00:00 Taiwan has broken away from the communist mainland close to 80 years.
00:04 And for all that time, the people of Formosa of Taiwan
00:08 has seen the island state turn into an economic powerhouse in the region.
00:12 The rise to an economic powerhouse in the Southeast Asian region
00:16 is due to a collective will and discipline of a people that wanted
00:21 not only to survive, but succeed altogether
00:24 and by its own without help from the communist mainland.
00:28 And the Taiwanese love to tout how they can speak the mother tongue freely
00:32 and without worry, unlike those in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia
00:37 where there is fear, worry, doubt and pause.
00:40 Someone is with an earshot to tell on them.
00:43 And with the communist mainland not faring well economically
00:47 and on the receiving end of continued bad press internationally
00:51 for its behavior in the high seas of the South China Sea
00:54 against countries who compete and claim areas of the South China
00:58 based on a rules-based order and international law.
01:02 Newly minted and exuberant Ecuador president Daniel Ndobuwa, 36,
01:08 who has catapulted into power in November last year by winning the national polls
01:13 is getting his baptism of fire at the helm with chaos and anarchy taking over in the streets
01:20 after a powerful and highly wanted jailbird escaped custody
01:24 and is free roaming the streets of Ecuador.
01:27 But barely into his second month in office
01:29 and the country's fragile peace and order status has unraveled
01:33 a lawlessness has taken over, no thanks to the proliferation of street gangs
01:38 that have the muscle and means to do as they please.
01:42 And after a band of bad guys and no-good bandits barged into
01:46 and took over a TV studio in production and live broadcast
01:50 President Ndobuwa had no choice but to declare war
01:53 a rising wave of lawlessness that paralleled the streets of Bogota and Cali in Colombia
01:59 during the terror reign of one Don Pablo Escobar in the 80s.
02:03 It is no secret how China wants to seize self-ruled Taiwan
02:09 much like it did with Hong Kong three years ago
02:12 putting it under authoritarian rule
02:14 but a number of those Hong Kongers who escaped
02:17 before the Chinese Communist Party took hold of power ultimately fled to Taiwan
02:21 now want a seat in the country's political table.
02:25 VOA's Bill Dalio and Katie Tam spoke to these people seeking office
02:29 and sums up his findings in this report.
02:32 Hong Kong native Chu Pak-tai is campaigning in Taiwan
02:37 in an election he knows he has no chance of winning.
02:43 I'm not actually trying to win. My goal is to make the voice of Hong Kongers heard.
02:48 In Hong Kong, Chu was a local politician for a pro-democracy party.
02:52 He's now running for a seat in Taiwan's legislature
02:55 against much more established candidates.
02:58 It is hard to run for public office here
03:03 because it's clear that you need some kind of financial support
03:07 or affiliation with a political party in order to operate.
03:11 Chu is one of thousands of Hong Kongers who fled to Taiwan
03:15 after China crushed a pro-democracy movement.
03:18 Many now warn of how civil liberties can erode under Chinese rule.
03:22 I always tell Taiwanese people you have a chance to vote.
03:26 You have a chance to stop Taiwan being another Hong Kong.
03:31 Do that. Cast your vote.
03:34 Aung San Ming tried to run for office as part of the small Taiwan State Building Party
03:38 but couldn't because he hadn't lived in Taiwan for 10 years.
03:41 I do think that has to be changed because it's unfair.
03:44 I mean, we have the right to vote but we have no rights to be elected.
03:51 I think this is quite unfair.
03:54 After arriving in Taiwan, many Hong Kongers face even more basic challenges,
03:59 like securing permanent residency because of strict immigration laws.
04:03 Chu says it's hard to sustain Taiwanese political attention on the plight of Hong Kongers.
04:08 They know there is very few Hong Konger votes to win over,
04:15 so few politicians pay attention to the voice of Hong Kongers here.
04:19 Whatever suffering Hong Kongers have been through, that is their problem.
04:24 In the lead-up to Taiwan's election, candidates have rarely mentioned Hong Kong
04:28 compared with four years ago when the Hong Kong protests took center stage.
04:33 That task now falls to people like Chu, who's trying to raise awareness
04:38 so that his new home doesn't become like his old one.
04:41 Bill Gallo, The Away News, Taipei.
04:44 At this moment, we turn to our PTV Pine City studios
04:50 for the latest developments brewing in the Cordilleras. Eddie.
04:56 Good evening, Philippines.
04:58 The number of vendors who are selling stalls in San Fernando City Public Market
05:03 is increasing.
05:05 The number of vendors is increasing.
05:08 At 1pm, 26 vendors are up.
05:10 Some are in the grocery store, some in the market.
05:14 The number of vendors is increasing.
05:17 At 6.52pm, the Bureau of Fire Protection declared a fire.
05:22 More than 200 million pesos were lost.
05:26 The reason for this fire is still unknown.
05:31 According to the incident, San Fernando City declared a state of calamity.
05:37 The local government of San Fernando City is helping and supporting the affected.
05:44 The city government and the city council are here.
05:49 We will take action when we need to.
05:52 We will make the solution to the crisis that we are facing.
05:58 We will now talk to Igorot MMA fighter, Mark Stephan Loman
06:04 from Isisina, group Timlakay.
06:07 Loman posted on Facebook that Coach Mark Sangya and Timlakay
06:12 have spoken to the bank.
06:14 They said they will help the fighter.
06:17 Coach Mark's supporters are very happy about the news.
06:22 Loman said that MMA is a career-building sport.
06:26 After Isisina, the group will continue to fight for the 1 Championship promotion.
06:33 He also said that he will continue to support the fans
06:36 who are already used to the 1 Championship cage.
06:44 We will now take a look at the latest news.
06:51 That's a wrap for tonight.
06:53 We hope you came out in form and look forward to tomorrow's set of late breakers here and abroad.
06:59 Keep in mind to always stay safe, keep fit, be kind, aim high
07:04 and work hard while you catch the news right here.
07:07 This is Monique Tuzon wishing you all a restful night ahead.
07:11 head.
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