Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
AS the Philippines continues to distance itself from other countries that criticize its controversial war on drugs, it has been named among 48 countries that have a rising rate of reprisals against human rights groups and advocates that cooperate with the United Nations. According to the UN Human Rights Office, it has been receiving more…
President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to suspend aid agreements with countries in favor of the Iceland-led United Nations resolution seeking a probe into his anti-drug campaign will not harm the Philippine economy, Malacañang assured on Monday, September 23. During a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo clarified, “At the outset, we assure the nation and its…
Malacañang on Thursday, September 19, said bringing up the 2016 arbitral court ruling on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) before the United Nations General Assembly would be a “futile exercise.” The statement comes in response to former Foreign Affairs Chief Albert del Rosario who suggested that the administration use the 74th regular session…
GMA Network is liable for the death of veteran actor Eddie Garcia, the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment-Occupational Safety and Health (DoLE-OSH) said on Thursday, September 19. The network earlier on Monday, September 16, filed a comment based on DOLE’s preliminary findings in the investigation on the incident involving the late actor, which stated…
Nineteen years after the Philippines was declared polio-free by the World Health Organization, the Department of Health on Thursday, September 19, confirmed the re-emergence of the disease in the country. According to the DOH, one polio case has been confirmed in a 3-year-old girl from Lanao del Sur who is “now well at home but…
The Senate on Tuesday, September 17, conducted its first ever hearing on the proposed divorce law in the Philippines. Presiding over the hearing is Senate committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality chairperson Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who called this first deliberation on the divorce bill “historic.” “This is history in the making,” she…
Malacañang on Monday night, September 16, said President Rodrigo Duterte met with Chongqing party chief Chen Min’er and other members of Communist Party of China (CPC) in a courtesy call at the Palace’s Music Room. In a press statement, Malacañang described Chen as “a protégé of Chinese President Xi Jinping,” and that he “is seen…
The Department of National Defense (DND) on Monday, September 16, said it has a concern over the agreement between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Chinese-linked telco firm Dito Telecommunity Corp. “Nothing unusual, just that when somebody puts something up inside camp, we have to look into this always,” said DND spokesperson Director…
Malacañang on Thursday, September 12, assured the public that President Rodrigo Duterte is not abandoning the 2016 arbitral court ruling after he revealed that China and the Philippines are looking into joint oil and gas exploration in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The clarification comes after the president said both countries have…
More “money-making” schemes are occurring within the Philippine Bureau of Corrections and the New Bilibid Prison, a former deputy chief of the agency has revealed. BuCor deputy chief Rafael Ragos on Thursday, September 12 alleged that several scams are taking place within the prison and agency than previously uncovered, one of which is the hiring…
The Philippine Department of Justice said plunder convict Janet Lim Napoles remains in a correctional facility despite being included in a list of inmates eligible for early release under the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law. Justice Undersecretary Mark Perete, spokesperson for the department, on Thursday, September 12, stressed that she “remains at the Correctional…
Malacañang on Wednesday, September 11, clarified that President Rodrigo Duterte will certify as urgent the proposed law against discrimination, not the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity or Expression (SOGIE) bill. On Tuesday, September 10, Duterte said he will certify as urgent the SOGIE bill, which seeks to shield the LGBT community against hate and prejudice. …
OMBUDSMAN Samuel Martires on Tuesday, September 10, suspended the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) legal chief and two other BuCor executives as the investigation into the anomalies surrounding the good conduct time allowance law continues. Martires gave out three separate orders that imposed six months of preventive suspensions without pay on BuCor legal chief Fredric Santos,…
A SURVEY by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released earlier this summer showed that an estimated number of 2.3 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) worked abroad at anytime during the period April to September 2018. Of the 2.3 million, female OFWs comprised 55.8 percent of the total number. Additionally, female OFWs were generally younger than…
Health officials assure public that pork meat still safe for consumption The Department of Agriculture on Monday, September 9, confirmed that the African swine fever was the cause of death of pigs in some parts of the Philippines, but quickly reassured that pork in the country remains safe for human consumption. According to Agriculture chief…
THE House of Representatives gave its nod to a bill allowing more foreigners to practice their profession in the country and lowering the direct local hires required of foreign investors. Voting 201-6, the chamber favored House Bill No. 300 that will amend Republic Act No. 7042 or the Foreign Investment Act of 1997 if enacted…
Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Tuesday, September 10, suspended the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) legal chief and two other BuCor executives as the investigation into the anomalies surrounding the good conduct time allowance law continues. Martires gave out three separate orders that imposed six months of preventive suspensions without pay on BuCor legal chief Fredric Santos,…
PHILIPPINE Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday, September 5, challenged the public to do more in terms of promoting gender equality, noting that there are still “subtle acts” of discrimination that should be focused on to achieve true equality. “Since the #MeToo Movement, and due to the watchfulness of the ‘woke’ generation, so many things…
Malacañang on Thursday, September 5, said newly-elected Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa will also face investigation for signing release papers of heinous crime convicts during his term as chief of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). In a press briefing on Wednesday night, September 4, President Rodrigo Duterte said he will have the other BuCor officials…
President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, September 4, fired Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon for disobeying his order not to release convicts supposedly eligible under the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law. “Faeldon has to go because Faeldon disobeyed my order,” he said in a press briefing on Wednesday night. When asked if he…
Malacañang on Sunday, September 1, deemed President Rodrigo Duterte’s official visit to China as “successful” and “highly productive” despite Chinese President Xi Jinping rejecting the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea. “With the conclusion of President Duterte’s official visit to China, we wish to inform the public…
The Department of Tourism (DOT), in partnership with Filipino fast food chain Jollibee, launched the “Eats More Fun in the Philippines” campaign over the weekend in a bid to take the promotion of the country’s food tourism to the next level. The campaign is aimed at inviting food enthusiasts and tourists alike to visit the…
Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director-general Nicanor Faeldon on Monday, September 2, attended the Senate inquiry over the alleged questionable application of the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law. Faeldon was summoned to the Senate after drawing public ire over the news that his agency approved the release of convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez based…
China ‘sorry’ for Recto Bank incident, 6 agreements signed The Philippines and China signed six agreements during the bilateral meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, however, missing was a resolution on the ongoing West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) territorial dispute. During the much-anticipated meeting on Thursday, August 29,…
A bill seeking to raise the age for the crime of statutory rape against minors from 12 to 16 in a bid to provide stronger protection for children has been filed in the Philippine House of Representatives on Thursday, August 29. House Bill (HB) 4160 metes a penalty of life imprisonment for statutory rape against…
ONE of the congressmen who authored the Philippines’ controversial good conduct time allowance (GCTA) said the expanded time allowance for convicts was the Senate’s idea. Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who is among the authors of the bill, said that the House’s proposal was supposed to be limited. “Our proposal was limited to…
Eight Philippine companies secured spots on Forbes Asia magazine’s inaugural “Best Over a Billion (BOB)” list, which highlights the 200 top-performing listed companies across the Asia-Pacific region with revenues of more than $1 billion. “The goal is to find the region’s best-run companies that are doing well on not just one metric but across many…
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, August 27, reiterated his support for family planning and pushed for the program’s revival in the next three years. “Ang isang kulang na lang natin actually na how to get it started and you know get it rolling beginning at least in the next three years, ‘yang ibalik ninyo ‘yung…
A budget of P184.9-billion for next year is being eyed by the Philippine National Police to help improve the peace and order situation in the country — which includes the hiring of 37,000 officers. Included in President Rodrigo Duterte’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2020, which was submitted to the Senate by the executive department…
No funding has been provided by the European Union (EU) to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) supposedly serving as fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen said Tuesday, August 27. He cited a series of audits on EU’s contracts with NGOs flagged by the Philippine government as “potentially…
