Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, March 14, released the infamous list of politicians allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Duterte read the list compiled by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) out loud during the National Peace and Order Council meeting in Davao City. It was broadcasted…
ACCORDING to the U.S. State Department in its annual human rights report released Thursday, March 14, persons with disabilities (PWD) in the Philippines “continued to face discrimination”in 2018 as a policy crafted to help them “was not effectively enforced.” The report, entitled “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018,” said the National Council for…
A recent Social Weather Stations survey (SWS) on Wednesday, March 13, revealed that the number of adult Filipinos who use the internet rose to 47 percent last quarter, a six-point increase from 41 percent in September 2018. Adult Filipinos aged 18 to 24 use the internet the most at 88 percent, followed by ages 25…
The Pasig City prosecutor’s office has concluded its preliminary investigation on Philippine online news platform Rappler regarding its alleged violation of the country’s anti-dummy law. In 2018, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) submitted a complaint to the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Rappler for its alleged violation of the Commonwealth Act 108 otherwise known…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, March 13, announced he will be firing another set of government officials over corruption issues. “I will be firing another set of officials. I’m sorry. Mahirap kasi (It’s difficult). Iyan lang ano ko if you want to help me run the government at yung programa ko. You know, ako…
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday, March 13, said Malacañang is crafting an executive order (EO) as parts of Metro Manila and Rizal province continue to struggle with the water shortage. He said the proposed measure was relayed to him by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles. “The water sector management will be more defined because…
Malacañang announced on Tuesday, March 12, that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will no longer push for the legalization of medical marijuana because he felt that it might go out of hand. “Kasi ang feeling niya (Duterte) you will be using that as an excuse, baka lumaki nang lumaki lang (Duterte feels that you will use…
The meeting of lawmakers with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte failed to resolve the conflict of the House of Representatives and the Senate regarding the 2019 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri revealed that the members of the two legislative members had dialogue but failed to arrive at a consensus on the…
The leadership of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 12, said the first batch of registration for the implementation of the National Identification System Law will begin in September. “I am happy that it’s all systems go for the national ID system based on the timeline they have presented to us this morning,” said…
Water concessionaires and the weather bureau recently announced low to no water supply will continue to be experienced by several areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces due to El Niño, which would last until June. In addition, monitoring of La Mesa Dam in Quezon City last Monday, March 11, showed that the dam’s water…
As the Philippines’ withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) becomes official on Sunday, March 17, it vowed to continue its probe on President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs even after the withdrawal takes effect. Philippine Coalition for the ICC (PCICC) lead counsel Romel Bagares said that the international court ensured that all proceedings which…
Labor leader and senatorial candidate Leody de Guzman on Sunday, March 10, said special envoy to China Ramon Tulfo is all talk while Filipino workers labor for the country’s growth. This was after Tulfo called Filipino workers “lazy” unlike the Chinese. In a statement, De Guzman said, “Kaya nga tinawag na manggagawa, kasi nga gumagawa….
According to the Social Weather Stations’ (SWS) fourth-quarter survey, more Filipinos appear to be satisfied with the performance of the Duterte administration. The poll, which was released on Monday, March 11, revealed 76 percent of adult Filipinos are satisfied with the work of the administration while nine percent said otherwise with a net satisfaction rating…
Priests remained firm in their criticism of the alleged extrajudicial killings in the Philippines as they shared the hateful messages they received from calling out the flaws in the government. Three Catholic priests Father Flavie Villanueva, Father Robert Reyes and Father Albert Alejo on Monday, March 11, revealed a series of death threats they received…
CEBU – The Department of Tourism (DOT) congratulated the winners of the 2019 edition of the Routes Asia Marketing Awards during the Routes Asia Networking Evening held at the Radisson Blu Cebu. “The Philippine Department of Tourism expresses its warmest congratulations to all the winners of the best airports in the different categories, and of…
A GREENPEACE report has revealed that 11 of the cities in Southeast Asia with the cleanest air are in the Philippines. Switzerland-based IQ AirVisual and Greenpeace’s 2018 Air Quality Report released on Tuesday, March 5 measured the amount of fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 (µg/m³), which can penetrate into the airways to cause respiratory…
The Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) revealed this week that it would require foreign employees to secure a working visa before being allowed to work in the country. DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that this decision seeks to reduce the number of foreigners employed in the Philippines illegally. The labor secretary stated…
CHINESE Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua assured that Beijing will not launch any attacks in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). “We are worried about possible attacks from the other side. We don’t worry about China attacking anybody because it is not our policy,” he said on the sidelines of the Presidential Anti-Corruption…
President spokesman Salvador Panelo responded to criticism surrounding his comment about alleged wiretapped intelligence reports from foreign governments, by saying that it was a mere “educated guess.” The spokesperson and chief legal counsel said that his claim was “an educated guess on what is happening in the world today. Countries whose survival depends on measures…
Forbes Magazine named real estate tycoon and self-made billionaire Manuel Villar Jr. as the Philippines’ richest man as he topped the country’s list and ranked 317th among the 2,153 global billionaires on its list. The 69-year-old former politician was the first wealthiest man in the country of purely Filipino descent. Villar was among the 17…
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Soc Villegas on Tuesday, March 5, posted a video compilation of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s accusations and tirades against the church over the past two years, a day shy of the supposed start of Lenten season. In an eight-minute video posted on Facebook, Villegas showed clips of Duterte hurling vulgarity and curses towards…
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) revealed on Tuesday, March 5, that 64 out of 82 politicians in the yet-to-be-released “narcolist” are vying for reelection this upcoming midterm polls. PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino stated that the said politicians were all aiming for a local seat this election. He confirmed the number with the list…
MANILA — Hugpong ng Pagbabago head Sara Duterte-Carpio responded to criticism that their candidate Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos wasn’t honest about her supposed university degrees. “Lahat sila sinungaling. Lahat ng tao sa mundong ito [ay] sinungaling (All of them [Otso Diretso] are liars. Everyone in this world is a liar),” Duterte-Carpio told reporters covering a…
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday, March 5, countered Foreign Secretary ’s pronouncement about the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). Locsin stated “in vagueness lies the best deterrence” on the decades-old defense agreement between the Philippines and the U.S.. This was during a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday,…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, March 3, insisted on changing the name of the country but seems to have dropped his suggestion to rename it Maharlika. “Kaya sabi ng mga ano na papalitan ko, gusto kong palitan balang araw (That’s why I said I want to change it someday),” the president said as reported…
More lawmakers on Monday, March 4, expressed their disapproval on Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año’s plan to publish President Rodrigo Duterte’s list of narco-politicians. Senate President Vicente Sotto III said that the DILG must just directly contact the politicians on the list and place them under investigation instead of disclosing…
A survey released on Friday, March 1, revealed that 78 percent or almost 4 out of 5 Filipinos are worried that they, or someone they know, will be a victim of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the midst of the current administration’s war against illegal drugs. The survey, which was conducted by polling firm Social Weather…
THE number of measles cases in the Philippines has skyrocketed within the first two months of this year according to health experts and government officials. As of Saturday, March 2, the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) reported 16,349 measles cases and 261 resulting deaths since the beginning of this year. Most measles cases came from…
Malacañang on Monday, March 4, said it’s leaving the decision to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on whether to submit a diplomatic protest to stop Chinese vessels from driving away Filipinos from fishing grounds close to the Philippine-occupied Pag-asa (Thitu) Island in the South China Sea. According to presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, the government…
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines’ landmark investment deal with All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s largest airline group, was finalized this week. ANA Holdings on Thursday, February 28 completed the acquisition of a 9.5-percent stake in the operator of PAL, PAL Holdings disclosed in a stock exchange filing. The deal involved 1.1 billion shares of PAL Holdings,…
