Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
VETERAN broadcast journalists Korina Sanchez-Roxas and Ces Oreña-Drilon are among the high-profile individuals who have been laid off by ABS-CBN, following the rejection of its franchise renewal bid. Sanchez-Roxas, the long-time host of “Rated K,” took to Instagram to confirm she was one of the first employees involved in the broadcast company’s “bloodbath.” “You’re hearing…
ABS-CBN on Wednesday, July 15, announced that it will start laying off its workers on August 31, after the Philippine House of Representatives rejected the bills seeking to grant the network giant a fresh 25-year franchise. “With the non-renewal of its congressional franchise, ABS-CBN is now forced to cease the operations of some of its…
Malacañang on Wednesday, July 15, announced that Metro Manila will remain under general community quarantine (GCQ) until July 31. According to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, President Rodrigo Duterte initially agreed with the recommendation of the University of the Philippines (UP) to place Metro Manila back under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ). However, the president changed…
THE Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, July 15, registered 43 additional cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) among Filipinos abroad, bringing the official count to 8,915. Thirty-four new recoveries were also recorded by the agency, which raises the total number of recovered patients to 5,311. “With 43 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 34 new…
HOUSE Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte on Tuesday, July 14, filed a resolution proposing that the government temporarily use ABS-CBN’s former television and radio frequencies for effective distance learning. This came after the House of Representatives rejected the bills seeking to grant the network giant a fresh 25-year franchise. Voting 70 to 11, the House…
The World Health Organization on Sunday, July 12, reported another record increase in global coronavirus cases, with the total rising by 230,370 over a 24-hour period. The previous WHO record for new cases was 228,102 reported on Friday, July 10. Of the new figure, 66,281 were from the United States, topping WHO’s list among countries…
PHILIPPINE Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Sunday, July 12, reaffirmed that the arbitral ruling on the South China Sea case is “non-negotiable.” He made the statement on the 4th anniversary of the historic ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which invalidated China’s claim over the entire South China Sea…
PALAWAN has reclaimed the top spot in international travel magazine Travel + Leisure’s “World’s Best Islands” list for 2020. The world-renowned tourist destination garnered 94.83 points in the magazine’s survey, besting 24 other islands in the world. “Though it’s difficult to reach from many parts of the world, once travelers get there they can dive…
Malacañang on Thursday, July 9, said the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States remains suspended and is not lifted. “Hindi pa po nagbabago ‘yung huling binitawang salita ni presidente na ipagpapaliban po ng six months yung pagte-terminate sa VFA at ito pong pagpapaliban ay extendable by another…
ABS-CBN will remain off-air as a Philippine House of Representatives panel on Friday, July 10, rejected the bills seeking to grant the broadcasting giant a new 25-year franchise. Voting 70 to 11, the House Committee on Legislative Franchises adopted the recommendation of its technical working group to deny the network a new franchise. Two congressmen…
THE CONSORTIUM of big businesses pushing for the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) recently announced that its negotiations with the Philippine government ended in a stalemate, threatening the downfall of the project. “The consortium proposed changes to update the NAIA project’s framework to ensure the bankability of the NAIA project,” it said…
THE Vatican on Wednesday, July 8, announced that Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, is among the new members of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. According to the Vatican, the Pontifical Council is the central office of the Church for the promotion of interreligious dialogue in…
RAPPLER co-founder and chief executive officer Maria Ressa on Wednesday, July 8, said President Rodrigo Duterte may be “seeing too much fraud from where he sits,” following his latest verbal tirade against her. “Four years: spewing hate on social media, manipulating Filipinos, weaponizing the law. We call a spade a spade,” said Ressa in a…
THE Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, July 8, logged 74 additional cases of the novel coronavirus among Filipinos abroad, bringing the total count of infections to 8,762. “Today, the DFA reports that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad is now at 8,762 with 74 new cases mostly in the…
SINCE signing into law the anti-terror bill, President Rodrigo Duterte addressed the public to assure everyone that they don’t have to fear the controversial law if they are not terrorists. “For the law-abiding citizen(s) of this country, I am addressing you with all sincerity: Huwag ho kayong matakot kung hindi ka terorista (Don’t be afraid…
CLIMATE activist Greta Thunberg on Monday, July 6, threw her support behind Filipino environmentalists calling for the rejection of the newly-signed anti-terrorism law. The 17-year-old Swedish activist retweeted an original post by the FridaysForFuture Twitter account saying the law puts climate activists and environmental defenders at risk of being tagged as terrorists, and wrote, “Please…
The Philippines trails behind Indonesia with the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia. The country’s Department of Health recorded 2,099 new infections on Monday, June 6, bringing the official count of infections to 46,333, surpassing Singapore’s 44,983. Indonesia remained the top Southeast Asian country with the highest number of cases with 64,958 cases….
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 is now open for international flights, as of Wednesday, July 8. “As global aviation endeavors to return to normalcy, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) gears up by resuming international flight operations in NAIA Terminal 3,” read the statement posted on Facebook. It added, “After temporarily closing its doors…
THE Philippine Supreme Court has ordered Malacañang to comment on the four petitions challenging the constitutionality of the anti-terrorism law recently signed by President Rodrigo Duterte. “The four petitions are Petitions for Certiorari and Prohibition with Prayer for Issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order and Writ of Preliminary Injunction. They all relate to Republic Act…
PHILIPPINE House lawmakers can vote on ABS-CBN’s new legislative franchise based on their “conscience,” Malacañang said on Tuesday, July 7. This comes after President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated his “neutral” stance on the issue. “Ang Presidente naman po, ang sinabi niya (The president said) the members of Congress can vote according to their conscience dahil siya…
PHILIPPINE Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday, July 6 dismissed the number of petitions filed before the Supreme Court challenging the newly-signed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. “I do not think SC justices can be [intimidated] by anyone or the number of petitions,” Sotto said in a tweet. “It’s about content! So you are filing?…
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday, July 6, reported no new cases of the coronavirus among Filipinos abroad. It also announced that no new fatalities were recorded. The number of overseas Filipinos infected with COVID-19 remains at 8,679, while the official death count is still at 577. The tally of recoveries is 5,201….
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 will reopen for international flights starting on Wednesday, July 8. “As global aviation endeavors to return to normalcy, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) gears up by resuming international flight operations in NAIA Terminal 3,” read the statement posted on Facebook. It added, “After temporarily closing its doors on…
A photo of a giant Philippine bat recently took the internet by storm, shocking netizens. Posted on Twitter, the image of a “human-sized” bat garnered over 103,000 retweets, over 260,000 likes and thousands of comments, as of this writing. “Remember when I told y’all about the Philippines having human-sized bats? Yeah, this was what I…
By Ritchel Mendiola and Rae Ann Varona / AJPress PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the controversial anti-terrorism bill into law on Friday, July 3, despite local and international concerns about the measure’s potential effects on free speech and opposition in the country. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed the signing,…
THE Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, July 2, recorded 108 new cases of the coronavirus among Filipinos abroad, which brings the total number of infected individuals to 8,614. “Today, the DFA reports an increase in new confirmed COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad, mostly in Asia and the Pacific and the Middle East. This…
Malacañang on Thursday, July 2, announced that the controversial anti-terrorism bill is now with the Office of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea for final review. “Wala na po sa lamesa ng Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs, nailipat na po ‘yan sa tanggapan ni Executive Secretary for final review (It is no longer on the desk…
THE World Health Organization on Tuesday, June 30, clarified that it did not say that the Philippines had the fastest rise in COVID-19 cases in the Western Pacific Region. According to WHO Country Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the WHO does not compare countries or make assessments based on countries’ performance. “It is…
THE United Nations’ human rights chief on Tuesday, June 30, appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to “refrain from signing” the controversial anti-terrorism bill as it “heightens concerns about the blurring of important distinctions between criticism, criminality and terrorism.” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also noted that human rights defenders have been routinely…
THE Philippine Department of Health on Tuesday, June 30, recorded 1,080 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the country, which brings the official tally of infected individuals to 37,514. Of the number, 858 were fresh cases, while 222 were late cases as the agency continues to clear its backlog of unvalidated cases. The DOH…
