Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories throughout the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
This year is another challenging year for the country as it moves toward economic recovery. Among the factors that will fuel economic recovery is infrastructure—the physical foundation of progress. While the country is under lockdown because of the pandemic, the Build, Build, Build Program of the government did not come to a halt. Proof of…
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine rollout to start in February THE Philippine government is aiming to vaccinate 50 to 70 million Filipinos in 2021, with up to 200,000 individuals receiving jabs every day. “We are trying to vaccinate at least 100 to 200,000 people every day. Yun po ang gagawin natin para at least magkaroon tayo ng…
THE Philippines has the worst traffic among six members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and is ranked the ninth-worst in the world, according to a new report. The 2020 traffic index by Numbeo — a global cost of living database — assessed 81 different countries using key metrics, such as average time…
THE Philippines is expected to lag behind Asian neighbors in recovering from the pandemic-induced recession, according to international think tank Moody’s Analytics. In a recent report, Moody’s Analytics chief economist Steven Cochrane said that the Philippines, along with India, will struggle to regain all of its lost output by the end of 2022, while other…
THE Philippine Senate will continue with its inquiry into the government’s vaccination program, despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat of a “little crisis” should the senators insist on investigating the unauthorized inoculation of his security detail with an unregistered COVID-19 vaccine. However, Philippine Senate President Vicente Sotto III clarified that the Committee of Whole’s probe would…
China not included in travel restrictions FOLLOWING a recent ban on foreign travelers from the United States, the Philippines has expanded the restrictions to seven more countries to prevent the transmission of a new, more infectious COVID-19 variant. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, January 6, approved the recommendation of the country’s Departments of health…
THE Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday, January 6 recorded five new confirmed COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad. The day before, the agency reported observed another spike as it logged 67 additional infections. The two-day numbers bring the total tally to 13,001, of which 3,631 are currently undergoing treatment. The agency also reported…
PHILIPPINE Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos-Recto on Monday, January 4, said that she will refile a bill seeking to give broadcast giant ABS-CBN a fresh 25-year franchise. “I am refiling the bill seeking for the renewal for another 25 years of the ABS-CBN franchise. I filed it the last time and I continue to believe that…
THE Philippines is barring the entry of foreign travelers from the United States to prevent the transmission of the new COVID-19 variant. The move comes after the new variant of the virus was detected in Florida, following the first two known cases in Colorado and California. The U.S.’ fourth case was recorded in New York…
PHILIPPINE Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday, December 30, 2020, confirmed that the COVID-19 vaccines administered to some members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) were smuggled, since they have not been authorized by the government. “Yes, it’s smuggled. Kasi hindi authorized eh na pumasok dito (the importation was not authorized). Only the government can…
PH gov’t halts entry from 20 countries IN an attempt to prevent the new COVID-19 variant from entering the Philippines, the national government imposed travel restrictions from countries where its presence was confirmed. The travel ban includes countries such as United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland,…
THE Philippines’ internet connection saw a slight improvement in November this year, according to a global speed test. In Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, the Philippines ranked 110th out of 139 countries in mobile broadband, with a speed of 18.49 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads — a spot above its 111th ranking in October with…
THE Philippines has expanded its travel ban to 19 more countries in an effort to address the threat of the new COVID-19 variant. In a memorandum signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Malacañang said President Rodrigo Duterte has banned the entrance of all foreign passengers coming from the following countries: • Denmark • Ireland •…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has warned that he will terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) if the United States fails to provide the country with COVID-19 vaccines. In a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on Saturday, December 26, the chief executive urged the country’s ally to deliver…
THE Philippines ranks among the countries with the most retaliatory killings of journalists in 2020, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a new report. Globally, at least 30 journalists were killed from January 1 to December 15 this year, up from the 26 killings in 2019. Of the recent number, 21…
PHILIPPINE Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday, December 23, assured that Police Senior M/Sgt. Jonel Nuezca would face the full force of the law for shooting a mother and son dead in Paniqui, Tarlac. Nuezca shot and killed Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son Frank Anthony, 25, after an altercation on Sunday, December 20. The…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has condemned the police officer who shot a mother and son dead in Paniqui, Tarlac. In a taped speech, Duterte said Police Senior M/Sgt. Jonel Nuezca should be locked up for shooting and killing Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son Frank Anthony, 25, after an altercation on Sunday, December 20. “Ang…
THE Philippines is set to raise the age of sexual consent from 12 years old to 16 years old. According to a recent report by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the country has one of the lowest ages of consent in the world, allowing adults to legally have sex with children as young as 12. “Child rights…
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is observing another spike in COVID-19 infections among overseas Filipinos as 198 more individuals have contracted the virus. The new infections reported on Monday, December 18 brought the official tally to 12,816 — 3,654 of whom are currently undergoing treatment. The agency also recorded 107 new recoveries, which…
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, December 18. “The IATF, in its 89th meeting, also allowed the re-entry to the Philippines of foreign nationals with valid and existing visas under Section…
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 completely, unequivocally deny that. Unang-una, ang 10 million dose na iyan, wala naman akong alam. Wala silang pinadalang sulat na may ganoong commitment ang Pfizer…
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 as January for the country. “The negotiation between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and [Foreign Secretary] Teodoro Locsin Jr. as arranged by [Philippine Ambassador…
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 have made all the requisite adjustments, congressmen have made all the sacrifices to prioritize the vital needs of the nation, in terms of medical concerns…
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 government official bungled the deal. In a series of tweets, Locsin shared that he and Philippine Ambassador to the United State Jose “Babe” Romualdez facilitated a…
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 her. It’s legally erroneous dahil mayroon po tayong minimum gravity na required. Hindi po lahat ng krimen ay nililitis sa ICC (because we have the…
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 have started relying on food handouts to survive. “Charities are struggling to meet the ever-growing demand for food as millions of families go hungry across…
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 to sana, magkaroon tayo ng drug-free communities by 2022. But realistically, mukhang hindi natin maa-attain ‘yan (Our optimistic target in our campaign was to hopefully…
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 on Tuesday, December 8, forecasted the Philippines an economic growth of 5.9% in 2021, and 6.0% in 2022. “With the steady decline in daily cases…
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 in 162 economies,” the UK-based research firm estimated overall long-term economic scarring will be slightly higher in emerging markets (EMs) than in advanced economies (AEs)….
OVERSEAS Filipinos may now register to vote online for the 2022 Philippine elections. The Philippine Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) iRehistro, which has been operational since December 1, is accepting applications for new registrants, transfer and reactivation of voter records, the change of name or correction of entries on record, and inclusion of records in the…
