00:00Today on Rappler
00:06House Speaker Bo GD releases his saline, declaring a net worth of 74 million pesos.
00:18The Independent Commission on Infrastructure says it will start live streaming proceedings
00:23next week. Senator Ping Lakson may return as Senate Luribund Committee Chair,
00:27based on Senate President Tito Soto's statement. A Philippine Navy mission to the West Philippine
00:33Sea recovers suspected high-grade marijuana and Chinese rocket debris off the coast of Palawan.
00:40And experts say stolen crown jewels from the Louvre are unlikely to be recovered.
00:47Speaker Bo GD publicizes his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth, or SALEN,
00:52Wednesday, October 22, declaring a net worth of 74.02 million pesos.
00:57His assets total 121.14 million pesos, including 32.53 million pesos in 11 agricultural lots,
01:06a residential lot, and three residential houses. His liabilities stand at 47.12 million pesos.
01:13D also declares his business interests. He is a partner at Queen Isabella AgriVentures
01:18and at Love Cakes by Ann & Gan Company, and a stockholder at Isabella Hotel & Resort by
01:23D Inc. Inc. and Northeastern Broadcasting Service, Inc. The document also reveals he has 16 relatives
01:30in public service, including two sons and two daughters-in-law. The speaker says he reconstituted
01:35the SALEN Review and Compliance Committee to revisit the chamber's guidelines on the release of the
01:40financial document to the media. While Ombudsman Boying Remulya lifted the repressive Duterte-era
01:45rule that restricted access to the SALEN of public officials, the policy does not cover lawmakers
01:51who practice discretion on whether or not to release their SALENs.
01:54The Independent Commission on Infrastructure, or ICI, says it would begin live-streaming its
02:01proceedings beginning next week. ICI Chairman Andres Reyes announces this during a Senate inquiry
02:07led by Justice Committee Chairman Senator Kiko Pangilinan.
02:10We will now go on live-stream next week once we get to be able to have the technical capability
02:20with us already. The ICI's decision to stream its hearings is a welcome development. Before this,
02:27its policy not to live-stream hearings drew criticism from transparency advocates and some lawmakers.
02:34The ICI met behind closed doors since it was created on September 11. Media access is limited to
02:40press releases and briefings by the ICI spokesperson. Journalists are not allowed to conduct ambush interviews
02:45with members of the commission. Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Laxon appears to be returning as
02:52chairman of the powerful Blue Ribbon Committee. This based on a statement of Senate President Tito Soto.
02:57In an earlier TV interview, Soto said that he thought the return of Laxon to the committee
03:02was very positive at this point. When asked whether he was 100% sure Laxon would return as chair of the
03:07Blue Ribbon Committee, Soto tells reporters in a message, quote,
03:11In the course of our many conversations, it has come to his attention the clamor of some of our
03:16colleagues and the public that he retake the committee. Soto notes Laxon feels he has unfinished
03:21business in the committee. When asked if this confirms Laxon's return as head of the panel,
03:26he says his colleague had not yet responded as of posting time. However, Laxon says people should be
03:31ready for all consequences should he be elected again as the committee head, including losing some
03:36members of the majority bloc and, consequently, Soto's Senate presidency.
03:43A Philippine vessel recovers suspected high-grade marijuana in what is believed to be Chinese
03:48rocket debris off the coast of Palawan. The Western Naval Command says the BRP Lolinato Toong was
03:54dispatched to Sabina Shoal to retrieve a floating black bag that was believed to contain high-grade
03:59marijuana. On its way back to Palawan, the ship and the crew saw metallic debris southeast of Rio
04:05Tuba, Bataraza, Palawan. It is believed to have come from a Chinese rocket. The debris was retrieved
04:11and secured aboard the ship. The Philippine Space Agency on October 16 confirmed that a long March 8A
04:17rocket was launched from China. The Western Naval Command adds, quote, the recovery of such debris
04:22underscores the importance of continued maritime surveillance in protecting Philippine waters and
04:27ensuring the safety of local communities potentially affected by foreign rocket remnants.
04:31Stolen crown jewels from last Sunday's heist at the Louvre may be difficult to recover
04:38even if the thieves themselves get arrested. Experts say only a small pool of criminals are
04:43capable of the job and they may even be already known to the police. But according to one expert,
04:48stolen jewelry is particularly easy to move through illicit markets. Founder of Art Recovery International
04:54Christopher Marinello says the diamonds could be cut into smaller pieces and the gold melted down,
04:59making it extremely difficult to trace. Yads, once they've been cut into smaller jewels, the deed is
05:05done. It's over. We'll never see these pieces again intact. It's a very small percentage, recovering stolen
05:11artworks. When it comes to jewelry, that percentage is even less. Sunday's heist at the Louvre has been
05:17criticized by some as a national humiliation and has sparked security checks across French cultural sites.
05:22And that's today's wrap. I'm JC Cutinga. Thank you for watching. Click the link below for the full story. For more updates, download the Rappler app.
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