PBBM all set for his trip to Japan for ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit
PBBM all set for his trip to Japan for ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit;
Hong Kong's latest city district elections draw lowest voter turnout;
U.S. rejects UN Security Council resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
Hong Kong's latest city district elections draw lowest voter turnout;
U.S. rejects UN Security Council resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
Transcript
00:00 Nightly greetings one and all.
00:01 William Theo here, homegrown and happy to be bringing you events breaking late all over
00:06 the planet.
00:08 And we begin tonight's breakers with the President's last foreign trip of the year.
00:13 A little over a month ago, Japanese Premier Fumio Kishida paid a truly historic visit
00:18 to the country to renew security ties, assure funding for projects left in the lurch by
00:23 an apparent Chinese decision to renege on its financing commitments and to check on
00:29 the Philippine subway project primarily bankrolled by Japan through its official development
00:35 assistance program.
00:36 And so on Friday, the President just recovered from his week-long isolation.
00:40 Recovery treatment from COVID-19 Omicron exposure is set to fly to the Sakura State to celebrate
00:48 a special ASEAN-Japan hookup that turns gold on Friday.
00:53 A trip confirmation announced earlier today in a palace briefing by Foreign Affairs Assistant
00:57 Secretary Daniel Espiritu who said the President is definitely set to leave for Japan on Friday,
01:04 December 15.
01:05 Espiritu said the President is likely to have a bilateral huddle with Kishida to dwell on
01:11 the latest developments obtaining in the Southeast Asia region, especially China's latest bullying
01:18 and harassive tactics in the West Philippine Sea.
01:22 The summit is on Sunday, the 17th, and will cover youth and student exchange, cultural
01:28 and sports joint endeavor, supply chain issues, connectivity and infrastructure, food and
01:33 energy security, and climate change.
01:38 Hong Kong's first district elections for patriots yielded a 27.5 percent voter turnout, the
01:44 government announced earlier today.
01:47 It was the lowest ever turnout for such polls that this year simply shut out all opposition
01:53 candidates from joining.
01:54 The last city district elections held in 2019, prior to the pandemic and at the peak of the
01:59 massive democratic protests, drew a voter turnout north of 70 percent that yielded an
02:07 electoral landslide victory for the democracy protesters.
02:10 Today's deflating voter turnout confirms voter disappointment and despair on Hong Kong's
02:15 electoral exercises and how over seven of ten individuals made a statement of how the
02:21 polls do not factor in the government's belief that the status quo is quite okay.
02:27 Over 70 percent of candidates who joined today's electoral exercises came from the nominating
02:32 committees.
02:33 Three members of the League of Social Democrats, one of the last remaining opposition groups,
02:38 said they planned to stage protests but were immediately arrested even before they could
02:43 show up for the said event.
02:47 A little over 18,000 in casualties, more than 7,000 of which are kids, 46,000 wounded, and
02:54 1.9 million Palestinians displaced with no let-up in the bombing and artillery fire on
03:00 the ground.
03:02 And so a United Nations resolution calling for a unconditional ceasefire, which just
03:07 about every country supported, was deep-sixed by the United States, rejecting a ceasefire
03:12 on the Israel's war.
03:14 Then again, Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to wiggle his way out of the vine by
03:19 explaining the necessity to not let up on the pounding of Gaza, as VOA's Veronica
03:26 Balderas Iglesias reports.
03:30 More forcefully with intensity.
03:33 That's how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Sunday the advances of
03:38 his troops in Gaza.
03:41 In order to achieve all our goals, the elimination of Hamas, the return of all our abductees
03:47 and the promise that Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel.
03:55 Netanyahu also thanked the United States for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution last
04:01 week that would have called for an immediate ceasefire.
04:06 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken explained the decision when interviewed Sunday on ABC's
04:11 This Week Show.
04:12 With Hamas still alive, still intact, and again, with the stated intent of repeating
04:18 October 7th again and again and again, that would simply perpetuate the problem.
04:23 As Blinken stressed the importance of providing Israel the support and weapons it needs to
04:27 defend itself, he made it clear it is not without conditions.
04:32 Those rules apply to Israel as they do to any other country, including the way they're
04:36 used and the need, the imperative of respecting international humanitarian law.
04:42 But as the civilian death toll continues to rise in Gaza, the United States' stance has
04:48 been strongly criticized at the Doha Forum, which is held every year to discuss world
04:54 challenges.
04:55 It's not up to Israel only.
04:57 It is those who have given.
04:59 Those who have given.
05:01 The Israel is the greenest of the green light to continue killing the Palestinians.
05:06 In the United States, we had a very blunt conversation with Secretary Blinken.
05:11 All of us, the Arab and Muslim delegation, were very clear our priorities are set.
05:18 Stop the aggression, allow sufficient humanitarian supplies into all parts of Gaza, ensure protection
05:25 of civilians.
05:26 U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, also a forum participant, said he'll continue appealing
05:33 for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared.
05:37 And from Geneva, the chief of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,
05:42 warned about the impact the war is having on the health environment in the Gaza Strip.
05:47 As more and more people move to a smaller and smaller area, overcrowding combined with
05:55 the lack of adequate food, water, shelter and sanitation are creating the ideal conditions
06:03 for disease to spread.
06:05 He noted his organization has deployed teams to support health workers on the ground who
06:11 are physically and mentally exhausted.
06:16 Veronica Valdez de las Iglesias, VOA News, Washington.
06:23 And now we turn to our colleague in our Pine City studios for the latest brewing in the
06:29 Cordilleras.
06:30 Eddie?
06:31 Good evening, Philippines.
06:32 On arrival of the municipal and provincial SKA Federation presidents of the Philippines,
06:38 the National Youth Convention 2023 was held in Baguio City.
06:46 This was organized by the National Youth Commission, which is responsible for organizing the program
06:52 for the youth.
06:53 The activities are organized by the SKA leaders to improve the effectiveness of local and
07:00 national development.
07:01 Senator Amy Marcos served as guest of honor.
07:04 After the activities, she is the administrator of the office of the SKA national representatives.
07:12 And she is the first senator to participate in the national policy making.
07:19 We have a menu, we will agree on the menu of projects and programs that can be focused
07:28 on, that have to do with work, education, mental health, and teenage pregnancy.
07:34 I hope the mandate of our SKA and NYC will be restored.
07:41 The Department of Education of Cordilleras, the partners and stakeholders of the committee
07:47 of the Ministry of Education, will be the ones to discuss the quality of education of the youth.
07:53 The 2023 Education Stakeholders Forum was organized by Director Estela Carino, the head of the
08:02 stakeholders of the sector of education, to discuss the needs of the youth and to help
08:09 in the financial aspect of the Psychosocial Training of the learners.
08:15 Depedcar has a list of more than 2,500 partners and individuals who can help.
08:25 Depedcar also has a list of more than 64 million stakeholders who can help in the school year
08:33 2023-2024.
08:35 The Cordilleras are also organizing a meeting to discuss the needs of the 421,000 learners
08:45 in the region.
08:48 All stakeholders are important because we all know that the teachers are not enough,
08:55 we are not enough, and so we really need the community.
09:01 So it takes a village to educate a child.
09:06 Thank you, Eddie.
09:08 And that's a wrap for tonight's show.
09:11 We look forward to you joining us tomorrow, same time, same place, on your dial, remote
09:18 or browser.
09:19 And always keep in mind to work hard, dream big, give thanks, spread the love while you
09:25 catch the next show.
09:27 William Theo wishing you a restful evening.
09:32 And now for the latest in the news, William Theo wishing you a restful evening.
09:36 (upbeat music)