Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories throughout the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, March 4 personally welcomed the arrival of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX facility. The KLM commercial flight carrying 487,200 doses of the British-made vaccine landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at around 7:20 p.m. The shipment was then transported to the Villamor Air Base for the welcoming…
Here’s the complete list of “Jubilee Churches” for the 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines Diocese of Alaminos 1. St. James the Great Parish (Bolinao, Pangasinan) 2. St. Joseph, the Patriarch Cathedral Parish (Alaminos City, Pangasinan) 3. Our Lady of Lourdes Parish (Bugallon, Pangasinan) 4. St. Isidore, the Farmer Parish (Burgos, Pangasinan) Diocese of…
THE Philippines received on Thursday, March 4 the first shipment of 487,200 COVID-19 vaccines developed by British-Swede drugmaker AstraZeneca. According Philippine vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., the decrease in the 525,600 doses that the Palace initially gave was because of cargo limitations, as the vaccines will be delivered using a commercial flight. “This is a…
GOOGLE is celebrating the 142nd birthday of Rosa Sevilla de Alvero, a women’s activist who fought for the suffrage of Filipinas, with a doodle on its Philippine homepage. The March 4 doodle features an illustration of de Alvero in a Maria Clara dress casting her vote in a ballot box, with the arms of other…
THE year 2020 gave us some seldom-used words such as pandemic, COVID-19, face masks, Pfizer, Moderna, vaccination and social distancing. Despite the pandemic, the Batangas City Sto. Niño Devotees Association saw to it to dedicate a day of prayer to the Sto, Niño to commemorate the annual 42nd Sto. Niño Fiesta on January 16, 2021 at the…
AFTER being delayed for weeks, the Philippines has finally kicked-off its vaccination drive against COVID-19 this week. The first dose of Sinovac Biotech’s “CoronaVac” vaccine from China was administered to University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi on Monday, March 1, making him the first person in the country to officially receive the…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is threatening to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) anew if he finds “hard information” that the United States has stored nuclear weapons in the country. “I am warning you that if I get hold of a hard information that nuclear armaments are here brought by you, I will immediately ask…
Filipino health care workers are not “commodities” that can be traded in exchange for COVID-19 vaccines, an official from the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) clarified. DOLE public information head Rolly Francia on Wednesday, February 24, said that the agency wanted to ensure that the Filipino health care workers who will be deployed…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is turning to the public as he remains undecided on what to do with the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). In a public address aired Wednesday night, February 24, he admitted that he doesn’t know whether to renew or abrogate the agreement with the United States, adding that he wants to hear…
THE Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is under fire after one of its officials said that the agency is open to lifting the cap on the deployment of Filipino health care workers in exchange for COVID-19 vaccines from the United Kingdom and Germany. International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) director Alice Visperas on Monday,…
CARDINAL Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, has been appointed by Pope Francis as a member of a powerful body that acts as the Vatican’s “central bank.” Tagle was appointed as a member of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), which acts as the equivalent…
PASIG City Mayor Victor “Vico” Sotto is one of the 12 individuals recognized by the United States Department of State as an international anti-corruption champion. The Biden administration launched the International Anticorruption Champions Award to recognize individuals who have worked to defend transparency, combat corruption, and ensure accountability in their own countries, U.S. Secretary of…
SAN JUAN, SIQUIJOR — Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat yesterday (24 February) traveled to Siquijor, as part of the ongoing efforts to assist in the safe reopening of tourist destinations in the new normal. Puyat emphasized the DOT’s thrust to strengthen domestic tourism this year, adding that the department will support Siquijor after…
THE Philippines will not be placed in the least restrictive quarantine tier until the government kicks off its national vaccine rollout, Malacañang said Monday, February 22. “President Rodrigo Roa Duterte gave his directive to the Cabinet that the Philippines would not be placed under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) unless there is a rollout of…
THE Philippines has the most number of women holding senior leadership positions in mid-market businesses among 29 other economies, according to a new report. Grant Thornton’s annual Women in Business report found that Filipino women hold 48% of senior corporate positions in the country, which is five points higher than the 43% in 2020 when…
DESPITE having the second-highest count of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia, the Philippines has not vaccinated any health care workers, according to a recent report by the National Public Radio (NPR). In its article released on Thursday, February 18, it noted that “not a single health worker in the Philippines has been vaccinated” this week….
THE Philippines is now allowing foreigners with valid long-term visas to enter the country, but tourists are still barred from entering. The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF)’s revised Resolution 98 allows foreign nationals who have visas issued as of March 20, 2020 to enter the country, Malacañang announced on…
IT is the “right timing” for the United States to pay the Philippines to maintain the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between them, Malacañang said Thursday, February 18. “Tama po ang timing nang sinabi ni Presidente na they have to pay up now. Kasi nga po, nauna na iyong kaniyang desisyon na nais na niyang tumiwalag…
PHILIPPINE Senator Leila de Lima has been acquitted in one of three drug charges she is currently facing. Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 205 Judge Leizel Aquiatan on Wednesday, February 17, granted De Lima’s demurrer to evidence in Case Number 17-166. A demurrer is a motion to dismiss a case due to insufficient evidence presented…
BEING the chief executive of the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte knows which qualities his successor should have to lead the country, Malacañang said Wednesday, February 17. “Dahil siya ay naging president, alam niya ‘yung mga kakayahan na kinakailangan para maging president (Since he’s the president, he knows what it takes to be the president),” said…
THE Philippine Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), has dismissed the entire election protest filed by former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. against Vice President Leni Robredo. “With regard to PET Case No. 005 (Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr., protestant vs Maria Leonor “Leni Daang Matuwid” G. Robredo, protestee), the 15 members…
CHINA was not targeting the Philippines when it passed a new law allowing its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels entering disputed territories, according to Philippine Ambassador to China Chito Sta. Romana. “The Chinese have reassured us through their spokesman, the Foreign Ministry Spokesman as well as the Chinese Embassy…that they are not targeting…
AFTER President Rodrigo Duterte demanded that the United States pay for the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), Malacañang said that the Philippines should get “something like $16 billion or close to that amount” from the U.S. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque pointed out how little the U.S. has provided in terms of military assistance to the Philippines…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is under fire after he demanded the United States to “pay” if it wants to keep the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) from being terminated. Addressing the troops at Clark Air Base in Pampanga on Friday, February 12, Duterte said: “I’d like to put on notice if there’s an American agent here….
THE Philippine Commission on Population and Development is urging President Rodrigo Duterte to declare teenage pregnancies a national social emergency. The commission’s board of directors has drafted an executive order for Duterte, according to PopCom Executive Director Juan Antonio Perez III. Though the board has recognized teenage pregnancies as a national social emergency for years,…
AMID calls to extend the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the United States would have to “pay” if the deal stays. “I would like to put on notice if there’s an American agent here that from now on, you want the Visiting Forces Agreement done? Well, you have to pay,” Duterte…
FILIPINOS are the most disapproving of their government’s COVID-19 response among Southeast Asians, according to a recent survey. A report from think-tank Singapore-based ASEAN Studies Centre — titled “The State of Southeast Asia: 2021” — found that 53.7% of Filipino respondents criticized the current administration’s pandemic response. Of the figure, 17.9% of Filipinos said they…
THE Philippines and the United States have reaffirmed their commitment to the defense alliance through the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). In an introductory phone call made on Wednesday, February 10, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and his counterpart U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III discussed a number…
AHEAD of the 2022 Philippine general election, overseas Filipino voters are urged to participate in a test run of four internet voting solutions by different election systems providers. The country’s Commission on Elections (Comelec) Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) is calling on overseas voters who have active and complete voter registration records to take part…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte declared that he would not allow ABS-CBN to operate again even if Congress grants the network giant a new franchise. “Congress is planning to restore the franchise of the Lopezes. Wala akong problema doon kung i-restore ninyo (I don’t have a problem if Congress restores it),” he said Monday, February 8….
