00:00State auditors flag the National Irrigation Administration for lapses in its procurement processes.
00:07The Philippines and China hold bilateral talks about maritime issues in the South China Sea.
00:12Newly installed MMDA General Manager Nicolas Tore proposes opening the EDSA busway for carpooling.
00:18SB19 releases a live recording of racks from its 2025 Philippine Arena Concert.
00:24And Alex Ayala exits the inaugural Philippine Women's Open in the quarterfinals.
00:29State auditors flagged the National Irrigation Administration for awarding nearly 300 projects worth 16.7 billion pesos in 2024 to unqualified contractors.
00:47The Commission on Audit says several NIA offices failed to follow the Government Procurement Reform Act and its 2016 revised rules.
00:55Citing deficiencies across several stages of the procurement process from detailed engineering and pre-bid activities to post-qualification checks.
01:03The projects were distributed across the NIA central, regional, and project management offices nationwide, with the largest shares in Northern Mindanao, Cataw, and Numeropa.
01:13The report also noted inconsistencies in procurement documents, financial submissions, and the lack of independent observers during bidding in some regions.
01:23NIA says it has directed its offices to address the findings, ensure full documentation, and exercise greater diligence in evaluating bidders.
01:31The Philippines and China met bilaterally on Thursday, January 29, to talk about maritime issues in the South China Sea.
01:41The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN senior officials' meeting on the implementation of the Declaration on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
01:49Representing Manila was Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Leo Herrera-Lim, while the Chinese delegation was led by Ho Yanqi, Director General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
02:02In separate statements, both sides acknowledge the importance of dialogue and cooperation between the two countries.
02:08The meeting comes after weeks of heated exchanges between the Chinese embassy and several Philippine government officials and institutions.
02:16Some Philippine legislators are eyeing having some Chinese envoys declared persona non grata.
02:23Newly installed Metro Manila Development Authority General Manager Nicolas Torre proposes opening the EDSA busway to other high-occupancy vehicles.
02:32In a television interview aired on Tuesday, January 27, Torre floated the idea, which he says could encourage Filipinos to carpool and ease congestion.
02:41This isn't the first time the idea has surfaced.
02:44MMDA chairman Don Artes once floated a similar plan to turn the busway into a high-occupancy vehicle lane for cars with three to four passengers.
02:53The Department of Transportation, however, opposed Torre's suggestion.
02:57In a statement, the DOTR says the busway was designed to move more people, not more cars.
03:03It adds, quote,
03:04Any move to open this lane to private vehicles, even under the guise of carpooling, will inevitably slow down bus operations.
03:12Metro Manila ranks 14th worldwide among metro areas with the worst traffic according to the 2025 TomTom Traffic Index.
03:19Multi-awarded T-pop group SP-19 releases simula at wakas K-pop concert album on Friday, January 30.
03:29The album is a live recording of tracks from their two-day concert at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan on May 31 and June 1, 2025.
03:50It was mixed and remastered by Rad Kids with live arrangements by Jem Torendo.
03:55The album features 19 tracks with songs from albums Simula at Wakas, Pagtatag, and Pagsibol.
04:01The live version of SB-19's collab song Moonlight is a favorite among the members.
04:06The group says, quote,
04:08Made up of Pablo, Stel, Josh, Justin, and Ken, SB-19 is set to hold the concert finale on April 18 at the SMDC Festival Grounds with tickets expected to go on sale in February 2026.
04:27Alex Ayala falls flat in her bid to rule the inaugural Filipino Women's Open after losing to Colombia's Camila Osorio in the quarterfinals.
04:38Osorio, who is ruled number 84, lived up to her billing as a more accomplished player, having three WTA Tour titles already under her belt.
04:47Ayala led 3-2 in the first and second sets but lost the upper hand on both occasions, ending with a 6-4-6-4 loss.
04:54Despite her loss, she exits the tournament somehow gratified knowing she has brought the sport closer to Filipinos.
05:00She now turns her focus to a bigger WTA 500 event, the Abu Dhabi Open, beginning Sunday, February 1.
05:07And that's today's wrap, I'm Juna Reyes, thank you for watching.
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