Duterte hopes ‘Traslacion’ inspires people to lead PH to greater progress
President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his hope that Filipino Catholics will be inspired to lead the country towards greater progress, just like devotees of the Black Nazarene moved the sacred image back to its home in Quiapo, Manila.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency

Traslacion a good opportunity to strengthen Christian ties – Palace
Malacañang said the conduct of the annual procession of the image of the Black Nazarene is a good opportunity to strengthen Christian ties that will contribute to achieving a peaceful country.
Manila Bulletin

Palace defends PNP’s strict Traslacion measures
Malacañang backed the Philippine National Police (PNP) in its move to be strict during the procession of the Black Nazarene, saying they were only trying to keep devotees safe.
Manila Bulletin

2-M devotees join Black Nazarene procession; 140K waiting at Quiapo Church
More than 2 million devotees joined the procession of the image of the Black Nazarene for its long journey back to Quiapo Church where an estimated crowd of 140,000 was waiting, the Manila Public Information Office reported Thursday afternoon.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Black Nazarene devotion strengthens Filipinos’ faith amid trying times
The devotion to the Black Nazarene strengthens Filipinos’ faith amid the “trying times”, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday as millions flocked to the streets of Manila to take part in the Black Nazarene annual procession.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

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They have ‘money in the pocket’: Palace puzzled over water concessionaires’ intent to secure more loans
Malacañang is baffled by the two Metro Manila water concessionaires’ reported intent to obtain more loans even if they have supposedly earned huge profits over the years.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Poe seeks information on gov’t deals; says executive branch will deal with water contracts
Senator Grace Poe is leaving to the executive department the threshing out of the government’s onerous contracts with the water concessionaires in Metro Manila.
Manila Bulletin

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Palace: New salary scheme should motivate public servants
Malacañang expressed hope that workers in the public sector would strive to work harder in their respective fields following the signing of the Salary Standardization Law of 2019.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency

Palace outraged at murder of ex-solon Edgar Mendoza, vows to bring killers to justice
Malacañang has denounced the murder of former Batangas Representative Edgar Mendoza as an “outrageous act of barbarism” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency

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A year of compromises
2020 seems like a good year for government agencies, as most of them got budget hikes in the newly-signed P4.1-trillion national budget.
Rappler

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

OVP ready to assist returning OFWs from Middle East
The Office of the Vice President (OVP) is ready to assist overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who will be repatriated from Iraq due to the escalating tension between the United States and Iran.
Manila Bulletin

ELECTION RELATED

DISASTER

Displacement from disasters undermines development–ADB
GOVERNMENTS across Asia and the Pacific, including the Philippines, should invest in prevention and response to address long-term impacts of disaster displacement, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Business Mirror

MINDANAO

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

JUDICIARY

LEGISLATIVE

Senate of the Philippines

Angara: Gov’t employees’ take-home pay in 2020 to increase with SSL-5
Government employees will get a bigger take home pay this year with President Rodrigo Duterte’s signing into law of the Salary Standardization Law-5 (SSL-5), Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said on Thursday.
Manila Bulletin

Bill to exempt overtime pay from income tax gains Senate support
A bill seeking to exempt the overtime pay of workers from income tax has gained support in Senate. Senate President Vicente Sotto III welcomed the proposal of Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto to make the overtime pay given to government and private sector employees tax-free.
Manila Bulletin

House of Representatives

Creation of three new gov’t departments a priority – Cayetano
After ensuring the approval of the proposed creation of the Department of Overseas Filipinos and Foreign Employment in the next three months, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said the creation of the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) will also be prioritized when Congress resumes session this month.
Manila Bulletin

Ungab confirms signing of SSL5 by Duterte
Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab confirmed on Thursday (Jan. 9) that President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law the Salary Standardization Act of 2020, which grants salary increases to state employees within a period of four years starting this month.
Manila Bulletin

Rice instead of cash for 4Ps beneficiaries – Rep. Enverga
Congress has been urged “to do away” with a special provision under this year’s budget of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to allow actual rice subsidies to its beneficiaries, instead of cash.
Manila Bulletin

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)

Twitter users slam Isko Moreno for clearing Quiapo streets of vendors for Traslacion 2020
“Isko” – referring to Manila Mayor Isko Moreno – trended on Twitter on Thursday, January 9, after users were divided over the operations he ordered to clear the streets of vendors around the Quiapo Church during the feast of the Black Nazarene.
Rappler

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Gov’t set to launch justice information system at Manila Hotel
A National Justice Information System (NJIS) that will link into one network all data of prisoners and cases pending before the courts and the prosecutors’ offices is set to be launched on January 10, starting at 3 p.m., at the Manila Hotel.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

DND, attached bureaus urged to raise standards
Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana urged all officials and employees of the DND and its attached bureaus to raise their standards of professionalism and foster an environment that will further the "One Defense Team" concept.
Philippine News Agency

Armed Forces of the Philippines

Philippine National Police

BUDGET, FINANCE, and TAXATION

Japan offers blueprint for former US naval base in Subic
Japan will create the blueprint to redevelop a former US naval base in Subic that has also attracted interest from China.
Manila Bulletin

Gov’t dared: Bare loans with ‘confidential’ terms
Disclose to the public all the loans from China that contain confidentiality clauses to prove that there’s nothing irregular about these clauses, a party-list representative challenged the Department of Finance (DOF) on Wednesday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

ECONOMY AND INVESTMENTS

Global economy faces fragile recovery beset by risks – World Bank
Recovery in a handful of countries will boost global growth slightly this year but the outlook is riddled with potential pitfalls that could derail this tepid upswing, the World Bank cautioned Wednesday, January 8.
Rappler

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD and PUBLIC WORKS

'Build, Build, Build' creates over 6K jobs in CAR in 2019
The massive infrastructure development agenda of the Duterte administration is benefiting thousands of families with over 6,000 jobs created in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) alone in 2019.
Philippine News Agency

DPWH to include footbridges on nat’l roads in maintenance program
The structural condition of footbridges on national roads would be included in the annual maintenance program of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in response to reports that such public structure has been left out.
Manila Bulletin

DPWH: Road, bridges linking towns in Eastern Visayas nearing completion
Some 30 percent or around four kilometers of the 11.6-kilometer Samar Pacific Coastal Road, which links the so-called “Pacific towns” in Eastern Visayas, has already been paved, bringing the project five months away from target completion.
Manila Bulletin

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

PH, Japan exchange notes on 2 major Metro Manila bridges project
The Philippine and the Japanese government on Thursday have signed diplomatic notes for the additional financing of a project, which seeks to reinforce major bridges in Metro Manila against earthquakes.
Philippine News Agency, Rappler

AUDIT, GRAFT, AND CORRUPTION

FOREIGN RELATIONS  

PH, Japan agree to deepen ‘bilateral cooperation’
The Philippine and the Japanese governments on Thursday vowed to increase ‘bilateral cooperation’ to maintain peace and security as well as to uphold the rule of law in the region.
Philippine News Agency, Rappler

Gaite warns: PH to get caught in conflict crossfire if U.S. troops transit here
Opening the Philippines as a transit point for United States troops in preparation for further hostilities against Iran would place the country in the crosshairs of conflict.
Manila Bulletin

West Philippine Sea

Carpio persists in lying about arbitration ruling vs China
TO be honest, I find it a sad commentary on our Supreme Court as an institution that a person like Antonio Carpio, who served as justice there for 17 years and purportedly wrote important court decisions, continues to ignore the facts, and because of his pro-United States stance, chooses to fan the embers of anti-Chinese sentiment in the country.
The Manila Times

LABOR

Mandatory repatriation in Iran, Lebanon lifted –DOLE
With the downgrading of alert levels in Iran and Lebanon, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Filipinos there may no longer be covered by the mandatory repatriation imposed by the government.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency

Panelo: Gov’t to still continue evacuating Filipinos out of Iraq
The government will push through with the evacuation of Filipinos from Iraq until the tension in the region de-escalates and their safety is no longer in peril, Malacañang said Thursday.
Manila Bulletin

DFA: Only those who want to be evacuated
The Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday that only those who are willing to return to the Philippines will be the subject of repatriation under Alert Level 4 (mandatory evacuation) which is still hoisted over Iraq.
Manila Bulletin

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'Worse than animal': Kin on fate of OFW killed in Kuwait
“Hindi tao naghimo sini, sobra pa sa sapat (This was not the work of a human, worse than an animal).” This was how one of the family members of Jeanelyn Villavende, a domestic helper who was killed by her employer in Kuwait late last month, described her ordeal after seeing her remains in a funeral home here on Thursday.
Philippine News Agency, Mindanews

DOJ to probe recruiter of slain OFW in Kuwait
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Wednesday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will conduct an investigation on the recruiter of Jeanalyn Villavende, the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who was killed by her employer in Kuwait.
Manila Bulletin

NAPC backs deployment ban to Kuwait
The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) on Thursday backed the call to ban the deployment of domestic workers to Kuwait until preventive measures have been adopted by the Philippine and Kuwaiti governments.
Philippine News Agency

TRANSPORTATION

Angkas: company is not majority foreign-owned
Motorycle ride-hailing firm Angkas explained that ownership issues surrounding the firm had already been “rectified,” amid concerns raised by government regulators that the company might have violated constitutional restrictions that cap foreign ownership in some businesses in the country.
Manila Bulletin

‘Heavy passengers may be denied’: Angkas sets weight safety check in app update
Ride-hailing firm Angkas recently refined its mobile application, with improvements and features seen to satisfy the government’s new guidelines on motorcycle safety. Netizens, however, were divided over the latest update— as customers were welcomed not only with a fresh interface, but also with a “weight safety check.”
CNN Philippines

Enforce tricycle laws first, before two-wheel taxis
At drizzly dawn Tuesday in Pasig City a motorcyclist took a spill, rolled underneath the mid-part of a moving bus on his left, and was crushed by the rear tires.
Philippine Star

HEALTH

3% PhilHealth premium rate starts this month
The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has started charging its contributors the 3-percent premium rate.
The Manila Times

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

DA allots P2-B to fund entrepreneurship programs for youth
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has approved an initial PHP2 billion to fund two lending programs for young entrepreneurs to start their own agricultural enterprise. 
Philippine News Agency

PH lifts ban on food products from Fukushima
The Philippine government has lifted the importation ban on several food products from Fukushima after the 2011 nuclear disaster in the prefecture, the Japanese embassy in Manila confirmed Thursday.
Philippine News Agency, Rappler

EDUCATION

DepEd updates learning materials in public schools
To augment the available learning resources in the country’s public schools, the Department of Education (DepEd) has approved hundreds of supplementary materials to be included in their respective library collection.
Manila Bulletin

Limited budget hinders DepEd from making swimming mandatory subject
While it understands the importance of teaching swimming skills, the Department of Education (DepEd) admitted that making it a mandatory subject may not be possible in public schools – for now.
Manila Bulletin

Salary increase for teachers, gov’t employees draws mixed reactions
While the reported signing of the salary increase for government workers through the Salary Standardization Law (SSL)-V is a welcome development especially to the Department of Education (DepEd), teachers groups on Thursday expressed mixed reactions on the latest pay scheme.
Manila Bulletin

Solon says ‘scanty’ pay hikes in salary standardization law fails gov’t teachers, rank-and-file
Contrary to the opinions of other lawmakers and government officials, a senior opposition solon yesterday said the approval of the law increasing the salaries of government workers is not a cause for celebration.
Manila Bulletin

ENERGY

Gatchalian urges DOE to ensure no power outages this summer
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has urged the Department of Energy to use two energy-related laws to ensure there is an adequate supply of power in the upcoming summer months.
Manila Bulletin

POVERTY

SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

HOUSING

TOURISM

‘Save Our Spots’ on social media to push sustainable tourism
The Department of Tourism (DOT) recently released different “Save Our Spots” GIFs (graphic interchange format) on social media platform Instagram to encourage tourists to practice sustainable and responsible tourism.
Manila Bulletin

Camiguin to rein in visitors to protect island’s ecosystem
The provincial government of Camiguin on Wednesday said it will adopt a limit on visiting tourists in the island-province.
Philippine News Agency

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

We need to save the tamaraw before it is too late
Old Fausto exhaled from his worn clay pipe, the sweet scent of wild tobacco enveloping the hut. "It was sickness that drove us down from the mountains. Measles we got from Tagalog visitors. Half our village of 200 died. The survivors moved here to be closer to civilization. Now we constantly need medicine."
Rappler

Water crisis

NWRB: Angat’s water level can hold until next rainy season
Despite being below its normal high water level, the continued increase in Angat Dam’s water level is still significant to extend the supply of water until the next rainy season in June, according to the National Water Resources Board (NWRB).
Manila Bulletin

INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY  

Internet shutdowns cost the global economy $8 billion last year, report says
More than 18,000 hours of internet shutdowns around the world caused by deliberate government action cost more than $8 billion in 2019, a new report estimates.
CNN

Twitter tests feature that lets you control who can reply to your tweets
Twitter is testing out a new feature that lets you choose who can reply to your tweets. Suzanne Xie, Twitter's director of product management, spoke at CES about a new setting for "conversation participants."
Rappler