Duterte inspires groups to continue fight vs. Reds
The government's whole-of-nation approach and concerted efforts to dismantle communist terrorist groups (CTGs) have inspired various multi-sectoral groups to also speak up against the deceptions of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its front organizations.
Philippine News Agency
‘Communist activities on the decline’
Communist activities have been on the decline in the five years under the Duterte administration, the group Liga Independencia Pilipinas said, following concerted effort to abolish the communist terrorist group under a whole-of-nation approach for inclusive and sustainable peace.
Manila Standard
Peace talks
Duterte promised peace, but delivered war
In his first state of the nation address, then newly-elected president Rodrigo Duterte promised the country peace, and emphatically added, “not the peace of the dead, but the peace of the living.” It was an epic lie.
Communist Party of the Philippines
Incidents/Operations
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MARAWI
IDPs, activists score Duterte admin’s failure to rebuild war-torn Marawi after 4 years
Displaced residents and civil society groups in Lanao del Sur have judged the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte as a “dismal failure” in rebuilding this war-torn city four years after the siege by Islamic State militants in 2017.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Displaced Marawi residents, groups urge fast rehabilitation as Duterte heads for final Sona
A NETWORK composed of displaced Marawi residents and civil society groups has urged the national government “to accelerate its efforts on rebuilding the City of Marawi by prioritizing the immediate, safe and dignified return of the displaced families back to their places of origin” as President Rodrigo Duterte is heading for his final State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, July 26, 2021.
Sunstar Tacloban
Marawi rehab projects seen completed by December
All horizontal and vertical projects in this war-torn city will be finished by December this year, based on the latest assessment of Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM).
Philippine News Agency
'Power of eminent domain allows Marawi land takeover'
The mayor of Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, has declared that the State's power of eminent domain allows it to expropriate any piece of land that it needs for the development and rehabilitation of the city.
Manila Times
SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE WORLD
‘Maohi Lives Matter’: Tahiti protesters condemn French nuclear testing legacy
More than 1,000 people gathered in the Tahiti capital of Papeete to condemn the failure of the French government to take full accountability for its nuclear testing program in the South Pacific.
Kodao Productons
At least three people killed in protests over water shortages in Iran
At least three people have been killed during violent protests over water shortages in Iran, according to state media.
CNN
Regression of Democracy around the World amid COVID-19 Pandemic
The usurpation of Parliament’s power for an indefinite period by Viktor Orban’s government in Hungary amid Corona Pandemic has provoked much concern regarding democratic regression or backsliding. Having absolute majority in the Parliament the Obran government has passed a ‘Coronavirus Act’ that granted the government to enact laws and rule by decree without prior approval of the Parliament.
Afternoon Voice
France's contentious bill marginalizes Muslims, minorities: Altun
Turkey's Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun on Saturday criticized the French parliament for passing a new controversial bill that will only further marginalize Muslims and other religious minorities.
Daily Sabah
Tackling various aspects of terrorism
Terrorism has become one of the keywords in the geopolitical scenario of the twenty-first century. It can be defined in many ways. Simply speaking, it is the organized use of violence for political ends. Normally it is used in the case of activities relating to non-state groups. In this context, this article is an attempt to discuss various factors which give rise to terrorism and motivate people to join extremist groups.
Daily Pioneer
Climate and conflict: A look at environmental peacebuilding
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has focused on global conflict and peacemaking strategies for more than 50 years, but over time the focus has increasingly turned to climate-related issues. Several new SIPRI offerings provide a look at how environmental peacebuilding – meant to reduce tensions over water rights, land use or mineral extraction – can help to prevent conflict in a resource-challenged world.
Sustainability Times
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BARMM
Great expectations: Did Duterte live up to the hopes of the Bangsamoro?
MARAWI CITY-BORN and bred Sittie Asia Mangompia Mai was among the majority of voters in Mindanao, the southern islands in the Philippines, who chose Rodrigo R. Duterte in the 2016 presidential elections.
Business World
Two senators support BTA term extension
Two Philippine senators appeared to hold common views on the issue of extending the three-year term of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority during the culmination here Friday of the Bangsamoro Governance Summit.
Manila Standard
MAGUINDANAO AND COTABATO CITY
3K families battle floods in Cotabato
Low-lying communities in Pikit, North Cotabato have been submerged by flood waters as the Liguasan Marsh overflowed because of heavy downpours, affecting more than 3,000 families, a disaster official said over the weekend.
Manila Times
LANAO PROVINCES
BASILAN
SULU
18 passengers rescued from boat in Sulu
The Philippine Navy on Saturday rescued 18 people in the waters off Sulu whose boat encountered strong waves.
ABS-CBN News
16 Abu Sayyaf bandits surrender
Sixteen members of the Abu Sayyaf bandit group have surrendered to the military in Sulu, security officials said on Saturday.
Philippine Star
TAWI-TAWI
Social Worker topnotcher from Tawi-tawi proceeds to UP College of Law
Paramisuli “Suli” Sevilla Aming of Bongao, Tawi-tawi, the topnotcher of the Social Worker Licensure Exam in 2017, is pursuing her dream to become a lawyer, at the University of the Philippines’ College of Law in Diliman this year.
MindaNews
BARMM allocates 30K single-dose vaccine to Tawi-Tawi
As part of preemptive measures implemented by the government with the detection of the first Delta variant cases in the country, the Health Ministry of the Bangsamoro Government has allocated 30,000 doses of single-shot vaccine to this province.
NDBC News | Sunstar Zamboanga
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DRUGS
Duterte’s refusal to cooperate with ICC despite SC ruling shows ‘continuous disregard of law’ – lawyers’ group
A group of lawyers on Sunday slammed the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday for refusing to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigation of the killings connected with the drug war.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
SONA 2020 Promise Tracker: Drugs & Crime
President Rodrigo Duterte’s self-imposed deadline to eradicate illegal drugs and reduce criminality “within three to six months” has long passed, and Congress has yet to respond to his constant plea for the revival of the death penalty against drug-related crimes.
Vera Files
Operations/ Incidents
2 suspected drug pushers nabbed in Oriental Mindoro buy-bust
Two suspected drug pushers were arrested by police on Sunday afternoon in a buy-bust operation in Baco town in Oriental Mindoro province, according to a police report.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
3 suspected female drug peddlers busted in CDO
The City Police Office here has arrested three females suspected of selling illegal drugs amid heightened restrictions due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
Philippine News Agency
Prisoners remain suppliers of illegal drugs
LAST July 8, in a shootout in connection with a drug buy-bust in Cebu City, the police killed Ryan Daotan Bendibel, 30, and John Kerlou Pojas, 22. Suspected shabu worth an estimated P30.6 million was seized during the operation. Police LtCol. Regino Maramag, head of the Police Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) in Central Visayas, told reporters that Bendibel was arrested for illegal drugs in 2016 and later released due to plea bargaining. Pojas, on the other hand, was a murder convict and served time at the Abuyog Penal Colony in Leyte where he made friends with an inmate, who was later transferred to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
Manila Times
Recovery and Rehabilitation
ILLICIT FIREARMS, EXPLOSIVES, AND AMMUNITION
CROSS-BORDER TRADING/ SMUGGLING/ COUNTERFEIT GOODS
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
KIDNAPPING/ ABDUCTION
ILLEGAL GAMBLING
ILLICIT FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS/ EXTORTION
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Blaans, Army forge community-empowerment projects
Twelve ethnic Blaan community leaders have fused ranks to support the Philippine Army’s peace and development programs in their tribal enclaves in Tupi town.
Philippine Star | NDBC News
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'Clear failure of security': Independent probe sought on shooting of Masungi Georeserve forest rangers
Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) has called for an independent investigation on the shooting of two forest rangers of the Masungi Georeserve on Saturday night, July 24, noting that the incident practically occurred under the cops’ noses.
Manila Bulletin
IBP: Number of lawyers killed under Duterte govt rose 500%
THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) yesterday said the number of lawyers being killed has increased by 500 percent under the Duterte administration.
Business Mirror
Press Freedom/ Freedom of expression
Martial Law
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COVID-19
Cases
5,479 new COVID-19 cases push Philippines' total to 1.54 million
The Department of Health on Sunday reported 5,479 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country's total count of infections to 1,548,755.
Philippine Star
Department of Health
IATF/NTF COVID-19
Regions
Luzon including NCR
Public urged to cooperate on reimposition of longer curfew in NCR
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, on Sunday called for public cooperation on the reimposition of longer curfew hours in the National Capital Region (NCR) amid the threat of the more contagious Covid-19 Delta variant.
Philippine News Agency
100% of targeted senior citizens in Pasig got first dose of COVID-19 jab — Vico Sotto
The Pasig City Government on Thursday said 100 percent of the target vaccination number for senior citizens have gotten their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Isko Moreno lauds health workers for efficient COVID-19 vaccination despite bad weather
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso congratulated the Manila Health Department on Sunday for its efficiency in administering COVID-19 vaccines on Saturday despite bad weather and flooding in several areas of the national capital.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Visayas
Two Cebu towns impose "hard lockdown," heightened restrictions due to rising COVID-19 cases
Two towns in southern Cebu have imposed tighter restrictions anew following the rise of COVID-19 cases in their areas. The first one to impose a "hard lockdown" is the town of Samboan after a spike in cases that initially affected town policemen and eventually infecting some residents and detainees.
CNN Philippines
Mindanao
2 Delta variant cases detected in Davao and Tagum cities
The Department of Health (DOH)-Davao region confirmed Sunday night the detection of 79 cases of the more infectious variants of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the region, including two cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant or B.1.617.2 in Tagum and Davao cities.
MindaNews
Zamboanga City: 42,652 of population fully vaccinated
The number of fully vaccinated residents in the city has reached 42,652 as of July 22, or 4.4 % of the city’s 977,234 population.
MindaNews
Fully vaccinated in Davao City: 126K out of 1.2M needed for herd immunity
The City Government of Davao reported a total of 126,541 individuals who have been full vaccinated against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as of July 20 or 10.2 % of the target of 1.2 million to achieve “herd immunity” more than four months after the vaccination rollout started here.
MindaNews
World
Britain reports 29,173 COVID-19 cases on Sunday, lower than a day earlier
Britain reported 29,173 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, a fall from 31,795 a day earlier, while the number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test dropped to 28 from 86 on Saturday, official data showed.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Diplomatic, Development and Private Sector
Manila, Tokyo set virtual meeting on status of infra, Covid aid plans
THE Philippines and Japan are set to discuss this week the status of Japan-funded projects under President Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” program as well as Japan’s assistance to the Philippines’s Covid-19 response, including its mass vaccination program.
Business Mirror
Cagayan de Oro at ‘critical risk’ with COVID-19 infections — OCTA Research
OCTA Research on Sunday said Cagayan de Oro city is at “critical risk,” after it has recorded critical levels in infection rate, intensive care unit (ICU) utilization and positivity rate.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Incidents and Violations
Editorial, Analysis, Opinion and Features
[Editorial] Long-haul crisis
There is simply no denying the economic and social malaise the country is in right now. A rundown of the latest Ednumbers going into the last year of the Duterte administration paints a discomforting picture: The worst post-war recession that saw the economy contract by 9.5 percent in 2020 and another 4.2 percent in the first quarter this year.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
#UndoingDuterte | Small businesses appeal for government support amid pandemic challenges
Micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) owners are still trying to get back on their feet after enduring the burden of the world’s longest lockdown.
Bulatlat
#UndoingDuterte | Poor contact tracing amid deadly Delta variant
To identify close contacts up to third or fourth degree, community health advocates said that contact tracing has to rely on an already robust public health system which the Philippines does not have in the first place.
Bulatlat
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
Unfulfilled promises loom over Duterte’s final SONA
In his last year in power, President Duterte plays catch-up on his promises, struggles to lift the country from the pandemic, and faces a possible International Criminal Court probe into his drug war
Rappler
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
AUDIT, GRAFT, AND CORRUPTION
Most complaints received by anti-corruption task force involve LGUs’ intervention in public works
THE JUSTICE department’s Task Force Against Corruption (TFAC) has endorsed several complaints to the Office of the Ombudsman, mostly involving local government officials who are meddling in public works projects.
Business World
Suspension of Binay, Makati City Council members sought
Two residents of Makati City have asked the Office of the Ombudsman to suspend Mayor Abby Binay and members of the city council for six months for their failure to appoint caretaker officials for Barangay Carmona.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
BUDGET, FINANCE, and TAXATION
Philippines has enough money for COVID-19 war chest beyond 2022, DOF claims
The Philippines has enough funds for its COVID-19 war chest even after the term of President Rodrigo Duterte ends next year, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.
GMA News | Business Mirror
Financial reforms laid good foundation, but rest of CTRP needed in recovery effort
WITH less than a year left, the Duterte administration is racing against time to pass the remaining packages under the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) and other pending economic reform bills to revive the pandemic-battered economy.
Business Mirror
BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND INVESTMENT
Concepcion: Mobility by Q4 key to rebound
PRESIDENTIAL Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria A. Concepcion hopes the heightened restrictions due to Covid-19 Delta variant cases will not last long because easing mobility, especially by the fourth quarter, is crucial for economic recovery.
Business Mirror
Neda urges businesses to stay the course amid Delta variant
THE National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) encouraged businesses to stay the course and continue their Covid-proofing efforts especially with the entry of the Delta variant in the country.
Business Mirror
BUILD, BUILD, BUILD and PUBLIC WORKS
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
DISASTER AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
DEFENSE AND SECURITY
Armed Forces of the Philippines
Philippine National Police
EDUCATION
INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Smart extending free WiFi to more villages across PH
Smart Communications Inc. said it is providing free WiFi to more barangays across the country.
Manila Standard
ELECTION RELATED
Duterte for VP? OVP hopes he won’t experience what Robredo went through
Sitting presidents running for new elective positions after their terms have ended are rare, but not unprecedented: During the 2010 elections, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stepped down from Malacañang and stepped into Congress, representing her hometown of Lubao, Pampanga.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
SC junks watchdogs’ suit, says Comelec complied with voter verification features
THE Supreme Court has dismissed the petition for mandamus filed by several poll watchdogs in 2019 seeking to compel the Commission on Elections to fully comply with its 2016 order to activate the so-called Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail or VVPAT as one of the minimum systems capabilities of the automated election system (AES) and a major security feature of the vote counting machine under Republic 369 or the Election Automation Law.
Business Mirror
ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES
LABOR
Did Duterte fail workers? His record on labor’s a half-full, half-empty glass
WITH his term now nearly over, President Rodrigo R. Duterte is still hounded by calls to make good on his key campaign promises to the labor sector.
Business Mirror
LEGISLATIVE
The SONA score: Keeping track of Duterte’s legislative agenda
From landmark Comprehensive Tax Reform Program to the controversial passage of the Anti-Terror Law, Talamitam looks back on President Rodrigo Duterte’s legislative promises ahead of his final State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Philippine Star
Senate of the Philippines
‘Senate coup’ floats aheadof Sona, but no numbers yet
SENATE President Tito Sotto III faced an ouster plot soon after announcing his plan to run for vice president in tandem with Senator Panfilo Lacson in the 2022 national elections.
Business Mirror
Senate vows to pass 10 priority bills amid hybrid session
SENATE leaders gave assurances that despite continuing their hybrid session when the 18th Congress reconvenes on Monday, July 26, the chamber will work speedily on priority measures, topped by those certified urgent by the President.
Business Mirror
House of Representatives
Lib bills, Covid response in last Congress leg
TO help the country’s economic bounce-back, the 18th Congress will highly prioritize the Duterte administration-backed measures liberalizing sectors of the economy and Covid-19 response bills in its third and last regular session, which will resume on July 26, Monday.
Business Mirror
LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)
OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE
FOREIGN RELATIONS
West Philippine Sea
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
Food production in crisis: DA’s biggest challenge comes amid tough reforms
WHETHER in a pandemic or not, there is one priority that cuts across any administration: food production. And the Duterte administration is no different from its predecessors that pursued higher domestic food production, or at least, to a certain extent.
Business Mirror
Treat farmers with dignity, DA-12 exec tells hybrid seed companies
Pakitungan ng maganda ang mga magsasaka. Ito ang paalala ni Department of Agriculture 12 Regional Executive Director Arlan Mangelen sa mga kinatawan ng hybrid seed companies na kanyang pinulong.
NDBC News
HOUSING and SETTLEMENT
POVERTY
SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT
TRANSPORTATION
TOURISM
WATER and ENERGY
Mindanao hydropower project applications up for review soon
Proposed hydropower projects in Mindanao will be up for assessment soon, in line with efforts to bring fossil fuel and renewable energy power sources into balance, according to an official with the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).
Business World
Remote community to receive solar charging station, internet access
THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) has committed to install solar-powered charging station and internet access to a remote community in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay.
Sunstar Zamboanga
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