00:01The government announces financial aid to 7.5 million households as the Middle East crisis
00:06continues to affect the country. The Philippines and 13 other countries call on China to abide by
00:12the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea on its 10th anniversary. The Supreme Court dismisses
00:18a petition to sanction critics of its ruling that stopped last year's impeachment of Vice President
00:23Sara Duterte. Students at Manila Science High School participate in the country's first-ever
00:28active shooter drill led by the Department of Education. And U.S. Defense Secretary Pete
00:34Hegseth announces mandatory annual testosterone screenings for troops 30 years and older.
00:47The government will give financial aid to 7.5 million households as the country continues to
00:53be affected by the Middle East crisis. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says this expands the
00:59coverage of UPLIFT or the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport Program.
01:04It will include beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps and the
01:09Walang Gutong Program. It will also include some 2.5 million poor and near-poor households identified
01:16through the 2024 community-based monitoring system and some 1.5 million low-income workers and their
01:22families validated through the social security system. All in all, around 37.5 million individuals
01:28are expected to benefit. The DSWD will lead the rollout, but it has yet to say when.
01:34Asked about plans to assist the middle class, Pala spokesperson Claire Castro says the government
01:39is focusing on the most affected sectors as budget is limited.
01:44The Philippines and 13 other countries call on China to abide by the 2016 arbitral award on the
01:49South China Sea on its 10th anniversary. This as China continues to reject the awards even if it is
01:55considered final and binding. Joining the Philippines in this call are Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany,
02:02Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, Slovenia, United Kingdom, and the US.
02:09They express strong opposition to quote any destabilizing or unilateral actions including by force
02:15or coercion, the threat in peace and stability in the region. On July 12, 2016, an arbitral tribunal
02:22constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea handed down an award that affirmed
02:27the integrity of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea, part of the larger
02:31South China Sea. Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe highlights the importance of the award as she speaks
02:38at the DFA's event to mark the anniversary. When we speak of enduring protection, we should see
02:44faces. The fisherman, the coastal family, the child whose food security was litigated in the hay without her
02:55ever knowing it. She pays tribute to maritime agencies who patrol the West Philippine Sea and diplomats who
03:02filed protests against China's aggression.
03:04The Philippines asks of the law only what it gives. We claimed our rights and in the same breath
03:12honored everyone else's. That is the conduct of a state that believes in the system it invoked.
03:22The Supreme Court dismisses a petition that sought to punish criticism of its own decision to stop last
03:27year's impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte. The court on bank unanimously junks the indirect
03:33contempts petition against Takvayan Representative Percy Sendanya and political analyst Richard
03:37Heydarian. It was filed by Duterte-allied lawyers Mark Tolentino and Rolex Suplico.
03:42The High Court also dismisses lawyer Ferdinand Topacio's petition against presidential advisor on
03:47poverty alleviation Larry Gadon. Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Marvick Leonin writes the decision,
03:53dismissing the petition for lack of merit. The case stemmed from separate commentaries by
03:58Sendanya, Gadon, and Heydarian on the High Court's ruling from July 2025.
04:05Students at Manila Science High School participate in the country's first-ever active shooter drill led by
04:11the Department of Education Wednesday, July 15. It's part of efforts to stop violence in schools in
04:16reaction to the deadly shooting at a school in Tacloban City on June 22. More than 1,700 students
04:23from grades 7 to 12 and their teachers observe the run-hide-fight protocol during a staged active
04:29shooter attack.
04:38Police assist in the drill and simulate apprehending the assailant. Education Secretary Sonia Angara observes the
04:44exercise.
04:45We will do it as often as we can because we need to repeat that.
04:50U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announces Wednesday, July 15 mandatory annual testosterone
04:55screenings for troops 30 years and older. He says the initiative is aimed at combating
05:00testosterone deficiency that can undermine their health.
05:03Ensuring you have the right testosterone levels to operate at your absolute best.
05:09If diagnosed with low testosterone levels, troops can opt for any recommended hormone
05:14replacement treatment. Troops younger than 30 may request to be tested.
05:18This comes as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services moves to ease some restrictions
05:23on testosterone replacement therapies, including seeking to remove limits on use by men with
05:27age-related low testosterone. The announcement triggers backlash from opposition Democrats.
05:33Some call the move gender-affirming care, a concept shunned by U.S. President Donald Trump
05:38and many of his supporters.
05:41And that's today's wrap. I'm Julian Cirineo. Thank you for watching. Click the link below
05:45for the full story. For more updates, download the Rappler app.
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