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President Ferdinand Marcos and top government officials lay out plans on how to solve the country's worsening traffic situation.

A high-ranking U.S. military official expressing alarm over China's dangerous actions at sea.

Meanwhile, President Marcos says he is horrified over the possibility Philippine sovereignty was compromised over an alleged secret deal struck by his predecessor.

And a House lawmaker urges the Weather Bureau to come up with a storm signal-like system in announcing its forecast for the extreme heat being felt in the Philippines.

We'll tackle that with Pagasa Deputy Administrator for Research and Development, Dr. Marcelino Villafuerte.

I'm Stanley Palizada. Dateline Philippines begins right now.

For those of you watching us on YouTube and Facebook, glad you could join us.

Our top story at this hour, a top U.S. military official expressing alarm over China's dangerous actions at sea.

Admiral John Aquilino of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command says he is alarmed over the direction China is taking, especially when it comes to Beijing's maritime encounters with Manila.

He warns China's actions show it wants to gain territorial space through force.

The Philippines and China have had a series of maritime run-ins, including Beijing's use of water cannons, which caused injuries to Filipino troops and damage to resupply boats.

So, all of the nations in the region have the right to operate and gain the resources that are allowed to them inside of their exclusive economic zone.

The Philippines are no different.

And these actions are dangerous, illegal, and they are destabilizing the region.

The illegal claim of everything inside of the self-proclaimed 9 or 10-dash line as Chinese sovereign territorial waters has no basis in international law, and it has been decreed by the 2016 tribunal.

The Chinese have no legal claim.

U.S. President Joe Biden welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House.

U.S. officials say Wednesday's summit with Japan will lead to a historic upgrade in defense ties between the longtime allies.

This will pave the way for better coordination between Washington and Tokyo and increases deterrence in the face of Chinese pressure.

The meeting comes after the U.S. President's visit to Japan.

The U.S. President's visit to Japan.

The U.S. President's visit to Japan.

The U.S. President's visit to Japan comes ahead of the highly anticipated trilateral summit of the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines on April 11.

President Marcos is set to depart for Washington this afternoon.

Malacanang has said maritime and economic cooperation will be discussed during the trilateral summit.

Meanwhile, President Marcos says he is horrified over the idea Philippine sovereignty was compromised over an alleged secret deal struck by his predecessor.

It was Attorney Harry Ross.

The U.S. President's visit to Japan will lead to a historic upgrade in defense ties between the longtime allies.

There is no documentation, there is no record, there is no...

We were not briefed when I came into office.

Walang-walang nagsabi sa amin na merong ganong usapan.

So, we are trying to relate up to now because from the former administration...

Iba-iba ang sagot eh.

Sabi ng isang official, dating government official under the previous administration, there is no such agreement.

Sabi naman ng isa, no, there is, and we should honor it.

Sabi naman ng iba, maganda yan.

Sabi ng iba, hindi maganda yan.

Hindi pa namin alam kung ano ba talaga yung agreement na yan.

Kung ang sinasabi sa agreement na yan na kailangan tayong magpermiso sa ibang bansa para gumalaw sa ating sariling teritoryo,

mahirap siguro sundan yung ganyang klaseng agreement.

I am horrified by the idea that we have compromised through a secret agreement the territory, the sovereignty, and the sovereign rights of the Philippines.

Manila's potential trade secrets among the sensitive information hackers may have access from the Philippine Customs Bureau.

Andrea Taguinas reports.

Contain the attack, limit the data breach.

That's the goal of the Philippine Department of Industry.

It's not just information and communications technology as it works with the Bureau of Customs in investigating a hacking incident against the Bureau.

DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey D. says it was the BOC's help desk ticketing system and management information dashboard that were affected by the breach.

A report by cyber advocacy group Deep Web Connect says these databases involved the personal information of over 2,000 employees and 80,000 BOC customers.

Information in the help desk ticketing system.

Information in the help desk ticketing system includes profiles of clients and clients could either be importers, exporters, or brokers, licensed customs brokers.

According to D, information on cargo movements and potentially even some trade secrets may have been compromised as well.

May mga nagpo-float na mga information about yung sinasabi mo nga about movement of cargos.

Because if there are issues, you call help desk.

It is possible that some of this information could be classified as trade secrets.

By the private sector or by these businessmen and traders.

The DICT's National Computer Emergency Response Team has yet to determine for sure how long the hacking has been going on and who is behind it.

But D assured the public the BOC's main system was not infiltrated.

The main system is called the E2M or the Electronic to Mobile System.

Well, hindi yun yung tinamaan.

We will try our best to isolate the E2M.

Kasi yung E2M, nagdun lahat.

Sa ASEAN single window, which connects all ASEAN countries.

It's like an advanced information system.

Meanwhile, Custom Spokesperson Jet Marunilla told ABS-CBN News,

there has been no disruption in the Bureau's operations.

Moving forward, D again called on government agencies to heed the DICT's advice

whenever the agency's experts detect vulnerabilities in their networks to prevent any more hacking incidents.

Yung mga issues na nakikita natin na tinamaan ang BIO,

DOC, tinamaan ang DOST, tinamaan, you know.

Most of these, naibigay namin sa kanila in advance.

Nasabi namin, may nakidetect kaming vulnerability, baka tamaan kayo ng hacking.

Pagtuunan naman po natin ang pansin para dumating po yung panahon na mas kakaunti na yung mga ganitong atake.

Just last week, the DICT also confirmed a cyber attack on the Department of Science and Technology,

which resulted in a significant data loss.

Andrea Taguines, ABS-CBN News.

The Philippine poll body vows greater transparency in the 2025 midterm polls.

Unlike in the previous automated election system,

Comelec says it separated the contracts for the software that will be used to transmit votes

and the automated vote-counting machines.

For the transmission system, the contract was awarded to Filipino firms,

I-1 resources, and Ardent Networks.

Meanwhile, Miro Systems will supply the...

...the automated vote-counting machines for the 2025 polls.

The poll body adds,

The new automated election system will undergo a source code review

and should pass international certification.

Comelec will also ditch the transparency server used in previous elections.

Lahat ng mga wala before, nilagay natin lahat ngayon.

There will be a send-to-all feature of this transmission,

meaning to say, there will be no more...

...transparency server.

Yung transparency server kasi pag nabulunan, hindi na nakakakuha ng results.

More importantly, under the feature of the transmission,

the DICT will have a mirror on whatever the results are sent to our data center.

Follow the law to the letter.

That's the appeal of Senator Loren Legarda as issues on the destruction of protected areas emerge.

She says the gap is clearly on the implementation of several measures,

already in place, to ensure the conservation of protected areas.

She also asserts the Environment Department is not blameless on the construction

of the controversial Captain's Peak Resort in Bohol's Chocolate Hills.

Before 2018, when the expanded NIPAS law was legislated na isa batas po ito,

may mga tao na po.

May mga nagpatitulo na po.

May mga prior rights.

Yan.

Yan po ay dinirespeto ng batas.

However, even if you have a title to the land,

the way you treat the land,

yung paggamit po ng lupa ay dapat sangayon sa batas.

In this case, the DENR is the implementing agency.

So we created the PAMBI, and the PAMBI will come out.

Gagawa po siya ng isang environment,

management,

management plan.

In that management plan, it must be consistent with the law.

And what does the law say?

Enhancement of biological diversity against human exploitation.

They must not just close it, but really just delete it.

As for the issue on the contract of the Masungi Geo Reserve,

she says while the legal aspect should be looked into,

she believes the work of the foundation can be a model in the conservation of protected areas.

Legarda also appealing to the prison's bureau to rethink its plan of building a headquarters in the area.

Alam natin ang ibang mga protected areas inaabuso.

Alam natin hindi sustainable ang pag-develop ng mga ibang protected areas.

Ito, maaring modelo.

At sa aking kaalaman, maganda at magaling at mukhang may puso ang mga namamahala dito.

Kung ako ang bukor, please naman po, huwag kayong magtayo dyan ng anumang gusali.

Maaring pag-aari ninyo, ibalik na nyo sa Republic of the Philippines at gawin na lang yung conservation.

Please lang.

Hindi naman lahat ng napatituluhan ay tama.

I think it would be foolish for them to move there.

The effects of climate change are felt not only on land but also underwater.

Here's a look at how artificial intelligence is being used now to study the global warming.

It's affecting and its effects on the world's most expensive reef ecosystems.

This underwater drone called Hydrus is using artificial intelligence to study coral reefs.

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is one of the most expensive reef ecosystems in the world.

The Great Barrier Reef has been hit by a major coral bleaching event, usually triggered by warmer ocean waters.

With the help of Hydrus, marine scientists aim to conduct more accurate and regular surveys to better understand the impacts of climate change on the world's most extensive reef ecosystem.

Melanie Olson leads the Reef Works program at the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

Traditionally, we've done this with dive teams.

However, dive teams can only see so much and go so far.

And that's where we've had to augment our survey methods to include the use of robotics just to enable us to scale,

to go deeper, to operate in areas where predators like crocodiles and bull sharks and jellyfish now routinely reside.

Operating fully autonomously, Hydrus have a range of roughly 5.5 miles for up to three hours.

It can go as deep as 10,000 feet underwater.

And capture video with a 4K camera.

The drone, developed by Advanced Navigation, also has an acoustic modem, forward-facing sonar and AI-powered navigation.

The company's subsea product manager, Peter Baker, says their technology is being used to build 3D maps of the reef.

We're working on coral mapping with the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

And what they're trying to do is map areas of coral to detect change within those.

And what they're trying to do is map areas which they can then use to extrapolate and model the entire reef.

One of the benefits of having a robotic system is that it goes back to that same location every single time.

And it takes the same photo from the same orientation every single time, which is really, really difficult to achieve with a human diver.

So if you want to have a lot of scientific robustness to the data that you're collecting time and time again, a solution like Hydrus adds that.

Using AI image processing, Hydrus can classify and optimize the data.

And analyze the images on board.

Because the system is fully autonomous, it means the decision-making has to happen on board the vehicle.

And to do that, you need AI.

So we have AI sensors on board that are taking things like the camera feed in, and then they're able to make smart decisions.

Stretching more than 1,400 miles along Australia's northeastern coast, the Great Barrier Reef has seen six localized bleaching events since 1998.

Bleaching is tricky.

It's triggered by warmer ocean waters, which cause corals to expel the colorful algae living in their tissues and turn white.

A bleached coral can recover if waters cool.

But if ocean temperatures remain high for longer periods, it will die.

Experts have tied the mass bleaching events to climate change.

We're in the midst of another mass coral bleaching event right now.

Which means the Great Barrier Reef...

...is a threat from climate change.

And that's why Ames is investing heavily in trying to expand our monitoring systems to be able to collect the data that decision-makers need to be informed.

Back here at home, a house lawmaker pushing for a storm signal-like warning system in the Weather Bureau's heat index forecast.

Now, Manila's third district representative, Joel Chua, said...

...that it's a risk of reacting to the searing heat being experienced throughout the country.

Let's get a reaction of Weather Bureau, Pagasa.

We're joined now by Dr. Marcelino Villafuerte.

He's Pagasa's Deputy Administrator for Research and Development.

Good afternoon, Dr. Villafuerte.

Thank you so much for talking to us here in Dateline, Philippines.

Hi, good afternoon, Sir Stanley.

And good afternoon to all your viewers.

All right, you must have heard the premise of this interview.

What do you think now of a proposal?

For an alert?

Warning system for heat as part of regular weather updates from your Bureau?

Well, first, of course, we would like to appreciate the initiative of our Honorable Congressman

for such initiative that they wanted to push through.

But we, of course, need to consider also the limitations that we currently have.

In fact, if we are going to look at the Pagasa stations, we only have a handful of them.

And, in fact, not all municipalities or even all the provinces of the countries being covered by all the Pagasa stations.

But we welcome such initiative and we would like to discuss, of course, with the Department of Education, for instance,

and other local government units in order for us to at least finalize, if ever,

we would like to at least implement such kind of similar to warning signals that we are issuing.

And, of course, we would like to consider also the limitations that we currently have.

But we also need to take note that, for example, in one municipality, it could be probably the impact of extreme heat

could probably be different from one municipality, for example, if it is a city,

as compared to those surrounded by trees or forest.

And, yeah, aside from that, of course, it could also be different, for example,

if we would like to...

to at least determine the temperature variation, for example, for different elevations,

as well as for different topography of a particular region.

Yeah.

Okay. Okay.

Of course, we lack resources.

We do recognize that not all municipalities have the capability to measure weather and put it out there for the public.

But, you know, this is something that we might need to consider, seriously consider, in fact,

because...

in this age of global warming, when, you know, El Nino or otherwise,

we are really bound to experience warmer times.

What do you propose?

What is a half-step, if you will, to get this done?

Yeah, actually, initially last year, we have an initial discussion with the Department of Education

considering that the heat index that we are issuing could be useful, for instance, for the department.

And so...

upon discussion, we have, of course, laid down the limitations and a few considerations.

And eventually, they decided to issue a memorandum circular informing, of course,

that the head of the schools have given such kind of...

they have to decide whether a particular heat or extreme heat is already...

being felt in their specific schools.

And we also have to consider as well that public schools are different as compared to private schools

because private schools can actually use air conditioners.

So, we still have to talk again with the Department of Education as well as with the local government units

in order for us to at least provide more additional insight.

pertaining to this on how we can further use the information that is being provided by PAG-ASA.

All right.

Now, Dr. Villafuerte, can you give us perhaps a sense or an idea of what we might be needing to get this done?

You know, local government units, as you've mentioned, it may vary in a lot of places and areas

when you talk about heat index.

But is this something that can be relegated?

Do the LGU?

And what do we basically need?

I mean, that does not, of course, replace the fact that we need to put more weather bureaus,

which we do not have resources as of the moment.

Currently, we do have some utilitations of available technology.

For instance, those remote descent observations, for example,

are taken by satellite and other remote descent technology.

So, but again, it has to be finalized, for example, with the mandated agencies,

for example, for the Department of Education.

They are the ones mandated for our learners, you know.

And, of course, the safety of the public is really important.

And we do have, I think, initial discussions.

And with subsequent discussions, perhaps we can...

We can eventually come up with a better solution

in order for us to make, of course, more information

that are being issued by PAGASA to become more relevant for public use.

All right.

Of course, local government units and even regular residents or consumers

can also depend on some apps, perhaps, some other sources online

that may be able to, you know, more accurately predict the heat index.

What do you recommend?

When it comes to, like, websites, for instance, or apps that can do this?

Well, currently, PAGASA is providing our past five-day observed heat index on our website

and the next two-day forecast.

So, I think those initial products can probably be utilized as guidance

by different local government units pertaining to extreme heat

that could probably affect their localities.

And, yeah.

And this is being made available on our website.

And we are also sharing this on our social network.

We do share this every day.

So, every 5 p.m., every day, we are updating this information,

including our forecast.

But eventually, we are looking forward to further improve

this information that we are providing.

Hopefully, within this year, we can come up with...

utilizing or updating our mobile app

in order for us to provide better information

and better access, of course, to the general public.

All right.

You said earlier that you know you are supportive of this proposal

by Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua

about, you know, implementing a storm signals-like alert system

for the heat index.

Sir, how do you envision this to work for heat and not...

Because, you know, we're so used to doing this.

Template, if you will, with regards to storms and typhoons.

But for heat, alert systems, how do you think would that work?

Yeah, I think it could be different, of course,

pertaining to the extreme heat.

Because wind, of course, is much different.

I think, particularly if there's an approaching tropical cyclone,

then that could be a better forecast.

But for temperature, again, as I mentioned earlier,

it could vary from one place to another.

But we are looking forward to improving this system.

And, of course, the stance of those mandated agencies,

for example, the DALG, as well as the Department of Education

and other relevant agencies,

we need to, of course, in order for us to draft such kind of information

that may be relevant in order for decision makers

to decide pertaining, for example, to extreme heat.

Yeah.

Okay.

Do you think it's realistic, though, to put alert systems?

Because it's different when you talk about cyclones,

when you talk about typhoons and storms.

You can track these weather events, really,

but with heat, I mean, you know,

is this something that can change in a minute or in a couple of hours?

Is this something that you can really pin

when you talk about predicting,

when you talk about, you know, forecasting heat index,

even within the day?

Yes, exactly.

It varies, you know, from, yeah, as you mentioned,

from one minute to another.

But, eventually, I am seeing this as, for example,

we should probably consider during which hours are exciting to,

for example, if the students are already in the school.

And, yeah, I think if we can provide more information

aside from just the daily information,

perhaps we are...

seeing to improve the information we are providing

in order for us to have a better decision, perhaps,

to be taken pertaining to this.

And, of course, we need assistance from...

Yeah.

From...

For the funding.

Yeah.

For the funding.

Okay, lastly, Dr. Villafuerte,

what is the current forecast now for the next two months, at least?

What kind of temperatures are we expecting?

With El Niño now considered mature and declining,

or easing, do we still expect hotter weather

in the next couple of weeks?

Yeah, actually, we are expecting hotter type of weather

in the coming days.

For example, yesterday, we had a record of 42 and 44 degrees Celsius

in the Gupan, for example, and other localities.

And, in the next two days, we are also seeing other areas

with...

danger heat index values.

And then, in the next...

Within this month, month of April,

and even by next month, by the month of May,

we are also seeing even hotter condition.

That's chronologically being expected.

So, for the month of April, over Metro Manila,

we're actually expecting about...

even reaching about 80 degrees Celsius,

at least for the maximum temperature.

But for the heat index, it could be higher.

We are seeing...

Actually, yesterday, we have already observed

42 degrees Celsius heat index in Naila, in Pasay.

So, even in Quezon City, we have already recorded

41 degrees Celsius heat index.

So, we are seeing those levels in the next few days,

few weeks, and even in the coming month.

All right, still in the 40s, I suppose.

Again, Dr. Marcelino Villafuerte,

PAGASA Deputy Administrator for Research and Development.

Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon

for this conversation.

Have a great day.

Thank you very much.

Have a great day.

All right, up next,

a Filipino woman among the casualties

in a fire that hit residential building

in the United Arab Emirates.

Details of that story and more when we come back.

Stay with Dateline Philippines here on ANC.

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Welcome back.

The country's perennial traffic problem,

front and center at a town hall meeting

attended by President Marcos and transport officials,

our very own Pia Gutierrez joins us with details.

Hi, Pia, what more can you tell us?

Yes, Andy, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

says his administration is looking at a comprehensive

and full of government approach

to address the perennial traffic problem of Metro Manila,

putting particular focus on strengthening the nation's mass transportation system as part of a long-term solution.

The President said this as he led the administration's first town hall meeting on traffic this morning in San Juan,

attended by Metro Manila mayors, government agencies, transport groups, and members of the private sector.

And during the forum, government agencies highlighted their ongoing efforts to address the problem of traffic congestion,

which according to reports is costing the country billions due to lost economic productivity.

The President said that there is no other solution but to adopt a mass transport system to take cars off the roads

and decongest traffic, much like in other more developed cities.

Among the infrastructure projects that are underway are the North-South Commuter Railway Project from Tutaban to Malolos,

which is already 61% complete.

The North-South Commuter Railway,

which is already 56.5% complete.

The Metro Manila Subway Project, which is 41% complete as of the moment.

LRT-91 Cavite Extension, which is 80% complete.

And the MRT line from Quezon City to Bulacan, which is 67% complete.

The government is also looking to improve the Pasig River ferry system as an alternative for commuters,

as well as the construction of the 32-kilometer...

Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge that is seen to relieve Metro Manila of truck traffic.

Let's listen to President Marcos Jr.

We have been given statistics that currently the cost of commuting to Metro Manila is P4.9 billion.

If we don't do anything, it will increase by almost P9 billion a day.

If we don't do anything, it will increase by almost P9 billion a day.

And then the analysis of the NEDA and the Department of Finance,

P3.5 billion is what we're losing.

The so-called opportunity cost,

which is a waste of time,

which is the productivity that we should not have,

which is falling because we're waiting for a vehicle.

There is really no solution for traffic

if we don't move to the road and go to the masker.

That's why we're putting up subways, we're putting up trains.

This is so that it's really easier, there's no traffic.

If you ride a train, there's no traffic.

That's why we see in other places,

even if you go to ride a train, ride a subway,

you'll see all kinds of people riding there.

Even the rich who can, ride the train.

Because that's the fastest way to go to a big city.

New York, London, that's it.

Nino Sani, in the same forum,

the President announced that there will no longer be an extension

of the franchise consolidation under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program

after the April 30 deadline.

The President also tasked the DALG to enforce laws

to address the problem.

Of Colorum Public Utility Vehicles Nationwide.

So this town hall meeting is expected to be a first

of a series of forums as part of efforts

to address the problem of traffic.

The administration plans to hold the meetings

in Paris Nationwide in the future.

Stanley?

Alright, Pia Gutierrez, thank you so much for keeping us updated.

Moving on, the Metro Manila Development Authority,

they remind the public the ban on electric bicycles

and tricycles on major thoroughfares

will take effect on Monday, that's April 15.

The MMDA earlier cited rising road accidents involving light electric vehicles for the move.

Aside from e-bikes and e-trikes, vehicles such as traditional tricycles,

pushcarts, and pedicabs are also banned from traversing major roads

including EDSA, Shaw Boulevard, and Marcos Highway.

The MMDA warns riders found violating the ban will be slapped with penalties.

Pwede pong mag-cross, at kung wala namang pong cross

at kailangan ng mag-U-turn, pwede po silang mag-U-turn,

magbagibay ng mga pinagbabawal na lansangan hanggang 500 meters.

Ang penalty po dito ay 2,500.

Kailangan po meron siyang lisensya or meron siyang listro yung sasakyan

kasi pag wala po silang listro or lisensya,

ay i-impound po yung sasakyan.

The Philippine Anti-Corruption,

communist task force, once again accused of falsely red-tagging groups,

this time for including the Farmers Group,

quilosang magbubukid ng Pilipinas in its list of communist front organizations.

Advocacy Group, the National Amihan Federation of Peasant Women,

condemns KMP's listing, asserting the move by the NTF-ELCAC was baseless.

It now calls for the abolition of the task force,

saying the red-tagging activities often lead to harassment and even deaths.

The NTF-ELCAC,

has been the subject of public scrutiny

for linking advocacy and progressive groups to insurgents.

The families of those killed in the Duterte administration's

unforgiving anti-narcotics campaign

share stories of resilience

during a signing event for a book

that immortalizes their drug war tales.

The full story from Jeff Canoy.

In the same church that once became a sanctuary,

families of those killed during the drug war

under the Duterte administration

once again crossed paths.

At the center of the reunion

is journalist and author Patricia Evangelista,

whose book Some People Need Killing

recounts their stories.

Since its launch last year,

the book has amassed critical acclaim

in the Philippines and abroad.

This is the first time Evangelista has returned

to the Philippines since the release.

And one of her first stops

is the community

and the families who shared their own tales

of the drug war.

There's no book, no story, no story.

If the people who saw it,

the people who felt it,

they said, I don't want to tell it

because I'm scared.

But because you told it,

I don't have the right not to tell it.

And this story is one that those left behind

want to continue telling.

Let's tell it, let's tell it,

even if we're not in justice yet,

if we're not here in the world,

there's someone who will give justice

for our loved ones.

Lourdes Diwan, whose husband was killed

in a police operation in 2016, says,

the last few years have been difficult,

especially for her children.

But it's a cross she did not have to bear alone.

It's like we became strong,

and we're together.

And it's not just us, we're not alone.

For now, most of the cases related to the drug war

remain pending.

Only a few have resulted in convictions.

The International Criminal Court, meanwhile,

continues its investigation into the drug war.

In the meantime, families left behind say

they will keep on telling stories

like the ones in Some People Need Killing.

At a time, they say,

when more people need remembering.

Jeff Canoy, ABS-CBN.

A Filipino woman killed

while her husband is in critical condition

after a fire hit a residential building

in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates last week.

The Migrant Workers Department says

11 other Filipinos were evacuated

from the same building.

Aside from the Filipino casualty,

four others were killed

while 44 more were injured in the fire.

The DMW says it is working

to address the needs of the affected Filipinos

as well as the repatriation of the victims' remains.

Uy.

The UAE authorities,

the investigative fire authorities,

will be here for a while.

And if it will not take long,

they will be able to return.

But we will have to await

the signal of the UAE authorities.

And of course, we're coordinating

with our embassy

and our consulate general's office, the DFA.

In due time, of course,

we will provide the necessary

financial assistance to them.

At at the same time,

if there are legal implications,

the DFA will be there for the investigation.

We were also engaged yung ating legal retainer, retained lawyer, para suriin ang sitwasyon at kung meron mang legal liabilities, of course, we are also relying on the UAE authorities, yung mga investigative fire authorities.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Thanks a lot, Hernel.

More Filipinos delaying marriage and having kids. Ara Perez tells us why in this report.

The chance to get married is always there, says Ruby, who is 35 years old and in a long-distance relationship with her Pakistani boyfriend.

Sa ngayon, wala pa akong sariling bahay.

Wala pang permanente.

Pagmaminting trabaho.

Yan okay lang naman kahit hindi ako makapag-asawa, matandang dalaga.

Kung mamadali ako, tapos babagsak lang sa pag-iwalay dahil walang ano, wag na lang.

Meantime, Jody, who has a child in a previous relationship,

says he is ready to get married to his new girlfriend,

but wants to be financially secure first.

Dahil na rin sa mga hardships na pinagdaanan ko growing up,

so siguro ayoko rin na maranasan yung mga unnecessary hardships nung magiging anak ko.

Ayan nung anak ko na ngayon.

Based on a study of the Commission on Population and Development,

more Filipinos are delaying marriage and having children,

first because of the economic uncertainties brought by the COVID-19 pandemic,

and second, because of the high prices of commodities.

The number of infants born has been declining since 2017,

with 1.7 million registered live births compared to 1.6 million in 2018 and in 2019.

This has further decreased.

It dipped in 2020 at 1.5 million and in 2021 at 1.3 million,

but rebounded last 2022 at 1.4 million.

During the pandemic, we were expecting na magshoot up yung births,

because people were at home, so ibig sabihin mas maraming chances to have sex.

It's surprising na the pandemic was not top of mind for the people of the Philippines.

Actually, more economic talagang naging concern.

The number of those getting married was on a downtrend,

but it picked up after the pandemic.

There are several factors affecting Filipinos' major life decisions.

Ang nakikita natin sa data is, ang uso pala talaga, live-in arrangements.

And these are young people, those below age 30, ang nakikipag-live-in.

Yung changing values din, actually yung study namin, the one that I was mentioning about,

yung mga Filipino couples also prefer pets.

The use of contraceptives also increased from 40% in 2017 to 42% in 2022.

An expert says, doctors can prescribe long or short-term contraceptives

depending on when one wants to have a child.

Kung gusto nila ng four years, so binibigyan natin at least yung mga long-term contraceptives,

katulad ng IUD or implants, but if they want na in two years,

maybe we give them the short-term, such as the use of the pills or the injectables.

The ideal age for pregnancy differs for each woman, but...

We identify women already being high-risk once they reach the age of 35.

Again, but it's a case-to-case, it's individualized.

Meron some women who has more predilection or mas may...

I mean, meron silang mga risk factors to develop diseases, even before the age of 35.

Sa report, marami na ang adolescent pregnancy,

because pinaniniwalaan, based on evidence,

that yung edad na ito ay hindi pa rightful para magkaroon ng pregnancy

dahil hindi pa nila nare-reach yung tamang development at this time.

No matter the age or gender, whether or not one wants to get married and have children,

the message says we should take care of our reproductive health

through exercise, proper diet, cancer screening,

and regular health check-ups, even in the absence of discomfort or any noticeable changes.

Ara Perez, ABS-CBN News.

World News Now, U.S. President Joe Biden criticizes Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

for making a mistake in Gaza.

Biden expressed concern over Netanyahu's actions,

particularly regarding strikes on aid personnel in the enclave.

The American president also expressed his desire for Israel

to propose a ceasefire.

Over 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the six-month war,

while many of Gaza's 2.3 million people are at risk of famine.

I think what he's doing is a mistake.

I don't agree with his approach.

So what I'm calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire,

allow for the next six, eight weeks,

total access to all...

all food and medicine going into the country.

I've spoken with everyone from the Saudis to the Jordanians to the Egyptians.

They're prepared to move in.

They're prepared to move this food in.

And I think there's no excuse to not provide for the medical

and the food needs of those people.

They should be done now.

U.S. and Israeli officials holding an in-person...

meeting in the coming weeks on the planned operation in Rafah.

The city of southern Gaza is the last refuge for over 1 million displaced Palestinians.

Israel also believes it is the last holdout for Hamas.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, who earlier said a date has been set for the invasion of Rafah,

says Israel will complete its mission of eliminating the militant group.

There's constant communications happening every day.

But as it...

relates to this particular conversation when they're going to be here in person,

members of the Israeli government,

that's going to happen in a couple of weeks.

We will complete the elimination of Hamas brigades, including in Rafah.

There is no force in the world that will stop us.

There are many forces that are trying to do so.

But it will not help, since this enemy, after what it did, will never do it again.

The U.S., European Union, and other foreign governments have urged...

Netanyahu not to storm Rafah for fear of a bloodbath.

Meanwhile, relatives of Hamas hostages met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington

to demand the release of their loved ones.

Hamas, on Tuesday, said an Israeli proposal on a Gaza ceasefire

did not meet the demands of Palestinian militant factions,

but it would study the offer further and deliver its response to mediators.

Around 130 hostages are still being held by Hamas.

What I have heard is that there is a deal on the table right now

that all of the parties agree to and are willing to work with.

We are waiting now, and the world waits, for Hamas to get to yes.

It is in their court.

There is no reason not to move forward on this deal.

The British government rejecting pressure to suspend weapons exports to Israel

over China.

The British government rejecting pressure to suspend weapons exports to Israel

over China.

That statement coming from British Foreign Secretary David Cameron

in a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Cameron says this is based on the latest assessment of the situation in Gaza,

though he admits that concerns remain.

The latest assessment leaves our position on export licenses unchanged.

This is consistent with the advice that I and other ministers have received,

and as ever, we will keep the position.

Let me be clear, though, we continue to have grave concerns

around the humanitarian access issue in Gaza,

both for the period that was assessed and subsequently.

The U.S., which is by far the largest provider of weapons to Israel,

has also rejected calls to suspend weapons shipments

despite rising frustration with Prime Minister Netanyahu's conduct of the war.

Another setback.

Another setback for reproductive rights in the United States.

Arizona's top court revives a law dating back to 1864 which bans abortion.

The state's Supreme Court ruled 4 to 2 to reinstate the 19th century law

which makes abortion punishable by 2 to 5 years in prison

except when the mother's life is at risk.

In response, Arizona's Attorney General Chris Mace had said

she is exploring the possibility of appealing the decision.

While Mace has vowed to or not to enforce the law,

local prosecutors could.

State Governor Katie Hobbs also slamming the court's decision.

Arizona's 2022 abortion ban is extreme and hurts women.

And the near total Civil War era ban that continues to hang over our heads

only serves to create more chaos for women and doctors in our state.

As Governor, I promised I would do everything in my power

to protect our reproductive freedoms.

And that'll do it for today.

Thanks a lot for joining us.

I'm Stanley Paliza.

If you want to revisit today's episode,

you can play back this newscast on the YouTube channel of ABS-CBN News

and on ANC 24-7 on Facebook.

Keep safe, everyone, as you keep it here on the News Channel.

Thanks for watching!