00:00Today on Rappler
00:06Former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral falls to her death in Tuba, Benguet
00:17Medical experts tell the International Criminal Court former President Rodrigo Duterte can undergo trial
00:24President Marcos names Nicolás Tore the new MMDA General Manager
00:28The Bicameral Conference Committee approves 243 billion pesos in unprogrammed appropriations for 2026
00:35A historic first, Alas Pilipinas captures the Women's Beach Volleyball Gold Medal in the Southeast Asian Games
00:42And triathlon star Kira Ellis shines in the Southeast Asian Games despite food poisoning two days before
00:49Former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral has been declared dead
00:55After being found unconscious along the riverbank of the Bued River in Tuba, Benguet
00:59She was discovered approximately 20 meters below the highway around 8 p.m. Thursday, December 18 following a search
01:07Cabral was later declared dead at 12.03 a.m. Friday, December 19
01:11According to police, Cabral had been traveling with her driver earlier in the afternoon
01:15When she reportedly asked to stop along Cannon Road and requested to be left alone
01:20When the driver later returned and could not find her, he sought police assistance
01:23He was later taken into custody by authorities
01:26Police say it is being treated as an alleged fall that resulted in death
01:30And no foul play has been established at this stage
01:33The ombudsman has directed the authorities to take custody of and preserve Cabral's cell phone and other gadgets
01:39Cabral resigned from the DPWH last September after she was implicated in the flood control mess
01:45She had allegedly operated a kickback system in contracts awarded or implemented by the DPWH
01:50Medical experts tell the International Criminal Court
01:55Former President Rodrigo Duterte can undergo trial
01:58Provided he's given certain accommodations like regular breaks and his preferred food
02:03The experts did not use the phrase fit for trial just yet
02:07Because it is a legal determination that only the ICC pretrial chamber would make
02:11The prosecution urges the ICC to adopt the findings and reschedule Duterte's pre-trial hearing
02:17Originally set last September
02:18Duterte's lawyer, Nicolas Kaufman, had claimed his client is so cognitively impaired that a trial would not be fair
02:24Duterte is facing three counts of crimes against humanity of murder
02:28President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appoints former Chief of Police Nicolas Torre III
02:34as the new General Manager of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority
02:38Torre will be replacing Procopio Lipana
02:41Marcos named Torre PNP Chief in May
02:43But his tenure was cut short when he was removed in August, serving for only three months
02:48Torre was the police general behind the high-profile arrests of former President Rodrigo Duterte
02:53and alleged human trafficker Apollo Quiboloy
02:55The Bicameral Conference Committee approves 243 billion pesos in unprogrammed appropriations for 2026 on Thursday, December 18
03:05The Bicam adopts the House version, which is more than three times larger than the Senate's approved allocation for the UA
03:11UA's have drawn scrutiny after the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism reported
03:16billions of pesos worth of flood control and other infrastructure projects under the Marcos administration were financed through the UA
03:22Senate Finance Committee Chair Sherwin Gatchalian says the approved UA would not be used for flood control projects
03:28He adds, the remaining UA items are targeted accounts, including funding for the Army's modernization program and support for foreign-assisted projects
03:36In the House of Representatives, at least 12 lawmakers expressed their dissent during the passage of the proposed 2026 House General Appropriations Bill
03:45Mamamayang Liberal Representative Laila de Lima questions the constitutionality of UA, saying it has been marred with red flags
03:52A Las Pilipinas secures a historic first as it captures the Women's Beach Volleyball Gold Medal in the Southeast Asian Games
04:01The team, composed of Cici Rondina, Bernadeth Pons, Deidre Rodriguez, and Sunny Villapando, sweeps defending champion Thailand for the title
04:09Thailand has won all eight of the previous Women's Beach Volleyball crowns since 2003
04:14While the Philippines reached the Women's Beach Volleyball Final for the first time, getting the gold medal had still looked like a long shot
04:20This, after the team absorbed its only loss of the preliminary round to Thailand
04:24But the quartet defied the expectations and stunned the Thais in their own turf
04:28We came out, and we executed it. We did what we said we were going to do six months ago, so I'm so proud of all of us for Friday
04:56Filipino athletes continue to shine, leading to the final days of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand
05:03Young triathlon star Kira Ellis wraps up her SEA Games campaign with two golds and three silvers
05:09This as she gets another medal in the Women's Individual Triathlon, despite suffering from food poisoning two days before the race
05:15I'm happy, I know I did five events, and I couldn't be more proud of the team and myself
05:21In short track speed skating, Peter Grossclose tops the men's 500-meter category to secure another gold for the Philippines
05:29Meanwhile, tennis sensation Alex Ayala says her recent gold in the Women's Singles category was something she never expected at the start of the year
05:37I think this is just a whole nother category, I think, you know, playing with the country written on your back is, you know
05:44And these sort of team events just bring a different kind of pressure
05:47So I'm so happy with how I handled it and my first four months every day of course
05:52As of 5.20pm Thursday, December 19, the Philippines ranks sixth overall with 43 golds, 63 silvers, and 139 bronzes
06:01And that's today's wrap, I'm JC Gotinga, thank you for watching
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