Duterte: PH won’t join US expeditions
The Philippines will not participate in any joint expeditions with the United States, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday, March 21. Duterte remarked that the Philippines would “stand on our…
Category: Metro-Manila
Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in Metro-Manila for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
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Palace shrugs Trillanes’ new call to probe Duterte’s ‘unexplained wealth’
MALACAÑANG on Monday, February 5, downplayed Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s latest request for a Senate investigation into the alleged unexplained wealth of President Rodrigo Duterte and his family. In a…
Duterte: PH will never reach progress without ‘dictatorial style’ of leadership
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, February 7 said that the country will never reach any progress if he refrains from using a “dictatorial style” of leadership. Speaking before former…
Palace: PH drop in global rule of law index ‘not based on reality’
The recent findings of an international organization stating that the rule of law in the Philippines has “deteriorated significantly” were “not based on reality,” Malacañang argued on Thursday, February 1….
Duterte wants BBL passage ahead of Cha-cha
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte wants Congress to pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) ahead of the possible Charter change, Malacañang clarified on Tuesday, January 30. Over the weekend, reports…
Panelo: Morales may face raps for defying suspension order
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales may face administrative and criminal sanctions for refusing to enforce Malacañang’s suspension order against Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang. President Rodrigo Duterte’s chief legal counsel Secretary…
Malacañang wishes Rappler ‘good luck’
“GOOD luck to them.” This was Malacañang’s short message to online news site Rappler on its efforts to invalidate the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s revocation of its license. Rappler…
Filipino solon charged for allegedly leading an anti-Trump protest
A FILIPINO lawmaker has been charged for supposedly organizing a violent rally against United States President Donald Trump during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit held in Manila…
Sereno camp says Gadon criminal complaint a ‘desperate stunt’
The camp of Philippine Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Friday, January 26 dismissed the latest criminal complaint filed against her as a “desperate stunt” by lawyer Atty. Lorenzo Gadon….
MILF chair hopes for BBL passage to prevent extremism
Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim, chair of the Philippines’ Islamist group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), strongly hopes that the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) will be passed to avoid the…
PH formally turns down P380-M EU aid
THE Philippine government has formally rejected assistance projects amounting to at least P380 million or 6.1 million euros being offered by the European Union (EU), according to EU Ambassador to…
Pimentel: House, Senate agree to ‘set aside differences’ on Cha-cha
The House of Representatives and the Senate have broken the impasse after agreeing to “momentarily set aside” their differences on the Charter change issue. According to Senate Presidential Leader Aquilino…
Pimentel: House, Senate agree to ‘set aside differences’ on Cha-cha
The House of Representatives and the Senate have broken the impasse after agreeing to “momentarily set aside” their differences on the Charter change issue. According to Senate Presidential Leader Aquilino…
Duterte vows to ‘uncover truth’ behind Mamasapano tragedy
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has pledged to “uncover the truth” behind the botched operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that claimed lives of 44 police commandos three years ago. While admitting that…
Retrieval of ballot boxes on Marcos poll protest begins
The Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), has begun the retrieval of ballot boxes in the province of Camarines Sur on Tuesday, January 23. Camarines Sur…
Palace defends decision to grant China research access in PH rise
Malacañang on Tuesday, January 23, has defended its earlier decision allowing China to carry out research in the Philippine Rise, formerly referred to as Benham Rise, which is located off…
Aquino admits mistake over claim that Ona attended Sanofi meeting
Former Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has admitted that he made a “mistake” when he claimed that former Health Secretary Enrique Ona was present during his meeting with Sanofi…
Alvarez on zero budget threat: ‘It was a joke’
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has dismissed his recent threat to cut the budget of lawmakers who will oppose the proposed shift to a federal form of government as a mere…
Duterte denies hand in pork barrel claims against ‘friend’ Drilon
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has denied that he had anything to do with the allegations tagging Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon in the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), also…
DOJ dismisses Rappler’s ‘fishing expedition’ claims over probe
NBI also investigating site’s reported violation of cybercrime law The Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) has maintained that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)’s probe into the alleged foreign ownership…
HRW: Human rights crisis under Duterte at its ‘worst’ since Marcos
The current human rights situation in the Philippines is at its “worst” since the dictatorship of late President Ferdinand Marcos, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has claimed. In its…
PH gov’t launches Overseas Filipino Bank
Fulfilling a campaign promise made by President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine government on Thursday, January 18 launched the new Overseas Filipino Bank (OFB)—a bank that caters specifically to Filipinos abroad….
Duterte warns of war in Mindanao if BBL fails
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte raised the possibility of a war in Mindanao should Congress fails to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). In his speech during the launch of the…
Duterte on fighting corruption: ‘I’m on a purging spree’
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, January 16 vowed to continue his drive to cleanse the government ranks from corruption by dismissing more corrupt officials. “I am on a purging…
SEC moves to shut down Rappler
Philippine media outlet Rappler is facing closure after the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) en banc revoked the company’s registration for allegedly violating the country’s Constitution. The watchdog has…
Opposition senators dispute proposed OVP abolition under federalism
Two members of the Senate minority have expressed opposition against the possible abolition of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under the proposed shift to a federal form of…
Senate ‘unanimous’ against joint voting in con-ass
All members of the Senate agreed that Congress must vote separately in revising the 1987 Constitution should it convene as a constitutional assembly. According to Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon,…
Int’l media giants condemn SEC move to shut down Rappler
New York Times, Wall Street Journal stand in solidarity with the PH outlet AS Rappler faces closure after the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) en banc revoked its registration…
SC Judge Carpio: Nationwide martial law is legally possible
It is legally possible for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to expand the scope of martial law nationwide, Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said on Wednesday, January 17. During…
SC justices attend Sereno impeachment hearing
Three Supreme Court (SC) magistrates appeared before the House committee on justice on Monday, January 15 to testify in the impeachment hearing against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. They were…