00:02NBI Director Melvin Matibag hopes Senator Bato de la Rosa would be arrested before the end of
00:07the year. The Senate Impeachment Court overrules the defense's objections over the prosecution's
00:13documentary evidence. Unemployment rose slightly to 5.4% in September 2026, with 2.86 million
00:22Filipinos jobless last month. A Department of Energy official says nuclear is an option for
00:28the Paxilica industrial hub. And Filipino tennis star Alex Ayala takes down courageous Antonia
00:35Rujic in the 2026 Hong Kong Tennis Open quarterfinals.
00:48The National Bureau of Investigation says it hopes Senator Bato de la Rosa would be arrested before
00:54the end of the year. Asked whether de la Rosa would be arrested before Christmas, NBI Director Melvin
00:59Matibag says, we hope so. The agency may soon launch operations in areas where de la Rosa may be
01:05hiding, based on intelligence reports. Matibag adds, with the information the NBI is getting,
01:12there is, quote, a great chance of de la Rosa's arrest. Matibag wouldn't confirm Interior Secretary
01:17John Vickrimulia's claim that de la Rosa is hiding in Mindanao and that a powerful armed group is
01:22protecting him. But Matibag says, the NBI strongly believes de la Rosa is still in the Philippines.
01:28The Interior Department is offering a 50 million peso reward for his arrest. De la Rosa has been
01:34out of the public eye since May when the International Criminal Court made public his arrest warrant for
01:39crimes against humanity. Along with former President Rodrigo Duterte, de la Rosa is accused of
01:45widespread murder, mostly carried out during the drug war. The Senate Impeachment Court overrules
01:53the defense's objections to the documentary evidence presented by the prosecution in Vice
01:58President Sarah Duterte's impeachment trial. This move allows the admission of most of the
02:03contested records subject to certain limitations. The court overrules the continuing objection over
02:09the non-attachment of exhibits and on their acquisition through subpoenas during trial.
02:14The defense challenged the admissibility of the subpoenaed documents, saying the records were
02:19obtained through a fishing expedition. The court adds the exhibits remained subject to tests of
02:25relevance and competence, as well as applicable confidentiality and authentication requirements.
02:30Article 2, which alleges Duterte amassed unexplained wealth, is the only remaining impeachment
02:36article against her, after the prosecution withdrew the three other articles.
02:42The Philippine Statistics Authority reports, unemployment rose slightly to 5.4% in September
02:482026, which means 2.86 million Filipinos were jobless last month. That's compared to 2.77 million
02:57Filipinos unemployed last August. The latest unemployment rate is much higher than September last year,
03:03which was at 3.8% when 1.96 million Filipinos were jobless. That increase represents some 909,000
03:12more unemployed Filipinos compared to this time last year. This means more Filipinos are joining
03:18the workforce than there are jobs being created. National statistician Dennis Mapa attributes the
03:24decline partly to slowing government construction projects and higher construction material costs.
03:29The PSA also reports a substantial drop in employment of clerical support workers, which includes the BPO industry.
03:39Department of Energy Director for Patrick Aquino says it is an option for the power-hungry
03:44Paxilica industrial hub to go nuclear. When asked whether a nuclear reactor could be located within the
03:52envisioned U.S.-backed development in Tarlac, he says,
03:55That's part of the discussions. Aquino says the U.S. has lined up studies on how to power the hub,
04:02but he could not confirm the amounts involved.
04:04For us, the mandate of the Department of Energy is to ensure that there are energy options regardless of
04:14the location. So it's just incidental in this case that it's nuclear.
04:18The government has been looking for ways to supply electricity to Paxilica without burdening surrounding
04:23communities. Once fully built, Paxilica could use an estimated 3,000 megawatts of power.
04:30Energy Secretary Sharon Garin has warned that the effect of drawing that much power from the grid itself
04:36would be too dangerous for the average consumer.
04:38But setting up a nuclear reactor comes with its own complications, as Aquino acknowledges that regulations
04:45governing small modular reactors and micromodular reactors have yet to be firmed up.
04:50Since nuclear is heavily regulated, we have to really defer to the regulatory body, Philatom,
04:56on the necessary licensing as to the site and its safe operation.
05:02Filipino tennis star Alex Iyala takes down Croatia's Antonia Rujic
05:06in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Hong Kong Tennis Open.
05:10Iyala will be moving on to the Open semifinals, going up against the winner of the match between
05:15Maria Sakari and Aleksandra Sasnovic.
05:18Just the previous night, Iyala also brushed off the threat of an extended match with a thrilling
05:236-4, 7-6 win against Czech rival Teresa Valentova.
05:28With the win, Iyala also cracks the coat on Valentova after the Czech star beat the Filipina
05:33in their two previous meetings.
05:37And that's today's wrap.
05:38I'm Gino Rabaya.
05:40Click the link below for the full story.
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