TODAY’S GOD’S MESSAGE

2 Peter 3:9

⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

27 Hunio 2024, Huwebes

City of Makati, France in June

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Kuwait ban on entry, worker visas for OFWs lifted

By Nidz Godino

“We thank His Excellency Fahad and the Kuwait government for opening their doors to Filipinos to be able to work in Kuwait,” Rep. Ron Salo, vice chairman of  House of Representatives’ committee on overseas workers affairs said Kuwait government has lifted its year-long ban on  issuance of entry visas and worker visas for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), signaling  significant development in  labor relations of both countries.

Commitment  to lift  OFW ban was made last June 13 by Kuwait’s Deputy First Prime Minister and Interior Minister Fahad Youssef Saud al-Sabah to  Philippine delegation led by Salo.

“Such protection will ensure that our OFWs’ overseas journey will become worthwhile,”  Kabayan party-list congressman stressed, as he also thanked Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac and Philippine embassy officials in Kuwait for ensuring OFWs’ protection.

Joint  technical working group composed of competent authorities from  Philippines and Kuwait was also established.

Committee  will periodically meet to address employment-related issues that may arise in the future.

Data from  Philippine embassy in Kuwait reveal that there are now around 245,000 Filipino workers in Kuwait, from around 268,000 Filipino workers prior to  ban. Moreover, 50 percent of total domestic labor force in Kuwait is composed of Filipinos.

27 Hunio 2024, Huwebes

City of Makati, France in June

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Mindanao secession issue to warn of ‘civil war’ in Ph   

By Nidz Godino

“Few days ago, I read somewhere about statement of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he cautioned us about  rising tensions in that part of the sea…and I agree with him…we cannot afford to go to war with China and be  battleground for what is to come… I can only imagine  lopsided battle where after all these tensions Philippines is in  losing end, wala tayong panalo dito .” former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said several anonymous accounts on Chinese social media were quick to seize on  Filipino politician’s proposal to secede Mindanao from  Philippines to fuel speculation of  brewing “civil war” in the country, with several attributing  alleged unrest to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “pro-United States” stance. 

Coordinated  campaign to spread rumors of impending conflict in the Philippines took off days after Alvarez (Davao del Norte, 1st District) issued  statement in November 2023 calling to make Mindanao independent due to Marcos’ policies in  West Philippine Sea. Within days, over 60 posts and articles about Mindanao independence campaign were published on Chinese platforms. 

Besides anonymous accounts,  campaign was also amplified by one prominent Chinese media entity that is known to be  active distributor of  Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda.

Monitoring by Philippine media in collaboration with  Taiwan-based Doublethink Lab from November 2023 to February 2024 showed  Chinese social media users already actively produced content alleging an imminent conflict in the Philippines even before former President Rodrigo Duterte publicly called to secede Mindanao in January 2024.

Several articles  reported Alvarez’s remarks implied through their headlines and text that Beijing was important enough to compel Mindanao to protest  government’s, and hence, Marcos’ handling of Chinese vessels in  West Philippine Sea,  they claimed to be “provocative” and “dangerous.” 

These posts echo another similar months-long campaign to paint  Philippines as  unlawful and aggressive country in the tense waterways.

Coordinated  spread of this narrative, among others, has some of the markings of an influence operation media is tracking across all social media platforms, groups and spaces on internet.

Whether posts were about Alvarez’s remarks or of Duterte’s, most used  same keywords and were also often authored by accounts that do not use their real name.  Keywords  for Marcos alleged he was “being hostile to China” and “moving in  dangerous direction,” while  Mindanao independence campaign was described as  “trigger for political in-fighting” or “possible civil war.” 

Alvarez has advocated for Mindanao’s independence as early as 2005, according to a July 9, 2005 published article of a daily  detailed then-Davao City mayor Duterte’s calls to secede Mindanao in  context of  country’s rising discontent against then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. 

The former House speaker revived this call in 2023 as an apparent reaction to Marcos’ “bickering” with China that he said could trigger  war. 

An excerpt of  statement that his office sent to reporters on November 20, 2023 reads:

The veteran lawmaker,  true-blooded Mindanawon, even suggested  better  Mindanao separates itself from Philippines if Imperial Manila insists on dragging  entire nation towards  prospect of war.

At least 60 posts and or articles based on Alvarez’s remarks were uploaded on Chinese platforms from Nov. 21 to 30, 2023, based on Doublethink Lab’s monitoring. Most articles and posts were uploaded on Chinese social media platforms Weibo, Baijahao and NetEase.  Latter  is  Chinese website where users can “self-publish” news articles. 

Majority  of Chinese users’ articles about  Mindanao secession campaign shared same argument that Marcos’ favorable policies toward  United States were causing Mindanao to consider separating from the country. This, some alleged, was an indication of  brewing civil war. 

A month later on Dec. 27, 2023, online media portal Guancha released  video that combines  contents of four different articles published in November 2023.  Video ,  used  computer-generated voiceover, alleged that Marcos has been “stirring up anti-China sentiment at home” upon  orders of  US government. 

Guancha video said  “some regions … have stood up in resistance to prevent  entire country from being dragged down by Marcos.” It also said  Alvarez’s call to secede Mindanao came after Marcos attempted to draw Vietnam and Malaysia “into confrontation with China.” 

Guancha has been flagged by Doublethink Lab for its role in spreading disinformation and messages that echo China’s “new nationalist” and anti-Western sentiment under  guise of independent commentary.

This conclusion was drawn from tracing Guancha’s historical evolution, close ties with Chinese state institutions and state-connected influencers, and its involvement in information operations, such as false claims during Typhoon Jebi in Japan,  misled Taiwanese media and thus fueled protests against then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Months later, on January 30, Duterte made  same call as Alvarez, saying in  press conference that Mindanao should consider seceding from Philippines through  process based on gathering signatures.

This time,  Philippine government responded directly to proposal, with National Security Adviser Eduardo Año saying on February 4 that any attempt to secede any part of the Philippines “will be met by the government with resolute force.” He added that  government “will not hesitate to use its authority and forces to quell and stop any and all attempts to dismember the Republic.” 

At least 11 posts or articles were published the week after Duterte’s statement. One of the articles, translated with open-source translation tool, said that the Philippine government would “attack with force.” Meanwhile,  post of one anonymous account outright claims that the Philippines “is on  brink of civil war.”  

27 Hunio 2024, Huwebes

City of Makati, France in June

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Ph to ban seafarers on pirated vessels

By J.Lo

“We therefore will no longer process or allow  boarding of seafarers on these three principals or ship owners who have been  subjects of attacks,” Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said in an online briefing Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) will prohibit  hiring of Filipino seafarers by three major vessels that were involved in major attacks by Houthi militants.

Cacdac was referring to  vessels Galaxy Leader, True Confidence and Tutor, whose Filipino crew members were either injured or killed during attacks in  Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

“We are mindful of  need for  threat and risk assessment that we will now require ship owners prior to entering  war-risk area, particularly that pertaining to  Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” Cacdac said.

He said  DMW will have proper coordination with security experts in terms of helping the department in these threat and risk assessments.

“We will also be looking out for zero security measures that will enable our seafarers to become more protected,” Cacdac stressed.

He said one is  proper presence of maritime security escorts in the area.

“So in the Philippines, we will consult  relevant branches of  Armed Forces and our Coast Guard so that we will be properly informed about what constitutes proper maritime security escort that will aptly protect our seafarers,” he added.

At the same time, Cacdac said they “will also require principals and ship owners to submit to them  maritime security forces protection that will be given to their ships that will navigate these routes, including presence of armed guards and  inherent protection onboard ships.”

Cacdac said these details will be required prior to processing of seafarers at this stage that aim to make principals, ship owners as well as  DMW more prepared.

26 Hunio 2024, Miyerkules

City of Makati, France in June

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AI, education challenges for employers – ECOP

By Nidz Godino

“This will enable stakeholders to access critical and accurate information more efficiently through an AI-powered chatbot, thereby enhancing ECOP’s accessibility to members,” Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said Artificial intelligence or AI and the quality of education in the Philippines are pressing issues  government must address.

Using AI in workplace, picking experienced education secretary, and wage hikes must be discussed, Luis told reporters  on sidelines of  45th National Conference of Employers.

Integration of AI across sectors and industries will transform business models and production processes and redefine skills required in workforce, he noted.

Training and education programs must be shifted for  resilient, adaptable and skilled workforce, he stressed.

Within ECOP is  pilot program developing generative AI technology to enhance knowledge dissemination, Ortiz-Luis said.

Initiative  started last month and would be formally launched in January 2025, he added.

As for Philippine education, he said  government is not allocating enough budget to sustain quality education.

The next education secretary who will replace Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio must have business acumen, he maintained.

Wage increases are not much of an issue as long as these are being decided by wage boards, Ortiz-Luis said.

“It’s the most objective…we will follow  decision of that wage board,” he said.

Letting regional wage boards decide on wage hikes also helps encourage investments in  provinces, he added.

26 Hunio 2024, Miyerkules

City of Makati, France in June

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HEADLINES

Detained  data security officer claimed hacking 93 websites

By J.Lo

“I owe a lot to him, for what he did for me in the Bulletin, but I’m sorry, Sir Art, that this happened,” hacker  alias “Kangkong”,  data security officer of Manila Bulletin has admitted hacking approximately 93 websites, including government and private company websites, as well as servers based abroad.

“Kangkong” revealed he left  specific picture on compromised websites as proof of his involvement.

In his extrajudicial confession, he identified Bulletin’s senior technology officer Art Samaniego as  person who ordered  hacking of several high-profile websites, including  peacekeeping operations center website of  Armed Forces of the Philippines,  mail server of National Security Council and  PH Army website.

Kangkong  regrets for implicating Samaniego to  National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

He explained  if there is  website he hacked, he would send it to Samaniego, and depending on how big  government agency is, he would look into it and decide if he would write  article about it.

“When we met, I was looking for work, he said maybe I could work in the Bulletin,” Kangkong said.

Samaniego has denied allegations that he ordered  hacking of government and bank websites to boost his social media reach.

He did not need to compromise AFP’s website for content.

Kangkong also issued  public apology to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the general public and especially to  military community for his actions.

Kangkong acknowledged  significant impact of his actions, including  exposure of sensitive data of soldiers to foreign entities.

“That’s when I realized  we have many enemies and we should not be going against each other,” he said.

Kangkong highlighted  inadequate cybersecurity measures in place for government and private companies’ websites, stating that this was  key factor in his ability to hack them.

“Cybersecurity is not really  priority in the Philippines… they should invest in security…we know that hiring people is expensive, tools needed are expensive…but they should invest somehow because if they don’t invest and they are breached, they would have to spend more,” he said.

Kangkong and two others were arrested by  NBI Cybercrime Division on June 19 after reports of multiple unauthorized access attempts and breaches on websites.

NBI revealed one of the suspects’ phone contained scripts and databases obtained from local government units, various government websites and Facebook users’ credentials.

Meanwhile,  NBI  confirmed  its Cybercrime Division has issued  subpoena against Samaniego.

NBI Public Information Office chief Nick Suarez told media agents of NBI-Cybercrime Division issued  subpoena past noon yesterday.

“This is part of  process for Samaniego to explain his side to  authorities,” Suarez said.

Subpoena  was issued to Samaniego in Manila Bulletin head office in Intramuros, Manila.

Samaniego has been suspended from work pending  investigation by Manila Bulletin according to reports.

23 Hunio 2024, Linggo

City of Makati, France in June

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Couples’ for Christ hit Divorce bill

By J.Lo

“We strongly urge our country’s leaders NOT to weaken  marriage bond but instead to work more aggressively to strengthen family,” Couples for Christ (CFC) manifesto said,  Catholic lay organization appealed to  government to reject proposals for  divorce law,  “a reflection of human weakness.”

Couples for Christ (CFC),  country’s biggest Catholic renewal community, issued  manifesto against  divorce bill.

More  vigorous implementation of Executive Order No. 209, s. 1987 or Family Code, “is  more viable option to elevate our people into  society of law-abiding, emotionally stable citizens,” it stressed.

House Bill 9349 or Absolute Divorce bill, passed in  House of Representatives with 131 affirmative votes, 109 negative and 20 abstentions, has been transmitted to  Senate. Earlier reports said  bill received 126 yes votes.

CFC argued broken families caused by divorce would bring emotional, psychological, financial and physical forms of pain, especially for children.

“No marriage is perfect…however, marriages formed in love and mutual understanding can be happy, enduring and fulfilling,” it stated.

23 Hunio 2024, Linggo

City of Makati, France in June

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FMJ inaugurates Grand Westside Hotel

By J.Lo

“Having developed many hotels and other tourism-related establishments around the country, Megaworld has shown  true partner in national development and  great builder of dreams and sustainable communities in our society,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.inaugurated Megaworld’s 1,530-room Grand Westside Hotel in Parañaque City, touted as  biggest hotel development in the country.

Grand Westside Hotel is expected to generate 20,000 direct and indirect jobs in the coming years, Marcos said.

 “Indeed, world class experiences are awaiting guests of this grand hotel,” Marcos said in his speech.

Located in  Entertainment City,  two-tower Grand Westside Hotel is  short drive from  Ninoy Aquino International Airport via  NAIA Expressway, and promises views of  world-famous Manila Bay sunset, as well as the skylines of Makati, Manila and Taguig.

The President thanked  Alliance Global Group, Inc., led by its president and chief executive officer Kevin Tan, for company’s upcoming developments, including  Grand Opera House, theaters and  gaming complex.

“With all these, we foresee not only  entry of more tourists but also  generation of more jobs, of new businesses and of greater opportunity,” Marcos said.

Alliance Global Group Inc. is  parent company of Megaworld Corp.

“This is particularly noteworthy considering  remarkable growth of  tourism sector, contributed 8.6 percent to the country’s GDP last year, 2023,” Marcos said.

Among those present at the inauguration of Grand Westside Hotel were Megaworld officials led by Tan, Speaker Martin Romualdez, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chairman Alejandro Tengco and Parañaque City Mayor Eric Olivarez.

Marcos earlier said  tourism and hospitality industry has made  “impressive” recovery after  COVID-19 pandemic.

Hotels, restaurants, recreational amenities and tourist spots have “slowly but surely” risen to the challenge of travel resurgence, welcoming 5.45 million inbound tourists last year from 2.65 million visitors in 2022, the President said.

23 Hunio 2024, Linggo

City of Makati, France in June

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Jollibee probes hacking

By J.Lo

TONY TAN CACTIONG

“Parallel to these efforts, we are working closely with relevant authorities and experts,” Jollibee Group has begun  investigation into  cybersecurity incident that may have compromised  records of millions of customers.

In  statement,  Jollibee Group emphasized its e-commerce platforms are unaffected and remain operational.

“We take this matter seriously and have launched  investigation to better understand  scope of  incident,” it said.

Jollibee Group said response protocols have been implemented on top of enhanced security measures to further protect its data against threats.

 “Please be assured  we are continuously fortifying our defenses against future threats and remain committed to our priority of safeguarding customer data,” it said.

Furthermore, Jollibee Group urged  public to be vigilant and exercise good information security practices, including keeping passwords secure and changing them often.

Other brands under Jollibee Food Corp. are Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Burger King Philippines and Highlands Coffee.

Meanwhile,  Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)  would intervene in  investigation on cybersecurity breach involving private companies only if requested to do so.

DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy made this clear when sought for comment on Jollibee Group’s announcement that it would investigate  recent cybersecurity breach.

“If private companies are involved, we’re usually hands off  unless they actively seek help,” Dy said.

DICT official added National Privacy Commission (NPC) that usually deals with cybersecurity attacks involving private entities.

23 Hunio 2024, Linggo

City of Makati, France in June

Happy Fathers Day

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OCTOBER 30, NATIONAL DAY OF CHARITY

By Nidz Godino

“PCSO has shown its dedication to fulfil its mandate through  provision of medical services,  conduct of free medical and dental services,  establishment of  out-patient clinic and its partnerships with qualified government and non-government welfare institutions/agencies that promote  well-being of  marginalized sectors of society,” proclamation read, Malacañang has declared Oct. 30 of every year as “National Day of Charity” as part of  Marcos administration’s vision to promote compassion, solidarity and social responsibility among Filipinos.

Under Proclamation 598, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin by the authority of President Marcos on June 13,  Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) is tasked to lead, coordinate and supervise  observance of National Day of Charity and identify programs, activities and projects for the celebration.

All government agencies and instrumentalities  including government-owned or -controlled corporations, financial institutions, local government units, state universities and colleges  and non-government organizations and  private sector are directed and encouraged to participate in  observance.

In signing  proclamation, Marcos cited Section 9, Article II of  Constitution,  mandates  promotion of “just and dynamic social order to ensure  prosperity and independence of the nation and free  people from poverty through policies that provide social services, promote full employment, improve  standard of living and quality of life for all.”

“Bagong Pilipinas, as  overarching theme of  administration’s brand of governance and leadership, calls for deep and fundamental transformations in all sectors of society and government, and visions to emphasize compassion, solidarity and social responsibility among Filipinos,”  proclamation stated.