00:00Today on Rappler
00:08Fake tubes are discovered in a flood control project in La Union. The House approves of the
00:19Office of the Vice President's P903 million proposed budget. Cavite Rep. Kiko Barzaga faces
00:24House ethics complaint. The Anti-Money Laundering Council is considering assigning staff to
00:29casinos after reports of public officials laundering billions.
00:33And girl groups Weenie and Cat's Eye are set to perform in Coachella.
00:39Fake tubes are discovered in a flood control project in Barangay Akao, Bawang La Union.
00:44Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon points out the tubes attached to the structure were
00:47mere props. The tubes known as weep holes are supposed to measure two meters and cut through
00:52the structure but officials found them cut into short pieces. The agency also notes the
00:57metals used for the project were too thin. Dizon says the P180 million project is substandard.
01:04The contractor behind the project is Silverwolves, but officials could not provide other details.
01:09The project was reported completed in March 2025 but remained under construction at the
01:13time of inspection. With Dizon is Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who is also a special
01:18advisor to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure.
01:23The House Committee on Appropriations approves the proposed P903 million Peso 2026 budget
01:28of the Office of the Vice President, granting her office interparliamentary courtesy.
01:34Interparliamentary courtesy refers to different branches of government refraining from undue
01:36interference into each other's business. The budget hearing lasted less than an hour,
01:41though ACT teachers' representative Antonio Tinio managed to ask about the COA's P73 million
01:46notice of this allowance over the OVP's 2023 confidential funds. Duterte replies he should
01:51ask COA as the OVP already submitted the needed documents. Tinio also questions the suspicious
01:57names on receipts linked to the confidential funds which Duterte refused to answer, saying
02:01she would not reveal her defense strategy for the impeachment case where some lawmakers would
02:06act as prosecutors. The alleged confidential funds misuse is one of the charges in the articles
02:11of impeachment against her. The swift approval is in stark contrast to the budget deliberations
02:15last year when Duterte and her staff were grilled over the use of confidential funds.
02:22The National Unity Party accuses Cavite Representative Kiko Barzaga of unethical conduct, saying he
02:27made statements that are potentially seditious. Deputy Speaker and NUP Chairman Ronaldo Puno shows
02:33media social media posts in which Barzaga jokingly talked about batasang pambansa being set on fire.
02:38It's our responsibility to our districts, diba? Sa aming mga distrito. Dapat naman sabihin,
02:45abihin ang mga aming botante na may seryoso naman kami mga tao dito at wala naman kaming pinapayagan
02:50na ganyan mambababoy na lang sa mga institusyon natin sa gobyerno.
02:55Meantime, Barzaga says in a Facebook post, quote,
02:57Puno is too detached from the common people that he became unaware of the lengths an oppressed citizen
03:02will go to get justice. Puno says the complaint against Barzaga will be filed with the ethics committee soon.
03:08The announcement comes just hours after the neophyte lawmakers supposedly stormed into the office of
03:13Majority Leader Sandra Marcos and announced he would gun for the speakership.
03:19The Anti-Money Laundering Council, or AMLC, says it is considering assigning personnel to casinos
03:24after reports that public works officials launder billions of pesos in these establishments.
03:30During a Senate budget hearing on September 15, AMLC Executive Director Matthew David admits they
03:35have no staff inside casinos. Although the law doesn't require the AMLC to post personnel in such
03:41places, David says they will consider the senators' suggestions.
03:45Casinos are required to report transactions worth 5 million pesos or more under the country's
03:49Anti-Money Laundering Law, but David admits that the AMLC can't check all these reports because there
03:54are too many. The issue came up after Senator Ping Lakson said three former public works officials
04:00tied to anomalous flood control projects lost 950 million pesos in gambling between 2023 and 2025.
04:09P-pop girl group Beanie is set to perform at the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in
04:13April 2026 in Indio, California. This will be the group's first Coachella appearance.
04:20In July 2024, Aya, Colette, Malloy, Gwen, Stacy, Mika, Joanna, and Sheena performed
04:25Cherry on Top at the pre-show of KCON LA. In February this year, they kicked off the first
04:31Beanieverse World Tour 2025 at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. Beanie will perform alongside
04:37global girl group Cat's Eye which includes Filipina member Sofia Laforteza. Cat's Eye recently won the
04:43Push Performance of the Year award at the MTV Video Music Awards 2025 for hit song Touch.
04:48The girl group also performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago in August.
04:53Beanie and Cat's Eye will be sharing the stage with major acts like Sabrina Carpenter,
04:57The XX, Disclosure, and more.
05:02And that's today's wrap. I'm Julian Sirineo. Thank you for watching.
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