00:00Good evening, I'm Gabrielle Lopez and this is PTV News Now, our top story tonight.
00:08First up, former Speaker Ferdinand Marten Romualdez can't push back against allegations of plunder,
00:14saying claims being floated or putting the cart before the horse.
00:18His lawyer stressed that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure's referral to the Ombudsman
00:23came with no finding of guilt and that the DPWH recommendation is not worth its salt
00:28as proof of wrongdoing.
00:30The camp lately denied reports that the ICI called for fling serious charges,
00:35saying such claims are backing up the wrong tree.
00:38Romualdez, they said, is standing firm on due process and trusts the Ombudsman to weigh evidence fairly,
00:45not be swayed by press conference noise.
00:49Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson welcomed the transparency safeguard in the proposed 2026 national budget,
00:56saying the Senate panel pulled out all the stops to protect public funds.
01:01He credited the bicameral team led by Senator Sheryl Gachilian for pushing accountability measures despite this information,
01:08giving them a two thumbs up for standing their ground.
01:11The safeguards ban political endorsement or EPAL,
01:14tighten medical measures and rules under the UHC law,
01:18and require monthly oversight of infrastructure projects so nothing slips through the cracks.
01:23Lacson stressed that the job isn't over after ratification,
01:27warning that constant vigilance is the name of the game to keep abuse at bay.
01:32U.S. President Donald Trump announced a total and complete blockade
01:37on sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela,
01:40tightening the screws on the Maduro government and calling it a foreign terrorist organization.
01:45Trump said the move backed by a major naval building is meant to choke off oil revenues,
01:50his claims bankroll, drug trafficking and other crimes,
01:53warning that all options remain on the table.
01:56The U.S. has already carried out dozens of strikes on alleged narco-terror vessels,
02:01while defending recent oil seizures as a part of a crackdown on illicit shipping networks.
02:07Venezuela, however, says Washington is crying wolf,
02:10accusing the U.S. of maritime piracy and arguing
02:13the blockade is a thinly veiled bid to seize its oil riches and force regime change.
02:20That brings us to the end of the line for tonight's newscast.
02:23We'll be back tomorrow ready with more breaking headlines and stories
02:26making waves across the nation and beyond.
02:29This is Gabrielle Lopez calling it a night,
02:31and thanks for letting us be a part of your evening.
02:33We'll be back tomorrow ready with more breaking headlines.
02:34We'll be back tomorrow ready with more breaking headlines.
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