Covering the week’s most noteworthy news stories in the Philippines for the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
All Filipino citizens are allowed to return to the Philippines, but foreign nationals are still temporarily barred starting March 22. This update comes after the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF COVID-19) issued a Memorandum Circular on Friday, March 19 to further clarify the temporary suspension of travel into the Philippines. Filipino citizens, whether a…
PHILIPPINE Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar has rejected the findings of international watchdog Investigate PH on the country’s human rights situation, calling them “malicious.” “We strongly disagree with the malicious report by Investigate PH on the human rights situation, and the policies and programs of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his administration,” he…
To support the efforts of local government in curbing the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) is adjusting visiting hours to Rizal Park and Paco Park. Starting Friday, March 19, 2021 and effective until further notice, both parks will limit operating hours from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00…
IN an attempt to curb the rising cases of COVID-19 and its variants in the country, the Philippine government is temporarily barring the entry of foreign nationals and Filipinos. The National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF COVID-19) on Tuesday, March 16, released a memorandum announcing that the travel ban would start on Saturday, March 20,…
THE human rights situation in the Philippines has gotten worse since last year, according to international rights watchdog Investigate PH. In a 198-page report submitted to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Tuesday, March 16, Investigate PH found that there is a “deepening human rights crisis in the…
A NEW COVID-19 variant called P.3 has been found in the Philippines, the country’s Department of Health (DOH) confirmed Saturday, March 13. “The (Philippine Genome Center) previously detected 85 cases with a unique set of mutations, including both E484K and N501Y mutations. Upon verification with the Phylogenetic Assignment of Named Global Outbreak Lineages (PANGOLIN), the…
ON top of its general community quarantine status, Metro Manila has implemented a curfew until the end of March in an effort to curb the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the capital region. The curfew, which took effect on Monday, March 15, will be observed daily from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. It will…
POPE Francis on Sunday, March 14 led a Holy Mass commemorating the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. Held at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Mass was attended by several members of the Filipino Church including Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and Cardinal Angelo De…
SUPPORTERS of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte are urging him to run for the second-highest post in the country in the 2022 elections. Several members of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) partylist have signed a resolution urging Duterte to seek the vice presidency. “It is recognized by leaders and members that with President Duterte’s…
THE United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd), have signed a new, P4.8 billion assistance agreement to improve basic education outcomes in the Philippines. The five-year bilateral agreement will deepen the commitment between the USAID and DepEd to help children and out-of-school youth acquire the…
IMPUNITY has no place in the administration of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang reiterated on Thursday, March 11. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement after the United Nations condemned the killing of nine activists in the Calabarzon region by state forces targeting suspected insurgents. “Sa UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at iba pang…
FILIPINOS are prohibited from showing public displays of affection following the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the Philippines. The new rules from the Philippine National Police (PNP) will cover kissing, embracing, and even holding hands in public. The PNP is intensifying efforts in enforcing public health safety protocols to prevent the further spread of…
THE United Nations has condemned the killing of nine activists in Calabarzon region by the Philippine police targeting suspected insurgents. “We are appalled by the apparently arbitrary killing of nine activists in simultaneous police-military operations in Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal provinces surrounding Metro Manila,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said…
SOME 117,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in the Philippines next month, according to National Task Force Deputy Chief Implementer and Testing Czar Vince Dizon. The batch of Pfizer jabs is under the COVAX Facility, a global initiative from the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to ensure fair and equitable access to…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, March 4 personally welcomed the arrival of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX facility. The KLM commercial flight carrying 487,200 doses of the British-made vaccine landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at around 7:20 p.m. The shipment was then transported to the Villamor Air Base for the welcoming…
Here’s the complete list of “Jubilee Churches” for the 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines Diocese of Alaminos 1. St. James the Great Parish (Bolinao, Pangasinan) 2. St. Joseph, the Patriarch Cathedral Parish (Alaminos City, Pangasinan) 3. Our Lady of Lourdes Parish (Bugallon, Pangasinan) 4. St. Isidore, the Farmer Parish (Burgos, Pangasinan) Diocese of…
THE Philippines received on Thursday, March 4 the first shipment of 487,200 COVID-19 vaccines developed by British-Swede drugmaker AstraZeneca. According Philippine vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., the decrease in the 525,600 doses that the Palace initially gave was because of cargo limitations, as the vaccines will be delivered using a commercial flight. “This is a…
GOOGLE is celebrating the 142nd birthday of Rosa Sevilla de Alvero, a women’s activist who fought for the suffrage of Filipinas, with a doodle on its Philippine homepage. The March 4 doodle features an illustration of de Alvero in a Maria Clara dress casting her vote in a ballot box, with the arms of other…
THE year 2020 gave us some seldom-used words such as pandemic, COVID-19, face masks, Pfizer, Moderna, vaccination and social distancing. Despite the pandemic, the Batangas City Sto. Niño Devotees Association saw to it to dedicate a day of prayer to the Sto, Niño to commemorate the annual 42nd Sto. Niño Fiesta on January 16, 2021 at the…
AFTER being delayed for weeks, the Philippines has finally kicked-off its vaccination drive against COVID-19 this week. The first dose of Sinovac Biotech’s “CoronaVac” vaccine from China was administered to University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo Legaspi on Monday, March 1, making him the first person in the country to officially receive the…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is threatening to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) anew if he finds “hard information” that the United States has stored nuclear weapons in the country. “I am warning you that if I get hold of a hard information that nuclear armaments are here brought by you, I will immediately ask…
Filipino health care workers are not “commodities” that can be traded in exchange for COVID-19 vaccines, an official from the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) clarified. DOLE public information head Rolly Francia on Wednesday, February 24, said that the agency wanted to ensure that the Filipino health care workers who will be deployed…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte is turning to the public as he remains undecided on what to do with the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). In a public address aired Wednesday night, February 24, he admitted that he doesn’t know whether to renew or abrogate the agreement with the United States, adding that he wants to hear…
THE Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is under fire after one of its officials said that the agency is open to lifting the cap on the deployment of Filipino health care workers in exchange for COVID-19 vaccines from the United Kingdom and Germany. International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) director Alice Visperas on Monday,…
CARDINAL Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, has been appointed by Pope Francis as a member of a powerful body that acts as the Vatican’s “central bank.” Tagle was appointed as a member of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), which acts as the equivalent…
PASIG City Mayor Victor “Vico” Sotto is one of the 12 individuals recognized by the United States Department of State as an international anti-corruption champion. The Biden administration launched the International Anticorruption Champions Award to recognize individuals who have worked to defend transparency, combat corruption, and ensure accountability in their own countries, U.S. Secretary of…
SAN JUAN, SIQUIJOR — Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat yesterday (24 February) traveled to Siquijor, as part of the ongoing efforts to assist in the safe reopening of tourist destinations in the new normal. Puyat emphasized the DOT’s thrust to strengthen domestic tourism this year, adding that the department will support Siquijor after…
THE Philippines will not be placed in the least restrictive quarantine tier until the government kicks off its national vaccine rollout, Malacañang said Monday, February 22. “President Rodrigo Roa Duterte gave his directive to the Cabinet that the Philippines would not be placed under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) unless there is a rollout of…
THE Philippines has the most number of women holding senior leadership positions in mid-market businesses among 29 other economies, according to a new report. Grant Thornton’s annual Women in Business report found that Filipino women hold 48% of senior corporate positions in the country, which is five points higher than the 43% in 2020 when…
DESPITE having the second-highest count of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia, the Philippines has not vaccinated any health care workers, according to a recent report by the National Public Radio (NPR). In its article released on Thursday, February 18, it noted that “not a single health worker in the Philippines has been vaccinated” this week….
