00:00Today on Rappler
00:06A Pulse Asia survey says 54% of Filipino adults want the immediate passage of an anti-dynasty law.
00:19The House of Representatives and the Senate ratified the BICAM report on the proposed 2026 national budget.
00:25The Commission on Audit tells Pag-ASA skip public bidding for Doppler radar repairs.
00:30U.S. President Donald Trump says a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine is now a lot closer.
00:35And Alex Ayala's stellar 2025 run earns her more than $907,000.
00:43A recent Pulse Asia survey shows a small majority or 54% of Filipino adults want the immediate passage of an anti-dynasty law.
00:51This observation holds true throughout the entire country aside from Mindanao where public opinion is split with only 34% in agreement.
01:00The survey was conducted from December 12 to 15, just days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged Congress to prioritize passing an anti-dynasty bill.
01:08There are currently 11 anti-dynasty bills filed in the 20th Congress.
01:12This includes one filed by House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos and House Speaker Boji D. who are dynasts themselves.
01:18In their proposed bill, only family members holding office in the same level or jurisdiction are prohibited.
01:25In a different survey conducted by social weather stations, Marcos' trust ratings dipped further to 38% from 48% in June amid the flood control mess.
01:34Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte's trust numbers rose slightly to 56% from 53% in September.
01:42The House and the Senate ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed 2026 national budget on Monday, December 29.
01:50The nearly $6.8 trillion spending plan will now be transmitted to Malacanang.
01:55President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to sign the budget bill into law first week of January.
02:00Several lawmakers, among them Senator Risa Ontiveros, cite reservations surrounding unprogrammed appropriations and possible pork barrel programs.
02:08It is very unfortunate that some of the reforms you are pushing for, including an overwhelming cut in unprogrammed funds, are not carried in this budget.
02:21Still, it is an improvement that the bicam version includes safeguards aimed at preventing unprogrammed funds from becoming slush funds.
02:32House Minority Leader Antonio Tinio voted against the report, citing a lack of funding for genuine agrarian reform and national industrialization.
02:41This year's bicam deliberations were streamed to the public for the first time, following calls for greater transparency in the budget process.
02:47The Commission on Audit recommends that the State Weather Bureau, Pag-Asa, skip public biddings in order to speed up repairs of Doppler radars.
02:57Doppler radars enable meteorologists to monitor and forecast the weather by providing real-time data on rain, wind speeds, and storm structure.
03:05The COA's 2024 audit found that only 10 out of the country's 19 crucial radars were listed as operational.
03:11Doppler radar custom parts are expensive and delivery requires a lead time of at least 8 months.
03:17State auditors now say Pag-Asa may resort to direct contracting as opposed to the usual public bidding so that it may immediately procure radar parts.
03:26Pag-Asa received over P22 million in 2023 and over P84 million in 2024 to cover Doppler radar repairs.
03:35U.S. President Donald Trump says he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are, quote,
03:40a lot closer to an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
03:43At a joint press conference in Florida, both leaders report progress on two of the most contentious issues in securing a peace deal.
03:50Those are security guarantees for Ukraine and the division of its Donbass region, which Russia seeks to capture.
03:56The two leaders offer few details on the progress of the deal, although Trump says it will be clear in a few weeks if negotiations will succeed.
04:02It's unresolved, but it's getting a lot closer.
04:06That's a very tough issue, but one that I think will get resolved.
04:11Zelensky says security guarantees have been reached, but the future of the Donbass still remains uncertain.
04:17We agree that security guarantees is a key milestone in achieving lasting peace and our teams will continue working on all aspects.
04:28It's been a stellar year for Filipino tennis champ Alex Ayala.
04:34She reached her highest ranking so far as world number 50 and she closes 2025 sitting at number 53.
04:40She also earned more than $907,000 this year, the equivalent of 53 million pesos.
04:46She won her biggest prize at the WTA 1000 Miami Open in March, worth more than $332,000.
04:52Her second biggest prize was from the U.S. Open in August, where she became the first Filipino to win a Grand Slam main draw match in the Open era and took home $154,000.
05:03Ayala also made historic firsts for the Philippines in the French Open in May and in the WTA 250 Eastburn Open in June.
05:11Here is a list of her 10 top prizes this year.
05:13So does Ayala get to keep all that money?
05:20No.
05:20She will have to pay taxes in the countries where she won the prizes, which can reach up to 30%.
05:25And like other tennis players, she pays her coaches and team salaries from her earnings.
05:31And that's today's wrap.
05:33I'm JC Gutinga.
05:35Click the link below for the full story.
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