Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
THE Philippines’ internet connection saw a slight improvement in November this year, according to a global speed test. In Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, the Philippines ranked 110th out of 139 countries in mobile broadband, with a speed of 18.49 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads — a spot above its 111th ranking in October with…
THE Philippines has expanded its travel ban to 19 more countries in an effort to address the threat of the new COVID-19 variant. In a memorandum signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Malacañang said President Rodrigo Duterte has banned the entrance of all foreign passengers coming from the following countries: • Denmark • Ireland •…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has warned that he will terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) if the United States fails to provide the country with COVID-19 vaccines. In a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on Saturday, December 26, the chief executive urged the country’s ally to deliver…
METRO Manila and other areas around the country will continue to operate under general community quarantine (GCQ) status until January 31, 2021. In a taped public address, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, December 28, 2020 said the provinces of Batangas, Isabela, Lanao del Sur, Davao del Norte, and cities of Santiago, Iloilo, Tacloban, Iligan, and…
THE Philippines ranks among the countries with the most retaliatory killings of journalists in 2020, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a new report. Globally, at least 30 journalists were killed from January 1 to December 15 this year, up from the 26 killings in 2019. Of the recent number, 21…
PHILIPPINE Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday, December 23, assured that Police Senior M/Sgt. Jonel Nuezca would face the full force of the law for shooting a mother and son dead in Paniqui, Tarlac. Nuezca shot and killed Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son Frank Anthony, 25, after an altercation on Sunday, December 20. The…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has condemned the police officer who shot a mother and son dead in Paniqui, Tarlac. In a taped speech, Duterte said Police Senior M/Sgt. Jonel Nuezca should be locked up for shooting and killing Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her son Frank Anthony, 25, after an altercation on Sunday, December 20. “Ang…
THE Philippines is set to raise the age of sexual consent from 12 years old to 16 years old. According to a recent report by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the country has one of the lowest ages of consent in the world, allowing adults to legally have sex with children as young as 12. “Child rights…
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is observing another spike in COVID-19 infections among overseas Filipinos as 198 more individuals have contracted the virus. The new infections reported on Monday, December 18 brought the official tally to 12,816 — 3,654 of whom are currently undergoing treatment. The agency also recorded 107 new recoveries, which…
THE Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has approved the re-entry of foreigners who left the Philippines on December 17 and onwards, Malacañang announced Friday, December 18. “The IATF, in its 89th meeting, also allowed the re-entry to the Philippines of foreign nationals with valid and existing visas under Section…
PHILIPPINE Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Friday, December 18, maintained that the discussions with Pfizer reportedly didn’t include supplying the country with 10 million doses of its vaccine. “I completely, unequivocally deny that. Unang-una, ang 10 million dose na iyan, wala naman akong alam. Wala silang pinadalang sulat na may ganoong commitment ang Pfizer…
PHILIPPINE Senator Panfilo Lacson has named Health Secretary Francisco Duque III as the Cabinet member who “dropped the ball” in securing 10 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine as early as January for the country. “The negotiation between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and [Foreign Secretary] Teodoro Locsin Jr. as arranged by [Philippine Ambassador…
NECESSARY adjustments in the proposed 2021 national budget have been made to prioritize the country’s procurement of vaccines against COVID-19, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said on Wednesday, December 16. “We have made all the requisite adjustments, congressmen have made all the sacrifices to prioritize the vital needs of the nation, in terms of medical concerns…
PHILIPPINE Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Tuesday, December 15, said the country was supposed to receive 10 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine as early as January, but a government official bungled the deal. In a series of tweets, Locsin shared that he and Philippine Ambassador to the United State Jose “Babe” Romualdez facilitated a…
THE assessment of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor on the Philippines’ war against drugs is “legally erroneous,” Malacañang said on Tuesday, December 15. “Obviously, we do not agree with her. It’s legally erroneous dahil mayroon po tayong minimum gravity na required. Hindi po lahat ng krimen ay nililitis sa ICC (because we have the…
THE relationship between the Philippines and the United States will stay the same under the administration of President-elect Joe Biden, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said. In a Laging Handa public briefing on Friday, December 11, he maintained that the PH-U.S. ties would “generally be the same as always,” despite the possibility of “a few…
AS the coronavirus pandemic persists, the Philippines is experiencing record levels of hunger, according to a recent report by Agence France-Presse (AFP). Due to COVID-19 restrictions and job losses, Filipinos have started relying on food handouts to survive. “Charities are struggling to meet the ever-growing demand for food as millions of families go hungry across…
ELIMINATING illegal drugs in the Philippines may not be achieved by 2022, the country’s Dangerous Drugs Board admitted this week. “Ang ginawa nating optimistic target doon sa ating campaign was to sana, magkaroon tayo ng drug-free communities by 2022. But realistically, mukhang hindi natin maa-attain ‘yan (Our optimistic target in our campaign was to hopefully…
THE World Bank expects the Philippine economy to start recovering in the next two years as the country eases quarantine restrictions, allowing more industries to resume operations. The multilateral lender on Tuesday, December 8, forecasted the Philippines an economic growth of 5.9% in 2021, and 6.0% in 2022. “With the steady decline in daily cases…
THE damage done by the coronavirus pandemic on the Philippine economy will take a long time to repair, according to Oxford Economics. In its recent report entitled “Calibrating long-COVID vulnerabilities in 162 economies,” the UK-based research firm estimated overall long-term economic scarring will be slightly higher in emerging markets (EMs) than in advanced economies (AEs)….
OVERSEAS Filipinos may now register to vote online for the 2022 Philippine elections. The Philippine Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) iRehistro, which has been operational since December 1, is accepting applications for new registrants, transfer and reactivation of voter records, the change of name or correction of entries on record, and inclusion of records in the…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is prepared to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to assure the public it is safe and effective to use. “Ang Presidente po ay hindi na makapaghintay (The president can’t wait),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told reporters on Monday, December 7. “Gusto niyang turukan na siya nang mapakita sa buong bayan na ligtas…
GLOBAL investment banking giant Goldman Sachs has laid out a promising economic outlook for the Philippines next year. In their November report entitled “ASEAN 2021 Outlook: Vaccine Critical to Regional Recovery,” Goldman Sachs economists Andrew Tilton, Danny Suwanapruti, and Jonathan Sequeira said they expect growth to “rebound the most in the Philippines (9.4%) and Malaysia…
PHILIPPINE Senator Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday, December 2, was sworn in as the new president of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), the political party of current President Rodrigo Duterte. Meanwhile, House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco took his oath as the party’s new executive vice president during a “hybrid” fellowship night at Las Casas…
MORE than 277,000 Filipinos have returned to the Philippines since the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) began COVID-related repatriation efforts in February. A total of 277,320 Filipinos abroad have been repatriated by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) since it began its COVID-related repatriation efforts in February. Of the figure, 86,413 (31.16%) are…
THE Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been granted the authority to allow emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, December 1, signed Executive Order No. 121 allowing FDA Director General Eric Domingo to issue Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for vaccines or treatments deemed safe and effective against the…
MINORS should stay inside their homes during the holiday season as they are also at risk for contracting the coronavirus, the Philippine Department of Health advised on Wednesday, December 2. “Our position has not changed. As much as possible, we discourage that because the risk is still there,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III maintained. He…
FOREIGN spouses and children of Filipino citizens are only allowed to enter the Philippines if the Filipino citizen or balikbayan is traveling with them, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration clarified on Tuesday, December 1. “The intent of the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) resolution was to enable foreigners to reunite with their families in the Philippines,”…
METRO Manila will remain under general community quarantine (GCQ) for the entire month of December. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, November 30 approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to extend the capital region’s GCQ status. Aside from Metro Manila, seven other areas will be under GCQ until…
THE Philippines on Friday, November 27, will sign a tripartite agreement for two million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine against the novel coronavirus, according to the country’s vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. “This coming Friday, pipirma po tayo ng tripartite agreement na kung saan tayo po ay makakabili ng dalawang milyong doses ng bakuna mula sa…
