Six Minute Read

TAYO BI-WEEKLY BYTES #3

Welcome to the third edition of Tayo Bi-Weekly Bytes, where we give you quick snippets of the latest news and topics that are important to the Filipino American community with lots of links to content that you can read and watch at your leisure. We even have a fun quiz where you can test your ability to see if you can tell the difference between real photos and ones generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Let’s get involved.

1. Reuters Investigative Report Reveals Pentagon Disinfo Campaign Targeting Chinese COVID-19 Vaccines in the Philippines

When Americans talk about nations involved in spreading disinformation, we often land on China and Russia as the usual culprits. Now comes news, however, that the United States itself was involved in a dangerous program of disinformation, and it directly targeted the Philippines.

A new bombshell report by Reuters published in June reveals that the U.S. military operated a disinformation campaign at the height of the pandemic, first targeting the Philippines, then other nations in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East, in order to sow doubt about Sinovac, the Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine, as well as other medical supplies coming from China.

Key Points of Note

• The report states at least 300 accounts on X, formerly Twitter, were created in the summer of 2020 spreading the Tagalog language hashtag #Chinaangvirus (“China is the virus”). The accounts had tens of thousands of followers. Some of the tweets from these fake accounts peddled sentiments such as:
  • “COVID came from China and VACCINE also came from China, don’t trust China!”
  • “From China – PPE, Face Mask, Vaccine: FAKE. But the Coronavirus is real.”
• The report claims the Pentagon created the program as payback for China’s propaganda campaign blaming the U.S. for the COVID pandemic.
  
  • “We weren’t looking at this from a public health perspective. We were looking at how we could drag China through the mud,” said one senior U.S. military officer.
• The initiative, which was waged over the objections of U.S. diplomats in the region, came at a time when the Sinovac was the only COVID vaccine available in the Philippines, a period that saw over 1.3 million people contracting COVID with over 24,000 dying from the virus.  The dismal numbers prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to express exasperation that Filipinos were slow to take the Chinese-made vaccine. 

• Health experts both from the Philippines and abroad reacted to the report with alarm. “I’m sure that there are lots of people who died from COVID who did not need to die from COVID,” said Esperanza Cabral, who served as health secretary under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
• The Pentagon’s program extended into the first few months of the Biden administration in 2021, which eventually put an end to it after social media companies again raised the issue of the fake accounts, their concerns having been previously rebuffed by Trump’s officials. The Pentagon has told the Philippines that it made “missteps” in its messaging and vowed that it has taken measures to safeguard future informational campaigns.

The Philippine Senate has held one hearing on the matter so far,  while the Chinese embassy in Manila has demanded answers.

2. International Forum on South China/West Philippine Sea Dispute in Metro Manila Highlights Philippines’ Growing Confidence in Row with China.

Leaders from the Philippine government, the Armed Forces, the diplomatic community,  academia, media, and civil society organizations gathered at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City on July 12, 2024, exactly eight years to the day when the Philippines notched its historic legal victory over China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. 

Tayo staff were on hand at the day-long conference titled, "The 8th Year of the Arbitral Victory: A Collective Pursuit of Maritime Security in the West Philippine Sea.” The event was organized by the Manila-based Stratbase ADR Institute (ADRi), an independent international think tank and research organization, in partnership with the Australian and U.S. Embassies in the Philippines. 

Background Byte

• The case, brought by the Philippines in 2013 under the administration of President Ninoy Aquino III, nullified China’s claims to nearly 90% of the South China Sea and clearly established the Philippines’, as well as neighboring countries’, Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) as prescribed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China has never accepted the ruling.

Conference Highlights

• Despite China’s continued island building activities and growing aggression in contested waters of the South China/West Philippine Sea, the Philippines and its allies exhibited noticeable optimism in its expanding legal approach to stop China and reclaim its maritime territory. 
• Highlighting the Philippines growing alliances in the region and beyond, ambassadors from 26 countries were on hand and professed solidarity with the Philippines.
• The Philippines’ tactic of highlighting and exposing China’s provocative deployment of so-called Gray Zone Tactics (defined as “the use of non-military means – below the threshold of armed conflict – to achieve political objectives”) in the South China Sea has appeared to bear fruit by drawing renewed international attention to the situation and will likely continue. 
• The Philippine government has taken on an “all of government” approach to the issue, with all departments aligned on messaging and actions.
• The Armed Forces of the Philippines has indicated a switch from focusing inward (i.e. tackling domestic insurgencies), to an outward looking approach (defending the EEZ). 
• The Philippines will continue its legal activities in trying to solve the issue, bringing more cases before the international legal community. 

Read Tayo’s exclusive and in-depth feature on the ADRi forum HERE.

3.Philippines Sends 22 Athletes to Paris Olympics

Twenty-two Filipino athletes will be competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, which began July 26 and runs through August 11. It is the biggest Olympic contingent assembled by the Philippines in three decades. 

Did You Know?

• The Philippines first competed in the Olympic Games in 1924, also in Paris. The delegation consisted of just one athlete, runner David Nepomuceno, who competed in the 100 meter dash but did not medal. One year later, however, the Albay native ran that distance again in a different international meet and came up two-tenths of a second short of the world record at the time. 

• The Philippines was also the first Southeast Asian country to ever compete in the Olympics and went on to win the region’s first medal at the 1928 games, when Teofilo Yldefonso, a 24-year-old swimmer from Illocos Norte, captured the bronze in the 200 meter breaststroke. 

The Philippines is hoping to top its historic performance from the 2021 games. In addition to two silvers and one bronze, the country claimed its first ever Olympic gold medal when weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz topped the women’s 55kg category in Tokyo. Diaz failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Philippine contingent will be competing in nine sports: athletics, boxing, fencing, gymnastics, golf, judo, rowing, swimming, and weightlifting. 

Here are some of the notable athletes to keep your eye on:

EJ Obiena, Pole Vault

The country’s top hope for gold rests with EJ Obiena, a 28-year-old from Tondo, Manila. Obiena is currently ranked second in the world and has twice cleared the six meter mark, one of only 28 pole vaulters in history to do so. 

Here's video of EJ's gold medal winning pole vault at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

Carlos Yulo, Artistic Gymnastics

The most successful Filipino gymnast in history, 24-year-old Carlos Yulo has bold expectations for his campaign in Paris. The Malate native has won two FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, and six medals overall. He is also a ten-time Asian Games champion, and a nine-time South East Asian Games champion. He placed fourth in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. 

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Carlos Yulos Wins Two Gold Medals At Paris Olympics

Carlos Yulos came to the Paris Olympics in July with high hopes of winning a gold medal. He achieved that dream, twice!

The 24 year old gymnast from Malate, Manila, first captured gold in the men's Artistic Gymnastics floor exercise program. That made him only the second Filipino in history to win a gold medal at the Olympics, following weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz's gold in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The following day, Yulos won gold again, this time in the vault competition.

Yulos has rocketed to now become the Philippines' greatest ever Olympian and one of the most celebrated Filipino athletes of all time. His incredible double gold feat has prompted an outpouring of joy from Filipinos at home and around the world. The city of Manila is planning a massive parade to honor Yulos when he returns home.

"This way, what they(Filipinos) only see on TV, they can experience up close,” Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna said. “Caloy’s victory will serve as an inspiration for them to discover more Carlos Yulos among the youth of Manila and the entire Philippines.”

Much more than tens of thousands of adoring fans awaits Yulos upon his return to the country. The national government is expected to gift Yulos P10 million, while the House of Representatives is expect to award him P3 million. The Philippines biggest companies are literally lining up to shower the 24 year old gymnast with cash and prizes. PLDT has promised Yulos P10 million. Real Estate company Megaworld is offering P35 million including a luxury condominium. Food company Bounty Fresh has pledged P3 million for Yulos. This represents just a fraction of the companies that have pledged award money to the double Olympic gold medalist.

Vanessa Sarno, Weightlifting

With Hidilyn Diaz failing to qualify, 20-year-old Vanessa Sarno from Tagbilaran City, Bohol, is looking to be the heir apparent in Philippine women’s weightlifting. She is a former Asian Games champion and is currently ranked number five in the world in the women’s 71kg division.

Eumir Marciel, Boxing

Eumir Marciel has also generated anticipation as a potential gold medal contender for the Philippines, with the 28-year-old from Zamboanga having captured bronze at the 2021 Tokyo games. With the backing of eight-time world champion Manny Pacquiao, he turned pro afterwards and won all five of his fights. Now, however, he’s put his professional career on hold to try for gold in Paris. 

Here’s a complete list of Filipino athletes who are competing at the Paris Olympics. 

4. COVID-19 Cases Continue to Rise Across US

As the summer heat intensifies in the U.S., so does the spread of COVID-19. This current uptick reflects trends from previous summers.

1. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 36 states and territories, declining or likely declining in one state or territory, and are stable or uncertain in five states and territories as of July 23.
2. COVID-19 test positivity increased 11% from the previous week, while visits to the emergency room increased 1.3% and deaths went up 0.8%.
3. Positivity was highest in the southwest and western U.S. states, with Arizona, California, and Nevada reflecting a combined rate of 15.7%, CDC data showed.
4. These statistics match virus levels found in wastewater concentrations, which have risen sharply and now match last summer’s peaks.  How does wastewater monitoring work? CLICK HERE to read more.

The CDC announced that the most prominent variant is currently KP.3, which now makes up 36.9% of infections. KP.3 is part of the so-called FLiRT strains and altogether these Omicron sub-variants accounted for the majority of COVID cases in the U.S. as of mid-July, which underscores their enhanced ability to evade immunity from earlier infection or vaccination. 

• Here are some typical symptoms of KP.3: fever or chills, cough, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, headache, muscle aches, difficulty breathing, fatigue, new loss of taste or smell, "brain fog" (feeling less wakeful and aware), gastrointestinal symptoms (upset stomach, mild diarrhea, vomiting), and persistent pain in the chest. 

Health care professionals have not sounded the alarm, but do state that the elderly and those who are immunocompromised should take special precautions, such as avoiding large crowds, masking in public, and making sure vaccination is up to date. As COVID continues to evolve, the CDC maintains that anyone over six months of age should get vaccinated. Updated vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax will be available in either August or September.

5. Metro Manila and Surrounding Provinces Battered by Heavy Rains, Urgent Donations Needed

Unusually severe rains pounded Metro Manila and surrounding provinces for two days beginning July 23, causing massive flooding that displaced over 600,000 people and led to 22 deaths. 

Harrowing and heartbreaking scenes showed residents of the capital fleeing for their lives, submerged in waist- and even neck-deep water, as torrential rains continued to pour. 

How did it happen?

• The deluge resulted from Typhoon Gaemi (known as Carina in the Philippines), which combined with seasonal southwest monsoon precipitation to dump over 12 inches of rain in a short period of time. While the typhoon actually never crossed over Philippine territory, its strong outer bands increased the volume of water normally produced by daily monsoon rains while tracking north of the country en route to Taiwan.
• The catastrophe prompted calls for immediate action on climate change.

Overwhelmed aid workers put out calls for help

• Rescue agencies in Metro Manila and beyond were completely overwhelmed as residents tried to escape the quickly rising waters. Batangas, Cavite, Bulacan, and Bataan were declared under a state of calamity in addition to the National Capital Region.
• The Philippine Red Cross reports that thousands of families are now staying at 102 shelters in Metro Manila and surrounding regions. The agency has issued an urgent call for donations. 

6. Generative AI and the Spread of False Information

AI continues its breathtaking march into just about every aspect of our lives and will continue to do so well into the future. According to Statistica, the global market for artificial intelligence “grew beyond 184 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, a considerable jump of nearly 50 billion compared to 2023. This staggering growth is expected to continue with the market racing past 826 billion U.S. dollars in 2030.”

Generative AI, which uses large language models (LLMs) to create multimedia content from user prompts, has dominated headlines for the past few years, particularly with the release of Open AI’s ChatGPT in 2022, as well as other similar powerful machine learning tools. As these technologies have gained popularity, various problems have been uncovered, including the prevalence of inaccurate information churned out by AI chatbots. While developers have acknowledged the problem and assure the public that improvements are constantly being made, users still should take extra steps to check the veracity of generative AI outputs.

This unreliability has massive implications for the news business, and those that consume news on a regular basis. That’s because more and more AI is being used to create news content. So how do we as consumers of news know that what we are reading is credible? The information ratings service Newsguard recently conducted an audit of ten popular chatbots by prompting them with falsehoods and the results were illuminating:  

• The report found that the chatbots repeated misinformation 30% of the time, produced a non-response 29% of the time, and offered a debunk that refuted the false narrative 41% of the time.
  
• Of the 300 responses from audited bots, 90 contained misinformation, 88 returned a non-response, and 122 provided a debunk.
  
• The audit included 18 test prompts about several conspiracy theories related to the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Of the four lowest performing bots, three refused to provide information in response to those prompts outright, while one generated a mix of false information and non-responses.
  
  • Chatbot developers have acknowledged the accuracy issues surrounding the news content their applications are creating and have steered those products away from commenting on breaking stories, particularly since a number of data sets used to train leading LLMs do not include material from the present day. Indeed, two of the bots in the Newsguard study responded that they were unable to provide any information about the Trump assassination attempt due to the early cutoff dates of their training data. 
  • However, some non-responses can still sow confusion. Newsguard’s prompt asking if the attempt on Trump’s life had been staged resulted in two of the chatbots inadvertently fueling the very conspiracy theories they were clearly trying to avoid.  One stated that no such attack had taken place, while another stated; “I cannot provide any details or evidence about an alleged staged assassination attempt on former President Trump, as I have no verified information about such an event.”  

These chatbots respond to user prompts by harnessing data scoured from the public internet and repurposing it into a unique narrative within seconds. This has led to many large media companies blocking ChatGPT and other bots from “scraping” their news sites. 

So what would a solution to this problem look like? In July the Associated Press announced it had signed a deal with OpenAI to license its vast archive of news stories for use by ChatGPT. Initiatives like this speak to several pressing issues about AI.

• Since ChatGPT and other LLMs require vast amounts of information to be ingested, the deal with AP should vastly improve ChatGPT’s accuracy.
• Arrangements that bring news services directly into the process as official partners can address concerns about intellectual property being appropriated without permission. 

Some media companies, however, are taking a completely different approach. X (formerly Twitter) recently unveiled an AI generated news feature on its platform called “Stories.” 

• Using X’s generative AI chatbot Grok, Stories provides summaries of the latest current events based not on information published by traditional news organizations, but rather user tweets, regardless of whether or not the posts are spreading false information. X even issued a warning to users who browse Stories: “Grok can make mistakes, verify its outputs.”

Media organizations in the Philippines have jumped on the artificial intelligence bandwagon as well. If you are surfing YouTube looking for information about Pinoys at the Paris Olympics, you might come across Maia and Marco, two good looking and well groomed Filipino sportscasters displaying the GMA News logo, discussing who’s who on the Philippine team. Here’s a heads up for you: Maia and Marco are not real people. They are AI-generated characters. 

• Maia and Marco made their debut in September 2023 in time for the start of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball season. It didn’t take long for people to voice their opinions.  
  • Public reaction was not particularly warm. Within one day of GMA announcing the pair’s debut on Facebook, Rappler reported that the post had received over 11,000 shares and of the 30,000 reactions, more than 21,000 of them were “sad” and 2,000 “angry.”

AI Photo Quiz of the Week

Think you can tell the difference between a real photograph and one created by AI? Check out this quiz from DIY Photography. Tayo staff took this quiz and scored just 50% correct!

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