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NBI taps Meta to identify netizens mocking Cendaña

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has tapped Meta to trace the individuals behind at least 30 social media accounts mocking the disability and sexual orientation of Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña, Director Melvin Matibag said.

This is in response to the Sept. 15 complaint filed by Cendaña – a stroke survivor and openly gay man – seeking the NBI’s help in probing the online accounts – including those of Cho Moreno, MP Miko Pogay and Kiffy Chu – supposedly posting numerous content that could violate the Magna Carta of Disabled Persons and the Safe Spaces Act.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the bureau’s Cybercrime Division ‘is acting on it (Cendaña’s complaint) already.’

‘We are asking Meta for the identification. We have a direct line [now] with Meta for these purposes,’ he told reporters in an interview on Thursday.

‘If you remember, we went to Singapore, that’s one of the commitments of Meta-to provide us documents that we will ask,’ he added.

‘Common thread’

Cendaña cited his experiences from various social media accounts in his complaint.

He pointed out further a ‘common thread’ in the accounts attacking him-their disagreement with his political views.

The lawmaker noted that the attacks pertaining to his physical appearance began after Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa made a remark against him following his filing of an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte in 2024.

The lawmaker said his complaint is not solely about his personal experiences but that of all person with disability experiencing discrimination.

Kano turns to Lagos for lessons on social protection, development planning

The Kano State Social Protection Agency has commenced a two-day knowledge-sharing visit to the Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget to understudy the state’s approach to development planning, social protection coordination, data management and citizen engagement.

The delegation, led by the Director General of the Kano State Social Protection Agency, Hajia Fatima Abubakar-Abdullahi, held an interactive session with the Lagos State Social Protection team, led by its Director, Mr Semiu Yusuf, at the ministry’s headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja, on Thursday.

The visit provides the Kano agency, which was established in the previous year, an opportunity to draw practical lessons from Lagos’ institutional experience as it develops its own structures and systems for coordinating social protection interventions.

The Kano delegation included the agency’s Director of Planning, Mr Dalhatu Danladi; Director of Public Enlightenment, Mr Rabiu Ibrahim; and the Personal Aide to the Director General.

At the engagement, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mrs Olayinka Ojo, said the state remained committed to knowledge-sharing with other sub-national governments as part of efforts to promote sustainable development across Nigeria.

Ojo explained that Lagos had deliberately created institutional structures to strengthen social protection coordination and improve development planning outcomes.

She disclosed that the state established a dedicated Social Protection Coordinating Department after identifying the need for a more coordinated approach to social protection interventions.

According to her, the department has evolved into a functional structure with dedicated personnel and administrative processes covering areas including accounting, procurement, media and social work.

The Permanent Secretary also highlighted Lagos’ approach to data management, particularly the disaggregation of information beyond broad administrative classifications to enable government to better understand the specific needs of communities.

She said the approach allows the state to plan in a more targeted manner and ensure that development interventions are not concentrated in particular locations.

‘It helps us to plan for the state in a disintegrated manner, that we leave no one behind,’ Ojo said.

She further explained that the Lagos Development Plan serves as a long-term framework for guiding development across sectors, with milestones broken down into immediate, near-term and longer-term priorities.

‘We are very audacious about our plan,’ she said, stressing the importance of a structured development framework for guiding government interventions and tracking what needs to be delivered over different periods.

Ojo identified economic growth, modern infrastructure and human capital development as key priorities in Lagos’ development planning, while emphasising the need to build the capacity of stakeholders who contribute to the development process.

She said civil servants, private-sector actors, civil society organisations and community-based stakeholders all have roles to play in ensuring that development plans translate into tangible outcomes.

The Permanent Secretary also highlighted Lagos’ approach to incorporating citizens’ priorities into the budget process.

She disclosed that the state had recently concluded consultations across its community structures to obtain residents’ priorities for the 2027 budget.

According to her, the demands and priorities gathered during the consultations would be presented to accounting officers and heads of agencies ahead of bilateral budget discussions.

‘We want you to take cognisance of these things and make sure that a certain percentage of your budget takes care of these things,’ she said.

Ojo explained that the process was designed to ensure that residents’ identified needs receive appropriate consideration during budget preparation.

She also identified Community Development Committees and other organised community structures as important channels for engaging residents, gathering feedback and supporting social protection activities.

According to her, the structures provide platforms for engaging women, youths and other groups, while also assisting with activities such as updating social protection registers and fresh registration.

The state also works with community representatives to monitor government interventions and obtain feedback on their implementation, she said.

Speaking on the purpose of the visit, Kano State Social Protection Agency Director General, Fatima Abubakar-Abdullahi, expressed appreciation to the Lagos team for sharing its experience with the delegation.

She said the Kano agency was relatively new and was still putting in place the institutional structures and operational systems required to deliver effective social protection programmes.

‘We came to Lagos to learn, to understand how you put your things in place, because Lagos is Nigeria,’ she said.

Abubakar-Abdullahi described the engagement as valuable to Kano’s institutional development, particularly in understanding how Lagos had established and coordinated its social protection systems.

‘I’m really happy to be here, because your words, your experiences… you are full of knowledge,’ she said.

She said the lessons gained from Lagos would assist Kano as it continues to build the structures needed for effective social protection coordination and service delivery.

The two-day engagement is expected to strengthen inter-state knowledge exchange while providing Kano with practical insights into institutional development, development planning, grassroots data management, citizen participation and social protection coordination.

The visit also underscores the potential for sub-national governments to share institutional experience and adapt tested approaches to address development and social protection challenges within their respective contexts.

Habagat to bring rain to some areas in Luzon

The southwest monsoon, locally known as habagat, will continue to bring rain over parts of Luzon on Saturday, said the state weather bureau.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in its latest forecast, habagat will continue to pour over Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, as well as Palawan.

‘As for Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, skies will be partly cloudy to cloudy, with a continued chance of localized thunderstorms,’ Pagasa weather specialist Veronica Torres said.

‘Expect a higher chance of thunderstorms in the western part of Luzon, including Metro Manila,’ she noted.

Meanwhile, habagat will likewise bring rain over Western Visayas, while the remaining parts of Visayas and Mindanao will experience relatively better weather, with partly cloudy to cloudy skies.

Thunderstorms are likewise more likely in the western parts of Visayas and Mindanao.

The temperature range in key cities/areas across the country for Saturday will be –

Metro Manila: 25 to 32 degrees Celsius

Baguio City: 17 to 25 degrees Celsius

Laoag City: 25 to 33 degrees Celsius

Tuguegarao: 25 to 33 degrees Celsius

Legazpi City: 25 to 32 degrees Celsius

Puerto Princesa City: 25 to 31 degrees Celsius

Tagaytay: 22 to 30 degrees Celsius

Kalayaan Islands: 26 to 31 degrees Celsius

Iloilo City: 24 to 31 degrees Celsius

Cebu: 25 to 32 degrees Celsius

Tacloban City: 25 to 33 degrees Celsius

Cagayan De Oro City: 26 to 32 degrees Celsius

Zamboanga City: 25 to 32 degrees Celsius

Davao City: 26 to 32 degrees Celsius

Which Canadian Golfer Actually Has a Shot on the PGA Tour Now

Canadian golf has produced a steady stream of talented professionals over the years, but the question of which player currently has the best realistic shot at sustained PGA Tour success generates genuine debate among analysts who track the sport closely. Unlike some other Canadian sports where the pipeline has become fairly predictable, golf’s development path remains considerably more unpredictable given the sheer difficulty of consistently competing at the tour’s highest level.

A Debate That Divides Serious Analysts

Several names typically come up in these conversations, each bringing a different combination of strengths and question marks. Some possess elite ball-striking ability but have struggled with putting consistency under tournament pressure, while others show the opposite profile, excelling on the greens but lacking the distance off the tee that has become increasingly important on modern PGA Tour setups. Golf analysts and fans tracking these storylines throughout the season have found detailed tournament odds through 1mlnbet ca, where shifting probabilities across multiple events offer a useful, real-time gauge of how the broader golf community currently views each player’s actual chances.

An interesting fact worth noting: Canada has produced relatively few sustained PGA Tour winners compared to countries of similar population size, making any genuine breakthrough season an especially significant story within the country’s broader golf community.

What Separates Genuine Contenders from Long Shots

A few specific factors tend to separate genuine PGA Tour contenders from longer shots:

Consistency of ball-striking statistics across multiple consecutive tournaments rather than isolated strong rounds.

Performance specifically in major championship conditions, historically the toughest test on tour.

Mental resilience during final-round pressure situations with genuine contention on the line.

Physical durability across a demanding schedule that spans nearly the entire calendar year.

These factors, taken together, tend to be far more predictive of sustained success than any single strong tournament result, no matter how impressive it might look in isolation.

The Long Road Still Ahead

Ultimately, sustained PGA Tour success requires proving these qualities repeatedly across an entire season, not just in a single standout tournament that generates temporary excitement. Canadian golf fans have learned through experience to remain cautiously optimistic rather than prematurely declaring a breakthrough, but the current crop of talent genuinely gives the country more realistic reasons for optimism than it has had in quite some time.

Reading Kwame Nkrumah 60 years later

I am currently working on a book project on political thought in Africa with specific reference to the national security question. I am especially interested in understanding the thought systems that have shaped national security doctrines, particularly the way armed forces are organised and how they relate with citizens and civilian authority – that is, civil-military relations.

For some years, I have researched the subject of civil-military relations in Africa, part of my broader research agenda with a decent output of scholarly publications. But heretofore, I have not examined the intersection with ideas by especially African thinkers in the political realm.

The seminal starting place is to read Kwame Nkrumah, even if one must recognise the immense influence on his political thought by African diaspora intellectuals and activists of the early 20th Century – Marcus Garvey, George Padmore and CLR James, all from the Caribbean and WEB DuBois, an African American, who were among the most important pan-African thinkers.

Nkrumah led Ghana to formal independence in 1957, making the Black Star nation the first to gain sovereignty south of the Sahara. Just a decade later, he was deposed in a military coup, most certainly sponsored, if not entirely authored, by imperial forces.

Nkrumah was an intellectual giant, a philosopher king par excellence. Simultaneous with confronting the intractable problems of a new nation gripped in endemic poverty, he produced a huge corpus of intellectual work that remains of enduring relevance.

I am currently reading his African Must Unite, one of the many classical works in which he takes up a range of themes on the problems of Ghana and Africa. Published in 1963, the book is prescient and shows Nkrumah light years ahead of his time in understanding the difficulties Africa faced.

The fruits of independence were low-hanging and enticing to nationalists pushing for self-determination and freedom from the yoke of colonial rule, but Nkrumah was alert to the slow poison embedded in superficial independence.

The colonial powers acceded to granting independence without actually departing Africa or leaving Africans to go about their own business. For one, Ghana’s economy, much like the rest of the continent, remained hitched to the colonial wagon of the ‘Gold Coast’ (Ghana) as an overseas supplier of raw materials for the benefit of the empire headquartered in London. Worse, at independence the constitutional and legal regime bequeathed to the new African leaders, drafted by the colonial masters, set up African governments for disastrous failure.

There is a popular half-truth, if not altogether a subtle falsehood, that the British were benevolent colonisers who granted independence by shepherding a peaceful and democratic path forward. This received wisdom hoists independence constitutions, authored in the capitals of the colonial powers, as progressive guarantors of good governance and economic prosperity.

The full and true picture is not that straightforward. Independence constitutions and the democratic institutions they ushered in, including most recently in post-apartheid South Africa, were negotiated in ways that assured indirect control of the former colonial powers and protection of foreign economic interests along with those of local compradors.

While purporting to bring democracy to Africans who had been colonised for more than half a century without any smattering of democratic government, the independence constitutions in fact sowed seeds of instability. For example, in Ghana, the British insisted on pushing through with a popularly elected government at the centre side-by-side with regional chiefdom/kingdom authorities that both undercut the so-called democracy and created huge complications in running an efficient government.

The grand strategy appears to have been to keep new African states divided inside and across borders, feuding along ethnic lines and fighting proxy inter-state wars, thus beholden to the former colonial power, to keep crawling back to the master for solutions and paternalistic ‘guidance’.

Nkrumah saw through the perilous setup of independence political settlements and the elite pacts that served narrow power interests rather than the broader national cause of the masses. The road ahead was bound to be rough unless Africans fully secured their sovereignty and true self-government.

This was true more than 60 years ago; it’s truer today. Today’s double tragedy is the heap of problems and political classes that are nowhere near Nkrumah’s clarity of mind. In our times, global geopolitics have become fraught with many foreign competing interests, socioeconomic difficulties have deepened, and Africa continues to lag behind. Internal disharmony and continental disunity abound.

Yet, what we have at the helm of African states is a combination of rudderless rulers and ruthless military autocrats, both bereft of the sophisticated political thought of Nkrumah and his contemporaries of the 1960s.

ED Council OKs changes to railway, airport projects

The Economy and Development (ED) Council, chaired by President Marcos, approved changes to the North-South Commuter Railway’s (NSCR) operations and maintenance and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) public-private partnership (PPP) projects.

In a statement, the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) said the ED Council approved the changes during its Sept. 16 meeting.

For the NSCR in particular, the ED Council approved changes in the parameters, terms and conditions to encourage firms to submit competitive proposals for the rail project that will link Central Luzon, Metro Manila and Southern Luzon.

Partial operations of the railway are expected to start in December next year.

‘The NSCR is an investment in opportunity,’ said DEPDev Secretary and ED Council vice-chair Arsenio Balisacan.

‘Improved mobility will expand access to jobs, markets, education and services across regions, reflecting our commitment to a more productive, resilient and inclusive economy,’ he added.

Also approved was the extension of the concession period for the MCIA for longer investment recovery.

Apart from enabling necessary airport improvements, the extension will reduce the pressure to increase passenger service charges.

Under the contract variation, MCIA concessionaire Aboitiz InfraCapital Cebu Airport Corp. commits to provide nearly P15 billion for capacity augmentation and investments.

During the meeting, the ED Council also approved changes in the scope, cost and implementation timelines of three development projects.

These are the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s Supporting Innovation in the Philippine Technical and Vocational Education and Training System Project, the Department of Public Works and Highways’ Road Network Development Project in Conflict-Affected Areas in Mindanao and the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers Project.

In the same meeting, the ED Council directed a further review of proposed guidelines on class suspensions.

Through the review, the aim is to provide clear protocols for schools and local government units during tropical cyclones, earthquakes, storm surges, poor air quality volcanic hazards and extreme heat.

‘Refining this policy is a matter of urgency,’ Balisacan said.

‘We must protect our learners and teachers while ensuring the continuity of education in the face of evolving risks,’ he added.

Earlier, he said that class suspensions affect not just learning outcomes but overall economic activity.

Bishop: 39 years long enough, pass anti-dynasty law

It’s been a long wait for Congress to pass an anti-dynasty law, Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David said yesterday, as he stressed that lawmakers should heed the order of the Supreme Court (SC).

‘Thirty-nine years is long enough. Congress, the Supreme Court has spoken. Now enact the law,’ David said.

The SC has granted the consolidated petitions for certiorari and mandamus questioning the legislature’s failure for 39 years to approve an enabling law against political dynasties, stressing that the failure constitutes ‘grave abuse of discretion.’

‘That is how long Congress has failed to implement the provision required by the 1987 Constitution to prohibit political dynasties,’ David added.

The SC unanimously ruled that Congress is mandated to enact a law barring political dynasties under Article 2, Section 26 of the Constitution.

It regarded Congress’ failure to enact the law as a ‘refusal to perform a mandatory constitutional duty.’

‘For almost four decades, the constitutional command remained largely unrealized because Congress itself was entrusted with defining what constitutes a political dynasty. The Court noted that dynasties have meanwhile remained widespread, extending even into the party-list system,’ he added.

The 1987 Constitution explicitly seeks the prohibition of political dynasties as may be defined by law.

‘Perhaps this ruling raises a question larger than political dynasties themselves: what happens when those entrusted with making the law have a personal interest in not making it?’ David noted.

Malacañang earlier said that banning political dynasties remains a priority of the Marcos administration.

Sibol PH’s Pokémon Unite team ‘ready’ to catch Asian Games gold

Sibol Philippines’ Pokémon Unite squad is raring to make its mark in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 after its recent World Championship appearance.

Japan, where Pokémon, the global phenomenon anime, originated, included Pokémon Unite – the multiplayer online battle arena mobile game as part of the esports events.

Flying the flag for Team Philippines are Lawrence ‘RBX’ Gatmaitan, Kim Rey ‘Kyy’ Salazar, Duke ‘Dylan’ Leoncio, Robert ‘SynC1’ Mempin, and Michael ‘Miva’ Ocio, and Lance David, under coach Albert Camp.

‘We’re all ready. Hopefully, we can bring home the gold,’ said team newcomer David in Filipino.

The squad, under Team Nemesis, finished joint ninth to 16th in the recent Pokémon World Championships, after their campaign ended in the first round of the playoffs, falling to South Korea’s T1.

Team captain Gatmaitan is confident they can live up to expectations, as the Philippine Olympic Committee included them in the events that could deliver gold to the country.

‘So far, our training has been going really well. We’ve been able to compete against everyone we’ll be facing at the Asian Games. All I can say is that we have a chance – I’d say there’s a 70 percent chance that we can bring home the gold medal,’ he said.

Besides their international experience, part of team Sibol’s preparation is settling their differences.

‘Of course, we had a team meeting to talk about some personal issues within the team. We focused on strengthening our chemistry first before discussing our strategy. We thought it was better to address the personal issues first so emotions wouldn’t affect our strategy,’ Gatmaitan said.

The Pokémon Unite crew also offers its campaign to the Filipinos, who have been big fans of Pokémon since the anime originated.

‘I’m really thankful to the Pokémon community and our followers. Please continue supporting Pokémon and the community,’ said Gatmaitan.

Life of Zero Stress builds identity through travel content

Iwuoha Emmanuel Chisom, known online as Life of Zero Stress, is building a digital identity around travel, exploration and storytelling.

Born on May 11, 2005, the Nigerian content creator shares his journeys and experiences with audiences on TikTok and YouTube, using video to document the places he visits and the moments he encounters along the way.

His content focuses on travel experiences, lifestyle and exploration. Through short-form videos on TikTok and longer videos on YouTube, Chisom gives viewers an opportunity to see destinations through his experiences.

For Chisom, travel goes beyond moving from one destination to another. It provides an opportunity to discover new places, experience different environments and preserve memories through digital content.

‘Travel gives me the chance to experience new places, meet people and create memories that I can share with others,’ he says.

The name Life of Zero Stress has become part of the identity he is developing online. It reflects the approach he brings to documenting his travels and the experiences that come with them.

As social media continues to provide platforms for young creators to reach audiences without traditional media structures, Chisom is using TikTok and YouTube to develop his presence and build a career around travel storytelling.

His journey is still developing, with future trips expected to provide more material for his growing library of travel content.

For Chisom, each destination offers another story to tell. Through Life of Zero Stress, he is working to turn those experiences into content that allows his audience to travel with him, one journey at a time.

EPL: Arsenal Suffer First Defeat Of Season At Brighton

English Premier League champions, Arsenal, were consigned to a 3-0 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion for their first loss of the league season.

The Gunners were silenced by their Seagull hosts who put on a dominant display to claim a third win of the season with goals scored by Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas, and Chema Andres.

Brighton took the lead on the half hour mark through Gross’ well-placed finish, and doubled the lead on the stroke of halftime as Kostoulas, who assisted the opener, slotted home after Brighton won the ball deep in Arsenal territory.

Arsenal were unable to mount a comeback against a Brighton side that pressed the North Londoners throughout the encounter, and they would get the third goal to seal the deserved victory through Andres’ clinical strike for a 3-0 scoreline. The Gunners suffered their first defeat at Brighton on their sixth visit, and the defeat in their first in any competition this season.

It is also the first time Arsenal have failed to score in the EPL since January, and Arsenal are second on the EPL log with 12 points from four matches as the five weeks old season goes on a three-week international break.