Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
THE Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday, November 4, urged airlines not to allow foreign nationals bound for the Philippines without the appropriate visas. According to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, the bureau received reports of foreigners who were turned back at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for not having visas. The incident also…
PHILIPPINE-U.S. bilateral relations will not see any major changes regardless of who wins the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Malacañang said on Wednesday, November 4. “You see the (U.S.) State Department ensures continuity as far as U.S. foreign policy is concerned. So we don’t expect any major changes in bilateral relations between the Philippines and the…
The Philippines is among the countries in the Asia-Pacific region where COVID-19 infections continued to grow throughout the pandemic, according to a recent report. This finding was part of an analysis of the COVID-19 trend in the APAC region by German market and consumer data company Statista. “While Thailand and South Korea have been successful…
THE fatalities caused by Super Typhoon Goni (local name: Rolly) have risen to 25, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Wednesday, November 4. The breakdown of casualties were: 21 from Bicol, three from Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and one from Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan). PNP Chief Gen. Camilo Cascolan…
THE Philippines’ Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking at the possibility of online voting for overseas Filipinos during the country’s May 2022 presidential polls. The commission is planning to get potential information technology providers of online voting systems to showcase its technology, according to spokesman James Jimenez. “Over the next few weeks, we’ll be fielding…
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday, November 3, noted a spike in the number of Filipinos abroad who have contracted the coronavirus, recording an additional 119 infections. This brings the official case count to 11,364. It also logged 75 new recoveries, which raises the total tally to 7,354. “Today, the DFA reports…
THE fatalities caused by Super Typhoon Goni (local name: Rolly) have risen to 25, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Wednesday, November 4. The breakdown of casualties were: 21 from Bicol, three from Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and one from Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan). PNP Chief Gen. Camilo Cascolan…
SUPER Typhoon Rolly (international name: Goni) has left at least 16 people dead when it devastated parts of Bicol and parts of Southern Luzon over the weekend. According to a situation report from the Office of Civil Defense from the Bicol Region, six of the fatalities were from Catanduanes, while 10 were from Albay. Three…
THE Philippines is the seventh country among the world’s worst impunity offenders, according to a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In its 2020 Global Impunity Index, released on Wednesday, October 28, Somalia remained as the world’s most dangerous country for journalists with 26 unsolved journalist deaths in a country of 15.4…
UNITED States President Donald Trump has received the second-highest level of support from the Philippines, according to a recent survey of Asian countries by German market and consumer data company Statista. The country gave Trump an approval rating of 58%, closely following behind Mongolia’s 62% rating. “According to a yearly poll by Gallup, approval of…
THE bill seeking to declare September 11 as a special non-working holiday in Ilocos Norte to commemorate the birth anniversary of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has been approved by a Senate committee. The Senate Committee on Local Government on Monday, October 26, approved HB 7137, authored by Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ria Fariñas,…
EASING travel restrictions into the Philippines amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic should be done gradually, according to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF). IATF vice chairman and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Saturday, October 24, said they are studying the possibility of allowing more foreigners to enter the Philippines…
Capiz Archbishop Jose Advincula is one of the 13 new cardinals named by Pope Francis on Sunday, October 25. The Pontiff made the surprise announcement during his Sunday Angelus at the Vatican, according to the official news service of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Advincula will be elevated with the new cardinals…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, October 27, announced that Metro Manila will remain under general community quarantine (GCQ) until November 30. According to the chief executive, the mayors of Metro Manila wanted to keep the GCQ status in the region. “Ang gusto ng mga mayor, karamihan, gusto nila (The majority of mayors want to),…
AS the world will be closely watching the United States election, some countries will be watching more closely than others, according to the Associated Press. “A number of world leaders have a personal stake in the outcome, with their fortunes depending heavily on the success — or failure — of President Donald Trump,” read an…
STARTING November 1, foreigners with investors’ visas will be permitted entry into the Philippines. The country has eased up the travel restrictions on foreign nationals entering the country following a resolution from the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). “The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases…
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte supports the recognition of same-sex unions in the Philippines following Pope Francis’ endorsement of same-sex civil unions in a feature-length documentary, Malacañang said on Thursday, October 22. “The President has said it over and over again, pabor po siya sa isang batas na magri-recognize ng civil union sa mga parehong same-sex relationships…
SEVERAL Philippine senators continue to raise concerns over the arrival of almost 28,000 Chinese nationals in the country as retirees, saying this may pose national security threats. The Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA), an agency under the Department of Tourism (DOT), will reassess its current policy that allows foreigners as young as 35 years old to…
HOTELS in areas under the modified general community quarantine and general community quarantine are now allowed to operate at full capacity, the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) announced on Wednesday, October 21. “The decision to open at 100 percent operational capacity will be subject to the hotel management’s decision and compliance with the safety guidelines,”…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte took responsibility anew for the killings committed under his campaign against illegal drugs. However, he insisted he was not to blame for the deaths with unknown perpetrators. “If there are deaths, I said… you can hold me responsible for anything, any death that has occurred in the execution of the drug…
METRO Manila mayors are seeking to extend the general community quarantine (GCQ) in their areas until December, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). “All our mayors agreed to recommend to the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) to extend GCQ until December 31,” MMDA General Manager Jose Arturo Garcia said in Filipino during a virtual…
The Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) over the weekend published the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (ATA) on its website. DOJ undersecretary Adrian Sugay confirmed that the IRR was uploaded on Friday, Oct. 16, adding that the IRR will also be published in two newspapers of general circulation. The…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, October 14, said he wants all Filipinos to have the vaccine against the novel coronavirus. In a televised public address, he said he is looking for more funds to ensure that everyone will be given the vaccine, no exceptions. “I have the money already for the vaccine but hahanap…
The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (ATA) have been completed and approved by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC), the Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Wednesday, October 14. “The ATC has approved today (Oct. 14) the IRR of the ATL crafted by a technical group led by the DOJ….
THE Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday, October 15, logged 24 new additional cases of the novel coronavirus among overseas Filipinos, bringing the official tally of infections to 11,141. The agency also recorded three new recoveries, which pushes the total number of recovered and discharged patients to 7,175. Meanwhile, the death toll remains…
THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday, October 13, downgraded its gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for the Philippines this year following the slowdown in private investment and consumption due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In its October 2020 World Economic Outlook (WEO) report, the multilateral lender said the country’s GDP is expected to contract…
THE Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Wednesday, October 14, maintained that dolomite “white sand” along Manila Bay was not washed out by the recent rains. “Wala pong na wash out, hindi po nabawasan yung ating white dolomite ang nadagdagan tayo ng black sand galing sa ilalim ng dagat (Nothing was washed…
SEVEN in 10 girls and young women living in the Philippines have experienced online harassment on social media, according to a recent study by girls’ rights organization Plan International (PI). Released on Sunday, October 11, in celebration of the International Day of the Girl, the research, entitled “Free to be online? Girls’ and young women’s…
The Philippine House of Representatives on Tuesday, October 13, ratified the election of Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco as the new speaker, unseating Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano. In a plenary session inside the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City, a total of 186 House members voted to ratify Velasco’s election in a bid to…
RESEARCHERS from the University of the Philippines have noted a decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases being logged in the country. “The number of cases in the Philippines has been decreasing, and currently at less around 2,500 new cases per day (based on case reports),” the UP OCTA Research team said in its…
