Claim: Jet Li passed away on Saturday, May 26 at age 55.

The blog phnewspride.blogspot.com in their May 25 post (a day earlier than the supposed date of death of Li) claimed that Li has been “in and out” at Matilda International Hospital in Hong Kong since August 2007 and has been “permanently confined” on February 12 this year until his death on Saturday.

The blog post was shared by 3 different Facebook pages and groups which have a total number of 451,875 followers. Within these groups, this claim has generated 702 total interactions.

The same claim was also published by urbandistro.com.

Rating: FALSE

The Facts: Li is still alive.

Rappler checked credible news organizations for any reports or public statements from Li’s side claiming that he was in a hospital or that he has passed away and found none.

It is true, however, that the 55-year old actor is suffering from hyperthyroidism and “spinal problems.” A photo of the actor posted by a netizen online generated a lot of concern among fans about the status of his health.

Following these concerns, Li posted on Facebook last May 23 a photo-compilation of him captioned, “I would like to thank all my fans who expressed concerns about my health. I'm doing great and feeling great! I'm excited to share with you all a few projects I am working on in the near future. For now, thank you all for your concerns!”

In an article published by the USA Today on May 21, Li’s manager, Steven Chasman, cleared to the public that Li is “completely fine” in response to Li’s viral photo of him looking sick. Chasman, who said that the actor has been dealing with hyperthyroidism for 10 years now, explained that the photo was just taken at a “bad angle.”

The actor just taught the benefits of Tai Chi at Chengdu as part Taijizen Institute’s course on May 18 according to his Facebook post on the same day. Taijizen Institute is a lifestyle and wellness company co-founded by Li and Alibaba Group chairman Jack Ma.

Li is not new to hoaxes. In 2016, a rumor went viral claiming that his hyperthyroidism was worsening and is need of a wheelchair. The Straits Times debunked the claim on July 27, 2016.

The next year, the Billings Gazette, Madison, and the Journal Times also debunked the claim in their “Not real news roundup” (all three articles are from the Associated Press).

According to the American Thyroid Association, Hyperthyroidism (not to be confused with hypothyroidism: underproduction of thyroxine) is an illness caused by an overactive thyroid over-producing the hormone thyroxine. Thyroxine “speeds up” bodily functions which leads to weight loss (due to metabolic boost), irritability, skin thinning, anxiety, hand tremors, fatigue, etc.

It can also result to various complications such as heart and eye problems and brittle bones.

The blog phnewspride.blogspot.com has a history of posting false and scandalous reports such as its May 26 post saying Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo is “loveless” and its April 26 post saying 6 African lawyers have “offered to defend” Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The blog does not have a profile nor a masthead. – Miguel Imperial / Rappler.com

If you suspect a Facebook page, group, account, a website, or an article is spreading false information, let Rappler know by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

The Supreme Court (SC) warned against disruptive behavior when new lawyers take their oath on Friday, June 1, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

"Any act that undermines the safe and orderly conduct of the Oath-Taking Ceremonies or disturbs the due decorum therefor shall be punished with direct contempt of court, and shall be dealt with summarily," said a notice signed by SC Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin, chairman of the 2017 Bar Examinations Committee.

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">READ: Notice issued by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BAR2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BAR2017</a> Chairperson, AJ Lucas P. Bersamin on the nature of the June 1, 2018 oathtaking. <a href="https://t.co/6ekJGxBmx3">pic.twitter.com/6ekJGxBmx3</a></p>&mdash; Supreme Court PIO (@SCPh_PIO) <a href="https://twitter.com/SCPh_PIO/status/999942669655654400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

The SC also prohibited live coverage of the ceremonies this year, as compared to at least last year when media organizations were allowed to broadcast the rites live.

This warning has been interpreted by some as the SC's cautious move against any possible show of opposition towards their controversial majority decision to oust Maria Lourdes Sereno as chief justice through the unprecedented quo warranto route. (READ: EXPLAINER: How SC majority tried to close all doors for ousted Sereno)

Prominent legal groups have staged protests since the ouster, and have called on fellow lawyers to express their supposed dissent.

In a statement, the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL) said: "We call on all members of the bench and the bar nationwide to step up the protests against the breakdown of the so-called rule of law and the erosion of judicial independence in all legitimate forms and fora possible."

The SC warned that "security officials and personnel have been deputized" to "prevent or reprimand" violations of orderly conduct.

A total of 1,724 passed the 2017 Bar Examinations, or a 25.55% passing rate.

The new lawyers begin their careers at a time when the legal profession is under intense scrutiny from both members and spectators, with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) head himself saying the judiciary's independence is threatened. – Rappler.com

Claim: Several blogs and personalities are claiming there are already results in the ongoing recount of votes in the 2016 vice presidential election by the Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).

Former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr filed the electoral protest questioning the victory of Vice President Leni Robredo in the 2016 polls. Robredo defeated Marcos by 263,473 votes, based on the congressional canvass.

The blogs kantonews.xyz on May 19 and newsglobal.top on May 20 claimed in their headlines that Marcos was already lamang or leading by 41,000 votes in the "final recount." The posts contained a video uploaded by News Philippines Live on May 18 featuring a radio personality who mentioned the supposed lead in his personal Facebook Live discussion. The radio personality said he got the number from broadcaster Erwin Tulfo's show earlier that day. (The blog post at newsglobal.top had already been taken down.)

A similar claim was posted on ph-newcentre.ga, laonlaan.blogspot.com, and lnphil.blogspot.com, but without the words "final recount" in the headline. They contained the same video, this time uploaded by Tokhang TV on May 17. (The blog post at lnphil.blogspot.com has since been taken down.)

There are also recent similar claims either made in blog posts or reported in news articles:

• On May 24, kantonewsph.xyz claimed again that Marcos was already leading by 49,000 votes. It was made in a video uploaded by DU30 News featuring a video blogger who is a vocal Duterte supporter, taken from his Facebook Live discussion on the same day. The video blogger did not cite the source of the claim. The same claim was published on du30news.blogspot.com, newsinph.tk, realspotnews.info, and micoko.win.

• On May 26, lawyer and former Biliran representative Glenn Chong claimed that Robredo has already lost 21,000 votes, citing information taken from revisors in the PET whom he said he is in contact with. His claim was picked up by some news outlets. This figure was earlier bannered in at least two news reports on May 3, citing insiders who spoke "on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to speak for the tribunal." The same figure was also carried by blogs such as pinoynewsblog.com.

Rating: FALSE

The facts:Since the recount started on April 2, the PET has not announced or released anything official yet about the results as of this posting.

The vote counts mentioned in the claims were not supported by official documents to show how they arrived at the figures. Most of the claims only cited anonymous "insiders" or "revisors" as their sources. In the PET recount, there are 3 kinds of revisors: a head revisor independently hired by the PET, and revisors from the Robredo and Marcos camps.

Claims of "final" or "partial" vote counts by blog posts or personalities should be taken with a grain of salt, unless backed up by official, verifiable sources or documents.

For the "41,000- or 49,000-vote lead" or "21,000-vote reduction" to be true, there should be computations from official PET reports showing that either Robredo's 263,473-vote lead has been surpassed or her votes actually went down accordingly.

In the absence of such official reports, it is difficult to know whether these claims are accurate. As a judicial procedure, the PET's recount is confidential in nature.

This is unlike the canvass of votes in Congress for national positions, or unlike the partial unofficial tally by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for all elective positions after the polls, where regular or real-time updates of the vote count are released, and proceedings are highly publicized.

The PET has even warned both the Marcos and Robredo camps to observe the sub judice rule, which prohibits them and their lawyers from making comments and disclosures about ongoing judicial proceedings to avoid preempting the issue, influencing the court, or obstructing the administration of justice.

In addition, the recount so far only covers Marcos' 3 pilot provinces: Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental. Robredo obtained a total of 1,493,517 votes in these areas in the congressional canvass, while Marcos got 202,136 votes. (READ: Presidential Electoral Tribunal: What happens to a protest?)

This is just the "first stage" of the recount. Marcos has to obtain a "substantial recovery" of votes in the 3 pilot provinces for the PET to determine if the two other causes of action in his protest have merit: to continue with the recount in 24 other areas, and to nullify the results in Basilan, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao.

The PET has yet to announce what "substantial recovery" exactly means.

If the PET proceeds with Marcos' other causes of action, his electoral protest would take more months before a final verdict is issued. – Michael Bueza, with Mara Cepeda and Lian Buan/Rappler.com

If you suspect a Facebook page, group, account, a website, or an article is spreading false information, let Rappler know by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time. 

Claim: Newlywed Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Henry Charles Albert David and Rachel Meghan Markle “praised” Pres. Rodrigo Duterte according to a “recent interview.”

The blog newsph.club in their undated post ran the headline “Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Praised President Duterte!”

The post was shared a total of 15 times with 4 different Facebook pages and groups (which appeared to be either pro-Duterte, pro-Bongbong Marcos, or pro-Peter Cayetano) which have a total of 1,646,280 followers. Within these groups and pages this claim has generated 4,303 in total interactions as of May 31, 2018.

Rating: FALSE

The Facts: The couple did not “praise” Duterte.

Rappler checked credible news sites for any reports related to the claim and found no news reports or public statements from the duke and duchess’ side saying that the couple “praised” Duterte.

The blog post was also very vaguely written. It said the couple praised the president in a “recent interview” because of his “country’s affairs.” It did not mention details of the exact statement made or when the interview happened.

It said the couple praised Duterte for having a “different prestige” because of the “changes he made in the Philippines.” A series of photos of Duterte wiping his tears and the couple during their wedding comes after.

The article then jumps to a word-for-word copy of a thedailybeast.com May 26 feature article entitled “What Meghan and Harry Can Teach William and Kate” written by Tom Sykes. This article does not mention Duterte at all.

This is not the first time that a hoax article claimed that a member of the British royal family praised the Philippine president. Memebuster.net has “busted” on February 22 a claim that Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary II called Duterte a “brave man.”

The blog only has 9 posts as of May 31, 2018, all written by “admin.” It does not mention the editorial staff, nor a masthead. It also does not provide details on how to contact the editorial staff.  

The domain newsph.club is privately registered via WhoisGuard, Inc. making it not possible to trace the owner via a domain registry. It was registered very recently, on April 22, 2018. - Miguel Imperial/Rappler.com

If you suspect a Facebook page, group, account, a website, or an article is spreading false information, let Rappler know by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

Claim: Crime in the Philippines decreased by 30% under President Rodrigo Duterte's administration

The blog weblogph.tk in their May 29 post ran the headline, "Bumaba ng higit kumulang na 30% ang krimen sa Pilipinas sa ilalim ng pamahalaang Duterte" (Crime in the Philippines decreased by around 30% under the Duterte administration).

The blog post contained a reuploaded May 28 video from United News International (UNI), a global news agency founded in 2013. UNI posted the video on its Facebook page with the caption, "Crime dips in Philippines under Duterte in 2018."

The blog post was shared by two Facebook pages which have a total of 710,941 followers. Within these pages, the post has generated 121 total interactions as of May 31, 2018.

Both weblogph.tl and goodnewsnetworkph.com reuploaded UNI's May 28 Facebook video report in their blogs without additional text or details.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson shared the goodnewsnetworkph.com post on her Facebook page. Her post received 12,000 likes and reactions and 2,380 shares as of May 31, 2018. The post was captioned, "GOOD NEWS!!! Share the good news at labanan ang fake news ng bleeding hearts (and combat the fake news of bleeding hearts)!" referring to the opposition.

Rating: MIXED

The facts: Both the whole country and Metro Manila experienced a decrease in the crime rate so far during the Duterte administration. However, the report in the video and the headline of the blog post do not match.

As reported in the video, Metro Manila had a 30% dip in crime incidents based on the focus crimes recorded on May 14-20 according to National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) Regional Director Camilo Cascolan at a press briefing on May 25. It is the region's lowest weekly crime rate since the start of Duterte's term, said the NCRPO.

May 14-20, 2017 had 329 focus crimes, while May 14-20, 2018 only had 231.

The blog post headline made it appear that all crimes in the Philippines under Duterte's term so far went down by 30%, when the video covered only focus/index crimes in Metro Manila for May 14-20, 2018.

Nonetheless, in the first 11 months of 2017, the Philippines experienced a 21.8% decrease in recorded index crimes compared to 2016 figures in the same period. The figures for all index crimes went down in 2017 versus 2016, except for homicide. Homicide increased by 14.6%, with 2,082 killings recorded in 2016 climbing to 2,386 in 2017.

There is no readily available data for the national crime rate for May 14-20, 2018 and for the same period in 2017.

"Focus crimes" include murder, homicide, rape, robbery, theft, physical injury, carnapping of motor vehicle and carnapping of motorcycle. Focus and index crimes are of the same definition, according to Philippine National Police Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao.

Meanwhile, the UNI video and its accompanying Facebook post also contained some issues.

The headline flashed at the start of the UNI video read, "Metro Manila Crime Drops." However, the caption on its Facebook post for the video was different: "Crime dips in Philippines under Duterte in 2018."

The presenter in the video also read the claim with a rather confusing sentence construction: "Metro Manila experienced a nearly 30 percent decrease in crime in the Philippines from a year ago."

The inclusion of the phrase "in the Philippines" may confuse viewers and misinterpret the news report to say that the national crime rate decreased by 30%, instead of Metro Manila only.

The blog weblogph.tk in their company profile stated that it is their "responsibility to deliver reliable articles and avoid false information." – Miguel Imperial/Rappler.com

If you suspect a Facebook page, group, account, a website, or an article is spreading false information, let Rappler know by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

Claim: The Trending PH blog, trendingph.altervista.org, claims Akbayan Representative Tom Villarin and Senate Risa Hontiveros, his party mate, are in a romantic relationship. 

The blog published a video entitled “MUST WATCH!! RELASYON NI RISA HONTIVEROS AT AKBAYAN REP. TOM VILLARIN NABISTO! PANOORIN!” 

The said video is an edited version of CNN Philippines’ video report on Villarin filing a theft complaint against Labor Undersecretary Jing Paras, who allegedly tried to steal Villarin's phone during a House committee meeting in March. 

“Sinabi niya na, ‘Kayo pala ni Senator Hontiveros ang magkasama,’” said Villarin in the video.

Trending PH is insinuating the Filipino translation of Villarin’s statement is, “He said, ‘You and Senator Hontiveros are in a relationship.’” 

Rating: FALSE

The facts: This is not what Villarin meant to say.

The correct translation of his Filipino quote should be interpreted as follows, “He said, ‘You and Senator Hontiveros are colleagues.”

Villarin and Hontiveros are opposition lawmakers who belong to the Akbayan Party-list.

Villarin told the media what Paras had told him during the March committee hearing, to support his belief that the labor official’s possible motive was to snoop about his conversations with Hontiveros. 

In the same video, Villarin said Paras’ words to him shows the latter’s “malicious intent.”

This is further supported by Villarin’s privilege speech on Wednesday, May 30. 

A part of his speech goes: “What gain is it to him? Is there intent or malice involved? People and the media have asked and I answered straight that it might be because I am with the opposition and any information gathered on me can be used against me or my party mate, Senator Risa Hontiveros. Before he became undersecretary, Paras was with the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption [which] filed kidnapping and anti-wiretapping charges against Senator Hontiveros over the Kian delos Santos murder, [where] Senator Hontiveros and Bishop Pablo David took into their protective custody children who witnessed the murder.”

Hontiveros was married to the late Frank Baraquel, a former officer of the Philippine National Police. Baraquel passed away in 2005 after suffering from a severe asthma attack. – Mara Cepeda/Rappler.com

NEGROS ORIENTAL, Philippines – Following orders from Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde, over 25 police officials have been uprooted from their posts on Friday, June 1.

This development is among the promises of new top cop Albayalde, who vowed to bring to Camp Crame his stern style of leadership in the Metro Manila police.

The reassignments were based entirely on merit, Albayalde said, disregarding requests for longer stays or transfers to coveted posts.

For Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar, however, it's just like coming home. 

Plucked from heading the Calabarzon regional police, he was tapped to lead the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

Eleazar, fondly called "Guillor" by people close to him, now watches over the country's most populous, developed, and crime-ridden region. The new position paves the way for his promotion to a Police Director or a two-star police general rank.

He's a junior

Camp Crame sources have long said that Eleazar was bound to be the next NCRPO chief, though not as early as just 6 weeks after heading the regional police office in Southern Luzon.

Eleazar belongs to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Hinirang Class of 1987, replacing his senior Director Camilo Cascolan.

Cascolan is part of the PNP-ruling PMA Sinagtala Class of 1986, a 'mistah' of current top cop Albayalde. 

As a matter of courtesy, the PNP usually lets senior officials retire before replacing them. But Cascolan lost his post earlier than expected as he is not retiring until November 10, 2020. 

Because of his rapid rise, Eleazar's classmates from PMA 1987 jokingly hype him up as their "pambato" (bet) to be a PNP chief.

He's close to Albayalde

The junior got the upper hand after he developed deeper ties with the police chief. The Albayalde-Eleazar comradeship, in fact, is out in the open.

Eleazar began frequenting Albayalde's side when the former was Quezon City Police District (QCPD) chief and the latter, the Metro Manila top cop.

From there, both became familiar faces in Metro Manila's unrelenting anti-illegal drugs campaign, tallying hundreds of kills and arrests from operations, and parrying criticism from human rights advocates. (READ: This is where they do not die)

Under Eleazar, QCPD garnered high trust ratings in police surveys requested by Albayalde. It was Eleazar who coined the QCPD tag line: "Proud to be QCPD."

In his short stint in Calabarzon, he managed to earn catches that merited a press conference in national police base Camp Crame.

In all instances, he gained praises from Albayalde, who even once called on other regional directors to emulate Eleazar's leadership.

He's not from Metro Manila

Even if he considers Metro Manila as home ground, Eleazar is not a native of the capital region.

He is a proud son of Quezon province, hailing from Tagkawayan town.

He is set to retire on November 13, 2021. – Rappler.com

Claim: The blog Trending PH, trendingph.altervista.org, posted on May 25 that Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he would prioritize the ethics complaint against opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV under his leadership.

The site published the post and the video with the title “MUST WATCH!! ETHICS COMPLAINT KAY TRILLANES GINAWANG *TOP PRIORITY* NI SOTTO SA SENADO!”

The post leads to a YouTube video of Sotto speaking during his May 24 press conference. It was uploaded by an account with the username "Pro Duterte Ka Ba?”

The post was shared by a certain Alexis Medina Trillado to at least two public pro-Duterte groups on Facebook, namely Inday Sara Duterte Supporters Worldwide and Solid Duterte Supporters/DDS. The groups have 2,839 members and 2,523 members, respectively.

Rating: FALSE

The Facts: Sotto never said that he will make the ethics complaint filed against Trillanes the chamber’s top priority. Trillanes is one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s fiercest critics.

During the press conference, Sotto, former ethics committee chair, discussed the two remaining complaints pending before the panel: the complaint filed by Senator Richard Gordon against Trillanes and the remaining complaint against detained Senator Leila de Lima.

“'Yung complaint ni Senator Gordon kay Senator Trillanes, 'yun na lang natitira doon. The rest we were able to decide…'yung dati and then also there's another one, the complaint against Senator De Lima. Parang dalawa na lang naiwan na 'di pa nareresolve,” Sotto said on May 24.

(The complaint of Senator Gordon against Senator Trillanes is the only one remaining. We've decided on the rest. And then there's another one, the complaint against Senator De Lima. I think those two are the only ones not yet resolved.)

In separate text messages to Rappler on Friday, June 1, Sotto said senators have to elect a new chairman of the ethics committee.

He also denied the site’s claim. “Wala [akong sinasabi] kasi hindi na ako chair. (I [didn't say that] because I'm not the chair)."

Trending PH has previously published misleading, if not false, news articles. For instance, a post published on June 1 said Senator Panfilo Lacson questioned Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senator Francis Pangilinan on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, when in reality, Lacson interpellated Pangilinan on the proposed Senate resolution against former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno’s ouster.

Other posts also falsely claimed that Pangilinan and Drilon “trembled” during Lacson’s questioning.

The site also alleged that opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros planned to leave the minority bloc, which was why she was now supporting the BBL.

The site also does not have a profile, masthead, and bylines for its articles. Its posts only have an alarming title with a video that usually does not match the former.

Rappler has observed a pattern in recent weeks where several sites also known for publishing misleading or false claims also employed the same tactic: a post with an alarming headline is attached with a video that does not support the claim. – Rappler.com

If you suspect a Facebook page, group, account, a website, or an article is spreading false information, let Rappler know by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

MANILA, Philippines – Of all foreign businessmen, it’s the Chinese who have been most successful in securing appointments with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang. 

A tally by Rappler, based on Palace press releases and inside information show that of the at least 32 meetings Duterte has held with businessmen in Malacañang or in his Davao City office, half were with Chinese businessmen or business groups.

Since the start of his presidency, Duterte has had at least 16 meetings with the Chinese, 13 with Filipino businessmen and groups, 3 with Americans, and two with Japanese (meetings with Filipino-Chinese groups are counted both in the Chinese and Filipino tallies). This does not include courtesy calls of businessmen during his trips abroad.

Courtesy calls of corporate magnates to a sitting president are not out of the ordinary. But the significant number of meetings with Chinese businessmen is a manifestation of Duterte’s friendly policy to China and Chinese investments.

In some cases, there is a distinct effort of the Chinese companies to beat the drum on their projects, all of them large-scale ventures, in front of no less than the Philippine President.

Here's a list of Duterte's meetings with Chinese businessmen or executives of Chinese companies:

• Huang Rulun, founder of Century Golden Resources  | December 5, 2016
• Jose Kho of Friends of the Philippines Foundation, Kitson Kho of The Kho Group and UAA Kinming Development Corporation, and Ramon Tulfo | January 10, 2017
• Wilson Chu of China Gezhouba Group Company International | February 20, 2017
• Chinese Business Groups | February 27, 2017
• Carmelito Mercado with Chinese business partners | February 27, 2017
• Zhang Zongyan, President of China Railway Group Limited | February 27, 2017
• China state-owned companies | March 30, 2017 
• Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry | July 25, 2017
• Senior management of China Communications Construction Co Ltd | August 23, 2017
• Dr Yang Zhihui, chairman of Landing International Development Ltd | September 4, 2017 (during 18th Cabinet meeting)
• Jack Ma, Alibaba | October 25, 2017
• Senior management of Shanghai Nanjiang Group Co Ltd and Arcplus Group PLC | October 25, 2017
• Lui Che-woo, chairman, Francis Lui Yiu Tung, vice chairman of Galaxy Entertainment | December 6, 2017
• Liong Tek Go Family Association | January 11, 2018
• Clarence Chung, chairman and president of Melco Crown (Philippines) Resorts Corporation), and Lawrence Ho, chairman and CEO of Melco Resorts and Entertainment | January 11, 2018
• Jose Kho of Friends of the Philippines Foundation, Kitson Kho of The Kho Group and UAA Kinming Development Corporation | May 28, 2018

Proposing reclamation to Malacañang 

A number of the Chinese businessmen who have secured private meetings with Duterte work for state-funded companies. A number presented big-ticket projects requiring government approval such as plans for massive reclamation, casino-resorts, and theme parks.

Executives of one Chinese company even got to present their proposed reclamation project in Manila Bay during a full Cabinet meeting, Rappler learned.

Senior management of Landing International Development Ltd, a Hong Kong developer, were able to join part of the 18th Cabinet meeting on September 4, 2017, according to two sources.  

The executives presented plans to reclaim 147 hectares of Manila Bay to build a multi-billion-dollar theme park and resort.

Another corporate executive eyeing massive reclamation projects has secured an audience with the Philippine leader.

Chinese-Filipino Kitson Soriano Kho, chairman of Hong Kong-based The Kho Group and executive director of UAA Kinming Development Corporation, was present in two private meetings with Duterte.

Kho’s company is also gunning for a massive reclamation project in Manila Bay with Chinese partners – the 407-hectare New Manila International Community, a smart “city within a city” that got the nod of Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and the Philippine Reclamation Authority. 

Duterte’s meeting with Lui Che-woo and Francis Lui Yiu Tung of Galaxy Entertainment is well-known because it involved the controversial planned Boracay casino-resort. 

Duterte has also met with Clarence Chung and Lawrence Ho of Melco Crown (Philippines) Resorts Corporation and Hong Kong-based Melco Resorts and Entertainment, respectively, the companies behind City of Dreams in the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation's (PAGCOR's) Entertainment City in Parañaque. 

Meetings with large Chinese construction firms

Several of the Chinese businessmen Duterte had met with are top executives of large Chinese contractors and construction companies.

Wilson Chu of China Gezhouba Group Company paid a courtesy call on him in February 2017. The firm is a general construction contractor based in Wuhan but is also engaged in natural gas and oil distribution, hydropower, construction and operation of highways, and among other operations, according to a description of the company on Bloomberg.

A week after his meeting with Chu, Duterte met with Zhang Zongyan, president of China Railway Group Limited, a Chinese construction company whose majority shares belong to state-owned China Railway Engineering Corporation. 

A month after that, on March 30, 2017, Malacañang said Duterte had a meeting with “China state-owned companies.”

Executives of China Communications Construction Co Ltd, a transportation infrastructure firm with operations worldwide, had their time with the Philippine President on August 23 that year. 

Two months later, on October 25, Duterte met senior management of Shanghai Nanjiang Group Co Ltd, a real estate, mining and energy company that has a memorandum of understanding with the Makati city government for a mass housing project. 

That meeting also included officials of Shanghai-based Arcplus Group PLC that does architecture design and engineering.  

On the same day, Duterte got to meet China’s most famous businessman, Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

Charitable works

On at least 3 occasions, Chinese businessmen scored meetings with Duterte because of charitable deeds. Chinese tycoon Huang Rulun, who donated a drug rehabilitation center in Nueva Ecija, was the first Chinese businessman to secure a private audience with the President in Malacañang. Their meeting took place on December 5, 2016.

Another real estate magnate, Jose Kho (in photo above), offered to donate a similar center in Malaybalay, Bukidnon. Kho is the president of Friends of the Philippines Foundation, a group of Chinese businessmen with roots or business interests in Xiamen. They had lunch with Duterte during his first official visit to Beijing.

A devotee of the Chinese goddess Mazu, Kho even offered to foot the bill for the construction of a Mazu shrine in the Manila Bay area. He had gotten as far as talks with former tourism secretary Wanda Teo who he took to the Mazu cultural festival in Macau in October 2017.

Four months after his first meeting with Duterte, where he was accompanied by Ramon Tulfo, Teo’s brother, Kho got to meet the President again, this time to receive the Kamagi Medal of the Order of Lapu-Lapu.

Duterte created the Order of Lapu-Lapu to recognize individuals, either in government or in the private sector, who "actively participated in and contributed significantly to a campaign or advocacy" of Duterte.

The Liong Tek Go Family Association, meanwhile, also had a meeting with Duterte in order to hand over their P7-million donation for Marawi's rehabilitation. The association is composed of Go families that originated from Shanxi Province and migrated to different parts of the world, including the Philippines.

Favored for projects?

With the Philippines turning a friendly face to China, it's not surprising that Chinese companies are being considered for major government projects that involve billions of funds.

A Chinese-led consortium, referred to as the Bangon Marawi Consortium, is expected to win the P17-billion contract to rebuild the former main battle area of Marawi City. When concerns arose over the World Bank's previous blacklisting of two of the Chinese companies involved, Malacañang said the firms deserve a "second chance."

Duterte, in a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang no less, offered China the chance to name any of its companies as the firm that will help put up the Philippines' 3rd telecommunications player.

Then there are the dozens of infrastructure and transportation projects under the government's Build, Build, Build program that the Chinese are interested in financing.

While Duterte has assured the public that the loans would be at generous rates, the Chinese will have the right to select contractors and suppliers for the project. Some economists have also warned of China's "debt trap diplomacy" where developing countries are offered loans they end up unable to pay, forcing them to give China unprecedented access to their natural resources or other assets.

But economic managers like Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III have said that loan deals offered by China will go through evaluation processes like all other offers from other countries.– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Across the Philippines, an average of 4 people are killed each day by riding-in-tandem shooters.

According to Philippine National Police (PNP) records obtained by Rappler, a total of 880 people have been shot dead, while 47 others have been injured since October 21, 2017 – the time cops began recording data on riding-in-tandem killings – up until recently on May 21, 2018.

The gun attacks were perpetrated by a total of 1,071 suspects. Of the probable killers, 1,008 remain at large.

The PNP has so far classified 812 of the fatal shootings as murder, while the 68 other deaths are still considered homicide pending further investigation.

While figures for riding-in-tandem cases are smaller than the police's controversial count of over 4,000 drug suspects gunned down in police operations, these shootings are more concerning for cops as there is no "presumption of regularity."

Longtime problem, new numbers

It is only recently that police have seen how many die from riding-in-tandem attacks.

This crime is done by two people aboard a motorcycle – a rider at the back who shoots the target, and another in front ready to speed away once the trigger has been pulled.

The PNP only began listing statistics in October 2017, when police were taken out of the Duterte administration's campaign against illegal drugs. They wanted to start a new campaign, and they needed a new measure for success.

The police formally call the killers "motorcycle-riding suspects" (MRS), and the attacks "shooting incidents perpetrated by MRS."

Previously, the PNP just generalized all killings, not distinguishing whether they were done inside houses or in the streets, former PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent Dionardo Carlos had told Rappler.

Now, riding-in-tandem shootings are in a separate category, to be listed by the PNP's crime-recording offices.

High-profile deaths

Many high-profile killings have been carried out across the country through riding-in-tandem shootings.

Just during the lead-up to the recent barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections last May, the PNP recorded 35 deaths mostly carried out by motorcycle-riding gunmen.

Back in February, Jonah John Ungab, vice mayor of Ronda, Cebu and lawyer of alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, was killed near the Cebu City courthouse while aboard his car.

Three months later, retired Ozamiz City prosecutor Geronimo Marabe Jr suffered the same fate, dying on his way to the hospital.

In April, 37-year-old priest Father Mark Ventura was shot dead after Sunday Mass. The PNP launched a special investigation group to look into his murder.

Many of the controversial vigilante killings targeting alleged drug suspects have also been done by gunmen who cruise around cities and towns at night.

Problematic regions

Below is a chart breaking down the riding-in-tandem killings in the last 7 months per region.

{source}<iframe id="datawrapper-chart-fqPFd" src="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/fqPFd/4/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important;" height="527"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">if("undefined"==typeof window.datawrapper)window.datawrapper={};window.datawrapper["fqPFd"]={},window.datawrapper["fqPFd"].embedDeltas={"100":527,"200":527,"300":527,"400":527,"500":527,"700":527,"800":527,"900":527,"1000":527},window.datawrapper["fqPFd"].iframe=document.getElementById("datawrapper-chart-fqPFd"),window.datawrapper["fqPFd"].iframe.style.height=window.datawrapper["fqPFd"].embedDeltas[Math.min(1e3,Math.max(100*Math.floor(window.datawrapper["fqPFd"].iframe.offsetWidth/100),100))]+"px",window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if("undefined"!=typeof a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var b in a.data["datawrapper-height"])if("fqPFd"==b)window.datawrapper["fqPFd"].iframe.style.height=a.data["datawrapper-height"][b]+"px"});</script>{/source}

Neighboring regions Calabarzon and Metro Manila topped the list with the most killings.

The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) had the least number of killings, and at the same time recorded the second highest crime solution efficiency rate as 5 of its 9 riding-in-tandem killings are already solved or cleared.

Soccsksargen, while having the 4th highest number of riding-in-tandem killings, is considered the most efficient region in solving them. Out of 83 incidents, 51 have been solved or cleared.

As a whole, the PNP holds a crime solution efficiency rate of 33%, or one in every 3 riding-in-tandem killings have been solved.

What happened to the 'war'? 

Right after cops were pulled out from the drug campaign in October 2017, then PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa, now retired, declared a "war" against riding-in-tandem shooters.

Even back then, there were calls for an end to vigilante-style killings. Senators said the case of slain Puerto Galera Councilor Melchor Arago and his young son was the last straw.

To that, Dela Rosa said last October: "'Yung mga riding-in-tandem, bantay kayo ngayon. Uupakan namin kayo. Sige bumaril kayo nang bumaril diyan. I will ask my policemen na tutukan 'nyo 'yung riding-in-tandem na 'yan."

(Those riding-in-tandem [shooters], brace yourselves. We will go after you. Go ahead and keep on shooting. I will ask my policemen to focus on you.)

Seven months have passed, but the killings continue. (READ: Caloocan police chief sacked over 'unsolved' cases)

A new PNP chief has taken over – veteran operative Director General Oscar Albayalde is now at the helm of the 190,000-strong police force.

Whenever asked about riding-in-tandem incidents, Albayalde has repeatedly said that cops will intensify checkpoint operations – an old proposal which has yet to bring in results.

Will the problem be resolved under his watch, or will it escape him, too? – Rappler.com

Slammed for refusing to publicize its protests against China, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) released a statement saying the Philippines has made "85 diplomatic actions" under the Duterte administration. 

In its statement on Monday evening, June 4, the DFA claimed that 35 of these diplomatic actions "were undertaken by Secretary Allan (sic) Peter S. Cayetano."

Here's the catch: The DFA statement did not specify what these diplomatic actions were all about. 

Were these about China? Or were these about other countries that earned the ire of President Rodrigo Duterte, such as the United States?

And what kinds of diplomatic actions did the Philippines make? Were these actions in the form of diplomatic protests? If yes, did the Philippines file notes verbale, and how many? Take note that Cayetano broadly defines diplomatic protests to include even verbal reminders.

The DFA statement, in other words, was vague. Its title was about "diplomatic actions on issues in general," its first paragraph was about China, but its next 3 paragraphs did not clearly refer to any country.

At least 3 reporters, including this writer, have asked the DFA to clarify these matters, but the DFA has not acknowledged our questions as of posting time. 

In any case the wording of the statement, issued at the height of criticism against the DFA, made it appear to some that the topic was China. 

In fact at least one news organization, CNN Philippines, published a report titled, "DFA: PH engaged in 85 'diplomatic actions' on sea row under Duterte's term." CNN Philippines posted this story on Tuesday morning, June 5.

Is this what the DFA wants the public to believe? 

This comes after Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano criticized Cayetano for supposedly filing only one diplomatic protest against China under his watch.  

Without showing evidence, Cayetano had claimed in a congressional hearing that the Philippines has filed 50 to 100 protests against China over the past two years. 

Rappler earlier reported that the Philippines silently filed a note verbale against China on May 26. Cayetano admitted that the Philippines did, but refused to disclose the details.

Read the DFA's full, unedited statement below:

STATEMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS UNDERSECRETARY ERNESTO ABELLA ON PHILIPPINE DIPLOMATIC ACTIONS ON ISSUES 

Let me be clear that the Department of Foreign Affairs fully supports the policy of the President that the Philippines will continue to fight for its rights in the South China Sea, and the statement of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs that the "Philippines will not give up a single inch of its territory in the South China Sea."

Having said that, we need to underline that since President Duterte assumed office, the Philippines has engaged in 85 diplomatic actions, 35 of which were undertaken by Secretary Allan Peter S. Cayetano. We asserted our rights numerous times in bilateral consultations, in face to face meetings and in written documents.

It is important to understand that in diplomatic engagement, it is the content that matters, in whatever form it is conveyed. 

While some critics may nitpick, it is important that our gains are not only conserved but that our national interest thrives, as a careful accounting will show.

Manila, 4 June 2018

– Rappler.com

Claim: The blog thedailypedianow.com published a post on Sunday, June 3 claiming French President Emmanuel Macron called President Rodrigo Duterte a “real role model of the world.”

It ran the post with the  headline, “French Macron: The World May Not Agree, But Let’s Admit Duterte Is A Role Model.”

The post has been shared by 3 Facebook groups which have a combined 430,557 followers. Within these groups, the post has generated a total of 1,097 interactions as of June 5.

The same claim was also published by trendolizer.com, laonlaan.blogspot.com, chinitapadilla.wordpress.com, and the now defunct newsfoxchannel.com. All were published in 2017, except for chinitapadilla.wordpress.com.

Rating: FALSE

The Facts: Rappler checked credible news organizations and found no news reports or public statements from Macron where he called Duterte a “real role model of the world.”

The post contained an image of the French president and a word-for-word copy of a March 12 post titled “TWO ‘WORLD’ LEADERS IN DIFFERENT TIMES” from the Facebook page “The Untold History of the Philippines.”

The post discussed the “parallelism” between President Duterte and the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos in battling criminality and terrorism.

It only mentioned Macron one time as it said, “Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, a nation that also battles terrorism, has declared Duterte as a real role model of the world.”

In addition to this, the claim published by thedailypedianow.blog is a rehash of a 2017 blog post. It has already been debunked by memebuster.net – a website that “busts” misleading memes ad news – in a July 12 report last year.

The blog also does not have a company and author profile and a masthead. Most of the blog’s posts do not contain bylines and are written by an “admin” instead. – Miguel Imperial/Rappler.com

If you suspect a Facebook page, group, account, a website, or an article is spreading false information, let Rappler know by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

Claim: The blog philnews.ph on Friday, June 1, posted that June 6, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 21 are all holidays declared by the Palace.

The site published with the headline, “Work & Class Suspensions On June 6, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 21, 2018.”

The blog post’s first 3 paragraphs do not immediately say that Independence Day on June 12 is the only day declared by the Palace as a national non-working holiday, while the other dates are local non-working holidays.

The blog post was shared by 11 different Facebook pages and groups with a total of 1,676,890 followers. Within these groups and pages, the post has generated a total of 50,652 interactions as of Monday, June 4.

There are also other blogs which have reported on the list of June holidays, but the headlines of these articles immediately state that the holidays are in “selected areas” only.

Rating: MIXED

The Facts: Only June 12 is a national non-working holiday. June 6, 9, 11, 15, 16, 18, and 21 are special non-working local holidays.

The post’s headline could be misinterpreted by the readers as declaring all 8 dates to be regular holidays.

Regular holidays are those celebrated on fixed dates such as Independence Day on June 12 or National Heroes’ Day on August 27 this year (the 4th monday of August). These holidays are celebrated nationwide.

Meanwhile, special non-working holidays are those for more specific events such as Ninoy Aquino Day on August 21, which is observed nationwide, or Leyte Landing Day on October 20 which is observed in the entire Leyte province (including Ormoc City).

The blog post, however, clarified in the succeeding paragraphs the type of holiday of each date mentioned.

With the exception of Independence day on June 12, the following dates are all special non-working, local holidays: 

• June 6 – holiday in Zamboanga del Norte to mark the province’s 66th founding anniversary as declared under Proclamation 497.

• June 9 – holiday in Rosario, Batangas to celebrate the municipality’s founding anniversary (founded in 1687) as declared under Proclamation 498.

• June 11 – holiday in Sagay, Negros Occidental to celebrate the city’s 22nd Charter anniversary as declared under Proclamation 501. Holiday in Rizal to celebrate the province’s 117th founding anniversary as declared under Proclamation 502.

• June 15 – holiday in Algeria, Surigao del Norte to celebrate the municipality’s 50th founding anniversary as declared under Proclamation 494. Holiday in Angeles, Pampanga to celebrate the eruption of Mt Pinatubo in 1991 as declared under Proclamation 500.

• June 16 – holiday in Bogo, Cebu to celebrate the city’s Charter anniversary (established as a city in 2007) as declared under Proclamation 495. Holiday in Molave, Zamboanga del Sur to celebrate the municipality’s 70th founding anniversary as declared under Proclamation 499.

• June 18 – holiday in Carmen, Davao del Norte to celebrate the municipality’s founding anniversary (in 1966) as declared under Proclamation 496. Holiday in Ifugao to celebrate the province’s founding anniversary (founded in 1966) as declared under Proclamation 504.

• June 21 – Holiday in Rosario, Agusan del Sur to celebrate the municipality’s Yagi-Yagi Festival of Native Cultural Heritage as declared under Proclamation 505.

Meanwhile, the date for Eid al-Fitr, a regular holiday, varies according to the Islamic calendar. (READ: FAST FACTS: Eid al-Fitr)

A presidential proclamation is usually issued to declare a specific date as a regular holiday. For instance, last year, June 26 was the declared date for the holiday.

A proclamation regarding the date of observance of Eid al-Fitr this year has not yet been issued.

In addition to this, the city of Manila will also celebrate “Manila Day,” its 447th founding anniversary, on June 24. A presidential proclamation regarding the holiday has not yet been issued. – Miguel Imperial/Rappler.com

If you suspect a Facebook page, group, account, a website, or an article is spreading false information, let Rappler know by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

Bookmark this page to watch and join the discussion live on Thursday, June 7, at 4 pm.

MANILA, Philippines – News in May 2018 put corruption in government institutions center stage, as reports questioned the mismanagement of funds and multi-million contracts awarded to businesses owned by government officials.

May 2018 also marked a year since war erupted in Marawi, the Philippines’ only Islamic city. It prompted the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, which remained in effect to this day, despite Marawi declared liberated from terrorist influence in October last year.

On Thursday, June 7, the Newsbreak team sits down to discuss stories that dominated the news cycle in the past month including:

• P261.39 million worth of contracts awarded Solicitor General Jose Calida’s security firm, Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency
• Alleged mismanagement of funds in the Tourism Promotions Board, which prompted then-chief Cesar Montano to resign from his post 
• Over P627,000 spent in travel expenses, and almost a million in ‘irregular’ allowances received by then-PhilHealth Interim President Celestine De la Serna despite the company’s net loss of about P4 billion
• One year since the Marawi siege, rehabilitation efforts, and the continued implementation of martial law

What do these issues mean to the public and why should you care? Join us as we make sense of these stories, how they impact the public, and what to expect in the coming months.

Do you have any questions you’d like the team to answer? Sound off in the comments below and join Thursday’s discussion with more comments and suggestions. – Rappler.com

MORE ON 'NEWSBREAK CHATS'

• Newsbreak Chats: Top stories for February
• Newsbreak Chats: Top stories for March
• Newsbreak Chats: Top stories for April

While he made fun of those outraged over his act of kissing a married Filipina in Seoul, President Rodrigo Duterte dreads facing his daughters, knowing they will have a mouthful to say about it.

"Eh ‘yung isang anak ko ‘yun talaga selosa ‘yun (One of my children is really the jealous type). Baka (Maybe) she will put me to task. I expect my second daughter to say something about it in front of me," Duterte said on Wednesday morning, June 6.

He had been asked about the strong reactions to the kiss during a press briefing held upon his arrival from South Korea.

Duterte has two daughters – Sara or "Inday", the mayor of Davao City and his daughter with former wife Elizabeth Zimmerman; and Veronica or "Kitty", his teenage daughter with longtime partner Honeylet Avanceña.

The tough-talking President is so anxious about his daughters' reaction that he would rather stay in Metro Manila first and let things "cool off".

"Kaya ayaw ko munang umuwi eh. Pakalmahin muna natin kasi... Pa-cool off muna ako dito ng ilang araw sa Maynila," he said.

(That's why I don't want to go home yet. Let's let things calm down first....I'll cool off first for a few days here in Manila.)

While he anticipates his daughters' fury, he made no mention of Honeylet. He appeared not to hear a reporter's question about Honeylet's reaction to his kiss.

Duterte then dished out some parental advice, saying fathers would do well not to draw their daughters' ire.

"Alam mo, hindi tayo puwedeng makipag-away [sa] anak na babae. We fathers, we cannot afford it to – so every time a daughter comments, medyo ‘yung lalaki pa, pero ‘yung mga babae, hindi ko – lalo na si Inday. Hindi ko talaga kaya," he said.

(You know, we cannot fight with our daughters. We fathers, we cannot afford it to – so every time a daughter comments, if it's the son it's okay, but if it's the girls, I can't – especially Inday, I can't do it.)

Earlier in his speech, Duterte dismissed the controversial kiss as "showbiz" and said critics of the act are "just jealous".

Duterte expecting his own daughters’ disapproval of his kiss goes against Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque’s assertion that most Filipinos found it acceptable.

"I believe that an overwhelming majority of Filipinos continue to support the President and found the kiss a light moment that is very accepted in the culture of Filipinos," Roque said on Monday. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philipines – There was uproar on social media and strong criticism from labor groups and lawmakers over media reports that the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) supposedly said a Filipino family with 5 members needs only P10,000 a month to have a decent lifestyle.

The reports presented a breakdown of expenses under a P10,000 budget, as shown by NEDA officials during the press briefing on the May 2018 inflation rate on Tuesday, June 5. 

A TV report scrutinized NEDA’s food budget of P3,854 monthly or P127 daily. A reporter went to the market to check what P127 could buy. 

But did NEDA say P10,000 a month was enough? 

In fact, the economic managers only said this is the budget that a typical minimum-income family works around with, based on their spending habits recorded by government 3 years ago. 

What NEDA said: In a statement on Wednesday, June 6, NEDA said that it only showed "how a hypothetical monthly budget of P10,000 will be affected by a 4.6% inflation rate."

However, NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon failed to clarify this point with reporters during the Tuesday press briefing.

At the start of the briefing, Edillon said the table was based on the budget of an "average Filipino family." 

“Let’s say this is actually your average minimum wage worker with a monthly budget of P10,000, and this would be the breakdown of that budget based on the 2015 Family Income and Expenditure Survey,” Edillon said.

Edillon did not state in any part of the briefing that P10,000 was enough for a Filipino family to live a decent life.

Admittedly, however, Edillon missed the crucial points raised by reporters. 

Claim: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has junked the case filed against President Rodrigo Duterte.

A communication was filed  by lawyer Jude Sabio on April 24, 2017, asking the ICC to look into the killings brought by Duterte’s "war on drugs."

The blog goodnewstoday.d30.club in their June 4 post ran the headline, “Kaso Laban Kay Pres Duterte Ibinasura Na Ng International Criminal Court” (Case Against President Duterte Junked by the International Criminal Court).

As of June 6, the post was shared by a “Marcos loyalist” and a “Universal Duterte movement” Facebook group which have a combined 40,639 followers. Within these groups, the post has generated 294 total interactions.

Rating: FALSE

The facts: The ICC website's The Philippines section marked the examination into Duterte and the "war on drugs" campaign as "ongoing".

The communication is not considered to be a case yet since it is still in examination. It is the first step in the court’s legal process wherein the handling prosecutor will examine if the complaint has enough basis to be under ICC jurisdiction.

Duterte is accused of leading a “mass murder” because of his relentless war on drugs. According to the Philippine National Police, 4,279  drug suspects have been killed in anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016 to May 15, 2018.

In addition, from the start of Duterte’s term until September 2017, there 16,355 homicide cases under investigation according to PNP. It is unclear how many of these cases are already solved.

As the ICC started its examination, Duterte announced on March 14 that the Philippines would withdraw as a member of the ICC. A state’s withdrawal will be formalized a year after a written notification is sent to the United Nations Secretary-General

The ICC, born out of the Rome Statute treaty, is an intergovernmental and international tribunal which investigates genocides, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

The Supreme Court recently announced that it would hold oral arguments on July 24 regarding the President’s decision to withdraw from the ICC.

The false claim about ICC "junking the case" is a rehash of a 2017 claim by philgov.info which has been “busted” by memebuster.net in its May 5, 2017 post.  

The blog goodnewstoday.d30.club does not have a company and author profile and a masthead. Most of the blog’s posts are written by a certain “admin.” – Miguel Imperial/Rappler.com

 If you suspect a Facebook page, group, account, a website, or an article is spreading false information, let Rappler know by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

Claim: Jailed senator Leila de Lima may get the death penalty once the Senate decides to reimpose capital punishment in the Philippines.

A post by trendingph.altervista.org ran the headline, "MUST WATCH!! PARUSAN.G BI-TAY POSIBLENG ISAMPLE KAY LEILA DELIMA KAPAG NAIPASA SA SENADO!” (Leila de Lima will get the death penalty as soon as it’s passed in the Senate).

The link leads only to a YouTube video posted by ‘Pro Duterte Ka Ba?’ which features pro-Duterte blogger Trixie Cruz-Angeles who comments on the Napoles case, as well as the death penalty bill. (READ: SC slaps 3-year suspension on lawyer Trixie Cruz-Angeles)

Four Facebook groups and pages have shared the link.

RATING: FALSE

The facts: Even if De Lima is found guilty, a new death penalty law passed by the Senate cannot be applied to her.

"That would constitute an ex post facto law. That would be unconstitutional," University of the Philippines constitutional law professor Dan Gatmaytan said when asked by Rappler.

The Philippine Constitution prohibits the passing of any retroactive law. Article III of the Bill of Rights, Section 22 says: "No ex post facto law or bill of attainder shall be enacted." 

The embedded video also did not mention the death penalty for De Lima, contrary to what is stated in the post's headline. 

The video is a trimmed version of a video blog by Cruz-Angelez that was originally posted on her Facebook page. In the trimmed video, Cruz-Angeles shared her thoughts about the Napoles case and the death penalty bill. On the topic of the death penalty, Cruz-Angeles only talked about her reservations about the bill being discussed in the Senate, such as the non-inclusion of plunder for crimes punishable by death.

This blog post joins other false articles that embed just an opinion video, then make a misleading claim in the headline, even if it isn't mentioned in the video. – Don Kevin Hapal/Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – After several efforts under previous administrations, the bill that will establish a national ID system in the country is up for signing by President Rodrigo Duterte. 

The Senate and the House of Representatives ratified the bicameral conference committee report in the last week of May 2018. 

The national ID system has been a very controversial issue in the past decades with experts warning that it could violate a person's right to privacy. But government insists that security mechanisms are in place to protect stored information. 

Before it finally becomes law, here's what you need to know about it:  

Why do we need a national ID system in the first place? 

The Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) is the government’s central identification platform. In a nutshell, it is a means to simplify public and private transactions.

Proponents of the national ID system said that it can greatly improve the delivery of government services– especially for those who lack proper government-issued identification cards as aperson’s record in the PhilSys would be valid and sufficient proof of identity. 

Socioeconomic Secretary Ernesto Pernia, in March 2018, said that PhilSys "can open up opportunities especially for the poor and marginalized and will make public service delivery more efficient."

It also aims to reduce corruption and curtail bureaucratic red tape, prevent fraudulent transactions, and ease doing business in the Philippines. 

What will I get upon registration? 

All Filipino citizens and aliens are required to register in the PhilSys. Individuals born after the law takes effect shall be registered upon birth immediately. 

Each registered person in the Philippines will be given a PhilSys Number (PSN) – a randomly generated, unique, and permanent identification number. 

A physical identification card will also be issued which will serve as “official government-issued identification document” that can be used in several transactions that require proof of identification.

Where can I use the PhilID or PSN?

The PhilID or PSN can be used when dealing with national government agencies, local government units, government-owned or -controlled corporations, government financial institutions, and the private sector. 

The bill lays out specific transactions that the ID can be used for: 

• Applying for social welfare and benefits
• Applying for services offered by the GSIS, SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-Ibig, and other government agencies
• Applying for passport and driver’s licenses
• Tax-related transactions
• Registration and voting identification purposes
• Applying for schools, colleges, universities, and other learning institutions
• Applying for employment and other related transactions 
• Opening bank accounts and other transactions with banks and financial institutions
• Verifying criminal records and clearances
• Other transactions defined in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR)

What information will be collected?

Information to be collected under the Philippine Identification System includes demographic data such as full name, sex, date of birth, blood type, address, and citizenship. Marital status, mobile numbers, and email addresses are optional. 

Biometric information will also be recorded, including front-facing photograph, full set of fingerprints, and iris scan. Other identifiable features may be collected if necessary.  

An identification card called PhilID will also be issued under the new system. This physical card will bear the information such as a person’s unique PSN, full name, blood type, date of birth, place of birth, address, and front-facing photograph. Marital status is also optional.  

A person applying to be part of the PhilSys needs to present a birth certificate. Resident aliens, meanwhile, will need certification of their status. Additional documents may be requested upon assessment.

Who will handle my data?  

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is the main implementing agency of the national ID system. It will maintain and secure all the information collected from all Filipinos and registered aliens in the country. 

According to the bill, the PSA will be assisted in technical aspects by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). It can also adopt “new but more effective” technology that can help in the registration, authentication, and security of all data. 

A PhilSys Policy and Coordination Council (PPCC) will also be established to formulate policies “to ensure effective coordination and implementation” of the PhilSys. The council will be composed of representatives from different government agencies including the Department of Budget and Management, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), among others. 

How secure will my data be? 

The bill explicitly states that there are only two ways by which the registered information can be accessed or used: if the registered individual gives consent or if there is a court order issue in the interest of public health or safety.  

When the information about a certain individual needs to be released, the registered person will be notified of the disclosure within 72 hours. The existence of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 also reinforces the state's "commitment" to having a legal recourse in the event of violation of one's privacy.

Laguna 3rd District Representative and co-author of the bill Sol Aragones assured the public that the PSA will keep the vital information secure.

"May mga safeguards na nagsasabi na masesecure ang data (There are safeguards that will ensure that the data is secure)," she told Rappler on Tuesday, June 5, adding that implementing rules and regulations (IRR), which will be released 30 days after the bill is signed by Duterte, will spell out more as to how the agency will secure the data.  

The National Privacy Commission (NPC), meanwhile, said it intends to build trust with the people by mitigating risks of breaches and leakages and making sure government agencies adhere to the Data Privacy Act.

“Personal data breaches and violations to data subjects’ rights are man-made," NPC commissioner Raymund Liboro said on May 28. "They can be prevented by building resilience and a culture of privacy and protection with the organization."

What are the concerns regarding the national ID system? 

While the proposed system has its benefits, data privacy experts worry that several provisions blur the line between what’s appropriate and what may constitute a violation of one’s privacy. 

The inclusion of the so-called “record history” in the proposed bill is a cause for concern, according to privacy lawyer Jam Jacob, legal and policy adviser of technology and rights advocacy group Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA). 

The record history, as defined in the bill, refers to details of authentication requests made whenever a government-issued identification card is used in any transaction by a registered individual.

Jacob warned that maintaining a record history may pave the way for "dataveillance." (READ: What you need to know about state surveillance)

“It can result in a centralized file that will give a detailed history of an individual’s activities over an extended period,” Jacob said. “That essentially makes it a comprehensive surveillance system.”

Data privacy lawyer Cecilia Soira, meanwhile, pointed out that the national ID system is not the only way to improve government services. The proponents should also look into their inefficiencies, she added. – Rappler.com

Claim: The Facebook page Oras Na, Roxas Na posted a graphic comparing some expenses in the national budget under the administrations of ex-president Benigno Aquino III and current President Rodrigo Duterte.

The graphic – accompanied by the caption "6 years of #PNoy vs. 2 years of #Hell" on the Facebook post – stated that Duterte had budgeted P17.9 billion for 6 items: representation expenses, intelligence funds, professional services or consultancy, rent expenses, communications expenses, and travel fund.

This was supposedly in contrast with a total of only P1.1 billion for the same items during Aquino's term.

The graphic was posted on May 23 on the Oras Na, Roxas Na page, which supports former interior secretary and 2016 presidential candidate Mar Roxas. As of this posting, it has received over 2,600 reactions and over 770 comments, and was shared over 3,290 times.

Rating: MIXED

The facts: While there was indeed a significant increase in the budget for the indicated items during Duterte's term, the Facebook post caption and the graphic itself are misleading. 

The caption makes readers believe that the numbers listed under "Aquino" in the graphic were for his entire 6-year term, while those listed under "Duterte" were for his two years in office so far.

The graphic itself does not contain any reference to a year or time period. There's no office or agency named in the graphic either. 

But the figures it lists are similar to amounts in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) or the national budget in 2016 , the last one passed under Aquino, and in the 2017 national budget, the first one passed under Duterte. The amounts refer to 6 expenditure items under the Office of the President (OP). 

The graphic got its figures for the "intelligence fund" item wrong. In the 2016 GAA, intel funds under the OP only amounted to P250 million, not P500 million as stated in the graphic. In the 2017 GAA, the budget for intelligence fund only amounted to P1.25 billion, not P2.5 billion as stated in the graphic. 

However, the sum of intelligence and confidential funds is P500 million for 2016, and P2.5 billion for 2017. The OP under Duterte also got another P1.25 billion for intel funds in 2018. (READ: Are Duterte's multi-million-peso intel funds achieving their purpose?)

Below would have been an accurate version of the Oras Na Roxas Na's graphic, with appropriate labels for each item under specific budget years of the OP. Still, this version reflects a huge increase in expenses for these 6 items in Duterte's first year from Aquino's last year: 

If confidential expenses were included in this table, the totals would be P1.10 billion for Aquino in 2016 and P17.94 billion for Duterte in 2017, similar to the totals listed in the graphic.

Malacañang explained that the big spike was due to expenses related to the country's hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summits in April 2017 and in November 2017.

Meanwhile, it is improper to compare budgets for different lengths of time: Aquino's 6 years with Duterte's two years.

Below is a graph showing the amounts for each of the 6 expense items per year from 2011 to 2018, based on available budget documents. We combined the confidential and intelligence funds in all years because both were lumped into only one expense item in 2011 and 2012.

{source}

<iframe id="datawrapper-chart-vrjER" src="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/vrjER/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important;" height="1479"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">if("undefined"==typeof window.datawrapper)window.datawrapper={};window.datawrapper["vrjER"]={},window.datawrapper["vrjER"].embedDeltas={"100":1726,"200":1571,"300":1525,"400":1525,"500":1496,"700":1479,"800":1479,"900":1479,"1000":1479},window.datawrapper["vrjER"].iframe=document.getElementById("datawrapper-chart-vrjER"),window.datawrapper["vrjER"].iframe.style.height=window.datawrapper["vrjER"].embedDeltas[Math.min(1e3,Math.max(100*Math.floor(window.datawrapper["vrjER"].iframe.offsetWidth/100),100))]+"px",window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if("undefined"!=typeof a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var b in a.data["datawrapper-height"])if("vrjER"==b)window.datawrapper["vrjER"].iframe.style.height=a.data["datawrapper-height"][b]+"px"});</script>

{/source}

Then here are the totals for Aquino's first two years, his last two years, and his entire 6-year term (just for the sake of Oras Na Roxas Na's argument) versus Duterte's first two years so far.

{source}

<iframe id="datawrapper-chart-Dm8Kn" src="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Dm8Kn/3/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important;" height="435"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">if("undefined"==typeof window.datawrapper)window.datawrapper={};window.datawrapper["Dm8Kn"]={},window.datawrapper["Dm8Kn"].embedDeltas={"100":682,"200":527,"300":481,"400":481,"500":452,"700":435,"800":435,"900":435,"1000":435},window.datawrapper["Dm8Kn"].iframe=document.getElementById("datawrapper-chart-Dm8Kn"),window.datawrapper["Dm8Kn"].iframe.style.height=window.datawrapper["Dm8Kn"].embedDeltas[Math.min(1e3,Math.max(100*Math.floor(window.datawrapper["Dm8Kn"].iframe.offsetWidth/100),100))]+"px",window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if("undefined"!=typeof a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var b in a.data["datawrapper-height"])if("Dm8Kn"==b)window.datawrapper["Dm8Kn"].iframe.style.height=a.data["datawrapper-height"][b]+"px"});</script>

{/source}

The table shows that in the national budgets passed during his 6 years in office, Aquino allotted a total of P7.4 billion for the 6 items specified in the graphic. – Michael Bueza/Rappler.com

If you suspect a Facebook page, group, account, a website, or an article is spreading false information, let Rappler know by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.