Manila Standard - 2020 October 30 - Friday

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TEN RICHEST SENATORS NAMED: VILLAR, PACQUIAO ON TOP OF LIST; DE LIMA, POOREST By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Cynthia Villar remains the richest member of the Philippine Senate with a further spike in her wealth in 2019 while detained Sen. Leila de Lima is the poorest. Based on the senators’ latest statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) released through the

Zubiri

Senate’s official website, Villar posted a net worth of over P3,814,091,438 billion as of December 2019. This is over P94 million higher than her net worth of P3,719,941,858 in 2018, when she was also declared the richest senator. The senator and her husband, former Senate President Manny Villar, are owners of the Philippines’ big-

Revilla

Angara

gest homebuilder Vista Land, and shopping center developer Starmalls Incorporated. The second richest senator in 2019 is world boxing champiom turned Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao. He declared a net worth of P3,172,524,957.50. In 2018, Pacquiao’s wealth was pegged at Next page

Drilon

Villar

Pacquiao

Recto

Poe

Gatchalian

Cayetano

Villar to Villar: We’ll probe you if necessary Customs chief, deputy face conspiracy raps

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 238 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

• DOJ targets deals worth P1b • Big fish caught in December?

THE National Bureau of Investigation has recommended filing of criminal and administrative charges against Customs chief Rey Guerrero and two other officials for alleged violation of the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act in accrediting

at least six ghost importers. According to a report on the news program “24 Oras,” the NBI said Guerrero, Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Ramil Ramiro and acting officer of the Account Management Office

James Joven conspired with six private importers for their accreditation. The non-existent importers were identified as Gypson International Trading, Blessive Scott International Next page

By Joyce Pangco Pañares, Rey E. Requejo and Vito Barcelo

P

UBLIC Works Secretary Mark Villar is not exempted from the anti-corruption Emmeline Aglipay-Villar Mark Villar investigation to be conducted by the Department of Justice-led task force, his wife, Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar said Thursday.

“Yes,” she said when asked if her husband would also be investigated during an interview with ANC’s Headstart. “Because that’s what the President also said in his memo, that all government officials and employees are included and if evidence warrants a case to be filed against them we would do so.” Aglipay-Villar said the DPWH and other agencies earlier tagged by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra would be the focus of the task force’s initial efforts.

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM OCTOBER 29)

376,935 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

1,761 39,940 NEW

ACTIVE

7,147

33

329,848

740

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte said the DPWH chief was “too rich to be corrupt” but Aglipay-Villar, who is also the spokesperson of the DOJ, said the chief executive was merely expressing his trust and confidence in her husband. Aglipay-Villar, who earlier said she will not be involved in the investigation on the DPWH, said her assignments at the DOJ usually involved the review of contracts and other matters assigned to Next page

DPWH exec ‘throws a party, P1m at guests’ By Rio N. Araja

GHOST TOWN? Police prowl cars guard the gates of Manila North and South cemeteries to enforce the temporary closure of these

and other cemetries and columbaries from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4, 2020 in Metro Manila and the rest of the country as a precautionary measure against the spread of the dreaded coronavirus. Norman Cruz

THE director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the Ilocos region has been accused of grave misconduct and graft for allegedly throwing more than a million pesos in cash to guests at his birthday party. The complaint against DPWH Region I Director Ronnel Tan before the Next page

SolGen presses SC to release Leonen’s SALNs By Rey E. Requejo

the release of Associate Justice Marvic of the 15-member bench. Leonen’s Statements of Assets LiabiliIn a motion for reconsideration, the THE Office of the Solicitor General ties and Net worth for purposes of pre- OSG through Solicitor General Jose Calhas asked the Supreme Court to recon- paring a possible quo warranto petition ida, appealed to the SC to reconsider and sider its decision to deny its request for against the third most senior magistrate Next page

Trump, Biden fight it out in Florida, a must-win prize PRESIDENT Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden will rally voters just hours apart in the Florida city of Tampa on Thursday, their campaign paths crossing for the first time as the rivals’ fight for the White House enters its frenetic final days. Florida is a must-win prize, and

TRIBUTE TO A HERO. In observance of the 154th birth anniversary of Gen. Antonio Luna, staff members of his ancestral house

converted into a museum, hoisted the Philippine flag and offered flowers as tribute to one of the heroes of the Philippine Revolution. Luna was the hot headed but brilliant military strategist of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Brother of the famous painter Juan Luna, Antonio Luna studied Bachelor of Arts at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, studied pharmacy at the Univerity of Santo Tomas, but finished it in Barcelona, Spain. He obtained his Doctor of Medicine at the Central University of Madrid, and studied further in France and Belgium. He wrote for La Solidaridad under the pen name “Taga-Ilog” and also managed the paper La Independencia. In 1897, he was deported to Spain and imprisoned in Carcel Modelo de Madrid. After his release fron prison, he studied military tactics. During the Phil-Am war, Aguinaldo made Luna a general. Because of his bravery, Luna was named director of War on September 26, 1898. He became famous for bravery, unusual style of fighting, and strict discipline. At the age of 31, he was shot dead on June 5, 1899 in Cabanatuan City in an attack led by a disgruntled Filipino Sergeant. He was born on Oct. 29, 1869 in Urbiztondo, Manila.

polls show the candidates in a dead heat in America’s third-largest state, which has sided with the winner in every presidential election since 1964, with one exception. The candidates’ events are sure to be a study in contrasts, with Trump’s Next page

Price ceiling on test kits mulled PRESIDENT Rodalready submitted rigo Duterte is to Duterte’s office considering setting a draft of the proa price ceiling for posed order. COVID-19 tests. “The President Presidential spokesman Harry Roque has already issued an executive order imsaid the Department of Health’s (DOH) posing price caps on medicines, so I don’t Next page technical working group (TWG) has

LOCAL ROUNDUP


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