Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
AFTER a World Health Organization report said that the Philippines recorded the fastest rise in coronavirus infections in the Western Pacific region over a two-week period, Malacañang has been on the defensive to disprove the findings. Data from the WHO showed that between June 16 and June 27, the country registered 8,143 infections — the…
RAPPLER chief executive officer Maria Ressa and former writer-researcher Reynaldo Santos on Monday, June 29, sought reversal of their cyber libel conviction before a Manila court. In a 132-page motion submitted to Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46, Ressa and Santos’ lawyers from the Free Legal Assistance Group urged Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa to reconsider her…
AT LEAST 122 children’s lives have been claimed by President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drugs, according to a newly released report by two non-governmental organizations. A report released on Monday, June 29 by the World Organization Against Torture and the Children’s Legal Rights and Development Center found that the killings are often deliberate and…
CLOSE to two million babies are expected to be born in the Philippines in the coming year due to the lack of access to contraceptives during the coronavirus lockdown, the Commission on Population and Development said on Thursday, June 25. The commission estimated the figure based on a study from the University of the Philippines…
MANILA’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport could be renamed “Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas” through a new bill filed in the Philippine House of Representatives. Authored by Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte, Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Jay Velasco, and ACT-CIS Representative Eric Go Ya, House Bill No. 7031 proposes a change to the airport’s name. “NAIA is the…
THE Philippines remains a top destination for foreign terrorists despite the government’s continued efforts to enforce measures against security threats, a recent U.S. State Department study found. In its Country Reports on Terrorism 2019 released on Wednesday, June 24, the United States found that the Philippine government struggled to apply a concerted approach to prevent…
A RECENT Social Weather Stations survey found that 43% of Filipinos expect their quality of life to worsen in the next 12 months. “The 43% proportion of ‘pessimists’ in May is the new peak in the 37-year history of 135 SWS surveys, breaking the previous record of 34% in March 2005,” the pollster said Tuesday,…
Malacañang on Wednesday, June 24, said that seeking help from the Armed Forces of the Philippines to enforce the enhanced community quarantine in Cebu City should not be compared to being under martial law. “We’ve normally done this, resorted to asking the Armed Forces to perform civilian duties. So this is not martial law. This…
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday, June 23, confirmed that it has identified and traced the location of the man who threatened Frankie Pangilinan, daughter of Senator Francis Pangilinan and actress Sharon Cuneta. “The DOJ-Office of Cybercrime has ascertained the identity and location of the person who allegedly threatened Frankie Pangilinan,” Justice Undersecretary and…
THE Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday, June 23, dismissed Solicitor General Jose Calida’s quo warranto petition against broadcast giant ABS-CBN on the “ground of mootness.” “I was able to confirm with Chief Justice [Diosdado] Peralta that the Supreme Court dismissed today during their en banc meeting the quo warranto petition filed by the Solicitor General…
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, June 22, said that the number of overseas Filipinos facing repatriation could exceed 100,000 in the coming months due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). He noted reports from cruise line companies saying 29,963 more seafarers are expected to be repatriated. Likewise, foreign service posts of the Department of Foreign Affairs…
THE controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is still being reviewed by Malacañang’s legal team, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday, June 22. The bill, which has passed Congress, is awaiting Duterte’s signature. “My legal [team] is still reviewing it. My legal team sa Malacañang. There’s only — hindi ko pa natanggap (I haven’t received it…
RAPPLER co-founder and chief executive officer Maria Ressa faces yet another complaint filed by businessman Wilfredo Keng, just days after her cyber libel conviction. The businessman — who was the same private complainant who sued Ressa and former Rappler staffer Reynaldo Santos Jr. — said he filed a separate cyber libel complaint on February 13,…
Over 52,000 overseas Filipinos have returned to the Philippines since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs. The DFA on Tuesday, June 23 repatriated 60 stranded Filipinos from New Delhi, India, while the day before, it brought home a total of 667 overseas Filipinos from…
THE Philippines is among the top 10 dangerous places for workers in 2020, according to the latest International Trade Union Confederation’s Global Rights Index. In the 2020 index released Saturday, June 20, 144 countries were rated on a scale from one to five — with one being the best rating, and five the worst —…
RECENT survey results released by Social Weather Stations (SWS) on Thursday, June 18, revealed that 83% of Filipinos think the quality of life has worsened in the last 12 months. The resulting percentage, according to the SWS, is a new peak in the 37-year series of 135 SWS surveys, breaking the previous record of 62%…
THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday, June 19, reported 37 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, among overseas Filipinos, bringing the total number of infected individuals to 6,128. The agency also recorded 11 new fatalities and six recoveries, which raises the tallies for dead and recovered persons to 483 and…
PHILIPPINE House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday, June 19, called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to work with the national government to prevent potential abuses under the controversial anti-terrorism bill. “It is a reminder to the Executive Department, the Secretaries, who will form the Task Force Committee, it is a reminder…
MALACAÑANG on Wednesday, June 17, said President Rodrigo Duterte will be waiting for the vetting process to be finished before deciding whether to sign or veto the anti-terrorism bill. “When he spoke about the anti-terror bill, he was saying, ‘I’m waiting for Senator Lacson to finalize his commas and periods before I sign the bill’,”…
THE United States on Tuesday, June 16, expressed concern over Rappler executive editor and chief executive officer Maria Ressa and writer Reynaldo Santos Jr. being convicted of cyber libel by a Manila court. “The United States is concerned by the trial court’s verdict against journalists Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos and calls for resolution of…
BUSINESS tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. on Tuesday, June 16, passed away at the age of 85. The chairman and chief executive officer of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) died of pneumonia and heart failure before 11 p.m. at the St. Luke’s Medical Center. “San Miguel announces the passing of its chairman and chief executive officer,…
Many Filipinos in the United States are looking at the possibility of traveling back to the Philippines even while the world is going through a pandemic. However, the tourism sector stakeholders are asking them not to travel back in the next three to four months, if possible. “I wouldn’t really recommend it for now, nakita…
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has decided to extend the general community quarantine on Metro Manila until June 30, according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. Aside from Metro Manila, several areas in Luzon including Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Santiago City in Cagayan Valley (Region 2); Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Tarlac, Olongapo City in Central Luzon (Regoin 3);…
PHILIPPINE Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday, June 16, said the Department of Justice (DOJ) is on track to submit its report on the anti-terrorism bill to the Office of the President, after it has finished reviewing the proposed measure. “As scheduled, we finished our brainstorming session yesterday (Monday), examining and inter-relating with one another…
Malacañang on Tuesday, June 16, said Rappler executive editor and chief executive officer Maria Ressa, and writer Reynaldo Santos Jr. can apply for probation over their cyber libel conviction to avoid jail time. “I caution Maria Ressa and Mr. Santos. Their penalty is subject to probation. Walang kulong ‘yan (there’s no prison time there). If…
Rappler executive editor and chief executive officer Maria Ressa and writer Reynaldo Santos Jr. on Monday, June 15, were convicted of cyber libel by a Manila court. Ressa and Santos, a former researcher at the news site, were found guilty of violating Section 4(c)(4) of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, or cyber libel, sentencing…
Malacañang on Thursday, June 11, said that critics of the controversial anti-terrorism bill are free to question the measure before the court. The bill, since President Rodrigo Duterte certified it as urgent, has been receiving a lot of flak for its broad definition of what constitutes as “terrorism.” Netizens comprised of youth, progressive, and human rights…
TRAVEL and tourism are among the economic sectors badly hit by COVID-19 and as the rest of the world prepares to reopen and countries are working hard to get their respective economies back on track, all eyes are focused on how recovery can be done. In the Philippines, industry officials are confident that the country…
PHILIPPINE Senator Manny Pacquiao on Tuesday, June 9, denied that he discussed his supposed plans to run for president with his former longtime promoter Bob Arum. “We talked about Crawford, but we didn’t talk about politics,” he told ABS-CBN News’ Dyan Castillejo. His statement came after Arum revealed that Pacquiao had confided to him about…
MALACAÑANG on Wednesday, June 10, said the protests against the anti-terrorism bill would push President Rodrigo Duterte to scrutinize the measure “even closer.” “Let’s just say that the public interest on the bill will make the President review the provisions of the bill even closer,” said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque in an interview with ABS-CBN…
