MANILA, Philippines – EJ Obiena wants to push beyond his limits after being the first Asian pole vaulter to hurdle the six-meter barrier.

Obiena said he welcomes the lofty challenge of clearing 6.25m set by Philippine Athletics and Track and Field Association president Terry Capistrano after surpassing 6.0m in the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway last June 10.

It is a dare for the world No. 3 Obiena to up the ante as he looks to contend for an Olympic gold medal against an elite field of rivals in the Paris Games next year.

Among the top 10 in the world rankings, three others have also cleared the six-meter plateau this year: reigning Olympic champion Armand Duplantis of Sweden, KC Lightfoot of the USA, and Sondre Guttormsen of Norway.

“I said you have to do 6.25. That will make all of us very comfortable going towards next year,” Capistrano told PlayItRight TV when asked about what he told Obiena following his historic vault in Norway.

No pole vaulter has reached 6.25m, with Duplantis being the closest when he reset his world record by soaring past 6.22m in France last February.

But Obiena is up to the task.

“I’m up for the challenge. I know what [Capistrano] meant by that. We’re gunning for gold in Paris,” said Obiena.

“The same motivation that I have and the same goals that I have, it’s pretty good to be aligned with people with the same mindset.”

Obiena joined the six-meter club by adopting a new 20-step technique for his golden vault in the Bergen Jump Challenge, where he beat two Americans in USA record holder Lightfoot and Tokyo Games silver medalist Chris Nilsen.

Admitting that the new method – an additional two steps from his old 18-step approach – is “difficult to control,” Obiena is convinced he can still raise the bar.

“I don’t think it’s the best jump I’ve taken. It’s one of the good ones but I don’t think it’s technically the best that I can do,” he said.

Needing to surpass the entry standard of 5.82m when the Olympic qualification period begins on July 1, Obiena aims to punch his ticket to Paris as he competes in the BAUHAS-Galan in Stockholm, Sweden on July 2. – Rappler.com

GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – A group of local officials and other stakeholders in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) went to the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday, June 14, to question the constitutionality of the special Muslim-majority region’s new election code.

The petitioners accused BARMM interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim of grave abuse of discretion, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front-dominated Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) of going beyond its jurisdiction when it approved the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 35, otherwise known as the Bangsamoro Electoral Code.

They said the region’s new law was an encroachment on the functions of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the SC itself, and would adversely affect the welfare and interest of political parties, voters, and taxpayers in BARMM.

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Bangsamoro parliament approves electoral code

The petitioners include the following: 

• Dimnatang Pansar
• Abdul Rashid Balindong
• Shariefuddin Lucman
• Aleem Alibasher Abdullatif
• Jamil Paisal Adiong
• Rafnanjani Pendatun Ali
• Mohajeran Balayman
• Najia Pescadera
• Sharif Jul Asiri Abirin
• Abdul Muhaimin Abuhara
• Mohammad Salmann Sakili
• Sarid Hataman
• Harisul Samanul
• Sukarno Asri
• Mohammad Yusof Tidal

The newly-formed Bangsamoro Governors Caucus (BGC) backed the petition that was submitted to the High Tribunal by lawyers Romulo Macalintal, Antonio Carlos Bautista, and Christopher Rodriguez.

The 64-page petition, which represents several local government officials, civil society, traders, and political leaders in the BARMM, sought an SC ruling to declare the regional law null and void.

The petitioners also asked the SC to issue a status quo ante order or a temporary restraining order against the implementation of the new law.

A status quo ante order is meant to restore a situation to how it was before a particular event or dispute – in this case before the law’s passage – until a final decision is reached.

The electoral code was enacted by the BARMM’s interim parliament on March 8 and took effect on May 17.

The petitioners asked the high court to immediately take action on the matter in light of the forthcoming political exercises in the country.

Speaking for the BGC, Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. said the majority of the BARMM’s provincial governors support the petition but denied they meant to undermine the current leadership in the autonomous region.

“The move in seeking the intervention of the Supreme Court is to validate the constitutionality and legality of regional laws which will help strengthen the rule of law in the Bangsamoro region. We just want to put things in proper order as these may affect the future of the region,” Adiong said.

The BGC, organized in Cagayan de Oro earlier this month, is composed of governors Abdusakur Tan of Sulu, Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu of Maguindanao del Sur, Ysmael Sali of Tawi-Tawi, and Hadjiman Hataman-Salliman of Basilan.

In December 2022, the five governors first questioned some provisions of the then-draft election code such as the powers bestowed on the then-proposed Bangsamoro Election Office (BEO), which they said surpassed the powers of the Comelec.

The petition also cited a provision in the BARMM’s new election law, which provided strict rules on the use of campaign funds, and partisan activities. 

In February, a month before the BTA approved the controversial code, a group of election experts and representatives of election watchdogs, warned that some provisions in the then-proposed law conflicted with the 1987 Constitution.

They suggested revisions in the then proposal, which is now the basis for the conduct of the elections in the BARMM. The region is scheduled to hold its first regional elections in 2025, two years after the barangay and youth elections set this October.

“The legislation of the electoral code must be pursued within the framework of the Constitution and national laws. Following the hierarchy of laws, the electoral code must be consistent, adherent, and compliant with the Constitution, national laws, and international law standards,” read part of their position paper early this year.

They questioned the provisions about an electoral tribunal, registration of political parties, the budget, and the powers of a regional electoral office to list and delist voters.

The experts had recommended the removal of the provision granting the Bangsamoro parliament’s electoral tribunal exclusive jurisdiction over election disputes, arguing that the Comelec should have sole authority instead. 

Instead, they had proposed empowering the BEO to conduct recounts, oversee hearings, and make recommendations to the Comelec on petition decisions.

They had also recommended the removal of a provision granting exclusive jurisdiction to a regional electoral tribunal to handle election disputes, arguing that the Constitution has mandated the Comelec to perform such a task. 

They had proposed empowering the electoral office to conduct recounts, oversee hearings, and provide recommendations to the Comelec regarding petition decisions instead.

Concerns had also been raised about a provision in the then-draft code granting the Bangsamoro Electoral Commission the authority to approve the registration and dissolution of political parties, citing potential constitutional issues. 

The experts had recommended treating the office as the reception and screening committee for party registrations under the supervision of the Comelec. They said it should have limited powers over party dissolution petitions that require final approval or reversal by the Comelec.

Experts had called for the removal of a provision in the proposed code that grants the BEO the authority to investigate voter list anomalies and delist voters, as they argued that such matters should be decided by courts, not the BEO. 

They pointed out that courts already have exclusive jurisdiction over voter list cases in their respective areas. 

The group of experts had also recommended revising the code’s budget provision to ensure any supplemental budget for the BEO goes through the Comelec first, as it potentially conflicts with the Comelec’s status as an independent constitutional commission.

The experts who came up with the position paper included former elections commissioner Luie Guia, former justice secretary Al Agra, former interior undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, former interior chief Anwar Malang of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and former Masbate governor Vicente Homer Revi, among others. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Following the earthquake in Abra in July 2022, educator and entrepreneur Mia Magdalena Capuyan Fokno published a post on her Facebook wall, questioning the whereabouts of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

Some friends later sent her the link to a malicious video by vlogger Renan Padawi (who goes by the name “Jackfloyd Sawyer” online) attacking her, but she brushed it off. She did not know Padawi personally. But this was not the first time she had had to deal with online attacks, after all.

But because close relations insisted, she finally forced herself to watch it. Her reaction was so visceral, that it took time for her to get to the end of the video. 

With each statement that Padawi made, Fokno cringed: “Kulang ka lang sa dilig (You just need watering)!” A rude way of saying she was badly in need of sex.

“Baka ‘pag nagkita tayo, shit, ibabangka kita sa dagat na walang hanggan. (Maybe when we see each other, I will send you off on a boat to the next life.)” In essence, threatening her life.

“It really was bastos. Nandiri ako. (It was really crude. It was disgusting.) I felt violated. He was saying some very sexually explicit things and kept pointing his finger and raising his clenched fist,” Fokno’s voice cracked as she recalled details during an interview with Rappler in March.

“I suffered sleepless nights, public ridicule, embarrassment, anguish. I felt unsafe online and in the real world. Knowing that he had many followers, I feared for my safety. I became paranoid and I made sure that I was home every day before it got dark.” 

Fokno’s experience is not unique. Following the rise of social media, cybermisogyny has taken gender-based violence online. 

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There is no need to suffer in silence, however. Filipinos using the digital space have avenues of redress for incidents such as these. 

As of May 2022, 3,700 cyber libel cases have been filed since the law was passed. From 2019 to 2022, 754 cases of violations of the RA 11313 (Safe Spaces Act) were reported.

Laws like the Safe Spaces Act and Cybercrime Prevention Act, as well as various support groups can hold individuals accountable and ease trauma that can result from online hate in all its many forms. What is important is to take action. 

Roots of online misogyny

Men do not have a monopoly on misogyny, according to licensed professional teacher, psychometrician, and psychologist Eizaleen Fusingan-Lappay. But, to a certain extent, it thrives because society conditions us to think that women are inferior to men, and as such, are subject to their power and authority. 

A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) study conducted from 2017 to 2022 shows that 99.5% of all Filipinos have biases against women.

To a degree, the pervasive milieu of online hate contradicts a number of Philippine core values such as pakikipag-kapwa (treating the other as an extension of the self), according to Carolyn Sobritchea of the Commission on Higher Education’s Technical Panel on Gender and Women’s Studies, and the University of the Philippines’ Center for Women’s Studies Foundation, Inc.

However, she said, some of our indigenous values, like utang na loob (debt of gratitude), can be misused, especially if appropriated by the ruling class for their personal agenda and political gains.

Lappay attributed the boldness of perpetrators of cybermisogyny to the online disinhibition effect, which makes a person disregard societal norms due to the anonymity afforded them by online platforms. 

Addressing trauma: Cybermisogyny and its discontents

Cybermisogyny can take many forms, from abusive language to grave threats. 

“Things happen very fast online,” Sobritchea told Rappler in an interview last May. “Someone can post a woman’s naked photo or make a defamatory statement with the click of a button. The damage to someone’s reputation spreads fast, resulting in trauma and emotional distress.”

Some people may be sitting with unresolved feelings that are building up as trauma, which is when residual negative energy or feelings stored in the body remain unresolved after an experience or event.

Following an encounter with cybermisogyny, Lappay said, it is important to undergo debriefing sessions. She strongly advised working with a mental health professional to process the experience in a safe space. 

Should someone not be able or ready to go to a face-to-face therapy session, there are  support groups online and MindNation has 24/7 chat support that can help.

Different ways to cope

Whenever Christine Abrigana, who started Lagim: A Filipino True Crime Podcast in 2020, receives snarky comments, she steps away from her screen until the emotions pass. 

She has made it a practice to delete inflammatory comments and block commenters because she doesn’t like dwelling on them. She also doesn’t discuss them with friends, though she sometimes vents on her Instagram Stories about mean comments. 

When she decides to answer them, she draws from her experience working in public family law and approaches with compassion, understanding, and respect – mindful that the person on the receiving end may be going through something.

When activist and academic Renee Karunungan-Edwards’ Facebook wall and message inbox were flooded with hate-filled messages following a post about then-candidate Rodrigo Duterte in March 2016, she documented them, taking screenshots that she then shared on her wall.

A previously published Rappler report documented the abusive messages online. Some Duterte supporters said back then: “Ul*l. T*ngina mo. UP ka man din galing, pero utak dilis ka. Bobo ka ang pangit mo. Sana ma-rape ka, manakawan ka. ‘Yan gusto mo, ‘di ba? Ayaw mo ng pagbabago dahil ayaw mo kay Duterte. Sana lang one of these days ma-rape ka para matauhan ka.” 

(Stupid. S*n of a b*tch. You are from UP but you have the brain of an anchovy. You’re stupid and ugly. I hope you get raped, or get mugged. That’s what you want, right? You don’t want change because you are against Duterte. I hope one of these days you get raped so you’ll become enlightened.)

She subsequently filed cases – with legal services offered pro bono – citing violations of the Cybercrime Prevention Act and Omnibus Election Code. As of March, the Comelec had handed down subpoenas. The legal process is ongoing. Karunungan-Edwards, who is now based in the United Kingdom, will attend court proceedings online.

Fokno, Abrigana, and Karunungan-Edwards have accepted that the online attacks on them ebb and flow, depending on the political climate in the Philippines.

Expert Speaks

[ANALYSIS] Cybermisogyny violates human rights

Online crime and offline consequences

After suffering through many sleepless nights and anxiety, Fokno decided to file a case against Padawi. Since she lives in Benguet, Fokno went to the Philippine National Police Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit in the Cordillera. There, through an app, an officer helped her document the video that Padawi posted.

Then, she wrote an affidavit. She also asked witnesses, who had watched the video and seen firsthand the effects it had on Fokno, to write statements.

With those documents, a police officer accompanied her to the provincial prosecutor in Benguet. In September 2022, the case People of the Philippines vs. Renan Padawi was officially filed. In February 2023, Padawi pleaded guilty to violating the Safe Spaces Act. He has yet to settle the fine and civil liability of P150,000.

Fokno did not need to spend any money on any step in the process. 

She has been encouraged by messages she receives from women, many of whom are strangers to her, thanking her for inspiring them to fight back against their attackers.

Building communities of empathy and action

According to Lappay, empathy-building connections and communications will empower people to speak kindly and mindfully online, as well as to help set awareness in dealing with cybermisogynists, including forging alliances to help those who are defamed and shamed on various online platforms.

“We have the power to create safe spaces in the virtual world if we speak up and stand for the victims,” she said. Then, we can once again look at each other, eye to eye, as fellow human beings and extensions of each other, though mediated by technology. 

Sobritchea advocates for a multi-layered approach. First, for content moderation of online platforms to prevent online abuse – knowing full well that there are risks to regulation, which can curtail freedoms, especially of small organizations and the marginalized. 

Next, by showing models of positive portrayal of women and giving space for their narratives to be heard. And finally, by empowering women to help them protect themselves. She said there are many laws and mechanisms to combat violence against women.

Dr. Gregor Mate, who has lectured and published extensively on life-long impacts of trauma, blames our modern globalized culture for what he calls an epidemic of loneliness. 

But an antidote lies in technology too: “We have to use the technologies that we have to connect with each other. People need to build virtual communities where they can share their ideas, their miseries, and their joys, and talk about their values. Seek connection on the local level, internet level.”

Though it seems that cybermisogyny has become commonplace in our society, individuals and groups can fight back to destroy the culture of online hate: by healing from their trauma, by seeking justice under the law, and, in the long-term, by building communities of care that hark back to the values deeply embedded in our Filipino identity. – Rappler.com

Mari-An Santos is a fellow of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship.

BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand’s caretaker government is proposing to “fully reengage” Myanmar’s military rulers and has invited ASEAN foreign ministers to an informal meeting on Sunday, June 18, in an effort to jump-start a stalled peace plan, according to a letter seen by Reuters and sources aware of the invitation.

The proposal was made in a June 14 letter to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) counterparts from Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, which was seen by Reuters on Friday, June 16, and confirmed by three sources with knowledge of the planned meeting.

ASEAN has barred Myanmar’s ruling generals from its high-level meetings over its failure to honor its agreement, known as the “5-point consensus,” which included calls for an immediate end of hostilities, dialogue between all parties and the granting of full humanitarian access.

ASEAN chair Indonesia has declined to attend the meeting, according to three sources. Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The foreign ministry in Thailand, which is expected to have a new government by August following an election last month, declined to comment.

Indonesia last month cited progress in its behind-the-scenes efforts to engage multiple parties in Myanmar’s conflict in a bid to advance a peace process agreed in 2021 by ASEAN leaders and Myanmar’s military, two months after it seized power in a coup and launched a deadly crackdown on opponents.

Myanmar has been roiled by violence since the coup, with the military battling on multiple fronts to try to crush an armed pro-democracy resistance movement formed in response to the crackdown.

Human rights and some United Nations experts have accused the military of committing widespread atrocities. The junta says it is fighting terrorists who aim to destroy the country.

The letter from Thailand’s foreign minister did not explicitly say that Myanmar’s junta-appointed foreign minister had been invited to the meeting. However, two informed sources said the Myanmar minister had been invited.

The letter said the proposed meeting would be “part of the initial steps” of the peace process.

It cited a meeting last month at the ASEAN summit in Indonesia where “a member nation” made an unequivocal statement that ASEAN should fully reengage with Myanmar at the leadership level.

“A number of members supported the call and some were willing to consider, there was no explicit dissenting voice,” Don said in the letter. – Rappler.com

All 12 members of K-pop group LOONA have left their agency BlockBerry Creative.

Haseul, Yeojin, Yves, Go Won, and Olivia Hye won their respective injunctions to suspend their exclusive contracts with BlockBerry, South Korean media reported on Friday, June 16.

According to Seoul Economic Daily, the Seoul High Court’s Fifth Civil Cases Division ruled in favor of the five members, citing “a problem with BlockBerry’s transferring of exclusive contracts to Japanese agency Universal Japan without the written consent of the members.”

BlockBerry has not released a statement as of this writing.

The members have been in a legal battle against BlockBerry for more than a year, filing a string of lawsuits to suspend their exclusive contracts with the agency.

Chuu filed her injunction in December 2021 on the grounds of nonpayment for her activities. BlockBerry expelled her from the group almost a year after, on November 25, 2022, alleging verbal abuse against staff, which Chuu denied. 

A few days after, on November 28, JTBC reported that Heejin, Haseul, Yeojin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry, Yves, Go Won, and Olivia Hye filed their injunctions, citing breach of mutual trust.

Heejin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, and Choerry won their injunctions in January 2023. 

Hyunjin and Vivi filed their injunctions in February 2023, winning them a few months after in May. 

‘Liberation’

LOONA members took to social media to react to the news, with Yeojin, Yves, Go Won, and Olivia Hye thanking the group’s fans for their support.

“I think we got a good outcome because you were always on our side and rooted for us and gave us strength,” Olivia Hye wrote.

Fans have been boycotting BlockBerry Creative since December 2022, calling out the agency for apparently mistreating LOONA members and signing them to contracts that leave them “in perpetual debt.”

Seven of the LOONA members are currently pursuing their respective endeavors.

Heejin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, and Choerry signed exclusive contracts with Modhaus and launched the ARTMS project in March 2023. The project is now teasing a comeback of the LOONA subunit ODD EYE CIRCLE, comprising Kim Lip, Jinsoul, and Choerry. 

In April, Chuu signed an exclusive contract with a new agency ATRP. She has also teased an upcoming solo album in the second half of 2023, with details still pending as of this posting.

Meanwhile, Hyunjin and Vivi signed exclusive contracts with CTDENM in June. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Facebook page of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) was hacked Thursday evening, June 15, Director General Marites Barrios-Taran confirmed in a post on her personal Facebook page.

“Ngayong gabi (June 15) ay namalayan namin na na-hack ang opisyal na Facebook account ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino. Humihingi po kami ng paumanhin sa mga nakatunghay sa larawan na hindi angkop na matagpuan sa aming page. Ginagawa na po namin ang lahat upang maalis ang naturang larawan, ngunit sa ngayon ay hindi pa namin ma-access ang account. Maraming salamat po sa inyong pang-unawa,” Barrios-Taran wrote.

(Tonight, we noticed that the official Facebook page of the Komisyong ng Wikang Filipino was hacked. We apologize to everyone who saw the image that is inappropriate for our page. We’ve done what we can to remove the said image, but as of now, we can’t access the account. Thank you for your understanding.)

An image showing a scantily clad woman was seen as an ephemeral Story post on the KWF page.

The KWF’s official statement said that the page was hacked through a piece of malware that was able to bypass Facebook’s security protocols. The agency has reported the incident to the National Bureau of Investigation’s cybercrime division and to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

In April, the Davao traffic office’s page was vandalized with soft porn videos. In August 2022, the KWF website became inaccessible after it barred the distribution of books it deemed “anti-government.” – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The La Salle Green Archers and the Perpetual Help Altas completed the semifinal cast of the 2023 FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup after posting contrasting quarterfinal wins against the Letran Knights and the FEU Tamaraws, respectively, on Friday, June 16.

Kevin Quiambao showed the way for the Green Archers as they rolled past the Knights, 101-79, and kept their undefeated run going in the preseason tournament.

Quiambao delivered 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists off the bench, while Mark Nonoy also came up huge for La Salle with 18 markers built on four long bombs. 

Evan Nelle, meanwhile, hardly looked like he missed a beat in his return from an injury as he filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in the 22-point drubbing.

On the other side, Kurt Reyson topscored for the Knights yet again with 17 points, while big men Kobe Monje and Paolo Javillonar added 11 and 10, respectively. 

In the curtain-raiser, Arthur Roque put on a show for the Altas as they eked out a thrilling 74-73 escape over the Tamaraws.

Roque erupted for 27 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting, along with a perfect 9-of-9 clip from the foul line. 

With the Tamaraws up by 1, 71-70, John Paul Boral and Roque knocked down four consecutive crucial free throws to give the Altas the lead with only 12 seconds remaining.

FEU’s Xyrus Torres and Royce Alforque had two opportunities to tie the ball game and potentially send it into overtime in the following play, but they both failed to connect on their attempts from beyond the arc.

Boral backstopped Roque in the hard-fought win with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks.

For the Tamaraws, Aeron Bagunu led the charge with 14 points, while Torres and Cholo Anonuevo scored 12 each.

La Salle takes on the NU Bulldogs, while Perpetual faces off with the UP Fighting Maroons in the knockout semifinals on Monday, June 19.

The Scores

First Game

Perpetual 74 – Roque 27, Boral 15, Pagaran 9, Razon 8, Abis 5, Nitura 3, Ferreras 3, Nunez 2, Sevilla 2, Barcuma 0, Ramirez 0.

FEU 73 – Bagunu 14, Torres 12, Anonuevo 12, Montemayor 11, Alforque 8, Faty 7, Sleat 7, Pasaol 2, Tempra 0, Ona 0, Felipe 0.

Quarters: 17-25, 39-40, 53-60, 74-73.

Second Game

La Salle 101 – Quiambao 23, Nonoy 18, Nelle 12, Austria 7, Macalalag 6, Manuel 6, Policarpio 6, Phillips M. 6, David 4, Abadam 4, Gollena 4, Nwankwo 2, Cortez 2, Escandor 1.

Letran 79 – Reyson 17, Monje 11, Javillonar 10, Cuajao 9, Tolentino 9, Galoy 7, Santos 6, Bojorcelo 4, Morales 2, Guarino 2, Nunag 2, Bautista 0, Brillantes 0, Go 0.

Quarters: 23-18, 52-45, 74-61, 101-79.

– Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao continues to have a soft spot for basketball as the boxing legend looks to expand his pro basketball league to the grassroots level.

Pacquiao unveiled the Junior Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), where kids can test and hone their skills against other young athletes nationwide starting next month. 

“We want to discover our homegrown, grassroots players who are into basketball,” MPBL founder Manny Pacquiao said in a media event on Thursday, June 15 at Vivere Alabang.

“Filipinos are really in love with basketball, and that is why we are giving these kids a chance, accommodate them and be able to showcase their basketball talent.”

The Junior MPBL, set to launch on July 9, will feature three age groups – U18, U16, and U14 – as 18 teams to date have confirmed participation. 

Set to be televised over their MPTV channel on the Cignal pay TV service, the Junior MPBL plans to hold games regularly during the school break, before shifting to a weekend-only affair when classes start.

Teams from Antipolo; Batangas City; Bauan, Batangas; Caloocan; Cavite City; Dasmariñas City, Cavite; Imus City, Cavite; Las Piñas; Leyte; and Malabon will see action, said league commissioner Keith Picazo. 

Mandaluyong; Marikina; Muntinlupa; Pampanga; Quezon City; Quezon Province; Rizal Province; and San Pedro, Laguna also confirmed participation, while Iloilo is in talks to join.

Games will be played in different venues, including the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City, Batangas City Coliseum, Bauan Sports Complex in Batangas, Ynares Center Antipolo, Villar Coliseum in Las Piñas, and the Malabon Sports Complex.

Pacquiao to support Gilas in World Cup

Pacquiao, the eight-division world boxing champion known as a longtime basketball fan, said the MPBL will also give way to the country’s hosting of the FIBA World Cup from August 25 to September 10.

“We will stop to support the Philippines and stop the MPBL and Junior MPBL so we can watch the games personally,” said Pacquiao.

The former senator said he’ll support Gilas Pilipinas and watch at least one of its games in Group A action, where Filipinos will battle the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Angola.

While Pacquiao remains focused on his basketball league and other business, he admitted he is still on the fence when it comes to a political comeback.

Based on a recent SWS survey conducted last April 15 to 18, the former solon was the most preferred choice of local voters if the midterm elections were to be held today.

“I thank… the support of the people, we are always committed to serve the people properly,” said Pacquiao, who was a distant third in the 2022 presidential elections.

“But currently, I am focused on expanding my businesses, especially my family but we continue to help the less fortunate.”

Aside from politics, Pacquiao admitted he’s also not ruling out a return to the boxing ring. – Rappler.com

Claim: Data from the 1997 Philippine Yearbook released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) shows a summary of government expenditures under former presidents Ferdinand E. Marcos, Corazon Aquino, and Fidel Ramos.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The false claim can be found in a screenshot from a Twitter post on June 13, 2023, with 339 views. The Twitter account no longer exists as of writing.

The following can also be seen in the screenshot: “President Marcos built a massive infrastructure program and had other achievements while succeeding presidents had little to show despite their huge budgets.”

The same screenshot has been spreading as early as 2019; Rappler published a fact-check of the false claim on April 8, 2019.  In that article, the source of the screenshot was a Facebook post by Larry Gadon, who was a senatorial candidate in the 2016, 2019, and 2022 elections. Gadon is also a lawyer who has been suspended by the Supreme Court at least twice for unbecoming behavior and languge.

The facts: The figures cited in the screenshot are incorrect and misleading. The NSO, now the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), releases annual expenditures, not summaries of government spending by presidency. It is also misleading to compare the peso values without adjusting for inflation.

Information from the PSA: The April 2019 Rappler fact-check cited information published by the PSA on government income and expenditures from 1966 to 1997. The figures are shown in millions, contradicting the erroneously-inflated figures shown in the screenshot.

The same information above can also be found in two resources published by the PSA and available online: (1) the 1994 Philippine Yearbook’s “Table 21.1 Summary of Government Income and Expenditures: 1964-1994,” which shows government expenditures from 1966 to 1993:

(2) the 1997 Philippine Statistical Yearbook’s Table 15.4, which shows government expenditures from 1994 to 1997. There are some inconsistencies in the figures prior to 1994 here compared to the figures in the Philippine Yearbook. (The Philippine Yearbook and the Philippine Statistical Yearbook are different publications.)

In both sources, the figures are expressed in millions. 

Adding up these figures would lead to the same results cited in Rappler’s previous fact-check:

A note on the numbers:

• 600,778 million pesos is 600,778 × 1,000,000 = 600,778,000,000 or P600.778 billion 
• 1,364,498 million pesos is 1,364,498 × 1,000,000 = 1,364,498,000,000, or around P1.364 trillion
• 2,237,907 million pesos is 2,237,907 × 1,000,000 = 2,237,907,000,000, or around P2.238 trillion

Inflated figures: The numbers in the screenshot incorrectly used commas and decimal places, resulting in outrageously large figures.

Adjusting decimal places, Marcos’ supposed spending of “P486,273 billion” would translate to P486 trillion.

Meanwhile, Aquino’s “P1,077,895 T (trillion)” expenditures would inflate the number to P1.077 quintillion, and Ramos’ “P2,237,907 T” spending would be 2.238 quintillion.

Here is a summary of the large numbers involved:

Other inaccuracies in the screenshot: It is inaccurate to state the years 1986-1991 and 1992-1997 for the Aquino and Ramos administrations, respectively, as was done in the screenshot. Aquino’s term ended on June 30, 1992, and Ramos on June 30, 1998. 

Therefore, in adding government expenditures, figures for 1998 would still have to be included for Ramos, but the 1997 Philippine Yearbook would be inadequate as a source as it does not have the 1998 expenditures. 

Also, the years mentioned in the screenshot do not properly correspond to the time periods covered by each administration as far as adding up budgets is concerned. For instance, 1986 covers both the Marcos and Aquino administrations, as Aquino took office in February 1986; 1992 covers both Aquino and Ramos. Additionally, almost the entirety of 1965 was under the administration of former president Diosdado Macapagal, as Marcos’s term only began on December 30, 1965.

As pointed out in Rappler’s previous fact-check: “To begin with, the NSO does not summarize government spending by presidency. What it publishes are annual expenditures.”

Comparability of pesos over time: The government expenditures in the various sources published by the PSA are nominal values, which are not adjusted for inflation. Without adjusting for inflation, it would be misleading to compare nominal values as the value of past pesos changes over time. – Percival Bueser/ Rappler.com

Percival Bueser is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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MANILA, Philippines – PSA, MUJI enthusiasts!

SM North EDSA is now home to MUJI’s grandest store in the Philippines, marking the Japanese lifestyle brand’s sixth establishment in the country.

Boasting an impressive floor size of over 2,500 square meters, the new store sets a record as MUJI’s largest establishment in the country to date, showcasing the Japanese retailer’s signature design elements.

With over 4,000 MUJI products available, including original concepts such as MUJI Labo and MUJI Walker, visitors will be spoiled for choice.

One of the features of the store is the aisle that connects two distinct areas. Area 1 presents a wide range of MUJI merchandise, from garments for all ages to functional houseware, furniture, stationery, and skincare products. 

In Area 2, MUJI introduces new lifestyle services, including a coffee counter serving curry rice meals, a kids’ playing area for young visitors, and a service counter.

The expansive coffee counter is one of the standout features of the store and is MUJI’s largest coffee counter to date. Customers can take a break there and enjoy a cup of coffee or meals from MUJI’s new product line, MUJI Curry, which is exclusive to the branch. The product line includes seven flavors such as butter chicken curry, green curry, and prawn curry.

The kids’ playing area allows children to engage with educational toys, providing a space for them to have fun while their parents explore the store, which also features an expanded kidswear line for babies and toddlers.

The store also features the sixth MUJI water refilling station in the country. The station is a free service that encourages visitors to refill their own bottles. The branch also introduces an embroidery service, allowing customers to personalize their MUJI products with over 200 designs to choose from.

To celebrate the grand opening, MUJI SM North EDSA is conducting a price review on select everyday products, making them even more affordable for customers.

In addition to SM North EDSA, MUJI is also present in other locations, including Greenbelt 3, Central Square in BGC, Power Plant Mall at Rockwell, Shangri-La Plaza East Wing, SM Mall of Asia, and SM North EDSA. – with reports from Jacob Maquiling/Rappler.com