News Roundup 01 December 2023
Dec 01, 2023 • 5 min Read
China using ‘information operations’ to turn Filipinos against each other — Año | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — China is deploying strategic information operations to sow discord among Filipinos, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said on Friday.
“I have come to realize that China’s multifaceted approach includes information operations that are specifically designed to create divisions within our nation,” Año said in his speech during the inauguration of a new Coast Guard station in Pag-asa Island.
This type of operation comes amid the government’s push to “unite the Filipino people in our stance on the West Philippine Sea,” said Año, who also chairs the government’s task force on the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
In earlier statements, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson Jay Tarriela have also raised alarm over China’s alleged use of information operations to spread false or questionable narratives online amid tensions in the WPS.
In October, Teodoro said that “disinformation and information operators” were in China’s playbook of creating a narrative about the WPS favorable to them, while Tarriela earlier said that these information campaigns appeared to be “state-sponsored.”
Full Story at: China using ‘information operations’ to turn Filipinos against each other — Año | Philstar.com
SMNI flagged for allowing non-KBP accredited broadcasters to go on air | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Television network Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) could face potential sanctions from the country’s independent broadcasting body for allowing unaccredited hosts not trained in responsible broadcasting to go on air.
A spokesperson of the Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) told House lawmakers on Thursday that SMNI failed to comply with a rule requiring all broadcasters of KBP member networks to undergo training on the KBP’s code of ethics.
This was after SMNI’s legal representatives bared that their program anchors Jeffrey Celiz and Lorraine Badoy — two personalities who have repeatedly spouted disinformation against rights defenders, journalists, members of the judiciary and, most recently, House Speaker Martin Romualdez — were not KBP-accredited.
Only the network of SMNI itself (formally the Swara Sug Media Corp.) is accredited with the KBP, lawyer Mark Tolentino told the House committee on legislative franchises.
KBP’s vice president for legal and regulatory compliance Lawyer Rudolph Jularbal said that SMNI “is lacking in observance of the code of conduct.”
“The violation is for allowing a non-accredited broadcaster to go on air. That’s the violation. The content is different,” Jularbal clarified.
These statements were made during the House legislative franchises panel’s inquiry into potential franchise violations by SMNI, whose television anchors have consistently been red-tagging and making unfounded allegations against human rights defenders and activists they perceive as sympathetic to rebel groups.
Earlier this week, Celiz and Badoy, hosts of SMNI show “Laban Kasama ang Bayan,” alleged that Romualdez has P1.8 billion in travel funds – a claim immediately denied by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco.
Full Story at: SMNI flagged for allowing non-KBP accredited broadcasters to go on air | Philstar.com
‘Anything can be used as basis for impeachment,’ says Gutierrez | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Can a future decision by the Supreme Court (SC) be used as grounds for impeaching an elected official?
According to law professor and former Office of the Vice President (OVP) spokesperson Barry Gutierrez, anything can be used as a basis for pursuing an impeachment complaint, as the process is political.
In a statement on Tuesday, Gutierrez explained that they believe that the current OVP under Vice President Sara Duterte committed an error when it asked for and accepted P125 million worth of confidential funds (CF) during the latter part of 2022 when the original budget crafted under former Vice President Leni Robredo did not have an entry for secret funds.
Gutierrez was OVP spokesperson when Robredo’s office submitted its budgetary request for 2022 before the May 2022 national elections and before Robredo ended her term on June 30, 2022.
“Our argument in our petition is that there was a transfer worth P125 million. This is the provision which grants the power of the purse exclusively to Congress and that provision governs the transfers of appropriations between offices,” Gutierrez said.
“So we think there was a violation of this provision but at the end, only the Supreme Court can say if there was indeed a violation. Now if you’ll ask if it can be used as a basis for impeachment, anything can be used as a basis for impeachment,” he added.
Full Story at: ‘Anything can be used as basis for impeachment,’ says Gutierrez | Inquirer News
Leni Robredo at Bonifacio Day rites: Truth doesn’t depend on majority | INQUIRER.NET – “Truth does not depend on the majority and heroism does not change according to who’s in power,” former Vice President Leni Robredo said at the annual honoring of heroes and martyrs who fought against tyranny during the martial law years.
“No matter the political climate, the meaning of being a ‘hero’ never changes,” she said at Bantayog ng mga Bayani (Monument for Heroes) in Quezon City on Thursday, Andres Bonifacio Day.
“[Being a hero] is not based on where one is buried, but on how they lived. [It is based on] how they sacrificed themselves for a cause that is greater than their self-interest. That means being a hero is based on real actions,” Robredo said.
The ceremony on Thursday saw the formal unveiling of six names of modern-day heroes newly etched on the Wall of Remembrance at the Bantayog shrine. They are Manuel “Buyog” Sampiano, Melecio Marimon, Emerito Rodriguez, Jesus Antonio Carpio, Luis General Jr. and Isagani Serrano.
In keeping with tradition, the event honored three past honorees Julieta Cupino-Armea, Filomena Asuncion, and Haydee Yorac.
Full Story at: Leni Robredo at Bonifacio Day rites: Truth doesn’t depend on majority | Inquirer News
