In its penultimate month of monitoring for 2025, Sandatahang Dahas recorded an alarming increase of state agents exercising their means for brutality beyond what can be considered justifiable scenarios. This brings into question the principle of “maximum tolerance,” and whether state forces actually abide by this like they are instructed to do. As the year comes to a close, Sandatahang Dahas will continue monitoring incidents of state-related violence, especially as we have noted an increase in violence between state agents and anti-insurgency operations for November.

Celine Samson, head of VERA Files online verification, was at the JournalismAI Festival 2025 in  London last month where she shared insights about VERA Files’ use of artificial intelligence in combatting disinformation.

SEEK is VERA Files' AI chatbot. Think of it as having a research partner who's read everything we've ever published since 2008.

Another case of General Santos City police officers abusing women in their custody happened in October, two months after a similar crime was committed in the same city, monitoring by Sandatahang Dahas revealed.