Latest news with #RodrigoRoaDuterte
Gulf Today
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Philippine poll body reacts to voting ‘breaches'
The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening released through its Facebook Page a press statement from the Manila-headquartered Commission on Elections (COMELEC), concerning alleged irregularities, encountered by overseas Filipino voters (OFVs) in other countries, in connection with the historic implementation of the overseas online voting (OOV) relative to the April 13 to May 12 General/MidTerm Elections. It was on early Monday morning when Gulf Today read over Facebook about the alleged alterations done on the cast votes of at least two supporters of the former Philippine president Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his daughter, incumbent Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio. By mid-afternoon, a Filipino residing in The Netherlands sent a Facebook post about the 'Ano ito Comelec' (What is this Comelec?) rant of an unidentified OFV posted by a certain 'Abines Ernesto Jr.,' reposted by a certain 'Leonar Maria': 'Duterte Candidates binoto ng isang OFW. Pero Sotto, Pacquiao, Tulfo, Brosas at Bosita lumabas! Ano ito Comelec?' The Filipino-worded three-page COMELEC statement, in particular referred to the post, spreading like wildfire on Facebook, of a certain 'Jefferson Salazar Bonoan' based in Singapore, shared by a certain 'Kiffy Chu.' In response, the COMELEC, which pointed out that the Facebook post, carried as well the 'specific official digital ballot of the complainant, before this was cast, and screenshots of the series of scripts, stated: • The Online Voting Counting System (OVCS) immediately encrypts the vote cast by the Registered Overseas Voter, into the digital ballot. This guarantees the cast vote against interception, tampering, or un-authorised access. • After casting the vote, an OFV has the chance to review his ballot, using his Ballot Identification (BID), with the use of an industry-standard secured storage and verification 'plaintext hash'. The code is the plaintext version of the ballot itself. Scrolling from start to finish would show all of the senatorial and party-list representative candidates that includes all of the 'encrypted votes' of the OFV. Therefore, the OFV sees and reads the encrypted script of the names of all the candidates and not only the names of the candidates he voted for. This method prevents anyone to see and know who was voted by any OFV. This method disallows anyone to take a photo of the ballot which is employed by the OVCS, to obviate any form of vote-buying or vote-selling. COMELEC likened the method implemented in the automated counting machine whereby the Voter's Receipt could neither be brought outside of the polling precinct nor taken a photograph of, for vote-buying or vote-selling. The BID and Ballot Locator, containing the encrypted script, is an irreplaceable and permanent record of the ballot. This is proof that the OFV successfully cast his vote and his votes have been counted correctly. Lastly, after the elections and the canvassing of votes, the permanent encrypted script is going to be used for a three-way transparency and audit: • Through the print-out of all the canvassed ballots in all the 77 Philippine embassies and consulates general where the OOV is implemented. • Through the use of the Election Verifier System that confirms or validates each ballot received for the Election Returns, and which determines the accuracy and authenticity of the results. • Through the legislated Random Manual Audit whereby any of the 77 Philippine posts are going to manually count the ballots and print out the final numbers to be compared to the transmitted Election Returns. COMELEC is bound to secure the sanctity of the ballot and so Filipinos, specifically all OFs, must not worry amidst the widespread distribution of unverified reports over the social media concerning the genuineness of the OOV, according to the statement.
AFP
04-04-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Old report misrepresented as Philippine ex-leader returning home from ICC detention
"Rodrigo Roa Duterte arrived today from the Netherlands," reads Tagalog-language text overlaid on an April 2 Facebook reel. The video shows a news report from broadcaster GMA News where anchor Mel Tiangco is heard saying: "On former president Rodrigo Duterte's return home to Davao city, a special homecoming concert has been prepared for him." (archived link) "Happy to have you back, Father Digong," the post's caption says, using Duterte's popular nickname among his supporters. Image Screenshot of the false post taken on April 3, 2025 The former president was arrested on March 11 and swiftly bundled onto a plane to the ICC in The Hague (archived link). He faces a charge of crimes against humanity over his anti-narcotics campaign that claimed the lives of thousands of mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs. His lead lawyer Nicholas Kaufman told AFP in an interview that he hoped to stop the case before the tribunal confirms the charges against Duterte by arguing the court cannot exercise its jurisdiction (archived link). A confirmation of charges hearing, where the prosecutor and defence will first lay out their evidence, is currently scheduled for September 23. Kaufman did not say anything about his client being released. The GMA News report was also falsely presented as recent on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, but the Philippine fact-checking organisation Vera Files had earlier debunked similar posts (archived link). Keyword searches on Google using visual clues in the video found it was posted on the verified Facebook account of GMA News on June 30, 2022 (archived link). The report aired on the broadcaster's flagship nightly news programme 24 Oras. The concert shown in the clip was an event in Davao city to honour Duterte as his term as president ended that day (archived link). Image Screenshot of the report in the false post (left) and the original on GMA News' Facebook page (right) Duterte's daughters Vice President Sara Duterte and Veronica Duterte said on April 2 that he "was doing okay" in detention, according to news reports from various local media (archived here, here and here). AFP has debunked the wave of misinformation on Duterte's arrest, including baseless claims he had been released.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Old report misrepresented as Philippine ex-leader returning home from ICC detention
"Rodrigo Roa Duterte arrived today from the Netherlands," reads Tagalog-language text overlaid on an April 2 Facebook reel. The video shows a news report from broadcaster GMA News where anchor Mel Tiangco is heard saying: "On former president Rodrigo Duterte's return home to Davao city, a special homecoming concert has been prepared for him." (archived link) "Happy to have you back, Father Digong," the post's caption says, using Duterte's popular nickname among his supporters. The former president was arrested on March 11 and swiftly bundled onto a plane to the ICC in The Hague (archived link). He faces a charge of crimes against humanity over his anti-narcotics campaign that claimed the lives of thousands of mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs. His lead lawyer Nicholas Kaufman told AFP in an interview that he hoped to stop the case before the tribunal confirms the charges against Duterte by arguing the court cannot exercise its jurisdiction (archived link). A confirmation of charges hearing, where the prosecutor and defence will first lay out their evidence, is currently scheduled for September 23. Kaufman did not say anything about his client being released. The GMA News report was also falsely presented as recent on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, but the Philippine fact-checking organisation Vera Files had earlier debunked similar posts (archived link). Keyword searches on Google using visual clues in the video found it was posted on the verified Facebook account of GMA News on June 30, 2022 (archived link). The report aired on the broadcaster's flagship nightly news programme 24 Oras. The concert shown in the clip was an event in Davao city to honour Duterte as his term as president ended that day (archived link). Duterte's daughters Vice President Sara Duterte and Veronica Duterte said on April 2 that he "was doing okay" in detention, according to news reports from various local media (archived here, here and here). AFP has debunked the wave of misinformation on Duterte's arrest, including baseless claims he had been released.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
False claims Rodrigo Duterte 'won US anti-corruption award' stem from parody news site
"Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was recognized by the US Department of State as one of its 12 International Anti-Corruption Champions for demonstrating leadership, courage, and impact in preventing, exposing, and combatting corruption," reads part of a Facebook post shared on February 24, 2025. It includes a picture of the Southeast Asian nation's former leader. The post surfaced as campaigning for mid-term elections in the Philippines kicked off, with the political future of Duterte's daughter in the balance (archived link). The House of Representatives impeached Vice President Sara Duterte in early February following the spectacular implosion of the fragile alliance between her family and that of President Ferdinand Marcos. An impeachment trial, on charges that could see her barred from office, will be held in the Senate where a dozen open seats are up for grabs in the May vote. Similar claims the ex-president received an award for fighting corruption were also shared on Facebook, including in a pro-Duterte group with over 150,000 members, as well as on Instagram. "PRRD the best Philippine president. Nobody can put a good man down!" read one comment on the posts, using initials for the former leader. Another read: "Congratulations! We need to be led by another Duterte -- VP Sara Z. Duterte." But the former president has not been recognised by the US State Department as an international anti-corruption champion, as the posts claim. Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken launched the International Anti-Corruption Champions Award in 2021, and Duterte does not appear in the lists of champions for 2022, 2023 or 2024 (archived here, here, here and here). The only awardee from the Philippines is Mayor Victor Sotto of the Pasig City suburb of the capital Manila, who was recognised in 2021 (archived here and here). Sotto was described as "a standard-bearer for a new generation of Philippine politicians who prioritize anticorruption and transparency initiatives in their election campaigns and in office". Text at the bottom of the circulating picture reads "CDN STRICAL", indicating it is from "Cebu Dairy News" which parodies local media organisation CDN Digital (archived here and here). In their X bio, Cebu Dairy News describes itself as: "Cebu's leading satire/spoof/parody news entity." AFP has previously debunked posts misrepresenting content from Cebu Dairy News. Philippine news organisations Rappler and Vera Files debunked claims the post was genuine news when it circulated in October 2021 (archived here and here). AFP has debunked other false claims swirling around the upcoming Philippine elections.
AFP
06-03-2025
- Politics
- AFP
False claims Rodrigo Duterte 'won US anti-corruption award' stem from parody news site
"Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was recognized by the US Department of State as one of its 12 International Anti-Corruption Champions for demonstrating leadership, courage, and impact in preventing, exposing, and combatting corruption," reads part of a Facebook post shared on February 24, 2025. It includes a picture of the Southeast Asian nation's former leader. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on March 5, 2025 The post surfaced as campaigning for mid-term elections in the Philippines kicked off, with the political future of Duterte's daughter in the balance (archived link). The House of Representatives impeached Vice President Sara Duterte in early February following the spectacular implosion of the fragile alliance between her family and that of President Ferdinand Marcos. An impeachment trial, on charges that could see her barred from office, will be held in the Senate where a dozen open seats are up for grabs in the May vote. Similar claims the ex-president received an award for fighting corruption were also shared on Facebook, including in a pro-Duterte group with over 150,000 members, as well as on Instagram. "PRRD the best Philippine president. Nobody can put a good man down!" read one comment on the posts, using initials for the former leader. Another read: "Congratulations! We need to be led by another Duterte -- VP Sara Z. Duterte." But the former president has not been recognised by the US State Department as an international anti-corruption champion, as the posts claim. 'Parody news entity' Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken launched the International Anti-Corruption Champions Award in 2021, and Duterte does not appear in the lists of champions for 2022, 2023 or 2024 (archived here, here, here and here). The only awardee from the Philippines is Mayor Victor Sotto of the Pasig City suburb of the capital Manila, who was recognised in 2021 (archived here and here). Sotto was described as "a standard-bearer for a new generation of Philippine politicians who prioritize anticorruption and transparency initiatives in their election campaigns and in office". Text at the bottom of the circulating picture reads "CDN STRICAL", indicating it is from "Cebu Dairy News" which parodies local media organisation CDN Digital (archived here and here). In their X bio, Cebu Dairy News describes itself as: "Cebu's leading satire/spoof/parody news entity." AFP has previously debunked posts misrepresenting content from Cebu Dairy News. Image Screenshot comparison of the text on the falsely shared image (left) and Cebu Dairy News' corresponding logo (right) Philippine news organisations Rappler and Vera Files debunked claims the post was genuine news when it circulated in October 2021 (archived here and here). AFP has debunked other false claims swirling around the upcoming Philippine elections.
