00:01Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte undergoes pre-trial proceedings in absentia
00:07at the International Criminal Court. Progressive groups will mark the 40th anniversary of the
00:12People Power Revolution with separate programs after unity talks fail.
00:17Filipinos joke about a new political ship after President Marcos visited Naga City Mayor Lenny
00:22Robredo to discuss flood control solutions. An abandoned baby monkey finds comfort in an
00:27unlikely companion, a stuffed orangutan toy. And Alex Ayala reaches a new career high as world number 31.
00:42Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte undergoes pre-trial proceedings in absentia at
00:47The Hague on Monday, February 23, Manila time. International Criminal Court Deputy Prosecutor
00:53Mandiaye Niang delivers the prosecution's opening statement.
00:56Today marks an important day for international justice, for the people of the Philippines,
01:07for the victims, and for this court. It is also a reminder that those in power are not above the
01:22law.
01:22Niang also says Duterte is criminally responsible for crimes against humanity of murder and attempted
01:28murder. The ICC Deputy Prosecutor also reads out Duterte's public statements to show his
01:34quote, criminal plan and his intent were no secret. Filipino lawyer Joel Butuyan, who represents the
01:40victims' families, warns the ICC pre-trial chamber that if the charges against Duterte would not be
01:45confirmed the virus of impunity would continue to spread in the Philippines.
01:50Mr. Duterte has created clones of himself. He converted millions of peace-loving citizens into bloodthirsty disciples who have become
02:02converts to the belief that violence and killings are valid solutions to societal problems.
02:10Your Honours, there is only one solution to stop the impunity propagated by Mr. Duterte from continuing to bring harm
02:20and suffering to the victims.
02:22And that is for this Honorable Chamber to confirm the charges so that witnesses can testify and evidence can be
02:31presented on the horrible crimes committed by Mr. Duterte.
02:35The testimonies and evidence presented will inoculate these mini Dutertes from the virus of impunity that has infected them.
02:45Many of these mini Dutertes or Duterte clones are actually victims of massive doses of fake news widely circulated online.
02:56They need to be vaccinated with the truth. Truth is the antidote to the virus of impunity, Your Honours.
03:05The victims dread a future where charges are not confirmed in this case.
03:09It will mean that the virus of impunity will continue to spread and infect many more.
03:17Victims fear that Duterte clones will become an even bigger group that can elect another apostle of impunity as the
03:26Philippines' next leader.
03:28Imagine a leader like Mr. Duterte who proudly and publicly proclaimed his aspirations of following the footsteps of Adolf Hitler
03:38when he said,
03:41Hitler massacred 3 million Jews. Now there are 3 million drug addicts. I'd be happy to slaughter them.
03:49And yet, he is idolized by a multitude of Filipinos.
03:54The defense will claim that he was merely bombastic and acerbic when he made these statements.
04:00But if he were merely being pompous and flippant, the people who were killed should be alive and laughing today
04:08at his supposed pranks and stunts.
04:12Duterte's lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, also delivers a bombastic opening speech for the defense, heavily borrowing from the diehard Duterte supporter's
04:19playbook.
04:20Kaufman says the charges against his client are politically motivated, claiming the media and civil society are complicit in building
04:26that image.
04:27Your Honours, over the next few days, we hope to convince you of the wholly insufficient nature of the evidence
04:33against Rodrigo Duterte.
04:35We will show you that the paltry number of speeches on which the prosecution rely do not manifest criminal intent.
04:43We will also convince you that as hard as they tried, the prosecution's investigators couldn't get even one of its
04:51criminal cooperating witnesses,
04:53whose reliability is next to zero, to admit that they heard the former president, Rodrigo Duterte, give an order to
05:01kill at any time relevant to the charges or with respect to any of the incidents.
05:06And we hope that when you conclude your deliberations, Your Honours, that you will dismiss these grievously misplaced and politically
05:15motivated charges.
05:17We will ask you to send Rodrigo Duterte back to his family, and we will ask you to give back
05:25to the Filipino people their tatay digong.
05:31Progressive groups will mark the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on Wednesday, February 25,
05:37but they will hold separate programs after talks to coordinate actions failed.
05:41Bagong Allianz ng Makabayan President Renato Reyes says,
05:44attempts to unite with the Trillion Peso March movement failed despite two meetings earlier this month.
05:49As a result, different protest actions will proceed separately even if they end up in the same general area along
05:55EDSA.
05:55The Trillion Peso March movement will hold its program at the People Power Monument, while Bayan will gather at the
06:01EDSA Shrine.
06:02The lack of unity stems from disagreements over political demands and protest plans.
06:07In a Facebook post, Trillion Peso March movement convener Francis D. said their protest will focus on calls to jail
06:12corrupt officials,
06:13pass an anti-dynasty law, and strengthen anti-corruption measures.
06:17Meanwhile, Bayan is calling for the resignation of both President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, among other
06:23demands.
06:26Filipinos discover a new ship to make fun of after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s visit to Mayor Lenny Robredo
06:32to discuss solutions to flooding problems in Naga City and the rest of Camarines Sur.
06:36The highly publicized meeting between the two former rivals sparked jokes, memes, and opinions online
06:42about a potential pink-red political partnership, nicknamed by some as UniPink.
06:46The most political thing that we did today, I wore my pink socks.
06:53My pink socks in honor of Mayor Lenny.
06:56The pink socks fueled online speculation about possible overtures to the pink political camp ahead of the 2028 elections,
07:02especially after his spokesperson also wore pink in a recent presser.
07:06Despite Marcos' insistence that there was no political meaning behind a Naga handshake,
07:11Filipinos spent Saturday, February 21, speculating about possible political implications.
07:18At a zoo outside Tokyo, the monkey enclosure has become a popular attraction because of an unlikely pair.
07:24Punch, a baby Japanese macaque, and his stuffed orangutan toy.
07:28Punch's mother abandoned him when he was born seven months ago.
07:31A visitor noticed an alerted zoo staff who quickly stepped in to help.
07:35A zookeeper says,
07:37Japanese baby macaques usually cling to their mothers to build muscle strength and feel secure,
07:41so Punch needed quick intervention.
07:43The keepers tried different substitutes, including rolled-up towels and other stuffed toys,
07:48before finally choosing the orange, bug-eyed stuffed orangutan.
07:51Since then, Punch has rarely been seen without the toy,
07:54dragging the cuddly orangutan around even though it is bigger than him.
07:58His zookeeper adds he is steadily integrating with other monkeys,
08:01and there will come a day when he no longer needs his stuffed toy.
08:06Filipina tennis star Alex Ayala rises to a new career-high number 31
08:10in the latest WTA rankings released Monday, February 23,
08:14this after her quarterfinals run in the Dubai Tennis Championships.
08:17Ayala advanced to the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 tournament for the second time in her career.
08:23In Dubai, Ayala beat Hailey Baptiste in a walkover in the round of 64,
08:27upset world number 7 Jasmine Paulini in the round of 32,
08:30and defeated Sorana Kirstie in the round of 16.
08:34That set up a quarterfinal clash with two-time Grand Slam champion and world number 4 Coco Gauff,
08:39who dominated Ayala.
08:40Gauff thanks Ayala for bringing a new demographic to the sport,
08:43as she attracts huge crowds to the tournaments.
08:46Players like 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic
08:49described packed stadiums as a good problem.
08:52Gauff says,
08:53I know sometimes it's tough when you're playing against a home crowd,
08:56but I think that it's great for the sport,
08:58so keep being enthusiastic and keep rooting for your player.
09:01She shares her secret to not being affected by Ayala's fans.
09:04Whenever you guys are cheering for Alex, I was pretending that it was my name.
09:07I think that it helped me a lot.
09:09If you can't beat them, you've got to join them.
09:11Ayala heads to the United States next to compete in the prestigious Indian Wells Open.
09:17And that's today's wrap.
09:19I'm JC Gutinga.
09:21Click the link below for the full story.
09:22For more updates, download the Rappler app.
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