00:00A wonderful Monday afternoon, friends and folks. I am William Theo here for PTV News Now.
00:11Kicking off our stories for the new work week this afternoon, the first official papal meet with a clergy to include a number of Filipino men of the cloth is set,
00:22and it coincidentally falls on the day the Philippines commemorates its anniversary of its birth as a nation.
00:28Thursday, the 12th of June. This meeting caves the way for establishing a stronger fellowship between the Pope and his priests in the Vatican and Rome.
00:39As per CBCP News, the private face-off between pontiff and priest is scheduled at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 12, at the Pope Paul XI Hall.
00:50An estimated 100 Filipino priests, 51 from the Pontifico Colegio Filipino, and the rest from the various parishes in Rome are expected to join,
01:01according to Rector Reverend Gregory Ramon Gaston, who added that roughly 100 Filipino priests are doing work in Rome with half-detailed at the PCF.
01:12The PCF is a theological school where priests immerse themselves in studies and information on philosophy, divinity, theology, canon law, and more.
01:23In an interview with Radio Veritas, Gascon says he is filed with anticipation and optimism in this private audience between the priests and the Pope in the next week and a half.
01:34The ambitious, comprehensive makeover of the megacity's most-traveled highway has been put on the shelf yet again.
01:43Long and enlightening thought, the president decided to intervene and press the pause button on the upcoming makeover,
01:51and nearly all LGU chiefs in the MMC are agreed on his decision.
01:56Scheduled to kick off on the third weekend of the month, the EDSA Rehab Project has been ordered paused by the president until further notice,
02:05or when less inconvenient and disruptive workaround or solutions come up.
02:10Both Quezon City and San Juan mayors Joy Belmonte and Francis Zamora welcome the president's intervention,
02:16which has brought a sigh of relief to hundreds of thousands of commuters and motorists who travel on by the 24-kilometer highway each day on both directions.
02:27For his part, Metro Manila Council Head and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora hailed the president's decision.
02:34Likewise, he reaffirmed his commitment to work even more closely with Malacanang, the MMDA, the DPWH,
02:41and all concerned agencies in exploring less stressful measures.
02:47The ambitious infra-makeover on EDSA is bankrolled by an $8.7 billion outlay and projected to complete over two years at least.
02:57The EDSA Rehab Project had been put on the shelf also in the previous administrations.
03:04Meanwhile, letters written by pen on paper are as outdated as the mainframe computer or floppy disk drive.
03:11But technology has brought back the lost art and tradition of handwritten letters, but this time by robots.
03:17And their cursive penmanship is nothing to sneeze at, as VOA's Julie Tabo reports.
03:29Old-fashioned letter writing is making a comeback.
03:32While writing letters by hand were once part of day-to-day life, computers made the job easier and faster,
03:38leaving behind that personal touch.
03:41But now, a company based in Phoenix has revived that tradition with robots that use real pens to write letters in a style chosen by the user.
03:50I think what's old is new again.
03:52Receiving a handwritten note appeals not only to your eyes, but the feel as well, and that means a lot.
03:59Their main clients are businesses that use handwritten letters and thank-you notes to create stronger connections with their customers.
04:06The people we're really targeting are non-profits, helping a non-profit receive a re-donation.
04:14One of the biggest issues facing non-profits is the re-donation rate is sub-50%.
04:18The number one reason people don't re-donate is they don't feel thanked.
04:22So we help these non-profits reach out in a more meaningful way through handwritten notes.
04:27Automated letter writing isn't new.
04:30President Thomas Jefferson used this polygraph device in the early 1800s so he could keep copies of his correspondence.
04:37Jefferson considered the machine a marvel of technology.
04:41An inventor himself, he recommended several improvements to his British manufacturers.
04:46200 years later, the process includes machine learning and high-tech manufacturing.
04:51The technology involved is 3D printing and laser cutting and electrical circuit board design for the robot itself.
05:01And if users need help thinking of exactly what to write in their note, they can choose the AI assist button to help them generate a better message through his chat GPT function.
05:11While robots may never fully replace the personal touch of a handcrafted note, the team at Handwritten believes they come close.
05:19And that is a wrap for this afternoon.
05:27Join us anew later on for our Evening Breaking Stories edition and make it a habit to stay connected by catching the news here.
