Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories throughout the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
Malacañang on Thursday, July 9, said the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States remains suspended and is not lifted. “Hindi pa po nagbabago ‘yung huling binitawang salita ni presidente na ipagpapaliban po ng six months yung pagte-terminate sa VFA at ito pong pagpapaliban ay extendable by another…
ABS-CBN will remain off-air as a Philippine House of Representatives panel on Friday, July 10, rejected the bills seeking to grant the broadcasting giant a new 25-year franchise. Voting 70 to 11, the House Committee on Legislative Franchises adopted the recommendation of its technical working group to deny the network a new franchise. Two congressmen…
THE Vatican on Wednesday, July 8, announced that Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, is among the new members of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. According to the Vatican, the Pontifical Council is the central office of the Church for the promotion of interreligious dialogue in…
THE Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, July 8, logged 74 additional cases of the novel coronavirus among Filipinos abroad, bringing the total count of infections to 8,762. “Today, the DFA reports that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad is now at 8,762 with 74 new cases mostly in the…
SINCE signing into law the anti-terror bill, President Rodrigo Duterte addressed the public to assure everyone that they don’t have to fear the controversial law if they are not terrorists. “For the law-abiding citizen(s) of this country, I am addressing you with all sincerity: Huwag ho kayong matakot kung hindi ka terorista (Don’t be afraid…
The Philippines trails behind Indonesia with the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia. The country’s Department of Health recorded 2,099 new infections on Monday, June 6, bringing the official count of infections to 46,333, surpassing Singapore’s 44,983. Indonesia remained the top Southeast Asian country with the highest number of cases with 64,958 cases….
PHILIPPINE Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday, July 6 dismissed the number of petitions filed before the Supreme Court challenging the newly-signed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. “I do not think SC justices can be [intimidated] by anyone or the number of petitions,” Sotto said in a tweet. “It’s about content! So you are filing?…
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday, July 6, reported no new cases of the coronavirus among Filipinos abroad. It also announced that no new fatalities were recorded. The number of overseas Filipinos infected with COVID-19 remains at 8,679, while the official death count is still at 577. The tally of recoveries is 5,201….
A photo of a giant Philippine bat recently took the internet by storm, shocking netizens. Posted on Twitter, the image of a “human-sized” bat garnered over 103,000 retweets, over 260,000 likes and thousands of comments, as of this writing. “Remember when I told y’all about the Philippines having human-sized bats? Yeah, this was what I…
By Ritchel Mendiola and Rae Ann Varona / AJPress PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the controversial anti-terrorism bill into law on Friday, July 3, despite local and international concerns about the measure’s potential effects on free speech and opposition in the country. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed the signing,…
THE Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, July 2, recorded 108 new cases of the coronavirus among Filipinos abroad, which brings the total number of infected individuals to 8,614. “Today, the DFA reports an increase in new confirmed COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad, mostly in Asia and the Pacific and the Middle East. This…
THE United Nations’ human rights chief on Tuesday, June 30, appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to “refrain from signing” the controversial anti-terrorism bill as it “heightens concerns about the blurring of important distinctions between criticism, criminality and terrorism.” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also noted that human rights defenders have been routinely…
THE Philippine Department of Health on Tuesday, June 30, recorded 1,080 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the country, which brings the official tally of infected individuals to 37,514. Of the number, 858 were fresh cases, while 222 were late cases as the agency continues to clear its backlog of unvalidated cases. The DOH…
AT LEAST 122 children’s lives have been claimed by President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drugs, according to a newly released report by two non-governmental organizations. A report released on Monday, June 29 by the World Organization Against Torture and the Children’s Legal Rights and Development Center found that the killings are often deliberate and…
CLOSE to two million babies are expected to be born in the Philippines in the coming year due to the lack of access to contraceptives during the coronavirus lockdown, the Commission on Population and Development said on Thursday, June 25. The commission estimated the figure based on a study from the University of the Philippines…
THE Philippines remains a top destination for foreign terrorists despite the government’s continued efforts to enforce measures against security threats, a recent U.S. State Department study found. In its Country Reports on Terrorism 2019 released on Wednesday, June 24, the United States found that the Philippine government struggled to apply a concerted approach to prevent…
A RECENT Social Weather Stations survey found that 43% of Filipinos expect their quality of life to worsen in the next 12 months. “The 43% proportion of ‘pessimists’ in May is the new peak in the 37-year history of 135 SWS surveys, breaking the previous record of 34% in March 2005,” the pollster said Tuesday,…
Malacañang on Wednesday, June 24, said that seeking help from the Armed Forces of the Philippines to enforce the enhanced community quarantine in Cebu City should not be compared to being under martial law. “We’ve normally done this, resorted to asking the Armed Forces to perform civilian duties. So this is not martial law. This…
THE Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday, June 23, dismissed Solicitor General Jose Calida’s quo warranto petition against broadcast giant ABS-CBN on the “ground of mootness.” “I was able to confirm with Chief Justice [Diosdado] Peralta that the Supreme Court dismissed today during their en banc meeting the quo warranto petition filed by the Solicitor General…
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, June 22, said that the number of overseas Filipinos facing repatriation could exceed 100,000 in the coming months due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). He noted reports from cruise line companies saying 29,963 more seafarers are expected to be repatriated. Likewise, foreign service posts of the Department of Foreign Affairs…
THE controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is still being reviewed by Malacañang’s legal team, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday, June 22. The bill, which has passed Congress, is awaiting Duterte’s signature. “My legal [team] is still reviewing it. My legal team sa Malacañang. There’s only — hindi ko pa natanggap (I haven’t received it…
RAPPLER co-founder and chief executive officer Maria Ressa faces yet another complaint filed by businessman Wilfredo Keng, just days after her cyber libel conviction. The businessman — who was the same private complainant who sued Ressa and former Rappler staffer Reynaldo Santos Jr. — said he filed a separate cyber libel complaint on February 13,…
Over 52,000 overseas Filipinos have returned to the Philippines since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs. The DFA on Tuesday, June 23 repatriated 60 stranded Filipinos from New Delhi, India, while the day before, it brought home a total of 667 overseas Filipinos from…
THE Philippines is among the top 10 dangerous places for workers in 2020, according to the latest International Trade Union Confederation’s Global Rights Index. In the 2020 index released Saturday, June 20, 144 countries were rated on a scale from one to five — with one being the best rating, and five the worst —…
RECENT survey results released by Social Weather Stations (SWS) on Thursday, June 18, revealed that 83% of Filipinos think the quality of life has worsened in the last 12 months. The resulting percentage, according to the SWS, is a new peak in the 37-year series of 135 SWS surveys, breaking the previous record of 62%…
THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday, June 19, reported 37 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, among overseas Filipinos, bringing the total number of infected individuals to 6,128. The agency also recorded 11 new fatalities and six recoveries, which raises the tallies for dead and recovered persons to 483 and…
PHILIPPINE House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday, June 19, called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to work with the national government to prevent potential abuses under the controversial anti-terrorism bill. “It is a reminder to the Executive Department, the Secretaries, who will form the Task Force Committee, it is a reminder…
MALACAÑANG on Wednesday, June 17, said President Rodrigo Duterte will be waiting for the vetting process to be finished before deciding whether to sign or veto the anti-terrorism bill. “When he spoke about the anti-terror bill, he was saying, ‘I’m waiting for Senator Lacson to finalize his commas and periods before I sign the bill’,”…
THE United States on Tuesday, June 16, expressed concern over Rappler executive editor and chief executive officer Maria Ressa and writer Reynaldo Santos Jr. being convicted of cyber libel by a Manila court. “The United States is concerned by the trial court’s verdict against journalists Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos and calls for resolution of…
BUSINESS tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. on Tuesday, June 16, passed away at the age of 85. The chairman and chief executive officer of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) died of pneumonia and heart failure before 11 p.m. at the St. Luke’s Medical Center. “San Miguel announces the passing of its chairman and chief executive officer,…
