Incumbents

For the current incumbents of the Executive Cabinet under the current administration, see Cabinet of the
Philippines. For the current leaders in the Congress of the Philippines, see Senate of the Philippines and
the House of Representatives of the Philippines. For the complete list of the current Justices of the
Supreme Court of the Philippines, see Current Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

Rodrigo R.
Duterte

Leni G.
Robredo

Aquilino
M. Pimentel III

Maria Lourdes
P.A. Sereno

President:

Benigno S. Aquino III (Liberal) (until June 30)

Rodrigo R. Duterte (PDPLaban) (from June 30)

Vice President:

Jejomar C. Binay, Sr. (UNA) (until June 30)

Leni G. Robredo (Liberal) (from June 30)

Congress:

Senate President:

16th Congress: Franklin M. Drilon (Liberal) (until July 25)

17th Congress: Aquilino M. Pimentel III (PDPLaban) (from July 25)

House Speaker:

16th Congress: Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr. (Liberal) (until July 25)

17th Congress: Pantaleon D. Alvarez (PDPLaban) (from July 25)

Chief Justice: Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno

Events
January

January 4 The Sandiganbayan Special Second Division orders Alfonso Lim Sr., a crony of the
late president Ferdinand Marcos, to return to the government all properties he acquired. [1]

January 7 The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division denies the bail petition of Senator Jinggoy
Estrada in connection with his alleged involvement in the PDAF scam. [2]

A satellite captured image of theKagitingan Reef, internationally known as Fiery Cross Reef.

January 8 The Department of Foreign Affairs files a diplomatic protest against China's test
flights in the Kagitingan Reef located across the disputed West Philippine Sea.[3]

January 12 The Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of the Enhanced Defense
Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the United States signed in 2014. [4]

January 13 Zamboanga City declares a state of calamity due to the onslaught of El

Nio phenomenon and its negative effects to the farmlands. [5]

January 14 President Aquino vetoes House Bill No. 5842, which intends to increase the pension
of the members of Social Security System.[6]

January 15 Munap Saimaran, one of the bandits in the 2000 Sipadan kidnappings, is arrested
in Sulu.[7]

January 19

President Aquino approves Republic Act No. 10742 or the SK Reforms Act of 2016 that
will enable reforms in strengthening the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) political system.[8]

North Cotabato declares a state of calamity after damages due to the 2016 El
Nio reached over 200 million, including damage due to drought and rats. [9]

January 20

Former Iglesia ni Cristo evangelical worker Lowell Menorca II is arrested by Manila Police
District policemen in civil clothes without any warrant of arrest showed due to libel charges filed

by SCAN International Lanao del Norte chapter while he trying to attend a hearing in Court of
Appeals.[10] The INC categorily denied the involvement in commotion between the policemen and
Menorca.[11] (see 2015 Iglesia ni Cristo leadership controversy)

The Office of the Ombudsman orders effectively the dismissal in service of Quezon
City District 2 Councilor Roderick Paulate and District 1 Councilor Francisco Calalay and two city
liaison officials on the hiring of "ghost employees" in 2010. [12]

Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino, a former official of the Philippine Drug Enforcement
Agency's Special Enforcement Service, is arrested in a buy-bust operation at a shabulaboratory
in Santa Cruz, Manila.[13]

January 2431 The 51st International Eucharistic Congress is held in Cebu.[14]

January 26 The Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee concludes its hearings on the corruption
allegations against Vice President and UNA presidential candidate Jejomar Binay.[15]

January 27 The Bangsamoro Basic Law fails to pass on its final reading in the House of
Representatives before January.[16] But due to no proper quorum in the Congress, the bill had no
chances to pass in the House of Representatives in the 16th Congress. [17] Aside from the BBL, Aquino
administration's priority bills, the Anti-Dynasty, Anti-Discrimination and the Freedom of Information
bills, "killed" in the 16th congress as the Session will temporarily adjourned in preparation for the
2016 elections.[18]

January 31 In the latest report by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the
Philippines places second in the list of most dangerous places for journalists. [19]

February

Senator Antonio F. Trillanes.

February 1 The Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 142 issues a warrant of arrest against
Senator and Vice Presidential candidateAntonio Trillanes IV over the libel case filed by disqualified
Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, Jr..[20] On February 9, Trillanes posted bail.[21]

February 3 The COMELEC 1st Division denied all the disqualification cases against PDP
Laban presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.[22]

February 5

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) files the usurpation case against
former PNP Chief Alan Purisima due to usurping his role in his involvement in the Mamasapano
clash.[23]

Maguindanao suffers from the effects of the 2014-2016 El Nio, destroying rice and corn
crops on the drought caused, and the provincial government declares a state of calamity in
response to residents experiencing food shortage.[24]

February 9 The AFP and PNP operatives arrest Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF)
top leader Hassan Indal a.k.a. Abu Hazam in a joint operation in Cotabato City.[25]

February 10 The National Mapping and Resource Information Authority announces that it has
documented more than 400 additional islands, mostly in the Mindanao group, using the
Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar. The islands were previously thought to be part of a bigger
island.[26] The previous official count was 7,107 by the Gazetteer of the Philippine Islands in 1945. [27]

February 16 Six policemen killed and eight wounded in a clash with New People's
Army members in Barangay Sta. Margarita,Baggao, Cagayan.[28]

February 18 The Department of Transportation and Communications and the Land

Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board launches the P2P or Point to Point Premium Bus,
the first bus service in the country accessible for the Persons with Disabilities sector.[29][30]

February 19

President Aquino signs Executive Order 201 (under the proposed Salary Standardization
Law of 2015) that increases the salaries of government agency workers and adding additional
benefits to civilian and military uniformed personnel. [31]

The Office of the Ombudsman files graft and documents falsification charges before the
Sandiganbayan against former Makati City mayor Junjun Binay and 22 others over the alleged
overpriced construction of the Makati City Hall Parking Building II. [32]

February 26 At least 60 are killed in an encounter in Butig, Lanao del Sur. Among them were
suspected members of Maute Terrorist Group and three soldiers. [33]

Former President Elpidio R. Quirino.

February 29

The Philippines and Japan signs an agreement on the transfer of the Japanese defense
and surveillance equipment to the country's military.[34]

The remains of the late President Elpidio Quirino, the sixth president of the Philippines,
are transferred from the Manila South Cemetery in Makati to the Heroes' Cemetery in Taguig to
mark his 60th death anniversary.[35]

March

March 1 Aid al-Qarni, a Islam preacher, and a diplomat from Saudi Arabian embassy was shot
by a gunman after a lecture in theWestern Mindanao State University in Zamboanga City.[36]

March 3 The Office of the Ombudsman files charges against five former Representatives
including former Muntinlupa congressmanRuffy Biazon, in connection with the PDAF scam.[37]

March 5

The Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal of Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian
and 6 others over the deadly blaze that hit footwear factory Kentex Manufacturing Corporation,
killing at least 72 people in May last year.[38] On March 15, The Ombudsman also ordered the
filing of graft charges against Gatchalian and seven other individuals in connection with this case.
[39]

The Philippine government orders to impound a cargo ship from North Korea in the Subic
port, in response to tighter sanctions by United Nations against North Korea due to its nuclear
and ballistic missile tests.[40] On March 24, the North Korean freighter M/V Jin Teng has left the
country, after no contraband was found onboard and the ship was cleared by the United Nations.
[41]

Senator and Presidential candidate Grace Poe-Llamanzares was filed with disqualification cases due to allegations of
not meeting the requirements provided by the Constitution.

March 8 Voted 9-6, the Supreme Court has affirms Grace Poe's natural-born status and
declares she is qualified to run based on her 10-year residency.[42]

March 15

The Supreme Court dismisses several petitions by several party-list groups to issue a
TRO to stop the implementation of the K+12 education program of the Department of Education.
[43]

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has begin its inquiry into the alleged money
laundering of $100 million that has dragged into this one of the country's leading financial
institutions.[44]

March 16

BIR employee Rhodora Alvarez, who blew the whistle on the alleged anomalous deal,
filed a plunder complaint against Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin over a P1.2 billion
helicopter deal in 2013.[45]

Disqualified Laguna Governor Emilio Ramon ER Ejercito and eight other individuals
were charged with graft before the Sandiganbayan over an alleged anomalous insurance deal
entered in 2008.[46]

March 18 Former Camarines Norte Governor Roy Padilla Jr., is arrested over his failure to
return a firearm issued to him in 1992.[47]

March 21 The UNESCO has added Albay in the Philippines as one of the 20 additions to its
network of protected biosphere nature reserves.[48]

March 22

The Sandiganbayan Second Division has dismissed the graft case against Government
Service Insurance System (GSIS) former president and general manager Winston Garcia on the
alleged anomalous awarding of a multimillion-peso electronic membership card (e-Card) project
in 2004.[49]

The Court of Appeals (CA) has junked dismissed Makati mayor Junjun Binay's contempt
charges against former interior secretary Mar Roxas, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales,
former justice Secretary Leila de Lima, and 5 others.[50]

Diwata-1, the first Philippine satellite built and designed by Filipino scientists.

March 23

Diwata-1 was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard

the Cygnus spacecraft on a supply mission. Cygnus itself will be launched using the Atlas
V rocket. The satellite was deployed into orbit from the ISS on April 27. Diwata-1 is the country's
first micro-satellite and the first satellite to be built and designed by Filipinos. [51]

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (under the Memorandum Circular
94) that aimed at "achieving unified action" as part of efforts to find a resolution to the country's
territorial dispute with China on the West Philippine Sea is created.[52]

March 25 Customs at the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen destroyed 34.78 tons of
"substandard bananas" imported from the Philippines due to excessive pesticide use. [53]

March 26 A raging fire on the Philippines highest mountain, Mt. Apo, forced hundreds of people
to flee from the peak by foot.[54]

March 27 Anonymous Philippines has hacked the website of Commission on Elections to force
them to place security features on Vote Counting Machine (VCM). [55] Soon, the LulzSec
Pilipinas leaked sensitive information of voters all over the Philippines from the COMELEC website,
and the incident has been called the "biggest government data breach in history". [56] On April 21, one
of the hackers involved in the recent defacement and supposed leak of data from the Commission on
Elections' official website has been arrested in Sampaloc, Manila. [57] On April 29, another hacker
allegedly responsible for leaking the information of voters from the Comelec website was arrested by
the National Bureau of Investigation.[58]

March 28

Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) general manager Neric Acosta has been
sentenced to a maximum of 10 years of imprisonment after being found guilty of one count of

graft by the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division in connection with the misuse of his pork barrel funds
as district representative of Bukidnon.[59]

None of the three pre-qualified bidders have submitted offers for the largest PrivatePublic Partnership (PPP) project to date, the Laguna Lakeshore Expressway estimated to cost
around P123 billion.[60]

Several piles of license plate sheets were stolen from the Quezon City central office of
the Land Transportation Office during the Holy Week break. [61]

March 29

Ten Indonesian crew members on board a tugboat were kidnapped by Abu

Sayyaf militants in the Philippines.[62] On May 1, ten Indonesian sailors who had been held
hostage by Islamist militant group were released in Jolo. [63]

President Aquino has signed Republic Act No. 10754 into law a bill authored by Leyte
Rep. Martin Romualdez granting persons with disabilities (PWDs) exemption from the 12percent value-added tax (VAT) on certain goods and services.[64]

The Commission on Elections has decided not to stop the broadcast of senatorial
candidate Manny Pacquiao's boxing match on April 9.[65]

March 30 The Office of the Ombudsman filed graft and technical malversation cases against
Sen. JV Ejercito, before the Sandiganbayan over the alleged anomalous purchase of high-powered
firearms worth P2.1 million during his term as mayor of San Juan City.[66]

Five transactions issued by hackers, worth $101 million and withdrawn from a Bangladesh Bank account at the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York, succeeded, with $20M traced to Sri Lanka (since recovered) and $81M to the
Philippines.

March 31

The camp of businessman Kim Wong handed over to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,
the $4.6 million he volunteered to return to the Bangladesh government, supposedly after
learning that the money was part of the $81-million money laundering scheme.[67]On April 4,
Wong turned over an additional P38.28 million to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC)
office.[68] On April 19, Eastern Hawaii Leisure Co. Ltd., has turned over P200 million to the AMLC.
[69]

Addong Salahuddin, suspect in the bombing incident at the Zamboanga City Airport on
August 5, 2010, where two people were killed and 28 others injured, including former Sulu Gov.
Abdusakur Tan has surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation. [70]

April

April 1

At least 3 are killed and several others were wounded when police dispersed a farmers'
protest action in Kidapawan demanding relief from the provincial government due to a drought
caused by El Nio affecting the province since November 2015. [71]

The Department of Education in partnership with Stairway Foundation launches

CyberSafe Project Manuals, which contain individual lesson plans targeting Grades 5 to 6 and
junior high students to prevent internet-related child abuse.[72]

April 2 A power outage hits the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay
City causing a disruption in the processing of passengers.[73]

April 4 The Olongapo Regional Trial Court Branch 74 denies the petition of US Marine Joseph
Scott Pemberton to reverse his conviction for his homicide case of Filipino transgender Jennifer
Laude.[74]

The Cebu International Convention Center was the subject of the graft charges filed by Third District of Cebu
Representative Gwendolyn Garcia.

April 5

The Office of the Ombudsman finds probable cause to file charges against former PNP
chief Alan Purisima and former SAF director Getulio Napeas for the Mamasapano operation
that saw 44 SAF troopers killed, the biggest loss of the police in recent history.[75]

The Ombudsman orders the filing of graft charges against re-electionist Cebu 3rd District
Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia and 11 other former officials over the alleged anomalous construction of
the P833-million Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) in 2006.[76]

April 6 A group calling itself iBalik ang Bilyones ng Mamamayan (iBBM) filed a complaint for
plunder against Senator Bongbong Marcos for his alleged involvement in the PDAF scam.[77]

April 8

Italian national Rolando Del Torchio is released after being kidnapped at his pizza parlor
in Dipolog on October 7, 2015.[78]

Memorandum Order No. 90 was signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. directs
the abolition of the 42-year-old Armed Forces of the PhilippinesRetirement and Separation
Benefits System (AFPRSBS).[79]

Bohol declares state of calamity due to the 2016 El Nio.[80]

April 9

The Supreme Court declares that their vote on Grace Poe's natural-born status and 10year residency is final and executory and she is eligible to become president.[81]

18 soldiers and 5 Abu Sayyaf bandits including a suspected foreign terrorist, Moroccan
national Mohammad Khattab, and Ubaida Hapilon, the son of senior leader Isnilon Hapilon are
killed during a clash in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan.[82]

President Aquino in the groundbreaking ceremony of Clark Green City.

April 11

The groundbreaking rites for the Clark Green City, a sustainable city located in the Clark
Freeport Zone in Angeles, Pampanga, is conducted and led by President Aquino.[83]

Cebu province is placed under state of calamity due to the 2016 El Nio.[84]
April 13 The Sandidganbayan Fifth Division grants the petitions for bail of former APEC party-

list Representative Edgar Valdez, former Masbate Representative Rizalina Lanete and Janet Lim
Napoles who were facing plunder charges in connection with the PDAF scam. [85]

April 17 Presidential frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte causes controversy when a video of him
making a joke about the rape of a murdered Australian missionary goes viral.[86]

April 20

The Sandiganbayan Special Fourth Division has acquitted former Presidential

Commission on Good Government (PCGG) chairman Camilo Sabio from graft and malversation
of public funds cases, which stemmed from his alleged misuse of almost P12 million worth of
recovered ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses.[87]
The groundbreaking rites for the 69.3-billion Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) project,

marking the start of the construction of the 23-kilo-meter elevated railway fromNorth Avenue,
Quezon City to San Jose del Monte in Bulacan, is conducted and led by President Aquino. [88]

Glorioso Miranda

April 25 John Ridsdel, a Canadian taken hostage by the Abu Sayyaf in Samal Island, is
beheaded on Jolo, Sulu.[89]

April 27 Voted 4-3, the COMELEC en banc has officially cancelled the voting on the selected
malls scheduled on May 9.[90]

May

May 2 Vice presidential candidate and senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Atty. Sal Panelo, lawyer
of presidential frontrunner and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, visits the Bank of the Philippine
Islands branch along Julia Vargas Avenue in Pasig, in a bid to settle the lawmaker's allegations of
hidden wealth against the mayor.[91]

May 5 Both negative advertisements paid by Antonio Trillanes IV, targets presidential
candidate Rodrigo Duterte using children and another one is about Duterte's alleged hidden
wealth were aired on TV and radio stations, causing dismay among netizens. [92] A 72-hour TRO was
issued by Regional Trial Court in Taguig to stop any TV stations from airing the negative
advertisement.[93]

May 6 Mario Reyes, former mayor of Coron, Palawan and one of two brothers accused of
masterminding the 2011 murder of journalist and good governance advocate Gerry Ortega is granted
bail by the court trying the case.[94]

Provincial and city breakdown of presidential race 2016.

May 9 The 2016 National and Local elections are held.[95]

May 11 The Sandiganbayan absolves former Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin

Abalos' graft charges over the botched $329-million ZTE-National Broadband Network (NBN) deal in
2007.[96]

May 14 Special elections are held in select villages in Visayas and Mindanao, where the
Commission on Elections declared failure of elections. [97]

May 18 President Aquino signs Republic Act No. 10821 or the Childrens Emergency Relief and
Protection Act which seeks to provide children with comprehensive relief and protection in the
aftermath of disasters.[98]

May 23

The historic San Pedro bell is finally returned and displayed at the Bauang Church in La
Union, more than a hundred years after it was taken by American soldiers as a war booty during
the Philippine-American War.[99]

President Aquino signs Republic Act No. 10844 into law, which creates the Department of
Information and Communications Technology (DICT).[100][101]

May 30 The Congress proclaims Rodrigo Duterte and Leni Robredo as President-elect and
Vice President-elect of the Philippines, respectively, based on the canvassing of votes by the National
Board of Canvassers for President and Vice President from May 25 to27.[102]

May 31

The Supreme Court dismisses the appeal of former MMDA Chairman and senatorial
candidate Francis Tolentino to stop the proclamation of Win Gatchalian, Ralph Recto and Leila
de Lima, the top 10, 11 and 12 senators in the Philippine Senate election, 2016 respectively.[103]

President Aquino signs Republic Act No. 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff
Act (CMTA) which amends some previsions of the Tariff and Customs Code of 1978 and to
modernize the operations of the Bureau of Customs. [104]

June

June 1

The Office of the Ombudsman orders the filing of criminal charges against former
Valenzuela representative and senator-elect Sherwin Gatchalian, former Local Water Utilities
Administration (LWUA) chairman of the board Prospero Pichay Jr. and 24 other former

government officials and private individuals for alleged anomalous acquisition of a thrift bank by
in 2009.[105]

The Philippine Navy commissions its brand new and largest ship, the BRP Tarlac
together with three newly acquired landing craft heavy vessels, BRP Waray, BRP Iwak, and BRP
Agta.[106]

The Sandiganbayan Third Division dismisses the perjury and violation of the code of
conduct cases against the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.[107]

The Antipolo Regional Trial Court dismisses the double-murder case against ex-Colonel
Red Kapunan, in connection with the deaths of former Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) leader,
Rolando Olalia and his driver, Leonor Alay-ay on November 13, 1986.[108][109]

The Vaticans doctrinal watchdog overrules Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles and rejects
his 2012 decree declaring that the alleged Marian apparitions in Batangas in1948 were
authentic.[110]

June 2 The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) officially starts
phasing out school service vehicles 15 years old and up. [111]

June 7 The Supreme Court dismisses the petition filed by Atty. Elly Pamatong, a presidential
candidate classified as nuisance that seeks to null and void the votes of President-elect Rodrigo
Duterte and to stop his proclamation by the National Board of Canvassers. [112]

June 8 The Office of the Ombudsman upholds the decision of the Manila Prosecutors Office
dismissing treason and inciting to sedition complaint filed last year against outgoing Presidential
Peace Adviser Teresita Deles, peace negotiators Miriam Coronel-Ferrer and Mohagher Iqbal and
members of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC).[113]

June 12 Chinese Coast Guard bars Kalayaan Atin Ito Movement, a Filipino youth group, from
sailing to the disputed Panatag Shoal to plant a Philippine flag there to celebrate the country's
Independence Day.[114]

UP Diliman Campus

June 14

Robert Hall, the second Canadian taken hostage by the Abu Sayyaf in Samal Island, is
beheaded on Jolo, Sulu.[115]

The Supreme Court dismisses a petition that sought to stop the lease of 70,977 optical
mark reader (OMR) machines for P6.286 billion that were used in the May 2016 elections. [116]

The two Cessna aircraft sequestered from the late Alfonso Lim, an alleged crony of the
Marcos family, is sold by theSandiganbayan at a measly amount of P140,000.[117]

The Supreme Court temporarily stops the Land Transportation Office (LTO) from issuing
700,000 license plates to motorists and from accepting more license plates from the Bureau of
Customs.[118]

Eight Philippine universities led by the University of the Philippines (UP) are included in
the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) University Rankings on the top 350 universities in Asia. [119]

June 15 Informal talks between the incoming Duterte administration and representatives of
the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF) commence in Oslo,
Norway.[120]

June 16

President Aquino vetoes House Bill No. 6411 and Senate Bill No. 2720 that seeks to
improve the nursing profession, including raising the minimum monthly salary of nurses to almost
P25,000.[121]

The Sandiganbayan First Division acquits former Philippine Sports Commission (PSC)
chairman William Ramirez of graft in connection with the alleged anomalous procurement of
cycling equipment in 2007.[122]

The COMELEC en banc grants the Liberal Party's request and several similar petitions
that they be allowed to file their Statement of Contributions and Expenses (SOCE) beyond
the June 8 deadline long before the May 9 elections.[123]

Malacaang temporarily stops the Department of Justice (DOJ) from filing criminal
charges against newly elected 1-Pacman party-list Representative Mikee Romero, who was
alleged to have committed qualified theft against Harbour Centre Port Terminal Inc. (HCPTI). [124]

June 17 The Manila Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) Branch 12, has ordered the two siblings
of Iglesia ni Cristo executive minister Eduardo V. Manalo, expelled members Angel and Lottie, to
vacant from a property of the religious sect in No. 36 Tandang Sora Street, Quezon City.[125]

June 21 The Commission on Elections en banc accepts the resignation of senior Commissioner
Christian Robert Lim as head of the Campaign Finance Office (CFO), following the extension of the
filing of their statements of contributions and expenditures. [126]

June 23 The Department of Justice dismisses criminal complaints filed by American missionary
Lane Michael White, against airport employees, including four aviation police officers, in connection
with the alleged bullet planting scheme at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.[127]

June 24 Marites Flor, a Filipina taken hostage by the Abu Sayyaf in Samal Island, is released
in Jolo, Sulu.[128]

June 25 The Department of Science and Technology launches the very first Filipino-made
hybrid electric train.[129]

June 27

President Aquino signs Republic Act No. 10868 into law a measure that will grant a
P100,000 cash incentive and additional benefits and privileges to Filipino centenarians. [130]

Merilyn and Stharra, the wife and daughter of retired PNP Chief Superintendent Ismael
Rafanan, are killed from a fire that struck their home in Quezon City.[131]

June 28

President Aquino signs Republic Act No. 10867 into law, that mandating the National
Bureau of Investigation (NBI)s reorganization and modernization, 69 years after the creation of
its first charter.[132]

The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition filed by retired Army Col. Justino Padiernos
and Atty. Manuelito Luna, questioning the Commission on Elections' decision to extend the filing
of the statements of contributions and expenditures of candidates and political parties in the 2016
election.[133]

The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition filed by Greco Belgica and former Tarlac
Governor Tingting Cojuangco that seeking the prosecution of all the authors, proponents and
implementors of both the pork barrel system and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
[134]

Rodrigo Duterte takes his oath of office as the 16th President of the Philippines.

June 30 Rodrigo Duterte is inaugurated as the 16th President of the Philippines with Leni
Robredo being inaugurated as the 14thVice President of the Philippines, marking the beginning of the
Rodrigo Duterte administration.[135][136][137]

July

July 2 Grade 6 student Nasif Cali from Denaig Elementary School in Poona Piagapo, Lanao del
Norte wins the World Food Programme's (WFP) Children's Design Competition 2016 in Rome, Italy.
Cali's design was chosen from 70 submissions and as a result of his victory, the WFP awarded him
with $100 and his school, Denaig Elementary School, will receive $2,000 for school supplies. [138]

July 4

President Rodrigo Duterte signs his first executive order, entitled Reengineering the
Office of the President Towards Greater Responsiveness to the Attainment of Development
Goals, allowing his Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco, Jr. to oversee 12 national government
agencies in coming up with a set of programs to reduce both the incidence and magnitude of
poverty.[139]

After almost two decades of having its gates shut in the past 18 years, the Department of
Agrarian Reform (DAR) office along Elliptical Road in Diliman, Quezon City, opens its doors to
farmers and protesters alike.[140]

July 5 President Rodrigo Duterte, in his speech during the 69th anniversary of the Philippine Air
Force names five top police generals who were allegedly involved in illegal drug trade.[141]

July 6 The PAGASA announces the end of the El Nio phenomenon.[142]

July 10 Three Philippine islands, Palawan, Boracay and Cebu, are featured on the "Worlds
Best Islands" list for 2016 of the New York-based magazine Travel + Leisure.[143]

July 11 The Office of the Ombudsman finds a probable cause to file graft charges against
former Health Secretary Enrique Ona and two other officials of the Department of Health (DOH) for
an alleged anomalous 392.2-million hospital modernization project in 2012.[144]

China's nine-dotted line claim over the South China Sea, 1947

July 12

The Philippines wins the arbitration case they filed at the Permanent Court of
Arbitration regarding the legality of China's nine-dotted line claim over the South China
Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.[145][146]

Philippine delegates Debby Sy, Hannah Joy Alcomendas and Camille Joy Buron are
recognized for their contributions to the four-day Asia Pacific Youth Parliament for Water
(APYPW) event by the Korea Water Forum at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and
Technology in Daegu, South Korea.[147]

The provincial government of Basilan declares a state of emergency in the municipalities

of Tipo-Tipo, Ungkaya Pukan and Al-Barka as the military continued its intensified offensive
against the Abu Sayyaf Group.[148]

July 13 A 12-year-old girl is killed while two soldiers were wounded in a firefight between
government troops and members of theBangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Maguindanao.[149]

July 14 The Office of the Ombudsman files graft, falsification and violation of the government
procurement law charges against former Vice President Jejomar Binay in connection with the
overpricing of the Makati City Hall Building II project. [150]

July 15 President Rodrigo Duterte meets with Cebuano-Chinese businessman Peter Lim, one
of the three alleged leaders of illegal drug trade in the Philippines.[151]

July 18 The main runway of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport closed due to emergency
pavement repairs that forced 10 international and domestic flights to be diverted to the Clark
International Airport in Pampanga, resulting in delayed and cancelled flights all over the country.[152]

July 19 The Supreme Court acquits former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of her plunder
case regarding the alleged misuse of funds for the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PSCO) in
an 114 ruling.[153][154]

July 23 President Rodrigo Duterte signs an executive order for the implementation of the
Freedom of Information (FOI).[155][156][157][158][159]

Duterte delivers his first State of the Nation Address, July 25, 2016

July 25 President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his first State of the Nation Address (SONA).[160][161]

July 30

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) places the Luzon power grid
under a red alert status due to low level operating reserves, as seven power plants are
encountering problems.[162]

President Rodrigo Duterte lifts the unilateral ceasefire and placed troops on high alert
after the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) failed his deadline
to make their own declaration.[163]

August

August 1 The Duterte administration launches a 24-hour complaint office accessible to the
public through a nationwide hotline, 8888, and changed the nationwide emergency telephone
number from 117 to 911.[164][165]

August 2 Mayor Rolando Espinosa of Albuera, Leyte, who is being linked to drug trafficking,
surrenders to Philippine National Police chief director General Ronald dela Rosa. Espinosa and his
son Kerwin were asked by President Rodrigo Duterte to voluntarily surrender within 24 hours or face
a shoot-on-sight order by police.[166]

August 3 - Six aides of Mayor Rolando Espinosa and his son Kerwin are killed in a shootout with
the police in Albuera, Leyte.[167]

August 4 The Sandiganbayan grants the motion of the Office of the Ombudsman to amend the
plunder case against former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante in connection with the 723million fertilizer fund scam.[168]

August 5 The Supreme Court grants the provisional liberty to Satur Ocampo and two others
who were allied with the Communist Party of the Philippines to allow them to attend the peace talks
with the government in Oslo, Norway.[169]

August 7 President Duterte publicly named more than 150 government officials including
mayors, judges, polices and lawmakers who are allegedly involved in an illegal drug trade. [170][171][172]

August 8 14 dead, 8 injured and 262,271 families were affected after heavy rains and floods
due to southwest monsoon shuts down Metro Manila and nearby provinces.[173]

August 11 Ten high-profile inmates are killed in the explosion incident inside the Paraaque City
Jail.[174]

August 12 The Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 32 grants the bail petition to communist
leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon ahead of the scheduled peace talks with the Communist Party of
the Philippines in Oslo.[175]

August 13 The peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front reopens in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[176]

August 14

About thousands of people gather at Rizal Park protesting the burial of the late former
President Ferdinand Marcos scheduled for September 18.[177][178]

A rare tornado hits Manila and nearby areas at around 4:30 pm PHT, which, according to
a report by the PAGASA, originated from land.[179][180][181]

August 15 The Department of Justice orders the filing of direct assault with murder charges in
court against 88 people over the Mamasapano clash in 2015 that left 44 SAF commandos dead.[182]

August 16 The Supreme Court, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, dismisses the
electoral protest filed by 2010 vice presidential candidate Mar Roxas against former Vice
President Jejomar Binay in the May 10, 2010 elections.[183][184]

August 17

Mohammad Safyan, an Indonesian crew member of the tugboat Charles, who were
abducted off the high seas near the Philippine border last June 23, along with six other crew
members, escapes from his Abu Sayyaf captors in Luuk, Sulu.[185]

Maia Deguito, the former branch manager of the Rizal Commercial Banking
Corporation tagged in the $81-million money laundering scandal, is arrested at a supermarket
in Makati for perjury.[186]

August 2027 The peace talks between the government and the Communist Party of the
Philippines, New Peoples Army, National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) took palce in Oslo. [187]

August 22 The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights begins its hearing on the spate
of summary executions in the Philippines.[188]

August 23

The Sandiganbayan founds NBN-ZTE deal whistleblower Jun Lozada, guilty of graft for
granting separate leasehold rights over public lands to his brother and to a private company with
ties to him under the Lupang Hinirang program of the Philippine Forest Corporation. [189]

Rogelio Bato Jr., the lawyer of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, and his 15-yearold companion, Angelica Bonita are killed in a shooting incident in Tacloban City.[190]

August 25 President Rodrigo Duterte releases the matrix showing the supposed links of Sen.
Leila de Lima and other former and current government officials to the alleged illegal drug operations
inside the New Bilibid Prison.[191]

August 26 The Philippine government and the National Democratic Front signs an
indefinite ceasefire agreement as part of efforts to end a conflict that has lasted almost five decades
and killed at least 40,000 people.[192]

August 27 20 inmates were escaped after the Maute terrorist group armed with assault rifles
and rocket propelled grenades, attack the Lanao del Sur provincial jail. [193]

September

September 2 An explosion rocks a night market in Davao City, where at least 14 people were
killed and 71 were reported to have been injured.[194] The Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility for the
attack.[195]

September 4 President Rodrigo Duterte issued Proclamation No. 55 declaring a state of

emergency in the Philippines on account of lawless violence following the Davao City bombing. [196]