Duterte’s frenemy always within reach, he says
Whether he is in or outside the halls of Malacañang, President Duterte has a frenemy lurking nearby. The President recently bared that he considers his personal nurse his “friend and enemy” who he wants to kill but could not.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

Duterte to officials: Use logbooks to keep track of papers
Cabinet members and other heads of government agencies will be required to use a logbook to record all transactions amid plans to “audit” their performance, President Duterte announced last Tuesday.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

Duterte vows to go after Drilon if he was involved in onerous water deal
President Duterte expressed hope that Senator Franklin Drilon really had nothing to do with the crafting of the onerous water deals between the government and distribution companies Maynilad and Manila Water because he will really go after him if he was involved in it.
Manila Bulletin

Gov’t seeks ADB help on new water concession contracts
Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said on Wednesday, January 15, that the government is seeking the assistance of consultants from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the economic and financial aspects of the proposed new contracts with water concessionaries Manila Water Co. Inc. and Maynilad Water Services, Inc.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

Duterte mulls covert military ops in Quezon province
President Duterte is mulling on authorizing covert military operations to address the peace and order concerns, particularly the rape incidents, in Quezon province.
Manila Bulletin

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

Safe centers for animals, pets proposed by VP
An evacuation center for animals and pets is being proposed by Vice President Leni Robredo to local government units (LGUs) to prevent residents affected by Taal Volcano eruption from returning to their homes.
Manila Bulletin

Leni satisfied with LGU evacuation efforts in two eruption-hit towns
Vice President Leni Robredo is satisfied with the response of local government units (LGUs) in handling the evacuation of the affected residents to safer ground in the wake of the Taal Volcano eruption.
Manila Bulletin

ELECTION RELATED

DISASTER

Phivolcs: don’t be deceived by ‘calm’ Taal; tremors point to magma activity under surface
State volcanologists warned the public not to be confused by the weaker activity seen in the surface crater of Taal Volcano, noting that frequent tremors and fissures near Taal signify continuous magma movement underneath.
Manila Bulletin

Phivolcs: Taal’s main crater lake drained by volcanic activity
Taal Volcano’s Main Crater Lake has dried up on the fourth day of its eruption activity, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
Manila Bulletin

Phivolcs explains science behind Taal Volcano eruption
Taal Volcano continued to spew volcanic ash and lava fountains days after it erupted on Sunday, causing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes as precaution for an imminent “hazardous eruption.”
Manila Bulletin

Gov’t not ‘caught off guard’ by Taal Volcano’s eruption
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) denied that it failed to inform the public about Taal Volcano’s imminent eruption.
Philippine News Agency

Homes should be checked for damage – Phivolcs
Residents of towns close to Taal Volcano shouldn’t assume that it’s safe to go back to their respective homes just because there’s no major eruption yet.
Manila Bulletin

Portion of Pansipit River in Taal dries up; Phivolcs explains why
Fear gripped residents here after part of a major river system that runs in this town suddenly dried up early Wednesday morning, triggering speculations that Taal Volcano is gathering strength for a more destructive eruption.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

12 towns, 2 cities in Batangas under mandatory evacuation
The local government units (LGU) of 12 towns and 2 cities in Batangas province were advised to immediately conduct mandatory evacuation as the areas are now all susceptible to ballistic projectiles, base surges, and volcanic tsunami according to state volcanologists.
Manila Bulletin

Volcano’s island strictly off limits to all — DILG
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has stressed that Taal Volcano Island which stands at the center of Taal Lake “is strictly off limits to any and all persons’’.
Manila Bulletin

Coast Guard, Batangas police bar residents from eruption-affected areas
The authorities barred residents and other people from returning to their homes on Taal Island and heavily affected towns on Wednesday following the volcanic eruption.
Manila Bulletin

Taal Volcano eruption already causing swath of destruction
Tubs of fishes turned up dead. Animals covered by ashes were found dead. Some areas were placed on lockdown, while a river went dry. Several roads cracked while many houses were damaged.
Manila Bulletin

Batangas starts massive rescue of animals in danger zones
Authorities here will launch a massive rescue of animals in the Taal volcano eruption- affected areas starting Thursday amid appeals to include thousands of animals in the evacuation process.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

DOH orders price freeze on basic essential medicines in Taal eruption-affected areas
A price freeze on basic essential medicines in areas affected by the Taal Volcano eruption was ordered by the Department of Health (DOH) Wednesday.
Manila Bulletin

Over 7 M students affected by Taal eruption, says DepEd
The number of students affected by Taal Volcano’s eruption in four regions has soared to more than 7 million, enrolled in  7,542 schools.
Manila Bulletin

Damage to crops, livestock at P600M; gov’t aid listed
Nearly P600 million worth of crops and livestock have been damaged in the eruption of Taal Volcano, mostly fruits and vegetables in affected provinces, a Department of Agriculture (DA) official said on Wednesday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

DA crafts comprehensive rehab plan for farmers, fishers affected by Taal eruption
The Department of Agriculture’s (DA) bureaus and attached agencies have crafted a comprehensive rehabilitation plan that includes appropriate measures and interventions for immediate implementation once farming and fishing activities in volcanic eruption-affected communities are safe to resume.
Manila Bulletin

Año orders BFP to use all its resources to clear eruption-affected roads
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo M. Año has ordered on Wednesday the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to use all its resources in clearing all roads affected by the Taal Volcano eruption.
Manila Bulletin

Looting incidents noted in Taal-hit areas — military
Hunger knows no law. This was proven true by authorities as several looting incidents were reported in areas affected by the on-going eruption of Taal volcano, a military official confirmed Wednesday.
Manila Bulletin

PNP says no report of looting in areas hit by Taal eruption
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday said no looting incidents and other related crimes were reported at the height of Taal Volcano's unrest since Sunday.
Philippine News Agency

--------------------------------------

Sotto on proposed House probe into Phivolcs: Let’s not look for someone to blame, it’s a natural calamity
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) should be spared from any blame following the eruption of Taal Volcano which displaced thousands of residents in southern Luzon.
Manila Bulletin

Sotto hits back at detractors of ‘cloud-seeding’ plan
Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Tuesday hit back at those criticizing his cloud seeding proposal to wash away the ashes spewed by Taal Volcano.
Manila Bulletin

Tolentino airs fears for downtrend of tourism, economy in areas impacted by Taal
Senator Francis Tolentino raised concerns about the impact of Taal Volcano’s continued unrest on the economy of Tagaytay City, as well as other cities and provinces in the south Luzon region.
Manila Bulletin

Sen. Binay calls for 6 to 12 months moratorium on GSIS, SSS, Pag-Ibig payments in Taal-affected areas
Sen. Nancy Binay on Wednesday urged the Government Services Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), and other state financial agencies to impose a six months to one-year loan payment moratorium for those affected by the ongoing eruption of Taal Volcano.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

Gov’t taps P6.8B budget for disaster response to aid Taal victims
The “fist-responder” government agencies have around P6.8 billion for disaster response in this year’s national budget that can be tapped for the Taal Volcano relief efforts, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said on Tuesday.
Manila Bulletin

DOLE releases P72.3 million for Taal assistance; CBCP requests donations for eruption victims
Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III has ordered the release of an initial P72.3 million in emergency assistance to victims of the Taal Volcano eruption.
Manila Bulletin

PH Army distributes aid to Taal Volcano eruption victims
The Philippine Army (PA) distributed relief items to victims of the on-going eruption of Taal volcano in Batangas on Tuesday.
Manila Bulletin

Benguet farmers send truckload of vegetables to Taal eruption victims
The spirit of “bayanihan” pours across the country as Igorot farmers from the province of Benguet sent a truckload of vegetables to Taal victims as relief assistance.
Manila Bulletin

DSWD gives P3.9 million aid to eruption-affected families in Batangas, Cavite
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided P3.91 million in assistance to the families in Batangas and Cavite affected by Taal Volcano’s eruption last Sunday.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

DTI: 12 Manila establishments charged with profiteering on N95 masks
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced that 12 out of 17 business establishments in Bambang, Manila were charged with alleged profiteering amid the increase of demand for N95 masks following the eruption of Taal Volcano.
Manila Bulletin

Foreign face mask suppliers sending stocks; 12 stores charge of profiteering – DTI
Foreign suppliers of medical face masks have responded to the call of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to immediately send stocks as supplies have been depleted.
Manila Bulletin

Garin warns businessmen vs. unethical profiteering, wants medicines, supplies sold at discounted prices
Former Health Secretary and Iloilo Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin warned traders on Wednesday against engaging in unethical profiteering, saying it is “morally unacceptable and legally punishable” to increase the prices of medicines and supplies in times of calamities.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

Rome-based foundation prays for Taal calamity victims
The John Paul II Foundation in Rome, Italy has offered prayers and a holy mass for the safety of residents affected by the Taal Volcano eruption.
Manila Bulletin

 Modern-Day Heroes of Taal
After over four decades of dormancy, Taal Volcano started to erupt on Sunday, Jan. 12, forcing thousands of people in Batangas province to evacuate. In response to the ongoing disaster, more and more people are coming together to help those displaced and affected by this natural catastrophe.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

MINDANAO

Mindanao’s 2019 growth seen at 7.2%
Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) assistant secretary Romeo Montenegro said Mindanao’s economy is projected to grow by 7.2% in 2019 pending completion of data for the year, slightly higher compared to the growth attained in 2018 at 7.1%.
Mindanews

DPWH to meet with family whose property will be affected by Davao-Samal bridge
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will hold another round of talks on January 22 in Manila with a prominent family, who owns the property that will be affected by the construction of the P23.04- billion, 3.98-kilometer Davao City-Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS) bridge, to resolve issues concerning the alignment of the project.
Manila Bulletin

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

JUDICIARY

SC: Court employees affected by Taal Volcano eruption may take five-day leave
Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta ordered on Wednesday (Jan. 15) the grant of a five-day special emergency leave starting Jan. 13 to officials and employees of the judiciary affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano in Batangas.
Manila Bulletin

LEGISLATIVE

Senate of the Philippines

Solon urges stiffer penalties vs. 'lying witnesses'
The recent withdrawal of lawyer Jude Sabio of the complaint he filed against President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as other instances of “recanting” witnesses, only highlighted the need for a stronger law that would impose heavier penalties on lying witnesses, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Wednesday.
Philippine News Agency

House of Representatives

Biazon pushes for mandatory ROTC, disaster risk reduction education
Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano “Rufino” Ruffy Biazon is counting on the Department of Education (DepEd) to ensure the integration of disaster risk reduction education into school curricula, even as he called for the revival of the mandatory military training for students in public and private schools nationwide.
Manila Bulletin

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

BuCor given 2 more months to process GCTA returnees
Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra on Wednesday, January 15, said it would take two more months for the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) to process and determine if the over 400 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who were released under good conduct time allowance (GCTA) are really entitled to be out of prison.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

BI waives aliens’ overstaying fee
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is waiving overstaying fees for  aliens affected by the airport closure last Sunday and Monday following the Taal volcano eruption
Manila Bulletin

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

PH, China Coast Guards engage in historic maritime drill
In an unprecedented event, a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ship and a multi-role response vessel from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sailed side by side to rescue a distressed sea craft off Manila Wednesday to fulfill their goal to establish a better relationship through joint maritime drills and talks.
Manila Bulletin

Armed Forces of the Philippines

Air Force gets new commanding general
President Duterte has designated Major General Allen Paredes the new commanding general of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) to replace Lt. Gen. Rozzano Briguez, who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on Jan. 17.
Manila Bulletin

Philippine National Police

BUDGET, FINANCE, and TAXATION

ECONOMY AND INVESTMENTS

Remittances rise in November 11 month total up 4.1%
Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) continued to grow in November 2019, although at their slowest pace in five months, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
Philippine Star

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD and PUBLIC WORKS

P279.3 million slope protection structure in Taguig, Pateros completed
Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar announced Wednesday that a P279.3-million slope protection project along Taguig River has been completed.
Manila Bulletin

Cordillera gets P20-B ‘Build, Build, Build’ infra projects
The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is getting a PHP20.612-billion budget for infrastructure projects this year, an official of the Department of Public Works and Highways said.
Philippine News Agency

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

AUDIT, GRAFT, AND CORRUPTION

No need to arrest Napoles, ex-congressman – Sandiganbayan
The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division saw no reason why former Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) party-list representative Edgar De Leon Valdez and businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles need to be arrested in relation to their plunder case.
Manila Bulletin

COA rejects Iloilo solon’s bid to be paid nearly P500-K in back pay as Senate employee
A neophyte lawmaker lost her bid to collect nearly half a million pesos in salary and other unclaimed benefits as a Senate employee after the Commission on Audit (COA) ruled that there is not enough evidence to support her claim.
Manila Bulletin

FOREIGN RELATIONS  

West Philippine Sea

Are China’s South China Sea Artificial Islands Militarily Significant and Useful?
Are China’s seven artificial islands in the Spratly Group in the South China Sea liable to complicate U.S. freedom of maneuver in a conflict in East Asia? In a recent article at War on the Rocks, Gregory Poling makes the case that the islands have “considerable military value for Beijing,” contrary to some conventional wisdom that has written off the value of these facilities in a conflict.
The Diplomat

Chinese company, gov’t officials botch aid to Gem-Ver fishermen
The storm reduced the boat into a playground – 7 tons of mangled wood and metal split by a crack that ran down the center of its hull. Children turned the boat's toppled masts into monkey bars, played hide-and-seek in its sand-littered hull, and rested atop its cabin under the sunless sky.
Rappler

LABOR

DOJ recommends ban on OFWs in Kuwait
The brutal killing of two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) prompted Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra on Wednesday, January 15, to recommend the ban on deployment of workers in Kuwait.
Manila Bulletin

PH imposes total OFW deployment ban to Kuwait
The Philippine government is imposing a total ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait in the wake of the death of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Jeanelyn Villavende, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced Wednesday.
Manila Bulletin

POEA approves total ban on deployment of workers to Kuwait following Villavende death
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has approved a resolution imposing a total ban on the deployment of workers to Kuwait.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

13 OFWs in first batch of repatriates from Iraq – DFA
Nine of the thirteen Filipino repatriates from Iraq — seven adults and two minors — were held by Iraqi immigration authorities hours before their flight back to Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement on Wednesday.
Manila Bulletin

TESDA to prioritize scholarships of returning OFWs
The Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) assured on Wednesday that it will prioritize scholarship programs of the Overseas Filipinos Work (OFW) returning to the country at the height of the ongoing tension between the United States and Iran.
Manila Bulletin

OWWA to provide assistance to repatriated OFWs from Iraq
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said it will provide assistance to Filipinos affected by the current unrest in Iraq.
Manila Bulletin

TRANSPORTATION

Court junks Angkas plea for new TRO
A Mandaluyong City court has denied the petition of ride-hailing firm Angkas for another temporary restraining order (TRO) on the implementation of a government-imposed limit on the number of riders in the ongoing motorcycle taxi pilot run.
Philippine Star

HEALTH

DOH assures public: ‘there is no reported SARS in PH’
The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday allayed the public’s fears over the reported ‘mysterious’ viral pneumonia disease being linked to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in China.
Manila Bulletin

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

PH still among the 'best' rice producers: Palace
The Philippines remains to be among the “best” rice producers worldwide, Malacañang said on Wednesday.
Philippine News Agency

Palace vows to modernize agriculture sector  
Inspired by the third place finish of the Philippines in the recent world’s best rice competition, the government vowed to work harder to improve the plight of farmers and modernize the agriculture sector, a Palace official said Wednesday.
Manila Bulletin

DA: Taal eruption will eventually replenish soil nutrients, renew fertility
The ash explosion of Taal Volcano may eventually replenish soil nutrients and improve its fertility despite the multimillion peso damage to agriculture, a Department of Agriculture official said Wednesday.
Manila Bulletin

Backyard hog raisers, groups grapple with swine virus’s impact with loans
THE African swine fever (ASF) that ravaged backyard hog raising is said to have been weakening alongside the hopes urban livestock raisers can recoup their losses as well as the source of their income.
Business Mirror

EDUCATION

ENERGY

Bayan Muna renews call for independent bidding of Meralco contracts
Warning of possible high electricity rates, Bayan Muna on Wednesday renewed its call for an independent bidding of Meralco’s supply contracts.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

POVERTY

SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

HOUSING

TOURISM

DOT advises tourism enterprises to suspend operations within Taal Volcano vicinity
The Department of Tourism (DOT) advised on Wednesday the tourism enterprises operating in all affected areas of Taal Volcano to temporarily suspend operations due to the volcano’s intense unrest activity.
Manila Bulletin

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

U.N. warns of 'much extreme weather' ahead after hottest decade on record
The past decade has been the hottest on record, the UN said on Wednesday, January 15, warning that the higher temperatures were expected to fuel numerous extreme weather events in 2020 and beyond.
Rappler

Water crisis

INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY