Duterte delivers 5th SONA amid pandemic
DESPITE the enforced nationwide lockdown to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27….
Category: Dateline Philippines
Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
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US donates P14.8M worth of PPE to PH
The United States recently donated P14.8 million ($300,000) worth of personal protective equipment to the Philippine General Hospital and other coronavirus treatment centers in the Philippines. The U.S. Embassy in…
DOJ: Supreme Court to rule on merit, not number of lawsuits vs anti-terror law
Determining the legality of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 would be up to the Philippine Supreme Court, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Friday, July 24. The justice secretary argued…
Maria Ressa denies tax evasion charges
Rappler co-founder and chief executive officer Maria Ressa on Wednesday, July 22, pleaded not guilty to her fifth tax evasion case before the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC). Ressa was…
SWS: Most Filipinos still worry about getting COVID-19
A MAJORITY of Filipinos in the Philippines are still worried about being infected with COVID-19, according to a survey released on Thursday, July 23. The latest survey by the Social Weather Stations…
Philippine government suspends non-essential outbound travel anew
Malacañang on Thursday, July 23, announced that the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management for Emerging Infectious Diseases has once again suspended non-essential outbound air travel of Filipinos. According…
Over 400 Princeton alumni call for US government to help Ressa
OVER 400 Princeton University alumni on Tuesday, July 21, took out a full-page ad in the Washington Post calling on the United States government to convince Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s…
Palace: Government can’t afford to test all Filipinos for COVID-19
The Philippines can’t afford to test every Filipino for the novel coronavirus, Malacañang admitted on Tuesday, July 21. “If we can afford it, why not? But the reality is, hindi…
Palace to Pangilinan: It’s Congress’ job to pass laws
Malacañang on Tuesday, July 21, reminded Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan that passing a legislation that will ban political dynasties is the job of Congress, not President Rodrigo Duterte. “Parang mali…
Makabayan lawmakers seek plenary vote on ABS-CBN franchise
LAWMAKERS from the Makabayan bloc have asked the Philippine House Committee on Legislative Franchises to allow plenary action on the franchise bid of media giant ABS-CBN. In a letter addressed…
BI: Only foreigners with long-term visas allowed to enter PH in August
ONLY foreigners with permanent or existing immigrant visas are allowed to enter the Philippines starting August, the country’s Bureau of Immigration clarified on Tuesday, July 21. The entry of foreign…
SWS: Filipinos’ trust in US, Australia, China drops
A new survey by the Social Weather Stations revealed that the Filipinos’ trust in the United States, Australia, and China suffered a drop in the first half of the year….
Anti-terror law takes effect in the Philippines
The controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 took effect on Saturday, July 18 in the Philippines, despite the lack of implementing rules and regulations. “Considering that the law was published on July…
PH to continue to ‘assert’ rights over disputed sea
Malacañang this week said that the Philippines will continue to “assert’’ its rights in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). “As we have said in previous occasions, the Philippine…
Korina Sanchez, Ces Drilon among high-profile names affected by ABS-CBN layoffs
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…
ABS-CBN to begin layoffs in August
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…
Metro Manila to remain under GCQ until July 31
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…
Over 8,900 overseas Filipinos now infected with COVID-19
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…
Solon urges gov’t to use ABS-CBN’s radio-TV frequencies for alternative distance learning
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…
WHO reports another daily record for global coronavirus cases
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…
South China Sea arbitration case win ‘non-negotiable’
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…
Palawan recognized as ‘best island in the world’
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,…
No new directive on VFA termination despite fixing of Bato’s visa to US
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…
PH House rejects ABS-CBN’s bid for a new franchise
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…
NAIA rehab plan faces collapse
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…
Pope Francis appoints Cardinal Tagle to Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
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…
Ressa: Duterte ‘seeing too much fraud from where he sits’
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…
8,762 overseas Filipinos infected with COVID-19
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,…
Duterte tells law-abiding citizens not to be afraid of anti-terror law
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….
Climate activist Greta Thunberg joins int’l criticism vs anti-terror law
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…