MANILA, Philippines — From government agencies seeking to bring back 100 human trafficking victims to issues with airport traffic systems that led to thousands of passengers affected on New Year’s Day, here are some headlines from the past week we think you should know if you’re a Filipino based abroad.
Overseas Filipinos
- President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is scheduled to go on a state visit to China this week, from January 3 to 5. Due to the local COVID-19 situation there, however, the chief executive will not have a meeting with the Filipino community.
- The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is working on repatriating close to 100 Filipinos who fell victim to illegal trafficking schemes by Chinese operators in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Others do not want to come home, which a DFA official said could be because they are treated better than those rescued or out of fear.
- The Philippines is intensifying its border control and COVID-19 monitoring for individuals traveling from China.
Work and the economy
- The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a criminal complaint against SunCash Lending Investors Corp., UCash Lending Investors Corp., Suncredit.ph Finance Corp., and ECredit Finance, Inc. for illegally operating online lending platforms. The four platforms were also accused of engaging in "abusive, unethical, and unfair" debt collection practices.
- The controversial Maharlika Investment Fund, which is supposed to be the country’s sovereign wealth fund, is among the Senate’s legislative priorities for 2023. The House of Representatives promptly passed the bill, which Marcos Jr. supports, despite public uproar and concern about whether the Philippines can afford it.
- Marcos Jr. has formally ordered the suspension of e-sabong operations, but the recent executive order does not affect traditional cockfights authorized under existing laws. There are still 34 e-sabungeros or cockfight players missing.
- The Philippine economy has entered the year still reeling from the pandemic, with the inflation print expected to peak in December. Economists said Marcos Jr.’s administration could have implemented more policy reforms to help avoid scenarios of Filipinos bearing the brunt of the economic crisis.
Politics and the nation
- A technical glitch in the Air Traffic Management Center in Pasay greeted 56,000 affected passengers on New Year’s Day as nearly 300 flights were cancelled, diverted, or delayed.
- The death toll from the Christmas shear line floods and landslides climbed to 49, while 22 remain missing, according to the latest National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management report.
- Mandatory SIM card registration started last week, but two portals either had bugs or experienced issues due to heavy traffic on the first day of registration. This led to calls for the suspension of registration activities while telecommunication firms and government authorities fix issues.
- The Department of Health wants the COVID-19 state of calamity extended to allow the agency to continue implementing pandemic measures but Marcos Jr. is hesitant to do so, saying “that is the wrong mindset to be approaching the new year with.”
- There were 85 individuals who got firework-related injuries after New Year’s festivities, the DOH reported. This number may still go up, as the agency continues its monitoring period until January 6.
You can view last week’s rundown here or sign up for the newsletter here.