00:00Nightly greetings one and all, William Theo here, homegrown and happy to bring you PTV News Now.
00:06And let's get to the stories keeping the public and politics abuzz.
00:10In our late afternoon breaking stories, we reported on a stash of crystal meth weighing 1.3 tons
00:17gathered from several aimlessly drifting piles of illegal drugs retrieved by fisher folk off the coast of Zambales,
00:24Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte and Cagayan province over the last few weeks,
00:29which the president visited and inspected earlier today, Pidea HQ in Quezon City.
00:35Well, another horde of suspected crystal meth was intercepted by Philippine Navy sailors slash personnel off Zambales waters
00:43on a vessel that had a Chinese and Malaysian aboard a vessel and whose stash is valued at the streets at 10 billion pesos.
00:51It weighed approximately 1,500 pounds or one and a half tons and could not immediately be verified
00:59whom to attribute ownership, but the boat's set of Chinese markings has led Philippine Navy officials
01:05and security experts to surmise the stashes from Chinese narcotics operations.
01:10This claim voiced out by AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad,
01:17who hinted that it is not odd or illogical to believe how the Chinese Communist Party may be behind this latest ploy to smuggle illegal drugs into the country
01:27and flood the cities and streets of Mega Manila or Cebu City to poison and corrupt the minds of the youth.
01:34In other news, generative artificial intelligence technology has been exploited and developed to tap into online influencing
01:43in which hit humans, endorsers or influencers make tons of money.
01:48And virtual counterparts use metaverse avatars who never stop to take a rest, as VOA's Deanna Mitchell has more.
01:55Virtual teen influencer Nunori is the first digital character to get a record deal, releasing her first single in September with Warner Music.
02:05Her voice was generated with the help of artificial intelligence, or AI.
02:10I love your show for my first sound and music video.
02:14Domino's is incredible and touches me so deeply.
02:18Nunori has already collaborated with fashion houses Dior, Versace, and Marc Jacobs,
02:23and is now capitalizing on advancements in generative AI to create music.
02:28Some argue that virtual influencers have an advantage over their human competitors.
02:32They never tire, complain, or have to watch their figure, and they are more controllable, which is appealing to marketers.
02:39With 2.7 million Instagram followers, Lil Mikaela is one of the biggest earners amongst virtual influencers,
02:46bringing in an estimated $11 million a year for her team, according to Forbes.com.
02:50Like Nunori, Lil Mikaela collaborates with high-end brands and models,
02:56and she has even appeared in a Calvin Klein campaign kissing top model Bella Hadid.
03:01It seems even with virtual influencers, sex sells, which some say is concerning.
03:06For example, behind the young female Nunori are many men.
03:10She is the brainchild of German graphic designer Jörg Zuber,
03:13and her voice is generated from two male vocalists, which is worth paying attention to,
03:18said AI expert and musician Holly Herndon.
03:21You might end up with a kind of like all-male writing, styling, lyricist team creating this kind of like perfect woman.
03:30Herndon says for an artist, there is a sense of freedom in creating an avatar that is different from yourself,
03:36but there needs to be lots of conversations to ensure those being represented are not marginalized.
03:42As the field of generative AI continues to skyrocket, expect to see more virtual influencing.
03:49Dina Mitchell, VOA News.
03:50At this moment, let's turn and listen to my colleague in PTV's Baguio City Studios
03:59for What's Hot and Happening in the Cordilleras.
04:02Ala?
04:02Dina Mitchell, VOA News.
04:32Dina Mitchell, VOA News.
04:33Dina Mitchell, VOA News.
04:34Dina Mitchell, VOA News.
05:02Nung maipanamnaman, Dina Mitchell, VOA News.
05:04Dina Mitchell, VOA News.
05:07Dina Mitchell, VOA News.
05:09Description, VOA News.
05:15Dina Mitchell, VOA News.
05:19It is significant na pagbababa, especially in a crime of theft. Ano pa yung, yun, yung sa rape, ano?
05:31It is sa Bali Payadama, Kalpasanti Assessment and Evaluation, it is na sa 2,000 universidad, it is sa ngalubungan.
05:39Nabigbig, it is sa ngapulong universidad, it is Cordillera, it is 20, 25 times higher education impact rankings.
05:46Kung muna dito, iti Ifugao State University, can St. Louis University, a nakasarag iti rank 601 to 800.
05:56Benguet State University, Kalinga State University, can Mountain Province State Polytechnic College, nga da iti rank 801 to 1,000.
06:05Nakunagmat iti Cordillera Career Development College, can University of the Cordilleras, iti rank 1,001 to 1,500.
06:12Kastamat ang nakasarag iti Apayo State College, King's College of the Philippines, can University of Baguio, iti may ka 1,500 plus arangko.
06:23Nabigbig, dag ito yung universidad, can colleges, gapo iti nagbali nga impact, can contribution da, iti United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
06:34Dagita, dagiti damdamag, manipod dito yung PTV Cordillera, siya ni Ala Sunduan, na Ibag Arabi.
06:43Many thanks Ala, and with that, we call the curtains on tonight's program.
06:47Join us anew for tomorrow's evening news break edition, and make us your daily habit for stories you can count on and news you can trust.
06:55I am William Thea, wishing you a cool and restful night ahead, and thank you for watching PTV News Now.
