Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
Two in three Filipinos are not in favor of the current administration’s moves to change the 1987 Constitution, a Pulse Asia survey released Monday, July 16, revealed. Pulse Asia’s June 2018 National Survey on Charter Change, taken from June 15 to June 21, showed that 67 percent of Filipinos were against Charter change. Out of…
Former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Tuesday, July 17, was reprimanded by the Supreme Court (SC) for the public statements she issued earlier on the quo warranto case. Justices of the high court voted unanimously to cite Sereno in contempt and penalize her with a “reprimand” that also carries a warning of harsher punishment…
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, July 17, led the groundbreaking ceremony of two China-funded bridges with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua and other officials in Intramuros, Manila. The projects cost over P5 billion, but the country is not expected to spend on having the bridges built as the grants are coming from China….
The government is planning to control the number of tourists that can visit Boracay, although the inter-agency task force overseeing the ongoing rehabilitation of the island has not yet determined the number of people that would be allowed once it reopens in October. This was revealed on Monday, July 16, when an official of the…
Two in three Filipinos are not in favor of the current administration’s moves to change the 1987 Constitution, a Pulse Asia survey released Monday, July 16, revealed. Pulse Asia’s June 2018 National Survey on Charter Change, taken from June 15 to June 21, showed that 67 percent of Filipinos were against Charter change. Out of…
by Rae Ann Varona AJPress Four local officials in the Philippines were killed in a time span of less than two weeks, fueling concerns that the administration’s anti-drug campaign has been emboldening some people to carry out killings. Al Rashid Mohammad Ali, vice mayor of Sapa-Sapa in Mindanao’s Tawi-Tawi province, was shot and killed by…
by Ritchel Mendiola AJPress President Rodrigo Duterte was unfazed when a new survey revealed that his satisfaction rating dropped to a new low in the second quarter of 2018. The nationwide survey was conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) from June 27 to 30. It showed 65 percent of adult Filipinos are satisfied and…
Panglao Island, July 14, 2018 – BE Grand Resort, a luxury resort in Brgy. Danao, Panglao Island, ditches the use of plastic straws in all of their five (5) restaurants and bars. The effects of single-use plastic to the environment are rising at an alarming rate and it’s not a secret that Bohol is still…
MANILA, July 13, 2018 – The World Bank maintains its 6.7 percent growth forecast for 2018 and 2019 despite rising global uncertainty. Considering recent economic data, the composition of expected growth was revised as compared to the April edition of the World Bank Philippines Economic Update. Given recent fiscal trends, government consumption growth was revised…
The Universal Healthcare (UHC) Bill was certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, July 9. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte arrived at the decision during a cabinet meeting in Malacañang. The Senate and House of Representatives can only vote on the third and final reading on any bill that they have passed…
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday, July 10, gave President Rodrigo Duterte a high grade on his war on illegal drugs. “I would give him about 8.5. A lot more has to be done,” Roque told reporters in Cavite when he was asked to give his rating regarding the government’s war on drugs. According to…
The “just share” of local government units (LGUs), also known as Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), will now be sourced from all national taxes and not just from national internal revenue taxes collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) following the Supreme Court’s ruling. Voting 10-3 during its weekly full-court session on Tuesday, July 10,…
Possible free trade agreement discussions not needed to be ‘fast-tracked’ The Trump administration imposed its first wave of tariffs against China less than a week ago after confirming that the U.S. would start collecting tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods. Another $16 billion worth of tariffs are expected to follow. Describing the U.S.’…
The president will reject the possibility for a term extension, acknowledging the possibility of a truncated three-year presidential term to end in 2019 Amid considering a possible presidential term extension, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte wants the leader of the federal transition government to be an elected official, Malacañang confirmed on Monday, July 9. The Consultative…
After U.S. President Donald Trump’s historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last month, could a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte be next? United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim this week said the U.S. government is set on facilitating Duterte’s visit to Washington. “As you know, President Trump has already invited…
An American missionary was deported back to the United States from the Philippines on Wednesday, July 4, for allegedly engaging in “political activities.” Adam Thomas Shaw, an American missionary of the United Methodist Church, took a flight to the U.S. on Wednesday morning, July 4, according to the Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI). Shaw was…
TWO Philippine mayors were killed in separate back-to-back shootings within two days, fueling more fears in the country as it deals with the publicized problem of extrajudicial killings stemming from the administration’s war on drugs. One of the mayors was previously said to be linked to illegal drugs. Mayor Ferdinand Bote, 57, of northern General…
One of the main factors for the 25 percent decline in Metro Manila’s crime rate in the first half of 2018 is the government’s war on drugs, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) cited. Metro crime incidence has been reduced under the government’s Oplan Tokhang, an anti-illegal drugs campaign spearheaded by the Philippine National…
President Rodrigo Duterte’s 22-member Consultative Committee (Con-com) approved the final draft of the proposed federal Constitution on Tuesday, July 3, after nearly five months of deliberation. The final draft was unanimously approved by the Con-com after former Senate President Nene Pimentel moved to approve it. Pimentel’s motion was unopposed. “The Con-com hopes to submit the…
President Rodrigo Duterte’s first two years in office have been “generally fruitful,” according to Malacañang. It cited the administration’s reported successes in its war on drugs, the economy, and the improvement of government services as some of the promises that Duterte fulfilled. Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a statement on Sunday, July 1,…
TOKYO, JAPAN – “As we face the next half of 2018, we look forward with excitement to hitting a new high in Japanese tourism arrivals by breaching the 600,000 mark,” said Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat during the recent Philippine Business Mission (PBM) to Japan. Puyat said Japan produced a total of 584,180 visitors to the country last…
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Tuesday, July 3, highlighted the importance of investing in strategies and technologies in order to allow government forces to perform their duties effectively. The President graced the founding anniversary of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City and congratulated them for their 71 years…
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) filed graft and administrative charges against Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores, Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling, and 15 other municipal officials on Wednesday, June 27, for neglect of duty that turned Boracay into what President Rodrigo Duterte described as a “cesspool.” Other provincial officials facing charges are Penro…
The Philippine economy is “bound to be one of the fastest, if not the fastest-growing economy in the fastest-growing region in the world,” Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Wednesday, June 27. He disputed President Rodrigo Duterte’s remark that the country’s economy is “in the doldrums” and pointed out that economic data showed that the…
Officials of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have agreed to set up a meeting so they can discuss the rules of the police’s campaign against loiterers who are violating city ordinances and other laws. Appearing as a guest on “The Chiefs,” a program over One News on Cignal…
Malacañang on Monday, June 25, said it was former President Benigno Aquino III’s administration that first militarized the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), which led to the heightened Chinese presence in the disputed waters. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr., in a news briefing in Cagayan de Oro City, mentioned the decision of President Rodrigo…
GOVERNMENT lawyers remained steadfast in their opposition to the petition seeking to legalize same-sex marriage in the Philippines. According to Solicitor General Jose Calida, the petition should be dismissed due to lack of merit. “Same-sex couples can live happily together but they cannot demand that the state recognize same-sex marriages because the Constitution doesn’t allow…
President Rodrigo Duterte, on Monday, June 25, remained resolute in his belief that God is “stupid” but clarified that he was insulting the God of his critics. “Your God is not my God because your God is stupid,” Duterte said during oath-taking ceremonies for village officials in Cagayan de Oro City. “Mine has a lot…
Malacañang said on Monday, June 25, that it would not support the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) proposal to make drug tests mandatory for students as young as 10 years old, siding with the Department of Education’s (DepEd) stance that such testings are unconstitutional. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said that no mandatory drug tests would…
FORMER Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio “Jun” Abaya and 16 others has been charged by the office of the Ombudsman with graft and corruption before the Sandiganbayan, citing anomalies in the 2016 maintenance contract for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) in which the government stood to lose more than P4 billion. According to investigators,…
