President Rodrigo Duterte

Duterte bans Philippine nationals

london - Emiratesvoice

President Rodrigo Duterte has banned Philippine citizens from travelling to Kuwait to work following reports of widespread abuse and exploitation, his spokesman said Saturday. Duterte ordered the ban after reports emerged about the deaths of several Filipina women in the Gulf state, his spokesman Harry Roque said. "In line with his presidential pronouncement, Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello has ordered theRead more

Suspect in murder of Philippine environmentalist freed

Manila - Emiratesvoice

A former Philippine official charged with the murder of a prominent environmentalist has been freed after a court voided the case against him, his lawyer said Saturday. Joel Reyes, the ex-governor of the western island of Palawan, was arrested in 2015 for the killing of Gerry Ortega, a prominent campaigner and radio host who frequently accused Reyes of massive corruption.Read more

More than 30 bodies found, criminal probe

london - Emiratesvoice

Firemen Monday found the bodies of "around" 36 people after a deadly blaze at a shopping mall in the southern Philippines, a fire official said as the government launched a criminal investigation. The discovery raised to 37 the confirmed death toll from the NCCC shopping mall fire in the city of Davao on Mindanao island. The Davao region chief ofRead more

Philippines’ Dominguez to talk with China on $15 billion deals

Manila - Arab Today

Philippines Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez will meet with key Chinese officials in a two-day visit to discuss details for $15 billion worth of economic deals and investment. China committed the deals to the Philippines during President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Beijing in October. Aside from Dominguez, the delegation includes the secretaries of budget, transportation, public works and socio-economic planning, theRead more

Philippine crime rate declines in first 5 months of Duterte administration

Manila - ArabToday

The index crime rate in the Philippines has gone down by 31.67 percent during the first five months of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration compared with the same period last year, a senior government official said Monday. Citing a report of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the index crime volume declined by 25,673 to 55,391Read more

aid package to Philippines withheld over rights concerns

MANILA - ArabToday

The United States said on Thursday it had withheld a major aid package to the Philippines because of significant concerns about the rule of law under President Rodrigo Duterte, days after he boasted about personally killing people. The announcement is one of the sharpest responses by the United States to Duterte’s drug war, which has claimed more than 5,000 livesRead more