January 7 – A Presidential citation is given to Rhona Mahilum, who was noted for rescuing her siblings from their burning house inNegros Occidental.[1]
February 8 –Republic Act No. 8180, the lawderegulating the oil industry, takes effect, ending twenty years of government control of oil companies and removing subsidies. As early asFebruary 5, severalprotest rallies, demanding the repeal of the said law, have been conducted.[7]
February 14 – A Beechcraft RPC 1919 crashes upon takeoff atan airport inJolo, Sulu, killing retiredCotabato City auxiliary bishop Antonino Nepomuceno and3–4 other individuals. The plane crash is initially believed caused by either being shot or a pilot error.[1][9]
April 9 – President Ramos orders the release of₱595 million, which is intended for the partial payment for pension adjustment of theWorld War II veterans.[1]
April 16 – As part of the government campaign to preventpolio in the country, five million children are given free anti-polio vaccines.[1]
April 27 – MILF confirms that five thousandMoro National Liberation Front rebels have been defected to their side, citing the allegedly slow implementation of the government's livelihood programs.[1]
April 29–30 – The military dispatches marine reinforcements to thedisputedSpratly Islands following reports that three armedChinese Navy warships have been deployed there. Jet fighters are deployed the following day to augment the contingent, at the same time ofManila's protest demandingBeijing's explanation. OnMay 3,China, stressing its sovereignty over the area, insists of legal rights to dispatch their vessels.[1]
May 9 – TheWorld Bank approves new loans, worth about$1 billion, to the country, which will cover programs on poverty alleviation, infrastructure, and natural resources, for the next three years.[1]
May 11 – Military personnel in election duty are attacked inLantawan, Basilan by thirtyAbu Sayyaf members, with seven from the latter killed in the gunfight.[1]
May 20 – The Philippines rejects the proposed exploration with China onthe disputedScarborough Shoal. Eight days later, President Ramos favors the agreement on the countries' joint development of the area.[1]
May 21 – ThePhilippine Coast Guard arrests twenty-oneChinese fishermen at the Scarborough Shoal. OnMay 30,Taiwan, claiming that the area is part of their sovereign territory, complains the said arrest. OnMay 26, foreign ministry officials of the Philippines and China meet inBeijing, in an attempt to de-escalate tension caused by conflicting claims in the area.[1]
May 31 – Sandiganbayan dismisses graft charges against former First LadyImelda Marcos on the allegations of receiving bribes while she was the ministerof human settlements, citing insufficient evidence.[1]
June 14 –FVR declares that he had authorized the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), to expedite a bill on people's initiative based on the reasons provided by the Supreme Court in rejecting the petition.[13]
June 16 – Forty-three surveyors from a state-run oil firm are captured by suspected MILF guerrillas inSultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao, but are later freed.[14] This led to a massivearmy offensive against the MILF that would begin the following day, occurred inPagalungan, also inMaguindanao, and in parts ofCotabato. As ofJune 28, clashes have killed 146 from the MILF and twelve troops.[15][16]
Some 110 active law enforcement personnel are placed by the Intelligence community on awanted list for alleged role inkidnapping activities.[1]
Sixty passengers are seized by 150 MILF separatists from two buses at a road block in Maguindanao; 41 of them escapes. The rebels later flee toKabacan, Cotabato, where a shootout occurs, leaving seven people dead.[14][17] Among the civilian hostages, two are killed, while ten are still being held as of the following day.[15]
July 11 – The Philippines begin to experience the effect of theAsian financial crisis; thepeso devalues by 11.5% with the peso-dollar rate recorded at₱29.45. Further depreciation causes thePhilippine Stock Exchangecomposite index to go down, and mainly affects the country's economic growth, with annual nominalGDP per capita drops by 12.5% from the previous year.[18][19] The crisis affects numerous countries inEast andSoutheast Asia.
July 16 – SistersMarijoy and Jacqueline Chiong were abducted and killed inCebu City, the suspects were later sentenced to death, which in turn would lead to the abolition of death penalty in 2006.
Passenger ferryM/V Kalibo Star, with aCebu–Tacloban route, overturns and sinks offBiliran, leaving at least 12 dead and 13 missing.[20]
August 19 –Agila-2 communications satellite was launched from China and began commercial service. It is the first satellite of the country not acquired while in orbit.
September 4 – Simultaneous grenade explosions in bus terminals inManila andBulacan kill six and injure 105, mostly commuters.[21] A previously unknown, pro-government groupFilipino Soldiers for the Nation claims responsibility for these attacks.[22][a]
September 21 – The new presidential pronouncement is released which prompts anti-charter change groups led by theCatholic Church and former PresidentCory Aquino's allies to step up their campaign, culminating in an indignation rally atRizal Park inManila, during 25th anniversary of former PresidentFerdinand E. Marcos Sr. declaring martial law in the country.[13]
September 23 – TheSupreme Court en banc unanimously rejects PIRMA's effort, with eight justices claiming there was no enabling law and six others saying the group's petition was faulty.[25]
October 6 –MILF conducts an execution of two individuals, who had been "sentenced to death" for multiple criminal charges, inMasiu, Lanao del Sur, said to be done by the virtue of the Islamic laws, causing public criticisms.[29]
October 27 – Pres.Ramos signs a law (RA 8368), repealing the Anti-Squatting Law (Presidential Decree 772); decriminalizing squatting but maintaining sanctions against professional squatters and squatting syndicates.[27][30]
October 28 – Pres. Ramos signs a law (RA 8369) creating special courts for the cases involving children and family relations.[31]
November 5 – TheSupreme Court votes, 9–2, to declare a law (RA 8180) ending government regulatory control of the oil industry as unconstitutional.[33]
November 12 – A clash between MILF rebels and armed guards of a coconut plantation inMaguindanao ends with the deaths of Amin Cusain, an MILF leader, seven rebels and two civilians.[34][a]
December 22 – Pres. Ramos signed seven social reform bills into law, including computerization of the electoral process in thenext year and subsequent general elections (RA 8436) andautonomy forthe Cordilleras.[35][36]
As per Executive Order No. 292, chapter 7 section 26, the following are regular holidays and special days, approved on July 25, 1987.[38] Note that in the list, holidays inbold are "regular holidays" and those initalics are "nationwide special days".
"Transcript — Solido gang lider, pumuga".TV Patrol; ABS-CBN News (in Filipino). February 24, 1997. RetrievedJune 26, 2024 – via Philippine Network Foundation, Inc.
