Locsin tapped as China envoy

Palace: Move to boost bilateral ties

By Charles Dantes, Rey Requejo, Macon Ramos-Araneta, and Maricel Cruz

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed former Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin as special envoy to Beijing, days after the Chinese embassy in Manila called on the Philippines to meet it halfway over maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea.

FOOD STAMP CARD. A woman shows the electronic food stamp card and pamphlet from the Department of Social Welfare and Development for the recipients of the ‘Walang Gutom 2027’ food stamp program in Pritil, Tondo on Wednesday. The program’s goal is to enroll a total of one million families who will each receive a tap card containing P3,000 worth of food credits every month. Norman Cruz

By Maricel Cruz and Rey Requejo

THE House of Representatives voted 265-0 with three ab stentions on Wednesday to expel Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr., who is facing a string of charges in relation to the assassination of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo. Rep. Felimon Espares of COOP-NATCCO, chair of the House committee on ethics and privileges, reported in a plenary session the 18-page report detailing Teves’ offenses, ranging from his expired travel authority to his “obscene dance moves” on social media.

Through his lead counsel, Ferdinand Topacio, Teves on Wednesday lamented the decision.

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“Today is a dark day for the Rule of Law and the dawning of a new age of the tyranny of the majority, where might is right and the prevailing principle is the Law of Force rather than the Force of Law,” Topacio said in a statement. He denounced “the proceedings before the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges are nothing but that of a kangaroo court, to use a worn-out phrase.” Topacio also cried foul over the labeNEWS / A2 NEWS / A2

“[Ambassador Locsin’s appointment] is to boost bilateral relations between the two countries,” Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil said, adding that Locsin will serve as concurrent Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Chinese Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong earlier said Beijing and Manila are neighbors that

Makati-Taguig row: DILG asked to intervene

By Joel E. Zurbano and Vince Lopez

MAKATI City Mayor Abby Binay on Wednesday asked the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)