Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
FORMER Filipino citizens or “balikbayans” will be allowed to enter the Philippines visa-free starting December 7, Malacañang said on Friday, November 27. Their spouses and children, regardless of age, are permitted entry into the country without a visa requirement as well. According to Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Resolution…
MAKATI, Baguio and Davao City are among the areas in the Philippines at high-risk for coronavirus transmission, according to a new report. Experts from the Octa Research Group on Wednesday, November 25, listed several parts of the Philippines as high-risk after observing an uptick in new COVID-19 cases for the past several days. In its…
Malacañang on Thursday, November 28, confirmed that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appointed former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as his adviser for the Clark Freeport Zone programs and projects. Arroyo was chosen for her “vast experience” leading the country and for her “great concern” for Pampanga. She will be compensated P1 per year, according to Presidential Spokesperson…
THE United States on Wednesday, November 25, reaffirmed its steadfast military partnership with the Philippines during the visit of U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett in Manila. Barrett was welcomed by Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) Undersecretary Cardozo Luna and senior Philippine military officials. She also met by Armed Forces of the…
MALACAÑANG on Tuesday, November 24, said that the cap on health care workers allowed to leave the country may be lifted once a vaccine against the novel coronavirus becomes available. “The 5,000 (cap) is just an initial (figure). If that is completed in the second quarter and if there is a vaccine, it may be…
THE Philippines’ House of Representatives on Monday, November 23, approved on its third and final reading a bill that expands the prohibited acts of discrimination against women in the workplace. With a unanimous 226 affirmative votes, the lower chamber passed House Bill 7722, which amends Presidential Decree No. 442 or the Labor Code of the…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has ended the deployment ban on the country’s health care workers. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Saturday, November 21, said Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases to lift the ban amid the coronavirus pandemic. “The president already approved the lifting of the…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has allowed the government to make advance payments for coronavirus vaccines, Malacañang announced on Thursday, November 19. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte accepted the proposal of vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. to enter into advance market commitments with private vaccine developers and release advance payments to secure vaccines for Filipinos….
FILIPINO student Carvey Ehren Maigue on Thursday, November 19, bagged the first-ever sustainability prize at the James Dyson Award for his invention. The 27-year-old electrical engineering student from Mapua University in Manila triumphed from more than 1,800 entries worldwide with the AuREUS System Technology — a new material, made from rotting fruits and vegetables, which…
THE damage caused by the recent typhoons in the Philippines could result in an estimated loss of P90 billion in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said on Wednesday, November 18. “I think our initial estimate is that it will shed off something like a 0.15 percentage point…
MALACAÑANG on Thursday, November 19, said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will not be apologizing to Vice President Leni Robredo following his recent tirades against her. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque maintained that Duterte was “justified” for his outburst, insisting that the Chief Executive did not say anything wrong. He also cited the recent blunder of Defense…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte declared the entire Luzon under a state of calamity after three successive typhoons battered the country’s largest island. In a taped speech aired on Tuesday night, November 17, the Chief Executive revealed that he signed the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)’s proposal to place Luzon under a state…
PHILIPPINE Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez on Tuesday, November 17, affirmed the strong ties between the Philippines and the United States. During a virtual event hosted by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, Romualdez noted that the Philippines and the U.S. have one of the oldest military alliances in the Asia Pacific…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, November 17, lambasted Vice President Leni Robredo for supposedly questioning his absence during the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses, calling her “dishonest.” “I would like to just give a caution to the vice president. She made a blunder, a big one, and she practically lied, making her incapable of truth,”…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, November 16, signed Administrative Order No. 35, granting active hazard duty pay and special risk allowance to COVID-19 medical frontliners. Under the order, national government agencies, government-owned or -controlled corporations and local government units are authorized to grant active hazard duty pay up to P3,000 per month to pandemic…
THE death toll for Typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco) has reached 73, the Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Tuesday, November 17. Of the additional deaths this week, two were recorded in Cagayan Valley, and four in Central Luzon. On Sunday, the NDRRMC reported that 22 deaths were from Cagayan…
FOREIGN investors planning to enter the Philippines must first secure an investor’s visa before they can be allowed entry to the country, the country’s Bureau of Immigration (BI) clarified on Monday, November 16. Foreign nationals holding visas under Executive Order No. 226 or the Omnibus Investments Code, and those with a Special Investor’s Resident Visa…
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday, November 14, expressed his gratitude for the United States’ support of the Philippines’ response to the coronavirus pandemic. “President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in a speech read by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr, first expressed his gratitude to the United States for its generous assistance of state-of-the-art ventilators…
THE United States will be giving the Philippines $18 million worth of precision-guided munitions next month, according to Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. “They have given us USD18 million worth of (military) equipment (that will arrive) next month,” Lorenzana said on Tuesday, November 17 during the send-off of the BRP Tarlac, which was deployed to…
The Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Sunday, November 15, recorded 67 fatalities due to Typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco). Of the deaths, 22 were from Cagayan Valley, two were from Central Luzon, 17 from CALABARZON, eight from Bicol Region, 10 from Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and eight from the National…
METRO Manila experienced its worst flooding in recent years after Typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco) hit the Philippines on Wednesday night, November 11. Tens of thousands of homes were submerged by the floods, forcing residents to take refuge onto rooftops awaiting rescue. Marikina City, in particular, suffered severely with over 40,000 homes fully or partially…
The Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the overseas Filipino workers in the United States are being treated well and believe this will not change under the administration of President-elect Joe Biden. “We don’t have so much to complain about the treatment of OFWs there. We haven’t heard much of OFWs being abused…
The Philippines’ decision to suspend anew the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) was “sound and strategic,” according to a lawmaker. Muntinlupa City Rep. Ruffy Biazon, who serves as the vice-chairperson of the House Committee on National Defense and Security, pointed out that the move will give the new administration of the United States…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, November 12, invoked the country’s arbitral victory against China over the South China Sea at the start of a virtual regional summit. During the virtual plenary session of the 37th ASEAN Summit, Duterte stressed that no country, no matter how powerful it is, can ignore the ruling. “The Philippine…
PHILIPPINE Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Wednesday, November 11, announced that President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the suspension of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) termination. “My President, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, has instructed me to convey with the appropriate formality his decision to extend the suspension of the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement…
A bill declaring child marriage illegal in the Philippines has been passed on its third and final reading. Senate Bill No. 1371, also known as the “Girls Not Brides Act,” was unanimously approved by Senators on Monday, November 9. The measure was principally authored and sponsored by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee…
WHILE Malacañang expects no major changes in the United States’ foreign policy under President-elect Joe Biden, it hopes for a shift in the U.S. immigration policy that will treat Filipino immigrants better. “Sa tingin ko ang Amerika din naman ay consistent sa foreign policy, so walang rin major changes yan (I think America is consistent…
THE Philippines is among the countries projected to see likely increases in extreme poverty due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to American research group Brookings. In an article studying the impact of COVID-19 on global extreme poverty, Brookings compared the changes in poverty before and during the pandemic, noting that a total…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte can work with his counterpart in the United States regardless of who wins the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Malacañang maintained. “Kahit sino po ang manalo, wala pong problema ang ating Presidente (It does not matter who win. It won’t be a problem for our president),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque reiterated on…
THE Philippines is among the top 50 safest countries in the world, according to a recent survey by American analytics firm Gallup. In its 2020 Global Law and Order index, Gallup listed the Philippines as the 12th safest country with a law and order index score of 84. It shares the same spot with Australia,…
