00:01Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez blames the executive branch for the budget corruption scandal.
00:07Scammers offer shipping companies safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for cryptocurrency.
00:13The Energy Department says the country will receive two diesel shipments this week.
00:17Former Senator Manny Villar and his family deny charges of insider trading, stock market manipulation, and other securities code violations.
00:25And Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala steps down as Globe Telecom's chairman after nearly 30 years.
00:39Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez points fingers at the branch of government led by his cousin President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
00:46for the budget scandal that rocked the Philippines since last year.
00:49Romualdez also denies masterminding the supposed kickback scheme.
00:52If corruption were to occur in a magnitude may known to us over the past months, then it's clear that
00:59the real corruption does not happen at the level of the general legislative approval alone.
01:04It happens at the level of execution of the General Appropriations Act.
01:09It happens when projects are implemented.
01:12Romualdez also insists he had no hand in deliberations of the small committee, a small group of lawmakers that handled
01:18budget amendments.
01:18But Romualdez identifies former Senate President Cheese Escudero and his former close ally, fugitive and former Congressman Zaldico, as the
01:26two people who were instrumental in making those budget decisions.
01:30Meantime, the Ombudsman asks the Sandigan Bayan to issue a precautionary whole departure order against Romualdez.
01:36The anti-graft court has yet to grant the request.
01:39Romualdez is scheduled to fly to Singapore for what he calls a long-overdue follow-up to his angioplasty surgery.
01:45But if it were up to Ombudsman Boing Remulya, the Congressman should be prevented from leaving the country.
01:49There is no legal basis to stop Romualdez from traveling abroad as no court has issued a whole departure order.
01:58Greek maritime risk management firm Marisk warns shipping companies have received fraudulent messages offering safe passage through the Strait of
02:05Hormuz in exchange for cryptocurrency.
02:07The messages targeted vessels stranded west of the waterway.
02:11It warns ship owners unknown actors posing as Iranian authorities are demanding transit fees in cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin and Tether,
02:19in exchange for clearance.
02:21Marisk believes at least one of the vessels which tried to exit the Strait on Saturday and was hit by
02:26gunfire was a victim of the fraud.
02:28Reuters was not able to verify the information or track companies that had received the messages.
02:33Meantime, a senior Iranian official tells Reuters Iran is considering attending peace talks with the US on Monday, April 20.
02:40This comes after Tehran's rejection of peace efforts due to the US blockade of Iran's ports.
02:45The senior Iranian official says Tehran is positively reviewing its participation in the process but no decision has been made.
02:53The official adds Mediator Pakistan is lobbying for Washington to end its blockade and ensure Iran's participation.
02:59The US was hoping to start negotiations in Pakistan shortly before the ceasefire expires on Tuesday.
03:07The Energy Department announces the country will receive two diesel shipments containing around 600,000 barrels within the week from
03:13Singapore.
03:14The Philippine National Oil Company procures diesel shipments under the government's Emergency Energy Security Programme.
03:21The average daily demand for diesel is around 205,000 barrels.
03:25The two shipments will add roughly three days to the country's supply.
03:28DOE Undersecretary Alessandro Sales also says the PNOC confirmed the procurement of 21,000 metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas
03:37or LPG.
03:38This will be sourced from the United States and will pass through Singapore.
03:42As of Friday, April 17, the country's inventory of LPG was expected to last a little over 40 days.
03:48The country's total fuel inventory can last up to a little more than 52 days, slightly higher than the previous
03:54week's little over 50 days.
03:57Former Senator and billionaire Manny Villar and his family deny charges of insider trading, stock market manipulation, and other securities
04:05code violations.
04:07The Securities and Exchange Commission filed the charges against Villar and his family on January 30.
04:12Villar's children, Senators Mark and Camille with their brother Paulo, personally submit their counter-affidavits to the Department of Justice
04:19on Monday.
04:19Meanwhile, property tycoon Manny and wife Cynthia, both former Senators, did not appear but are represented by their councils.
04:27They submit a verified motion and manifestation to dismiss the SEC complaint instead of a counter-affidavit.
04:33The SEC complaint centers on Villar land's public release of its 2024 financial statements.
04:38It reported a dramatic surge in total assets amounting to 1.33 trillion pesos and a net income of nearly
04:451 trillion pesos.
04:47These figures stunned the market and triggered sharp movements in the company's share price.
04:52The Villar patriarch is the Philippines' third richest individual and the former Senate President and House Speaker.
04:58He said in February that Villar land has consistently upheld the highest standards of good corporate governance.
05:06Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala steps down as Globe Telecom's chairman after nearly 30 years in service.
05:12Globe announces Zobel's departure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday, April 21.
05:17The telco giant also discloses that it elected Cesar Consing to replace Zobel as the company's chairman.
05:24Consing also serves as president and chief executive officer of Globe's parent firm, Ayala Corporation.
05:29While Globe has not disclosed the reason for Zobel's departure, the Ayala-owned telco described him as the architect of
05:35its evolution from a cable company to a digital telco.
05:38Zobel, often referred to by his initials JAZA, served as the chairman of Globe since 1996 and director since 1989.
05:46Despite his departure, the company says Zobel will continue to support the telco as chairman of Asiacom Philippines Inc.
05:53Meantime, Zobel continues to chair several firms under his family corporation including BPI, Ayala Land, and Ayala Corporation.
06:02And that's today's wrap. I'm JC Gutinga. Thank you for watching. Click the link below for the full story. For
06:08more updates, download the Rappler app.
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