICA que este Tribunal ha ordenado que se le cite como persona que está en posesión de parte o todos los predios colindantes de la finca descrita, o tenga interés para que haga oposición a este expediente si se viere perjudicado con la inscripción solicitada; advirtiéndole que de no hacer oposición dentro del término de veinte (20) días a contar desde la publicación de este edicto, la Peticionaria podrá obtener que se apruebe este expediente y se mande a inscribir a su nombre la finca antes descrita en el Registro de la Propiedad. Deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC) al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://tribunalelectronico. ramajudicial.pr/sumac2018 salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá acudir a la secretaría del Tribunal, notificando a la representación legal en la dirección de récord:

LCDA. LIZANNETTE MORALES CRESPO PO BOX 5272 CAROLINA, PR 00984-5272

TEL. 787-945-5233

EMAIL: lmorales@lmclegal.com

POR ORDEN DEL HONORABLE OBDULIO E. MELÉNDEZ

TORRA, Juez de este Tribunal, expido la presente en Fajardo, Puerto Rico, hoy a 4 de diciembre de 2025, bajo mi firma y sello oficial. WANDA SEGUÍ

REYES, SECRETARIA DEL TRIBUNAL SUPERIOR. AIXA M. MONTES MORALES, SUBSECRETARIA DEL TRIBUNAL SUPERIOR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN

MELISSA RAMOS MUÑOZ

Demandante Vs. MISAEL ABRAHAM

RUEMMELE SANTANA

Demandada

Civil Número: SJ2025RF01635. Sobre: CUSTODIA Y ALIMENTOS. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE P.R., SS. A: MISAEL ABRAHAM RUEMMELE SANTANA - 3904 FRIGATE DR., KILLEEN TEXAS, EU 76549-4524.

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere que conteste la demanda sobre custodia y alimentos dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted

deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Administración y Manejo de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://unired/ramajudicial. pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal radicando el original de su contestación ante el Tribunal correspondiente y notificando copia a la abogada de la parte demandante, Lcda. Yolanda Machado Torres de Servicios Legales de Puerto Rico, Inc. al Apartado Postal 21370, San Juan, P.R. 00928-1370, con número de teléfono (787) 763-5103 o a su dirección electrónica ymachado@servicioslegales.org. Se le apercibe que si no compareciera usted contestando dicha demanda o haga alegación responsiva dentro del término de treinta (30) días, a partir de la publicación de este Edicto, radicando el original de la contestación ante el Tribunal correspondiente, con copia a la parte demandante, se le anotará la rebeldía y se le dictará Sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitado en la demanda. EXTENDIDO BAJO Ml FIRMA y el sello de este Tribunal en San Juan, Puerto Rico, hoy 5 de diciembre de 2025.

GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. LUZ O. RIVERA BENÍTEZ, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE SAN JUAN SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN

AMANDA GABRIELA RIZIK MAYO

Demandante V. ERNESTO ARAUJO ARAUJO

Demandado(a) Caso Núm.: SJ2025RF00807. (Salón: 702). Sobre: CUSTODIA PROVISIONAL Y OTROS. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

YOLANDA MACHADO TORRESYMACHADO@SERVICIOSLEGALES. ORG.

A: ERNESTO ARAUJO

ARAUJO.

(Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto)

EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 04 de diciembre de 2025, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla

de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 10 de diciembre de 2025. En San Juan, Puerto Rico, el 10 de diciembre de 2025. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA. ALONDRA DÍAZ LÓPEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA

SALA SUPERIOR DE ARECIBO BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Demandante Vs. SUCESION DE PABLO CRUZ MARGARITO, COMPUESTA POR SU VIUDA MARIA

CANDELARIA RIVERA, SUS HIJOS KELVIN CRUZ CANDELARIA, LYMARIS CRUZ CANDELARIA Y PABLO JAVIER CRUZ CANDELARIA; FULANO DE TAL Y ZUTANO DE TAL, COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS CON POSIBLE INTERÉS; MARIA CANDELARIA RIVERA; CENTRO DE RECAUDACION DE INGRESOS MUNICIPALES (CRIM)

Demandados Civil Núm.: AR2025CV02205. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO (EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA). EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO E INTERPELACIÓN. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. A: FULANO DE TAL Y ZUTANO DE TAL, COMO HEREDEROS DESCONOCIDOS DE LA SUCESION DE PABLO CRUZ MARGARITO. POR EL PRESENTE EDICTO se le notifica que se ha radicado en esta Secretaría por la parte demandante, Demanda sobre Cobro de Dinero y Ejecución de Hipoteca por la Vía Ordinaria en la que se alega adeuda la suma

principal de $76,724.73, más intereses sobre dicha suma al 6.125% anual, desde el día 1ro de marzo de 2025, hasta su completo pago, más recargos acumulados, más la cantidad de $13,770.00 estipulada para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado, así como cualquier otra suma estipulada en el contrato de préstamo, todas cuyas sumas están líquidas y exigibles. La propiedad hipotecada a ser vendida en pública subasta es: URBANA: Solar número Dos (2) del desarrollo denominado ALTURAS DE SAN FELIPE, ubicado en el Barrio Hato Arriba, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, con una cabida de MIL SESENTA Y SIETE PUNTO CERO CERO (1,067.00) METROS CUADRADOS. Lindes por el Norte, con Antonio Paez; por el Sur, con la Calle “B” de Alturas de San Felipe; por el Este, con el solar número Tres (3) del referido desarrollo; y por el Oeste, con el solar número Uno (1) del referido desarrollo. La escritura de hipoteca se encuentra inscrita al folio 20 del tomo 1112 de Arecibo, Registro de la Propiedad de Arecibo, Sección Primera, finca número 29 ,286, inscripción octava. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido publicado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día de la publicación. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/index.php/tribunalelcctronico/, salvo que el caso sea un expediente físico o que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaría del Tribunal y notificar copia de la misma al (a la) abogado(a) de Ia parte demandante o a ésta, de no tener representación legal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en Ia demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Además, se le apercibe que, en Ios casos al amparo de Ia Ley Núm. 57-2023, titulada Ley para Ia Prevención del Maltrato, Preservación de Ia Unidad Familiar y para la Seguridad, Bienestar y Protección de Ios Menores, entre los remedios que el Tribunal podrá conceder se incluyen Ia ubicación permanente de un (una) menor fuera de su hogar, el inicio de procesos para la privación de patria potestad, y cualquier otra medida en el mejor interés del (de

la) menor. (Artículo 33, incisos b y f de la Ley Núm. 57-2023).

Se le advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en Ios casos que proceda. La información del(de la) abogado(a) de Ia parte demandante es la siguiente: Lcdo. Baldomero A. Collazo Torres Bufete Collazo, Connelly & Surillo, LLC

P.O. Box 11550

San Juan, P.R. 00922-1550

Tel. (787) 625-9999 Fax (787) 705-7387

E-mail: bcollazo@lawpr.com

Se le advierte, además, a los herederos que conforme el caso de Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria v. Latinoamericana de Exportación, Inc., 164 D.P.R. 689, 696 (2005) y a tenor con las disposiciones del Artículo 1578 del Código Civil de Puerto Rico (31 L.P.R.A. sec. 11021), deberá aceptar o repudiar la herencia del causante Pablo Cruz Margarito, dentro del término de treinta (30) días. De no expresar su intención de aceptar o repudiar la herencia dentro del término que se le fijó, la herencia se tendrá por aceptada. Se le notifica también por la presente que la parte demandante habrá de presentar para su anotación al Registrador de la Propiedad del Distrito en que está situada la propiedad objeto de este pleito, un aviso de estar pendiente esta acción. Para publicarse conforme a la Orden dictada por el Tribunal en un periódico de circulación general. EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, expido el presente Edicto que firmo y sello en Arecibo, Puerto Rico, hoy 10 de diciembre de 2025. VIVÍAN Y. FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, SECRETARIA. LINETTE ROMÁN SERRANO, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE FAJARDO SALA SUPERIOR DE FAJARDO

BRYANT CLAUDIO MUNIZ

Demandante V. VMF HOLDING LLC

Demandado(a) Caso Núm.: FA2025CV00422. (Salón: 301). Sobre: ACCIÓN REIVINDICATORIA. NOTIFICACIÓN DE SENTENCIA POR EDICTO.

ALEXIS ALBERTO BETANCOURT VINCENTY - A_BETANCOURT@ LUGOMENDER.COM. AMARYS VELLISE BOLORÍN SOLIVÁN - A.BOLORIN@ LUGOMENDER.COM. RUTH NOEMÍ SANTIAGO LUCIANORUTH_SANTIAGO@LUGOMENDER. COM.

A: ELÍ SAMUEL PÉREZ ESTRADA, POR SÍ Y EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA SOCIEDAD DE BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR ELÍ SAMUEL PÉREZ

ESTRADA Y JANE DOE A: JANE DOE A, POR SÍ Y EN REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL COMPUESTA POR AMBOS; Y TITULAR DESCONOCIDO XYZCAPARRA HIGH, CALLE EDNA #608, SAN JUAN, PR 00920. (Nombre de las partes que se le notifican la sentencia por edicto) EL SECRETARIO(A) que suscribe le notifica a usted que el 03 de diciembre de 2025, este Tribunal ha dictado Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución en este caso, que ha sido debidamente registrada y archivada en autos donde podrá usted enterarse detalladamente de los términos de la misma. Esta notificación se publicará una sola vez en un periódico de circulación general en la Isla de Puerto Rico, dentro de los 10 días siguientes a su notificación. Y, siendo o representando usted una parte en el procedimiento sujeta a los términos de la Sentencia, Sentencia Parcial o Resolución, de la cual puede establecerse recurso de revisión o apelación dentro del término de 30 días contados a partir de la publicación por edicto de esta notificación, dirijo a usted esta notificación que se considerará hecha en la fecha de la publicación de este edicto. Copia de esta notificación ha sido archivada en los autos de este caso, con fecha de 04 de diciembre de 2025. En Fajardo, Puerto Rico, el 04 de diciembre de 2025. WANDA SEGUÍ REYES, SECRETARIA. SHEILA ROBLES HERNÁNDEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR DEL TRIBUNAL.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN. JORGE LUIS MARTÍNEZ RODRÍGUEZ; MICHELLE MARIE MARTÍNEZ RODRÍGUEZ T/C/C MICHELLE MARIE WALTON ambos representados por su apoderado CHRISTOPHER LEE RODRÍGUEZ MUÑOZ

Demandante, v. E.M.I. EQUITY MORTGAGE INC.; BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO; JOHN DOE Y RICHARD DOE, identificados con nombres ficticios por desconocerse sus nombres

Demandados

CIVIL NÚM. BY2025CV06119.

SOBRE: CANCELACIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. Estados Unidos de América

Presidente de los Estados Unidos Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico. SS.

A: JOHN DOE y RICHARD DOE, COMO POSIBLES TENEDORES DESCONOCIDOS DEL PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO

Queden emplazados y notificados que en este Tribunal se ha radicado Demanda sobre Cancelación de Pagaré Extraviado, solicitando la cancelación de un Pagaré suscrito a favor de EMI Equity Mortgage, Inc, o a su orden, por la suma de $79,500.00, con intereses al 8-1/2% anual, que vence el 1ro de diciembre de 2019. Según escritura #514, otorgada en San Juan, el 28 de noviembre de 1989, ante Enrique Godinez Morales, inscrita al folio 27 del tomo 402 de Toa Baja, inscripción 4ta. La hipoteca fue constituida sobre la siguiente propiedad (en adelante “Propiedad”): URBANA: Parcela de terreno identificada como el solar #4 del bloque H de la Urbanización El Naranjal, radicada en el barrio Sabana Seca, del término municipal de Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, con una cabida de 294.17 metros cuadrados. En lindes: NORTE, en 12.750 metros, con la calle #5; SUR, en 12.772 metros, con Isaac Wagner Simón, en 23.452 metros, con el solar #5 y OESTE, en 22.692 metros, con el solar #3. Consta inscrita a la finca número 23185, inscrita al folio 25 del tomo 402 de Toa Baja (Sección II de Bayamón). Se advierte que si no contesta(n) la demanda dentro del término de treinta (30) días de la publicación de este Edicto, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará Sentencia en su contra, concediendo el remedio solicitado, sin más citarle ni oírle. Deberá radicar el original de la contestación a la demanda a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// www.poderjudicial.pr/index. php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaria del tribunal y sala que se menciona en el epígrafe de este edicto con copia a la parte aquí demandante a través de la Lcda. Yaira Droz, su dirección: Ciudad Universitaria Norte, Calle 27 U33, Trujillo Alto, PR 00976, email: yairadroz@gmail.com. Expido este edicto bajo mi firma y sello de este Tribunal, hoy 21 de noviembre de 2025. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, Secretario General. NEIDA QUILES SANTANA, Secretaria Auxiliar.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE QUEBRADILLAS EN HATILLO COMPU-LINK (COMPULINK CORPORATION DBA CELINK) Demandante Vs. THE MONEY HOUSE, INC., JAMES B. NUTTER & COMPANY; REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING, LLC; SUCESIÓN DE JOAQUIN CEREZO DE LA CRUZ T/C/C JOAQUIN CEREZO CRUZ, T/C/C JOAQUIN CEREZO COMPUESTA POR JOSE J. CEREZO; Y FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS; SUCESIÓN DE AURA NILDA TORRES SORONDO T/C/C AURA NILDA TORRES COMPUESTA POR JOSE J. CEREZO; Y FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES HEREDEROS DE NOMBRES DESCONOCIDOS; FULANO DE TAL Y SUTANO DE TAL COMO POSIBLES TENEDORES DEL PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO Y CUYA IDENTIDAD SE DESCONOCE AL PRESENTE Demandados Civil Núm.: CM2025CV00783. Sobre: SUSTITUCIÓN DE PAGARÉ EXTRAVIADO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS.

A: Reverse Mortgage Funding, LLC, James B, Nutter & Company, Fulano de Tal y Sutano de Tal como posibles tenedores del Pagaré extraviado, Fulano de Tal y Sutano de Tal como posibles herederos de nombre desconocido de la Sucesión de Joaquin Cerezo De La Cruz t/c/c Joaquin Cerezo Cruz, t/c/c Joaquin Cerezo y de la Sucesión de Aura Nilda Torres Sorondo t/c/c Aura Nilda Torres. POR LA PRESENTE, se les

emplaza y se les notifica que se ha presentado en la Secretaria de este Tribunal la Demanda del caso del epígrafe solicitando la ejecución de hipoteca y el cobro de dinero relacionado al pagaré suscrito a favor de The Money House, Inc., o a su orden, por la suma principal de $150,000.09, con intereses computados sobre la misma desde su fecha hasta su total y completo pago a razón de la tasa de interés de 3.071% anual, la cual será ajustada mensualmente, obligándose además al pago de costas, gastos y desembolsos del litigio, más honorarios de abogados en una suma de $15,000,00, equivalente al 10% de la suma principal original, Este pagaré fue suscrito bajo el affidávit número 14,597 ante el notario

Joaquin Cerezo De la Cruz. Lo anterior surge de la hipoteca constituida mediante la escritura número 681 otorgada el 15 de junio de 2009, ante la misma notario público, inscrita al 8 del tomo 385 de Camuy, finca número 4,032, inscripción 13a. La hipoteca grava la propiedad que describe que describe a continuación: RÚSTICA: Parcela radicada en el Barrio Quebrada del término municipal de Camuy, Puerto Rico, compuesta de tres mil seiscientos metros cuadrados y en lindes por el NORTE y OESTE, en sesenta y sesenta metros, respectivamente, con la finca principal de la cual se segrega, propiedad de Carmen Sorondo Raíces; por el SUR, en sesenta metros, con terrenos de la Central Soller; y por el ESTE, en sesenta metros, con Carretera Estatal número cuatrocientos ochentiseis. Según nota de fecha 11 de marzo de 1964, al margen de la inscripción 2da, se expresa que se ha comenzado a construir una casa residencial de una sola planta, para una sola familia, de hormigón armado y bloques de hormigón, que mide 63 pies de frente por 27 pies de fondo y contiene las siguiente dependencias: balcón, sala, comedor, cocina, tres cuartos dormitorios, biblioteca, baño y marquesina. NOTA: En la inscripción 3ra, se expresa que enclava casa. Finca número 4,032, inscrita al folio 50 del tomo 84 de Camuy. Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico, Sección II de Arecibo. Se apercibe y advierte a ustedes como personas desconocidas, que deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Administración y Manejo de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede accesar utilizando la siguiente dirección: https://unired.ramajuducial.pr, salvo que se represente por Derechos Propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaria del Tribunal De no contestar la de-

manda radicando el original de la contestación ante la secretaria del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de San Juan, y notificar copia de la contestación de esta a la parte demandante por conducto de su abogada, GLS LEGAL SERVICES, LLC, Atención: Lcda. Genevieve Lopez Stipes Dirección: P.O. Box 367308, San Juan, P.R. 009367308, Teléfono: 787-758-6550, dentro de los próximos 30 días a partir de la publicación de este emplazamiento por edicto, que será publicado una sola vez en un periódico de circulación diaria general en la isla de Puerto Rico, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia, concediendo el remedio solicitando en la Demanda sin más citarle ni oírle. Expedido bajo mi firma y sello del Tribunal hoy 4 de diciembre de 2025. VIVIAN Y. FRESSE GONZÁLEZ, SECRETARIA REGIONAL.

BRENDA LIZ TORRES MUÑIZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA REGIÓN JUDICIAL DE CAROLI-

NA SALA SUPERIOR DE TRUJILLO ALTO CARMEN MARÍA MOLINA

MALDONADO, T/C/P

CARMEN M. MOLINA

MALDONADO

Demandante V. FREDDIE AYALA DÍAZ

Demandado Civil Núm.: TJ2025RF00153. 302. Sobre: DIVORCIO (RUPTURA IRREPARABLE). EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO.

A: FREDDIE AYALA DÍAZ - O SEA, LA PARTE DEMANDADA ARRIBA MENCIONADA. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente su alegación responsiva a la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de edicto. Usted podrá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// unired.ramajudicial.pr, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal con copia a la abogada de la parte demandante, Lcda. Mariely Colón Cortés, a la dirección postal Hill Brothers Calle 4 441D, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00924. Tel: (787) 903-4465. Este caso trata de una acción de divorcio por la causal de rup-

tura irreparable en que la parte demandante solicita que se declare Ha Lugar la demanda y se disuelva el vinculo matrimonial que une a las partes. Se le apercibe que, de no contestar la Demanda antes mencionada, se le anotará la rebeldía y se dictará sentencia concediendo el remedio solicitando en la Demanda, sin más citarle ni oírle. EXPEDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y sello del Tribunal, en Carolina, Puerto Rico, hoy día 03 de diciembre de 2025. LCDA.

KANELLY ZAYAS ROBLES, SECRETARIA REGIONAL.

LAURA CORREA RIVERA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE MAYAGÜEZ

ZACHIRA GABRIELA COTTE RODRÍGUEZ Demandante Vs. OMAR

MORALES BLANCO Demandado Civil Núm.: CB2025RF00056. Sobre: PRIVACIÓN DE PATRIA POTESTAD Y CUSTODIA MONOPARENTAL. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. A: OMAR MORALES BLANCO - 830

SCULL ST., APART. 1, PENNSYLVANIA, ESTADOS UNIDOS, 17046.

Por la presente se notifica que la parte demandante del epígrafe ha presentado ante este Tribunal una Demanda sobre Privación de Patria Potestad y Solicitud de Custodia Monoparental en su contra, copia de la cual se le incluye conjuntamente con el presente Emplazamiento por Edicto. Se le requiere a usted para que notifique con copia de la Contestación a la Demanda a la abogada de la parte demandante, cuyo nombre, dirección y teléfono son los que se indican a continuación: Lcda. Brenda L. Cruz González RUA: 23,296 Servicios Legales de P.R., Inc. PO Box 839, Mayagüez, P.R. 00681-0839

Teléfono: (787) 832-7620; Fax (787) 831-2600

Email: notificaciones-mayaguez@ servicioslegales.org, y/o blcruz@servicioslegales.org. Se le apercibe que si no compareciere usted a contestar dicha Demanda dentro del término de treinta (30) días a partir de la publicación del Edicto, excluyéndose el día de la publicación, podrá dictarse sentencia en rebeldía en su contra concediendo el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro, si el Tribunal, en el ejercicio de sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva

a través del sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://tribunalelectronico.ramajudicial. pr/sumac2018/, salvo que se presente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. EXPEDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA Y EL SELLO DEL TRIBUNAL, en Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, hoy 08 de diciembre de 2025. LCDA. NORMA G. SANTANA IRIZARRY, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. NILDA L. IRIZARRY RODRÍGUEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE SAN JUAN

VICMARY RODRÍGUEZ APONTE

Parte Demandante Vs. SEBASTIÁN FRESSE RUBERT

Parte Demandada Caso Núm.: SJ2025RF01322. Sobre: FACULTADES TUTELARES. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: SEBASTIÁN FRESSE

RUBERT - RES. LAS MARGARITAS, EDIFICIO

42 APARTAMENTO 793, SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO 00915.

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al Tribunal su contestación a la Demanda dentro del término de treinta (30) días de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento. Se requiere además, que notifique al Abogado de la parte demandante, cuyo nombre y dirección se indican más adelante, con copia de su alegación responsiva. Se le apercibe que de no contestar la Demanda dentro del referido término, se podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra, concediéndole a la parte Demandante el remedio solicitado en la Demanda.

LCDO. JOSÉ ANDRES MERCADO MONTALVO

RUA Núm. 20,083

Abogado de la Parte Demandante P.O. Box 368028 San Juan, PR 00936-8028 Tel. 939-288-3030

Email: lcdo.josemercado@gmail. com

EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA

y el Sello del Tribunal, hoy día 3 de diciembre de 2025. GRISELDA RODRÍGUEZ COLLADO, SECRETARIA. LUZ O. RIVERA BENÍTEZ, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE AGUADILLA SUHALIE VELEZ VALENTIN

Demandante Vs. JAVIER DAMIAN GOMEZ Demandado Civil Núm.: AG2025RF00797. Sobre: DIVORCIO - RUPTURA IRREPARABLE. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PR, SS. A: JAVIER DAMIAN GOMEZ - DIRECCION: 57 KING ST. HARTFORD CONNECTICUT 06108. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva a la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido publicado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento, notificando copia de la misma a la abogada de la parte demandante a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: www. poderjudicial.pr/index.php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaria del Tribunal Superior, y notificando copia de la misma a la parte demandante. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y concede el remedio solicitado en la demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. Debe notificar con copia de su contestación a la demanda a:

LCDA. DORIS I. SOTO LOPEZ

RUA: 16,212

SERVICIOS LEGALES DE P. R., INC. APARTADO 910, AGUADILLA, P.R. 00605-0910

TELS.: (787) 891-1275 / 5330 / 1295 FAX: (787) 882-2960 dsoto@servicioslegales.org notificaciones-aguadilla@ servicioslegales.org

EXPEDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA Y sello Tribunal en Aguadilla Puerto Rico hoy 10 de diciembre de 2025. SARAHÍ REYES PÉREZ, SECRETARIA. LISSY MATÍAS VEGA, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA ESPECIALIZADA DE VIOLENCIA DOMÉSTICA CAROLINA

CYNTHIA YORELIS PARIS CALDERÓN Peticionaria Vs. JEAN CARLOS ORTĺZ HERNÁNDEZ Peticionado Civil Núm.: CA2025MU01303. Sobre: ORDEN DE PROTECCIÓN, LEY 54. CITACIÓN POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO. A: JEAN CARLOS ORTÍZ HERNÁNDEZ - DIRECCIÓN CALLE GARDENIA #17 VILLA BLANCA, TRUJILLO ALTO, PUERTO RICO 00976. POR LA PRESENTE se le notifica a usted que la parte peticionaria presentó una petición de Orden de Protección al amparo la “Ley para la Prevención e Intervención con la Violencia Doméstica” Ley Núm. 54 de 15 de agosto de 1989, según enmendad ante el Tribunal Municipal de Carolina bajo el número del epígrafe. El abogado de la Parte Peticionaria es: CARLOS G. BENÍTEZ AMARO DIRECCIÓN: CALLE ANTONIO JIMENEZ LANDRAU #90C CAROLINA, PR 00985 Tel: 787-948-0365 Correo electrónico: carlos.benitez.mdc@gmail.com

A través de la Petición la Parte Peticionaria de epígrafe solicita a este Tribunal que se declare a su favor la Petición sobre Orden de Protección al amparo de la “Ley para la Prevención e Intervención con la Violencia Doméstica” Ley Núm. 54 de 15 de agosto de 1989. Por la presente se le emplaza a usted a partir de esta primera publicación de este edicto a que comparezca a la Sala Especialidad de Violencia Domestica en el Tribunal de Carolina. La vista del presente caso esta señalada para el 18 de diciembre de 2025 a las 10:00 de la mañana. Se le advierte que, de no comparecer al Tribunal para expresarse, el Tribunal podría dar curso a los remedios solicitados por la Parte Peticionaria. En Carolina, Puerto Rico, hoy 11 de diciembre de 2025. LCDA. KANELLY ZAYAS ROBLES, SECRETARIA REGIONAL. ESTEFANY J. ROSARIO AYALA, SECRETARIA. LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE CAGUAS

MCLP ASSET COMPANY, INC.

Parte Demandante Vs. SUCESION JORGE LUIS

DIAZ MARTINEZ, SU ESPOSA ERNESTINA

RAMOS T/C/C Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE

BIENES GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR ÉSTOS Y OTROS

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: CG2023CV02919. Sobre: EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA Y COBRO DE DINERO. EDICTO DE SUBASTA. El suscribiente, Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia de Puerto Rico, Sala de Caguas, a los demandados de epígrafe y al público en general hace saber que los autos y documentos del caso de epígrafe estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante horas laborables y que venderá en pública subasta al mejor postor, en moneda de curso legal de los Estados Unidos de América en efectivo, cheque certificado, o giro postal a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala de Caguas, el derecho que tenga la parte demandada en el inmueble que se relaciona más adelante para pagar la SENTENCIA por $58,297.61 de balance principal, el cual se compone de un primer principal por la suma de $54,805.13 y un principal diferido por la suma de $3,492.48, más los intereses adeudados sobre dicho principal de $54,805.13 y computados al 7.658% anual hasta su total pago y completo pago; más el 5% computado sobre cada mensualidad; cargos por demora devengados, más la suma estipulada para honorarios de abogado, pactada en la escritura de hipoteca; y cuales quiera otras sumas que por cualesquiera concepto legal se devenguen hasta el día de la subasta. La propiedad a venderse en pública subasta se describe como sigue: URBANA: Solar radicado en el Barrios Tomas de Castro del término municipal de Caguas con una cabida superficial de cuatrocientos ochenta y dos punto cero cero (482.00) metros cuadrados, y en lindes por el Norte y Oeste, en quince punto cero cero (15.00) metros y treinta y seis punto cincuenta (36.50) metros, respectivamente, con la finca principal de la cual se segrega; por el Sur, en un arco de quince punto quince (15.15) metros de largo con la calle “A” ; y por el Este, en treinta y cinco punto cero cero (35.00) metros, con las parcelas U guion ciento treinta y cinco, U guion ciento treinta y cuatro y U guion ciento treinta y tres (U-135, U-134 Y U- 133). Inscrita al folio doscientos dieciséis (216) del tomo mil ciento trece (1,113) de Caguas, finca número treinta y ocho mil sesenta y cinco (38,065), Registro de la Propiedad de Caguas I. Dirección Física: Urb. José Mercado, 109 Calle Harry. S. Truman, Caguas, Puerto Rico 00725. La PRIMERA SUBASTA se llevará a cabo el día 26 DE

ENERO DE 2026, A LAS 9:15 DE LA MAÑANA, y servirá de tipo mínimo para la misma la suma de $72,305.99 sin admitirse oferta inferior. En el caso de que el inmueble a ser subastado no fuera adjudicado en la primera subasta, se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA el día 2 DE FEBRERO DE 2026, A LAS 9:15 DE LA MAÑANA y el precio mínimo para esta segunda subasta será el de dos terceras partes del precio mínimo establecido para la primera subasta, o a sea la suma de $48,203.99. Si tampoco hubiera remate ni adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA el día 9 DE FEBRERO DE 2026, A LAS 9:15 DE LA MAÑANA, y el tipo mínimo para esta tercera subasta será la mitad del precio establecido para la primera subasta, o sea, la suma de $36,152.99. El mejor postor deberá pagar el importe de su oferta en efecto, cheque certificado o giro postal a nombre del Alguacil del Tribunal. Si se declarase desierta la tercera subasta, se dará por terminado el procedimiento, pudiendo adjudicarse el inmueble al acreedor hipotecario dentro de los diez días siguientes a la fecha de la última subasta, si así lo estimase conveniente, por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada conforme a la sentencia, si ésta fuera igual o menor que el monto del tipo de la tercera subasta y abonándose dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si ésta fuera mayor. Se avisa a cualquier licitador que la propiedad queda sujeta al gravamen del Estado Libre Asociado y CRIM sobre la propiedad inmueble por contribuciones adeudadas y que el pago de dichas contribuciones es la responsabilidad del licitador. Que se entenderá por todo licitador acepte como suficiente la titulación y que los cargos y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes al crédito del ejecutante continuarán subsistentes en entendiéndose que el rematador los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse su extinción al precio rematante. Todos los nombres de los acreedores que tengan inscritos o anotados sus derechos sobre los bienes hipotecados con posterioridad a la inscripción del crédito del ejecutante, o de los acreedores de cargas o derechos reales que los hubiesen pospuesto a la hipoteca ejecutada y las personas interesadas en, o con derecho a exigir el cumplimiento de instrumentos negociables garantizados hipotecariamente con posterioridad al crédito ejecutado, siempre que surgen de la certificación registral, para que puedan concurrir a la subasta si les convenga o satisfacer antes del remate el

importe del crédito, de sus intereses, costas y honorarios de abogados asegurados, quedando entonces subrogados en los derechos del acreedor ejecutante. La propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores. Y para conocimiento de licitadores, del público en general y para su publicación en un periódico de circulación general diaria en Puerto Rico y en los sitios públicos de acuerdo a las disposiciones de la Regla 51.7 de las de Procedimiento Civil, así como para la publicación en un periódico de circulación general diaria y en el Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, por espacio de dos semanas con antelación a la fecha de la primera subasta y por lo menos una vez por semana. Los autos y todos los documentos correspondientes al procedimiento indicado estarán de manifiesto en la Secretaría del Tribunal durante las horas laborables. (Art. 102 (1) de la Ley núm. 210-2015). Expedido el presente en Caguas, Puerto Rico, a 21 de noviembre de 2025.

MARIANGELY ROSADO ROMÁN, ALGUACIL PLACA #953, ALGUACIL DEL TRIBUNAL PRIMERA INSTANCIA, SALA DE CAGUAS.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA SUPERIOR DE FAJARDO BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO

Parte Demandante Vs. JAIME PANIAGUA RALAT, MARANGELIE BÁEZ NIEVES Y LA SOCIEDAD LEGAL DE GANANCIALES COMPUESTA POR AMBOS

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: FA2025CV00334. (307). Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO - EJECUCIÓN DE HIPOTECA POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. AVISO DE PÚBLICA SUBASTA. El Alguacil que suscribe por la presente anuncia y hace constar que en cumplimiento de la Sentencia en Rebeldía dictada el 14 de agosto de 2025, la Orden de Ejecución de Sentencia y el Mandamiento de Ejecución en el caso de epígrafe expedido por la Secretaría, ambos del 20 de octubre de 2025, procederé a vender el día 13 DE ENERO DE 2026, A LAS 9:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en mi oficina, localizada en el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Centro Judicial de Fajardo,

Puerto Rico, Sala Superior, Ave. Marcelito Gotay, esquina barriada Jerusalén, Fajardo, Puerto Rico, al mejor postor en pago de contado y en moneda de los Estados Unidos de América, en cheque de gerente o giro postal todo título, derecho o interés de la parte demandada sobre la siguiente propiedad: URBANA: Solar número 14 del bloque G de la Urbanización Alamar, ubicada en el Barrio Sabana Llana del término municipal de Luquillo, Puerto Rico, con un área superficial de 289.80 metros cuadrados. En lindes por el: NOROESTE: en 21.00 metros, con el solar número 13, por el NORESTE: en 13.80 metros, con el solar número 7; por el SURESTE: en 21.00 metros, con el solar número 15; y por el SUROESTE: en 13.80 metros, con la calle J de la urbanización. Enclava una casa de concreto dedicada a vivienda. Inscrita al folio 245 del tomo 152 de Luquillo, Finca 8502. Registro de la Propiedad de Fajardo. La hipoteca consta inscrita al folio 181 del tomo 236 de Luquillo, Finca 8502. Registro de la Propiedad de Fajardo. Inscripción séptima. La primera modificación de hipoteca consta inscrita al margen del folio 181 vuelto del tomo 236 de Luquillo, Finca 8502. Registro de la Propiedad de Fajardo. Inscripción 7.1 La segunda modificación de hipoteca consta inscrita al tomo Karibe de Luquillo, Finca 8502. Registro de la Propiedad de Fajardo. Inscripción octava. DIRECCIÓN FÍSICA: URB. ALAMAR G14 CALLE J, LUQUILLO, PR 00773-2514. catastro número: (23) 120-025-195-17-001. El tipo mínimo para la primera subasta será de $86,763.21. De no haber adjudicación en la primera subasta se celebrará una SEGUNDA SUBASTA, el 21 DE ENERO DE 2026, A LAS 9:30 DE LA MAÑANA, en el mismo lugar, en la cual el tipo mínimo será de dos terceras partes del tipo mínimo fijado en la primera subasta, o sea, $57,842.14. De no haber adjudicación en la segunda subasta, se celebrará una TERCERA SUBASTA el día 28 DE ENERO DE 2026, A LAS 9:30 DE LA MAÑANA en el mismo lugar, en la cual el tipo mínimo será la mitad del precio pactado, o sea, $43,381.61. Si se declarase desierta la tercera subasta, se adjudicará la finca a favor del acreedor por la totalidad de la cantidad adeudada si ésta es igual o menor que el monto del tipo de la tercera subasta, si el tribunal lo estima conveniente. Se abonará dicho monto a la cantidad adeudada si ésta es mayor. Dicho remate se llevará a cabo para con su producto satisfacer a la demandante el importe de la Sentencia por la suma de $70,539.18 de principal, más intereses sobre

dicha suma al 3.00% anual desde el 1 de septiembre de 2024 hasta su completo pago, más $106.61 de recargos acumulados, los cuales continuarán en aumento hasta el saldo total de la deuda, más la cantidad estipulada de $10,200.00 para costas, gastos y honorarios de abogados, así como cualquier otra suma que contenga el contrato del préstamo, incluyendo pero sin limitarse a gastos de mantenimiento, inspecciones y otros adelantos “corporate advances”. Surge del Estudio de Título Registral que sobre esta propiedad pesan los siguientes gravámenes posteriores a la hipoteca que por la presente se pretende ejecutar: a. AVISO DE DEMANDA: Pleito seguido por Banco Popular de Puerto Rico vs. Jaime Paniagua Ralat y su esposa Marangelie Báez Nieves, ante el Tribunal de Primera Instancia, Sala Superior de Fajardo, en el caso civil número FA2025CV00334, sobre cobro de dinero y ejecución de hipoteca, en la que se reclama el pago de hipoteca con un balance de $70,539.18 y otras cantidades, según Demanda de fecha 4 de abril de 2025. Anotada al Tomo Karibe de Arecibo. Anotación A. Se notifica al acreedor posterior o a su sucesor o cesionario en derecho para que comparezca a proteger su derecho si así lo deseaba. Se les advierte a los interesados que todos los documentos relacionados con la presente acción de ejecución de hipoteca, así como los de Subasta, estarán disponibles para ser examinados, durante horas laborables, en el expediente del caso que obra en los archivos de la Secretaría del Tribunal, bajo el número de epígrafe y para su publicación en un periódico de circulación general en Puerto Rico por espacio de dos semanas y por lo menos una vez por semana; y para su fijación en los sitios públicos requeridos por ley. Se entenderá que todo licitador acepta como bastante la titularidad y que las cargas y gravámenes anteriores y los preferentes, si los hubiere, al crédito del ejecutante, continuarán subsistentes; entendiéndose que el rematante los acepta y queda subrogado en la responsabilidad de los mismos, sin destinarse a su extinción el precio del remate y que la propiedad a ser ejecutada se adquirirá libre de cargas y gravámenes posteriores tal como lo expresa la Ley Núm. 2102015. Y para el conocimiento de los demandados, de los acreedores posteriores, de los licitadores, partes interesadas y público en general, EXPIDO para su publicación en los lugares públicos correspondientes, el presente Aviso de Pública Subasta en Fajardo, Puerto Rico, hoy 12 de noviembre de

2025. DENISE BRUNO ORTIZ, ALGUACIL AUXILIAR #266, ALGUACIL, TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA, CENTRO JUDICIAL DE FAJARDO, SALA SUPERIOR. JORGE A. ORTIZ ESTRADA, ALGUACIL REGIONAL #622.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE FAJARDO ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC COMO AGENTE DE ACE ONE FUNDING, LLC

Parte Demandante Vs. WILFREDO CINTRON JURADO

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: CU2025CV00015. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: WILFREDO CINTRON JURADO - BDA EXT VILLA MUÑECO 5 CALLE 2, CULEBRA PR 00775-0665; PO BOX 665, CULEBRA, PR, 00775. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/index.php/tribunalelectronico, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Osvaldo L. Rodríguez Fernández cuya dirección es: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com y a la dirección notificaciones@orflaw.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO

MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en FAJARDO, Puerto Rico, hoy día 06 de octubre de 2025. WANDA I. SEGUÍ REYES, SECRETARIA. SHEILA ROBLES HERNÁNDEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE VEGA BAJA ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC COMO AGENTE DE FAIRWAY ACQUISITIONS FUND, LLC Parte Demandante Vs. FELIX NEVAREZ LOPEZ Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: VA2025CV00068. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: FELIX NEVAREZ LOPEZ - URB TREASURE POINT #14 CALLE

CORNELIAN, VEGA ALTA PR 00692-8911. POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/index.php/tribunalelectronico, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Gabriel Ramos Colon cuya dirección es: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección gabriel.ramos@orf-law. com y a la dirección notificaciones@orf-law.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en VEGA BAJA, Puerto Rico, hoy día 8 de octubre de 2025. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, SECRETARIA. MARITZA ROSARIO ROSARIO, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR. LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE FAJARDO ISLAND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, LLC COMO AGENTE DE ACE ONE FUNDING, LLC Parte Demandante Vs.

LAIZA Z PEREZ FERNANDEZ

Parte Demandada Civil Núm.: CN2025CV00210. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: LAIZA Z PEREZ FERNANDEZ - BO GUZMAN ARRIBA CARR 3 R956 KM 9.9, RIO GRANDE PR 00745; PO BOX 10000, CANOVANAS, PR, 00729.

POR LA PRESENTE se le emplaza y requiere para que conteste la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este Edicto. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), la cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https:// www.poderjudicial.pr/index. php/tribunal-electronico, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra y conceder el remedio solicitado en la demanda o cualquier otro sin más citarle ni oírle, si el tribunal en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente. El sistema SUMAC notificará copia al abogado de la parte demandante, Natalie Bonaparte Servera cuya dirección es: P.O. Box 71418 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8518, teléfono (787) 993-3731 a la dirección natalie.bonaparte@orf-law.com ya la dirección notificaciones@ orf-law.com. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el sello del Tribunal, en FAJARDO, Puerto Rico, hoy día 14 de octubre de 2025. WANDA SEGUÍ REYES, SECRETARIA. SANDRA L. PADILLA RODRÍGUEZ, SECRETARIA AUXILIAR.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA SALA DE VEGA BAJA HACIENDA DEL MAR

OWNERS

ASSOCIATION, INC.

Demandante Vs. PEARL ROSE

STRATYNER

Demandados Civil Núm.: VB2025CV00872. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS,

EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: PEARL ROSE STRATYNER.

Se les notifica a ustedes que se ha radicado mediante el sistema SUMAC una Demanda por la parte demandante HACIENDA DEL MAR OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. solicitando un Cobro de Dinero. Se les emplaza y se les requiere que notifiquen a la Lcda. Jessica Martínez Birriel, GARRIGA & MARINI LAW OFFICES, C.S.P., P.O. Box 16593, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00908-6593, teléfono (787) 275-0655, correo electrónico: jmartbirr@yahoo. com, con copia de su contestación a la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días siguientes a la publicación de este edicto. Dentro del mismo periodo de treinta (30) días ustedes deberán presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual pueden acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/ index.php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se representen por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberán presentar su alegación responsiva en la secretaría del Tribunal de Primera Instancia. Si dejaren de contestar podrá anotarse la rebeldía y dictarse contra ustedes sentencia en rebeldía concediéndose el remedio solicitado en la Demanda, sin más citarles ni oírles. Además, se les apercibe que, en los casos al amparo de la Ley Núm. 57-2023, titulada Ley para la Prevención del Maltrato, Preservación de la Unidad Familiar y para la Seguridad, Bienestar y Protección de los Menores, entre los remedios que el Tribunal podrá conceder se incluyen la ubicación permanente de un (una) menor fuera de su hogar, el inicio de procesos para la privación de patria potestad, y cualquier otra medida en el interés del (de la) menor. (Artículo 33, incisos b y f de la Ley Núm. 57-2023). Se les advierte de su derecho a comparecer acompañado(a) de abogado(a) en los casos que proceda. EXTENDIDO BAJO MI FIRMA y el Sello del Tribunal, a tenor con la Orden del Tribunal, hoy día 17 de octubre de 2025. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, SECRETARIA. MARITZA ROSARIO ROSARIO, SUB-SECRETARIA.

LEGAL NOTICE

ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO TRIBUNAL GENERAL DE JUSTICIA TRIBUNAL DE PRIMERA INSTANCIA CENTRO JUDICIAL DE BAYAMÓN SALA SUPERIOR DE BAYAMÓN ORIENTAL BANK

Demandante V.

DENNI RIVERA MULERO Demandado

Civil Núm.: BY2025CV04695. Sobre: COBRO DE DINERO POR LA VÍA ORDINARIA. EMPLAZAMIENTO POR EDICTO. ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMÉRICA, EL PRESIDENTE DE LOS EE. UU., EL ESTADO LIBRE ASOCIADO DE PUERTO RICO, SS. A: DENNI RIVERA MULERO. POR MEDIO del presente edicto se le notifica de la radicación de una demanda en cobro de dinero por la vía Ordinaria en la que se alega que usted adeuda a la parte demandante, Oriental Bank, ciertas sumas de dinero, y las costas, gastos y honorarios de abogado de este litigio. El demandante, Oriental Bank, ha solicitado que se dicte sentencia en contra suya y que se le ordene pagar las cantidades reclamadas en la demanda. POR EL PRESENTE EDICTO se le emplaza para que presente al tribunal su alegación responsiva a la demanda dentro de los treinta (30) días de haber sido diligenciado este emplazamiento, excluyéndose el día del diligenciamiento. Usted deberá presentar su alegación responsiva a través del Sistema Unificado de Manejo y Administración de Casos (SUMAC), al cual puede acceder utilizando la siguiente dirección electrónica: https://www.poderjudicial. pr/index/php/tribunal-electronico/, salvo que se represente por derecho propio, en cuyo caso deberá presentar su alegación responsiva en la Secretaría del Tribunal. Si usted deja de presentar su alegación responsiva dentro del referido término, el tribunal podrá dictar sentencia en rebeldía en su contra, y conceder el remedio solicitado en la Demanda, o cualquier otro, si el tribunal, en el ejercicio de su sana discreción, lo entiende procedente, sin más citarle ni oírle. El abogado de la parte demandante es: Jaime Ruiz Saldaña, RUA número 11673; Dirección: PO Box 366276, San Juan, PR 00936-6276; Teléfono: (787) 759-6897; Correo electrónico: legal@jrslawpr. com. Se le advierte que dentro de los diez (10) días siguientes a la publicación del presente edicto, se le estará enviando a usted por correo certificado con acuse de recibo, una copia del emplazamiento y de la demanda presentada al lugar de su última dirección conocida: Bayamón Gardens Apartments, Edif. 21 Apto. 2120, Bayamón, PR 00956-7062. EXPEDIDO bajo mi firma y el sello del Tribunal en Bayamón, Puerto Rico, hoy día 13 de noviembre de 2025. ALICIA AYALA SANJURJO, SECRETARIA. ELIZABETH OLIVERAS PÉREZ, SECRETARIA CONFIDENCIAL DEL TRIBUNAL.

Sudoku

How to Play:

Fill in the empty fields with the numbers from 1 through 9.

Sudoku Rules:

Every row must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Every column must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Every 3x3 square must contain the numbers from 1 through 9

Crossword

Down

1. Aust. state

2. Olympic skater Kulik

3. Hosp. tests

4. Its name comes from the Arabic word for "desert"

5. Admonitions from a librarian

6. Nice Christmas?

7. Carbamide

8. Engage in a bachelor party activity

9. Snorting, joyful laugh

10. Harrison of "Cleopatra"

11. Bach's "Mass ___ Minor"

12. 6 on the telephone

13. Furry foot

18. Princess topper

22. Sleeve card

24. Phileas ____, who went around the world in 80 days

26. "There oughta be ____!"

27. Countenance

28. Passive

29. Eyeballs

30. "Don't wait!"

31. Bears' org.

32. Authoritative pronouncement

33. Summer cabin

34. Defense secretary under Nixon

38. Patsy Cline's "That's ____ Heartache Begins" (Patsy Cline title)

40. Norm on the links

41. Droning sounds

Tom Jones's "She's ____"

44. Connecting waterways

46. Backs

49. Cholesterol letters

50. Interruption

51. Dork

Scanned bars, briefly

69. "You and ___ going to get along just fine..."

70. Responds to sun and water

71. Madonna's ex Penn

72. Cereal "for kids"

55. Idiot

56. Place to play b-ball

58. Jewish month

59. Italian saint

60. Scary dino

61. Musician's job

62. Text-scanning acronym

63. Despite, briefly

64. Marble for shooters

66. Payroll ID

Lodged

Mentors

Necked Parks Peeve

Regarded Rodent

Sardines

It was an eventful year for golf, on and off the course

By PAUL SULLIVAN

For golf, it was a name game in 2025. There were one-name phenoms like Rory, Scottie and Jeeno, with much talk of Keegan and a bit on Tiger on the course.

Around the events, there were new names that will have a big impact on everyone else, namely Brian Rolapp and Craig Kessler (who took over the PGA Tour and the LPGA from Jay Monahan and Mollie Marcoux Samaan, respectively).

And then there are the non-tour events that bring in the silly names, including the Range Goats (a team on LIV Golf) and Boston Common Golf (a team on the simulator-based TGL).

What all these names mean is that TV-produced golf may be in flux, but the excitement around the sport is taking it in directions fans hadn’t imagined a few years ago.

The players

In the final round of the Masters in April, Rory McIlroy hitting a wedge into Rae’s Creek on the 13th hole from less than 100 yards was the type of shot under pressure that recreational golfers could identify with. But it caused golf fans to groan. It seemed to be the moment that would mark the one-time prodigy’s latest way to lose the tournament he needed for the career Grand Slam.

While he seemed set to choke away another opportunity to win the Masters — and add to his U.S. Open, PGA Championship and British Open victories — he steadied himself. Finished tied for first place, he won on the first playoff hole, against his Ryder Cup

teammate Justin Rose.

It set a striking tone to the season that followed.

Not to be outdone in the record-setting department, Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, won the PGA Championship, adding to his two Masters victories.

The next month, he won the British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, beating the hometown favorite, Rory McIlroy, and putting himself just a U.S. Open victory away from his own career Grand Slam.

The U.S. Open was won by J.J. Spaun, who had been slowly making his way on the PGA Tour until he found himself tied with McIlroy at the Players Championship. He lost, but it jump-started his season. His U.S. Open win at Oakmont Country Club, considered among the toughest tests of golf in America, was punctuated by a 64-foot putt on the final hole with a weird looking, highly engineered putter that is now among the hottest putters in golf.

In the LPGA, Jeeno Thitikul ascended to the No. 1 spot this year. She did this by displacing Nelly Korda, who won an impressive seven times in 2024. But in winning the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, Thitikul did something equally historic. She finished the year with a scoring average of 68.68, or roughly 4 shots under par for every single round, which beat the record set by LPGA great Annika Sorenstam in 2002.

The leaders

For all this great play on the course, there’s

been a good amount of uncertainty around the leadership of the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour.

The PGA Tour has been trying to find its footing since LIV Golf, the league backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, poached dozens of players for its start in June 2022. The following June, Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who runs the fund and backs LIV, announced they had reached a framework agreement for reunification.

Yet two years passed with little public progress. This June, Rolapp, who spent two decades working at the NFL, was named the PGA Tour’s chief executive, essentially pushing aside Monahan, who will step down at the end of the year.

Within weeks of taking over, Rolapp announced a Future Competition Committee. “I want to be aggressive,” he said on the Golf Channel during the season-ending Tour Championship in August. “Our goal is to make events that really matter. And to make events that really matter, you certainty have to have the most competitive golf you can get with the best players you can get.”

He added, “you probably need fewer rather than more” events. At the time, he said he hadn’t talked to the Public Investment Fund about reconciliation between LIV and the PGA Tour.

Kessler, on the other hand, hit the ground running. “Urgency is at the core of what we’re going to do,” he said in an interview this summer. “At the highest level, we’re trying to create an organization where all of our stakeholders say something magical is happening at the LPGA, and we need to be in now.”

The big difference between the two tours and what the commissioners can do comes down to money. The PGA Tour, which has been financially flush for decades, has received a private equity investment that could top $3 billion. The LPGA has struggled financially, even having to cancel an event at the start of the year when the sponsor failed to fulfill its financial commitment for the second year.

“We have to activate our sponsors in ways we haven’t activated them,” Kessler said. “We have to provide access to the youngest generation in terms of value and proximity.”

The other leadership focus this year came at the Ryder Cup. That event is organized by the PGA of America (in conjunction with Ry-

der Cup Europe), which made an out-of-thebox captain selection when it named Keegan Bradley, still a top-20 player, to be Team USA’s captain.

Much of the speculation leading up to him finalizing his team in August centered around whether he would pick himself as one of his six captain’s picks and be the first American playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

He did not. When it looked like Team USA was going to get truly shellacked by Team Europe after the second day, questions arose as to why he wasn’t out there playing. The Americans rallied on the final day, losing by two points. It was their first home loss since 2012.

When asked in December how he felt about the defeat, Bradley said: “The darkest time of my life. I don’t know how to describe it. Certainly in my career. It was just a tough time.”

The periphery

So much of the change in the structure of professional golf was generated by the touring pros who left the PGA Tour for big money on LIV Golf. Three and a half years later, about a half dozen LIV players still contend in major championships, including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton.

Yet the league holds on, even as its stars age and slip in the golf rankings.

What the league, which plays shorter events and revels in blasting music during the competition, has done is spurred innovation in golf formats.

In January, the TGL, an indoor, simulatorbased league backed by Tiger Woods and McIlroy, started. While the Nielsen ratings — about 500,000 viewers on average — are better than LIV Golf, which Golf magazine reported had 175,000 average viewers during final rounds, they are not about to challenge the PGA Tour, which averages 3.1 million final-round viewers. Still, TGL’s weeknight ratings were better than the college basketball games it replaced, ensuring a second season.

Looking ahead, the big question again revolves around Woods, who has been sidelined by back injuries. He turns 50 on Dec. 30, which makes him eligible for the Champions Tour and a run at a U.S. Senior Open.

When asked in December about events he’s going to play next year, he said, “Just let me get back to playing again, let me do that, and then I’ll kind of figure out what the schedule is going to be.”

The golf world can dream.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts after winning the playoff hole during the final round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

The San Juan Daily Star Monday, December 15, 2025 23

Indians, Lions & Giants earn victories in LBPRC

By THE STAR STAFF

The Mayagüez Indians, Ponce Lions and Carolina Giants closed out Saturday night’s games with victories in the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (LPPRC by its initials in Spanish).

Mayagüez defeated the visiting Caguas Criollos 5-2 at Isidoro “Cholo” García Stadium. The home team took control from the first inning with a double by Anthony García that drove in Eddie Rosario. Matthew Lugo drove in the second run in the second inning, and Isan Díaz added a solo home run in the fourth. Luis Vázquez hit his sixth home run of the season to produce Caguas’ two runs in the fifth, but the Indians (Indios) secured the win in the seventh with RBIs from Rosario and Emmanuel Rivera. Keylan Killgore earned the win and Jorge López the save for Mayagüez (13-14). Duane Underwood took the loss for the Criollos (14-15).

In Ponce, the second-place Lions (Leones) rallied for four runs in the fifth inning to overcome the league-leading Santurce Crabbers (Cangrejeros) 4-3 at Francisco “Paquito” Montaner Stadium in Ponce. Edwin Díaz drove in two runs with a single to right field, and a throwing error allowed the tying run to score. Then, Jacob Berry hit a single to right field to bring in two more runs and complete the rally. Santurce (19-10) scored runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings, but the Ponce (16-12) bullpen contained the threat. Julio Torres earned the win, and Andrew Marrero recorded his ninth save of the season.

Jacob Berry singled to right field to drive in two runs and cap a four-run rally by the Ponce Lions in the fifth inning.

At Hiram Bithorn Stadium, the Carolina Giants (Gigantes) came from behind and defeated the San Juan Senators (Senadores) 5-4 after a dramatic finish. With San Juan leading 4-3 in the ninth inning, a double by Gabriel Cancel tied the game. Cancel then stole third and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Johnathan Rodríguez. Ren Mukunoki earned the win in relief, and Aneuris Rosario suffered the loss. Carolina (14-15) opened the game with two runs in the first inning and added another in the sixth, while San Juan (9-19) scored in the first, fourth and eighth innings.

Plataneros return to Carmen Z. Figueroa Arena with 5-set win over Changos

By THE STAR STAR

The Plataneros of Corozal marked their return to their home court, Carmen Z. Figueroa Arena, with an exclamation point on Friday night, defeating the Changos of Naranjito in a dramatic five-set match.

With the victory, the Plataneros kept their hopes alive to secure the only remaining ticket to the semifinals of the Men’s Superior Volleyball League (LVSM by its initials in Spanish).

The Plataneros played their previous home games at Juan C. Berríos Arena in Barranquitas, where they remained undefeated with seven consecutive victories.

Before a delirious crowd of nearly 2,000 people, Corozal came from behind to defeat an inspired Changos team with scores of 21-25, 23-25, 25-23, 27-25 and 15-10, earning two of the three points at stake.

Corozal, still in third place, improved its record to 13-6 and 37 points, while Naranjito earned one point and remains in sixth place in the standings with a record of 6-13 and 21 points.

In the fourth set, the Changos squandered a 19-17 lead after a misplayed ball that Delwin Tapia capitalized on. With a 6-4 run, capped by an attack from Spencer Olivier from zone two, the match was tied at 23. Finally, Corozal took the set in extra points, forcing the decisive fifth set.

There were ties at points 24 and 25, but the Plataneros closed

out the penultimate set with consecutive attacks: one by Jalen Penrose from zone two and another by Julio Mercedes from the middle.

In the fifth set, Corozal broke an 8-8 tie with three consecutive points to pull ahead and never look back. They reached set point at 14-10 with a shared block by Mercedes and Olivier against Ángel Rivera, and sealed the victory with an effective tip by Olivier from zone four.

The top offensive players for Corozal were Olivier (28 points), Penrose (26), and Mercedes (12). Luzgardo Liciaga contributed 30 assists.

For Naranjito, Cole Gillis led with 20 points, followed by Ángel Rivera (16) and Jackson Rivera (12).

In Friday’s other results:

The Caribes of San Sebastián (17-2, 46 points) defended their home court and defeated the Gigantes of Carolina (7-12, 23 points) 3-2 in a high-intensity match. Set scores: 25-15, 35-37, 25-21, 23-25 and 21-19.

In Yauco, the Cafeteros (15-4, 40 points) dominated from start to finish and defeated the Mets of Guaynabo (2-17, 9 points) 3-0. Set scores: 25-23, 25-15 and 25-14.

Tuesday’s matches

Yauco at Naranjito (8 p.m.), Carolina at Adjuntas (8 p.m.), Lares at Corozal (8 p.m.), San Sebastián at Guaynabo (8 p.m.)

Answers to the Sudoku and Crossword on page 21