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FG reaffirms commitment to transform broadcasting, battles AI misinformation ahead of 2027 elections

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s broadcasting industry into a vital driver for economic growth, job creation, and democratic stability.

The Minister spoke at the 3rd Annual National Conference of the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters (SNB), held at the Ahmadu Bello International Conference Centre in Bauchi State. The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Responsible Broadcasting in An Election Year: Countering Misinformation, Promoting Peace and Strengthening Democracy.’

Represented by the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Jibrin Baba Ndace, the Minister outlined landmark infrastructure upgrades under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

He also highlighted new initiatives aimed at combating artificial intelligence-driven misinformation ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.

Minister Idris revealed that modern television studios have been completed at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) headquarters in Abuja. In addition, collaborative technical revamps are underway across the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON), and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Other key federal interventions include of the establishment of a Ministerial Category II International Media and Information Literacy Institution in Abuja, the centre will train media practitioners and citizens in digital content analysis, media literacy, and managing the opportunities and risks of AI-generated content.

Restoring VON’s 250-kilowatt shortwave transmitters at the historic Muda transmitter station in Jos. This facility houses the only surviving digital-compatible antenna of its kind in Africa. Building on previous digital switchover milestones, the government is expanding terrestrial, satellite, and application-based delivery systems to stimulate growth across the advertising, creative, and broadcasting value chains.

Minister Idris emphasised that while the media must robustly question government institutions, political parties, and candidates to protect its independence, practitioners must resist broadcasting unverified social media claims.

‘Broadcasters, as channels of democracy, must not become sources of incitement, hate speech, or religious provocation,’ Idris warned. ‘Accuracy, fairness, professional integrity, and respect for the public interest must remain at the center of broadcasting. Do your job thoroughly without drama, animosity, or condemnation.’

The Minister commended the organisers and regulatory bodies, including the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), for driving capacity building and ensuring the Nigerian public remains well-informed and actively engaged in the nation’s democratic process.

Also speaking at the event, Governor Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir of Bauchi State expressed his appreciation to the SNB for hosting the conference in the state.

Represented by his Deputy, Mohammed Auwal Jatau, Governor Mohammed noted that broadcasting occupies a unique and powerful position in society by connecting communities, preserving culture, and promoting the public good.

He urged practitioners to maintain a clear distinction between facts, analysis, commentary, and opinion.

‘As a government, we recognise the media as an indispensable pillar of democracy and a critical instrument for national development,’ the Governor stated.

‘A free, responsible, and professional media is essential to informing citizens, promoting accountability, strengthening social cohesion, and facilitating constructive dialogue.’

Governor Mohammed further revealed that his administration has committed over ?3 billion to a comprehensive overhaul and modernisation of state-owned radio and television stations, installing state-of-the-art digital broadcasting facilities.

The Governor noted that the conference would feature the election of a new Executive Council for the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters.

He urged members to approach the election in the true spirit of professionalism, fairness, transparency, and unity.

Sri Lanka Insurance Life Partners with DOK Solutions for Life Policy Digitization

Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation Life Ltd (SLICLL), the country’s largest national life insurance service provider, has partnered with DOK Solutions Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, a leading digital services and document digitization solutions provider, to transform the way life insurance policies are customized, digitized and delivered to customers.

Under this partnership, DOK Solutions will provide comprehensive solutions covering life policy customization, digital policy book generation and life policy certificate creation, supporting Sri Lanka Insurance Life’s ongoing digital transformation journey.

As part of the new initiative, customers of Sri Lanka Insurance Life will have access to a customized digital policy document, replacing the traditional printed policy book. In addition, a printed policy certificate will be issued to customers in place of the previously issued printed policy book, ensuring that the new process remains aligned with applicable regulatory and industry requirements.

The initiative represents an important step towards creating a more accessible, transparent and efficient life insurance documentation process. By moving policy documentation into a digital environment, customers will have greater accessibility to their policy information while the Company will be able to streamline documentation processes and enhance operational efficiency.

The digitalization of policy documentation will also contribute towards Sri Lanka Insurance Life’s sustainability objectives by significantly reducing paper consumption and the associated environmental impact of producing and managing large volumes of printed policy documentation.

Sri Lanka Insurance Life, with its longstanding presence and strong reputation in Sri Lanka’s Life insurance sector, continues to strengthen its service delivery through technology and innovation. As the largest national life insurance service provider, SLICLL has been at the forefront of providing life insurance solutions to Sri Lankan customers, while continuously adapting its services to meet the evolving expectations of a digitally connected customer base.

DOK Solutions Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, a member of the Abans Group, is a leading digital services and document management solutions provider with a strong presence across the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sectors. The Company specializes in document digitization, digital document management, data processing, business process management and secure document lifecycle solutions.

Leveraging its extensive experience in the financial services and insurance sectors, DOK Solutions has developed the end-to-end digital policy documentation solution specifically to support the requirements of Sri Lanka Insurance Life Corporation. The platform facilitates the generation of customized digital policy books and the creation of policy certificates in accordance with regulatory and industry requirements.

The partnership between Sri Lanka Insurance Life and DOK Solutions demonstrates how technology can be leveraged to enhance customer experience while simultaneously improving

Botswana cattle industry is ‘on its knees’, Dow, farmers

Botswana’s cattle industry faces an ‘existential threat’ as government restrictions on live cattle exports, financial problems at the state-owned Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) and foot-and-mouth disease disrupt the country’s beef producers, Botswana Congress Party Vice President Unity Dow said.

Dow said she had received complaints from cattle farmers, agricultural stakeholders and members of the public about government policies, with producers repeatedly telling her that ‘the sector is on its knees.’

She accused the government of maintaining policies that have left farmers dependent on an underperforming BMC while preventing them from accessing alternative markets.

Beef producers are required to sell live cattle to the BMC at government-set prices, while the commission does not consistently pay on time or at market prices, Dow said. Farmers sell cattle to the BMC for about P52/kg while the commission sells beef to the European Union for about P100/kg, she said.

‘The BMC is a failed and failing State Owned Enterprise kept afloat by the sweat of farmers and by the public purse (with the current economic situation, by loans!).’

Dow also questioned the commission’s finances, saying its books have not been audited since 2021 and alleging that the BMC classified European Union prepayments as profit last year. She called for the government to activate legislation passed in 2019 that was intended to liberalise the cattle industry and allow citizens to acquire shares in the BMC.

Dow said the government should also permit live cattle exports, arguing that South Africa is prepared to buy Botswana cattle and that exports could inject more than P2.5 billion into the economy. ‘Allowing live exports will lead to the injection into an ailing economy,’ she said.

The restrictions are particularly damaging because the BMC lacks the capacity to absorb all slaughter-ready cattle even if its facilities reopen, according to Dow. Keeping cattle in feedlots for as long as nine months is costly and could leave farmers facing mounting debts, layoffs and bankruptcy, she said.

‘Not allowing live exports under current circumstances means zero income to farmers, layoffs in the industry, over-feeding in feedlots and general aging of cattle. It means bankruptcy!’ Dow said foot-and-mouth disease had intensified an existing crisis rather than caused it, while warning that projected El Niño conditions could further pressure livestock producers.

‘FMD situation has exacerbated an already bad crisis, but the problem is not new,’ she said. ‘Not trading for 9 months is an existential threat for many farmers. Expect lay-offs, unpaid loans, over stocking, bankruptcy and sadly mental health issues.’

She argued that the BMC’s protected monopoly was ultimately undermining the industry it was created to support. ‘The continued protection of the BMC through maintaining as a monopoly, price-setting and expansion into local retail is destroying the beef industry and is directly responsible for the low salaries of farm workers.’

The deceptive push for separate Terminal Handling Charges

The recent push by few intermediaries possibly backed by a handful of powerful oligopolistic firms who control the shipping and logistics industry in Sri Lanka to reinstate separate Terminal Handling Charges (THC) in Sri Lanka is an anti-competitive manoeuvre that threatens the hard-earned transparency of the country’s maritime logistics industry established for years by consecutive Governments. Industry bodies that represent exporters, importers and consumers have rightfully condemned lobbying efforts aimed at reintroducing these deceptive, unbundled costs to make profits. The current legal framework-which does not ban any charge but only provides provisions not to separate collection of any other charges than a full freight from a contracting party. This must be fiercely upheld to safeguard Sri Lankan exporters, importers, and consumers from predatory, cartel-like pricing models which can affect external customers of Sri Lanka.

Few days back

It was just two weeks back we reported the Federal Maritime Commission Chairperson Laura Debella highlighting the importance of these actions that not only affects the Sri Lankan economy but at the end of the day from the origin to the U.S. importers and consumers who source from Sri Lanka or export to Sri Lanka where anti-competitive and monopolistic behaviour can harm fair trade practices. She called for strong enforcement against -monopolistic structures.

A legacy of transparency and fair play

Before the historic regulatory shift in 2014, local shipping agents’/ service providers heavily distorted trade costs by slapping local traders with a web of nearly 40 arbitrary surcharges at their will. Recognising this as an unfair financial extraction, the Sri Lankan Government implemented a landmark legislative reform banning container line agents and service providers from unbundling freight and levying separate charges including a so-called THC locally. Under current law, terminal handling costs must be wrapped into all-inclusive freight rates contractually agreed upon by the primary contracting parties.

This progressive policy did not abolish port fees; rather, it mandated that they be paid transparently by the shipping lines directly to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA or its terminals) under existing market contracts.

Dismantling the reinstatement myth

Intermediary groups often mask their lobbying behind the claim that banning local THC collection harms the competitiveness of the Port of Colombo. This is a gross misrepresentation.

Double-Dipping charges: No terminal services are being rendered for free. Shipping lines already collect all-inclusive rates that cover terminal operations. Forcing local exporters to pay a separate THC would amount to double-dipping by maritime intermediaries.

Invented line items: The term ‘Terminal Handling Charge’ does not even exist within the official SLPA tariff and a port where liner terms clearly describe who pays what to the port services. It is a phrase coined by certain logistics groups to avoid the word stevedoring to create a local pipeline for collecting unregulated fees from non-contracting parties.

Undermining export competitiveness and harming the cost of living: Reintroducing unbundled charges would artificially inflate the cost structure of key industries, such as the exporters, intermediary product manufacturers, consumer products, food items, construction industry to all imported items at a time when macroeconomic stability is vital.

Protecting a competitive economy

Reverting to the pre-2014 chaos would be an economic step backward. The local business community and regulatory bodies must stand united against these ‘backdoor fees’. Ensuring that all costs remain bundled into all-inclusive freight rates is the only way to lock in fairness, preserve absolute market competition and transparency, and defend Sri Lanka’s efforts and to build a reputation as a top-tier maritime hub.

Lacson raises more red flags on Taguig ‘ghost’ projects

Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson asked Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Sunday to explain how the coordinates of a supposed project in Taguig City were traced to the Visayas, based on geotagged photos.

He also claimed that the project’s contractor was linked to spouses Pacifico ‘Curlee’ and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya, central figures in the multibillion-peso flood control projects that turned into a still unresolved political scandal beginning last year.

‘Sec. Vince Dizon, please explain how this finding of your own team should not be flagged as a ghost project in Taguig. Since when has Taguig been located in Leyte?’ Lacson said in a post on X on Sunday.

‘To further highlight the red flag, Discaya’s St. Timothy is the contractor. What do you say about this, Sec?’ he added in a separate post.

Lacson cited a report on a Taguig project with Contract ID 220B0106, whose geotagged photographs attached to its billing reports contained coordinates ‘located approximately 600 kilometers away in Leyte province.’

Billing documents

He also cited the project’s financial billing documents, which show that a 15 percent advance payment of P13,738,755.81 was released on June 23, 2022, with all the attached billing photographs bearing coordinates in Tacloban City, Leyte.

The first partial billing, amounting to P37.162 million, was dated July 27, 2022, but had no image attached. The second partial billing, amounting to P19.174 million and dated Sept. 12, 2022, had attached images with no coordinates.

The third partial billing, amounting to P21.202 million and dated Sept. 22, 2022, likewise had no coordinates in its attached images. The fourth and final billing, amounting to P18.960 million and dated Feb. 22, 2023, also had attached images without coordinates.

Lacson noted that the DPWH inspection report likewise found that the coordinates indicated in the geotagged photographs attached to the Progress Billing and Final Billing ‘do not correspond with the actual project site verified during the inspection.’

Site inspection reports

The senator’s latest statement came after Dizon said during the Senate finance subcommittee’s hearing on the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Friday that there are no ghost projects in Taguig City.

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, whose political bailiwick is Taguig, asked Dizon about the status of his agency’s investigation into the city’s infrastructure projects.

‘Are there any ghost projects in Taguig?’ Cayetano asked.

‘None. In our investigation, none,’ Dizon replied.

Dizon noted that the investigations into flood control projects nationwide are ongoing, and the 107 projects in Taguig all have accomplishments.

But Lacson on Saturday said Dizon’s claim that there are no ghost projects in Taguig City appeared to contradict findings in the DPWH’s own site inspection reports.

Lacson expressed sympathy for the DPWH site inspection engineers after their own boss contradicted their findings.

‘Poor Vince Dizon. The ‘pressure’ of work may have clouded his memory. The DPWH already turned over to my Senate office records of nonexistent but reported as completed slope protection projects in Taguig,’ Lacson said.

‘Poor DPWH Site Inspection Engineers. Their boss, Sec Vince Dizon directly contradicted their own site inspection reports in Taguig, specifically submitted by personnel from the department’s Bureau of Quality and Safety and Bureau of Maintenance,’ he added.

Lacson also cited DPWH data stemming from its ‘Analysis of Potential Similar Billing Photographs from 2017-2025 of Taguig projects using AI-Based Image Similarity Detection Approach.’ Of 15,523 images processed by the AI system, 1,079 pairs of images were flagged for high visual similarity.

Track sensation Puripol eyes more records after 2nd sprint gold

Thailand’s track sensation Puripol Boonson says he can still go faster after completing the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games men’s sprint double with another meet record.

Two days after winning the 100-metre final in an Asian Games record 9.90 seconds, the 20-year-old on Sunday tied the all-time Asian record as he clinched the 200 in 19.88 seconds at a drizzly Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya.

He also broke the games record of 20.10 that he set in Saturday’s semifinal.

“I’m going to aim for more golds and more records,” he said after the race.

“I can’t say how fast it’s going to be, but it’s going to be more records and faster.”

Puripol finished more than half a second clear of silver medalist Huang Youwen of China in 20.45, with Japan’s Soshi Mizukubo winning bronze in 20.56.

While his performance in the 100 placed him under a brighter spotlight coming into the 200, Puripol said his mindset for the race was much the same.

“It’s not that different, just more adrenaline and more excitement and I was more eager to win the gold,” he said.

BERMUDA-PENSION-Government seeks to assure public sector workers that their pensons will be protected

The Bermuda government has goven an assurance to public officers that are employed and eligible to retire on March 31 next year that the cash amount of the lump sum will remain protected if they continue in service.

‘Whether you retire a year later or many years later, you will not receive less than that protected amount,’ Premier David Burt said. Adding that his government believes this is the right way to carry this important reform forward by strengthening the Public Service Superannuation Fun for those who depend on it, while making adjustments to ensure that the public service can retain the experience it needs.

Burt recalled that last September, he brought legislation to Parliament to stabilise the Public Service Superannuation Fund, noting that its 2023 valuation showed only thirty-seven cents in assets for every dollar owed in pensions, and without reform, its invested assets were projected to be exhausted around 2045.

Burt said that after years of review and consultation with unions, his government made the tough decisions to change contributions, retirement ages, and the reference wage for retirement.

‘That reform was for the officers serving today, those who will join them and those who have already retired. After more than a decade without an increase, we also legislated a 10 per cent increase for public service retirees, effective from April of this year.

‘Payments are expected to begin in October, including arrears back to April 2026. We have taken responsibility for the Fund’s long-term future, but we must also listen to the people affected as the reforms take effect,’ Burt added.

He said that public officers had spoken of a sudden reduction in the lump-sum conversion factor could bring forward the retirement of people who still want to serve. Burt said that the government listened, discussed their concerns with union representatives, and consulted the Public Service Superannuation Board.

‘Today…I am pleased to announce a major change in how this part of the reform will take effect: the reduction in the lump-sum conversion factor will be phased in, and the cash amount available on 31 March 2027 to officers employed and eligible to retire on that date will be guaranteed if they remain in service. Let me explain why that change was needed and how it will work.

‘When a public officer retires, they may choose to exchange part of their annual pension for a lump sum paid upfront. The lump-sum conversion factor determines how much is paid for the portion of annual pension they give up.’

Burt said that the significance of this provision is clear from the choices public officers make at retirement. He said between 2020 and 2025, approximately 1,000 members retired from the public sector, and 90 per cent chose to receive some level of lump-sum payment. For most retiring officers, the lump-sum conversion factor has a direct bearing on the cash available to them as they begin their retirement.

‘For more than four decades, the lump-sum conversion factor was fixed in legislation at 11.5. It stayed at that level even while the Fund’s financial position deteriorated. That fixed figure imposed costs the Fund could no longer responsibly carry.’

He said leaving that provision untouched would have undermined the very reform te Parliament passed to secure public officers’ pensions, adding that the was therefore changed so that the lump-sum conversion factor could be adjusted following an actuarial review and consultation with the Public Service Superannuation Board.

Burt said that the government’s actuaries have shared that if the lump-sum conversion factor were changed to match the funded status of the PSSF, then the lump-sum conversion factor would need to move from 11.5 to 5.75 in April 2027.

He said the government had to consider what Bermuda would lose if experienced officers felt pressed to retire next March.

‘When a teacher leaves a school, pupils and colleagues feel the loss. When a long-serving officer retires, a department loses years of knowledge and guidance. A wave of departures across the service would be felt by the public as well.’

But said as a result, the lump-sum conversion factor will remain at 11.5 on 1 April 2027; it will not fall to 5.75. Required changes will instead be phased in over time, alongside the other pension changes approved by Parliament last year.

Burt said that the lump-sum conversion factor will be reviewed every two years by the Minister in consultation with the Board, with the aim of reaching a level that reflects the Fund’s financial position by 2035.

He said the second decision protects public officers who are employed and eligible to retire on 31 March 2027, adding that if they continue serving, the cash value of the lump sum they could have received on that date will be protected until they retire, regardless of what the lump-sum conversion factor may be in the future.

‘If their later calculation is higher, they will receive more. The guarantee is for that cash amount, not the 11.5 lump-sum conversion factor for future years. This government will bring the necessary amendment to the Public Service Superannuation Act 1981 to give that guarantee the force of law,’ he added.

Burt said that officers who are not yet eligible to retire on 31 March 2027 will still benefit from a gradual transition, adding ‘they will have more time to understand how the changes may affect their own retirement’.

Kunlavut’s high, Pitchamon’s low

Thailand’s badminton camp found light amid the gloom on Monday as former world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn swept into the men’s singles final in Nagoya, making history as the first Thai to do so, on the same day the B sample of teenage teammate Pitchamon Opatniputh confirmed her positive test for a banned substance.

The 25-year-old delivered another stellar performance as he defeated Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan 21-13, 21-15 in the semi-finals at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium to progress to the final.

The two players had faced each other four times before Monday’s encounter in Nagoya, with Kunlavut winning all of them. In their most recent meeting, Kunlavut defeated Farhan in the quarter-finals of the 2026 All England Open in Birmingham in March.

Kunlavut showed his superiority again at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Monday as he wrapped up the victory in 49 minutes to book his berth in the gold medal match.

He will face Singapore’s world No.13 Loh Kean Yew, who edged past Yoo Tae-Bin of South Korea 21-19, 19-21, 21-12 in the other semi-final, in the gold medal match on Tuesday.

Prior to Aichi-Nagoya 2026, an Asian Games medal was the only major honour missing from Kunlavut’s trophy cabinet, which includes Olympic, World Championships, Asian Championships and Southeast Asian Games medals.

Meanwhile, the B sample of Pitchamon confirmed a positive result for a banned substance, said Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul on Monday.

Pitchamon became the first confirmed doping case at the Asian Games on Sept 21 after returning a positive test for furosemide, a substance that can be used to lose water for rapid loss.

The 19-year-old former world junior champion in women’s singles underwent an out-of-competition test on Sept 17 and was subsequently banned from the Games.

Surasak said the situation might have stemmed from the athlete being unaware of the ingredients in the products she used. Nevertheless, Pitchamon must proceed with a formal appeal to clarify the facts and contest the disciplinary proceedings.

With the B sample confirming the positive result, attention now turns to the penalty to be imposed by the relevant authorities. Pitchamon can lodge a formal appeal after the sanction has been announced.

Arch-foes face off for title

It will be Thailand v Malaysia again in the sepak takraw gold medal contest after both teams won their respective men’s single regu semi-finals on Monday.

Thailand defeated Vietnam 2-0 (15-7, 15-6) while Malaysia rallied to beat the Philippines 2-1 (10-15, 15-11, 15-7).

Thailand will be gunning for revenge after the seven-time defending Asian Games champions lost to their eternal rivals Malaysia 2-0 in the final of the men’s regu team final last Friday.

It was Malaysia’s first gold medal in the men’s regu team event in 36 years.

Meanwhile, Subenrat Insaeng continued the remarkable performance for the Thai athletics team in Nagoya as she added a bronze to their medal haul.

The 32-year-old recorded a 61.43m attempt – her season best – to finish in third place in the women’s discus throw event at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Monday.

It was the fourth medal for the athletics team at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 following sprinter Puripol Boonson’s 100m and 200m golden double and Joshua Atkinson’s 400m triumph.

Feng Bin (63.83) and Jiang Zhichao (62.25) led a one-two finish for China.

Also, the 4x100m relay mixed team stormed into the final after recording 41.48sec to win heat 1 on Monday. The final will take place on Tuesday.

Table tennis stars Suthasini Sawettabut and Orawan Paranang added a bronze to the Thai medal tally on Monday.

The duo edged past Shin Yu-Bin and Joo Cheon-Hui of South Korea 3-2 to reach the women’s doubles semi-finals and assure themselves of at least a bronze medal on Saturday.

Facing China’s Kuai Man and Wang Manyu in the semi-finals proved too much for the Thai duo as they went down in a 4-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6) loss and had to settle for a third-place finish.

In tennis, men’s singles hope Maximus Jones cruised past Zolbadar Urnukh of Mongolia 6-0, 6-0 in the second round match, while Anchisa Chanta and Peangtarn Plipuech dominated Saiyora Rajabalieva and Anastasiya Tursunova of Tajikistan 6-0, 6-0 in the women’s doubles first round.

Meanwhile, the men’s volleyball team lost to Iran 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-15) in the second Pool B match on Monday. They will need to beat winless Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday to secure their place in the quarter-finals.

Coach backs young guns

The men’s football team returned to Thailand on Sunday night after their Asian Games campaign ended in a 3-0 quarter-final defeat by China.

Thailand’s Asian Games coach Thawatchai Damrong-ongtrakul said: ‘It was a pity. I wanted to help the team go as deep as possible, at the very least to the semi-finals, but we simply could not withstand the strength of the Chinese side. In this tournament we were in the same group as Japan, the Asian U23 champions, which was really good for us, facing top teams like Japan and China.

‘We beat Kyrgyzstan and Hong Kong, which showed the players’ determination. We went behind in both games but fought back to win and eventually reached the knockout stage.

‘For many players, this will be their last tournament as young players. I want them to know that the national team is still waiting for them. I want every player to show their best with their clubs, and I believe the national coach will be watching everyone. Take care of yourselves and give your best,’ said Thawatchai.

’Marcos drive vs corruption more serious than before’

THE Marcos administration’s fight against corruption, particularly in public works, is more serious and extensive than that of the previous administration, according to a legal professor and activist.

‘If you look at it now in the Marcos time, tingin ko mas serious iyong accountability, mas serious ang transparency kasi mas marami siyang napakulong, whether kaibigan niya or kamag-anak,’ lawyer Howard Calleja said in a recent television interview.

Calleja said corruption was also uncovered in the Department of Public Works and Highways during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte but nothing was done about it.

‘So I think we have to look at the records, what happened during those six years of Duterte? Hindi ba dineclare na nga niya na maraming corruption sa DPWH, maraming corruption sa Customs, etc, pero may napakulong ba sila at that time?’ Calleja said.

In contrast, President Marcos himself exposed the corruption in flood-control projects and ordered a deep and thorough investigation leading to the filing of charges against several contractors and government officials, including the former Speaker.

Calleja also noted that then-Ombudsman Samuel Martirez, a Duterte appointee, even prevented access to statements of assets and liabilities (SALN) of top government officials.

He recalled that while Duterte ordered lifestyle checks on government officials, Martirez declared: ‘The SALN is just a paper. Hindi ko nga ilalabas iyan.’

‘So ang tanong din during the time of Ombudsman Martirez, may nagawa ba? May nakulong ba? Mayroong nakulong noong panahon ni P-noy [former President Benigno Aquino], pinakawalan pa nila,’ Calleja added.

SM Megamall unveils the Philippines’ first PAW Patrol-themed pet park for Ultimate Fur-kada playground

Muddy pavements, shortened walks, a dog eyeing the door with nowhere to go. The rainy season can turn pet parenthood into a full-time indoor gig. But fret no more, because your most loved mall, SM Megamall has launched its remodeled Paw Park at Level 5, Mega Fashion Hall: a rain-proof playground designed specifically for pets to frolic and mingle freely with their fellow fur friends.

The revamp marks the Philippines’ first PAW Patrol-themed pet park, launched alongside the local premiere of PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie – making it the perfect time to bring the whole family, fur babies included. In the film, the pups find themselves stranded on an uncharted island teeming with dinosaurs, where they must team up with a new friend to stop the mischievous Mayor Humdinger from putting the island’s creatures at risk of extinction.

It’s this same spirit of adventure and teamwork that inspired the Paw Park’s new look. To mark the occasion, pet owners and their furry besties were treated to a Meet and Greet with the PAW Patrol pups during the launch day on August 29.

The Paw Park is free for use, and interested fur parents simply need to sign up for the Super Pets Club (registration here) to unlock access to the space. Once inside, pets can romp through play equipment such as tunnels, mazes, and stairs, getting all the physical exercise, mental stimulation, and socialization they need to thrive.

Beyond the festivities, the Paw Park stands as a year-round space for pet owners to enjoy with their fur babies. It is a lasting addition to the SM Megamall experience, designed with every member of the family in mind.

Because ‘My SM’ isn’t just for people anymore. It’s built to provide a maxed out experience for the entire pack, and that includes our furry companions. Check out @smmegamall for updates on upcoming events at your most loved supermall.