Today on Rappler – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world:
⁃ Hontiveros to Sara Duterte: No need to respect me, just account for confidential funds
⁃ Philippines overtakes China as top rice importer – USDA report
⁃ Coast Guard: ‘Disheartening to hear doubts’ about our defense of West PH Sea
⁃ Gov’t hands out P2.95 billion in PUV fuel subsidies, plans jeepney fare hike
⁃ DICT wants P300 million confidential funds to fight cybercrime
⁃ CCP to bring British theater to PH, includes 'Life of Pi', 'Fleabag', 'Frankenstein', and more
⁃ Mexican Congress holds hearing on UFOs featuring purported 'alien' bodies
https://www.rappler.com/video/daily-wrap/september-14-2023/
⁃ Hontiveros to Sara Duterte: No need to respect me, just account for confidential funds
⁃ Philippines overtakes China as top rice importer – USDA report
⁃ Coast Guard: ‘Disheartening to hear doubts’ about our defense of West PH Sea
⁃ Gov’t hands out P2.95 billion in PUV fuel subsidies, plans jeepney fare hike
⁃ DICT wants P300 million confidential funds to fight cybercrime
⁃ CCP to bring British theater to PH, includes 'Life of Pi', 'Fleabag', 'Frankenstein', and more
⁃ Mexican Congress holds hearing on UFOs featuring purported 'alien' bodies
https://www.rappler.com/video/daily-wrap/september-14-2023/
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Today on Rappler
00:12 Senator Issa Ontiveros tells Vice President Duterte to account for her use of confidential
00:17 funds.
00:18 A USDA report shows the Philippines overtaking China as the world's top rice importer.
00:24 The Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson says it is disheartening to hear doubts about their
00:28 defense of the West Philippine Sea.
00:30 The government hands out 2.95 billion pesos in PUV fuel subsidies.
00:36 The Department of Information and Communications Technology wants 300 million pesos in confidential
00:40 funds.
00:41 The Cultural Center of the Philippines is set to bring British theater to Philippine
00:45 cinemas.
00:47 And Mexican lawmakers hold a hearing on UFOs featuring alleged alien bodies.
00:51 I don't need your respect, VP Sara.
00:58 What I'm asking of you and the people of the country is accountability.
01:04 So, just account for what you're asking for confidential funds.
01:10 Senate Deputy Minority Leader Issa Ontiveros says this in response to Vice President Sara
01:15 Duterte's latest tirade against her.
01:17 The opposition senator says if Duterte cannot respect her fellow government officials, she
01:22 should respect how public funds are supposed to be spent.
01:25 Ontiveros was reacting to Duterte's statement to media on Tuesday, September 12, that she
01:30 doesn't respect Ontiveros and ACT Teacher's Representative, Franz Castro.
01:34 Duterte has been making headlines recently over her use of confidential funds.
01:39 A Commission on Audit report found the OVP under Duterte spent 125 million pesos in confidential
01:44 funds in 2022, despite not having a line item for it in the 2022 General Appropriations
01:50 Act.
01:53 A report from the United States Department of Agriculture says the Philippines overtakes
01:57 China as the world's top importer of rice.
02:00 The USDA projects the Philippines will hit 3.8 million metric tons of rice imports for
02:05 marketing year 2023-2024, as opposed to China's decreased projection of 3.5 million MT.
02:12 The U.S. also projects a lower global rice production until 2024.
02:17 The report adds global rice prices increased due to stronger demand and lower production,
02:22 even before India, which accounts for about 40 percent of the world trade, announced its
02:26 export ban in July.
02:28 The Philippines is primarily affected by India's ban and is now seeking to augment supplies
02:32 through Vietnam.
02:33 Both governments are set to sign a pact on rice trade soon.
02:39 The Philippine Coast Guard's spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea says it was "disheartening"
02:43 to hear doubts about its capability to defend the country's territory on its own.
02:47 In a post, Commodore Jay Tariella says the Coast Guard will, quote, "continue to serve
02:51 and protect our exclusive economic zone, irrespective of any external assistance."
02:56 This comes a day after Philippine senators questioned the presence of the U.S. military
03:00 in a resupply mission to Ayung and Shoal.
03:03 In a hearing, Senators Robin Padilla and Bato De La Rosa questioned if it was appropriate
03:08 for the U.S. Navy to be present at the West Philippine Sea during a Philippine resupply
03:12 mission to Marines stationed at the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayung and Shoal.
03:17 The mission involves the PCGS escorts to civilian boats commissioned by the Armed Forces of
03:21 the Philippines.
03:23 This after China has regularly harassed and blocked Philippine ships on resupply missions
03:27 to Ayung and.
03:30 The government begins distributing 2.95 billion pesos in fuel subsidies for operators of public
03:36 utility vehicles to mitigate the impact of rising fuel prices.
03:40 The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board says about 1.36 million beneficiaries
03:46 will receive varying amounts of assistance.
03:48 The LTFRB will handle the distribution to 280,000 beneficiaries.
03:54 Modern jeepneys and modern UV Express operators will receive 10,000 pesos in subsidies while
03:59 traditional jeepneys, taxis, buses, and other PUVs will receive 6,500 pesos.
04:05 About 930,000 tricycle drivers and operators will receive 1,000 pesos through the Department
04:10 of the Interior and local government, while delivery service riders will get 1,200 pesos
04:16 through the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
04:19 The amounts will be credited to the operators' land bank account and may be claimed at the
04:23 following gas stations through their fuel subsidy card.
04:30 The Department of Information and Communications Technology is seeking 300 million pesos in
04:35 confidential funds for 2024 to be used against cybercrime and scammers.
04:40 DICT Secretary Ivan Uy says going after scammers, which is part of the agency's mandate, requires
04:46 all the resources possible.
04:48 "Our hands are tied if we don't have proper tools in order to go after them."
04:56 Text scams were a sticky issue, especially during the height of the pandemic, with the
05:00 government rolling out SIM registration to address this, but the process has gaps.
05:04 The National Bureau of Investigation even told lawmakers that a photo of a monkey can
05:09 be used to register a SIM card.
05:13 Heads up theater fans, it's time to head to the cinema because British Theatre is coming
05:17 to silver screens near you.
05:19 The Cultural Center of the Philippines partners with both National Theatre Live, a London-based
05:24 initiative that aims to take British theater all over the world, and Ayalamal Cinemas to
05:28 bring famous UK plays to local theater screens.
05:32 CCP announces starting on September 26, the following productions will begin screening
05:36 in the Philippines.
05:41 The productions feature renowned performances of actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Emilia Clarke,
05:46 Sir Ian McKellen, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
05:48 The productions will screen exclusively in Greenbelt Cinemas at 5.30 p.m., with regular
05:53 tickets priced at 250 pesos and student tickets at 150 pesos.
05:59 The season of CCP National Theatre Live will run until May 2024.
06:06 Mexican lawmakers hear testimony that "we are not alone in the universe" and see the
06:10 alleged remains of non-human beings.
06:12 In the hearing, politicians were shown two artifacts that Mexican journalist and longtime
06:16 UFO enthusiast Jaime Maussan claimed were the corpses of extraterrestrials.
06:22 Maussan says the specimens were not related to any life on Earth.
06:25 The two tiny bodies displayed in cases have three fingers on each hand and elongated heads.
06:31 Maussan says they were recovered in Peru near the ancient Nazca Lines in 2017.
06:36 He adds they are about 1,000 years old, analyzed through a carbon dating process by Mexico's
06:41 National Autonomous University.
06:44 Similar such finds in the past have turned out to be the remains of mummified children.
06:50 And that's today's Wrap, I'm Nina Liu, thank you for watching.
06:53 Click the link below for the full story.
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