Here are today's headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world:
- Supreme Court, ICC targeted by 'fake news' after Duterte arrest
- Meta suspends SMNI News, related Facebook pages for spreading 'hatred or contempt'
- Russia, Ukraine trade accusations of infrastructure attacks after Putin-Trump call
- No agencies needed: Japanese embassy launches visa application center
- Kiefer Ravena reveals Diana Mackey pregnancy
https://www.rappler.com/video/daily-wrap/march-19-2025/
- Supreme Court, ICC targeted by 'fake news' after Duterte arrest
- Meta suspends SMNI News, related Facebook pages for spreading 'hatred or contempt'
- Russia, Ukraine trade accusations of infrastructure attacks after Putin-Trump call
- No agencies needed: Japanese embassy launches visa application center
- Kiefer Ravena reveals Diana Mackey pregnancy
https://www.rappler.com/video/daily-wrap/march-19-2025/
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NewsTranscript
00:00Today on Rappler
00:12The Philippine Supreme Court and the International Criminal Court are bombarded by fake news
00:16and disinformation attacks after the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte.
00:20Meta suspends the Facebook pages of SMNI News, DZAR 1026 Sunshine Radio, and SMNI Integrated
00:27News.
00:28Hours after its leaders agreed to a limited ceasefire, Russia and Ukraine accuse each
00:32other of launching air attacks.
00:35Filipinos can now apply for a Japanese visa at a visa application center.
00:40And basketball star Kiefer Ravenna and his fiancée, beauty queen Diana Mackie, are expecting
00:44their first child.
00:48Courts both in the Philippines and in The Hague, the Netherlands, are at the receiving
00:51end of fake news or disinformation attacks.
00:54This after former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested last week for crimes against
00:59humanity.
01:00On the day Duterte was arrested, his longtime ally, Senator Ronald Bató de la Rosa, filed
01:04a petition with the Supreme Court asking for the issuance of a temporary restraining order
01:08which could have stopped the implementation of the arrest.
01:11Disinformation broke out that night with fake news reports claiming the High Court already
01:15issued a TRO in favor of Duterte.
01:18This is false.
01:19On March 12, SE spokesperson Camille Ping announced the court denied de la Rosa's
01:23request for a TRO.
01:25Social media posts also show a fabricated SE document dated March 16 titled,
01:30Supreme Court Receives Petition on 16 Million Signatures Calling for President Marcos'
01:34Resignation.
01:35The High Court says it is completely untrue.
01:38It has not received any petition.
01:40Even the ICC was not spared from disinformation.
01:43During Duterte's arrest, there was a claim that the former president was arrested without
01:47a warrant.
01:48This is false.
01:49The ICC implemented its warrant through the Interpol and a copy of the warrant is available.
01:53Duterte's former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, who flew to The Hague with the
01:58former president, also claimed he was forced to go on the plane without a visa.
02:02His claim lacked context as the Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands said, upon landing,
02:06they secured a 15-day visa for the lawyer so he could assist Duterte.
02:10Duterte's supporters meantime targeted ICC presiding judge Julia Motok and left negative
02:15comments on the judges' photos.
02:17They also spanned Motok's Meta and LinkedIn profiles, demanding that the judge return
02:21Duterte to the Philippines.
02:25Meta suspends the Facebook pages of SMNI news and related pages such as DZAR-1026 Sunshine
02:30Radio and SMNI Integrated News, owned by embattled doomsday preacher Apolo Kibuloy's Sunshine
02:35Media Network International.
02:37SMNI announced in an article on its website and social media posts that Meta suspended
02:42these accounts for expressing hatred or contempt for a group of people and using harmful racial
02:47stereotypes.
02:48SMNI has a track record of fueling disinformation and red-tagging journalists and activists
02:53critical of former president Rodrigo Duterte and Kibuloy.
02:56The suspension comes after Duterte's arrest by the Interpol on behalf of the International
03:00Criminal Court.
03:02Senator Bato de la Rosa criticized Meta's suspension of SMNI News' accounts, suggesting
03:06followers follow other pages.
03:09This is not the first time SMNI News' Facebook page became inaccessible.
03:14Hours after its leaders agreed to a limited ceasefire to halt energy infrastructure attacks,
03:20Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of launching air attacks.
03:24Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to temporarily stop attacking Ukrainian energy
03:28facilities but declined to endorse a full 30-day ceasefire sought by U.S. President
03:32Donald Trump in a phone call.
03:35Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had agreed to the U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire
03:39before the Putin-Trump call, and later supported the more limited ceasefire on energy targets.
03:44But after Russia launched its air attacks early on Wednesday, Zelensky urged the world
03:48to block any attempts by Moscow to drag out the war.
03:51Andrii Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, says Russia is attacking civilian infrastructure
03:56and people right now.
03:58Regional authorities in Sumy in northeast Ukraine said that Russia's drone attacks
04:02damaged two hospitals there.
04:04The Ukrainian military said its air defense units shot down 72 of 145 drones launched
04:09by Russia in overnight attacks.
04:11Russia's defense ministry said that its units destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones overnight,
04:1635 of them over the border Kursk region.
04:21Filipino visitors to Japan can now apply for a Japanese visa at the application center
04:25VFS Service Philippines, which will charge lower handling fees than the old system.
04:30However, there will now be visa application fees for temporary visitors, unlike before
04:34when it was free.
04:36The Embassy of Japan in the Philippines says the appointment website was launched on Wednesday,
04:40March 19.
04:41The Japan Visa Application Center will begin operations on April 7, 2025.
04:46Starting April 6, the embassy will no longer accept visa applications through accredited
04:50travel agencies, which charge handling fees of at least 1,200 pesos per applicant, depending
04:55on the visa type.
04:57The new center comes shortly after the embassy warned that visa processing could take up
05:00to two months due to a high number of applicants.
05:05Basketball star Kiefer Ravenna announces he and his fiancée, beauty queen Diana Mackie,
05:09are expecting their first child.
05:11Ravenna shares on Instagram a photo of him hugging Mackie as she held baby sneakers and
05:16sonogram pictures, with the caption, quote,
05:18"...marching together in this beautiful journey with Diana Mackie.
05:21You are amazing and you are destined to be a super mommy."
05:24He also adds, quote,
05:25"...we can't wait to see you, little one, with your guidance, Lord."
05:29Ravenna and Mackie got engaged last October during a trip to Japan, where Ravenna plays
05:33for the Yokohama B Corsairs.
05:35The couple revealed their relationship just four days before announcing their engagement.
05:39Mackie is a former Binibining Pilipinas contestant and Pinoy Big Brother housemate.
05:46And that's today's wrap.
05:47I'm JC Gotinga.
05:49Click the link below for the full story.
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