COA disallowances of OVP confi funds show non-compliance
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IN METRO MANILA
VOL. XL • NO. 169 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES AUGUST 2, 2026
By Maricel V. Cruz HOUSE prosecutor and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua said on Saturday that the Commission on Audit’s (COA) issuance of a notice of disallowance over the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) use of confidential funds already indicates that state auditors found issues with how they were spent. The lawmaker said the audit findings strengthen the prosecution’s case on Article I of the articles of impeachment, which alleges Vice President Sara Duterte’s misuse of confidential funds. “The fact that there was a notice of disallowance means there is a problem in its utilization,” Chua said in mixed English and Filipino. Beginning Monday, prosecutors are expected to present two Commission on Audit auditors and a House records custodian as they shift from tracing the funds’ movement to examining how the funds were spent and liquidated. He explained that a notice of disallowance is issued only after state auditors determine that a government expendi-
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Caritas opposes Pax Silica in its ‘present form’
WINNERS. Ma. Katrina Llegado, upper right photo, beams after being crowned Miss Supranational during the finals of Miss Supranational 2026 at the Strzelecki Park Amphitheater in Nowy Sącz, Lesser Poland. Alexandra Eala, at left, lets out a roar after beating Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during their quarterfinal at Mubadala DC Open 2026 in Washington, DC. Eton Concepcion, AFP
OMB to talk to SC chief over Revilla’s bail grant
THE Catholic Church’s social action and advocacy arm yesterday declared its opposition to the U.S.-backed plan to build a large AI and semiconductor hub in Tarlac, saying the project is moving forward without answers on who will control it or who will pay for it. Caritas Philippines said it “opposes” the proposed Pax Silica Industrial Hub in Capas, Tarlac province, “in its present form,” according to a statement from its president, Bishop Gerardo Alminaza. “It is being advanced without clear public answers on who will control it, where its enormous energy and water requirements will come from, how much public money and land will be committed, and which communities will bear its environmental and social costs,” he said. The site is not empty land, Alminaza said — “it is home to Aeta Indigenous families, farmers and rural communities whose rights and livelihoods “must come before corporate and geopolitical interests.” The hub is envisioned as a 1,620-hectare technology zone inside New Clark City, built under Pax Silica, a 23-member, U.S.-led coalition formed in December to secure supply chains for semiconductors, artificial intelligence and critical minerals. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. touted the hub as a centerpiece of his economic agenda in his fifth State of the Nation Address on July 27, saying it would “create
Ombudsman says efforts made for Sandiganbayan to grant bail
By Rex Espiritu
O
MBUDSMAN Jesus Crispin Remulla said yesterday he will meet with Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo to discuss possible abuses in the judiciary following the Sandiganbayan bail release of former Senator Bong Revilla. “I will have a dialogue with the Supreme Court very soon. I will text my classmate so we can meet up. I want to talk to the Chief Justice who will be retiring in November so that his legacy will be good,” he said during a radio program. The Ombudsman earlier said there appeared to have been efforts to secure the grant of bail
to Revilla. “We predicted this to happen. Alam naman namin ito... Meron talaga mangyayari na mukhang natrabaho, na magkaroon ng grant of bail,” Remulla said but did not elaborate. “It’s an eye-opener that we have to fight harder to win the war against corruption,” he said.
Remulla also maintained that none of the cases they were pursuing are being weaponized, explaining that they have already raised the standard of reasonable certainty of conviction before they file a charge. Revilla was released on a P1-million bail on Friday after the Sandiganbayan said the prosecution’s evidence against the former senator was weak. It denied the petitions for bail by Revilla’s co-accused — former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez, and five others over the alleged P92.8-
million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan. The Ombudsman emphasized that his office has raised its standards before filing cases, ensuring they are evidence-based and not “weaponized.” “Kami sa Ombudsman, we raise the standard of reasonable certainty of conviction before we file a case. Tinaas na namin ang standard — hindi weaponized ang trabaho namin, it is evidence-based,” he said. Remulla said the judiciary plays a crucial role in the process and disclosed plans to initiate discussions with the Supreme Court. Turn to A4
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Eala storms into career-best No. 25, faces Osaka for spot in DC Open final ALEXANDRA “Alex” Eala continues to rewrite her own record book. The Filipina tennis sensation climbed to a career-high No. 25 in the WTA live rankings after storming into the semifinals of the 2026 Mubadala DC Open in Washington, D.C., putting a possible place in the Top 20 within reach if she goes on to win the WTA 500 tournament. Eala, who entered the event at No. 28, added 135 ranking points to raise her live total from 1,666 to 1,801, moving three places higher after three victories in Washington. A title run would give the 21-yearold another major boost and could propel her into the WTA Top 20 for the first time.
TESTING TIME. Thousands of senior high school students line up to their testing sites at the University of the Philippines Diliman for the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT). An estimated 153,000 examinees will be taking the UPCAT in 118 testing centers operating nationwide over the weekend. The UP Diliman campus hosts 24 testing centers, including the historic Palma Hall, Plaridel Hall, Malcolm Hall, and Melchor Hall. Edd Castro
Foreign Affairs) and the DND (Department of National Defense), and both asserted that a full-scale international armed conflict exists in the area,” he said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City. “Mataas po ang antas ng panganib, kaya’t kailangan pong wala po munang Filipino seafarers in that area (The level of danger is high, so there should be no Filipino seafarers in that area for the meantime),” he added. Cacdac said the DMW issued an advisory to ship owners and manning agencies to ensure the safety of all Filipinos already in the Black Sea, including at least 180 seafarers on 12 ships still in
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the area. “[ T ]here are 12 ships carrying around 180 Filipino seafarers, unattacked, but still in the area. So, ang instruction namin is to bring all these Filipino seafarers, ng mga ship owners, (So, our instruction to ship owners is to bring all these Filipino seafarers) to safer ground or safer port,” he said. The DMW also instructed the agencies to facilitate the repatriation of the sailors manning the 17 attacked ships in Northern Black Sea. As of this posting, at least 89 Filipino seafarers have been repatriated since the conflict in the area escalated in July.
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Katrina Llegado is Ms. Supranational 2026
DMW wants Black Sea off limits to Pinoy seafarers THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) recommended a temporary halt in the deployment of Filipino seafarers to the Northern Black Sea after government agencies categorized it as a “full-scale international armed conflict” area. Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the DMW directed ship manning agencies “not to proceed with the ships carrying Filipino seafarers” to the area. At least two Filipino seafarers were killed in recent drone attacks on commercial vessels operating in the northern Black Sea, while 12 others were injured and one remains missing. “We received security assessments from both the DFA (Department of
But standing between Eala and a place in the final is a familiar name at the very top of the sport -- former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka of Japan. Eala earned the semifinal showdown by beating second-seeded Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-4, on Friday (Saturday morning in Manila), while third-seeded Osaka battled past Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The semifinal on Sunday at 3:10 a.m. will be the first meeting between Eala and Osaka, giving the Filipina another opportunity to test herself against one of the most accomplished players of her generation.
AFTER thirteen years, Ma. Katrina Llegado won the Philippines’ second Miss Supranational title during the finals of Miss Supranational 2026, held at the Strzelecki Park Amphitheater in Nowy Sącz, Lesser Poland, on Friday night. Fighting back tears, Llegado, stunning in a golden evening gown, took her crown from outgoing Miss Supranational 2025 Alexandra Braun. Llegado, 28, a Philippine Air Force reservist and a graduate of Financial Management from De La Salle University, earlier brought the house down during the national costume show, parading in
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a spectacular gumamela flowerinspired dress designed by Mich Viray. Llegado’s runners-up were France’s Eve Gilles (first), Brazil’s Lara Marina (second), Nigeria’s Ndah Eno (third), and the Czech Republic’s Karolina Gorylova (fourth). During the final Q&A round, Llegado was asked, “Tell us about the moment you stopped trying to become the woman the world expected, and you started becoming the woman you were really meant to be?” “I always believe that we should never fit into a mold. We are perfectly imperfect. I am someone who Turn to A4
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