00:00Beijing summons the Philippine ambassador to China over statements made by the Philippine
00:06Coast Guard spokesperson. Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste steps down from the board of directors
00:11of Terra Solar Philippines. Traffic in Metro Manila and Dava worsened in 2025 according to
00:17the latest TomTom traffic index. Chart-topping K-pop boy band BTS reveals the title of its highly
00:23anticipated new album. And U.S. President Donald Trump says he has secured total access to Greenland
00:29in a deal with NATO.
00:38China summons Philippine ambassador Jaime Flor Cruz on Thursday, January 22. This overstatement's
00:45made by Commodore Jay Tariela, the Philippine Coast Guard's spokesperson for the West Philippine
00:49Sea. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jakun says Tariela has made quote, inflammatory,
00:55confrontational, misleading, and baseless remarks against China on maritime issues.
00:59He adds, the Philippines must undo the negative impact of his remarks as soon as possible.
01:04The Chinese embassy most recently hit Tariela for a slide in a presentation he made at a university.
01:10Since late 2025, the Chinese embassy has been posting strong-worded reactions criticizing
01:14statements made by Philippine officials and agencies. In response, Tariela says quote,
01:19threatening a public servant for telling the truth will not intimidate us.
01:22Patonga's 1st District Representative, Leandro Leviste, resigns from the board of directors of
01:29Terra Solar Philippines. In a statement, MTERA announced that Leviste left the board on Wednesday,
01:34January 21, as part of a reorganization of its board of directors. This as the company prepares
01:40to inject power into the national grid from its flagship MTERA Solar project, the world's largest solar and
01:45battery storage facility. Leviste's exit from MTERA Solar, a subsidiary of SP New Energy Corporation,
01:51comes amid heightened scrutiny over his business empire. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin earlier called
01:57out Leviste over the conflict of interest surrounding his failure to divest from Solar Philippines before he
02:02was elected. Solar Philippines is the parent firm of SPNEC, which is seeking to rebrand as MGen Renewable
02:08Energy Holdings. Leviste claims there was no issue with his continued ownership of Solar Philippines,
02:13since it was declared in Isalen. Filipinos spent more time stuck in rush hour traffic in 2025 compared
02:21to the previous year, according to the latest TomTom traffic index. In Metro Manila, motorists lost an
02:27average of 143 hours or almost 6 whole days to traffic in 2025. The situation was worse in Davao City,
02:34where people spent 168 hours or more than 7 days in traffic. Both figures are longer compared to the 2024
02:41estimates. Out of almost 500 cities across 62 countries, Davao City ranked 12th among those
02:48with the worst traffic, while Metro Manila placed 40th. In a separate ranking for metropolitan areas,
02:53Davao City ranked 11th, while Metro Manila came in at 14th. Based on the report, the Philippines is the
02:59most congested country in Asia, followed by India and Singapore. Char-topping K-pop boy band BTS reveals the
03:07title of its highly anticipated new album, Arirang. Arirang is a traditional Korean folk song.
03:12BTS's agency Big Hit Music says the new album explores BTS's identity and roots. It adds,
03:18the band chose the title for its resonance with the members' current journey.
03:22The album spans a wide range of emotions, including love and longing, as it is also expected to be
03:27deeply personal yet universally relatable. BTS had been on hiatus since 2022, while each of its seven
03:33members undertook South Korea's mandatory military service. The group is set to embark on a global
03:37concert tour in April. This prompted fans, dubbed ARMY, to rush to secure tickets to the tour's
03:43opening shows on Thursday, January 22. The band's massive world tour in 2026 and 2027 spans 34 regions
03:50and 79 shows across the globe. US President Donald Trump says he has secured total and permanent US
03:58access to Greenland in a deal with NATO. News of the deal came as Trump backed off tariff threats
04:03against European allies and ruled out taking Greenland by force. But details of any agreement
04:08were unclear and Denmark insisted its sovereignty over the island was not up for discussion.
04:13Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Friedrich Nielsen welcomes Trump's comments but says he was still in
04:18the dark on many aspects. He adds, Greenland is willing to discuss and negotiate with the US,
04:23but sovereignty is, quote, a red line it is not willing to cross. A source familiar with the
04:28matter says Trump and NATO have agreed to update a 1951 agreement that governs US military access to
04:33the island. The source adds, the framework they discussed also calls for prohibiting Chinese
04:38and Russian investments in Greenland. And that's today's wrap. I'm JC Gutinga.
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