Latest news with #Tagalog-language
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Philippine health agency quashes mpox lockdown rumours
"Don't dismiss this, please share! [The government] is trying to determine if the entire country should be placed on lockdown because of the danger of mpox," reads part of the Tagalog-language caption of a graphic shared on Facebook on May 31, 2025. It bears the logos of the Philippines' Department of Health and the World Health Organization, says the lockdown will start "June 10, 2025" and adds the use of face masks will be mandatory. The Facebook post also includes links to products sold on popular e-commerce sites Shopee and Lazada. Similar posts were shared elsewhere on Facebook, as were similar graphics about a June 6 lockdown purportedly shared by Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN. "Oh no, here we go again, this is scary," read a comment on one of the posts. Another said: "And children are about to go back to school next month at the opening of the school year!" Multiple towns in the central and southern Philippines in May reported cases of mpox, a disease caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox that manifests itself in a high fever and skin lesions (archived here, here and here). But the archipelago's health department says there is no need to restrict the public's movement. According to the agency, the cases reported in May were caused by the mild Clade 2 variant -- not the highly transmissible Clade 1b strain of the virus that has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and was also detected in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Sweden (archived here and here). The Department of Health said in a May 31 statement that posts claiming a lockdown was imminent were "fake", and there was no need to restrict movement because mpox is not airborne (archived link). "Lockdown does not work for mpox. Why? Because it is [transmitted via] skin-to-skin contact, so there could be more skin-to-skin contact if there is a lockdown," health chief Ted Herbosa said in a press briefing on May 31 (archived link). Separately, the heath department and the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases said mask mandates imposed by several localities in response to mpox cases were unnecessary and would not prevent the spread of the virus (archived here. here, here and here). There has also been no surge in the number of mpox cases in the country. According to information released by the health department, more cases were recorded in April than in May (archived link). The Philippines has not recorded any cases from Clade 1b. The lockdown graphic purportedly shared by ABS-CBN was also dismissed by the health agency as "fake" on May 31 (archived link). The graphic uses the same background of a genuine graphic shared by the broadcaster on its official Facebook page on May 28, 2020, at the height of the Covid pandemic (archived link). The original graphic was about Metro Manila being placed under "General Community Quarantine". AFP has debunked other false claims about mpox here.
AFP
03-06-2025
- Health
- AFP
Philippine health agency quashes mpox lockdown rumours
"Don't dismiss this, please share! [The government] is trying to determine if the entire country should be placed on lockdown because of the danger of mpox," reads part of the Tagalog-language caption of a graphic shared on Facebook on May 31, 2025. It bears the logos of the Philippines' Department of Health and the World Health Organization, says the lockdown will start "June 10, 2025" and adds the use of face masks will be mandatory. The Facebook post also includes links to products sold on popular e-commerce sites Shopee and Lazada. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on June 1, 2025 Similar posts were shared elsewhere on Facebook, as were similar graphics about a June 6 lockdown purportedly shared by Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on June 1, 2025 "Oh no, here we go again, this is scary," read a comment on one of the posts. Another said: "And children are about to go back to school next month at the opening of the school year!" Multiple towns in the central and southern Philippines in May reported cases of mpox, a disease caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox that manifests itself in a high fever and skin lesions (archived here, here and here). But the archipelago's health department says there is no need to restrict the public's movement. No lockdown According to the agency, the cases reported in May were caused by the mild Clade 2 variant -- not the highly transmissible Clade 1b strain of the virus that has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and was also detected in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Sweden (archived here and here). The Department of Health said in a May 31 statement that posts claiming a lockdown was imminent were "fake", and there was no need to restrict movement because mpox is not airborne (archived link). Image Screenshot of the Department of Health statement "Lockdown does not work for mpox. Why? Because it is [transmitted via] skin-to-skin contact, so there could be more skin-to-skin contact if there is a lockdown," health chief Ted Herbosa said in a press briefing on May 31 (archived link). Separately, the heath department and the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases said mask mandates imposed by several localities in response to mpox cases were unnecessary and would not prevent the spread of the virus (archived here. here, here and here). There has also been no surge in the number of mpox cases in the country. According to information released by the health department, more cases were recorded in April than in May (archived link). The Philippines has not recorded any cases from Clade 1b. Repurposed Covid graphic The lockdown graphic purportedly shared by ABS-CBN was also dismissed by the health agency as "fake" on May 31 (archived link). The graphic uses the same background of a genuine graphic shared by the broadcaster on its official Facebook page on May 28, 2020, at the height of the Covid pandemic (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared graphic (left) and the ABS-CBN post from May 2020 (right) The original graphic was about Metro Manila being placed under "General Community Quarantine". AFP has debunked other false claims about mpox here.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Posts mispresent budget data to falsely claim Philippines 'out of money'
The claim stems from a May 18, 2025 Tagalog-language Facebook post published by Jay Sonza, a former broadcaster and supporter of former president Rodrigo Duterte who has previously spread misinformation debunked by AFP. Sonza says the Philippine government is "out of money", as 90 percent of the year's national budget -- which stands at a record 6.33 trillion pesos (around US$114 billion) -- had already been "released" by April (archived link). "It's only May, and the government only has 10 percent of its funds left," he adds, pointing to government borrowing in February and April as signs of financial depletion. The claim surfaced a week after the Philippine mid-term elections on May 12, which delivered disappointing results for President Ferdinand Marcos's party (archived link). Seen as a referendum on the current administration, the polls saw only six of the 11 Marcos-endorsed candidates win Senate seats (archived link). They will join 12 incumbent senators as jurors in the impeachment trial of embattled Vice President Sara Duterte, which could see the Marcos rival permanently barred from public office if convicted. The claim has spread in similar posts on Facebook, drawing comments from users who believed the government had indeed depleted its annual budget. "Where did all that money go?" one said. Another commented: "We must hold another People Power to replace them," alluding to the peaceful uprising that toppled the dictatorship of the president's late father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. The elder Marcos's 20-year rule left the country impoverished, with an estimated US$10 billion stolen from state coffers (archived link). But multiple experts told AFP the claim misrepresents how the government plans and uses the national budget. Public finance specialist Janet Cuenca of the Ateneo School of Government told AFP on May 27 that the figure cited by Sonza refers to "allotment releases" -- a notice that funding has been reserved for agencies -- and not actual spending (archived link). She said this practice allows agencies to begin planning and committing to expenses, such as signing contracts or hiring staff. They must still provide proper documentation to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) before they are authorised to access the funds. Goddes Hope Libiran, undersecretary of the DBM, said the early release of funds is a "consistent practice" backed by data from the past decade (archived link). "(This) does not mean the funds have been spent or 'used up,'" Libiran told AFP on May 20. "It only means the funds are readily available to agencies so they can implement their specific programs, activities and projects without delay." Data from the Bureau of the Treasury show actual spending from January to April 2025 amounted to 1.21 trillion pesos (US$21.8 billion) -- just under 20 percent of the approved national budget (archived link). Economist Victor Abola of the University of Asia and the Pacific also said the idea that government borrowing early in the year means funds have run dry is "misinformation" (archived link). "The government tries to pre-fund its needs to avoid paying higher interest rates," he told AFP on May 21, explaining that borrowing early helps manage costs when rates are expected to rise later in the year. "It's standard practice to pre-fund, sometimes even in the previous year," he added, noting the national government cannot simply run out of funds because "it can always go to the central bank if needed." The Philippine central bank can help manage cash flow by providing liquidity through reserves or other financing options (archived link). AFP has previously debunked claims about the Philippines' economic standing.
AFP
03-06-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Posts mispresent budget data to falsely claim Philippines 'out of money'
The claim stems from a May 18, 2025 Tagalog-language Facebook post published by Jay Sonza, a former broadcaster and supporter of former president Rodrigo Duterte who has previously spread misinformation debunked by AFP. Sonza says the Philippine government is "out of money", as 90 percent of the year's national budget -- which stands at a record 6.33 trillion pesos (around billion) -- had already been "released" by April (archived link). Image Screenshot of false post taken May 29, 2025 The claim surfaced a week after the Philippine mid-term elections on May 12, which delivered disappointing results for President Ferdinand Marcos's party (archived link). Seen as a referendum on the current administration, the polls saw only six of the 11 Marcos-endorsed candidates win Senate seats (archived link). They will join 12 incumbent senators as jurors in the impeachment trial of embattled Vice President Sara Duterte, which could see the Marcos rival permanently barred from public office if convicted. The claim has spread in similar posts on Facebook, drawing comments from users who believed the government had indeed depleted its annual budget. "Where did all that money go?" one said. commented: "We must hold another People Power to replace them," alluding to the peaceful uprising that toppled the dictatorship of the president's late father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. The elder Marcos's 20-year rule left the country , with an estimated US$10 billion stolen from state coffers (archived link). But multiple experts told AFP the claim misrepresents how the government plans and uses the national budget. 'Standard practice' finance specialist Janet Cuenca of Ateneo School of Government told AFP on May 27 that the figure cited by Sonza refers to "allotment releases" -- a notice that funding has been reserved for agencies -- and not actual spending (archived link). She said this practice allows agencies to begin planning and committing to expenses, such as signing contracts or hiring staff. They must still provide proper documentation to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) before they are authorised to access the funds. the early release of funds is a "consistent practice" backed by data from the past decade (archived link). "(This) does not mean the funds have been spent or 'used up,'" Libiran told AFP on May 20. "It only means the funds are readily available to agencies so they can implement their specific programs, activities and projects without delay." Image Comparison of budget releases over the past 10 years provided by the Philippine Department of Budget and Management Data from the Bureau of the Treasury show actual spending from January to April 2025 amounted to 1.21 trillion pesos (US$21.8 billion) -- just under 20 percent of the approved national budget (archived link). Economist Victor Abola of the of Asia and the Pacific also said the idea that government borrowing early in the year means funds have run dry is "misinformation" (archived link). "The government tries to pre-fund its needs to avoid paying higher interest rates," he told AFP on May 21, explaining that borrowing early helps manage costs when rates are expected to rise later in the year. "It's standard practice to pre-fund, sometimes even in the previous year," he added, noting the national government cannot simply run out of funds because "it can always go to the central bank if needed." The can help manage cash flow by providing liquidity through reserves or other financing options (archived link). AFP has previously debunked claims about the Philippines' economic standing.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Motorists in Philippine capital targeted by imposter website
"Check your plate or licence if you have a violation, just click the link," reads a Tagalog-language Facebook post shared on May 26, 2025. The link takes users to a website that will bring up any traffic violations associated with their driving licence or vehicle registration. A screenshot of the website is attached to the post. It bears the logo of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) -- the government agency managing traffic in the Philippine capital -- and includes the text "No Contact Apprehension Program". The post circulated on the same day the MMDA resumed its "no contact apprehension policy" along major thoroughfares in the capital after the Supreme Court halted it in 2022 (archived here and here). Under the policy, drivers caught committing a traffic violation on camera will be sent proof of the infringement through the mail and be required to pay a fine (archived link). They may also file an appeal online or at the MMDA office. Similar posts were shared elsewhere on Facebook, with some users including screenshots claiming the website showed they had "no violations recorded". The link included in the circulating posts, however, does not direct users to a genuine MMDA website. The URL of the imposter website has been formulated to make it appear as if it were a genuine MMDA page (archived link). The imposter website also erroneously refers to the MMDA scheme as a "program" rather than a "policy" (archived link). The MMDA denied any affiliation with the circulating link in a May 26 post on its verified X account (archived link). "Avoid posting and sharing this link to avoid causing confusion. Avoid using the website and do not type your license plate here," the statement read. The agency added that the official website regarding the NCAP is "currently being prepared" and advised motorists to directly reach out to check their record. A representative from the MMDA separately told AFP that official announcements are made on their verified X account (archived link).
