Rhenzel Raymond Caling
(He/Him)
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reporter @verafiles | upd journ 2023
Articles by Rhenzel Raymond Caling
SONA 2024 PROMISE TRACKER: Labor
Benefits for government workers were at the forefront of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s labor-related promises during his third State of the Nation Address last year. Citing the need to cope with inflation and maintain a competitive workforce, Marcos announced a wage hike and additional allowance for state employees.
SONA 2024 PROMISE TRACKER: Corruption and and Good Governance
After being silent on any anti-corruption promise in his 2023 State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. finally acted on the issue of corruption and good governance in his last year’s SONA.
Inside Guo-Tok: How TikTok fan accounts whitewashed Alice Guo’s image amid POGO probe
“What if she’s really innocent?” To online supporters of disgraced former Bamban mayor Alice Guo, the criminal accusations against their beloved leader are unbelievable. After all, how could a simple, people-loving and pretty-looking public servant who ushered her small municipality into a progressive one commit such crimes, they said.
Ano nga ba ang influence operations at FIMI?
Kasama ang reporters mula VERA Files, Philstar.com at PressOnePH, alamin ang ibig sabihin ng Influence Operations at Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) sa video na ito. Hihimayin namin ang mga coordinated behavior ng ilang online accounts para manipulahin ang paniniwala ng mga Filipino at mga politikal na proseso sa bansa.
Sa tulay ng pagbabago, ano ang nakataya at sino ang talo?
Isa ang Panay-Guimaras-Negros Islands interlink Bridge sa tatlong malalaking proyekto na sakop ng kasunduan na pinirmahan ng Pilipinas at South Korea noong Oct. 7. Matagal nang pangarap ng mga taga-Western Visayas na magkaroon ng tulay para sa mas mabilis na byahe at mas maunlad na ekonomiya sa rehiyon. Pero sa ilalim ng “one-of-its-kind” bridge project na ito, nanganganib na maubos ang critically endangered na Irrawaddy dolphins. Paano mababalanse ang pangangailangan sa kaunlaran at kapaligiran?
Visayas bridge construction still hangs 5 years after China’s withdrawal
Second of two parts The pathway that will lead Western Visayas to greater economic heights. That’s how the government envisions the 32.47-kilometer Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island (PGN) Bridge project.
P187-B Visayas mega-bridge threatens endangered Irrawaddy dolphins
First of two parts Rex Magbanua was 7 years old when he first joined his father to fish in the waters of Bago City in Negros Occidental. Like most kids, he was amazed to see a handful of fishes caught using their long nylon ropes. Another scene he vividly remembers was the sight of dolphins swimming with them every time they went out to the sea. Those were different from the pictures of typical dolphins in grade school textbooks. What Rex saw had rounded foreheads and did not have snouts.
De Lima grateful, but says she does not owe Marcos her freedom
Former senator Leila De Lima says she does not feel indebted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. although she is grateful to him for allowing the justice system to work freely and decide on her case based on merits. “I don’t think I can ever owe anyone my gratitude for simply doing what I think is right.
Deepfakes, AI-generated disinfo threaten 2025 polls, veteran journos warn
Artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to supercharge disinformation in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections, media experts and veteran journalists warned during a research conference at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Mass Communication on Friday, June 7.
Duterte group ‘de facto’ opposition just out to grab power – Trillanes
Former president Rodrigo Duterte and his allies are positioning themselves as the “de facto opposition,” given their numbers and attempts to topple the Marcos administration, former two-term senator Antonio Trillanes IV said. “They want to assume the role of the opposition but their purpose is not to check policies.
Toughen law, protect children from vape, gov’t urged
Luis was 17 when he first puffed vape. It was the new cool thing among his high school peers that he could not help but try. But six years on, what started as an experiment became a habit. From occasionally taking a hit from his friends’ vape pods, Luis, now 23, owns a disposable vape which he uses to consume 30 milliliters of nicotine-filled vape juice every week.
Taklobo mining sa WPS: Winawasak na yaman sa inaangking pangisdaan
Kasabay ng panganib na sinusuong sa West Philippine Sea dahil sa umiigting na presensya ng China, isa pang problema ang hinaharap ng mga mangingisda doon. Dahil sa patuloy na pagsira ng China sa coral reefs na tirahan ng mga isda para magmina ng giant clams, natatakot silang tuluyang mawalan ng huli at kabuhayan. Nangangamba rin ang mga eksperto sa magiging epekto nito sa seguridad sa pagkain ng bansa.
VERA FILES FACT CHECK YEARENDER: How false narratives and clickbait fabricate Marcos’ image
(Part 2 of 2) In the social media landscape this year, disinformation peddlers sketched an image of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as a decisive leader who fired errant officials and as a figure sought by foreign leaders for his wealth. Spread through clickbait headlines and thumbnails by pro-Marcos accounts, experts say these claims appealed to audiences vulnerable to disinformation in order to sway public opinion in favor of the president.
VERA FILES FACT CHECK YEARENDER: Propping up the Marcos image through disinformation
(Part 1 of 2) Over a year into President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term, efforts to bolster a positive image of him were sown through disinformation. From clickbait headlines of videos to patently false claims, the allegations that he fired several errant government officials, withdrew wealth from foreign countries or that the Maharlika Fund will collate national wealth and pay the country’s debts all seemed to prop up the president’s image.
PH fact checkers wary of AI for fact checking
Filipino fact checkers are skeptical about using artificial intelligence (AI) to combat disinformation, a new study from the University of the Philippines (UP) has found.
Markers of the country’s significant past relegated to insignificance
Historical Markers 8 Asociacion Feminista Filipina Asociacion Feminista Filipina She could have been a member of the association founded more than a century ago on the spot where she passes by every day. A female vendor walks past a marker in Quiapo, Manila which said the nation’s first women’s association was born on that spot 118 years ago. The counted among its members Jose Rizal’s sister,Trinidad. Installed by NHCP in 2005, the marker is overrun by rust.
Fact Check
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Rights groups slam illegal arrest of community doctor – Tinig ng Plaridel
Multisectoral groups called for the immediate release of rural doctor and UP alumna Natividad “Naty” Castro, condemning President Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown on human rights advocates. Castro, 53, was arrested in her home in San Perfecto, San Juan City on Feb. 18 by elements of both the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This comes after a two-year old warrant issued by a court in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur on Jan.
As Sept. 30 deadline draws near, voter applicants ‘frustrated’ with registration mishaps – Tinig ng Plaridel
What you need to know: Kabataan Partylist estimates that nearly three out of 10 registration days were lost to lockdowns. Comelec says it has already registered 61.06 million voters, surpassing its 59 million target. However, the Philippine Statistics Authority estimates the 2022 voting population at 73.3 million, meaning 12.3 million applicants are yet to sign up. Resolutions were filed in both houses of Congress urging the poll commission to extend the registration period until Oct. 31.
UP in the air: What you need to know from the proposed 2022 budget for UP – Tinig ng Plaridel
What you need to know: On Aug. 23, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) proposed a P1.3 billion cut in the UP system’s 2022 budget, as part of the National Expenditure Program (NEP). The DBM’s proposal stipulates less funding for the university’s students, faculty and staff, including operations of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
UP residents dread lockdown losses, delayed aid – Tinig ng Plaridel
UP residents grow weary over mobility restrictions set to disrupt their livelihood as Metro Manila reverts to the strictest form of lockdown today, Aug. 6, amid rising cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant. Among them, Louise Castillo worries that the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) will slash the already flailing income she gets from her small snack business in Brgy. Krus Na Ligas, located beside the University.
Terminated UP-DND accord does not give military free pass to make arrests inside campus — UP law professor – Tinig ng Plaridel
The military cannot conduct search and arrest warrants even if they can now freely enter the university, UP Diliman (UPD) law professor Theodore Te reiterated in a security briefing held by the UPD Community Security Committee (UPDCSC) Feb. 15.
Terminated UP-DND accord does not give military free pass to make arrests inside campus — UP law professor – Tinig ng Plaridel
The military cannot conduct search and arrest warrants even if they can now freely enter the university, UP Diliman (UPD) law professor Theodore Te reiterated in a security briefing held by the UPD Community Security Committee (UPDCSC) Feb. 15.
Who’s watching? ‘Hijacked’ Netflix accounts reveal weak PH cybersecurity laws – Tinig ng Plaridel
Who’s watching? ‘Hijacked’ Netflix accounts reveal weak PH cybersecurity laws What you need to know: Some online sellers of premium accounts such as Netflix, Spotify and Youtube Premium have resorted to using dubious and illegal methods like password sharing, credit card phishing and user credentials theft. Both old and new users are enticed to avail of these accounts due to cheaper costs and easier subscription process, sounding the alarm for customer security and privacy.
Halted physical classes, looming phaseout burden UP jeepney drivers – Tinig ng Plaridel
What you need to know: A student-less UP campus, coupled with limited seating capacity in jeepneys, makes it difficult for drivers to recover from a seven-month loss of revenue. UP Transport Group Spokesperson Nolan Grulla said that only three out of 334 UP Jeepney drivers received cash grants from the government’s Social Amelioration Program. Drivers are in danger of having their franchises revoked if they fail to comply with the jeepney modernization program before 2021.
‘Flaw-ridden’ Campus Journalism Act burdens high school journos – Tinig ng Plaridel
Once envisioned to uphold the integrity of the campus press, the Campus Journalism Act (CJA) has done more harm than good in almost three decades of its implementation. The law has been used against the freedom and welfare of campus journalists, said Kabataan partylist representative Sarah Elago. The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) has recorded more than 800 cases of campus press freedom violations in both high school and college levels since 2010.
Bill penalizing campus press freedom violations refiled – Tinig ng Plaridel
A nine-year-old bill seeking to uphold campus press freedom is again kept at bay at the House of Representatives after its first reading in February. Sponsored by Kabataan Party-list representative Sarah Elago, House Bill 319, or the Campus Press Freedom (CPF) Act, seeks to address reported loopholes in the current Campus Journalism Act (CJA) of 1991 that allow threats against the campus press to fly under the radar.
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