00:00Good Wednesday evening to all and good tidings.
00:05Gabrielle Lopez here, homegrown and pleased to bring you PTV News Now.
00:09Tops on our news leaderboard right now.
00:13In a response to a growing public and peer clamor,
00:16President Ferdinand R. Marcus Jr. vows to speed up the ratification of the proposed pieces of legislation,
00:22all tied up to curb or cut down corrupt acts and practices in the bureaucracy.
00:27Earlier today, after convening the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council in Malacanang,
00:33Palace Press Officer and PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro reiterated the President's order to fast-track the enactment into law
00:41of the creation of an Independent People's Commission,
00:44a permanent and nonpartisan body to probe irregularities and anomalies in flood control projects
00:50at the national and local levels to include government-owned and controlled companies,
00:54and the ratification of an anti-political dynasty bill which the 1987 charter mandates
01:00and the people have strongly sought over the years to no avail.
01:04In addition, he also urged to expedite the enactment of two more House bills
01:08that seek to reform certain provisions of the existing party-less law
01:12and the proposed citizens' access to disclosure of expedentures for National Accountability Act.
01:17Meanwhile, the President is laser-focused in his mission to hold all the bad actors in the flood control scam
01:23into account with his update earlier today of a freeze order on the bank accounts and assets
01:29of the law-making brothers, Yap, in the House.
01:32ACT-CIS party-less representative Edvik Yap and his brother and predecessor to Zaldi Koh in the 18th Congress
01:39have been named by the Discais as recipients of kickbacks in the amount of 70 million pesos
01:44to include their links to a construction company and aviation firm embroiled in the flood control scam.
01:53President Ferdinand Marcus Jr. urged the Congress to fast-track four key reforms
01:58pushing lawmakers to move heaven and earth to get them passed.
02:01He emphasized the anti-political dynasty bill and the Independent People's Commission Act,
02:06the Party-less System Reform Act and the Cadena Act as top priorities that shouldn't gather dust on the shelf.
02:13The chief executive also instructed both chambers of Congress to take a closer look
02:17at the proposals and act without missing a beat.
02:20The anti-dynasty bill seeks to curb the long-standing issue of political families holding power under one roof.
02:27Meanwhile, the other measures aim to tighten anti-corruption efforts,
02:31strengthen representation and improve government transparencies
02:34so taxpayers know where every penny goes.
02:39The Department of Foreign Affairs, or DFA, is closely monitoring the situation of Filipinos in Japan
02:45after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the northeastern coast,
02:50keeping a watchful eye through the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo.
02:53As of now, no Filipino casualties have been reported
02:57and embassy officials are coordinating with local and Filipino communities
03:01to ensure no one falls through the cracks.
03:04Authorities issued a special advisory warning of a possible follow-up offshore quake
03:09in the Hokkaido-Sankyoro region, showing that the danger isn't out of the woods yet.
03:15Tsunami advisories in affected areas have been lifted,
03:18giving residents a brief breath of fresh air.
03:21Though vigilance remains necessary, Filipinos in Japan are urged
03:24to stay alert, follow safety instructions, and be ready for aftershocks.
03:29Proving that preparedness is all in the name of the game.
03:34So that's all she wrote for tonight's show.
03:36Join us in you tomorrow for another round of major stories here and elsewhere,
03:40breaking at the hour.
03:41This is Gabriel Lopez wishing you all a restful evening ahead
03:45and reminding everyone to spread the Christmas cheer.
03:48And thank you all for watching PTV News Now.
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