Here are today’s headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world:
- Meta ends US fact-checking program, leaving partners blindsided
- Rappler statement on Meta ending fact-check program in the US
- Edgar Matobato ‘currently safe’ after fleeing Philippines
- Unemployment, underemployment drop in November 2024 amid holiday season
- Rufa Mae Quinto surrenders to NBI
https://www.rappler.com/video/daily-wrap/january-8-2025/
- Meta ends US fact-checking program, leaving partners blindsided
- Rappler statement on Meta ending fact-check program in the US
- Edgar Matobato ‘currently safe’ after fleeing Philippines
- Unemployment, underemployment drop in November 2024 amid holiday season
- Rufa Mae Quinto surrenders to NBI
https://www.rappler.com/video/daily-wrap/january-8-2025/
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NewsTranscript
00:00Today on Rappler
00:13Metas craps its fact-checking program in the United States.
00:16Rappler calls Metas' move opportunistic, noting it puts people's health, well-being,
00:21and safety at risk.
00:23Edgar Matubato, a whistleblower who exposed Rodrigo Duterte's death squad in Davao, is
00:27currently safe in an undisclosed location after fleeing the Philippines.
00:32The Philippines' unemployment and underemployment rate dropped in November 2024.
00:38And actress and comedian Rufa May Quinto surrenders to the NBI.
00:44Metas craps its long-standing fact-checking program in the United States as its CEO Mark
00:49Zuckerberg appears to be mending fences with Donald Trump's incoming second administration.
00:54This is Metas' biggest overhaul of its approach to managing political content.
01:06The changes will affect Facebook, Instagram, and threads.
01:09International fact-checking network head Angie Drobnik-Holland challenges Zuckerberg's depiction
01:14of its members as biased and censorious, saying fact-checking journalism has never censored
01:19or removed posts.
01:21It added information and context to controversial claims, and debunked hoax content and conspiracies.
01:27Nonprofit Center for Information Resilience co-founder Ross Burley says the move seems
01:32to be more about political appeasement than smart policy.
01:35He says this is a major step back for content moderation at a time when disinformation and
01:40harmful content are evolving faster than ever.
01:44Meta donated $1 million to Donald Trump's inaugural fund, a departure from its past
01:49practice.
01:50Trump once threatened to send the Meta CEO to prison.
01:55Rappler releases a statement on Wednesday, January 6 on Meta ending the fact-checking
01:59program in the United States.
02:02Rappler is a fact-checker under the Meta program in the Philippines.
02:06We are dismayed by Meta's decision to end the fact-checking program in the United States
02:11and appalled over statements made by Mr. Zuckerberg, bad-mouthing fact-checkers.
02:17Fact-checking and verification is a critical due diligence process that responsible journalists
02:22and newsrooms go through each time we publish stories to protect the welfare of audiences.
02:29This methodology ensures that citizens are equipped with accurate information they need
02:34to live their lives better and make informed decisions.
02:38Allowing manipulative and harmful content to flourish and gain eyeballs in platforms
02:44under the guise of free speech is opportunistic and puts people's health, well-being, and
02:50safety at risk.
02:52Rappler says that for as long as Meta retains the fact-check program in the Philippines,
02:57Rappler intends to continue this engagement, especially during an election year.
03:01Meantime, Rappler's CEO and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa tells AFP,
03:06Mark Zuckerberg says it's a free speech issue.
03:09That's completely wrong.
03:11She adds,
03:12Only if you're profit-driven can you claim that.
03:14Only if you want power and money can you claim that.
03:17This is about safety.
03:21Edgar Matubato, a self-confessed hitman who blew the whistle on former President Rodrigo
03:25Duterte's death squad in Davao City, is currently safe in an undisclosed location.
03:30Matubato fled the Philippines after persistent death threats.
03:34A trusted source knowledgeable about the arrangements told Rappler,
03:38Matubato is fit and well and considers a foreign country most safe, where Duterte is not influential.
03:44Matubato's affidavit was among the first communications filed with the ICC that resulted in a now
03:49seven-year-long investigation.
03:52Matubato's fellow self-confessed hitman, Arturo Lascañas, has been offered limited immunity
03:56by the ICC.
03:58Former Senator Antonio Trillanes, in a post on social media, says,
04:07Trillanes was under the NBI Witness Protection Program at the time, before the assumption
04:11of Duterte as president in 2016.
04:14He directed a trusted senior government official to facilitate Matubato's transfer of custody
04:18to a senior member of the Catholic Church.
04:21This act of pinoy saved Matubato's life.
04:25The Philippine Statistics Authority, or PSA, says the unemployment and underemployment
04:30in the Philippines decreased in November 2024 as businesses prepared for the holiday season.
04:35The unemployment rate fell to 3.2 percent, with 1.66 million jobless Filipinos in November,
04:41down from the 3.6 percent in the same month in 2023.
04:45The underemployment rate also dropped to 10.8 percent, with 5.35 million Filipinos in November.
04:52National statistician Dennis Mapa says the manufacturing industry gained around 784,000
04:57more jobs year-on-year.
04:59The wholesale and retail sector experienced the highest increase in employment since October
05:042024, adding 746,000 jobs.
05:08Mapa says the growth in manufacturing and retail jobs in November was anticipated because
05:12of the holiday season.
05:14He also notes the holiday season was the factor behind the drop in underemployment rate, with
05:18more Filipinos getting hired in full-time jobs.
05:21Meantime, the agriculture and fishery sectors suffered the largest job losses since November
05:262023, with 1.99 million workers affected.
05:32Rufa May Quinto surrenders to the National Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday, January
05:368.
05:37This follows an arrest warrant issued by the Pasay Regional Trial Court in December 2024
05:42regarding her involvement with Dermacare.
05:45The arrest stems from 14 counts of violation of Section 8 of the Securities Regulation
05:50Code or the unlawful sale of securities.
05:53Quinto was escorted by NBI personnel after arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International
05:57Airport from California.
06:00Her lawyer earlier clarified that the charges were not related to large-scale estafa and
06:04that Quinto would post bail.
06:06Quinto also denies any fraudulent activity, claiming she was also a victim.
06:11Actress Neri Miranda faced similar charges and was released after being arrested in November
06:152024.
06:19And that's today's wrap.
06:20I'm Kara Oliver.
06:22Click the link below for the full story.
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06:30And don't forget to subscribe to Rappler for more videos.