00:00A wonderful Tuesday afternoon to all. I am William Theo here to bring you PTV News Now.
00:11And tops on this afternoon's stories, we take a peek at a key event in the ongoing 46th ASEAN Summit Meet in Kuala Lumpur,
00:20which will significantly impact the regional and individual economies of the ASEAN.
00:26The Gulf Cooperation Council is a regional bloc consisting of the leaders of the oil-rich Gulf states of Bahrain,
00:34the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
00:39who arrived in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur for the second ASEAN Gulf Cooperation Council meeting.
00:46The GCC dignitaries know fully well the Pacific Rim of Southeast Asia is where the biggest economic boom on the planet
00:54will unfold over the next 10 to 15 years, and these rich Arab nations want a piece of the action.
01:00More so, this engagement between these two powerful economic blocs seeks a consensus on how to creatively protect their economic interests
01:10from the geopolitical uncertainties of a rather hostile U.S. tariff policy on nearly all nations on the planet.
01:17Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, for his part, stressed the ASEAN-GCC partnership is key to securing sustainable prosperity for all.
01:28Earlier in the morning, host Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hosted a separate meet of the BIMP East Asia Growth Area
01:36composed of Brunei, Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines to discuss matters on enhanced trade, security, and other bilateral issues.
01:47Newly appointment, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development or DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling
01:56announced plans to expand the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino program
02:02to include horizontal housing developments such as subdivisions
02:05alongside its original focus on vertical multi-story projects.
02:10Aliling said the move aims to attract more private partners and speed up housing construction.
02:17He also emphasized collaboration with key shelter agencies
02:20and introduced monthly dialogues with developers to streamline housing policies.
02:27Reaffirming his commitment to integrity, Aliling vowed zero tolerance against corruption,
02:32aligning himself with President Marcos Jr.'s governance priorities.
02:37He replaced as Jose Rizalino Acusar, now serving as Presidential Advisor for Pasig River Development.
02:47Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is on the first leg of a three-nation Southeast Asian visit.
02:54His first stop, the rapidly growing nation of Vietnam,
02:58where today he took time out to speak and interact with students from the University of Science and Technology in Hanoi.
03:05In his address to the country's premier tech school,
03:08Macron took a swipe at the leaders of the two most powerful nations on the planet.
03:13His first aim, U.S. President Donald Trump,
03:16whose rather hostile tariff policy which he says keeps on changing every morning,
03:22and at China President Xi Jinping for China's harassing moves
03:26and lawless territorial claims in the South China Sea.
03:29Macron urged the students not to sink into the world of imbeciles and invectives,
03:35which has become so prevalent and pervasive online,
03:39in reference to Trump's outrageous rants on his truth social platform.
03:45He is slated to pay visits to Indonesia and then Singapore in his three-nation Southeast Asia tour.
03:52And we have come to the end of this program.
03:57Join us later for the evening breaking stories,
03:59and always stay connected by catching the news right here.
04:03I am William Theo, and thank you for watching PTV News Now.
