01:05.5
Our very own Victoria Tula now joins us with details.
01:07.8
Victoria, what more can you tell us?
01:10.4
Carmina, according to Senator Rista Antiveros, who chairs the Committee on Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality,
01:17.6
which held a hearing yesterday on Pogos,
01:20.2
she was very disturbed to hear that there is persuasive information.
01:22.9
From the intelligence community, stating that Pogos and Bawfu compound in Bambantarlak
01:29.0
were being used for surveillance activities and other high-profile cases of hacking of Philippine government websites.
01:36.5
The senator, however, did not specify what instances of hacking these were.
01:41.0
Antiveros also cited what she described as most troubling news
01:44.9
because the Philippines is reportedly one of the fastest-growing hotspots for scams in the world.
01:50.5
Based on information from the presidential analyst,
01:52.9
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who was also present in the hearing,
01:59.0
once again slammed Pogos for their illegal activities in the country,
02:03.4
citing six raids in the last two years, including the two done in Bawfu compound.
02:09.1
Gatchalian stressed that the licenses from Pagcor are allegedly being used by Pogos to fool Filipinos.
02:15.3
During the hearing, the Pogos Hongsheng and Zunyuan in Bawfu compound
02:20.2
were linked to Bambantarlak Mayor Alice S.
02:22.9
Guo, who used to be an incorporator of the said place.
02:26.5
Pauk said it found utility bills of the compound addressed to Guo and a car registered under her name.
02:32.5
The agency also said Guo assisted in applying for a letter of no objection for the Pogo.
02:38.4
The mayor denied this, saying as former incorporator,
02:41.3
she only helped introduce Hongsheng to the previous administration.
02:44.8
She insisted that she was not an operator, protector, or coddler of Pogo.
02:48.5
She said the vehicle under her name was already sold in 2020,
02:51.9
and the utility bill was addressed to her because she was former owner of the compound but had divested already.
02:58.9
Guo's personal background was also put into question by Antiveros because she had no school and hospital records.
03:05.2
The fact that Guo's birth was only registered when she was 17 years old was also brought up.
03:10.7
In a press conference this morning, Antiveros raised doubts on Guo's nationality,
03:15.4
asking if it is true that the local official is indeed a Chinese national,
03:20.0
since she does not have records.
03:21.9
Guo's personal background was also put into question by Antiveros because she is a Filipino.
03:23.6
And because residents of Bamban, Tarlac, said her name just suddenly came up during the 2022 elections.
03:29.9
Another hearing will be conducted on the matter.
03:32.9
Thanks a lot, Victoria.
03:34.2
Tulad there joining us on the line and back here in the newsroom.
03:37.4
Joining us now, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who has been pushing for a Pogo ban in the entire country.
03:42.5
Senator, good afternoon to you.
03:43.5
Thanks for joining us today and welcome to the program.
03:45.8
Good afternoon, Carmina.
03:46.9
Good afternoon to our televiewers.
03:48.3
You were one of the first to speak out against the presence of Pogo.
03:51.9
Pogo's here in the country and yet, raids continue to happen like this recent one in Bamban, in Tarlac.
03:59.6
Why can't governments seem to get ahead of these Pogo operations?
04:04.1
Well, Carmina, the Pogo's claim that they are contributing a lot to the government coffers as well as to employment.
04:12.9
But that's a fallacy, Carmina, because together with that contribution,
04:20.6
alleged contribution,
04:21.9
is also criminal syndicates operating in our country.
04:26.9
These Pogo's basically open the doors for criminal syndicates to come legitimately in the country to operate.
04:34.4
And they use the supposed revenue contribution to government as a justification for their existence.
04:42.2
But behind it is a larger criminal activity that is happening behind the scenes.
04:47.5
And if you look at the video being shown,
04:51.9
the majority of the activities in that facility actually in Bamban revolves around scamming,
05:00.6
crypto scamming, love scamming, and other scamming activities.
05:05.3
That's why the Philippines now, we can claim that we are the scamming haven of the world
05:10.8
because all of them are coming to the Philippines and operating here.
05:14.0
A title we definitely do not want.
05:16.5
But beyond internet fraud, Senator, there's also allegations,
05:21.9
of surveillance activities and cyber attacks coming from these facilities.
05:28.1
How much truth do you think is behind all of these allegations?
05:33.6
I can't divulge completely the details, but during the executive session,
05:38.9
some members of the PAOC, the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission,
05:45.6
as well as some intelligence personnel informed us that
05:50.5
because of this technology,
05:51.7
and because of the internet,
05:54.2
this technology can actually be used for cyber attacks,
05:58.9
for surveillance purposes, and other cyber activities.
06:04.0
I personally went to inspect the facilities, not only this facility, but also the one in Pasay.
06:10.0
And indeed, there are sophisticated equipment there.
06:13.2
It's a technical question that we need technical people,
06:17.3
experts in the internet and experts in technology to look at this.
06:21.7
But the bottom line is, it's a possible activity that can happen in these facilities.
06:27.6
And if proven to be true, Senator, if proven to be possible,
06:31.6
how grave is that? How dangerous is that for the country?
06:35.6
Well, Carmina, we have to look at the personalities behind these illegal activities.
06:41.9
These are criminal syndicates.
06:44.0
In this facility that you are showing through the video,
06:47.6
the masterminds, seven of them,
06:50.0
are our future leaders.
06:51.2
They are fugitives, six from China, one from Taiwan.
06:55.1
They have pending warrants of arrest hanging on their heads from those respective countries.
07:01.5
But they managed to slip in here to our country and operate freely.
07:05.9
In fact, in that Banban facility, there are 14 super high-end villas costing about 44 million each.
07:15.6
And apparently, the seven masterminds all live in those villas together with their families.
07:21.2
So, my my point of the matter here is,
07:23.6
is criminal syndicates, who are very confident to live in our country, are now operating here.
07:28.5
And there's, these are mercenaries.
07:30.0
Meaning they can go into scamming, they can go into cyber attacks,
07:34.5
they can go into surveillance activities as long as they get paid and as long as they make money."
07:40.9
Does that – is that enough to satisfy you that This is not state-sponsored because we can go on and even say that
07:49.7
because they are mercenaries, there are female hired as sex workers.
07:50.2
that because they are mercenaries, they can sell surveillance info to the highest bidder,
07:57.3
and could that be a possible foreign country?
08:02.4
That's highly possible, Carmina.
08:04.9
As long as someone will pay them, they will do cyber activities against a specific country.
08:11.2
In this particular case, it can be the Philippines.
08:13.6
And for me, that's the most disappointing and discouraging feeling
08:21.7
because even within our jurisdiction, these mercenaries or these criminal syndicates are operating
08:29.6
and they're doing whatever they want as long as they get paid,
08:35.5
including surveillance, including hacking, including cyber attacks.
08:39.0
And if you can see from the video,
08:41.0
these are computers.
08:43.2
These are computers that are linked to the internet and sophisticated gadgets.
08:47.4
And if they can do scamming, and they've evolved from cyber scamming to love scamming to crypto scamming,
08:54.0
they can evolve to any criminal activity and target any country, including the Philippines.
08:59.4
I want to set our sights now, Senator Gatchalian, on the role of the local government units here.
09:04.5
I mean, we've seen it happen.
09:06.1
Valenzuela, for example, Pasig, saying that Pogos are no longer welcome within the cities.
09:13.3
you have this with the support of the mayor.
09:17.4
What does that tell you?
09:19.6
Well, based on the hearing yesterday, everything is on record, Jermina.
09:25.6
Ms. Guo, at that time before she became the mayor, was the applicant of Hongsheng Pogo Company.
09:32.7
And Hongsheng was the Pogo Company that was traded February of 2023.
09:38.6
And in the letter of no objection from the Sanggunian,
09:43.2
clearly specified, and twice in that document, that she was the applicant.
09:49.1
That puts her in direct link with Hongsheng, which was raided for cyber criminal activities.
09:57.0
And then, after a few months, another Pogo company came in.
10:03.3
And this Pogo company, once again, was raided because of human trafficking and because of criminal activities.
10:12.1
So in other words, during the first raid, she was directly linked, even though she denied.
10:17.6
In the hearing, she denied her direct involvement.
10:21.3
The documents will show that she has direct link with Hongsheng.
10:25.5
And at the same time, with this new Pogo company, when she was a mayor,
10:33.3
she should have been circumspect that criminal activities or 800 victims were rescued there.
10:41.2
600 of them are foreigners.
10:44.6
Banban is a third-class municipality.
10:47.6
Shipping in 600 foreigners should be a very obvious activity and she should have been circumspect.
10:58.0
Another thing here that boggles the mind, Senator Gachalian, is the person of the mayor herself.
11:06.2
There were questions raised about her birth certificate and her personal records.
11:10.7
Is it possible, and judging from how you observed her and judging from how she answered,
11:17.1
is it possible that these criminal syndicates have penetrated even our electoral system?
11:29.9
If drug syndicates can go into what we call narco-politics,
11:35.7
meaning using money to convince politicians,
11:40.7
to join their activity or to be protectors of their activity or to be coddlers of their activity,
11:48.6
if narco-politics happen in many countries, including the Philippines, in a smaller scale,
11:56.6
Pogo can also do the same in terms of luring politicians, luring enforcement agencies,
12:03.7
luring the upper echelons of our government.
12:07.1
In fact, in the executive session,
12:10.7
that we conducted, again, I cannot divulge many details,
12:14.1
but we were given information that Pogos have actually penetrated the upper echelons of our enforcement agencies.
12:22.5
That's why they're very brave and they know that they will be protected.
12:29.1
They know that they can escape justice even though they're raided.
12:32.3
They know that they can buy their way in the country and in our enforcement agencies.
12:38.6
So what do we do then, Senator?
12:40.7
If that's the picture that you paint for us, what do we do then?
12:45.1
What is in the realm of possibility?
12:48.6
This is the evidence and the documents that are coming out of all of these hearings and inspections.
12:57.1
I'm just echoing what we have seen and what we have heard from different enforcement agencies.
13:03.8
And we should not be blinded by the alleged revenue that we are deriving.
13:10.7
We should not be blinded by the alleged revenue that we are deriving from Pogos
13:11.6
because these are revenues that can be overturned by the criminal activities that they're doing.
13:19.3
And Filipinos won't have peace of mind.
13:21.2
As long as these Pogos are here, we won't have peace of mind
13:24.4
because criminal syndicates are freely roaming around the Philippines
13:29.8
and doing all of these criminal activities.
13:32.5
If Pogos have penetrated local politics,
13:37.5
still you have the mayor saying that she has been judged,
13:40.7
has she been judged prematurely, Senator Gachalian?
13:45.4
Well, we gave her the opportunity to answer,
13:48.0
to give us the details of very simple and basic questions.
13:52.8
For example, where did she go to school?
13:55.8
Where was she born?
13:58.0
How come her birth certificate was registered 17 years late?
14:02.9
How come she has a helicopter?
14:09.0
Senator Riza asked her,
14:10.7
if she owned a helicopter,
14:12.7
and she said, yes, she used to own a helicopter.
14:15.3
How from a farming,
14:17.4
and she mentioned that she grew up in the farm
14:19.1
and her expertise in her business is farming,
14:22.3
how come from farming she jumped into Pogos?
14:24.7
And how come her name is in that letter of no objection?
14:27.8
A lot of those answers are, I don't know,
14:30.1
or a lot of those answers are, I have to check.
14:34.1
So, in other words, we're not given direct answers
14:36.9
from very elementary and basic questions.
14:40.7
This one is coming from Banban in Tarlac.
14:45.5
What's your gut feel here?
14:47.3
And maybe you have other information as well, Senator.
14:49.6
As a final question, do you think that what happened there
14:52.7
is being replicated in other sites in the country?
14:57.2
That's an excellent comment, Carmina.
14:59.2
That's exactly what members of our enforcement agencies told me,
15:04.7
specifically PAOC, that they're still doing surveillance
15:10.7
Pogo companies in Metro Manila and also outside of Metro Manila.
15:15.2
In fact, they were asking for additional budget
15:17.7
because of the gravity and the magnitude
15:20.5
of the surveillance activities,
15:22.3
simultaneous surveillance activities that they are doing.
15:25.5
So, in other words, yes, they are still present.
15:29.1
Danger is still lurking.
15:30.8
And our enforcement agencies are now really up to their necks
15:35.2
in terms of planning.
15:37.7
Getting a search warrant is very difficult
15:39.7
because you have to go to the police.
15:40.4
You have to go to the police.
15:40.6
You have to go to the police.
15:40.6
You have to go to the police.
15:40.7
You have to gather pieces of evidence.
15:42.8
And that alone takes a lot of man hours to do
15:45.8
and they're up to their necks.
15:47.0
And if you're saying that they have penetrated
15:50.5
the upper echelons of the bureaucracy,
15:54.5
then it's going to be an uphill battle
15:57.0
for the law enforcement agencies.
16:00.8
We have information also that despite the raid
16:03.5
and despite cases being filed,
16:06.3
we have information that the next strategy of Pogo
16:08.8
is to win those cases.
16:10.2
Or to dilute those cases.
16:12.9
So, that's why these people,
16:15.0
these criminal syndicates,
16:17.1
studied exactly how to go about our justice system,
16:21.7
how to circumvent our justice system.
16:24.3
They studied very well how to use money
16:26.5
in order to get away with their criminal activities.
16:30.8
And that's what I fear.
16:32.2
Once they have penetrated the upper echelons
16:35.1
of our enforcement agencies,
16:38.1
Where do us Filipinos and the locals go?
16:40.1
Where do we go and inform of these criminal activities?
16:44.3
And actually help win against these criminal activities?
16:48.9
Alright, we're going to have to leave it at that.
16:50.6
Obviously, we're going to follow this developing story.
16:53.0
Senator Sherwin Gachalian there joining us live this noon.
16:56.9
Thanks again for joining us.
16:58.4
Really appreciate all your insights.
16:59.9
Thank you, Carmina.
17:01.1
Right from there, the Land Transportation Office
17:03.1
is allegedly the latest government agency
17:05.1
to be victimized by hackers.
17:07.1
The supposed data breach involved the credentialing,
17:10.1
credentials, and data of tens of thousands
17:12.3
of LTO customers and employees.
17:14.9
For more on this, we'll be speaking now
17:16.3
with Undersecretary Jeffrey Dee
17:18.0
of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
17:20.9
Undersecretary, good afternoon to you
17:22.5
and thanks for joining us this noon.
17:25.2
Good afternoon, Carmina,
17:26.2
and to all your listeners and viewers.
17:27.6
How massive was the breach?
17:29.4
Let's start off with that.
17:33.0
So, first I would like to clarify, Carmina,
17:36.7
that this investigation is not yet finished.
17:40.1
There really was a hacking incident.
17:43.9
What is clear is that there is already a data
17:46.3
that is exposed or breached.
17:48.8
Information such as usernames and passwords
17:50.8
of LTMF users had been exposed
17:53.9
to the dark web and to the internet.
17:56.6
The reason why I am clarifying this
17:58.9
is because there is also an alternative explanation,
18:02.6
for example, if in case LTMF and LTO was not hacked.
18:08.2
An alternative...
18:10.1
An alternative explanation is that the users,
18:14.5
well, out of the millions of users,
18:17.4
several thousand users may have been infected
18:19.3
with info-stealers, such as Redline,
18:23.0
whose job it is to find out usernames and passwords
18:26.4
as you type them in your laptop.
18:28.9
And then usually they send this to a central repository
18:31.7
and hence the discovery of usernames, accounts, and passwords
18:37.3
used in the LTMF.
19:06.5
So, what we're finding out,
19:10.1
not only for LTO,
19:11.4
but for several other cases,
19:13.1
alleged government data breaches,
19:17.8
we're not talking about employees,
19:19.4
we're talking about the millions of users
19:21.2
that actually access the government.
19:23.7
They themselves have malware or viruses
19:26.7
in common for land,
19:28.6
whose job it is to steal credentials
19:32.6
as you are typing them.
19:35.1
the term keyloggers or info-stealers.
19:40.1
And they usually, what they do is,
19:41.8
for example, your computer, Carmina,
19:43.1
when you're trying to type your username and password
19:45.1
in the bank or LTO, LTMF, et cetera,
19:48.2
when you're trying to apply for driver's license,
19:50.8
if your computer is infected with that particular malware,
19:56.5
it will steal your username and password
19:58.3
and then put it in a text file.
20:01.1
And of course, these hackers will publish that
20:03.3
as part of their bodies of anatomy.
20:07.9
Now, that's one of the angles we're looking at.
20:10.1
Yeah, one of the-
20:11.6
Let me, this way please.
20:12.7
We do not yet have a full picture here.
20:15.9
Not done with the investigation.
20:17.2
Investigation is still ongoing.
20:19.3
That's one of the angles that you're looking at.
20:21.3
But between the two, right,
20:22.6
a data breach within the LTO
20:25.0
and viruses, malware from these individuals
20:29.7
that they didn't know that they had to begin with,
20:32.5
what's easier to combat?
20:34.4
What's easier to contain?
20:37.6
Of course, it's easier to contain a centralized attack.
20:40.1
In a particular system.
20:41.3
Because all you need to do is put your defenses
20:43.8
around that particular system.
20:46.5
If it is the case of infosealers,
20:48.1
then we need to educate our users,
20:51.5
including you and me, my staff, your staff,
20:53.8
the emergency, every Filipino,
20:56.7
that we should have a malware protection
21:01.0
for endpoint security in our computers.
21:04.4
Even the free ones, at least, would be a basic protection.
21:10.6
What kind of info has been released to the dark web?
21:14.8
Usernames, passwords of legitimate users
21:20.3
that are accessing the LTM system.
21:22.6
The LTM system is used for applications in LTO
21:26.5
for the driver's license.
21:28.1
And we do confirm that they work.
21:29.6
We actually had a copy of that.
21:32.0
And part of our investigation is we tried
21:34.9
using these usernames and passwords,
21:36.5
and we do confirm that they do work.
21:38.2
So they are legitimate usernames.
21:40.1
They are legitimate usernames.
21:42.5
Let me also add that we actually checked
21:44.1
the internal systems of LTO.
21:47.5
And we did find that, at least from those systems exposed
21:52.3
to the internet, their defenses seems to be,
21:58.7
how would I say it, secured at the moment.
22:02.1
There were no indications of breach.
22:04.1
And hence, that's the reason why we're looking at the angle
22:08.8
that I just mentioned.
22:11.8
Now, here's the thing, though.
22:14.4
Why can't the DICT, why can't the government
22:17.5
seem to get ahead of these breaches?
22:20.1
Or as you said, if it's an individual problem already,
22:26.8
individual user already, is there even such a scenario
22:31.7
wherein it won't happen at all?
22:38.3
That's a very difficult question.
22:40.0
If it is an individual, this is, by the way,
22:44.3
happening worldwide now, not only in the Philippines, right?
22:47.4
And info stealers have been with us for at least half a decade,
22:51.8
at least the more advanced ones that we know of.
22:56.0
The only thing that we can protect us is more awareness for people.
23:03.8
Make sure that, I guess it's a problem both not only of awareness
23:08.2
but also of economics.
23:09.5
Because if you have a lot of people that are using public terminals,
23:12.6
like, for example, internet cafes, then that's because of a problem.
23:17.2
And the internet cafes should provide basic protection for their users, right?
23:21.2
Of course, if you have your own laptops, you have your own mobile phone,
23:26.0
I would anecdotally, I would say a lot of us use our mobile phones
23:32.7
and we don't even have antiviruses in our mobile phones, right?
23:37.5
So I think it's more awareness.
23:39.5
So I think it's more training for individual users, every Filipino to be more aware about
23:44.4
that they should be using endpoint security in their devices,
23:47.8
not only computers but also their mobile.
23:49.6
But on the part of the government and safeguarding the data that they have?
23:55.4
So I didn't, I don't know if, I think there were a lot of news reports already
24:01.8
that came out about our report, the ITT's report in Congress.
24:06.4
And we did launch projects on our last December.
24:09.5
And it's job is to scan every government asset in the worldwide web.
24:14.3
And how's that coming along?
24:17.1
Well, we already found more than 3,000 vulnerabilities.
24:22.9
We reported that to 300 plus government agencies.
24:28.5
55 of them responded.
24:30.4
So it's a very poor response.
24:32.1
But we're trying to work out with other government agencies
24:34.4
to make sure that the vulnerabilities that we found are remediated and resolved.
24:39.5
So we're proactively monitoring all government websites.
24:45.0
And we are harming our government leaders with information regarding their online apps.
24:52.3
Before we let you go, I do want to talk to you about what I had just discussed
24:57.0
with Senator Sherwin-Gechelan.
24:58.7
I don't know if you were on the line already and listening to our conversation.
25:02.0
But we were talking about the facility, Imbanban.
25:09.5
The potential danger that it poses.
25:12.3
Not just in terms of internet fraud,
25:14.5
but we're talking about surveillance activities,
25:16.6
cyber attacks as well, emanating from the facilities.
25:20.3
How is the DICT following this?
25:22.8
And your thoughts on the raid that happened there?
25:27.9
So, Carmina, I'm not yet fully aware of the situation that is happening in Imbanban.
25:34.9
But what I can say is that in the past few years,
25:37.2
along with the cybercrime investigation,
25:39.5
there had been several fogos which were raided.
25:43.1
And information was provided by the DICT to law enforcement agencies
25:49.8
about them using technology to bypass some of our legal regulations
25:56.6
that the PIN card administration had.
25:59.5
There are also fogos being used for centers for phishing and scamming.
26:05.4
So it is not far...
26:07.2
So I think that...
26:09.5
You know, the general consensus about fears on the operation of fogos
26:15.3
is not unfounded.
26:19.4
Because the trend seems to be that most of these facilities
26:23.3
are really being used for high-tech crime.
26:29.3
It's a final question here.
26:30.7
Because it seems like we're just, you know,
26:33.1
we're only fighting out about these things.
26:35.0
There's a gravity of the activities there belatedly after the fact,
26:39.5
after each raid has been conducted.
26:41.7
Is there a way for the DICT to get ahead of these raids,
26:49.0
even application, I guess?
26:50.8
Of course, the trend now is for a ban on fogos in the entire country, right?
26:56.1
At least that's what Senator Gatchalian is saying.
26:58.5
But is there something that the DICT can proactively do
27:03.2
so that we're not a recipient of the information after the fact?
27:11.5
Well, that's a very good question.
27:15.5
Because of the sensitivity of the issue,
27:17.7
there will be items I am not unlimited with.
27:20.7
But what I can assure the public is that
27:22.9
the DICT along with the intelligence network of the government
27:26.7
and the law enforcement agency
27:28.1
actually also have tools like, for example,
27:31.7
social media monitoring, etc., etc.,
27:33.8
that we use so that we would know
27:36.0
if there are illegal transactions being spearheaded.
27:39.5
And then we actually also have tools
27:40.4
to track them down into certain areas
27:44.8
where these transactions emanated from.
27:48.6
I guess you're right.
27:50.3
We're not proactively communicating to the public
27:53.1
because usually these are intelligence operations
27:55.6
which are tendently being done.
27:59.6
But I assure you, Carmina,
28:00.7
that, for example,
28:01.6
when we raided a fogo warehouse,
28:04.4
I think that was in Pasay last year,
28:10.8
hundreds of thousands of SIM cards
28:12.4
and phishing devices.
28:16.3
This was a product of a well-organized intelligence network
28:21.3
which involves not only technology
28:22.9
but human intelligence as well.
28:24.9
So, yes, we're doing something about it.
28:28.0
We just can't announce it.
28:31.5
I understand completely.
28:33.0
But let me ask you one other thing.
28:34.5
In that conversation with Senator Sherwin-Gatchelyan,
28:38.2
that he has reason to believe
28:39.5
that these criminal syndicates
28:42.0
behind fogo activities
28:43.1
have penetrated the higher echelons
28:46.5
of the law enforcement agencies, right?
28:52.5
In the recent hearing,
28:55.0
from what he gathered,
28:56.5
they've also penetrated local politics.
29:00.2
Are you seeing the same thing
29:02.7
from where you're at?
29:04.8
Because you're there.
29:06.1
Because you're seeing
29:07.4
how these syndicates
29:08.2
also work in the digital realm.
29:11.5
What can you say to that,
29:15.0
For that particular part,
29:16.5
we have no information.
29:18.8
I have limited knowledge
29:20.3
about the, you know,
29:22.6
the expanded network
29:26.5
which includes government officials.
29:32.0
I won't be able to answer that.
29:33.7
I just had to throw that in.
29:36.3
Undersecretary Jeffrey D.
29:38.0
there of the DICT.
29:40.3
Thanks again for taking time out
29:41.7
to talk to us this noon.
29:42.6
Really appreciate it.
29:43.1
Thank you, Karina.
29:45.0
we're going to take a quick break.
29:46.2
more Filipinos went jobless in March.
29:48.1
We'll give you details
29:50.3
Dateline Philippines
30:08.0
We'll be right back.
30:38.0
We'll be right back.
31:08.0
We'll be right back.
31:38.0
We'll be right back.
32:08.0
We'll be right back.
32:38.0
We'll be right back.
32:38.0
Over the Duterte administration's bloody drug war,
32:40.9
may be served as soon as next month.
32:43.3
See, Trillanes claimed
32:44.6
the arrest warrants will come in batches.
32:47.0
First for former President Rodrigo Duterte,
32:49.4
then for Senators De La Rosa and Bong Go.
32:52.6
Senator De La Rosa, though,
32:53.9
is not holding on to the pronouncement of President Marcos.
32:56.7
He won't allow the ICC to enter the Philippines.
33:02.4
Sabihan mo si Trillanes na
33:03.9
pag maglabas yung warant na yan,
33:05.9
since hindi mag-cooperate ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas,
33:08.0
walang polis na mag-implement ang warant na yan.
33:11.0
Siya mag-implement.
33:12.0
Puntahan niya ako,
33:13.0
implement niya sa akin yung warant na yan.
33:18.0
Ulit-ulit lang yung sinasabi niya,
33:19.0
wala namang nangyari.
33:20.0
Sila hintayin natin kung may mangyari.
33:22.0
Then, bring it on!
33:25.0
De La Rosa also hits Trillanes
33:27.0
over his claims of an alleged ouster plot
33:29.0
against President Marcos.
33:33.0
Pakisabi kay Trillanes,
33:35.0
if he is a destabilizer,
33:39.4
Kung siya ay nagpapagamit sa kanyang political party noon
33:43.4
yung mga kalaban na sa politika,
33:45.4
like President Duterte,
33:46.4
siniraan nila ng husto.
33:49.4
Hindi po ako yan.
33:50.4
Hindi po ganun personality ko.
33:51.4
I am not an attack dog,
33:57.4
hindi kita gagayahin.
33:59.4
Ayaw kong patulan yung mga kwanya kasi
34:01.4
naghanap lang ng attention yung tao na yan.
34:04.4
Alright, before we continue,
34:06.4
let me just correct myself there.
34:08.4
What I should have read was,
34:10.4
Sen. De La Rosa is holding on
34:12.4
to the pronouncement of the President
34:14.4
that he will not allow
34:16.4
the ICC to enter the Philippines.
34:19.4
Philippine Sen. is unconvinced
34:21.4
with the veracity of a supposed intel report
34:23.4
linking President Marcos
34:25.4
and actress Maricel Soriano
34:27.4
to substance abuse.
34:30.4
Former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency
34:33.4
Agent Jonathan Morales is standing by.
34:35.4
His so-called pre-operations report
34:37.4
linking then Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
34:39.4
and actress Maricel Soriano
34:41.4
to illegal drug use.
34:42.4
Morales was grilled by members
34:44.4
of the Senate panel investigating
34:45.4
allegedly leaked PIDEA documents
34:47.4
about a purported anti-illegal drugs operation
34:50.4
against Marcos and Soriano.
34:52.4
The former agent claims he received information
34:55.4
in pictures about the subjects
34:56.4
from a confidential informant
34:57.4
that he could not remember.
34:59.4
That report, according to Morales,
35:01.4
was left with the agency.
35:02.4
A claim denied by PIDEA.
35:04.4
The Senators were also unconvinced.
35:06.4
Ang sinasabi mo, galing sa informant.
35:09.4
Ngayon, ang sinasagot mo sa akin,
35:12.4
hindi mo natatanda kung sino informant mo?
35:16.4
Naninira ka lang ng tao eh.
35:17.4
Kumuha lang po ako ng salaysay.
35:20.4
Ang confidential informant po,
35:22.4
yung nag-declare.
35:24.4
Yung pong lahat ng kanyang testimonya,
35:27.4
nireduce ko po yun doon sa kanyang
35:32.4
Ang aking motivation,
35:33.4
para kunan siya ng salaysay,
35:35.4
ay dahil doon sa dalan niyang litrato.
35:37.4
Limang pirasong litrato.
35:39.4
Yung litrato na yun,
35:42.4
magmula doon sa kanyang cellphone,
35:44.4
pinakita yung Your Honor yun.
35:46.4
Your Honor, nandun nga po sa PIDEA na iwan.
35:49.4
Mismong si Pangulong Duterte,
35:52.4
sinabi po niya yan,
35:54.4
meron siyang informasyon na yan.
35:56.4
Bakit hindi natin ipatawag
35:58.4
si Pangulong Duterte?
35:59.4
Sen. Ronald de la Rosa,
36:01.4
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Order,
36:02.4
and Dangerous Drugs,
36:03.4
says he's not inclined to invite
36:05.4
the President and former President Duterte
36:08.4
I am tempted to invite
36:13.4
the former President Duterte
36:15.4
per your insinuations,
36:17.4
pero ayaw ko magiging
36:19.4
ma-politicize itong hearing natin.
36:21.4
We may lose our objectivity here
36:23.4
kapag papasokan na ito ng mga contending parties.
36:26.4
For other senators,
36:27.4
Morales' testimony is nothing but hearsay.
36:30.4
Wala naman silang napapakitang
36:32.4
panibagong ebidensya,
36:34.4
kung sinasabi lang nilang dokumento,
36:37.4
hindi nga galing sa kanya yung dokumento,
36:39.4
galing pa sa isang informant
36:41.4
na ayaw niya pangalanan,
36:43.4
eh wala, wala tayong...
36:44.4
Paano yun? Hindi first-hand information.
36:50.4
Hindi naman po pwede po
36:52.4
ang testigo magsasalita dito,
36:54.4
susumpaan, na sinabi ni ganito,
36:57.4
sinabi ni ganyan, sinabi ni ganito.
36:59.4
Kaya po nga yung chairman nahihirapan.
37:02.4
The truth in this investigation, ma'am.
37:04.4
Maricel Soriano, a long-time showbiz personality,
37:07.4
also denied any involvement in illegal drugs.
37:10.4
She also clarified ownership of a condominium unit
37:12.4
mentioned in the supposed report.
37:14.4
But she said, she used to own the property,
37:17.4
but she sold it in 2012.
37:19.4
Una-una po, hindi ko alamin toko sa mga dokumento.
37:22.4
Nalaman ko na lang yan nung pinakita sa akin.
37:25.4
Dahil hindi po ako nagbabasa ng mga ganyan.
37:29.4
Wala po akong alam.
37:31.4
Hindi po ako sanay sa mga ganito.
37:34.4
Alam niyo po, first time ko na po talaga
37:37.4
na makatanggap ng imbitasyon ng humarap sa Senado.
37:40.4
Nakakakabahat, nakakatakot.
37:43.4
Sa totoo lang po, hindi malinaw sa akin
37:46.4
kung bakit po ako naimbitahan sa hearing.
37:48.4
Nagtataka lang po ako dahil lahat po nang tumestigo dito
37:52.4
ay nagsabing hindi na-verify ang impormasyon ni Mr. Morales
37:57.4
at walang imbigas, imbistigasyon na naganap.
38:00.4
Dolorosa admits Morales' statements are hardly enough
38:03.4
to prove Marcos used illegal drugs.
38:05.4
There's very, very far to be proved.
38:08.4
Yun, impormasyon pa lang yun.
38:11.4
Impormasyon pa lang yun.
38:13.4
Kaming proper confidential informant.
38:15.4
Hindi nga natuloy ang operasyon.
38:17.4
In the meantime, the panel wants former Executive Secretary
38:20.4
Paquito Ochoa, who had been tagged in the issue,
38:22.4
to face the next hearing on Monday.
38:24.4
RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News.
38:27.4
While Senator Dolorosa defending his panel's inquiry
38:32.4
into the so-called PIDEA leaks, he insists there is a shred of truth
38:36.4
on the information of former PIDEA agent Jonathan Morales.
38:40.4
He also says the Senate won't be used for political persecution,
38:44.4
adding legislation is needed to avoid any leak of government documents.
38:48.4
Hindi kami lahat, 24 of us Senators, ay concerned na mapakalagaan namin
38:55.4
yung reputasyon ng aming institusyon.
38:58.4
That we will never be used in any personal or political agenda of any quarter.
39:04.4
Kailangang we have to stay objective, hindi tayo magpapagamit.
39:08.4
Hindi natin pwedeng papabayaan na palagi nalang ganon.
39:11.4
Nagli-leak yung mga dokumento na yan, mga classified documents.
39:15.4
Paano nalang kung yung ating mga classified, security classified documents,
39:21.4
na mga top secret, ay napupunta na sa China?
39:25.4
O napupunta na sa mga kalaban natin? Ano mangyari sa Pilipinas?
39:33.4
President Marcos witnessed the signing of the alliance between his political party,
39:37.4
the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and Lakas CMD.
39:40.4
Katrina Domingo now joins us live with that story. Cat over to you.
39:47.4
Hi Fermina, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. intends to revive the unit team
39:51.4
in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections.
39:54.4
He gave that statement during the alliance signing ceremony of his Partido Federal ng Pilipinas
39:59.4
and the Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats or the Lakas CMD earlier today here in Makati.
40:05.4
Let's listen to the President's statement.
40:09.4
What we have conceptualized is what really began in the previous campaign and the previous election.
40:20.4
And we are encouraged.
40:22.4
Lumakas ang loob natin.
40:23.4
Dahil ang isinisigaw natin nung kampanya ay ang pagkakaisa, unity.
40:29.4
Kaya't binuod natin yung tinatawag nga naman na unit team.
40:33.4
And ito naman, nakita naman natin na tanggap na tanggap ng taong bayan
40:39.4
ang ating mensahe tungkol sa pagkakaisa.
40:42.4
Malakas ang loob natin na balikan, balik-balikan ang ating konsepto ng pagkakaisa.
40:49.4
Dahil siguro naman ay nakita natin sa nakaraang mula,
40:51.4
nakita natin sa nakaraang magiging dalawang taon na,
40:54.4
sa nakaraang dalawang taon ay nakita natin na yung pagkakaisa na binuod natin
41:01.4
bago pa nung kampanya nung nakaraan, bago pa nung kampanya hanggang sa eleksyon.
41:08.4
At pag nung tayo umupo na ay nagkakaisa pa rin tayo, ay marami tayong nagagawa.
41:16.4
Marami tayong maipakita na pagbabago.
41:21.4
Marami tayong natutulungan ng mga Pilipino.
41:24.4
At papunta na nga tayo sa ating pinapangarap na tinatawag nating bagong Pilipinas.
41:33.4
Carmina, President Ferdinand Marquez, Jr. did not grant interviews on the sidelines of this event
41:38.4
so it remains uncertain on whether or not Vice President Sara Duterte,
41:42.4
the other half of the UNIT team in 2022, and her regional party, Humpong ng Pagbabago,
41:47.4
have actually committed to join the administration's alliance
41:50.4
in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections.
41:53.4
But we did have a chance to speak with House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez
41:57.4
who heads the LACA-CMD and he says that anything is still possible at the moment
42:02.4
and that they are still open to talks with the Vice President and her party.
42:06.4
The Speaker says they intend to field a full slate for the 12-member Senate race in 2025
42:12.4
but discussions are still ongoing as to who will occupy those 12 slots on the administration ticket.
42:18.4
What he did assure though, is that these 12 slots are still open.
42:19.4
What he says though, is that these potential Senate bets under the administration slate
42:22.4
must be politicians who are in favor of charter change.
42:26.4
Thank you very much Katrina Domingo, joining us live.
42:32.4
Back here in the newsroom. The unemployment rate in the Philippines climbs in March.
42:35.4
It came in at 3.9% translating to two million jobless Filipinos.
42:40.4
That's an increase from February's 3.5% reading.
42:44.4
The underemployment rate meanwhile improved to 11% from February's 12.5%.
42:49.4
Month on month, the sectors that lost the most jobs in March include agriculture and forestry, transportation and construction.
42:58.5
Meanwhile, industries with gains in employment include public administration and defense and manufacturing.
43:06.7
An investigation has been called into the strip search conducted by national penitentiary officials
43:12.3
during the visit of the wife of a political prisoner.
43:15.9
Raihaka Pulong reports.
43:17.1
A woman was traumatized after undergoing a body search procedure when she visited her husband
43:25.0
who was a political prisoner at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City on April 21.
43:31.8
In a social media post by the group Kapatid, the alleged details of how she was stripped naked were revealed.
43:38.8
She was allegedly instructed to squat three times while her private parts were exposed.
43:44.1
ACT teacher's party list representative, Franz Kamp,
43:47.1
strongly condemned the incident.
43:49.5
She also called for an investigation.
43:53.0
Strip and body cavity searches and other procedures such as this
43:57.5
are state-sanctioned violence against innocent, especially women.
44:02.9
The Commission on Human Rights will also investigate the incident.
44:06.5
If the execution of this strip and body cavity search is to harass, intimidate,
44:15.3
or unnecessarily intrude,
44:17.1
in the privacy of the person,
44:18.5
it is not allowed.
44:19.3
So that is what we will investigate.
44:22.8
The Bureau of Corrections strongly denied the allegations rights were violated.
44:28.6
It is just plain view search.
44:30.2
Even cavity, plain view.
44:32.0
I showed you earlier the enactment,
44:35.1
but nothing is being touched there.
44:37.7
Sir, why do we have to complain?
44:40.0
They are regular.
44:41.6
That is what we do not know.
44:43.7
They have records here.
44:45.1
They have been here before.
44:47.1
That is why they already know how to do it.
44:50.2
Buker added, body searches were randomly conducted before.
44:54.1
But since December 2023,
44:56.4
they have intensified their efforts after seizing contraband from visitors.
45:02.0
The people who will enter the camp
45:03.1
will bring 200 grams of shabu,
45:10.8
that are leaking.
45:11.3
So, from what happened next,
45:14.2
the instances of confiscation have increased.
45:17.1
There was a violation of contraband
45:22.1
So, we implemented again
45:23.7
the strict body search
45:28.1
for the safety of all.
45:29.8
Buker showed the media
45:31.3
the process of visiting the persons
45:33.0
deprived of liberty or PDL.
45:35.3
Upon arrival at Bilibid,
45:36.8
visitors need to queue to enter
45:38.5
the Inmate Visitation Services Unit.
45:41.5
At the window area,
45:42.7
the visitor's identification is verified
45:44.8
against the PDL's visitor's list.
45:47.1
The items brought will also go through
45:49.5
an x-ray machine and manual search.
45:52.1
While the visitors will pass through
45:54.1
a metal detector and be frisked.
45:56.6
Papasok po siya rito
45:59.1
papaliwanag sa kanya nung
46:01.0
searcher kung ano yung nilalaman
46:04.7
Tinatanong po sa kanya kung siya dati na bang dumalaw.
46:07.4
Kung dati na dumalaw, naunawaan niya.
46:09.0
And then, lalabas na po siya rito.
46:10.7
Papunta na po doon sa kabilang indina natin.
46:14.0
At papasok na po siya
46:15.2
sa loob ng visiting area.
46:17.1
According to Bucor,
46:18.8
they have a complaint desk for a visitor
46:20.6
who believed their rights were violated.
46:23.3
They are also open to investigations
46:25.2
regarding the allegations.
46:28.1
Rayo Kapulong, ABS-CBN News.
46:49.1
Now, Israeli forces seized control
46:51.0
of the Rafah border crossing,
46:53.1
choking off vital aid for Gazans
46:55.0
already on the brink of famine.
46:58.3
Israeli army footage showed
46:59.6
tanks rolling through the Rafah crossing
47:01.5
complex and the Israeli flag
47:03.3
raised on the Gaza side.
47:05.4
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
47:07.4
said the move was a very significant
47:09.6
step towards their aim
47:11.4
of destroying Hamas.
47:12.8
It comes despite repeated appeals
47:15.0
from the U.S. and other international
47:17.1
For Israel to hold off
47:19.1
its offensive in Rafah.
47:21.0
The U.S. says Israel's operation
47:23.1
in the area appears to be limited.
47:26.3
Much of that depends
47:27.3
on what comes next.
47:29.4
They have said, I think quite clearly,
47:31.1
it's no secret that they want to conduct a major military
47:33.1
operation there. We have made
47:35.1
clear that we oppose such
47:37.2
an operation. And
47:38.8
separately, but of course it's related,
47:41.0
we are trying to achieve
47:43.1
an agreement that would bring an immediate
47:44.9
ceasefire and the release of hostages.
47:51.1
foiled a Russian plot to assassinate
47:53.2
President Vladimir Zelensky.
47:54.9
The Ukrainian security service
47:56.4
arrested two colonels in their case
47:59.2
of being Russian agents.
48:00.7
The two Ukrainian colonels were reportedly
48:02.5
searching for willing assassins
48:04.4
among Zelensky's bodyguards to
48:06.7
kidnap and kill him. Other high
48:08.9
ranking Ukrainian officials were also
48:10.7
targets including the military intelligence
48:15.0
yet to release a comment on the
48:20.3
In the U.S., adult film star Stormy
48:22.9
Daniels takes the stand at the criminal
48:25.0
trial of former President Donald Trump.
48:27.5
For several hours, Daniels
48:29.1
offered riveting details
48:30.6
about her sexual encounter with Trump
48:34.9
hush money deal she reached to stay quiet
48:37.0
ahead of the 2016 election.
48:39.9
Trump's lawyers meanwhile
48:40.9
attacked her credibility, grilling
48:42.8
her about inconsistent statements
48:44.7
she has made over the years. They also
48:47.0
said that Daniels was not a mistrial.
48:49.0
Arguing some of the details Daniels
48:51.0
had provided served no other purpose
48:53.0
than to inflame the jury. Justice
48:55.0
Juan Merchan denied that request
48:57.0
but agreed that some of her testimony
48:59.0
was just too much. Trump was or has
49:01.0
denied the alleged sexual encounter
49:03.0
with Daniels and pleaded not guilty
49:05.0
to charges of falsifying business records.
49:07.0
to charges of falsifying business records.
49:11.0
The world just experienced its hottest
49:13.0
April on record. That's according to
49:15.0
the European Union's climate change
49:17.0
service. That's the eleventh
49:19.0
straight month the agency recorded
49:21.0
the hottest month on record.
49:23.0
In April, climate change caused
49:25.0
weather extremes across the globe
49:27.0
including a heat wave in Africa
49:29.0
that is linked to potentially thousands
49:31.0
of deaths. Extreme heat also
49:33.0
affected parts of Asia, including
49:37.0
That's one of the longest
49:41.0
temperature record that we have seen
49:43.0
in recent decades.
49:45.0
This is what's the most, what's the most
49:53.0
of the El Niño event,
49:55.0
the sea surface temperatures,
49:57.0
the global sea surface temperature remains
49:59.0
so high. I think that's
50:01.0
one of the questions that is
50:05.0
keeping scientists, climate scientists busy at the moment
50:07.0
is trying to understand whether
50:09.0
we fully understand
50:13.0
system or if something has
50:15.0
shifted. I think whether we have reached
50:17.0
a possible tipping point.
50:23.0
And that'll do it for today. Thanks for joining us.
50:25.0
I'm Karina Constantino. If you want to revisit
50:27.0
today's episode, you can play back this newscast
50:29.0
on our YouTube channel and on ANC
50:31.0
24 7 on Facebook.
50:33.0
Keep well, keep it here on ANC.
