Rizal’s relatives thank Pinoys for still honoring his martyrdom
The descendants of Saturnina and Maria, sisters of the country’s national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, on Monday joined the national and local government officials in commemorating the 123rd anniversary of Rizal’s martyrdom.
Philippine News Agency

Emulate Rizal, Duterte exhorts Filipino youth
President Duterte, who led the 123rd anniversary commemoration of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal at the Rizal Park in Davao City on Monday, wishes that the national hero’s shining example be emulated by the youth.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency

Duterte: Keep embers of nationalism alive
President Duterte expressed hope that Filipinos would keep the embers of nationalism alive as they face challenges and triumph just like what Dr. Jose Rizal did over a century ago.
Manila Bulletin

PRRD leads Rizal Day rites in Davao City
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte led the commemorative rites for the 123rd anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal at the Rizal Park in Davao City on Monday.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency

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Duterte OKs Kaliwa Dam project
“Go ahead.” President Duterte green-lit the construction of the China-funded New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam, saying the structure would be the last resort for Metro Manila to have water.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine Star

Duterte warns water concessionaires anew
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday warned the owners of the two big water concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water that he will have them arrested for plunder and syndicated estafa if they will continue to threaten to cut water supply in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
Manila Bulletin, Business Mirror

PNoy exec behind faulty water deals -- PRRD
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday faulted Manila Water President Jose Rene Almendras “and other Malacañang employees” for the “disadvantageous” water concession contract that the government signed with the company and the Pangilinan-led Maynilad.
Philippine News Agency

Duterte should also get tough on abusive power players – Zarate
For 2020, Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Carlos Zarate wants to see President Rodrigo Duterte do one thing: give abusive players in the power sector the same treatment he gave to water concessionaires.
Manila Bulletin

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Duterte tells ABS-CBN owners to sell network
With three months left before the franchise of local broadcast network ABS-CBN expires, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday advised owners of the TV giant to just sell the network.
Philippine News Agency

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Duterte asks God for fatal aneurysm after presidency
President Rodrigo Duterte said that he had asked God to take his life shortly after his presidency ends in 2022. “Actually, ako ba sabi ko sa Diyos pagkatapos ko na Presidente, 74 ako ngayon so I will be around 77 by then, sabi ko sa kanya ‘wag mo na akong patagalin,” Duterte said in his speech during his visit to earthquake victims in North Cotabato.
GMA News

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PRRD aids quake victims in NoCot
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday morning distributed food aid and financial assistance to earthquake victims here and in other parts of North Cotabato.
Philippine News Agency

Duterte calls on North Cotabato tremor victims to carry on
President Rodrigo Duterte urged residents of North Cotabato towns devastated by earthquakes from between October 16 to December 15 to carry on and assured them of Malacañang’s rehabilitation support.
NDBC News

Catamco lauds Duterte for his visit and aid to quake victims
Provincial Governor Nancy Catamco today pushes for the continuing assessments of damaged and determining safer places for relocation to ensure public safety as part of the rebuilding efforts of her administration and sought Pres. Duterte's help.
NDBC News

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

Robredo says Filipinos should emulate Rizal as ‘symbol of reform’
Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday said that Filipinos should emulate Dr. Jose Rizal, who she extolled as a symbol of reform in the country, as the nation marked the 123rd death anniversary of the Philippine hero.
Manila Bulletin

YEAR-ENDER: 2019: A good and challenging year for VP
Vice President Leni Robredo had her fair share of successes and failures in 2019, but on balance, it was a good yet challenging year after she survived the political storm. Above all, her most notable victory was when she won as vice president—twice.
Manila Bulletin

ELECTION RELATED

'Credible polls amid problems': Comelec ends 2019 on a high note
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) described 2019 as another successful election year. According to Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez, the midterm polls conducted in May was considered as one of the most credible elections in the country's history.
Philippine News Agency

DISASTER

‘Ursula’ wipes out nearly P1-billion worth of farm products
Typhoon Ursula, the second typhoon to hit the country this month, wiped out as much as P1 billion worth of farm products.
Manila Bulletin

PCSO gives nearly P6 million in assistance to 21 calamity-stricken Cagayan towns
Nearly P6 million in calamity assistance was given by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to 21 typhoon-devastated municipalities in Cagayan.
Manila Bulletin

Drilon saddened by devastation endured by ‘Ursula’ victims in Iloilo, Aklan, Capiz
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Monday expressed sympathies for the residents displaced by typhoon Ursula that hit the Visayas provinces on Christmas Day.
Manila Bulletin

4K Ursula-affected households in Malay town to get aid
Around 4,000 households devastated by Typhoon Ursula (international name Phanfone) in Malay town, Aklan will receive financial assistance for rehabilitation and recovery, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of Malay confirmed on Monday.
Philippine News Agency

MINDANAO

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

JUDICIARY

A busy year for the judiciary
It was a busy year for the Supreme Court and the Department of Justice (DoJ). The conviction and acquittal of dozens charged in the Maguindanao massacre case, the controversial implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance and the appointment of a new chief justice were some of the stories that made headlines in 2019.
The Manila Times

LEGISLATIVE

Senate of the Philippines

Senate panel recommends passage of bill seeking to improve PH bamboo industry
A Senate panel has recommended the passage of the bill seeking to further develop the country’s bamboo industry.
Manila Bulletin

LP inspired ‘to follow in Rizal’s footsteps’
The opposition Liberal Party (LP) said on Monday it stands as one in celebrating the heroism of Gat Jose Rizal, who throughout his life worked to lift up the condition of Filipinos and his country under siege.
Manila Bulletin

House of Representatives

Bill granting insurance coverage for CARP beneficiaries endorsed to House plenary
The House Committee on Agrarian Reform has endorsed for plenary deliberation and approval a bill granting full insurance coverage to all qualified agrarian reform beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
Manila Bulletin

House panel on civil service, professional regulation lays out 2020 targets
The House Committee on Civil Service and Professional Regulation is set to get busy this 2020. Its chairman, Iligan City lone district Rep. Frederick Siao, laid out on Monday the target activities of the panel once the House of Representatives resumes work next month.
Manila Bulletin

Solon wants elderly to be granted discounts of as much as 50 percent
Senior Citizens partylist Rep. Francisco Datol Jr. is seeking to amend the country’s Expanded Senior Citizens’ Law to grant the elderly graduated discount of up to 50 percent, especially for those who have reached 90 years old or over.
Manila Bulletin

BUDGET, FINANCE, and TAXATION

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)

QC, DILG install 1,500 CCTV cameras
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has partnered with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in the installation of 1,500 high definition closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in a bid to step up the security measures in the locality.
Manila Bulletin

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

BJMP celebrates ‘remarkable’ year marked by improved conditions for inmates
In what it described as a remarkable 2019, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said it made significant strides in its efforts to improve the jail system, indicated by an increase in the number of persons deprived of liberty (PDL) who benefited from the agency’s welfare and development programs.
Manila Bulletin

Russia seeking transfer of sentenced persons agreement with PH – DOJ
Russia has sought to forge with the Philippines a transfer of sentenced persons agreement (TSPA), the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
Manila Bulletin

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

Terrorists, sea row threats to security in 2019
THE Philippines faced major security challenges in 2019 — terrorism, the South China Sea dispute, and insurgency. The year started literally with a bang with a series of suicide bombings in Sulu.
The Manila Times

Great strides made in improving PH peace, stability: Lorenzana
With 2019 coming to a close, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the department and its attached agencies, made excellent strides in improving the country's peace and stability.
Philippine News Agency

Cop, soldiers, 15 others arrested for indiscriminate firing
At least 18 people, including a policeman and two soldiers, were arrested as the police stepped up its operation against illegal discharge of firearms as part of the security and public safety measure for the New Year revelry.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency

Armed Forces of the Philippines

‘Every soldier, airman, sailor, marine emulates Rizal’s selfless duty to country, people’  – AFP
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) paid homage to Dr. Jose Rizal on the occasion of the national hero’s 123rd death anniversary on Monday. Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, said Rizal epitomizes the core values of the military which are honor, service and patriotism.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency

Philippine National Police

Duterte taps Año to lead, fix PNP
President Duterte said he has tasked Interior Secretary Eduardo Año to lead and fix the Philippine National Police (PNP), saying he still cannot choose who would head the organization.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency

Año says he’s ready to supervise PNP until Duterte finds next chief
Interior secretary Eduardo Año on Monday said he was ready to supervise the Philippine National Police until President Rodrigo Duterte appoints the next PNP chief.
GMA News

Police tighten watch on illegal firecrackers; checkpoints intensified
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has intensified the conduct of checkpoints around the country to prevent the transport of illegal firecrackers and pyrotechnic materials that may be used during the New Year’s Eve revelry.
Manila Bulletin

ECONOMY AND INVESTMENTS

The 2010s is the most prosperous the Philippine economy has ever been
Here’s one great reason to toast the decade that’s about to end: It’s the most prosperous the Philippine economy has ever been. Growth in gross domestic product (GDP), noted the economist Arsenio Balisacan, averaged 6.3 percent in the 2010s, the fastest since the 1960s. Without adjusting for inflation, the economy is now more than twice as big, at about P19 trillion, compared with P9 trillion in 2010.
ABS-CBN News

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD and PUBLIC WORKS

2019: Year of robust infra development
Things seem to be looking up for the Department of Transportation (DOTr) as it continues to push the infrastructure agenda of the Duterte administration this 2019 and several more in the pipeline.
Philippine News Agency

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

AUDIT, GRAFT, AND CORRUPTION

YEAR-ENDER: Marcos family scores major victories, suffer minor losses in 2019
As another decade comes to a close, it seems like the Marcos family and their cronies managed to shrug off several of their civil cases filed before different divisions of the Sandiganbayan.
Manila Bulletin

Iloilo mayor elevates graft conviction to SC
After he was convicted by the Sandiganbayan Special Sixth Division of his two graft charges, Dingle Mayor Rufino Pablo Palabrica III of Iloilo decided to elevate the case to the Supreme Court.
Manila Bulletin

FOREIGN RELATIONS  

DFA condoles with families of OFWs who died in Singapore car accident
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday condoled with the families of two Filipinos who died in a car accident outside a mall in Singapore on Sunday.
Manila Bulletin

17 Pinoys flee after armed men stormed their home in Libya
Seventeen Filipinos, including five minors, fled to safer area after armed men stormed the residential building they were staying in at Salahuddin, the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli reported Monday.
Philippine News Agency

West Philippine Sea

LABOR

TRANSPORTATION

Heightened security in place at airport terminals, ports, bus terminals and train station
The Office for Transportation Security (OTS) had conducted an inspection of seven international and 20 domestic airports, five international and 10 domestic ports; 13 bus terminals in the National Capital Region; and various train stations of the Philippine National Railways (PNR), Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) on their compliance with enhanced security measures during the holiday season.
Manila Bulletin

HEALTH

Fireworks-related injuries at 54 two days before New Year
A day before the New Year’s Eve revelry, eight more fireworks-related injuries were reported, bringing the total number of injured revelers to 54.
Manila Bulletin

DOH issues memes on proper New Year’s eve revelry
The Department of Health (DOH) reminded the public through a meme to take precautions during the celebration of  New Year’s eve,  Dec. 31. A meme is a humorous image or piece of text that is copied and spread by internet users, according to the Oxford dictionary.
Manila Bulletin

Red Cross: Don’t waste money on fireworks
Philippine Red Cross (PRC) chairman Richard Gordon urged the public not to waste their money buying fireworks to celebrate New Year, and said smoke emitted by firecrackers poses health hazards particularly to individuals suffering from asthma.
Manila Bulletin

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DOST establishes ‘Tuklas Lunas’ program to produce affordable, homegrown medicine
In pursuit of lower cost of medicines, and access to reliable healthcare solutions, the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) established the Tuklas Lunas Program, which aims to produce reliable and affordable medicines sourced from our very own biodiversity.
Manila Bulletin

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DOJ hopes to release resolution on 2nd batch of Dengvaxia in January
The Department of Justice (DOJ) will hopefully release this January the resolution of the second batch of complaints concerning the liability of those in the deaths of children who received shots of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.
Manila Bulletin

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

Solon hails gov’t approval of biosafety permit for GR2E Golden Rice
AAMBIS-OWA Party-list Rep. Sharon Garin described on Monday the government’s approval of the biosafety permit for GR2E Golden Rice as “a victory for all Filipinos”, even as she called on House leadership to prioritize the passage of a bill seeking to eliminate the regulatory complications hampering the commercial release of biotechnology products.
Manila Bulletin

DA awards top tobacco growers, unfurls plan to develop industry
Agriculture Secretary William Dar planning to enhance the country’s tobacco industry through farm mechanization and the implementation of modernized tobacco farming technology.
Manila Bulletin

Addressing poverty of coconut farmers Part 2
Bright prospects face the coconut industry that is slowly diversifying into higher-value export products. There are opportunities to invest more on Research and Development on the various uses of coconut-based products and by-products that have medicinal, dietary, agro-ecological and bio-energy uses which will enable the industry to diversify revenue streams along the coconut value chain away from the dominant and traditional crude coconut oil. 
Manila Bulletin

EDUCATION

Gatchalian bats for math and science high schools in provinces
Noting how Filipino high school students scored low in math and science in a recent global survey, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian renewed his call for the establishment of a public math and science high school in every province.
Manila Bulletin

More students to benefit from increased access to higher education
In line with the government’s efforts to provide assistance to deserving Filipino students who wish to complete their tertiary education, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) signed agreements with its partners to strengthen the implementation of the free higher education law.
Manila Bulletin

ENERGY

Diesel price hike likely to reach P7 – Makabayan solons
A P7 hike in diesel price will dampen hopes for a happy new year in the country as the implementation of the third tranche of the increase in excise tax under the Tax Reform for Acceleration Law (TRAIN) is set to start Wednesday, January 1.
Manila Bulletin

POVERTY

SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

HOUSING

TOURISM

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

DENR laments huge amount of garbage left be revelers at Rizal Park on Christmas Day
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Monday expressed dismay over the tons of garbage left behind at Rizal Park on Christmas Day.
Manila Bulletin

SoCot shuts down 8 illegal mine tunnels in Tboli
The provincial government of South Cotabato has closed down eight mine tunnels in a gold rush site in Tboli town that were reportedly operating illegally.
Philippine News Agency

Water crisis

INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY  

Cyber security team warns against opening suspicious holiday greeting on FB messenger
The Cyber Security Philippines-CERT warned Filipinos on Monday against opening suspicious greetings on Facebook messenger this holiday season.
Manila Bulletin