01:04.9
Bianca Dava has tonight's top story.
01:09.2
The Philippines and the United States are considering joint maritime law enforcement operations
01:14.8
within Manila's waters to promote a law-based order in the South China Sea.
01:19.6
Top government officials from the two countries,
01:22.8
met for the 11th Bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Washington, D.C.
01:26.9
and reiterated the need to maintain peace and security in the critical waterway.
01:32.0
Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualde said,
01:35.2
this would be a first, but once it proceeds,
01:38.6
the country hopes to encourage other allies such as Australia and Japan to join the initiative.
01:45.4
Manila and Washington also agreed to strengthen engagement against false foreign narratives
01:50.4
encompassing all kinds of disinformation.
01:52.8
Obviously, the false narratives, every time something happens in the West Philippine Sea,
01:57.6
China always says, it's us who are putting up the aggressive behavior.
02:03.4
On Thursday, the naval vessels of the Philippines, the U.S. and France
02:07.8
set sail marking the start of the multilateral maritime exercise for this year's Balikatan.
02:14.1
Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command Spokesperson Captain Ariel Coloma said,
02:19.1
the Philippine Navy's BRP Davao del Sur and BRP Davao del Sur,
02:22.8
the French Navy's FS Avant-Demir and the U.S. Navy's USS Harper's Ferry
02:29.3
left Puerto Princesa City in Palawan Thursday morning.
02:32.9
For the first time, the navies of the three countries will venture outside the 12-nautical-mile territorial waters of the Philippines,
02:40.2
but still within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
02:44.3
The drills include division tactics, officer-of-the-watch maneuvers, gunnery exercise and photo exercise.
02:52.8
The training activities, sir, in fact, upon reaching eastern coast,
03:02.2
yung east coast natin ng Palawan, mag-o-officer na sila, sir, ng kanilang mga division tactics,
03:08.9
they will be sailing together na sa east coast pa lang.
03:12.2
Then going up north, up to Mindoro Strait, and then papasok na sila, sir, ng West Philippine Sea.
03:22.8
The MME will run until April 29, after which participating ships will proceed to their respective maritime commitments.
03:30.8
U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm believes the Balikatan exercise is the perfect training ground for the Philippines' new defense concept.
03:41.0
The official said the largest annual bilateral exercise between the two countries
03:45.7
will significantly contribute to the comprehensive archipelagic defense concept earlier announced by the Department of National Defense.
03:52.8
This, amid rising tensions between Manila and Beijing in the West Philippine Sea.
03:58.8
As we've undergone force design to operate as a naval expeditionary force in the littorals, we're bringing that capabilities over here.
04:07.5
We have the Marine Littoral Regiment that's working here that is a logical plug-in point for coastal defense.
04:16.8
Cederholm noted that the Balikatan this year will focus on integrated air missile defense, cyber defense,
04:22.8
and other drills that will serve as a deterrent against external threats.
04:27.9
As we improve our interoperability as both the U.S. services and the AFP go through modernization efforts,
04:36.0
it's important for us to be able to gather our forces together, figure out and constantly figure out how we integrate new capabilities,
04:44.9
how we make our readiness better, how we communicate about those.
04:48.6
The Philippine Navy on Tuesday reported the surge of Chinese vessels in the West.
04:52.8
As the Philippines and the U.S. formally opened exercise Balikatan.
04:58.5
But Balikatan exercise director Major General Marvin Licudini said,
05:03.1
China's presence during the drills will not be a problem as long as the country adheres to international law.
05:09.3
We considered the presence of the Chinese maritime militia in these areas, particularly in the EEZ part of our waters.
05:21.1
And I believe at the operational level and tactical level,
05:27.5
the commanders have already taken into consideration within their planning how to address the problems on the militia.
05:35.9
Aside from France, the Philippines and the U.S. will also conduct drills with Australia in this year's Balikatan.
05:43.4
Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News.
05:48.1
Philippine Law Enforcement Agency's investigation.
05:51.1
A deepfake audio which mimics the voice of President Marcos Jr.
05:56.1
The government's IT department believes more of these deepfakes may spread during elections in the Philippines and elsewhere.
06:04.5
Lady Vicencio reports.
06:07.4
The Presidential Communications Office is coordinating with authorities for the investigation of a deepfake audio of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
06:16.5
The manipulated audio makes it sound like Marcos is authorizing the military.
06:21.1
to use force against China amid escalating tension in the West Philippine Sea.
06:26.8
The Information and Communications Technology Department said this isn't the first time a deepfake was used featuring a head of state.
06:35.0
DICT has since reached out to video sharing website YouTube where the deepfake audio was uploaded.
06:41.9
Even Putin, Biden, and Trump do the same thing.
06:47.7
They choose these crazy things.
06:51.1
These cybercriminals.
06:53.4
So we really need to be very, very careful.
06:58.5
At tuwing nagkakaroon na ganyan, we immediately communicate kung anong platform ang ginamit and inform those platforms that inaabuso ang kanilang platform sa ganitong pamamaraan to misinform the public and to deceive the public.
07:14.8
Nakipag-ungnayan na ang PCO sa DICT at saka sa NSC, sa National Security Council.
07:21.1
Para doon sa investigasyon at nag-coordinate na rin sa Facebook, sa Google, sa lahat ng mga social media platforms na para matukoy kung sino ba ang gumawa nito.
07:33.4
Kasi baka hindi lang dito sa Pilipinas eh, baka may foreign intruders na gumawa nito.
07:39.9
May hackers na galing pa sa ibang bansa.
07:42.1
So iniimbestigahan po yun ang ating pamahalan.
07:44.9
We warned more bad actors may resort to using deepfake with emergence of artificial intelligence.
07:51.1
The ICT chief also advised the public to be vigilant and critical of what they see online.
07:57.6
They call it a super election year because there are about 80 countries around the world that is conducting elections.
08:04.8
One side will produce some deepfake to misinform the others para masway yung public opinion.
08:13.5
The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group is also investigating the source of the deepfake audio involving President Marcos.
08:21.1
According to the PNP ACG, the YouTube account that uploaded the video has been deactivated, but another account with the same name reposted the video.
08:30.2
A Facebook page bearing the same name was also discovered, with the primary country of its page managers set to Philippines and Pakistan.
08:39.3
It was also found that the said page was posting fake articles.
08:43.9
The PNP ACG warns bad actors creating deepfake videos could face illegal charges and imprisonment.
08:51.1
The National Telecommunication Union, a specialized agency of the United Nations, emphasized the need to address the spread of deepfakes and other cybercrimes, not only to protect world leaders, but also for all members of the society.
09:05.8
Deepfakes, misinformation, etc. So that is of concern to us.
09:11.8
We have to keep society safe, and whether prominent or not prominent persons, they have to be protected online.
09:21.1
the DICT hopes for increased budgetary support to enhance its capacity in fighting cybercrime.
09:27.5
Lady Vicentio, ABS-CBN News.
09:31.2
The Philippine Justice Department warns police officials against cooperating in the Duterte drug war probe of the International Criminal Court.
09:40.0
This follows the claim by a former senator that the court has already contacted over 50 Philippine policemen.
09:46.5
The details from Willard Chang.
09:49.8
The Department of Justice.
09:51.1
The Department of Justice warns current government officials who will cooperate with the International Criminal Court, they may be held accountable under the law, as the government reiterated its refusal to recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.
10:03.4
Well, as mentioned by the Solicitor General, this is a government policy.
10:10.2
So, when a government officer or official is coordinating with the ICC against the direction,
10:21.1
or the orders and the policy of the government, there may be accountability involved.
10:27.8
But former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV warns Clavano against obstructing justice.
10:33.0
We need to educate this spokesman of the DOJ because what the government cooperation is saying is that these are the official documents that are being submitted.
10:46.3
But if the ICC is talking to these people,
10:52.6
eh, wala silang karapatan to stop them.
10:55.1
And in fact, alam nyo, no, yung statement na yun ng spokesman,
10:59.8
pwede siyang makasuhan ng ICC, no, meron sila obstruction of justice, ano doon, probation.
11:05.9
Trillanes earlier claimed ICC investigators have directly communicated with more than 50 active and former personnel and officials of the Philippine National Police,
11:15.4
informing them of their implication in the Crimes Against Humanity case,
11:20.4
former President Rodrigo Duterte,
11:22.5
in connection with this bloody drug war.
11:24.9
Trillanes says this involves mid-level to senior officers of the PNP,
11:29.8
responsible for cases of extrajudicial killings.
11:33.3
Kahit working yung justice system mo,
11:35.2
pero kung hindi mo kakasuhan or investigahan yung mga mastermind,
11:40.3
in this case si Duterte at itong mga general na ito,
11:43.8
bakit hindi nyo iniinvestigahan ngayon?
11:45.8
Sila, DOJ, kung gumagana yung justice system,
11:50.4
bakit hindi nyo sila kinakasuhan?
11:53.3
Yung sinasabi po nilang mga tatlo o apat na polis na na-convict,
11:59.0
out of the thousands na mga nangmatay,
12:03.4
hindi po interesado dyan ng ICC.
12:05.5
Interesado ang ICC doon sa mga mastermind.
12:09.1
Senator Ronald de la Rosa, who served as chief of the PNP during Duterte's time, says,
12:14.0
no ICC prosecutor ever contacted him.
12:17.6
But Trillanes says, this is understandable,
12:20.4
since de la Rosa is a primary suspect.
12:23.4
The Philippine National Police meanwhile says,
12:25.7
it will take its cue from the national government.
12:28.4
It also warns active officers against breaking the chain of command.
12:33.0
Wala pong information yung ating mga directorates po concerning po dito sa mga alleged active PNP personnel
12:39.8
na nakikipagtulungan po sa ICC.
12:41.7
Kung ikaw ay isang active personnel at you are performing any activities that is contrary,
12:50.4
to what is being stated officially ng PNP po,
12:54.9
then possibly po na may kakaharapin pong sanction po ang sino mga polis
12:59.6
na hindi po susunod doon sa tinatawag po nating chain of command po.
13:04.4
The PNP spokesperson maintains, there are no extrajudicial killings in the country.
13:09.5
The PNP and other law enforcement agencies for that matter does not engage in extrajudicial killing.
13:16.3
Kasi kung titignan po natin yung legal meaning,
13:20.3
ang ibig sabihin po nito ay deliberate intent na pagpatay sa isang tao without lawful authority
13:28.2
coming from any judicial proceeding at talagang state-sponsored po ito.
13:35.1
Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News.
13:39.5
Fugitive Philippine televangelist Apolo Kibuloy marks his birthday Thursday,
13:45.3
but his followers will celebrate the occasion without him
13:48.4
as Kibuloy continues to...
13:50.3
evade arrest on charges of child abuse and human trafficking.
13:55.0
Details in this report.
13:58.8
Authorities closely monitored on Thursday the activities of the religious group
14:03.1
The Kingdom of Jesus Christ,
14:05.1
which may be related to the 74th birthday celebration of their leader,
14:09.4
fugitive televangelist Pastora Apolo Kibuloy.
14:12.4
The religious leader continues to be at large,
14:15.0
despite the two warrants of arrest issued against him
14:17.8
for cases of child abuse and human trafficking.
14:20.3
The NBI Southeastern Mindanao says they have deployed tracker teams
14:24.9
to determine the possible location of the pastor.
14:28.2
Kibuloy in previous years traditionally marked his birthdays
14:30.9
by celebrating with underprivileged children in his compound in Davao City.
14:35.3
But there has been no confirmation from the group
14:37.7
how he will celebrate while in hiding from authorities this year.
14:42.5
The Department of Justice meanwhile believes Kibuloy is still in the country.
14:46.6
Yes, we do have information that he is still within the...
14:50.3
country unless there are new developments from the police.
14:54.3
But as far as our information is concerned at the DOJ,
14:58.2
he is currently still in the country.
15:00.5
But members of Partylist Takbayan wants to be sure
15:03.2
that Kibuloy will not be able to flee the country.
15:06.3
On Thursday, members of the group petitioned the Department of Justice
15:09.8
to issue a whole departure order against Kibuloy.
15:13.2
I hope to issue a whole departure order against Apolo Kibuloy
15:18.5
so that we can be sure that we will be able to...
15:20.3
respond to him and we will not allow him to escape the justice system.
15:26.4
The group also plans to formally ask the Department of Foreign Affairs
15:30.2
to cancel Kibuloy's passport.
15:32.6
DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano says
15:35.1
prosecutors have already filed a motion seeking to issue
15:38.3
a whole departure order against the pastor.
15:41.5
Clavano adds the Bureau of Immigration has already placed Kibuloy on its lookout list.
15:46.8
Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in the United States says
15:49.7
there has been no report of Kibuloy on his lookout list.
15:50.3
There has been no request so far for the extradition of Kibuloy to the U.S.,
15:54.4
where he is also wanted for sex trafficking.
15:57.1
I think, first and foremost, they have to serve that first.
16:04.6
Now, if a case is in fact filed against him in the Philippines,
16:12.1
then the extradition will probably... we'll have to take a back seat.
16:18.3
The Justice Department, meanwhile,
16:20.3
affirms that the Supreme Court has approved their request
16:23.0
to transfer Kibuloy's cases to Pasig City from Davao City.
16:27.5
This means, once arrested,
16:29.4
Kibuloy would need to be transported to Metro Manila
16:32.0
so he can face his cases here.
16:34.1
The DOJ also reiterated its call for Kibuloy to surrender.
16:41.4
Philippine President Marcos Jr. orders an intensified government campaign
16:46.2
against online sex abuse of Filipino children.
16:49.7
The President derives...
16:50.3
...directed the Interior Department and the police
16:52.7
to step up their monitoring of domestic and overseas cases.
16:56.8
He said the full weight of the law must be used against the perpetrators.
17:00.4
The Philippines recently logged a rising number of child exploitation cases online
17:05.3
and the sale of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials.
17:10.7
The President was visibly distressed, very bothered,
17:20.3
...stressed with the information that was relayed to him.
17:23.5
This cannot only be done by a whole-of-government approach,
17:27.8
but if not, whole-of-nation approach,
17:29.6
which includes the private sector,
17:31.3
the social media platforms where these crimes usually occur.
17:38.6
The Philippine Paul body disqualifies Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba
17:43.3
for releasing public funds during the 2022 campaign period.
17:48.2
Mamba reportedly used these
17:49.8
during his campaign to provide financial aid,
17:53.1
scholarship grants, and vehicles to his constituents.
17:56.6
The Election Commission rejected Mamba's argument
17:59.4
that the prohibition does not extend to local governments.
18:03.5
His position will be automatically filled by the Vice Governor.
18:09.3
The officer in charge of the Philippine Migrant Workers Department
18:12.8
is given an ad interim appointment as its new secretary.
18:16.5
Hans Cagdac had served as OIC since August last year,
18:19.8
after the death of Migrant Workers Chief Susan Ople.
18:23.2
Cagdac was previously the Executive Director
18:25.6
of the Overseas Workers' Welfare Administration.
18:28.0
He was also a Labor Department Undersecretary.
18:34.1
Up next, over a hundred protesters are arrested
18:37.3
as police crack down on pro-Palestine rallies across U.S. campuses.
18:42.2
The World Tonight returns after a short break.
19:19.8
Thank you for watching!
19:49.8
Thank you for watching!
20:19.8
...at the University of Texas in Austin.
20:22.4
Protesters at the Columbia University vowed not to disperse
20:25.8
until the school agrees to cut ties with Israeli universities.
20:30.3
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the protests.
20:34.1
He warned that a rise of anti-Semitism in the U.S. will have terrible consequences.
20:41.4
Russia vetoes a UN Security Council resolution
20:44.9
that aims to prevent a nuclear arms race in outer space.
20:49.2
The resolution drafted by the U.S. received 13 votes in favor.
20:55.8
Washington is asking if Moscow was hiding something.
21:00.9
Colleagues, President Putin himself has said publicly
21:05.6
that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space.
21:12.3
And so today's veto begs the question, why?
21:15.7
Why, if you are following the rules,
21:19.0
would you not support a resolution that reaffirms them?
21:23.4
What could you possibly be hiding?
21:28.2
Russia's UN ambassador says Moscow will present its own draft resolution
21:32.9
aimed at keeping space peaceful.
21:37.7
TikTok is set to challenge a landmark U.S. law
21:41.0
that could result in the app being banned in the U.S.
21:44.5
TikTok CEO says he's optimistic of winning a legal battle against the law
21:49.0
that was signed Wednesday by U.S. President Biden.
21:51.4
The measure gives the China-based company ByteDance
21:54.5
270 days to divest TikTok's U.S. assets.
21:58.7
Non-compliance would result in a ban.
22:02.1
ByteDance will have to seek approval from Chinese officials
22:04.9
to complete a forced sale which Beijing has vowed to oppose.
22:10.7
TikTok gives everyday Americans a powerful way to be seen and heard.
22:15.7
And that's why so many people have made TikTok
22:18.2
part of their lives.
22:19.0
Rest assured, we aren't going anywhere.
22:22.5
We are confident and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts.
22:26.6
The facts and the Constitution are on our side.
22:30.8
U.S. government officials have accused China of using TikTok
22:34.3
to spy on the estimated 170 million Americans who use the app.
22:39.4
ByteDance has repeatedly denied this.
22:43.5
Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Rudy Giuliani
22:46.0
and his former chief of staff Mark Meadows,
22:49.0
are indicted by an Arizona grand jury.
22:52.5
The two men and 16 others were charged
22:54.7
for attempting to overturn Trump's loss
22:57.4
in the 2020 U.S. presidential polls.
23:00.7
The indictment also named 11 Republicans
23:03.2
who gave Congress a document
23:05.0
which falsely declared Trump as the winner in Arizona.
23:09.3
They include two incumbent state lawmakers.
23:12.4
Trump himself was not charged,
23:14.7
but he was referred to as an unindicted co-conspirator.
23:19.0
Arizona is now the fourth state
23:20.9
where Trump's allies have been charged
23:22.8
with using false claims about voter fraud
23:25.9
in the 2020 election.
23:34.9
The Philippine Energy Secretary says
23:37.3
the country now has a power crisis
23:39.5
because of its thinning supply.
23:42.2
Rafael Otilia referred to the red and yellow alerts
23:45.1
of the country's power grids as a calamity.
23:47.4
The Energy Department,
23:49.0
warns of rising temperatures
23:50.5
which may continue to affect power plants
23:55.9
We really have to work on reducing
23:59.2
our consumption and avoiding
24:06.6
and avoiding particularly unnecessary
24:09.9
power consumption during the peak hours.
24:15.2
So if we can postpone,
24:16.7
as we have done in the past,
24:19.0
certain high-power consuming activities
24:22.6
during the off-peak hours,
24:25.6
that would be a big help.
24:29.9
Otilia says measures are being undertaken
24:32.1
to conserve power,
24:33.6
such as reduced working hours.
24:35.8
Energy officials have given an assurance
24:37.9
that additional capacities will be added
24:40.2
to local grids this year.
24:43.4
A study by the International Labor Organization
24:46.7
warns of the risks of existing
24:49.0
excessive heat exposure
24:50.7
to nearly 2.5 billion workers around the world.
24:54.0
One of the organization's project managers says
24:57.0
this leaves workers vulnerable
24:59.0
to developing respiratory diseases
25:04.7
It's critical that risk and hazard assessments
25:09.0
be taken seriously at the enterprise level.
25:12.7
So it's not just,
25:13.7
it shouldn't just stop at paper compliance.
25:15.7
It's required under the current laws.
25:17.7
But what's important is that
25:19.5
it's taken seriously by employers
25:22.5
and workers within the enterprise
25:25.4
as part of business risk mitigation measures.
25:30.9
A first-quarter survey by the Social Weather Station
25:34.3
shows 46% of Filipino families
25:37.1
still consider themselves poor.
25:39.6
The survey firm says this translates
25:41.5
to some 12.9 million families.
25:44.5
It notes this hardly changed
25:46.0
from the 13 million families
25:47.6
who rated themselves poor
25:49.1
at the end of 2023.
25:51.1
The survey found that
25:52.3
those who considered themselves food poor
25:54.3
were up at 33% in Metro Manila
25:57.3
and in the Visayas.
25:59.3
The SWS survey ran from March 21st to the 25th.
26:02.3
The survey was held in late March
26:04.3
when higher food prices and transport costs
26:07.3
pushed inflation up to 3.7%.
26:12.3
Philippine shares closed flat
26:14.3
as traders parsed through corporate earnings
26:16.3
at home and abroad.
26:18.3
The market action in this report.
26:23.3
Asian markets broke their winning streak
26:25.3
this Thursday after tech giant Meta
26:27.9
disappointed investors with forecasts
26:29.9
of higher spending and lower revenues this year.
26:33.9
This projection by Facebook's parent firm
26:35.9
was enough to wipe out $200 billion
26:38.9
in its market value in a day
26:40.9
and rattle markets in Asia.
26:42.9
Here at home, Philippine shares finished flat
26:44.9
with the PSE index failing to climb
26:46.9
beyond the 6,500 level.
26:48.9
COL Financial's Charmaine Koh agrees
26:51.9
it hasn't been a good time for the market recently.
26:54.9
We're currently seeing a crucial support
26:57.9
I guess at 6,400.
27:00.9
And I think what the market is trying to do right now
27:03.9
is that it's trying to establish an oversold rally.
27:07.9
Hopefully removing, moving the index away
27:10.9
from its grossly oversold levels.
27:13.9
Afterwards, perhaps there could be another dip.
27:18.9
But we think that or we're hoping to see
27:21.9
it establish a stronger base
27:23.9
from which it can rally once again towards
27:26.9
I guess its resistance.
27:28.9
On the corporate front, Ayala Land
27:30.9
secures shareholders' approval for the company's
27:32.9
planned merger with its 34 entities.
27:35.9
The property developer is undertaking the merger
27:38.9
to simplify ownership structure
27:40.9
which it hopes would lead to operational synergies
27:42.9
and efficient funds management among others.
27:46.9
With both directors and shareholders nod,
27:49.9
ALI's plan of merger heads next to the Securities
27:52.9
and Exchange Commission with approval expected
27:56.9
Also in property, Megaworld announces
27:58.9
a 1.2 billion peso museum project
28:00.9
in its Mactan property in Cebu.
28:03.9
The museum will rise within its 30-hectare property
28:06.9
and near its new town presidential condominium.
28:09.9
Megaworld says it will feature pieces
28:11.9
and artifacts to highlight relations
28:13.9
between the Philippines and Spain.
28:16.9
The Mactan Museum is eyed for opening in three years.
28:19.9
This would become Megaworld's fourth museum
28:22.9
after one in Chinatown in Binondo
28:25.9
and two in Iloilo Province.
28:30.9
Our final word tonight is a quote from Vince Lombardi.
28:33.9
Individual commitment to a group effort,
28:36.9
that is what makes a team work,
28:42.9
a civilization work.
28:46.9
And that is The World Tonight,
28:47.9
the 25th of April, 2024.
28:51.9
I'm Tony Velasquez from the Philippines.
