📰 News & Current Affairs

House Secretary-General Reginald S. Velasco did not identify who will file the complaint nor the congressman who will endorse the complaint, but said a lawmaker from the House majority caucus floated the possibility of filing ouster charges against the embattled vice-president. “They haven’t said how many will endorse it yet. They just said to wait for the fourth complaint,” he said in a phone interview with reporters in Filipino. “It was given to me in confidence. So, I cannot reveal their names until they actually file the fourth complaint.” Source: Fourth impeachment complaint vs VP Sara eyed next week - BusinessWorld Online

The Supreme Court (SC) has reminded that while lenders can acquire the properties used as collaterals in case of non-payment of loans, ownership over the properties cannot be transferred automatically to them. To do so, the transfer would constitute pactum commissorium, a prohibited agreement under Article 2088 of the Civil Code. The prohibition states that a lender cannot automatically gain ownership of the collateral if the borrower fails to make payments. Source: Automatic transfer of ownership over property used as collateral for loans not allowed – SC

The reimbursement rate for percutaneous coronary intervention, a non-surgical procedure to clear blocked arteries and remove plaque buildup, has been raised to P523,853 — about 17 times higher than the previous coverage of P30,300. Patients may avail of this procedure at any of the 70 accredited cath labs in the country. The second enhanced package covers fibrinolysis, a treatment for dissolving blood clots. It now has a case rate of P133,500, or a 341% increase from the previous amount of P30,290. The state insurer also increased the benefit package for emergency medical services with coordinated referral and interfacility transfers to P21,900 and cardiac rehabilitation to P66,140. Source: PhilHealth boosts benefit packages for heart...

Asked if President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. was invited to Trump’s inauguration, Romualdez replied, “As a matter of policy, no head of state is invited.” “Only ambassadors represented in Washington are invited,” he added. Asked if he will attend Trump's inauguration, Romualdez replied, "Yes." Source: Marcos not invited to Trump's inauguration, envoy Romualdez to attend

A court in South Korea has approved an arrest warrant for the country’s suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over his ill-fated decision to impose martial law early this month, investigators said. “The arrest warrant and search warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol … were issued this morning,” the Joint Investigation Headquarters said in a statement. Source: South Korean court issues arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vetoed flood control projects in the 2025 national budget. The 2025 national budget initially amounted to P6.352 trillion but was reduced to P6.326 trillion following the veto of P194-billion line items deemed inconsistent with the administration’s priority programs. Source: Marcos vetoes flood control projects in 2025 national budget

SWS pointed out that this is six points lower than the 96 percent recorded in 2023, marking the lowest level since 89 percent in 2009. Meanwhile, the survey found that 10 percent will enter the New Year with fear, a seven-point increase from the 3 percent in 2023, making it the highest level since 11 percent in 2009. Source: SWS:90% of Filipinos hopeful for New Year, lowest in 15 years

“Squid Game” is finally back for its second season! The new season of the hit Korean series started streaming on Netflix on December 26 with 7 episodes. On X, Netflix also shared a short teaser of the sequel, announcing its premiere on the streaming platform. “Let the games begin. #SquidGame2 is now playing,” it wrote. Source: ‘Squid Game’ season 2 is now streaming on Netflix!

Donald Trump has vowed to put an end to “transgender lunacy.” Addressing the crowd at AmericaFest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday, the president-elect declared that he would make it the “official policy” to recognize just two genders- male and female, as soon as he assumes office. Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/trump-vows-to-stop-transgender-lunacy-and-keep-men-out-of-womens-sports-101734973593143.html

To succeed, the opposition parties, which together control 192 seats, needed at least eight members of Yoon’s People Power party (PPP) to vote in favour to reach the required two-thirds majority of 200 in the 300-seat chamber. In the end, 12 PPP members were willing to throw their support behind impeachment. Source: South Korean parliament votes to impeach president

Although deprived of subsidy under the 2025 approved budget program, the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has assured lawmakers that it would still be able to reduce premium contribution and expand its coverage next year for overall better health care benefits for members. Source: https://www.onenews.ph/articles/philhealth-to-reduce-premiums-expand-coverage

The Japanese government plans to revise the law to allow municipalities to authorize "emergency shootings" by hunters when animals enter populated areas, a source close to the matter said, amid a rise in bear attacks. The planned revision to the law on wildlife protection and management is designed to enable quicker and more effective prevention compared with current measures, which allow police to only permit emergency shootings once people are in danger. Source: Japan to revise law for emergency animal shootings due to rise in bear attacks

A coalition of Catholic priests, civil society leaders, and lawyers filed a third impeachment complaint on Thursday against Vice President Sara Duterte concerning the alleged anomalous disbursements of confidential funds to her office and the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as secretary. Source: Third impeachment complaint vs. VP Sara Duterte filed in House | Philippine News Agency

In a 14-page decision promulgated on Dec. 18, the Comelec First Division ruled that the petitioner, labor leader Sonny Matula, failed to provide sufficient evidence to cancel the detained religious leader’s certificate of candidacy (COC). “Even if this Commission (First Division) were to apply the rules on liberality and decide based on the merits of this Petition, the grounds relied upon by the Petitioner for the disqualification of Respondent and the cancellation of his COC are incorrect and without factual and legal basis,” the decision stated, released Friday night. Source: Quiboloy senatorial bid alive as Comelec junks DQ case | Philippine News Agency

“I will not give an explanation because it will entail that I explain intelligence operations which will compromise offices who do intelligence operations. It will really compromise how they work. So, no explanation will be given to the members of the House of Representatives,” Duterte said when asked about the authenticity of the 405 “non-existent” individuals listed as signatories on the acknowledgment receipts related to confidential expenses. Source: Sara Duterte on 'fabricated' receipts: I can't discuss intelligence operations

In an 18-page decision dated July 23, penned by Associate Justice Ricardo Rosario, the Supreme Court ruled that sexual relations between two unmarried adults are not inherently immoral, as there is no law prohibiting such relationships. The case stemmed from a complaint filed by a grade school teacher against Bohol Christian School and its officials for îllégâl suspension. Source: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/12/16/2407771/supreme-court-*******cy-out-wedlock-not-grounds-suspension

Dito ay mismong si FL ang nagsilbi at nagbigay ng pagkain sa mga benepisyaryo ng naturang programa. Target ng walang gutom kitchen na tuparin ang pangako ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. na wakasan ang gutom sa bansa. Dito ay gagawing foodbank ang nasabing kusina at bibigyan ng pagkain ang kahit sinong nagugutom. Source: FL Liza Marcos, nagsilbi sa mga benepisyaryo ng Walang Gutom Kitchen Program ng DSWD - Radyo Pilipinas

"Fifteen thousand pesos kada araw at sa loob ng dalawang araw ay makakagawa na sila ng isang full-length movie para sa streaming platform. Kaya hindi nakakapagtaka na madali silang makapag-produce ng ganitong klaseng sa loob ng maiksing panahon," Estrada also said. Estrada maintained this is not a matter of censorship. Source: https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/12/16/jinggoy-hits-vmx-for-alleged-pornography-exploitation-of-performers-0033

The agency sent a certification of its finding to Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua, whose House good government committee is investigating Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of public funds. Based on the letter dated November 25 but released only on Tuesday, December 3, Piattos has no record of birth, marriage, or death with the the PSA. Source: There's no 'Mary Grace Piattos' in PSA records

A viper with scales that look like eyelashes and a leaf-nosed bat are among dozens of new species identified in Southeast Asia's Mekong region last year, WWF said Monday. The environmental group regularly publish a list of newly discovered flora and fauna in the region to highlight the area's biodiversity but also the risks it faces. In all, 234 new species of vertebrates and vascular plants -- a category that excludes mosses, algae and fungus -- were identified in the region in 2023. Source: 'Eyelash viper', leaf-nosed bat among new species found in Mekong

Marcos then appealed that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) not be scrapped off its P74 billion-worth subsidy for next year. She likewise criticized the whopping P1.1 trillion funding of the Department of Public Works and Highways and the glaring “absence” of a flood control plan. AKAP was kept in the 2025 budget bill after rigorous discussions of lawmakers from the Senate and House of Representatives. “What is being said is that there is an agreement, a settlement, that Congress and the Senate would benefit together— but that is wrong. Source: Imee urges President Marcos to scrutinize budget bill before signing

Senatorial candidate and former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson launched the VBank app on Sunday, Dec. 15, to reach underserved communities and allow them access to financial services, such as loans and secure financial transactions. Senatorial candidate Luis “Manong Chavit” Singson is set to launch the VBank app, a digital banking platform designed to improve financial inclusion in the Philippines, on Sunday, 15 December . The event will be held at 3:30 PM at the Bridgetowne Destination Estate in Quezon City during the Blackout Festival, with celebrity guest Ai Ai delas Alas joining Singson for the launch. Source: Singson launches bank app for underserved Pinoys

Today, we filed an emergency motion for an injunction to stop the TikTok Ban from taking effect on January 19, 2025 until our appeal of the decision by the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit is heard by the US Supreme Court. TikTok is, at its core, its 170 million American users. Estimates show that small businesses on TikTok would lose more than $1 billion in revenue and creators would suffer almost $300 million in lost earnings in just one month unless the TikTok Ban is halted. Source: TikTok Files Emergency Motion for Injunction

Under AO 27, workers in the executive branch will receive SRI amounting to P20,000 each. Qualified for the one-time SRI are civilian personnel in national government agencies, including those in state universities and colleges, and government-owned and controlled corporations occupying regular, contractual or casual positions. Source: Marcos grants service perk to govt workers

The team announced on Wednesday the isolation of high-purity lead-212 and bismuth-212 nuclides, which are promising for targeted alpha-nuclide therapy (TAT), a new treatment approach for cancers such as ******, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. Currently, the team is exploring the extraction of additional nuclides, including radium-228, thorium-228, and radium-224, which may further contribute to advancements in cancer treatment. Source: Chinese scientists extract cancer-fighting particles from rare earth minerals - Shia Waves

With the passing rate adjusted from 75% to 74%, the number of examinees who passed this year is higher with 37% from last year’s 30%. “And there are several reasons why we need more lawyers, and of course, one of the many reasons perhaps is the scarcity of lawyers in some areas.” Source: SC lowers Bar exam passing rate to 74% to address shortage of lawyers in PH

A provision in the 1987 Constitution limits presidents to one fixed six-year term without reelection. The provision is an offshoot of the dictatorship of the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who perpetuated himself in power for 20 years until his ouster in 1986. “The President shall not be eligible for any reelection,” the Constitution states. But Alvarez believes the prohibition refers only to consecutive presidential terms. “It refers to the sitting or incumbent president not allowed for reelection,” he stated. Source: Let Duterte run again as president — Alvarez

“First of all, I told [Brawner] that I will not accept replacements to my old security personnel and just leave whoever will be left with me,” she told reporters in a briefing at her Mandaluyong City office. “That is one option that we are preparing in case there is a pullout of the entire security detail from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.” The AFP announced last month that several members of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG), the composite unit guarding Duterte which is under AFP supervision, would be replaced with a new set of soldiers and policemen. Source: VP Duterte now mulls hiring ‘private security’

Romualdez previously vowed to push for the restoration of the program’s budget after the Senate defunded it, insisting that the project has already benefited 4 million Filipinos. Senator Imee Marcos, sponsor of the DSWD budget in the upper chamber, moved to delete the provision for AKAP entirely back in November, in hopes to realign the budget to another agency program, the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS). Source: Bicam restores funding for Romualdez's pet cash aid project AKAP after Senate removal

Effective on Dec. 8, all government workers must wear “Filipiniana-inspired” clothes on all working Mondays of the month to “boost employee morale, professionalism and productivity” in public workplaces. Under the revised dress code, government workers must wear “Asean-inspired” attire on the first Monday of the month, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Filipiniana-inspired clothing for remaining Mondays. Source: Filipiniana, Asean-inspired attire for gov’t workers on Mondays

“The Office of the President spent almost half of the total P10.4-billion confidential and intelligence fund allocation for 2023, with a combined total of P4.56 billion. That is a mind-blowing amount,” Renato Reyes, president of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), said in a statement Tuesday. “In the name of transparency and accountability, COA should release all its audit findings on the OP’s confidential and intel funds. In the same way, the public scrutinized the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) confidential funds, so too should we examine the OP’s confidential and intel funds which are several times way bigger than the OVP’s,” he added. Source: COA told: Release info on Office of the President’s secret funds

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) disclosed that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s Executive Order 62, which lowered the tariff on imported rice from 35% to 15%, did not lead to a reduction in rice prices as anticipated. “This is a puzzle also for us... perhaps this deserves a more nuanced analysis," said NEDA Director Nieva Natural during a House Murang Pagkain Supercommittee hearing. Source: NEDA: Reduced rice tariffs failed to lower prices