News Roundup 01 November 2023
Nov 02, 2023 • 4 min Read
Congress to hold joint session for Japan PM Kishida | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Both chambers of Congress will convene for a joint session on Saturday to hear Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida deliver his speech for Philippine lawmakers — only the fifth head of state to do so in the history of the legislature.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri extended an invitation for Kishida to address the House of Representatives and the Senate during a visit by senators to Tokyo in April, according to a statement.
Kishida will address Congress on Saturday, 11 a.m. at the Batasang Pambansa Complex.
The last time the House of Representatives and the Senate convened to receive a message from a head of state was in February 2006, during the visit of Indian President Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam.
Other heads of state welcomed by Congress were Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in April 2005; China President Hu Jintao also in April 2005; US President George W. Bush in 2003; and US President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960.
“We are honored that the good Prime Minister accepted our invitation for him to address the Filipino people through Congress,” Zubiri said.
Full Story at: Congress to hold joint session for Japan PM Kishida | Philstar.com
SWS survey: Nearly half of Filipino families feel poor in Q3 of 2023 | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Nearly half or 48% of Filipino families rated themselves as poor during the third quarter of the year, up by about three points from the previous period, according to a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
Conducted from September 28 to October 1, the survey estimates that around 13.2 million families consider themselves as poor — higher than the 12.5 million estimated in June 2023.
The survey also found that 27% of families rated themselves as “borderline” or between the “poor” and “not poor” categories, which is a decrease of six points from the previous survey. Meanwhile, 25% of families rated themselves as “hindi mahirap” or “not poor,” a three-point increase from June.
The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide.
SWS based its estimated number of self-rated poor families on the percentage of respondent households rating themselves as poor as applied to the Philippine Statistics Authority medium-population projections for 2023.
7 out of 10 in Mindanao self-rate as ‘poor’
The most significant increase in self-rated poverty was among families in Mindanao, where the percentage of “poor” families surged from 54% in June to 71% in September.
In Metro Manila and the Visayas, the rise was more moderate, from 35% to 38% and 57% to 59%, respectively. In contrast, Balance Luzon experienced a decrease from 39% to 35%.
The “borderline” category increased in Metro Manila and the Visayas, from 23% to 29% and 28% to 32%, respectively. However, it declined in Balance Luzon from 38% to 25% and in Mindanao from 33% to 25%.
Full Story at: SWS survey: Nearly half of Filipino families feel poor in Q3 of 2023 | Philstar.com
PNP records 39 incidents of election violence during village, youth polls | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police recorded 39 violent incidents in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections held on Monday, according to its data released on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said 79 winning candidates could not yet be proclaimed due to pending election offense cases.
Based on the PNP’s data, all regions in the country recorded violent incidents on Election Day, with the exception of the Ilocos and Davao regions — the home regions of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, respectively.
The 39 incidents — which are automatically considered as election-related incidents (ERIs) — led to six people killed and 25 wounded: five of those killed in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and one in Northern Mindanao. A suicide was also recorded in the Mimaropa region.
The ERIs ranged from shootings to cases of physical injury, snatching of ballot boxes, harassment, grave and light threats, and even one instance of car theft.
The Comelec, however, reported 19 people killed and 14 others injured, mostly in the BARMM. The poll body also recorded fatalities in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Central Visayas, Bicol, Calabarzon, Cordillera and even Ilocos.
Full Story at: PNP records 39 incidents of election violence during village, youth polls | Inquirer News
3 inmates poised to win as village councilors | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Three inmates who ran as candidates for village councilor are poised to win in Monday’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
They and five other persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) also vying for barangay posts waged their campaign while in detention.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Director Ruel Rivera said the three PDLs were running as barangay councilors in their respective localities. He did not name the candidates but the Inquirer got their identities.
One is a reelectionist candidate who garnered the most votes in Datu Esmael village in Dasmariñas City, Cavite.
Another was a candidate in Barangay Buto in Tanay, Rizal province, while the third was a candidate in Iponan village in Cagayan de Oro City.
Full Story at: 3 inmates poised to win as village councilors | Inquirer News
