Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories throughout the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has announced the 11 senatorial candidates he is endorsing for the upcoming midterm elections, notably excluding plunder-accused former Senator Jinggoy Estrada. “Kapag natalo ‘tong mga kandidato ko dito ha, babalikan ko kayo (If my candidates lose here, I’ll get back at you),” Duterte said during the proclamation rally in Bulacan on…
Amid the contagious measles outbreak in the Philippines, one million children aged 5 months to 6 years old will receive vaccines starting this weekend. The mass measles immunization campaign will kick off on Saturday, February 16 through the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) after it held a dialogue with over 200 barangay leaders. As of February…
Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Oscar Albayalde on Tuesday, February 12, said a total of 701 cities and municipalities nationwide have been identified as election hotspots for the May 13 midterm polls. These 701 election hotspots comprise 42.9 percent of the country’s 1,634 cities and municipalities. According to Albayalde, the election hotspots were categorized…
The Department of Tourism (DOT) will conduct the DOT Express Accreditation for Primary Tourism Enterprises in the National Capital Region (NCR), in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on February 18-22 and February 26-27, 2019. The DOT Express Accreditation will serve as a one-stop shop to be administered by the…
A Filipino historian on Wednesday, February 13, said that the understanding of “Maharlika” as nobility is a common misconception due to mistranslated historical texts. This was after President Rodrigo Duterte proposed the idea of replacing the name of the Philippines with this term. “Actually, tama si Marcos. Panahon ni Marcos, tama talaga si Marcos. Gusto…
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) on Tuesday, February 12, suspended the canvassing of votes for the second round of the Bangsamoro Organic Law plebiscite in the four municipalities in North Cotabato — Midsayap, Cabacan, Pikit and Pigkawayan. “Considering that the reports of the working groups, it is clear that we cannot finish the tabulation today,…
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday, February 12, welcomed the United States’ quarterly report that showed $61.9 million in support of the intelligence operations of the Philippine military. “Talks on the matter (of U.S. intelligence aid) are still on the higher level and the AFP is yet to be directly involved,” AFP…
Philippines also tops most time spent on social media A new report revealed that people in the Philippines spent more time on the internet than any other country in the world in 2018. The annual Digital 2019 report, created by social media platforms and agencies, We Are Social and Hootsuite, found that those in the…
The Department of Tourism announced last week that 7,127,168 foreign tourists visited the Philippines last year, an all-time high in the country’s tourism industry. This was the great news that the local DOT officials heralded at the New York Times Travel Show held over the weekend at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. “In…
THE Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a pair of bombings at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, Sulu that has killed 21 people and left over 80 injured during a mass on Sunday, January 27. The first explosion went off inside the cathedral on Sunday morning, while a subsequent blast…
THE six-month closure of the world-famous Boracay island and negative international news did not stop foreign visitors from coming to the Philippines, as the country reached an all-time high of tourist arrivals in 2018, the Department of Tourism (DOT) announced this week. The Philippines saw 7,127,168 foreign tourist arrivals last year, which was 7.65 percent…
THE Philippine House of Representatives on Wednesday, January 23, approved on second reading the bill that would lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility despite the flak it earned from children rights groups and opposition members. The House Bill (HB) 8858 initially provided that the minimum age for criminal liability be changed from the current…
THE Philippines House of Representatives justice committee approved a bill lowering the minimum age of criminal liability from 15 to 9 years old on Monday, January 21, to protect “children from being used by ruthless and unscrupulous criminal syndicates to evade prosecution and punishment.” Committee on Justice Chair and Oriental Mindoro First District Representative Salvador…
This is to inform the public that the Department of Tourism (DOT) is not in any way related or affiliated with WOW Pilipinas Partylist. This clarification is issued in light of reports and insinuations linking the DOT to the aforecited partylist, which strongly goes against the apolitical and nonpartisan nature of the agency whose primary mandate…
The Bureau of Immigration on Thursday, January 17 said that Chinese nationals topped the list of foreigners who were arrested in the country for being fugitives from justice. According to the BI, its search unit arrested a total of 257 foreign criminals evading either their prosecution or jail sentence in their home countries in 2018….
President Rodrigo Duterte’s third extension of martial law in Mindanao is once again being challenged before the Supreme Court. A group of opposition lawmakers comprised of Reps. Carlos Zarate (Bayan Muna partylist), Emmi De Jesus and Arlene Brosas (Gabriela partylist), Ariel Casilao (Anakpawis partylist), Antonio Tinio and France Castro (ACT Teachers partylist) and Sarah Elago…
Two of the most powerful countries in the world — the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) — on Wednesday, January 16 finished it six-day joint drills in the disputed South China Sea. The two countries conducted communication drills, division tactics and personnel exchange from January 11 to 16. The Arleigh-Burke guided-missile destroyer…
A new report from the Human Rights Watch (HRW) revealed that the human rights crisis in the Philippines has “deepened” as the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte continues its bloody war on drugs campaign. In its annual World Report, the HRW indicated that from June 2016 to 2018 under Duterte’s leadership, “the human rights crisis…deepened…
Mock elections are set to be conducted across the Philippines by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) this weekend in preparation for the midterm polls in May. The mock elections will be held in Quezon City, Manila, Pasig, Taguig, Pateros, Valenzuela City, Muntinlupa City, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Sorsogon, Camarines Sur, Cebu, Bohol, Zamboanga del Norte, Davao del…
Amid the rise in prices of food and services due to the implementation of the second tranche of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, petitions for a wage increase are being filed by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) before various regional wage boards across the country. TUCP on Tuesday,…
THE Department of Tourism (DOT) announced on Tuesday, January 12, that there are now 305 hotels and resorts accredited to open and operate in the Boracay Island, almost three months after the famous tourist destination reopened after its rehabilitation. In a Facebook post, the tourism department said that there are a total of 10,982 rooms…
THE Davao Regional Court Branch 54 on Tuesday, January 15, denied the request of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue a hold departure order against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for his libel case filed by presidential son Paolo Duterte. The Davao court rejected the motion after the opposition senator attended the arraignment and…
THE latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed that the number of Filipino families who consider themselves poor significantly dropped from the previous quarter’s 52 percent to the latest 50 percent. “The proportion of self-rated poor families was at 42 percent in March 2018. It rose by six points to 48 percent in June, and…
THE National Privacy Commission (NPC) on Monday, January 14, said that it will conduct a fact-finding investigation on the alleged data breach in the Philippine passport system. NPC Commissioner Raymund Liboro said that the commission was slated to meet with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials on Wednesday to discuss the issue. “There is…
Malacañang has responded to the Psychological Association of the Philippines’ (PAP) objection to the administration’s drive to curb drug addiction. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo remained firm in his belief that the criminalization of drug addiction by the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is an effective strategy to ultimately eliminate the drug problem in the country….
FORMER Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) branch manager Maia Santos Deguito has been found guilty for her participation in one of the world’s largest cyber heists on Thursday, January 10. Presiding Judge Cesar Untalan of Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 149 convicted Deguito of eight counts of money laundering for being involved in the…
President Rodrigo Duterte this week said he is considering allowing the purchase of individual firearms if communist rebels continue their hostilities against innocent civilians and government forces. In a speech at the birthday celebration of Masbate Gov. Antonio Kho on Wednesday, January 9, the president said, “Ako sinasabi ko lang sa NPA, ayaw kong armasan…
MEMBERS of the legislation who pushed for the measure to address the rising cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the country, said that the new law recently signed by President Rodrigo Duterte, would “offer new hope to generations.” Senator Risa Hontiveros and Dinagat Island Representative Kaka Bag-aolauded…
A politician from Mindanao urged President Rodrigo Duterte to be true to his words and create the promised federal government as soon as possible in line with the upcoming plebiscite for the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) on January 21. Abdusakur “Sakur” Tan, a candidate vying for a seat in the upcoming gubernatorial race in Sulu,…
Members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines on Monday, January 7, swarmed the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame to protest and announce that they are filing a case against the police force for allegedly profiling their members. ACT Philippines Secretary-General Raymond Basilio voiced out the group’s concern on reports that…
