Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – ‘Anak’, the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) answer to the question why ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines?’ bagged three awards at the inaugural YouTube Ads Awards Philippines. The minute-long ad featuring the ‘fun’ in Filipino family and hospitality was adjudged Best in Overall Performance, Creative, and Media by a six-man panel of…
Malacañang will tap a three-man panel of foreign health experts to conduct independent scientific research about Dengvaxia, the world’s first dengue vaccine, and its impact on the immunized children in the country. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said President Rodrigo Duterte seeks a more comprehensive and independent report after the conflicting reports on the matter…
AFTER two months of being on leave, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno returned to work on Wednesday, May 9, after preparations for her impeachment trial at the Senate have finally been completed. Wearing a pink belted dress, Sereno was defiant and unfazed as she went to her office amid the rumor that the majority of…
Newly-appointed Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat revealed President Rodrigo Duterte’s first instruction for her was to maintain a “no corruption” policy as she takes over the department that was recently involved in a P60-million advertising deal controversy. “My only instruction from the President when he offered it and then I accepted – he said, ‘Congratulations! All…
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Wednesday, May 9, presented to President Rodrigo Duterte the new generation currency (NGC) banknotes and coins, with the Chief Executive encouraging the public to use the new currency wisely and responsibly for national development. The BSP Monetary Board led by Gov. Nestor Espenilla Jr. presented the NGC enhanced…
President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted the resignation of Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed Tuesday, May 8. “Yes accepted,” Roque said in a text message, when asked if the president has accepted Teo’s resignation. Teo was accused of conflict of interest after state auditors found that the Department of Tourism (DOT) approved…
President Rodrigo Duterte will visit Benham Rise from May 15 to 16 and lead the commemoration of its renaming to Philippine Rise, Malacañang confirmed on on Tuesday, May 8. “The president will be commemorating the renaming of Benham Rise to Philippine Rise by visiting the Philippine Rise itself; and this is on May 15 to…
A total of 4,251 drug personalities have been killed as part of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, Philippine government officials said on Monday, May 7. The data was presented by the Philippine National Police (PNP) at its Camp Crame headquarters in Quezon City during a briefing on its #RealNumbersPH campaign. Presenting the…
Philippine and U.S. military forces began on Monday, May 7, their annual military exercises — the first and largest since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte entered office. The annual Balikatan exercises — now in its 34th year — launched in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City with around 8,000 soldiers from the two countries. Nearly 3,000 soldiers from…
The Court of Appeals (CA) reversed the ruling of the Office of the Ombudsman to dismiss and perpetually disqualify from government service former Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay, Jr. over the construction of the Makati City Hall parking building worth P2.28-billion. In a 159-page decision penned by Associate Justice Edwin Sorongon, the appellate…
The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) officially broke three Guinness World Records when it held its charity walk event that over 1.5 million members participated at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Sunday, May 6. The event, named “Worldwide walk to fight poverty,” broke the records for largest human sentence, largest charity walk at a single…
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno (who is currently on leave) is reported to be packing her things and asking Supreme Court (SC) officials to take care of her staff once she is out of office. According to The Manila Times, well-placed sources in the judiciary said six boxes of documents were brought out of the…
According to the Department of Tourism (DOT), international tourist arrivals for the first mark of 2018 breached the two million mark—reaching another milestone. DOT Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo said they already welcomed over two million foreign guests into the country in just three months compared to last year where it took until April to reach two…
DUTY FREE PHILIPPINES CORPORATION (DFPC), the sole government agency that has exclusive franchise to operate duty and tax free shops, is set to open two largest shopping outlets next month — the DFP Luxe Store and the NAIA Terminal 3 Landside Store. “We are delighted to announce our two biggest DFPC shopping destinations for our…
MANILA – Filipino religious traditions and devotional practices around this predominantly Catholic country are increasingly attracting international and domestic tourists, according to the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (PDOT). This was demonstrated recently when over 7,000 Catholic faithful joined the 4-kilometer procession from the Quirino Grandstand to San Sebastian Basilica to celebrate the 400th anniversary of…
The “Treasures of SOX” Travel and Tour Expo opened at the Glorietta Mall on May 6 featuring Region 12 – SOCCSKSARGEN’s spectrum of tourism experience, ranging from folklore to culture, ecotourism and beach parties. One of the highlights of the SOX experience for 2018 is the 12th Philippine Bird Festival (May 10-12), featuring the Baras Bird…
President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday, May 5, thanked the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for its key role in supporting projects in the country, especially in Mindanao, as he renewed his commitment to improve the plight of ordinary Filipinos through massive infrastructure development with assistance from major financial institutions and investors. In his keynote speech during…
Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday, May 3 discredited a report in which an insider was quoted saying that her lead was lessened by 21,000 votes in the ongoing poll recount by the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET). In the Philippine Star’s report, an insider said Robredo’s lead of 263,473 votes over former Senator Ferdinand…
Hundreds of thousands of years earlier than previously thought Up until now, the earliest evidence pointing to early human activity in the Philippines dated back to 67,000 years ago, when archaeologists found a single foot bone in Callao Cave in the Philippines’ northern Luzon. A new study now suggests that early humans have been on…
Malacañang on Thursday, May 3 said there is no reason for Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano to resign despite the diplomatic row between the Philippines and Kuwait. “Every Cabinet member, unless they are fired, enjoys the trust and confidence of the President,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said in a statement. In the press…
Locals and tourists will soon experience a faster and seamless travel in Pangasinan as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) aims to complete the construction of a new by-pass road for Urdaneta City in 2019. In his report to DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar, DPWH Region I Director Ronnel M. Tan said that…
DAVAO CITY – The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) on Thursday, May 3, launched a media hub which aims to strengthen its communication services in Mindanao. The launching of the Mindanao Media Hub was led by PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar along with Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go, who delivered a message during…
AN organizer of the 2016 Miss Universe in the Philippines shared that the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) has approached them again for a possible restaging of the beauty pageant’s 2018 edition in the country. Requesting to be anonymous as he is representing a private company that helped stage Miss Universe 2016 in the country, the…
Six-month closure of world-famous island begins The Philippine government has allotted P448 million in assistance for workers affected by the temporary closure of Boracay island. In a statement on Friday, April 27, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the funds will be used for “emergency employment, livelihood, and training programs for the 6-month…
BORACAY, AKLAN – On the first day of the Boracay rehabilitation, the Department of Tourism (DOT) led the first wave of clean-up drive along the stretch of Bulabog Beach as part of #SaveBoracay rehabilitation efforts. More than 200 volunteers arrive from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)’s Environmental Management Bureau, the Department…
Malacañang on Friday, April 27, thanked Filipinos for their confidence in President Rodrigo Duterte’s leadership. This comes after the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing a majority of Filipinos continue to trust the president despite the “unending criticisms and attacks” against him. Based on the poll, three in every four — or 76 percent…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte assured the public that the government will seize all opportunities to uphold and protect the rights of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). “Rest assured that your government will take every opportunity [and] use every available venue to uphold and protect the rights of our countrymen working abroad,” Duterte said on Thursday, April…
Malacañang has defended the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) order on Australian Catholic nun Patricia Fox to leave the Philippines after it canceled her missionary visa. “We stand by the Bureau of Immigration’s order to forfeit Sister Patricia Fox‘s privilege of holding a missionary visa and to leave the Philippines,” Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has placed Boracay under state of calamity on Thursday, April 26, the same day when the island’s six-month closure begun. Duterte has signed Proclamation No. 475, declaring barangays Balabag, Manoc-Manoc, and Yapak in Malay town under a state of calamity “until lifted by the president, notwithstanding the lapse of the six-month…
