Dissecting the classic Noche Buena spread
IF the long list of Christmas trends and traditions was any indication, Filipinos love celebrating the yuletide season. Be it decorating the house with lanterns and ornaments as early as…
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IATF allows foreigners to re-enter PH
THE Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has approved the re-entry of foreigners who left the Philippines on December 17 and onwards, Malacañang announced Friday,…
Duque: No promise of 10M vaccine doses in Pfizer deal
PHILIPPINE Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Friday, December 18, maintained that the discussions with Pfizer reportedly didn’t include supplying the country with 10 million doses of its vaccine. “I…
Envoy: 2 American firms ready to supply PH up to 25M doses of vaccine
TWO U.S. pharmaceutical firms are willing to supply the Philippines with their vaccines against the coronavirus by the second half of 2021, according to Philippine Ambassador to Washington D.C. Jose…
Lacson blames Duque for missed Pfizer deal
PHILIPPINE Senator Panfilo Lacson has named Health Secretary Francisco Duque III as the Cabinet member who “dropped the ball” in securing 10 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine as early…
PH 2021 budget to prioritize COVID-19 vaccines
NECESSARY adjustments in the proposed 2021 national budget have been made to prioritize the country’s procurement of vaccines against COVID-19, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said on Wednesday, December 16. “We…
Locsin: ‘Somebody dropped the ball’ on Pfizer vaccine deal
PHILIPPINE Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Tuesday, December 15, said the country was supposed to receive 10 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine as early as January, but a…
Palace rejects ICC report on drug war
THE assessment of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor on the Philippines’ war against drugs is “legally erroneous,” Malacañang said on Tuesday, December 15. “Obviously, we do not agree with…
Spread Christmas cheer, not the virus: How Filipinos around the world will celebrate the holiday
IT’S been over 10 months since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and the virus is still raging. The situation may not be as bleak as before, with…
Electoral College makes Joe Biden’s presidential win official
DEMOCRAT Joe Biden is the next president of the United States after the Electoral College formalized his victory over President Donald Trump this week. Voting 306 to 232, the members…
Number of overseas Filipinos with COVID-19 nears 12,500
NINETY SIX more Filipinos have contracted the coronavirus around the world, bringing the official tally to 12,446, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Tuesday, December 15. Of…
Lorenzana: Ties between US and PH will not change
THE relationship between the Philippines and the United States will stay the same under the administration of President-elect Joe Biden, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said. In a Laging Handa…
Rachelle Arizmendi to serve as Sierra Madre, CA mayor anew
A FILIPINA American was sworn in at the beginning of December as the mayor of Sierra Madre, California. Rachelle Arizmendi, who has served on the City Council since 2014, is…
Report: Record hunger in the PH as COVID-19 continues
AS the coronavirus pandemic persists, the Philippines is experiencing record levels of hunger, according to a recent report by Agence France-Presse (AFP). Due to COVID-19 restrictions and job losses, Filipinos…
Drug board: PH may not be drug-free by 2022
ELIMINATING illegal drugs in the Philippines may not be achieved by 2022, the country’s Dangerous Drugs Board admitted this week. “Ang ginawa nating optimistic target doon sa ating campaign was…
World Bank: PH economy to bounce back in 2021
THE World Bank expects the Philippine economy to start recovering in the next two years as the country eases quarantine restrictions, allowing more industries to resume operations. The multilateral lender…
US transfers military hardware to PH
THE Philippines has received an additional P1.4 billion ($29.3 million) worth of military equipment from the United States, demonstrating the longstanding and steadfast U.S. military commitment to the Philippines. Acting…
Filipina nurse administers first COVID-19 vaccine in UK
A Filipina nurse was part of history this week as she administered the first COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials to a 90-year-old woman in the United Kingdom. National Health…
Philippines’ economic scarring among worst in the world
THE damage done by the coronavirus pandemic on the Philippine economy will take a long time to repair, according to Oxford Economics. In its recent report entitled “Calibrating long-COVID vulnerabilities…
Duterte ready to receive coronavirus vaccine
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is prepared to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to assure the public it is safe and effective to use. “Ang Presidente po ay hindi na makapaghintay (The…
Hailee Steinfeld to star in ‘Hawkeye’ TV series on Disney+
NEW set images confirmed that Filipina American actress Hailee Steinfeld has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Kate Bishop in the upcoming “Hawkeye” TV series. The new show, which will…
Economists: PH economy to bounce back in 2021
GLOBAL investment banking giant Goldman Sachs has laid out a promising economic outlook for the Philippines next year. In their November report entitled “ASEAN 2021 Outlook: Vaccine Critical to Regional…
Pacquiao elected as new president of Duterte party PDP-Laban
PHILIPPINE Senator Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday, December 2, was sworn in as the new president of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), the political party of current President Rodrigo…
Report: Filipinos top social media users in the world
A NEW social media analysis revealed that the Philippines has spent the most time on social media platforms than any other country in the world. According to social media marketplace…
DFA: Over 277K overseas Filipinos repatriated amid COVID-19 pandemic
MORE than 277,000 Filipinos have returned to the Philippines since the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) began COVID-related repatriation efforts in February. A total of 277,320 Filipinos abroad have…
Duterte allows emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines
THE Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been granted the authority to allow emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, December 1, signed Executive…
PH immigration clarifies travel restrictions for balikbayans, foreign spouses, children
FOREIGN spouses and children of Filipino citizens are only allowed to enter the Philippines if the Filipino citizen or balikbayan is traveling with them, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration clarified…
Metro Manila remains under GCQ until year-end
METRO Manila will remain under general community quarantine (GCQ) for the entire month of December. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, November 30 approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task…
US approves Moderna vaccine
THE United States has authorized a second vaccine against the coronavirus for emergency use, with shipments starting to arrive this week. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday, December…
PH signs COVID-19 vaccine deal with AstraZeneca
THE Philippines on Friday, November 27, will sign a tripartite agreement for two million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine against the novel coronavirus, according to the country’s vaccine czar Carlito Galvez…