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CICC requires Reddit, Discord to establish presence in PHL

THE Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has given Reddit and Discord 24 hours to establish a presence in the Philippines, warning that the two platforms could face restrictions or have their access blocked if they fail to comply.

In separate letters dated September 21, the CICC ordered the platforms to immediately designate, from receipt of the letters, a resident agent or local representative who can facilitate Philippine jurisdiction and improve coordination with local authorities.

The agency warned that failure or refusal to comply within the period could prompt it, in coordination with appropriate Philippine authorities, to restrict the platforms’ operations or prohibit users in the country from accessing them.

‘We are not asking platforms to police the internet for the government but to be reachable, accountable, and responsive when activities on their platforms put Filipino children and communities at risk,’ the CICC executive director, Undersecretary Renato Paraiso, said.

‘When an online threat spills over into the real world, there has to be clear channel for authorities to act,’ Paraiso added.

The ultimatum follows the September 18 shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato, the third school shooting in the country in just a few months, amid mounting concern over the use of online platforms to spread violent extremist content and exploit minors.

The CICC also directed Reddit and Discord to submit written explanations of their existing arrangements, along with concrete implementation plans for stronger safety standards, rapid response mechanisms, and age-verification or age-assurance measures.

The agency also asked the platforms to join a cooperative framework addressing the digital exploitation of minors, which it said has shifted from isolated online interactions to activities that fuel real-world violence and physical harm.

The proposed framework would cover networks involved in the creation, solicitation, possession, distribution, exchange, promotion, or monetization of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (Osaec) and child sexual abuse or exploitation materials (Csaem), as well as nihilistic violence extremism (NVE) occurring on the platforms.

The CICC has also formally asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to convene a coordination meeting and facilitate the participation of Meta, Discord, Reddit, and other social media platforms in discussions with the government on measures against online threats linked to violence and child exploitation.

Earlier this month, the government met with representatives of Meta and Roblox to form a technical working group that will implement stricter child safety measures, faster content takedowns, and secure age-verification mechanisms.

Reddit is a discussion platform organized into topic-based communities, while Discord is a messaging and community platform built on private messages and invitation-based servers. According to the agency, these features can create fertile ground for the grooming, recruitment, and radicalization of minors.

The agency said recent investigations have raised alarm over the online grooming and recruitment of minors, including links to NVE-associated communities. These concerns have been heightened by the school shooting in Tacloban City in June, the August 18 shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and the Banga National High School shooting.

Court acquits three accused in Shs8.3m former MP gift scam

City Hall Court in Kampala has acquitted three people accused of obtaining Shs8.3 million from former Buhweju West MP Ephraim Biraro Ganshanga in a purported deal to clear a gift allegedly sent to him from Germany.

Senior Principal Grade One Magistrate Aisu Nicholas dismissed the charges against Obadia Ainebyona, an Airtel Money agent, Leticia Nuwasasira, an unemployed person, and Christopher Turyamureeba, LC1 chairman of Cell Rwamiyonga, Rwampara District, after finding that the prosecution had failed to link any of them to the alleged false representation that caused Mr Biraro to part with his money.

The trio had been jointly charged with obtaining money by false pretence and conspiracy to commit a felony.

The prosecution alleged that on August 7, 2025, at Kihangire Village in Mwizi Sub-county, Rwampara District, the accused and others still at large obtained Shs8.365 million from Mr Biraro by falsely claiming that they would clear his gift package from Entebbe International Airport.

They all denied the charges.

The prosecution called four witnesses, including Mr Biraro, police officers and a forensic examiner, before closing its case.

However, in his ruling delivered on Monday, Magistrate Aisu said the evidence pointed to another person identified as Anthony as the individual who allegedly initiated the transaction and made the false representation.

‘Did any of the accused make a statement to the complainant, well knowing that it was not true? No!’ the magistrate ruled.

‘Did the accused initiate the transaction or representation? Again, the answer going by the evidence is no.’

The court further found that Mr Biraro had not passed ownership of the money to any of the three accused persons and that there was no evidence making them responsible for the alleged offence.

According to the ruling, Mr Biraro had been contacted over a gift allegedly sent to him from Germany by a person he did not personally know. He was allegedly informed that the package had to be cleared from the airport, prompting him to send Shs8.365 million.

The court found that the representation concerning the gift and its clearance was false and that Anthony knew it was false.

However, Magistrate Aisu said the prosecution had failed to establish that the three accused persons were the people behind the representation or that they had initiated the transaction.

‘The right accused should have been Anthony who was never arrested and produced before court,’ the magistrate said.

The court also dismissed the conspiracy charge, reasoning that the prosecution had not established the substantive offence against the accused.

‘There can never be a conspiracy to commit an offence by persons who in the first place never made a false statement to the victim well knowing the statement to be false,’ the magistrate ruled.

The magistrate also raised a jurisdictional issue, finding that the charge sheet showed that the alleged offence occurred in Rwampara District and that the relevant provisions of the Magistrates Courts Act and the 2024 Magisterial Areas and Magistrates Courts Instrument placed jurisdiction over the matter in a court in Rwampara rather than City Hall Court.

Magistrate Aisu said the prosecution evidence did not meet the threshold required to place the accused on their defence.

He cited the principle that a prima facie case is established only where the evidence is sufficient for a properly directed court to convict if the accused offered no explanation.

‘I have not found any evidence to prove all the ingredients of the offence so that this court could safely convict the accused if they offered no explanation,’ he ruled.

The court consequently dismissed the case against each of the three accused and acquitted them forthwith.

The court explained to the parties their right of appeal.

DTI defends exclusion of e-motorcycles from EV incentives

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) remains open to incentives for electric motorcycle and tricycle manufacturers but is currently prioritizing four-wheelers to prevent investment redundancy.

This follows the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) criticism of the Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (Evis), the P60-billion incentive scheme currently focused on manufacturers that would produce four-wheeled electric vehicles (EVs) in the Philippines.

Explaining the DTI’s rationale for focusing on four-wheeled EVs, Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said the agency considered the existing local manufacturing base for electric motorcycles and tricycles, unlike the four-wheeler segment.

‘We don’t want redundancy in incentives,’ Rodolfo told reporters on the sidelines of an ASEAN Economic Ministers’ briefing on Saturday.

‘We look carefully at which particular sectors or segments of the market need the incentives to be able to drive in the investments, and we have seen that there are already investments coming in for two- to three-wheelers,’ he added.

While Evis currently focuses on four-wheeled battery electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, motorcycles and tricycles also form part of the Philippines’ electrification targets under the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry.

Under that plan, the government’s lower-end target is for EVs to account for 10 percent of the country’s vehicle fleet by 2040. This would include nearly 110,000 electrified four-wheeled vehicles, 37,500 electric tricycles and 164,900 electric motorcycles.

Rodolfo left the door ajar for extending incentives to motorcycles and tricycles. However, the window for their inclusion in the initial Evis rollout is narrowing, as the DTI targets opening applications by October.

‘We can reevaluate maybe after 6 months upon implementation of Evis,’ he said.

‘But currently, the focus is on those segments which we feel would really benefit from having incentives for us to be able to bring in both local and foreign investments. And those are in the 4-wheeler segment.’

EVAP had warned that the Philippines risks missing its electrification targets if the government does not consider incentivizing the production of electric motorcycles and tricycles, whose fuel-powered counterparts are more common on Philippine roads than cars.

Producing electric motorcycles and tricycles is also more realistic for the Philippines, Evap argued, given their simpler and more cost-efficient supply chains.

Govt seeks new dump site to replace Buyala

The government is considering relieving Kampala of waste dumping in favour of recycling and material recovery as it seeks an alternative to the Buyala landfill in Mpigi District.

The move follows President Museveni’s directive to find an alternative waste disposal system after concerns were raised about the proximity of the Buyala landfill to the newly launched Kampala Storage Terminal (KST).

The President last week flagged off the construction of the 320-million-litre terminal, which is expected to increase Uganda’s fuel storage capacity to 360 million litres.

He said the government should consider technologies that can process waste and generate energy rather than maintaining conventional dumping sites.

‘We have been debating converting waste into manure. This has been one of the many proposals. Now, one smart proposal I got, which would solve all this, was the one of incineration and generating electricity using the steam from there,’ President Museveni said.

‘We shall not allow a dumping site near here. That is suicide. That’s very dangerous,’ he added.

State Minister for Kampala Kabuye Kyofatogabye said the government was considering modern waste-treatment technologies, including incineration, as part of efforts to address the capital’s growing garbage problem.

‘He directed us to look for alternatives, but more so to insulate garbage as a future plan,’ Mr Kyofatogabye said.

He said the government’s plan was also intended to protect wetlands from pollution associated with poorly managed waste.

‘We are working within that advice. It was more of a guidance that, for the future, we should safeguard our environment, especially wetlands, bearing in mind that garbage is also an environmental hazard,’ he said.

Mr Kyofatogabye said the government hoped to expedite the establishment of a modern waste management facility and have a recycling solution in place within the next year.

Despite the directive, waste collectors said they were still using Buyala because no alternative disposal site had been officially designated.

Mr Abu Ssonko, a director and project manager at Nabugabo Updeal Joint Venture, a garbage collection company, said: ‘We are still waiting for the final decision from the authorities to come up with a new site where we can dump garbage, but for now, we are still using Buyala.’

He urged the government to urgently identify and gazette an alternative site, saying collectors were ready to comply once a new facility was provided.

KCCA spokesperson Daniel Nuwabine said the planned facility would move the city away from conventional dumping by incorporating material recovery and other waste-treatment technologies.

‘This is a waste management facility that involves material recovery and not just a dumping site. Government has already committed resources for preliminary works towards a modern facility,’ Mr Nuwabine said.

He said KCCA’s long-term goal was to establish a facility where garbage could be processed and converted into useful materials.

KCCA estimates that Kampala generates between 2,000 and 2,500 tonnes of waste daily, while between 1,200 and 2,000 tonnes are transported out of the city.

KCCA secured 230 acres at Buyala on February 14, 2025, when it signed a land acquisition contract for the landfill.

However, the government had earlier acquired 300 acres in the area in 2008 for the Kampala Storage Terminal.

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja had said Cabinet would consider where government could secure land for an alternative waste disposal site following the development of the oil storage facility.

Olu of Warri, UAE Royal meet in Dubai over investment, cultural ties

His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri was received by Her Excellency Sheikha Somayeh Noor at the Noor Royal Museum in Dubai to explore new avenues for economic, investment, and cultural collaboration between the Warri Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

The monarch, with his Queen, according to reports, highlighted cultural understanding as a foundation for economic cooperation, pointing toward potential joint efforts across energy, digital infrastructure, aviation, sports academies, youth development, and institutional partnerships.

The meeting underscores the potential to expand economic ties between the two regions, backed by the UAE’s capital and trade networks alongside Nigeria’s market scale and resources.

HE Sheikha Somayeh Noor, Founder, Chairwoman, and CEO of Noor Royal Holding, noted: ‘Our conversation reflected a shared belief that culture can be a gateway to deeper economic relationships. There is real potential to build partnerships that create opportunities for young people, encourage investment and connect the UAE and the Warri Kingdom through business, innovation and the arts.’

HM Ogiame Atuwatse III, the 21st Olu of Warri, emphasised the kingdom’s commitment to strategic international growth:

‘The Warri Kingdom is committed to building purposeful international partnerships that translate dialogue into opportunity. The UAE’s experience in investment, infrastructure and innovation presents exciting possibilities for collaboration, particularly in sectors capable of creating jobs, developing talent and generating long-term value for our people.’

HM Olori Atuwatse III highlighted the role of youth and creative collaboration in driving long-term partnerships:

‘Cultural exchange and youth empowerment are central to building relationships that endure. By creating opportunities for our young people to engage through education, sport, entrepreneurship and the creative arts, we can build a partnership that is both economically meaningful and deeply human.’

Supported by strong air connectivity-including regular direct flights between Dubai and Lagos-the visit represents an initial step toward concrete initiatives linking investors, institutions, and creative hubs across both markets. Sheikha Somayeh Noor added that the Noor Royal Museum aims to serve as a convening platform to bridge commercial opportunities with cultural impact.

Taraba commissioner drags varsity staff to court over alleged character assassination

Taraba State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr Mike Dio Jen, has dragged one Mr Abdulmumuni Imam, a staff member of the state university and a social media activist, to court over what he described as defamation of character against his person.

Dr Dio Jen has approached the court to compel Mr Imam to provide proof of his allegations against him that he, the Commissioner, directed the stoppage of Imam’s salary from the university.

When the case came up for mention, counsel to the defendant, Isa Buba, informed the court that his client had suffered a domestic accident resulting in a leg fracture.

Buba also challenged the sudden withdrawal of the prosecuting counsel, Ganki Hassan, from a similar case where she was defending the accused, to instead prosecute him in another court.

The defence counsel insisted that confidential information had been given to Barr Ganki, and that she had therefore violated the professional practice of the law.

However, counsel to the plaintiff, Fonga Umaru, holding brief for Ganki Hassan, urged the court to invoke Section 97 of the Criminal Justice Law to compel the accused to appear in court to defend his claims.

Fonga, on behalf of Hassan, told the court that evidential proof had not been presented to ascertain the reality of the accused’s illness, and that the claim by the defence counsel was therefore a mere tactic to stall prosecution of the matter.

Meanwhile, the trial judge, Ishaq Umar of the Upper Area Court 10, adjourned the matter to 13 October 2026 for hearing.

The judge also directed the defence counsel to ensure the presence of the accused on the next adjourned date.

BIR rakes in ?24.815M in fees from micro taxpayers

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) collected P24.815 million in abatement fees from micro taxpayers in the first two months of implementing its one-time abatement program, which seeks to help settle old tax liabilities and penalties.

The main tax-collecting agency reported last Tuesday that the program had drawn 6,234 applications covering P84.509 million in liabilities and penalties.

Of the 6,234 applications received from 1,352 taxpayers, 5,000 had been approved by the BIR.

Internal Revenue Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza issued Revenue Regulation 4-2026 last June 18, 2026, allowing micro-sized taxpayers and small-scale businesses to resolve their outstanding tax liabilities.

Taxpayers whose gross sales do not exceed P3 million per year and whose covered total basic tax liabilities and/or penalties do not exceed P80,000 may avail of the one-time tax abatement program until December 31, 2026.

‘We encourage taxpayers who qualify to avail while there is still time. This is an opportunity to settle covered liabilities, clean up old tax records, and move forward in compliance,’ Mendoza said.

Those with delinquent accounts or assessments, whether preliminary or final and whether disputed or not, as well as open stop-filer cases, including those taxpayers who have already ceased business operations, as of December 31, 2025, are eligible for abatement.

Taxpayers must file an application for abatement with the appropriate Revenue District Office having jurisdiction over them and pay a P5,000 one-time abatement fee for each approved application.

‘Our directive to our Revenue Regions and Revenue District Offices is not to simply wait for taxpayers to come to us. We should identify through our system those who are qualified to avail of the program, reach out to them, and guide them in settling their covered liabilities, regularizing their records, and returning to compliance,’ Mendoza said.

The abatement fees collected will boost the BIR’s revenue take, which reached P1.989 trillion as of end-July, up 5.31 percent from the P1.889 trillion it raised in the same period a year ago.

Democrats petition for audit of TH-AI Passport

The Democrat Party on Monday petitioned the Auditor-General to investigate the 1.621-billion-baht TH-AI Passport project, raising seven concerns over procurement, payment criteria, AI performance, project targets and data governance.

Deputy party leader Karndee Leopairote said the project was intended to give up to five million Thais access to AI tools from more than 14 developers and over 30 AI models through a single platform.

One concern was the project’s “Pay per Active User” payment criteria, which she said did not clearly define an active user. She urged auditors to verify registration figures, active-user numbers and evidence of actual use amid concerns that registration numbers may have been inflated.

Ms Karndee also questioned procurement criteria requiring bidders to have completed IT projects worth at least 400 million baht, saying the threshold may have unnecessarily restricted competition. She also asked why the project did not have an Integrity Pact allowing independent observers to monitor the procurement process.

Another issue was an increase in the required simultaneous-user capacity from 500,000 to five million. She said auditors should examine whether the change affected the substance of the terms of reference or competition in the bidding process.

She also called for checks on whether data processing complied with project requirements and personal data protection laws.

Ms Karndee said registration numbers alone were insufficient to measure the project’s success. She said it should also assess whether users had improved their AI skills, worked more efficiently, generated income or created value.

She called for acceptance of the work and for the next payment to be suspended pending the review.

LTO summons unnamed TV personality as Eat Bulaga host’s driving video goes viral

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has summoned a TV host over a viral video that allegedly showed several traffic violations, including not wearing a seatbelt while driving and getting out of the vehicle while in the middle of the road.

In a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 22, the LTO said it issued a show cause order (SCO) against the registered owner and driver of an SUV after the agency received a viral video showing people recording themselves singing inside a moving vehicle.

LTO said the driver in the video was seen driving without a seatbelt. It also noted that toward the end of the video, the driver appeared to get out of the vehicle while it was on the road, leaving the vehicle’s door open before getting back inside.

‘Dahil dito, inaatasan ng LTO ang rehistradong may-ari at drayber ng SUV na humarap sa tanggapan ng Intelligence and Investigation Division (IID) sa Setyembre 29, 2026 para sa pagdinig,’ read the statement.

The driver is required to submit a sworn statement or explanation, along with supporting documents, to explain why they should not be held liable for possible violations of failing to wear the prescribed seatbelt device and reckless driving.

‘Gayundin sa posibleng pagdeklara sa drayber bilang Improper Person to Operate a Motor Vehicle, na maaaring magresulta sa pagsuspinde o pagbawi ng kanyang lisensya sa pagmamaneho,’ continued the statement.

The agency said it imposed a 90-day preventive suspension on the driver’s license while the investigation is ongoing. The driver was also ordered to surrender his license to the LTO, while the license and vehicle remain under alarm status.

‘Walang masama sa pag-content at pagsasaya sa loob ng sasakyan, pero hindi kailanman dapat isantabi ang kaligtasan para dito,’ LTO Assistant Secretary Markus V. Lacanilao said.

‘Bilang lisensyadong drayber, alam niya ang kanyang responsibilidad na magsuot ng seatbelt, manatiling nakatuon sa pagmamaneho, at sumunod sa iba pang umiiral na batas-trapiko,’ he added.

While LTO did not identify the TV host in its statement, netizens, however, were quick to link its announcement to a video posted by ‘Eat Bulaga!’ host Maine Mendoza on Facebook on Saturday, Sept. 19. It was also reposted by fellow host Miles Ocampo.

The video showed Mendoza, Ocampo, Ryzza Mae Dizon and Ian Red inside a car while singing along to Cueshé’s ‘Ulan.’ Red appeared to be driving, with Mendoza in the front passenger seat and Ocampo and Dizon at the back.

Mendoza, who was wearing a seatbelt, recorded the video as they sang along to the song. Near the end of the clip, Red exaggeratedly sang his part of the song. Occasionally, he would put his hand out of the wheel as he belted out the lyrics.

However, Red was not seen getting out of the car during the video’s duration.

Some netizens also noticed that he was not wearing his seatbelt while driving, a violation of the LTO regulations.

As of writing, Red or any of his companions in the car have not commented on the LTO’s latest statement.

Upper House debates law changes report

The Senate on Monday debated a report proposing changes to election laws and the constitution, including reforms to the Election Commission (EC).

The report, prepared by the Senate committee on political development, public participation, human rights, freedoms and consumer protection, proposes amendments to the constitution, the organic law on the EC and the organic law on the election of MPs.

Among the proposals are using the same party number for constituency and party-list candidates, setting a minimum threshold for party-list votes, allowing citizens to vote in their place of residence without changing their household registration, and giving parliament a role in selecting EC members.

The report also proposes allowing 50,000 citizens to petition parliament to remove EC members.

Other proposed changes include lowering the minimum age for EC candidates to 35 and requiring the EC to publish summaries of its rulings within seven days. The proposals would also require the EC to complete checks on candidates’ qualifications within three days.

Most senators who spoke supported the report and called for structural changes to strengthen the EC’s independence and protect it from political influence.

Senator Nantana Nantawaropas backed separating the EC’s election administration and investigative powers, arguing that the EC should focus on organising elections while investigations should be handled by the courts.

She also supported allowing citizens to initiate the removal of EC members and parliament to vote on their removal.

Senator Pornchai Witthayalerphan said the EC currently acts as election organiser, investigator, adjudicator and authority to order recounts or new elections, creating potential conflicts of roles.

He cited the EC’s investigation into alleged collusion in the Senate election, which resulted in 77 cases being referred to court, as a reason to reconsider the EC’s structure.

However, some senators from the majority “blue group” opposed transferring the EC’s investigative powers.

Senator Phisit Apiwatthanaphong said agencies such as the Department of Special Investigation, which operates under a minister, should not be allowed to intervene in EC investigations, arguing this could undermine fairness.

Senator Kob Atchanakitti questioned the proposal to give citizens the power to remove EC members, warning that it could deepen divisions.

He defended the existing constitutional framework and said any amendments to the EC and election laws should begin in the House of Representatives.