Pinoy Tambayan | A Filipino News and Entertainment

The Philippine President and considered as one of the most popular so far in the country, scheduled to release about 50 political prisoners before Christmas as part of his commitment for lasting peace and ends insurgency in the Philippines. Pres. Duterte Welcomes Members of NDF at the Malacanang Palace (Phot Credit: Manila Bulletin) Pres. Rody Duterte noted that these political prisoners who will be release are mostly women, elderly, sick and long-term detainees. They could be set free in the coming weeks as part of the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) peace negotiations. In an interview with Manila Bulletin on Sunday, CPP NPA Secretary General Wilma Tiamzon was quoted as saying "They are trying to release a batch of 50," Tiamzon said. When asked if this could happen in time for Christmas, Tiamzon replied that "Masyado na matagal iyon (That would be late)," she said. Aside from Tiamzon who confirmed the release, a member

There is indeed changes in the national government after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) confirmed that the national government has fully restored its power transmission facilities in the Ilocos provinces, Abra, Benguet, and Mountain Province. The immediate restoration of power transmission facilities in the areas affected by Bagyong Lawin is another proof that everything changes in the response of the national government compared to the administration of former Pres. Aquino. Although the above-mentioned provinces already restored its power lines, the NGCP North Luzon also announced that their transmission facilities in the Cagayan Valley provinces are not yet fully restored. NGCP North Luzon public affairs officer Lilibeth P. Gaydowen noted that "the power transmission facilities in the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Ifugao, Isabela, Cagayan, Kalinga, and Apayao are 87.57 percent restored,” she said. Gaydowen added further that "All

Winnie Monsod, a veteran journalist and TV host and one of Pres. Rody Duterte's critics got a dose of her own medicine when she interviewed veteran lawmaker and former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile during an exclusive interview. One of the country's oldest statesman Juan Ponce Enrile answered Winnie Monsod's controversial question in a very articulate way that silenced the TV host. Winnie Monsod asked Enrile about what he thinks of the Duterte administration and the lawmaker answered that President Duterte was just doing the right thing for the country. Winnie Monsod made a follow up question if Enrile is willing to sacrifice the human rights of the country which was responded brilliantly by Enrile as he replied by asking Monsod how about the human rights of those being killed by some drug related problems. Witness How Sen. Enrile Silenced Winnie Monsod: Juan Ponce Enrile even noted that under the administration of Pres. Rody Duterte there is order, and t

The very first President of the Philippines from Mindanao, President Rodrigo Duterte revealed the main reasons why he don't want to reveal to the public the controversial third "narco list" in his possession right now. According to the President, the list of personalities involved in illegal drug trades "will just make Filipinos cry." Pres. Rody Duterte upon his arrival at the Davao City International Airport from his successful three-day visit to Japan which yields the Philippines around $19 billion dollar in investments and loans, he noted that latest list practically comprises the drug industry in the country. On his statement in front of the local, national and international press in Davao City, the 71-year-old President was quoted as saying "I do not want to make this public (the narco list) because it will just make the Filipino cry," the President said. The 16th President of the Philippines added further that "Sinong? Tingnan ninyo

Veteran journalist and one of the country's most respected columnist wring for the Manila Times, Rigorberto Tiglao made a very interesting expose on how Rappler allegedly violates the Philippine Constitution by getting funding from foreign firms such as Omidyar Network and North Base Media. In the latest commentary written by Tiglao on his column for the Manila Times he revealed that Rappler violates the constitution as he cited Article XVI, Section 11 of the Philippine constitution that says: "The ownership of mass media shall be limited to citizens of the Philippines." This is not part of the report about Tiglao's statement, I just want to check if a more popular website is just copying my articles. I have been monitoring this site and even commented on their site to not copy the articles written here or give credit to us because they are more popular in terms of alexa rankings. According Tiglao, Rappler.com had been one of former President Aquino's supp

The Philippine economy relied mostly from revenues provided by Filipino Overseas Workers (OFWs) and Business-Process Outsourcing (BPO), but the next major growth driver in our economy is no other than the Tourism sector. David Leechiu , CEO of Leechiu Property Consultants made the bold predictions for the tourism sector of the Philippines. He was quoted as saying "Right now, the Philippine economy is standing on two strong legs: the BPO revenue and overseas Filipinos, tourism potential is the third strong leg that can be developed in a very short time frame." Leechiu stated. Based upon the report provided by the Department of Tourism (DOT), in the first half of 2016 the country recorded more than 44 million tourist arrivals. Out of the 44 million tourists, 92 percent or 40.4 million are domestic travelers while the remaining 8 percent or 3.6 million, belonged to the international communities. Records shows that our neighbor South Korea remained as the country's la

Prominent journalist and one of the most avid supporter of Pres. Rody Duterte, Ira V. Panganiban revealed on his official Facebook Page that most of those who signed the petition against Mocha Uson were supporters of former Human Rights Commissioner Etta Rosales, the CHR and Sen. Leila De Lima. The Radyo Inquirer 990 AM news anchor Ira Panganiban dubbed the petitioners as "hypocrites," after they supported the petition to cancel the Facebook Page Mocha Uson, considered as one of the most active Facebook user in the country with more than 4 million followers. Ira Panganiban posted the following statements on Facebook: Etta Rosales, Leila de Lima and most of the board of the CHR were those who signed up for the suspension of the Mocha Uson Blog? Wow!!! Human Rights pa more!!!! The online petition against Mocha Uson was started by Paul Quilet in Change.org but the petitioner confirmed earlier that instead of Mocha's FB Page getting banned his Facebook Page was d

The Cebu-Bohol Friendship Bridge once realized under the administration of Pres. Rody Duterte will have a big economic impact to both provinces of Central Visayas. Politicians from both provinces are conducting studies to pushed the project into realization with the help of the Duterte administration. According to Aumentado, Bohol Board Member Nino Bonie and several second district mayors were in Cebu City to conduct a "Bohol 2nd District Development Framework" meeting at Quest Hotel. Some of the most prominent economic leaders in the Province like NEDA 7 Director Efren Carreon and Dr. Joel Elumba of the Department of Agriculture (DA) were the resource persons during the meeting. The NEDA Official in Region 7 also noted that there will be no more stranded passengers in Cebu and Bohol even if ship trips are cancelled during typhoons because, with a bridge, vehicles can travel freely. Although the travel time between the two provinces is only from one to three hou

The netizen who started the controversial petition to remove the Facebook Page of Mocha Uson got his own dose of medicine after he was removed by Facebook after it was allegedly mass reported by Uson's legions of supporters. Paul Quilet posted on his Twitter account confirming the removal of his account by Facebook after he started a petition on Change.org to remove Mocha Uson FB Page on Facebook. The netizen also confirmed on his Change.org update that his Facebook account was reported on Facebook, but he already appealed on Facebook to bring back his account as soon as possible. As of posting time, the link to the Facebook Page of Paul Quilet is still unavailable. Quilet also noted on his Twitter account that despite being pressured by some people who wants to stop his petition, he continued his advocacy on Change.org. A counter petition is also gaining some traction on Change.org as they wanted Facebook to know that they are supporting Mocha Uson and there's no n

Popular Facebook user and considered as an avid Duterte supporter, MJ Quiambao Reyes posted a challenging statement on her Facebook Page about the recent controversy involving the petition of someone who wanted to shut down the FB Page of Mocha Uson. According to MJ Reyes on her Facebook Page, the petitioner should try to convince more netizens to support their cause of trying to appeal to Facebook in shutting down the popular FB Page of entertainer Mocha Uson. MJ Reyes cited that if the petitioner already managed to get 20,000 signatures and even posted an article on Inquirer that the FB Page of Mocha are numbered they should get their facts straight. For the information of everybody, Mocha Uson's Page has more than 4 million followers most of them were active on the Page. Reyes urged the organizers of the petition against Mocha Uson to gather more than 3.9 million signatures first before they even try to curtail Mocha's freedom of speech. Here's the Complete Sta

Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol took to Facebook to clarify the issue about the controversial coco levy funds after a mass protest by farmers were conducted and was reported on national news media outlet, Philippine Daily Inquirer. In a news report posted by Inquirer , coconut farmers, land settlers and indigenous people started their protest caravan from Lucena City in Quezon going to the capital city of Manila on Sunday. The protecting farmers press their demands on Pres. Rody Duterte to speed up the return of the multi-billion-peso coconut levy fund, full implementation of the government land reform program and a stop to the wave of harassment of peasants. Sec. Manny Pinol clarified that the Supreme Court is the real culprit of the delay because of the TRO issued by Supreme Court which enjoins government from touching, releasing or distributing the Coco Levy Fund. The Agriculture Secretary also noted that whoever is behind the mass action by farmers from Southern Luzon R

The head of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy Taguiwalo discovered an anomaly of her department during the time of Pres. Aquino and under the leadership of former Sec. Dinky Soliman. According to Sec. Taguiwalo there were around 200,000 victims of the super typhoon Yolanda who did not received assistance from the national government. Super typhoon Yolanda hits during the time of Pres. Aquino and DSWD was under the leadership of Sec. Dinky Soliman. In a press briefing, DSWD Sec. Judy Taguiwalo revealed that her department had submitted to Pres. Rody Duterte a report on supposed irregularities in government aid for Yolanda victims. Most Yolanda victims who did not receive the much-needed aid reside from Region 6 and 8. According to the DSWD head who is now busy in the areas affected by Bagyong Lawin, her agency started an assessment of Yolanda donations when she assumed office in July upon the request of the people. During the onslaught of

Thousands if not millions of supporters of Mocha Uson took to Facebook and other social media platform to show their support to the entertainer-turned die-hard Duterte supporter against a petition initiated by Paul Quilèt on Change.org. According to the petition of Paul Quilèt , the popular Facebook Page of Mocha Uson who has more than 4 million followers larger even compared to some prominent news media outlet in the country spread fictitious and false information about pressing issues in the country and it needs to be suspended by Facebook. In a just a span of one day, the petition got traction on Change.org as it garnered more than 20,000 signatures and still counting but the supporters of Mocha Uson were also doing their best to counter the petition. Some netizens who supported Mocha Uson from the very start noted that they should support the actress-turned die-hard supporters because the celebrity had no mainstream media connections. It is evident also that the petition c

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) explained the main reasons why the national government did not asked for foreign assistance or donations from the international community after numerous news article circulated by some news outlet that the reason why nobody helped us was due to Pres. Duterte's statements against the US. According to DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, her department did not asked for assistance or foreign donations for Bagyong Lawin and Bagyong Lawin was due to the fact that the Duterte administration had enough funds including the DSWD. This is the results of President Duterte's transparent government and the absence of corruption. Sec. Taguiwalo was quoted as saying "Dahil walang katiwalian at transparent ang ating ipinatutupad na proseso, kitang-kita na may pondong sapat na magagamit para sa kagyat na pangangailangan," the DSWD Secretary stated. The DSWD and various Local Government Units (LGUs) in the affected areas as wel

For the very first time in the history of disaster response in the Philippines, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) installed a modernized repacking system to speed up the production of emergency family food packs in its operation center in Pasay City, Metro Manila. The modern repacking system of the DSWD was first initiated by the Aquino administration but only under the leadership of President Duterte together with DSWD Sec. Judy Taguiwalo that the facility was fully utilized in response to Bagyong Lawin. The mechanized repacking system makes the agency more responsive in delivering food packs to people affected by calamities. The modernization of the DSWD was made through the effort of the national government, the World Food Program, DSWD and the Office of Civil Defense in the Philippines. The project aims to enhance disaster preparedness in the Philippines. DSWD's modernization project allowed the government to produce over 50,000 family food packs

Rappler reporter Pia Ranada made headlines anew on social media particularly in various Facebook Pages dedicated to Pres. Rody Duterte when she was kept silent by the President himself when she asked questions about the US Embassy protest. During the press briefing with Malacanang Press, Pres. Duterte was asked by Rappler's Pia Ranada on what he can say about the latest issue involving the injuries of protesters in Manila. The reporter also made a follow-up questions that is not relevant to the issue aside from her grimacing face that was noticed by the President. Pres. Duterte was quoted as saying "Ikaw Pia. You are always well-informed. Sumi-simangot ka na eh. Pagsumi-simangot ka, ibig sabihin wala tayong alam lahat. Kayo nauna diyan eh. Tumahimik ka" Pres. Duterte stated. Pia Ranada is the same reporter that was lambasted by some supporters of President Duterte after she asked an intriguing questions about the possibility of attending the burial of former P

There is indeed a lot of changes in various departments of the Executive department under the administration of Pres. Rody Duterte. The Department of Social Welfare and Development, one of department blamed by netizens during the onslaught of super typhoon Yolanda. In order not to repeat what happened during the previous admin, the DSWD prepared even before super typhoon hit Northern Philippines. According to DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, their agency prepared a lot before Bagyong Lawin devastated most areas of Northern Luzon as they released over P1.2 billion standby funds for the calamity. Due to the trust of most Filipinos in the administration of Pres. Duterte, hundreds of staff members and volunteers of the DSWD were busy packing boxes of goods for the relief operations at the main office of DSWD in Pasay City. The goods which were already distributed earlier by the DSWD were placed inside boxes instead of the usual plastic bags. Each box contains 6 kg. of rice, 6 packs

A concerned netizen and well-known supporter of Pres. Rody Duterte, Facebook user MJ Quiambao Reyes lambasts both ABS-CBN and GMA for posting a news article from Agence France-Presse that carried the same headline that she found misleading. According to Reyes, although Pres. Duterte really said "Goodbye to the US not only through military ties but also economically," the President just want to show how creative he is to butter up with China and get the most from two superpowers, US and China. Some political strategists even noted that what Pres. Duterte was doing is a "shrewd negotiating technique." MJ Reyes personally thinks that Pres. Duterte is just trying to get the most benefits for our country and do what he believes to be good for his countrymen. With the recent pronouncement of Pres. Duterte against the US, we can expect one of two possibilities one is that US will be kinder, more generous tothe Philippines and could offer better concessions and try

Some Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) sent a letter to popular social media personality Sass Rogando Sasot, the one who helped them in making their concern go viral and reached the Office of the President. According to Sasot on her Facebook Page, the problems of the OFW was supposed to be responded by the agency under the leadership of Vice President Leni Robredo but instead of the expected helped from Robredo, the respond came from the Office of the President. Vice President Leni Robredo is the chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) but instead of replying to the e-mail sent by Sasot, the Office of the President responded immediately together with the DTI as they endorsed the letter sent by the OFW to HLURB. Sasot also noted on her post that the concerned OFW who sent the letter will be receiving his refund from the company they complain despite the fact that VP Robredo did not do anything on their problem. Here's the Complete Stat

Some concerned netizens took to Facebook to share some photos of what really happened before the dispersal of protesters at the United States Embassy in Manila. The photos showing how the protesters disrespects the authorities before the dispersal have gone viral on Facebook. The photos were first posted in the Facebook Page "Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa Supporters" showed some vandalism allegedly committed by some protesters. They were even caught on camera spraying paints on the vehicle used by the policeman who dragged some protesters down. Netizens were quick to react with the said viral photos and aired their comments and sentiments with the protests at the US Embassy which was conducted during the time when Pres. Rody Duterte visited China. Here's Some of the Photos Posted by Concerned Netizens: Here's some of the Reactions of Netizens with the said viral photos: " Gery Nelnes mali talaga ang mga pinaggagawa ng mga rallyista... anong

One of the country's well-known protester, former senatorial candidate Teddy Casino shares his sentiments regarding the hottest issue today, the US Embassy protest that resulted some injuries among protesters. A member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who was tasked provide security and maximum tolerance during the protest used his vehicle that ran over some of the left-wing protesters at an anti-Us rally outside the US Embassy in Manila. According to Teddy Casino, the anti-Us rally incident is one of the worst he have ever witnessed wherein at least three people were injured during the incident. Some netizens defended the cop who attacked the protesters because he panicked during the incident when the protesters nearly control the vehicle he was using. Although there are some videos circulating online about the incident, some netizens questions the video by various news media outlet because it only shows the later part of the incident and they did not show the e

President Rodrigo Duterte's first state visit to China made a positive impact in the Philippine stocks as it advanced the most in five months amid optimism the his visit to China will improve relations and yield a raft of business deals. At the close of trading in Manila at 3:30 p.m. local time, the Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose 2.9 percent to 7,571. It is considered as the steepest gain since May 11. Some of the most prominent businesses owned by Filipino-Chinese businessmen rise significantly. SM Prime Holdings Inc., of mall developer Henry Sy, which operates malls in the Philippines and China, jumped 6.5 percent, while another Filipino-Chinese business owner Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee Foods Corp. added 4 percent. According to James Lago, head of research at PCCI Securities Brokers Corp. in Manila, there is optimism that the pivot to China will yield results. He added further that the Philippine market is also at such oversold levels already that valuations are n

The Department of Agriculture under the leadership of Secretary Manny Piñol announce through his official Facebook Page that a new mobile phone apps dubbed "FARMHELP," which aimed to link farmers to DA round the clock was launched by his department. According to Sec. Piñol, the new application could be used by farmers, fisher folks and other agricultural stakeholders to forward their concerns and submit complaints to DA 34 hours a day every day and seven days a week. Once you successfully dowloaded the app, just follow the instructions which includes giving your personal phone number and you're in. Although there are few people who learn about the app, as concerned netizens we should try to help the DA by supporting the app. As of posting time there are only 100 downloads so far. The FARMHELP initiative was made available to the Filipino public in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and PureForce, the same team that designed the popular 911 program of

A viral photo is now circulating online featuring the comparisons by some netizens of the two head of states, President Rody Duterte of the Philippines and Pres. Barrack Obama of the United States of America. Some netizens noted that during the visit of Pres. Obama he was greeted with a simple ceremony while Pres. Duterte was greeted with a lavish red carpet entrance. The photo which was first posted in a Facebook Page supporting Pres. Duterte during the national elections asked their followers to find the difference between Pres. Duterte and Pres. Obama during their visit to China. Most netizens were quick to respond the Pres. Duterte received a warm welcome with his red carpet entrance and a limousine service en route to his hotel while Pres. Obama received just an ordinary welcome from the Chinese government without the red carpet. Pres. Rody Duterte arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night for a four-day state visit to China to discuss some pressing concerns between the two cou

Bagyong Lawin which is now considered as a super typhoon by the U.S. Naval Observatory's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). The country's weather bureau PAGASA on its 11:00 AM Bulletin noted that "Lawin" further intensified and continues to pose an impending threat over Cagayan-Isabela Area. As of 10:00 AM today, October 19, 2016, PAGASA noted that the eye of the typhoon was located based on all available data at 385 km East of Casiguran Aurora. The newest tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines Bagyong Lawin (international name: Haima) has a maximum sustained winds of up to 220 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 305 kph. Based on the data gathered by the weather bureau, Bagyong Lawin is expected to move West Northwest at 26 kph. PAGASA forecast that by tomorrow morning (Thursday) it is expected to be at Currimao, Ilocos Norte and on Friday morning at 515 km West Northwest of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte (Outside PAR). Here's the Hourly Updates of

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has been ranked by the travel website " The Guide to Sleeping in Airports " as the fifth worst airport in Asia but cited some improvements in the airport under the Duterte administration. The ranking is considered as an improvement compared to the Aquino administration wherein the airport was dubbed as the Worst Airport not only in Asia but in the World. According to "The Guide" some of the complaints against NAIA include the "tanim bala" scam which was already solved by the Duterte admin, power outages, bad air conditioning systme, lack of seat and complicated terminal transfers. These complaints were already answered by the Duterte admin and made some measures to solve the problem unlike the previous administration who allegedly did nothing during the past six years. Despite the shortcomings of NAIA, the website acknowledges some improvements in the Philippines' main gateway, survey responders took

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority showcased on their official Facebook Page the results of the "No Window Hours Policy," which yielded positive effects to the worsening traffic in Metro Manila. Numerous photos were posted online by MMDA showing the significant improvements of EDSA after the implementation of the no window hours policy. According to MMDA General Manager Tim Orbos said that there will be some adjustments to be implemented next week after the Metro Manila Council (MMC) noted that the dry run of the policy yielded positive effects to traffic. Based upon the recommendations of the MMC, composed of the region's mayors noted starting next week, the unified vehicular volume reduction program (UVVRP) or number coding scheme will be implemented from 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. instead of only up to 7:00 P.M. Under the "No Window Hour" scheme, drivers cannot traverse roads where number coding scheme is implemented from 13 hours and viola

Netizens and thousands of supporters of President Rody Duterte took to Facebook to show their support after a controversial headline was posted by TV Patrol on its Facebook Page that Pres. Duterte belittle the help given by the Americans during the Yolanda catastrophe. The official Facebook Page of TV Patrol posted a headline that says "Minaliit ni Pangulong Duterte ang tulong ng Amerika sa Pilipinas noong bagyong 'Yolanda'. Narito ang kanyang naging sagot sa tanong ng Al Jazeera." According to some netizens the statement made by TV Patrol on Facebook is another personal attack to Pres. Rody Duterte as they clearly saw the entire interview and there's no way that Pres. Duterte belittle the help of the US during Yolanda. Although the Philippine President already asked his supporters to stop attacking the press or the alleged bias media, netizens did not agree this time around because Pres. Duterte never mentioned anything against the US or belittle their ai