00:00A happy and not-so-hot Tuesday afternoon without the tacos to you all.
00:10Yours truly, Denise Osorio here, and this is PTV News Now.
00:13Kicking off our stories for this afternoon.
00:17The annual joint Philippine and U.S. military drills known as Balikatan are set to kick off next Monday, April 21,
00:24with this year's theme, Sabak, and with perennial guest participants or observers,
00:30Japan and Australia watching nearby or in active rows or on certain drills all throughout.
00:36But with little time on to spare with Philippines and U.S. military forces trying to put in volunteer community work to fill out idle time,
00:44such as a school renovation project in Bulacan and a medical and dental mission in a town in Cagayan province
00:50where at least 129 beneficiaries received free dental services like cleaning, extraction, and consultations free of charge.
00:59Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said this civic work by the Philippine and American soldiers
01:04underscored the outreach efforts to uplift local communities.
01:08Then again, these traditional joint military exercises that have strengthened the bonds between America and the Philippines
01:15as solid allies in the Southeast Asian region, reinforces interoperability as well as enhanced humanitarian and community development initiatives.
01:25This year's Balikatan is scheduled for April 21st to the 9th of May.
01:32Same old, same old, nothing has really changed in foreign policy in the transition from Biden administration to the Trump 2.0 presidency,
01:41despite fears and doubts from skeptics.
01:43The annual Balikatan military exercises are set to kick off Monday next week.
01:50And as a prelude to this annual military tradition,
01:54a triumvirate of U.S. senators is in town for defense cooperation and economic security concerns.
02:00Senator John Peter Ricketts of Republican Nevada,
02:04Theodore Paul Budd of Republican North Carolina,
02:07and Chris Coons of Democrat Delaware met with DFA Chief Enrique Manalo yesterday
02:13to discuss a stronger commitment to properly respond to China's bullying and harassment in the West Philippine Sea, among others.
02:22Unassailable proof of the United States government under President Donald Trump's commitment to adhering to the Inc. Mutual Defense Pact
02:29and to continue to engage in keeping the Indochina region safe and secure for all states and stakeholders.
02:40It's being said that when America sneezes, the entire world catches a cold.
02:45No wonder the Trump 2.0 administration's foreign policy and crackdown on both legal and illegal immigrants
02:51are helping reshape international relations to include Canada's education landscape.
02:56This VOA report.
02:59Canada is cutting the number of international students it accepts to 437,000, down 10% from last year.
03:09Sheikh Omar Kirakoya came to Canada from Burkina Faso less than a year ago.
03:15His journey mirrors that of thousands of international students across Canada.
03:19But it's harder now to stay and work in Canada after graduation.
03:34Prospective students will need to show they have more than $20,000 in savings instead of the previous $10,000 requirement.
03:42And to work in Canada after they get their degree, students need to be proficient in English or French
03:49and they need to graduate in a field Canada really needs like science, farming or health care.
03:55When I left the country, it was to do the mining exploitation.
04:00But now, with the new immigration law, this field will not be considered.
04:04I was forced to change the field because it has to adapt to the new law.
04:08Canadian officials say the new rules are designed to pause population growth in the short term
04:13to give the Canadian government time to improve access to housing and health care.
04:19With so much uncertainty, students are turning to immigration services and apps like Shira, founded by Bakiwanda.
04:27Her site provides tools that guide students through visa applications, immigration rules and job searches.
04:34This is a time where a DIY process would not work for you because the immigration is changing per second.
04:42So you need to be strategic to be able to say, OK, what are my options?
04:46Amid the uncertainty, Kira Koya says he still believes he can contribute to both his adopted and home countries.
04:53Wanda points out that international students contribute over $22 billion to Canada's economy every year.
05:16And she says reducing their numbers could weaken Canada's economy and access to talent.
