DOH: Measles outbreak could affect tourism, OFWs
THE Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, February 19, said that the measles outbreak in the country could negatively affect the tourism and overseas labor sectors if not contained…
Category: Across the Islands
Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories throughout the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
Read More
Senators eye first daughter Sara Duterte for presidential bid
AS the presidential daughter and Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) chairwoman Sara Duterte-Carpio increased her public presence for her political party, the public buzzed anew with talks of her possibly succeeding…
Dengvaxia permanently banned in PH
Dengvaxia’s certificates of product registration (CPRs) have been “permanently revoked,” the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday, February 19. This is due to the continued failure of the anti-dengue…
Palace: First daughter Sara Duterte could be the next president
Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said that first daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio might become the next leader of the country, following his father President Rodrigo Duterte’s footsteps. “I…
DOT relaunches PH tourism campaign
THE country’s “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” tourism campaign was relaunched on Monday, February 18, by the Department of Tourism (DOT). The repurposed campaign, which would now use crowd-sourcing…
Rappler chief Maria Ressa released on bail after arrest
Arrest of 2018 TIME Person of the Year sparks international outrage, questions about press freedom ONE day after her arrest for “cyber libel” charges, Filipina journalist Maria Ressa of Rappler…
Palace: Renaming PH to ‘Maharlika’ needs congressional action
In response to President Rodrigo Duterte floating the idea of renaming the Philippines to “Maharlika,” Malacañang said that the name change would require a new law and the public’s approval…
Duterte endorses 11 senatorial bets, drops Jinggoy Estrada
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…
1 million Filipino kids to receive measles vaccine
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…
PNP identifies 701 election hotspots
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…
Announcement on the conduct of the DOT Express Accreditation
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…
Historian: ‘Maharlika’ does not mean ‘noble’
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…
COMELEC suspends canvassing of BOL votes
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…
AFP chief welcomes US support
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…
Study: Filipinos spend 10 hours a day online, the most in the world
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…
PH reaches record breaking 7.1M visitor arrivals, now what?
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…
ISIS claims responsibility for PH cathedral bombing that killed 21
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…
PH breaks tourism record in 2018 with 7.1-M arrivals
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…
PH House raises ‘social responsibility’ minimum age to 12 years old
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…
PH House committee okays lowered age of criminal liability
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…
DOT statement on WOW Pilipinas Partylist
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…
BI: Chinese nationals topped list of foreign fugitives arrested in PH in 2018
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…
Another challenge vs third martial law extension filed
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…
US and UK hold joint drills in the South China Sea
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…
New Human Rights Watch report: Rights crisis “deepened” under Duterte’s rule
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…
Comelec to hold mock elections for 2019 polls
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…
TUCP files wage hike petitions nationwide after rise in food, oil
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…
Tourism department clears 305 establishments to operate in Boracay
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…
Davao court denies hold departure plea against Trillanes
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…
Survey: Self-rated poverty in PH drops by 2 percent
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…