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Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco on Wednesday renewed his call for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to cancel the passport of resigned Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.

He also wants the department to compel his return to the Philippines to face investigation over the alleged misuse of public funds in anomalous flood control projects.

Tiangco issued the statement after the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) subpoenaed Co to appear at its Oct. 14 hearing on the multi-billion-peso flood control scandal that has implicated several lawmakers and contractors.

‘Time is of the essence. He must be compelled to come home at the soonest possible time and not given any more time to be able to secure another passport or citizenship in another country,’ Tiangco said.

‘If the DFA continues to dilly-dally and he is able to secure a passport in a country with which we have no extradition treaty, who will be accountable for this?’ the lawmaker asked.

Co, who served as the House appropriations chair in the 19th Congress, resigned from the House in late September following mounting public scrutiny over alleged irregularities in flood control projects linked to his company, Sunwest Inc.

He and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez are also being accused of masterminding the irregular insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) that led to the enlargement of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget.

His current whereabouts remain unclear, though his official excuse is that he has sought medical treatment in the United States for an undisclosed condition.

House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy had ordered him to come home within 10 days in a Sept. 19 letter revoking his travel clearance – but Co instead decided to resign his post on Dy’s deadline.

Before Co stepped down, Tiangco filed an ethics complaint against the former appropriations chair to compel him to explain these issues.

Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales herself questioned why Romualdez did not move to cancel Co’s passport while he was still speaker, especially after Dy was linked to multibillion-peso insertions to fund questionable flood control projects.

‘He (Romualdez) seems to be covering for him,’ Carpio-Morales told ANC.

Tiangco echoed her sentiment, saying that the cancellation of Co’s passport was both justified and urgent given the gravity of the allegations.

‘I fully support the position of former Ombudsman Carpio-Morales. Zaldy Co should be sent home immediately. Now that there is a subpoena from the ICI, there is no reason not to cancel his passport. What is being discussed here is the people’s money,’ he emphasized. /apl

AI-driven innovative technology brand TECNO today officially announced the Philippine launch of the world’s slimmest curved-screen smartphone, the TECNO SPARK Slim, which will retail at the official price of PhP9,499. Defying conventional trade-offs, SPARK Slim combines a massive 5160mAh battery with an ultra-slim profile passing military industry certification to ensure all-around durability.

Carrying forward the youthful, vibrant, and stylish DNA of the SPARK series, its aerospace-grade fiberglass back cover makes the device thinner yet stronger, while the elegant 3D-curved profile and lightweight body ensure a comfortable in-hand feel. The expressive world-first Mood Light design adds an interactive, playful element that resonates with youthful creativity, while vibrant color options further highlight individuality. With this fusion of slimness, style, and substance, SPARK Slim delivers a premium experience that exceeds expectations within its price segment.

Slim Yet Powerful: Redefining the Balance Between Ultra-Thin Design and Lasting Performance

TECNO SPARK Slim debuts as the world’s thinnest curved-screen smartphone at just 5.93mm. This feat is made possible through TECNO’s breakthrough honeycomb space stacking technology, which optimizes 12% of internal space and enables the slimming of eight core components, from the battery and cooling system to the motherboard, while maintaining overall device slim.

Despite its ultra-thin frame, SPARK Slim incorporates a 5160mAh high-density lithium cobalt oxide battery that delivers up to 24.8 hours Day of Use (DOU). It also supports 45W fast charging, 10W reverse charging, and bypass charging technologies. This unique battery solution resists swelling even after prolonged use, proving that slim does not mean weak in endurance.

To ensure sustained performance during heavy usage, SPARK Slim integrates a 0.3mm ultra-thin vapor chamber and a high-conductivity graphite layer with thermal performance of 1800W/m·K, together forming a 24,532mm² cooling system. This enables stable charging and gaming performance while keeping the device cool in such an exceptionally slim body.

Building on this strong foundation of power and thermal stability, SPARK Slim is equipped with the new MediaTek Helio G200 chipset. Designed to balance efficiency with performance, it ensures smooth everyday use and comes with TÜV-certified fluency for up to five years, giving users long-term stability and confidence in their device.

Slim Yet Durable: Reliability backed by Military-Grade Standards

While achieving extreme slimness, TECNO SPARK Slim does not compromise on durability. Its 0.36mm aerospace-grade fiberglass back cover is 0.19mm thinner than conventional materials yet improves strength by 300% and flexibility by 200%.

The screen is protected by Corning® Gorilla® Glass 7i, while the entire device is IP64 rated against dust and water, ensuring peace of mind for everyday use.

Slim Yet Stylish: Lighting Up Individual Expression

TECNO SPARK Slim comes in two timeless colorways: Slim White and Cool Black, bringing classic elegance into modern fashion trends. Weighing around 156g and featuring an ultra-narrow frame with graceful curves, the device offers a superb slim grip that feels refined and comfortable in hand.

In addition to its ultra-slim aesthetics, SPARK Slim introduces an interactive Mood Light design on the back, featuring two circular ‘eyes’ that mimic emotions through multi-scene lighting effects. In scenarios such as power on/off, charging, incoming calls, Ella activation, and notifications, the eyes display playful light animations-expressing moods like happy, not happy, or blinking. For Gen Z users, this transforms functional notifications into a unique form of fashionable self-expression, turning the device into both a stylish daily companion and a tool to showcase individuality.

Beyond playful interaction, SPARK Slim also delivers an exceptional viewing experience. Its 1.5K high-resolution curved display offers immersive clarity, reaching 4500 nits peak brightness and supporting a 144Hz refresh rate for ultra-smooth responsiveness, ensuring vivid visuals even in bright outdoor conditions.

Elevated Experiences with TECNO AI and Beyond

SPARK Slim integrates TECNO AI, providing real-time translation, document summarization, and AI photo repair, empowering young users in learning, work, and creative output. With the addition of Touch Transfer, users can instantly share images, videos, or files between two TECNO devices with just a tap via NFC, providing seamless connectivity. Further enhancing the experience, the device features Dolby dual stereo speakers and dual system support, delivering enriched entertainment and productivity.

The device also features TECNO’s best-in-class ‘FreeLink’ technology, enabling direct Bluetooth-based messaging and two-way calls even without cellular coverage, which is an essential feature in remote or offline environments.

Powering Up Gaming and Connectivity

TECNO SPARK SLIM has teamed up with the hit local game Honor of Kings (HOK). Powered by the capable MediaTek Helio G200 chipset, TECNO SPARK SLIM empowers the local gaming community, proving that it offers not just a slim profile but also reliable daily gaming performance. Furthermore, TECNO partnered with TM Cellular Service, a brand under Globe Telecom offering mobile services to its customers. TECNO will offer a free TECNO x TM x HOK co-branded SIM card, which includes exclusive free up to 25GB data, and customized data for HOK, enhancing the out-of-the-box gaming experience for users.

Accessible Pricing and Launch Offers

The TECNO SPARK Slim will be available starting October 8 both online and offline, with an official price of PhP9,499. From October 8 to 10, enjoy discounted first sale price of PhP7,999PhP on Shopee and TikTok Shop. Buyers will receive a free TM SIM card of equal value with their purchase. Additionally, customers who purchase at designated TECNO offline stores during the month of October and use Spaylater for installment payments can enjoy a 20% discount, making the TECNO SPARK Slim even more affordable at PhP7,599. This makes it an excellent and smart choice for an early Christmas gift. Buyers who pay through HomeCredit, Skyro and soon through Kredivo, will enjoy 0% interest on their installment purchase.

With the launch of SPARK Slim, TECNO once again proves that slim and powerful can co-exist. As the world’s thinnest curved-screen smartphone, SPARK Slim not only pushes the boundaries of innovative engineering power with its 5.93mm body, but also delivers beyond-class ultra-slim experiences with uncompromising endurance and performance. It delivers a practical, stylish, and easy-to-use ultra-slim experience for users who refuse to be boxed in and want to express themselves at any moment.

Tropical Storm Nakri may enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and be locally named as Quedan on Thursday afternoon or evening, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

In its 5 p.m. forecast on Wednesday, Pagasa tracked that Nakri may become the 17th cyclone of the year, but will exit PAR after 12 hours.

Nakri was located 1725 kilometers east of extreme northern Luzon, moving north-northwestward at 25 kilometers per hour (kph).

It is packing maximum sustained winds of 65 kph and gusts of up to 80 kph, Pagasa recorded.

Though Nakri may enter PAR, the state weather bureau said that the cyclone is unlikely to have an effect on the country, and it is less likely to develop into a typhoon.

Meanwhile, three weather systems continue to bring rain all over the country on Wednesday evening, Pagasa added.

A northeasterly wind flow is expected to cause rain in Batanes, Babuyan Islands, Ilocos Norte, and Apayao.

On the other hand, a shear line or the intersection of the northeasterly wind flow and the easterlies will bring rain clouds and isolated thunderstorms in Mainland Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, most of Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Rizal and Quezon overnight.

Additionally, the Intertropical Convergence Zone, where the winds from the northern and southern hemispheres meet, will carry scattered rains in Visayas, Mindanao and Palawan. /mr

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed Wednesday criminal complaints against contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya for allegedly owing a total of P7.1 billion in taxes.

The BIR filed complaints with the Department of Justice against the Discaya couple, as well as Steve Balano, a corporate officer of their construction company, St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corporation.

According to BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr., the main complaint filed against the Discaya spouses and Steve Balano stemmed from their individual liabilities for failing to file billions in income taxes from 2018 to 2021.

Another case involves their failure to file documentary stamp tax returns and pay the corresponding taxes following their supposed divestment from four of their construction companies.

Lumagui pointed out that failure to pay these taxes indicates that the divestment was not properly carried out, as such filings are essential to legally effect the transfer of shares.

‘They never divested because they never paid the corresponding taxes necessary for such divestment,’ Lumagui said.

A separate complaint concerns the Discayas’ failure to pay excise taxes on nine luxury vehicles registered under their names.

In total, Lumagui said the Discayas’ tax liabilities amount to P7,182,172,532.25.

More cases expected vs. Discayas, other contractors

Lumagui said the Discayas’ other corporations are still under audit, which means additional complaints could be filed.

‘We’re just getting started. The audits of the other construction companies owned by the Discaya spouses are still ongoing,’ Lumagui said in Filipino.

‘So far, we’ve only filed cases based on their individual liabilities and those related to St. Gerard. The audits of the other corporations involved in the flood control projects are still ongoing,’ he added.

When asked if other contractors are being audited apart from the Discayas, Lumagui responded in the affirmative, noting that other individuals are also under investigation.

‘We are continuously conducting audits and investigations on all contractors-not just the contractors. In fact, we are also carrying out lifestyle checks on various individuals involved,’ Lumagui said.

These individuals, he added, include politicians.

Malacañang on Wednesday expressed support for religious sect Iglesia ni Cristo’s (INC) call for transparency in the Independent Commission for Infrastructure’s (ICI) ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in flood control projects.

At a briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also supports transparency in the probe – a position she said the President has consistently emphasized since the creation of the super body.

‘The President, in all instances, wants transparency. In every investigation, there should be transparency – nothing should be concealed,’ she said speaking in Filipino.

‘But how the ICI will implement this – how it will make the proceedings public, ensure transparency, and to what extent – that depends on the ICI. Still, the President continues to advocate transparency in all investigations,’ Castro added in Filipino.

These remarks followed INC Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo’s appeal for the ICI to be transparent not only with its findings but also with the process of its investigation.

‘The investigation should be open and should be witnessed by the public. We believe that in order to achieve peace, we need to continuously investigate these anomalies, and these should be done with transparency and without favor,’ Manalo said in a statement, as read by INC spokesman Edwil Zabala on Net25.

In addition, the INC leader urged the Senate to continue its probe into the alleged anomalous flood control projects.

‘As is appropriate, the root cause of the theft of hundreds of billions of pesos from the public treasury must be held accountable even during times of hardship for the people. This is to ensure justice and hopefully prevent others from following suit. This, however, cannot be attained if the Senate investigation is stopped like what we’ve been hearing due to unclear reasons,’ Manalo said.

This was in relation to Sen.Panfilo Lacson’s announcement that the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on alleged flood control anomalies set for Wednesday is postponed ‘until further notice’ due to the unavailability of documents needed within a week.

This year’s southwest monsoon or ‘habagat,’ season has officially ended, with the country transitioning to the northeast monsoon or ‘amihan,’ season, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Tuesday.

‘Recent observations indicate that the southwest monsoon (habagat) has been weakening during the past few weeks,’ it added in an advisory.

‘Forecast models also show this trend in the coming days. With these developments, the habagat season has officially ended. Likewise, this marks the termination of the rainy season over the western sections of Luzon and Visayas,’ it said.

Pagasa also observed a gradual change in the country’s weather pattern ‘due to the strengthening of the high-pressure system over East Asia and the southward migration of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ).’

It said that cloudy skies and rain were prevailing nationwide due to the combined effects of the northeasterly wind flow and the ITCZ.

More than 9,000 aftershocks have been recorded following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Northern Cebu, the state seismologist reported on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

In its 10 a.m. update, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported a total of 9,108 aftershocks, of which 1,666 have been plotted and 38 were felt.

The tremors ranged in magnitude from 1.0 to 5.1.

The agency also confirmed a coastal uplift in Barangay Nailon, Bogo City, where the shoreline rose by about a meter. Phivolcs observed exposed tidal flats, raised tidal notches, and elevated high-tide markers, which they attribute to movement along the Bogo Bay Fault.

The 6.9 quake has left at least 72 people dead, more than 550 injured, and affected around 611,000 residents across Northern Cebu, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council. /mcm

The number of unemployed Filipinos declined to 2.03 million in August, from 2.59 million in July, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Wednesday.

That was equivalent to a jobless rate of 3.9 percent, down from 5.3 percent in the previous month.

Meanwhile, 5.38 million employed individuals looked for more jobs or longer working hours to augment their income in August, down from 6.8 million before.

That yielded an underemployment rate of 10.7 percent, easing from 14.8 percent in July.

The services sector accounted for the largest share of total employment at 61.5 percent, followed by agriculture with 20.4 percent and industry at 18.1 percent.

The top five sub-sectors in terms of annual increase in the number of employed persons were the following:

Construction (540,000)

Fishing and aquaculture (448,000)

Administrative and support service activities (307,000)

Agriculture and forestry (300,000)

Other service activities (239,000).

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said on Wednesday that the decline of the unemployment rate to 3.9 percent in August 2025 proves an ‘aggressive and successful recovery’ from the 5.3 percent unemployment rate in July 2025.

‘This is a powerful manifestation of our economy’s resilience and continued strength. This performance is even more impactful when viewed against the 5.3 percent unemployment rate in July 2025, demonstrating aggressive and successful recovery,’ Laguesma said in a statement.

Additionally, the DOLE chief said there has been a ‘strong driving job recovery and employment creation across the country,’ supplemented by the increase in employment.

The August 2025 Labor Force Survey (LFS) reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed that the employment rate increased by 1.4 percentage points – from 94.7 percent in July to 96.1 percent in August.

Laguesma also celebrated the increase in job quality, based on the underemployment rate, which lowered from 14.8 percent in July to 10.7 percent in August, according to PSA data.

This shows more workers transitioning from ‘insufficient and inadequate part-time work to substantially more permanent employment,’ DOLE reported.

According to the LFS, the service sector remains dominant in the employment landscape, accounting for 61.5 percent of the workforce. DOLE also noted recovery in the agriculture sector, with 20.4 percent of the labor force, as well as the industry sector, with 18.1 percent of the labor force.

With this, Laguesma vowed that DOLE will ‘scale up’ its pre-employment and internship programs, as well as its collaborations with Public Employment Service Offices, the private sector, and government agencies to organize more job fairs nationwide.

Furthermore, he highlighted the government agency’s partnerships with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for insights on jobs and the economy, and the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines for youth employability in the IT and business process management sector.

The agency also recently recommitted to sustainable jobs, saying it will ‘focus on implementing the Framework and Action Plan for Green Jobs’ that was discussed in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Green Jobs Forum on August 27-28 in Malaysia. ‘DOLE will remain steadfast in its commitment to efficient, honest, and transparent public service in the implementation of our programs, projects, and activities,’ Laguesma added.

Maddie Madayag made her comeback for Choco Mucho after a fruitful stint with Kurobe Aquafairies in the Japan SV.League and Alas Pilipinas.

Madayag saw limited action but made a huge impact, scoring five points, including the back-to-back kill blocks that sealed Choco Mucho’s 33-31, 26-24, 25-23 sweep of Capital1 on Tuesday night at Ynares Center Montalban.

‘I guess playing overseas and with the national team helps a lot, too. But PVL is a different situation, so I still need to adjust a bit. In training though, I try to share whatever I’ve learned from my experience outside. I’m just really happy that I get to contribute more in that way,’ said Madayag in Filipino.

Madayag was thrilled to contribute and don the Flying Titans jersey once again as well as teaming up with new faces.

‘I just did my job when I was sent in, and as always, we just follow the system. As long as we stick to that and stay on the right track, I think the outcome of the game will turn out well,’ she said.

‘Our new players are really brave, and I’m super proud and happy to have them on the team. We know they can really bring a lot to the table.’

Choco Mucho will have to repeat its triumph performance against Capital1 after the league and participating teams agreed to replay the opening games after missing their imports due to the dispute over International Transfer Certificates.

It will give Madayag more time to reconnect and form a stronger bond with the Flying Titans.