Here are today’s headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world:
- After Co’s passport canceled, Marcos orders DFA, PNP: Track down Zaldy - DOJ to file kidnapping with homicide case vs Atong Ang, others - 27% of Grade 5 students in PH have 'very low' reading proficiency, 16% in math - Cambodia withdraws from Thailand SEA Games over 'safety concerns' - PH flag bearer Alex Eala staying in the moment ahead of SEA Games golden quest
00:06President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. orders authorities to track down former lawmaker Rizaldi Ko whose passport is now canceled.
00:20The Justice Department says it will file kidnapping cases against Atong Ang and other suspects in the missing Sabongeros case.
00:27A significant percentage of grade 5 students continue to have very low proficiency in reading and mathematics.
00:34Cambodia pulls out of the Southeast Asian Games hosted by Thailand amid an escalating border conflict.
00:40And tennis champ Alex Ayala and volleyball star Brian Bagunas lead the Philippine delegation at the 2025 SEA Games opening ceremony in Bangkok.
00:50President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. orders authorities to track down resigned lawmaker Rizaldi Ko.
00:55May babalita ko po sa inyo na ang passport po ni Saldi Ko ay kanselado na.
01:03Kaya tininstructionan ko na ang Department of Foreign Affairs pati ang PNP na makipag-ugnayan sa ating mga embases sa iba't ibang bansa
01:12para tiyakin na hindi maaring magtago itong ating hinahabol na magtago doon sa kanilang bansa.
01:22Formerly the representative of Ako Bicol Party List, Ko has been out of the country since the 20th Congress opened in late July 2025.
01:29In late November 2025, the Sandikan Bayan issued arrest warrants against Ko and several others over an anomalous flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.
01:38While overseas, Ko released a series of videos accusing Marcos and his allies of allegedly benefiting from budget insertions and project kickbacks.
01:47The palace denies these allegations and accuses Ko of seeking to destabilize the Marcos administration.
01:52With his passport canceled, the resigned lawmaker loses his legal basis to remain in another country.
02:00The Department of Justice announces Tuesday, December 9, it will file two kidnapping cases against gaming tycoon Charlie Atong Ang and 24 others
02:09for the disappearance of sabongeros or game file enthusiasts.
02:13The DOJ says it found evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction to indict or charge the following with 10 counts of kidnapping with homicide.
02:22The DOJ says the cases will be filed with three different regional trial courts in Lipa City, Batangas, and in Santa Cruz and San Pablo, Laguna.
02:37Actress Gretchen Barreto, who was also tagged in the scandal, is not included on the list.
02:42As early as 2022, Ang was implicated in the missing sabongeros case for being the owner of Lucky 8 Star Quest,
02:48the operator of cockfighting arenas where some of the missing sabongeros were last seen.
02:53In 2025, a former employee of Ang tagged him as the alleged mastermind in the disappearances.
03:00Some grade 5 students in the Philippines continue to have very low proficiency in reading and mathematics.
03:06This according to a learning assessment program conducted by the United Nations Children's Fund
03:10and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization.
03:13In reading, 27% of grade 5 students were in proficiency band 2 and below.
03:19Compared to the 2019 record, 27% of grade 5 students were also found to be in this same category.
03:26This indicates a very low proficiency with learners only able to match one of four given words
03:31to an illustration of a familiar object, place, or symbol.
03:34Meanwhile, in mathematics, 16% of grade 5 learners in the country were in proficiency band 2 and below.
03:40This is 2 percentage points lower compared to 2019.
03:44This means some children might be able to add single-digit numbers together,
03:48while others might only be able to count a small collection of objects or recognized numbers.
03:54Cambodia pulls out of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games on Wednesday, December 10,
03:59citing safety reasons with the escalation of border conflicts with host Thailand.
04:04The withdrawal comes just a day after Thailand formally opened the 33rd edition of the regional showdown.
04:09Fighting erupted between Thailand and Cambodia on Monday, December 8,
04:13displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
04:16This was the second major flare-up between the two countries this year,
04:19derailing a fragile truce brokered in July by U.S. President Donald Trump.
04:24Cambodia planned to send a delegation of over 1,500,
04:27but cut it down to just a little over 100 athletes.
04:31With Cambodia out, only 10 countries will compete in the two-week showdown that will run until December 20.
04:36Filipino tennis ace Alex Ayala and volleyball star Brian Bagunas
04:41lead the Philippine delegation as flag-bearers in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games opening ceremony in Thailand.
04:48Siyempre surreal, but nakatulong din na nandun si Kuya Brian.
04:53I think it was just good vibes to be with the whole delegation,
04:57and I'm so blessed, and it's an experience of a lifetime.
05:00Ayala is expected to contend for the gold in the women's singles event
05:04and improve on her bronze finish in the 2021 edition in Vietnam.
05:09Now ranked world number 52, Ayala refuses to put additional pressure on herself,
05:13saying she tries not to think much about the results and opts to just give it her best.
05:18Meantime, Bagunas hopes to lead Alas Pilipinas men to a historic Sea Games crown
05:22after his team exceeded expectations in the FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship last September.
05:28Other golden bets present in the ceremony are Olympic boxing medalists Nesty Petesio and Yumir Marshall.
05:34Marshall is gunning for a fifth gold while Petesio looks to win back-to-back titles
05:38for the first time in the history of the regional showdown.
05:40And that's today's wrap. I'm JC Gotinga. Thank you for watching.
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