General

Manila: The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Monday lauded Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads — for accelerating the take down of election-related disinformation to within an hour. In a statement, DICT Secretary Henry Aguda commended Meta’s quick response and called for its continued vigilance against disinformation even after the May 12 polls. According to Philippines News Agency, Aguda emphasized that this urgency must continue beyond the elections. He noted that the DICT and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) will keep monitoring Meta’s efforts and expect the same proactive approach against

Manila: The Philippines has 185 projects worth PHP2.90 trillion currently in the pipeline to be undertaken by the government and the private sector, latest data from the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center showed. Of the total number, 122 projects worth PHP2.74 trillion will be implemented by the national government, while the remaining 63 projects, amounting to PHP159 billion, will be implemented by local government units. According to Philippines News Agency, majority of these projects will be located in the National Capital Region, Region III (Central Luzon), Region IV-A (Calabarzon), Region I (Ilocos Region), and Region II (Cagayan Valley). PPP Center data

Albay: A man passed away in an Albay town shortly after casting his vote on Monday morning, as reported by the Police Regional Office in Bicol (PRO-5). PRO-5 Director Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon confirmed that the 65-year-old experienced dizziness and subsequently lost consciousness. According to Philippines News Agency, the victim had just completed casting his vote when he began to feel dizzy and informed his wife of his condition. Despite receiving first aid and being transported to the Josefina Belmonte Duran Albay Provincial Hospital in Ligao City, he was pronounced dead upon arrival. In another incident, PRO-5 reported the arrest

Basilan: Three people, including a poll watcher, were killed and two others were wounded in a predawn boat clash near Hadji Muhtamad town Monday, hours before elections began. According to Philippines News Agency, the fatalities-poll watcher Murasidul Kidong Abduarahman and supporters Samier Allil Jamiri and Ben Bakil-were aboard a motorboat with mayoral candidate Jamar Mansul’s convoy when they were attacked near Sangbay Big Island at about 1:45 a.m. The wounded supporters, identified as Haber and Zaldy Alih, were hospitalized following the incident. Police chief Maj. Nursaibar Mahadi reported that his seaborne patrol team engaged with eight armed men who did

Manila: The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) on Monday recommended restoring the original sensitivity threshold of automated counting machines (ACMs) to 25 percent. The organization expressed concerns that the current 15-percent setting may be too sensitive, potentially leading to ballot-reading issues. According to Philippines News Agency, PPCRV spokesperson Ana Singson highlighted in a press briefing that the threshold might have been lowered excessively this year. Singson suggested reverting to the 25 percent sensitivity level used in 2022, a setting believed to be more effective in reducing errors. Complaints received by PPCRV indicated that certain parts of ballots were