News Roundup 06 December 2023
Dec 06, 2023 • 4 min Read
President Marcos has full backing of AFP – Brawner | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines— President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has the full backing of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, AFP Chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. affirmed on Wednesday.
Brawner made the assurance on Wednesday, a day after he was quoted saying that many, including soldiers, share Vice President Sara Duterte’s opinion that the government should reconsider its decision to revive the peace talks with the communist rebels.
“Basta’t solid ang AFP and professional,” Brawner said in an interview at the Senate.
“Full support kami kay Presidente (We are in full support of the President),” he stressed.
Told about his previous remarks on talking peace with the communists, Brawner initially refused to talk about it.
“Wag na para hindi ma-divide,” he said, but later advised the media to look at his entire statement on Tuesday.
“Look at the entire [interview] because it seems like it was just cut,” he said in Filipino.
Several media outlets quoted him as saying that Vice President Duterte’s stand against the peace agreement was shared even by some AFP members.
Story at: President Marcos has full backing of AFP – Brawner | Inquirer News
Pisa: PH students still among lowest scorers | INQUIRER.NET – As the Department of Education (DepEd) had anticipated, there was no significant improvement in the average scores of Filipino students in reading, mathematics, and science, which remained low compared to students from other countries that participated in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa).
Based on the 2022 Pisa study published Tuesday covering 690,000 students from 81 countries, the Philippines’ performance in the three subjects “were about the same” as in 2018, when it first took part in the assessment.
In the 2018 Pisa, the country scored the lowest in reading and second lowest in math and science among 79 participating nations.
For the 2022 assessment, the Philippines ranked sixth to the last in reading and mathematics while in science, it ranked third to the last among 81 countries.
The 7,193 Filipino students from 188 schools scored an average of 355 points in mathematics, still way below the OECD average of 472. Their average scores of 347 in reading and 356 in science were also lower than the global averages of 476 and 485, respectively.
Full Story at: Pisa: PH students still among lowest scorers | Inquirer News
Philippines chase four suspects in Catholic mass bombing | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Police in the Philippines are chasing four men, including two linked to a local militant group, in connection with the deadly bombing of a Catholic mass in the restive south, authorities said Tuesday.
A manhunt was underway after Sunday’s attack on worshippers inside a university gymnasium in Marawi, the country’s largest Muslim city, which was besieged by Islamist militants in 2017.
Four people were killed and 50 were wounded in the bombing that was later claimed by the Islamic State group.
President Ferdinand Marcos blamed “foreign terrorists” for the assault.
Police have identified two Filipino men — both with criminal records that include murder — who were seen by witnesses inside the gym before the blast.
“Their actions were very suspicious. That led to the suspicion that they might be involved in the explosion,” spokeswoman Colonel Jean Fajardo told reporters.
“There’s an ongoing pursuit operation,” she said.
Police had not yet identified the other two men or a motive for the attack.
Full Story at: Philippines chase four suspects in Catholic mass bombing | Philstar.com
PCG spokesperson warns vs Chinese-led tactics to taint his credibility | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday warned Filipinos about a China-led campaign to “taint” his credibility as a source of information about the country’s defense of the West Philippine Sea.
PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said that China is currently engaged in a disinformation campaign aimed at undermining the government’s transparency initiatives about the WPS, which include attempts to damage Filipino officials’ credibility.
Tarriela was commenting on a report by Philstar.com that documented a coordinated attempt by anonymous accounts to spread narratives alleging the PCG spokesperson was a covert “CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) agent” working for the United States government.
Tarriela said he has been a “prime target” of pro-China accounts that seek to frame him as a “biased source.”
“These falsehoods are designed to undermine the factual information I present, which exposes their bullying and aggressive behavior, and to argue that these accounts are fabricated to discredit Beijing’s significant role in the region,” Tarriela said.
Full Story at: PCG spokesperson warns vs Chinese-led tactics to taint his credibility | Philstar.com
