Michael Apacible Bulletin

  The Plate and the Presidency: How a Fabricated Image Shaped the Philippines' Fate In the lead-up to the pivotal 2016 national presidential elections in the Philippines, a seemingly trivial incident involving then-presidential candidate Mar Roxas became a lightning rod for a narrative that ultimately altered the course of the nation. A photograph surfaced, purportedly showing Roxas drinking water from a plate. This seemingly bizarre act was instantly amplified across social media, painted as evidence of his supposed disconnect from the common Filipino, his elitism, and even his mental instability. However, as fact-checking organizations later confirmed, the image was manipulated. It was a fabrication, a carefully crafted piece of disinformation designed to undermine Roxas's candidacy. Yet, the damage was done. The doctored photo resonated with a segment of the population already susceptible to narratives that painted traditional politicians as out of touch. This incident, seem...

  Shaking Facts: The Philippines and its Daily Dose of Earthquakes The ground beneath our feet in the Philippines is far more active than many realize. While the archipelago is no stranger to the destructive power of major seismic events, a lesser-known fact is that the country experiences an average of 30 earthquakes every single day. Yes, you read that right. Thirty times a day, on average, the earth shifts and rumbles somewhere within the Philippine archipelago. This constant seismic activity is a direct consequence of the Philippines' unique geological setting. Nestled within the infamous Pacific Ring of Fire , a horseshoe-shaped belt encircling the Pacific Ocean, the country sits at the volatile intersection of several major tectonic plates. These colossal slabs of the Earth's lithosphere are in constant motion, grinding against, colliding with, and sliding beneath each other. This interaction generates immense stress, which is periodically released in the form of earthqua...

  PNoy's Universal Healthcare: Seeds of Compassion Planted Long Before Even before the rise of the "Malasakit Center" concept, the administration of former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III was quietly but profoundly laying the groundwork for a more inclusive and affordable healthcare system. Amidst the various priorities of his government, the need for every Filipino to have adequate health protection remained a key focus. Looking back at history, the expansion of the healthcare system was a core agenda of President Aquino. Believing that health should not be a privilege of the few, he strived to establish a solid foundation for Universal Health Care (UHC) that gradually became a reality for millions of Filipinos. One of the concrete instruments of his vision was the enactment of Republic Act No. 10606 , or the National Health Insurance Act of 2013 . Through this law, the government was mandated to subsidize the health premiums for the poor, provided they were recogniz...