Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte this week revoked the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) decision to allow minors who are at least 10 years old to go outside. The chief executive on Monday, January 25, reversed the new rule amid the threat of the new, more contagious COVID-19 variant in…
SIXTEEN additional cases of the new, more infectious COVID-19 variant have been reported by the Philippine Department of Health (DOH). This brings the total number of B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 (UK variant) cases in the country to 17, following the first confirmed case detected on January 13. “Following strengthened biosurveillance activities amid the detection of the first…
Malacañang has called on countries involved in the South China Sea issue to refrain from worsening tensions after China adopted a law allowing its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels entering disputed territories and demolish foreign structures. “Sana po walang gagawin ang kahit na anong bansa dito sa usaping West Philippine Sea na magpapalala…
Filipinos who traverse EDSA are in awe with the improvement in traffic along the historic highway. Thanks to the opening of the Skyway Stage 3 recently which is a game-changing project that will have significant impact on the day-to-day lives of our fellow Filipinos living in Metro Manila. It is to the credit of the…
FOREIGNERS with valid visas are allowed to enter the Philippines again despite certain travel restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic, Malacañang announced on Friday, January 22. This move comes after the country’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) amended its earlier resolution that imposed a travel ban on countries where…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has extended his greetings to United States President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris following their inauguration, Malacañang said Thursday, January 21. “Our President, Rodrigo Roa Duterte sends his warmest greetings and the best wishes to the 46th President of the United States Joseph ‘Joe’ Biden and his Vice President…
THE Philippines is set to receive COVID-19 vaccines from the global COVAX facility within the first quarter of 2021, the country’s officials confirmed Wednesday, January 20. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr and Health Secretary Francisco Duque II made the announcement that the Philippines will be among the countries included in the COVAX distribution of vaccines…
Malacañang has welcomed United States President Joe Biden’s plan to offer legal status to millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. “Ang mabuti sigurong mangyayari, ngayon pa lang inanunsyo na ni President-elect Biden na magpo-propose siya ng batas (One good thing we can expect, is that as early as now President-elect Biden proposed a…
A BLACK market for unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines is ‘thriving’ in the Philippines, according to a recent report by the Washington Post. Only Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine has been granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) in the country, but the national government is still in talks with the American pharmaceutical firm to secure a deal. The country…
THE Philippine Food and Drug Administration may issue an advisory on the use of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine on the country’s elderly following reports of post-vaccination deaths among elderly patients in Norway. FDA Director General Eric Domingo on Tuesday, January 19, said the agency may exclude elderly people with critical illnesses from the list of individuals…
WITH 7,017 islands, the Philippines has been hailed as the world’s second most “Instagrammable” destination in 2021. Global travel website Big 7 Travel on Thursday, January 14, released its 50 Most Instagrammable Places in the World-2021 list in combination with Instagram marketing firm Twicsy, placing the Philippines in second place just behind Tokyo, Japan. Some…
PHILIPPINE Vice President Leni Robredo has responded to President Rodrigo Duterte’s remarks claiming that women are not fit for the country’s highest office. During her weekly radio show on Sunday, January 17, Robredo said: “Unang una, alam natin kung ano iyong pagtingin ni Pangulo sa mga kababaihan, at hindi tayo sang-ayon doon. Napakababa ng pagtingin…
THE Philippines has banned the entry of foreign travelers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Hungary to prevent the spread of the new, more contagious COVID-19 variant. The two countries joined the list of 32 countries with travel restrictions including the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea,…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has advised his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, against running for the presidency in 2022, claiming that women are not fit for the top government post. In a speech during the inauguration of the Skyway Stage 3 project on Thursday, January 14, he said: “My daughter, inuudyok man nila. Sabi…
RAPPLER co-founder and chief executive officer Maria Ressa has been charged with cyber libel anew over an article about an alleged thesis-for-sale scheme by a professor of the De La Salle – College of St. Benilde. The article, titled “Thesis for sale: Benilde students say they paid P20,000 to pass,” was written by Rappler reporter…
THE new and more infectious variant of COVID-19 first reported in the United Kingdom has reached the Philippines. The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) on Wednesday, January 13, confirmed the detection of the B.1.1.7. SARS-CoV-2 variant (UK variant) in the country after samples from a Filipino who arrived from…
This year is another challenging year for the country as it moves toward economic recovery. Among the factors that will fuel economic recovery is infrastructure—the physical foundation of progress. While the country is under lockdown because of the pandemic, the Build, Build, Build Program of the government did not come to a halt. Proof of…
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine rollout to start in February THE Philippine government is aiming to vaccinate 50 to 70 million Filipinos in 2021, with up to 200,000 individuals receiving jabs every day. “We are trying to vaccinate at least 100 to 200,000 people every day. Yun po ang gagawin natin para at least magkaroon tayo ng…
THE Philippines has the worst traffic among six members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and is ranked the ninth-worst in the world, according to a new report. The 2020 traffic index by Numbeo — a global cost of living database — assessed 81 different countries using key metrics, such as average time…
THE Philippine National Bureau of Investigation will conduct a parallel probe into the death of Filipina flight attendant Christine Dacera. Philippine Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Friday, January 8, released Department Order 006, directing the NBI to conduct an investigation into Dacera’s death and file complaints against individuals found to be responsible for any unlawful…
THE Philippines is expected to lag behind Asian neighbors in recovering from the pandemic-induced recession, according to international think tank Moody’s Analytics. In a recent report, Moody’s Analytics chief economist Steven Cochrane said that the Philippines, along with India, will struggle to regain all of its lost output by the end of 2022, while other…
3 suspects speak out after being released THE controversial death of Filipina flight attendant Christine Dacera is not a closed case, Malacañang said Thursday, January 7, despite the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) claim that it has reportedly “solved” the alleged rape-slay case. “Hintayin po natin na ma-conclude iyong imbestigasyon. Obviously po dahil mayroon pang hininging…
THE Philippine Senate will continue with its inquiry into the government’s vaccination program, despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat of a “little crisis” should the senators insist on investigating the unauthorized inoculation of his security detail with an unregistered COVID-19 vaccine. However, Philippine Senate President Vicente Sotto III clarified that the Committee of Whole’s probe would…
China not included in travel restrictions FOLLOWING a recent ban on foreign travelers from the United States, the Philippines has expanded the restrictions to seven more countries to prevent the transmission of a new, more infectious COVID-19 variant. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, January 6, approved the recommendation of the country’s Departments of health…
THREE suspects linked in the controversial death of Filipina flight attendant Christine Dacera were released on Wednesday, January 6, following the order of the Makati City prosecutor’s office. “After a thorough evaluation of the facts and evidence presented during inquest proceedings, the Office of the City Prosecutor, Makati City resolved to refer the case for…
THE Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday, January 6 recorded five new confirmed COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad. The day before, the agency reported observed another spike as it logged 67 additional infections. The two-day numbers bring the total tally to 13,001, of which 3,631 are currently undergoing treatment. The agency also reported…
PHILIPPINE Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos-Recto on Monday, January 4, said that she will refile a bill seeking to give broadcast giant ABS-CBN a fresh 25-year franchise. “I am refiling the bill seeking for the renewal for another 25 years of the ABS-CBN franchise. I filed it the last time and I continue to believe that…
THE Philippines is barring the entry of foreign travelers from the United States to prevent the transmission of the new COVID-19 variant. The move comes after the new variant of the virus was detected in Florida, following the first two known cases in Colorado and California. The U.S.’ fourth case was recorded in New York…
PHILIPPINE Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday, December 30, 2020, confirmed that the COVID-19 vaccines administered to some members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) were smuggled, since they have not been authorized by the government. “Yes, it’s smuggled. Kasi hindi authorized eh na pumasok dito (the importation was not authorized). Only the government can…
PH gov’t halts entry from 20 countries IN an attempt to prevent the new COVID-19 variant from entering the Philippines, the national government imposed travel restrictions from countries where its presence was confirmed. The travel ban includes countries such as United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland,…
