00:02Good evening everyone, you're watching PTV News Now.
00:05Ayes Martinez here delivering you the nation's biggest development.
00:09Just as we unveil the stories that matter, our top story for tonight.
00:14Sandigan Bayan 6th Division has declared former and Ako Biko representative Zaldico a fugitive from justice,
00:20officially branding him as someone who has run afoul of the law and taken to his heels.
00:25This came after the court partially granted the prosecution's urgent ex-party motion.
00:31Because of this, Ko can no longer call on the court's protection, have a seat at the table,
00:37or stay in the loop regarding his malversation case until he turns himself in and faces the music.
00:43In short, he can't dodge the law and still expect the court to bend over backward for him.
00:48However, the court refused to strike from the record the documents filed by Ko's lawyers,
00:53meaning those papers will stay in the books.
00:56The case stems from an alleged ghost law control project in Nauhan, Oriental, Mindoro,
01:01placing Ko and nine DPWH Mimaropa officials in the legal hot seat.
01:08Police Colonel Hector Gyalde Jr. and retired Police Master Sergeant Jesus Bato Balonos are now in hot water,
01:16facing draft charges for allegedly turning police officers into construction workers
01:21to build a private structure on government-owned land in Cebu City.
01:26Based on the charge sheet filed before the Sandigan Bayan 4th Division,
01:29the two then assigned to the Regional Mobile Force Battalion allegedly pulled rank and called the shots,
01:36ordering around 51 police personnel to swap their uniforms for hard hats from August 2019 to April 2020.
01:45Prosecutors say they used their positions to make their subordinates toe the line.
01:50The case was filed in August 2025 with the alleged damage to the government pegged at over 9.4 million
01:57pesos,
01:58leaving taxpayers to put the bill.
02:00Gyalde appeared in court today for the ongoing hearings of the case.
02:04Both he and Bato Balonos have since posted bail.
02:10The ravages of climate change and the outbreak of the Russian war against Ukraine in late February 2022
02:16are the key events that led to the breakup of the Arctic Council
02:21and the multinational race for control of one of the most inhospitable places on the planet.
02:26With the Kremlin having established greater presence and expressing to pursue its territorial claims,
02:32the United States has joined the bandwagon seeking a piece of the commercial and geopolitical action
02:38by way of firm stranglehold and control of Greenland.
02:42This VOA feature explains the rising tensions in the Arctic over the last several years
02:48and America's strategy by playing the Greenland card.
02:54Despite being one of Earth's coldest and least populated regions,
02:58the Arctic is quickly becoming a key focus for the United States and other regional powers.
03:03Eight nations hold territory north of the Arctic Circle.
03:06Canada, Russia, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the United States.
03:15Since 1996, these governments have participated in the Arctic Council Forum,
03:20along with representatives of indigenous groups like the Sami, Inuit, and Chukchi
03:26to promote scientific research and environmental conservation.
03:30However, since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine,
03:35other Arctic governments have suspended cooperation with Moscow.
03:39The tension comes at a time when melting ice due to climate change
03:43is turning the Arctic into a zone of commercial and geopolitical competition,
03:47opening new shipping routes while making fossil fuel and mineral deposits more accessible.
03:52Russia controls most of the Arctic coastline
03:55and has built up military infrastructure while expanding its territorial claims.
04:01Maritime disputes also persist,
04:04despite the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
04:07Both Canada and Russia claim that parts of the new shipping routes pass through their territorial
04:12waters, while the United States has yet to ratify the UN's maritime treaty.
04:17Outside powers are also pressing claims, as China has declared itself a near-Arctic state,
04:23partnering with Arctic governments to invest in infrastructure and research.
04:27Given the increased Russian and Chinese presence,
04:30Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark,
04:34is considered key to America's Arctic strategy.
04:38The island already contains a U.S. military base
04:41and has recently seen further military buildup from Denmark.
04:44As the region heats up, both literally and politically,
04:48the contest for Arctic influence is only beginning.
04:55Join us a new tomorrow evening for another round of stories here and abroad breaking at the hour.
05:01And always remember to stay connected by catching the news right here.
05:04This has been Ice Martinez, wishing you all a warm and restful evening.
05:08And thank you for watching PTV News Now.
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