The Freeman - May 17, 2025
The Freeman - May 17, 2025
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In this issue
May 17, 2025
17 Taiwanese arrested in "POGO-like" operation
Seventeen Taiwanese nationals were arrested in a quiet subdivision in Banilad, Cebu City in what authorities described as “POGO-like” activities, exposing a sophisticated online “romance scam” operation.
3 mins
TRO ALLOWS GWEN TO FINISH TERM CA stops Garcia's suspension
The Court of Appeals has granted a 60-day Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) stopping the Office of the Ombudsman from enforcing a six-month preventive suspension against outgoing Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, effectively allowing her to finish her fifth term until noon of June 30.
2 mins
NBI-7 arrests man over Comelec bomb threat
The National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) has arrested a man who allegedly posted on Facebook a malicious statement offering a P5-million reward to anyone who could plant and detonate a bomb at all Commission on Elections (Comelec) sites.
2 mins
17 Taiwanese arrested in “Pogo-like” operation
According to investigators, the suspects used pre-written scripts and emotional spiels to carry out romance scams that targeted fellow Taiwanese nationals as well as Malaysians and Chinese.
2 mins
Cebu Mangoes Festival 2025 at The Mactan Newtown: A Sweet Comeback of Flavor, Tradition, and Community
The Cebu Mangoes Festival returns to The Mactan Newtown, reigniting the island's most cherished summer tradition with a renewed sense of purpose, cultural pride, and shared joy.
2 mins
JOs in Mandaue, Cebu City face uncertainty
Uncertainty looms among job-order (JO) employees of Mandaue City and Cebu City as the transition to a new administration on July 1 draws near, raising fears that their contracts may not be renewed under the incoming leadership.
3 mins
Language school closed for illegal recruitment
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has ordered the closure of a language learning center located in Barangay Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City, for allegedly engaging in recruitment and placement activities without a license or authority from the department.
2 mins
Mayor Garcia urges Archival to continue pending projects
With the new administration coming in, Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia remains hopeful that the projects he has started will be continued, naming a few of those that have already been approved.
1 min
NPC probes public display of voters' list
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) is currently investigating reports on the public display of the Posted Computerized Voters' List (PCVL) at some of the polling sites in the country during the just-concluded midterm elections.
2 mins
Mayor Garcia establishes reef protection program
Outgoing Cebu City Mayor Raymond Garcia issued Executive Order 15, Series of 2025 aimed at strengthening the city's initiatives to conserve and protect the reef ecosystem.
2 mins
Gladys Reyes' son Christophe Sommereux is newest StarPop artist
New Kapamilya singer Christophe Sommereux marks the beginning of his journey as a recording artist with the release of his self-titled debut album, now available on various streaming platforms.
1 min
Matteo Guidicelli explores heroism of soldiers in 'Philippine Defenders'
Ever since Matteo Guidicelli joined the Philippine Army Reservists in 2019, it has become among his goals to be involved in a project that will give a peek into the lives of the country's soldiers.
3 mins
The end of star magic?
Barring any other developments, the Commission on Elections is set to proclaim the following as the newest elected senators today:
2 mins
Time to clean up, again!
First, the election waste, the election basura.
2 mins
Why did Mike and Raymond lose to Nestor?
Why did Mike Rama and Raymond Garcia lose to Nestor Archival? Well, they did not play their cards well.
1 min
Property sector calls on new leaders to deliver on pledges
Cebu's real estate industry has joined other business leaders in urging newly elected local government officials to swiftly act on their campaign pledges and resolve long-standing governance challenges.
1 min
Partnership ushers in new era of self-care
BTL Aesthetics, a global player in non-invasive aesthetic technologies, has partnered with Cebu-based Ultra Beauty Institute to launch an advocacy aimed at promoting self-empowerment among women marking a strategic move to deepen its foothold in the Philippines' rapidly expanding beauty and wellness sector.
2 mins
HMO industry's net income surges to P579M in Q1
The health maintenance organization (HMO) industry saw its net income surge to P579.39 million in the first quarter from P6.78 million in the same period last year, data from the Insurance Commission (IC) showed.
1 min
USA: 5% tax on immigrants' remittances
The phrase \"uncertainties after uncertainty\" best describes the situation we are in since several months ago.
3 mins
Remittance growth hits 9-month low
Money sent home by migrant Filipinos rose 2.6% in March from a year earlier, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Thursday, though this was the slowest growth in nine months.
1 min
Comelec releases final party-list ranking in the 2025 elections
The Commission on Elections has completed the official tally for the 2025 midterm party-list race, with Akbayan retaining the top spot with over 2.776 million votes.
1 min
Final senatorial race ranking
The Commission on Elections has completed its official tally of the senatorial race, where incumbent Sen. Bong Go has emerged as the top senatorial bet with over 27 million votes.
1 min
Russia and Ukraine to meet in Istanbul
Delegations from Moscow and Kyiv are in Istanbul Friday, where they plan to hold their first direct peace talks since 2022, but the absence of presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky leaves little hope for progress in ending the war.
1 min
Trump wants to meet Putin
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he would like to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin “as soon as we can set it up”, during a business roundtable in Abu Dhabi.
1 min
Gaza rescuers say 50 killed in Israeli strikes
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Friday that 50 people had been killed in Israeli strikes on the Palestinian territory since midnight.
1 min
Trump ends Gulf tour with $1.4T investment pledges
US President Donald Trump on Friday capped his Gulf tour in Abu Dhabi after signing another raft of multi-billion-dollar deals, while also securing a $1.4 trillion investment pledge from the UAE.
1 min
ADA Cebu strikes golden double at Philippine Football Cup
ADA Cebu, a rising football team under the Azkals Development Academy banner, secured two golden crowns in the recently concluded 2025 Milo Philippine Football Cup at the Clark Parade Grounds in Clark Freeport Zone.
1 min
Nuggets outlast Thunder to force Game 7
Nikola Jokic scored 29 points and unheralded bench player Julian Strawther produced a crucial late burst as the Denver Nuggets clinched a series-leveling 119-107 victory over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
1 min
The Freeman Newspaper Description:
Publisher: Philstar Daily Inc.
Category: Newspaper
Language: English
Frequency: Daily
Founded in 1919, The Freeman - "fair and fearless" - is the oldest and most respected local newspaper in Cebu, or the "Queen City of the South". It is published daily in English and is also circulated in other major cities in the Visayas region, which is one of the country's major economic hubs. No one knows Cebu better than The Freeman.
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