Author: Jericho Zafra
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s government, who was once upon a time benefitted from fake news, now wants to assign “fake news” officers in state media to fight disinformation and misinformation in state media, the Presidential Communications Office said. “A fact check officer or anti-fake news officer will help us that we cannot be an instrument or a purveyor of fake news,” newly-appointed Secretary Cesar Chavez said. The response came after ACT-Teachers Rep. France Castro asked the newly-appointed PCO secretary Chavez during the budget hearing about his plans to fight fake news within the state media. Chavez said…
Supreme Court: More women take 2024 Bar Exams on Day 1
Supreme Court: More women take 2024 Bar Exams on Day 1
Supreme Court: More women take 2024 Bar Exams on Day 1
Supreme Court: More women take 2024 Bar Exams on Day 1
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Budget and Management said that the news circulating online that over 30 million Filipinos are at the brink of losing their coverage under the PhilHealth coverage is not true. Last week, a post from Medical Action Group said that the DBM reduced the number of indirect contributors to PhilHealth this year. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said that the post is “false, misleading, and malicious.” “Under the Universal Health Care Act, all Filipinos are entitled to health insurance, whether as direct or indirect contributors to PhilHealth. The government subsidizes premiums for those who can’t afford…
MANILA, Philippines — For the fifth consecutive day, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has suspended the siphoning of the remaining industrial fuel oil in the sunken tanker Terranova citing bad weather In a message sent to reporters Friday, the PCG’s Incident Command Post said that the siphoning operation remains suspended. Friday “due to strong currents and heavy weather conditions at ground zero.” On Thursday, PCG said that the contracted salvor Harbor Star will continue to transfer the oil waste collected inside the sunken tanker to the treatment facility in Marilao, Bulacan. Harbor Star transferred over 402,000 liters of recovered oily…
MANILA, Philippines — The number of unemployed Filipinos has so far reached 2.38 million with the National Capital Region (NCR) leading the regions with the most number of unemployed Filipinos, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Friday. This means that the unemployment rate in July 2024 was 4.7 percent, higher than June’s 3.1 percent, but slightly lower than the 4.9 percent recorded in July 2023. “In terms of magnitude, the total number of unemployed individuals in July 2024 was registered at 2.38 million. This was higher than the estimated number of unemployed persons of 2.29 million in July 2023 and…
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections is eyeing the start of ballot printing for the 2025 midterm elections by December, following the timeline for the filing of certificates of candidacy this October. “Hopefully, we can start printing by the second week of December since there will no longer be any candidate substitutions. Once the candidacy is filed from October 1-8, changes can only occur if the candidate dies or is disqualified,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia said in Filipino in an interview Thursday. According to the commissioner, the earlier filing of candidacies is meant to allow the Comelec to print…
MANILA, Philippines — A total of 99 overseas Filipino workers have arrived in the Philippines from Kuwait and Lebanon amid escalating tensions, the Overseas Workers and Welfare Administration said. In a report, OWWA said that of the 99 repatriated OFWs late Thursday, 79 of them are from Kuwait including five dependents and the remaining 20 are from Lebanon. This came more than two months after the Department of Migrant Workers said it is poised to resume sending workers to Kuwait. While OFWs in Lebanon are being urged by the Philippine Embassy in Beirut to leave the country as conflict between…