00:00Good evening everyone, you're watching PTV News Now.
00:04Patrick Dezos here delivering you the nation's biggest development.
00:08Join us as we unveil the stories that matter.
00:12Our top story tonight.
00:14President Ferdinand R. Marcus Jr. has put port congestion on the front burner,
00:19directing agencies to smooth out traffic at Manila South Harbor and MICT.
00:25The panel said the President is keeping his finger on the pulse,
00:30coordinating closely with the Bureau of Customs or VOC to quickly tackle any bottlenecks.
00:35Current data shows yard utilization remains below 90%,
00:40with port operators still having room to keep cargo moving without hitting a snag.
00:45The VOC is pulling out all the stops, implementing new measures and regular check-ins,
00:51with shipping lines to ensure port operations run like clockwork, even during peak seasons.
00:59Edsa People Power Revolution remains a landmark moment in Philippine history,
01:05marking the brave stand of Filipinos against tyranny.
01:08The palisade of the courage and resolve shown during the peaceful uprising
01:12from February 22 to 25, 1986 can be wiped off the records.
01:19This year, the 40th anniversary is being observed as a special working day
01:24with discussions on making February 25 a regular holiday still on the table.
01:30The event serves as a reminder that history doesn't sleep,
01:34and courage leaves a mark.
01:37It's part of the history.
01:40Hindi ito mabubura.
01:42Hindi mabubura kung anong naganap noon.
01:44Ang katapangan ng mga Pilipino,
01:47ang pagtanggap sa pangyayari,
01:49hindi po yan mabubura sa history.
01:54Sub-6 million Ukrainians fled the homeland for safety
01:58and to start a new somewhere else on the planet.
02:01VOA's Edisha Bakalets reports on ginned up efforts
02:05to bring back those who left in the face of growing skepticism
02:09that more than half will never come back.
02:14This is what the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut looked like
02:18before it was occupied by the Russian army in spring 2023.
02:23Halina Grahnov fled the city with her family
02:25at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion the year before.
02:28Now she says she had nowhere to return to.
02:33In October 2022, I saw a video online from the city
02:37and recognized my apartment.
02:39The corner of my daughter's bedroom was still there.
02:42The table was even standing on a monitor on the table.
02:46But everything else was destroyed.
02:49Grahnov has been living in Poland with her family for a third year.
02:53She says she is unlikely to come back to Ukraine.
02:58I improved my Polish, passed the state exam at level B1,
03:02took Polish accounting courses.
03:03My daughter entered a university.
03:05Therefore, most likely, we will stay here.
03:09Most Ukrainians who fled the war share Grahnov's view,
03:12says Glyb Vyshlynsky, executive director
03:15of the Center for Economic Strategy
03:17and Non-Governmental Research Organization in Kyiv.
03:22We did a survey at the end of 2022
03:25and found more than 50% of Ukrainian refugees
03:29had a clear intention to return.
03:31Now this has dropped to around 20%.
03:35Lack of security is one of the main factors,
03:37Vyshlynsky says.
03:38Margarita Sitnik is a co-founder of the advocacy group Golka.
03:43She says other obstacles include the lack of work and housing.
03:50Whether there will be infrastructure,
03:53a school or prospects for children,
03:55these are huge factors that will influence the decisions
03:58to return or stay abroad.
04:01Sitnik lived and worked in Poland for seven years,
04:04but when the war broke out,
04:06she decided to return to Ukraine.
04:09As a person with migrant experience,
04:11I understand the fears and pains of those people.
04:14According to the Center for Economic Strategy,
04:1780% of Ukrainian refugees work in jobs
04:20that require lower qualifications than they have.
04:23Migration policy expert Andrey Gajducki believes
04:26many will naturally want to restore their status
04:29and choose to return once there is peace
04:31and conditions are favorable,
04:33something Ukraine's government will need to figure out.
04:39Let the state create conditions
04:41for business development here.
04:43An employer will hire a Ukrainian refugee
04:46who has returned,
04:47providing him an opportunity to work here
04:50and earn rent for housing.
04:52It also unclear whether those who have been forced
04:55to stay in Ukraine during the war
04:57will remain after the conflict ends.
05:01According to the survey,
05:03after the borders are open,
05:04every fifth Ukrainian may leave.
05:06So it is worth considering the conditions
05:09in which Ukrainians who are experiencing
05:11a full-scale invasion
05:12on the territory of Ukraine will live.
05:16The United Nations says
05:17there are about 7 million Ukrainian refugees globally,
05:20nearly one-sixth of the country's pre-war population.
05:24Lysia Bakalets, VU News, Kyiv.
05:30Join us on you tomorrow evening
05:32for another round of stories
05:34here and abroad,
05:35breaking at the hour.
05:37And always remember to stay connected
05:39by catching the news right here.
05:41This is Patrick Jesus.
05:43Wishing you all a cool and restful evening
05:45and thank you for watching
05:47BTV News Now.
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