FACT CHECK: Marcos did not flee Malacañang following Zaldy Co’s budget insertion claims
Contrary to the claim that barricades were set up around Malacañang following Co's allegations against the President, the barbed-wire fences were in fact installed in preparation for scheduled anti-corruption rallies

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/ferdinand-marcos-jr-did-not-flee-zaldy-co-allegations/

FACT CHECK: ICC has jurisdiction over PH drug war cases
In an October 2025 ruling, the ICC pre-trial chamber says the Court ‘can exercise jurisdiction in the present case over the crimes alleged against Mr. Duterte that were committed on the territory of the Philippines while it was a state party’

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/icc-jurisdiction-ph-drug-war-cases/

FACT CHECK: Quote card of Sotto accusing Dutertes of orchestrating Co’s videos is fake
There is no credible evidence that Sotto pointed to the Duterte camp as being behind Co's video exposé alleging Marcos' involvement in the 2025 budget insertion scandal

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/senate-president-tito-sotto-tags-duterte-zaldy-co-videos/

Request for Fact Check:
https://palawandailynews.com/national-news/injured-navy-sailor-returns-to-duty-following-successful-thumb-reattachment-surgery

FACT CHECK: AI-manipulated clip misrepresents Zaldy Co video on flood control scandal
While Co did mention Romualdez and Marcos in his ‘tell-all’ video, the former congressman did not make the statement shown in the AI-generated video where he explicitly tags the two as the masterminds of anomalous flood control projects

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/zaldy-co-ai-manipulated-clip-misrepresents-video-flood-control-mess/

FACT CHECK: No, Cayetano isn’t replacing Remulla as Ombudsman
Remulla remains Ombudsman, while Cayetano is a senator. The video’s title and thumbnail use clickbait language, misleading social media users.

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/alan-cayetano-not-replacing-boying-remulla-ombudsman-november-2025/

FACT CHECK: Video of Zaldy Co alleging selective prosecution is AI-generated
AI analysis tools flagged the video as a deepfake, showing an 83% to 99% likelihood that it bears AI-generated content and clear signs of face manipulation

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/zaldy-co-selective-prosecution-ai-generated/

FACT CHECK: Supreme Court did not file charges vs Marcos over PhilHealth fund transfer
The SC does not file charges but hears cases directly brought to it or rules on judgments of lower courts. As a sitting president, Marcos is also immune from civil or criminal cases.

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/supreme-court-not-file-charges-vs-ferdinand-marcos-jr-philhealth-fund-transfer/

FACT CHECK: Duterte not found unconscious in ICC detention center
His daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, and lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman have debunked the claim

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/rodrigo-duterte-not-found-unconscious-icc-detention-center-november-2025/

FACT CHECK: Marcoleta is a senator, not the House speaker
Isabela Representative Bojie Dy is currently the House Speaker. Contrary to the claim, Marcoleta cannot assume the role because he is a senator in the 20th Congress.

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/rodante-marcoleta-not-house-speaker/

FACT CHECK: Registration links for ‘Christmas bonus’ payouts lead to phishing site
There is no Christmas bonus payout through the UCT program, which ended in 2020; the supposed registration links also lead to unofficial blog sites

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/registration-links-christmas-bonus-lead-blog-sites-phishing-november-2025/

FACT CHECK: Link to Makati City ‘Pamaskong Handog’ pre-registration is fake
The Makati city government says there is no list and no tickets being given out for the distribution of Christmas gift packages

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/makati-city-pamaskong-handog-pre-registration-fake/

FACT CHECK: Marcos remains president, did not resign
Malacañang has firmly stated that resignation is ‘not an option’ for Marcos

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/ferdinand-marcos-jr-not-resign-as-president-november-2025/

Source: DDS?

FACT CHECK: Jessica Soho not declared persona non grata in Cagayan de Oro City
The supposed declaration was due to Soho's report on the unfinished Mega Health Center in the city, but official sources confirmed that no such resolution exists

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/jessica-soho-not-persona-non-grata-in-cagayan-de-oro-city/

FACT CHECK: Duterte not released, post uses old video with actress Giselle Sanchez
The video was originally taken in March 2024, before Duterte’s arrest, and has been used to falsely claim that the former president has been released from detention at the ICC

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/rodrigo-duterte-not-released-post-uses-old-video-actress-giselle-sanchez/

Dutch public broadcaster NOS quits X over disinformation
'The platform no longer fits our vision on how we want to present news on social media,' state-funded news organization NOS says

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/technology/nos-dutch-broadcaster-quits-x-twitter-disinformation/

24th Jaime V. Ongpin lecture focuses on fighting disinformation in the age of AI
Experts cite the need for regulatory policies and a code of ethics governing AI use

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/technology/jaime-ongpin-lecture-fighting-disinformation-age-artificial-intelligence/

Good morning! Our very own Lian Buan and Dwight de Leon are joining today's panel of the prestigious Jaime V. Ongpin Journalism Seminar organized by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR).

Through the annual seminar, the CMFR recognizes journalists for their excellent reporting, pooling them together in one event where their share insights on today's biggest issues of the media.

HOW DID THEY BECOME JOURNOS?

Rappler’s Lian Buan said she found her calling while watching an iWitness documentary discussing the face of poverty under former president Gloria Arroyo’s time.

In her experience, veteran journalist Fonbuena said her journalism education and professors shaped her perspectives on the profession. Fonbuena, who previously led the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, reiterated that journalism is a calling like priesthood. 

Rappler’s Dwight de Leon said he grew up in a loving community – surrounded by supportive family members and teachers. He started out as a campus journalist, but De Leon said he later realized than journalism is much more than collecting awards. Journalism, for De Leon, is a privilege that allows reporters to hold power to account.

Dominic Gutoman, Bulatlat’s community manager, said he realized that he wanted to pursue journalism when he was covering the human rights violations committed amid the Oplan Sauron in the Visayas. As a campus journalist, Gutoman said he realized the need to highlight the problems of the oppressed. 

Philstar’s Cristina Chi said her experiences as part of the inaugural K-12 batch made her choose journalism. From curiosity, her outlook later changed into a drive to seek accountability.

Lastly, TV5’s Edson Guido believes that people should care about numbers in journalism. He said data journalism is essential because it provides big picture on the major issues confronting our society. Guido said reporting about numbers is not surface-level reporting, but rather facts-based. 

NEWS’ ESSENCE STILL THE SAME, BUT DISTRIBUTION CHANGED 

Lian Buan believed that news is still the same, as far as its elements and data gathering are concerned. What changed is how journalists distribute the information because of the advent of technology and the challenges brought by big technologies’ algorithm. 

Dwight de Leon spoke about the Rappler experience where reporters create multiple versions of reports to deliver the information to different audiences. Apart from writing text stories, reporters also produce video versions of these reports to cater to the younger viewers.

For Carmela Fonbuena, the news elements – like factualness, accuracy, and balance – remain, but journalists should understand that audiences have different understanding of how news works. She highlighted that the media no longer has the monopoly of information, so the media must reach out to our audience to gain their attention and support.

It’s like “sundo” or personally reaching out to the audience, going directly to their niches, she said. Fonbuena explained that by creating stories based on the audiences’ preferences like vertical videos, they would be encouraged also to consume other forms of journalism like long form reports. 

JOURNALISM MUST ADAPT TO TECH

Since journalism no longer has the monopoly over information, the gears have shifted, according to Lian Buan. Before, the public chases journalists for information, but now, journalists chase people for attention. This is why it’s important for journalists to adapt to the changes in social media and technology to get people’s support and attention, Buan explained. 

Carmela Fonbuena said journalists cannot be silent about technology, but rather they need to be proative in adjusting to these changes for the audiences. 

Amid these advancements, Edson Guido believed that there’s too much information available, but not much explanation. This is where journalism enters – the press provides context and deeper explanation for better understanding.

Apart from harnessing the power of technology, Dominic Gutoman said they also maintain their relationship with their communities by being near to them and talking to them on a regular basis. 

HOW CAN JOURNALISM GET PEOPLE’S ATTENTION? ‘MAKE THEM WATCH YOU’

It’s hard to compete for the public’s attention, but among the secrets is to make people watch you and consume your reports, according to Lian Buan. It can be done by understanding the language of social media networks like TikTok and Instagram. 

Buan also noted that it’s hard to make people care about stories and it’s not their fault. That’s why journalists must look into the self-interest – the core issues concerning the public – so they would care about other’s plights.

For Dwight de Leon, walking the audience through your journalistic process is also effective in getting their support. Extensive sourcing and verification set journalists apart from social media influencers, he added.

Carmela Fonbuena believes that investigative journalism is an effective tool to inspire action. Reporters should also highlight the historical background of issues because today’s happenings are just reiterations of what happened in the past. 

JVO seminar: Text, video news reports complement each other

Dwight de Leon said journalists must try ways of reporting that people prefer and consume. He believes that there’s a variety of ways to reach the audiences, and these formats do not compete with each other, but rather complement one another. Text stories can complement video reports and vice versa.

“It’s not about [what journalists prefer]. It’s the [format] that the audience prefers,” Lian Buan said. 

While journalists nowadays rely on video reports, Carmela Fonbuena said long form reports are still important as there’s no alternative to investigative journalism. 

Rappler's Lian Buan receives her certificate as part of the panel of the prestigious Jaime V. Ongpin Journalism Seminar 2025. This is her third time joining the panel – she was also named a JVO fellow in 2020 and 2021.

FACT CHECK: Video of Sandro Marcos denying allegations against his father is fake
Analysis of the video using AI detection tools found that it is highly likely to be AI-generated, with signs of face manipulation, use of diffusion-based techniques, and temporal inconsistencies

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/sandro-marcos-denies-allegations-against-ferdinand-marcos-jr/

FACT CHECK: Harry Roque denies arrest rumors
Roque says he remains in the Netherlands after being barred from flying to Austria due to medical reasons

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/harry-roque-arrested-netherlands/

[DECODED] X’s geolocation feature isn’t perfect or transparent, and that makes it problematic
Without proper safeguards, X's geolocation feature can be wielded like a weapon by bad actors

Read the full article here:
https://www.rappler.com/technology/decoded-x-twitter-geolocation-capabilities-limitations/