2014 in the Philippines

2014 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 2014.

Incumbents

President – Benigno S. Aquino III (Liberal) Vice President – Jejomar C. Binay, Sr. (UNA) Congress (16th): Senate President – Franklin M. Drilon (Liberal) House Speaker – Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr. (Liberal) Chief Justice – Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno

Events

January January 10–20 – The low pressure area that was affecting Visayas and Mindanao since January 10 is upgraded into Tropical Depression Agaton by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), becoming the first storm to hit the Philippines in 2014. Prior to Agaton intensified into a tropical depression, it first developed into an area of low pressure and has caused floodings, deaths, and displaced thousand of people in Mindanao since January 10. As of January 30, Agaton has killed at least 68 people with 4 reported missing. It has displaced an estimate of 160,000 people and caused a total damage of 313.78 million pesos to infrastructure and agriculture. January 13 – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrests alleged rice smuggler David Tan, also known as Davidson Tan Bangayan or David Lim. January 25 – The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have finally sign the fourth and last annex of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, an agreement between the two parties that calls for the creation of the autonomous political entity named Bangsamoro replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. January 27–February 2 – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) leads an offensive, codenamed Operation Darkhorse, against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) to arrest various members of the militant group, including its leader Umbra Kato, for various criminal charges. By January 27, the AFP overran a BIFF camp in Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao, Mindanao. The clash took place barely after the signing of the Framework Agreement between the government and the MILF. As of January 29, 37 people were killed during the armed conflict, 36 of which are members of the BIFF and 1 soldier from the AFP. January 28 – Ten Philippine National Police (PNP) officers are sacked following revelations from the Commission on Human Rights that they play a so-called "wheel of torture" game at a secret detention facility to extract information from criminal suspects and for their own amusement.

January 29 – The Government of Hong Kong scraps all Philippine diplomatic and official passport holders' 14-day visa free access after the Philippine government failed to issue an apology for the Manila hostage crisis in 2010.

February February 1 – A blast from an improvised explosive device, allegedly planted by members of the BIFF, injures 12 soldiers and civilians in Barangay Lower Salbu, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao. February 12 – The government announces that it had recovered the secret Swiss accounts of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos amounting to 1.3 billion pesos after a Singapore court ruled that Philippine National Bank had the legal rights to the accounts. The accounts were already transferred to the National Treasury on February 5. February 15 – More than 519,221 members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) join the Worldwide Walk For Those Affected by Typhoon Yolanda held in Manila and in selected sites in the Philippines and abroad as the Worldwide Walk breaks the records of the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest charity walk in a single venue and in the largest charity walk in multiple venues in 24 hours. February 18: The Supreme Court of the Philippines (SC) declares the major provisions of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act 10175) including the online libel provision as constitutional. On the online libel, the court further clarified that only the original authors of libelous material are covered by the law, and not those who received or reacted to it (e.g., liking, sharing, and commenting on an online post). The court also ruled the unconstitutionality of some provisions of the law including unsolicited commercial communications, on collection or recording of traffic data in real-time by means of a computer system, and take-down clause or restricting access to computer data. The House of Representatives starts the public hearings on the proposal to amend the 1987 Constitution to allow the Congress to lift restrictions regarding ownership of land, and business such as public utilities, mass media, educational institutions and advertising by foreigners to bring more foreign investments to the country. On March 3, The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments approved the resolution for the amendment after several public hearings. February 21 – The government completes the negotiations with the South Korean aerospace company Korea Aerospace Industries for the purchase of 12 brand new KAI T-50 Golden Eagle (also known as FA-50), a supersonic advanced trainer and multirole light fighter type of jets. The deal is worth 18.9 billion pesos (424.34 million US Dollars). The first batch was to be delivered in September 2015.

February 24: AFP chief Emmanuel T. Bautista reports an incident to a foreign forum in Manila that Filipino fishermen were driven away from Panatag Shoal (known internationally as Scarborough Shoal), a disputed territory claimed both by the Philippines and China, by a Chinese coast guard vessel using water canons. The incident happened on January 27. Members of Confederation of Truckers Association and Integrated North Harbor Truckers Association stage a mass protest against the implementation of the Truck Ban in the City of Manila by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada as the ban officially starts. February 27 – A massive power breakdown occur in the island of Mindanao affecting 25 million people in several major cities and provinces. The blackout lasted for more than five hours. Several businesses declared profit losses, while local government services were greatly paralyzed due to the blackout. On February 28, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the cause of the power interruption was due to line trippings which started in Agus I Hydroelectric Power Plant in Lanao del Norte.

March March 3 – President Aquino III abolishes six government-owned and controlled corporations as part of crackdown of dissolving non-performing, and unnecessary firms in the government. March 4 – The Senate concurs the ratification of the country's separate extradition treaties with the United Kingdom, India, and Spain in a vote of 17 with no objections and abstentions. All the extradition treaties will have a retroactive effect, which means, according to Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, "The treaties are applicable to offenses committed prior to the entry into force of the treaties. This means that we can extradite the plunder criminals if they flee to the UK, Spain, or India, even though the plunder was committed before the effectivity of the extradition treaties." The treaties to the said three countries were ratified by President Aquino III on December 6, 2013. March 6 – Delfin Lee, President of Globe Asiatique and one of the country's top five fugitives, is captured outside a hotel in Malate, Manila and was later brought to Camp Crame in Quezon City. Lee faced syndicated estafa charges filed by Department of Justice (DOJ) for the 6.6 billion pesos Globe Asiatique scam in 2009. March 8 – Chinese coast guard ships block two Philippine vessels from entering Ayungin Shoal (known internationally as Second Thomas Shoal). On March 11, the Aquino government released an official statement and a diplomatic protest about the incident, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, stating that the Ayungin Shoal is part of the Philippines, and China's act was considered a clear and urgent threat to the rights and interests of the country. Furthermore, the civilian vessels were only conducting rotation of personnel and resupply operations in the said shoal. To resupply the Filipino troops garrisoned in the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in the said shoal, the Philippine Navy decided in providing air drop supplies of food and water to the soldiers. In a text message by Chinese Embassy spokesman Zhang Hua to the media on March 12, she said, "The Chinese side does not accept the protest by the Philippine side." March 10: The Senate, on third and final reading, passes Senate Bill no. 1733 or People's Freedom of Information (FOI) Act of 2013 authored by Senator Grace Poe. All 21 senators present voted for the approval of the said bill. Prior to the approval of the bill on the final reading, the bill has been filed 44 times in 7 Congresses. A total of 11 people, including seven soldiers and two policemen, are killed in separate clashes with New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Matanao, Davao del Sur. March 17 – Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board member Jose Taruc V surrenders to the Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP–CIDG) in Greenhills, San Juan City. Taruc was one of the accused, together with former president and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, on the 336 million peso plunder case filed by the Sandiganbayan in 2012 on the misuse of the agency's intelligence funds. March 21 – Asia-Pacific Cable Network 2, a submarine cable, is damaged. It caused internet connectivity issues and it affects the Eastern Communications and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company subscribers. The said problem also affects other nine Asia-Pacific countries. March 22 – Communist Party of the Philippines Chairman Benito Tiamzon and wife Wilma Tiamzon, who also sits as the secretary general of the New People's Army (NPA), and 5 more others are arrested in Barangay Zaragosa, Aloguinsan, Cebu. The Tiamzon's had a standing warrant of arrest orders for crimes against humanity which include murder, multiple murder, and frustrated murder charges. 5 days after the arrest of the couple, last March 27, Andrea Rosal, who was the daughter of former NPA spokesman "Ka Roger" Rosal (deceased) was arrested in Caloocan. March 27 – The five-page Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro is signed in Malacañan Palace grounds by the government's peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer and MILF negotiator Mohager Iqbal. The signing was also attended by a thousand people, including President Aquino III, MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia, and the Presidential Advisor on the Peace Process Teresita Deles. The CAB comprises the Bangsamoro Framework, including its annexes on Transitional Arrangements and Modalities, Revenue Generation and Wealth Sharing, Power Sharing, Normalization, and the addendum on Bangsamoro Waters and Zones of Joint Cooperation. March 29 – A Philippine civilian vessel carrying supplies for eight soldiers stationed in BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded ship turned military outpost, evades a blockade by two Chinese Coast Guard ships in Ayungin Shoal (known internationally as Second Thomas Shoal). March 30 – The Philippines submits its 10 volume memorial or written pleading on the territorial feud against China in the South China Sea to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

April