The Situation Report

The Situation Report delivers breaking news, special reports and in-depth stories of critical national issues in the Philippines | [email protected]

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ORGAN TRAFFICKING?

WATCH: Inisa-isa ng Department of Justice ang mga klase ng human trafficking.

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DAYS AFTER MODERN WARFARE 4’S LAUNCH, KIM JONG UN TELLS COMMANDERS TO PREPARE FOR WAR

Days after the launch of Modern Warfare 4, the latest Call of Duty game, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told company leaders to prepare for war.

The game from Activision and Infinity Ward was released on October 23 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, PC and Nintendo Switch 2, with a campaign set on the Korean Peninsula.

In the game's story, North Korea launches a full-scale invasion of South Korea, and players follow Private Park, a young South Korean soldier caught in the early fighting.

Dr. Sarah Son, a senior lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Sheffield, said in a BBC report that the setting "could be controversial as it turns still-unresolved war into entertainment."

Infinity Ward said the game will be grounded in "the military authenticity Modern Warfare is known for," while the campaign also visits New York, Paris and Mumbai.

The North Korean leader’s call to prepare for war came at a photo session with participants on Tuesday, October 27, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Military company leaders were told their "primary revolutionary task" is "to round off the combat preparations of their units for getting fully ready for fighting a war," KCNA reported.

In South Korea, lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, a former justice minister, urged President Lee Jae Myung in a Facebook post on October 23 to play the game and see the consequences of weak defense preparedness.

At the National Assembly's annual audit of the culture ministry that day, People Power Party Rep. Kim Seok-ki raised the controversy over the game.

Kim, a member of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, said the progressive faction had been demanding that distribution be halted before the game came out.

Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young said, "Games are not subject to prior censorship," and that "Video games, like films, are protected forms of creative expression."

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'HINDI KASALANAN ANG MAGING HANDA' — DOJ

WATCH: Sa kabila ng mga panawagan ng United Kingdom at Japan sa kani-kanilang mga residente na mag-imbak ng pagkain sa loob ng ilang araw bilang pag-iingat sa anumang emergency situation, sinabi ng Department of Justice na hindi naman masamang maghanda.

Paliwanag ni Justice Ian Norman Dato, wala rin namang batas na nilalabag ang tao kung maghahanda ng essentials ang isang pamilya.

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WATCH: Lubos ang pasasalamat ng Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation sa Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) dahil sinasagot nito ang iba pang gastos sa operasyon ng isang batang sumailalim sa cleft surgery.

Ayon kay Patrisse Ancajas, marami kasing tinatawag na "unseen costs" kapag sumalang sa nasabing operasyon ang isang bata.

Panoorin ang videp na ito.

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KIM JONG UN ORDERS NORTH KOREAN MILITARY TO PREPARE FOR WAR

SITREP/Defense: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered commanders of the Korean People's Army to get their units fully ready for fighting a war, according to state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The remarks came at a photo session with participants on Tuesday, October 27, according to KCNA.

Company leaders were told their “primary revolutionary task” is “to round off the combat preparations of their units for getting fully ready for fighting a war,” KCNA reported.

Kim said a radical improvement in the strenuous and intensive training is the way to get there, according to the North Korean state media report.

That instruction followed the “Third Meeting of Company Leaders,” which Yonhap News Agency, citing KCNA, reported was held in Pyongyang on October 22 and 23.

At the meeting itself, he told commanders “to build the strongest army and accelerate the Korean-style military revolution by training the strongest companies.”

KCNA described it as the first gathering of the North's entire army since the Workers' Party's ninth congress in February.

Also at the photo session were Pak Jong Chon, vice-chairman of the party's Central Military Commission, Defense Minister Kim Song Gi and General Staff chief Ri Yong Gil, according to KCNA.

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FORTRESS AMERICA: WHY THE PENTAGON IS PREPARING U.S. BASES FOR A REPORTED 90 DAYS WITHOUT ANY HELP

SITREP/Defense: The Pentagon wants every major military base in the continental United States to be able to run essential operations independently for at least 90 days, according to documents reviewed by Fox News.

In its October 25 report based on documents it reviewed, Fox News headlined the story “Inside the Pentagon’s doomsday plan to keep America fighting if global war erupts.”

The reported 90-day standard covers electricity, water, fuel and communications, according to Fox News.

“The next conflict will likely be fought on multiple fronts,” Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell told Fox News, adding that “global supply chains will break” when that happens.

U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced "FORTRESS America" in a September 30 speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico, and the department’s release calls it “the Department of War’s national insurance policy for the American homeland.”

The release says the program ends decades of dependence on foreign mines for rare earths, overseas factories for microchips, foreign supply chains for weapons and the civilian power grid to keep bases operational.

In a September 30 memorandum to senior Pentagon leadership and combatant commanders, Hegseth wrote “Effective immediately, I establish FORTRESS America as a program of the Department of War.”

The memo organizes the program around five pillars, which are energy independence, supply-chain and defense-industrial base resilience, a strategic defense reserve, installation hardening and cyber resilience, and resilience in space and spectrum.

The release says every major U.S. military installation will generate its own independent power so bases remain lit and command centers stay online even if the civilian grid is taken down by cyberattack or sabotage.

Fox News reported that the power plan envisions portable nuclear reactors, large-scale battery storage and microgrids that can disconnect bases from the civilian grid, details that do not appear in the release or the memo.

It also says critical supply chains for rare earths, specialty metals, semiconductors and propellants will come home, with deep reserves of munitions, fuel, medicine and blood to fight through disruption when global supply lines break.

In its exclusive report, Fox News said the reserves would include munitions, fuel, critical minerals, electronics, spare parts and medical supplies, with targets depending on consumption rates in a conflict and how long manufacturers need to replace stock.

For the most critical defense dependencies, the program would require at least two qualified supply or production pathways, Fox News reported.

Through a Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network, the Pentagon plans to identify commercial factories that could switch to defense production, with technical specifications, cybersecurity protections, contracts and conversion procedures set in advance, Fox News reported.

The plan also calls for recurring industrial stress tests and mobilization exercises, along with hardening military communications, navigation and satellite systems against interference, including GPS jamming, according to Fox News.

“We don’t want to rely on standard civilian municipal infrastructure to run our national defense,” Parnell told Fox News, describing the aim of the power plan.

The FORTRESS America memo directs the Undersecretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment to stand up a FORTRESS America Program Office within 30 days, with the office to scale to full operating capability within months.

“This is not a retreat,” Hegseth wrote, calling FORTRESS America the foundation for “a homeland that cannot be starved out, shut down, or cut off.”

“Power is combat now. Without electricity, you lose communications, water, logistics, assembly lines, and just basic military command structures,” Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell told Fox News.

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WHAT ARE THEY PREPARING FOR?

SPECIAL REPORT: Governments in North America, Europe and Asia are telling citizens to keep food and water at home for days.

At least 19 governments and the European Union, across three continents, are urging citizens to prepare, which invites an obvious question about what is behind the calls.

Britain launched its “Be Ready” campaign on Thursday, October 22, asking households to keep a small supply of non-perishable food and bottled water to cover three days of disruption, according to the Cabinet Office.

“The threats we face are real, and they are closer to home,” Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the same day in a speech at the opening of the UK Gun Hall in Telford.

Asked on BBC One’s Question Time whether the campaign amounted to scaremongering, Streeting said the government wants “people to be alert but not alarmed.”

In Japan, Minister in charge of Disaster Management Goshi Hosono plans an urgent request to the public on November 2, when a new agency for responding to major quakes and other disasters opens.

“Please prepare at least three days’ worth of food, and ideally a week’s worth, as well as toilets and water,” Hosono said on a Fuji TV online program on October 26.

The European Commission’s Preparedness Union Strategy seeks guidelines “to reach a population self-sufficiency of minimum 72 hours” against threats from natural disasters to hybrid threats, as a non-binding goal.

The recommended time varies, with Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Finland and Canada advising 72 hours, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Switzerland and Taiwan about a week, and Germany up to 10 days.

Sweden’s government wants everyone, according to ability, to manage at least a week without outside support, and its civil defence authority has said security has deteriorated and there is war in its neighbourhood.

Public Safety Canada’s guidance reads “Assemble essential items to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours,” while https://t.co/ZeWlH4TpLy tells Americans “you may need to survive on your own for several days” after an emergency.

Japan’s Cabinet Office advises households to stockpile at least three days of food, and a week if possible, along with three litres of water per person per day.

Germany’s federal civil protection office says households should ideally be able to supply themselves for 10 days, with at least three days already a big help and two litres of water per person each day.

The BBC reported that the UK campaign also lists a flashlights, first aid items and an FM radio for updates during outages.

In Washington, the Pentagon announced a separate program called FORTRESS America on September 30 for military bases to generate their own power and build supply reserves, and it is aimed at bases, not households.

“Every major military installation in America will generate its own power,” Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a September 30 post on X, adding that critical supply chains would be brought home.

U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the program on September 30, calling FORTRESS America “a national insurance policy for the American homeland.”

The name stands for Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survivability, and the Pentagon describes it as an effort to keep installations running through disruption.

Fox News, citing documents it reviewed, reported on October 25 that every major base in the continental United States would be expected to run essential operations independently for at least 90 days.

The reported 90-day standard covers electricity, water, fuel and communications, Fox News reported, and the figure comes from internal documents and not a formal public announcement.

According to Fox News, the power plan includes portable nuclear reactors, large-scale battery storage and microgrids that can disconnect bases from the civilian grid, with no deployment schedule given.

Fox News reported that the plan also calls for strategic reserves of munitions, fuel, critical minerals, electronics, spare parts and medical supplies, and at least two qualified supply or production pathways for the most critical defense dependencies.

Through a Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network, the Pentagon plans to identify commercial factories that could switch to defense production in a crisis, with contracts and conversion procedures set in advance, Fox reported.

“Power is combat now. Without electricity, you lose communications, water, logistics, assembly lines, and just basic military command structures,” Parnell told Fox News Digital.

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TSR REPORT: PCSO hindi na nag-renew ng tulong, obligasyon sa ilang NGOs dahil sa kapabayaan sa pagre-report — GM Robles

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“Minsan na nga lang mag-birthday, may kahati pa.”

Ito ang comment ng isang netizen sa nag-viral na birthday greeting pubmat ng Junior Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (JPICE) Liceo de Cagayan University Student Chapter para sa mga opisyal nito.

Sa naturang pubmat, hindi lang pagbati para sa 4th Year Representative at sa Vice President-Internal nito ang pinagsama, kundi pati na rin ang kanilang mga litrato.

“Happy birthday Rigen and advance happy birthday Steven!🎊idungan nalang namo post kay busy nata ugma,” sabi ng organisasyon sa caption nito.

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COSTS BEYOND CLEFT SURGERY FUNDED BY PCSO

SITREP/Charity: The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) funds the hidden costs of cleft surgery for indigent children, including labs, dental treatment and titanium plates, Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation's Patrisse Ancajas said.

Ancajas, the foundation's Communication and Resource Development Officer, told @DZRHNews program “The Situation Report” on Monday, October 26, that its surgeries involve both seen and unseen costs.

“Mayroon kasing seen costs at unseen costs. Ang seen costs ay iyong surgery mismo. Ang unseen costs ay iyong labs, dental treatments ng mga bata, at gamit sa operasyon na mahirap gawan ng partnerships. PCSO po ang nagpo-pondo niyan, pati titanium plates for orthodontic surgeries,” Ancajas said.

Ancajas said the foundation has a case rate of ₱28,000 depending on the surgery, which is usually covered by PhilHealth.

“Nagkakaroon po kami ng case rate na 28,000 pesos depende sa surgery, na kadalasang covered ng PhilHealth,” Ancajas said.

Ancajas said the foundation, which started in 2006, celebrated its 20th anniversary this year and has served 6,000 patients, 243 of whom were funded by PCSO.

Ancajas said the foundation's medical professionals are all volunteers who are not paid, and that the children it operates on are not charged for the procedure.

“Yes po, all are volunteers at we don't pay the medical professionals. Hindi rin namin chinacharge ang mga bata,” Ancajas said.

PCSO General Manager Melquiades “Mel” Robles said cleft palate care is expertise PCSO cannot match, so the agency shares the resources it has and the foundation lacks.

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WATCH: Inanunsyo ni Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Social Welfare Office III Leslee Deabanico na inaprubahan ng ahensya ang P1.5 milyong tulong sa Hospicio de San Jose.

Lubos naman ang pasasalamat dito ng Hospici de San Jose dahil sa tuloy-tuloy na tulong ng PCSO sa kanila at sa iba pang nangangailangan.

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WATCH: Hindi lang basta recipient kundi katuwang ng Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) ang kanilang partners.

Ito ang sinabi ni General Manager Mel Robles ukol sa kanyang pananaw sa kanilang charity partners.

Kasabay nito, nagpasalamat din si Hospicio de San Jose Administrator Sister Martha Gamolo sa PCSO dahil naramdaman nilang partner nila ng ahensya at hindi lamang bilang mga recipients.

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WATCH: Inihayag ni Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Mel Robles na may ilang non-governmental organizations (NGO0s) na hindi na sila nag-renew ng tulong dahil napabayaan nilang mag-report pabalik sa kanila.

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WATCH: Handang sagutin ng Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) ang balanse ng isang pasyente kahit pa lumapit na siya sa kanilang lokal na pamahalaan o sa Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), ayon kay General Manager Mel Robles.

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PCSO'S BRAND: 'HINDI UMUURONG SA PAGTULONG'

WATCH: Ano nga ba ang ibig sabihin ng tagline ng Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) na 'hindi umuurong sa pagtulong'?

Narito ang paliwanag ni General Manager Mel Robles.

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WATCH: Umarangkada na ang pamamahagi ng Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) ng ikalawang batch ng mga ambulansya sa mga lokal na pamahalaan.

Ayon kay PCSO General Manager Mel Robles, pareho ang kalidad nito sa unang batch na kanilang binigay noon.

"Ganoon din po ang specs ng aming na-bid out sapagkat we are getting very good feedback sa mga gumagamit nito," sabi ni Robles.

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'ANG PCSO AY LUMAKAS NA PO ANG UMAHE NG PAGIGING INSTITUSYON NG PAGKAKAWANGGAWA'

WATCH: Isinusulong ni Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Mel Robles na ma-institutionalize ang pagkakawanggawa o charity kasabay ng kanilang ika-92 taong anibersaryo sa Biyernes, October 30.

Ayon kay Robles, unti-unti nila itong nagagawa base sa katatapos lamang na National Charity Summit ng ahensya nitong October 15.

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WATCH: Anu-ano nga ba ang requirements para sa mga hihingi ng tulong pampaospital at lumapit sa Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO)?

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CHARITY O KAWANGGAWA MAY MAS MALALIM PANG HAMON — ROBLES

WATCH: Hindi lang pagbibigay ng pera o sa pamamaraan ng social services ang ibig sabihin ng charity o pagkakawanggawa, ayon kay Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Mel Robles.

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PCSO APPROVES ₱1.5-MILLION AID FOR HOSPICIO DE SAN JOSE

SITREP/Charity: The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has approved ₱1.5 million in aid for Hospicio de San Jose, and the check is now being processed, PCSO Social Welfare Officer III Leslee Deabanico said.

Deabanico told @DZRHNews program “The Situation Report” on Monday, October 26, that the request of Hospicio de San Jose was just approved.

“May maganda po tayong balita, sir, kasi kaka-approve lang po ng kanilang request na 1.5 million. On process na po ang tseke ngayon,” Deabanico said.

Hospicio de San Jose Administrator Sister Martha Gamolo said the institution is sustained by the help of people, families, companies and groups like PCSO, along with its Daughters of Charity.

Gamolo said Hospicio de San Jose is 216 years old this year, has more than 140 residents, and also helps many people in street-dwelling situations.

Asked if the care of sick residents is covered by PCSO help, Gamolo said yes, including medical and dietary needs.

“Opo, kasama na po talaga iyan sa tulong ng PCSO, pati ‘yung medical at dietary,” Gamolo said.

“Bago po ako na-assign sa Hospicio de San Jose, may karatula na doon sa aming gate na ‘PCSO Assisted,’” Gamolo said.

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