YEAR 2015

 June 3 – The United States Embassy turned over to the

Philippine government a check amounting to some $1.3
million as the second tranche of proceeds from the
forfeited assets of former Armed Forces of the Philippines
military comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia.
 June 4 – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III agreed to start
negotiations on an accord for the transfer of defense
equipment and technology, as the two nations aim to
bolster security ties amid China's increasing assertiveness
at sea.
 June 5 – President Benigno Aquino III signed Executive
Order 183 that created the Negros Island Region to
improve the delivery of public services in Negros
Occidental and Negros Oriental, which forms part of the
new region.
 June 16 – The first phase of decommissioning of Moro
Islamic Liberation Front's fighters had begun.
 June 22 – Vice President Jejomar Binay resigned from his
post in President Benigno Aquino III's Cabinet as the
chairman of the Housing and Urban Development
Coordinating Council and presidential adviser on overseas
Filipino workers is effective immediately.
 June 22 – Vice President Jejomar Binay resigned from his
post in President Benigno Aquino III's Cabinet as the
chairman of the Housing and Urban Development
Coordinating Council and presidential adviser on overseas
Filipino workers is effective immediately.
 June 25 - The Office of the Ombudsman has filed graft
charges against Optical Media Board chairman Ronnie
Ricketts and four others for allegedly allowing the return
of confiscated copyright violating DVDs and VCDs to the
Sky High Marketing Corporation in 2010.
 June 29 - The Philippines has halted the repair of its
airstrip on Pagasa Island of the disputed Spratly Islands
due to its pending suit at the Permanent Court of
Arbitration in The Hague challenging China's claim over
the waters.
 June 30 - The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed
former Philippine National Police chief Director General
Alan Purisima and 10 other officials for entering into an
anomalous contract with courier service Werfast
Documentary Agency in 2011.
 July 1 – The Philippine National Oil Company–Exploration
Corporation announced the discovery of a major natural
gas reserves of 71-billion cubic feet.
 July 2 – MB Kim Nirvana, a motorized banca bound for
Camotes Islands from Ormoc, Leyte which carried 173
passengers, capsized off the coast of Ormoc killing 62 of
its passengers.
 July 3 – Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales has
ordered the filing of graft charges against former Metro
Rail Transit 3 General Manager Al Vitangcol III and five
incorporators of Philippine Trans Rail Management and
Services Corporation in connection with alleged
irregularities in the MRT-3's interim maintenance contract.
 July 7 – Oral arguments on the Philippines' claim over the
West Philippine Sea had begun in The Hague,
Netherlands.
 July 10 – Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri, former 56th
Commanding General of the Philippine Army was
designated as the newest AFP Chief of Staff in the turn-
over ceremonies led by President Aquino III in Camp
Aguinaldo. Iriberri's predecessor Gen. Gregorio Pio
Catapang has retired from military service.
 July 10 – Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri, former 56th
Commanding General of the Philippine Army was
designated as the newest AFP Chief of Staff in the turn-
over ceremonies led by President Aquino III in Camp
Aguinaldo. Iriberri's predecessor Gen. Gregorio Pio
Catapang has retired from military service.
 July 10 – Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri, former 56th
Commanding General of the Philippine Army was
designated as the newest AFP Chief of Staff in the turn-
over ceremonies led by President Aquino III in Camp
Aguinaldo. Iriberri's predecessor Gen. Gregorio Pio
Catapang has retired from military service.
 July 14 – Dir. Ricardo Marquez, director for operations
since December 2013 has been named the new chief of
the Philippine National Police.
 July 15 – Major General Eduardo Año, who was linked to
the disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos in 2007, was
instated the new chief of the Philippine Army.
 July 17 – Nine miners were killed when a mining site
collapsed following a rain-induced landslide in Caluya,
Antique.
 July 20 – Vice President Jejomar Binay filed a P200-million
damage suit arising from alleged libelous statements
against Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Alan Peter
Cayetano; Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales; former
Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado; and eight others.
 July 21 – President Benigno Aquino III signed into law two
of his priority economic bills: the Philippine Competition
Act (Republic Act 10667), as well as amendments to the
50-year-old Cabotage Law (Republic Act 10668), during a
ceremony in Malacañang attended by members of
Congress.
 July 23 – The Iglesia ni Cristo has expelled Tenny Manalo,
the widow of INC's former executive minister Eraño
Manalo, and their son, Angel Manalo after they appeared
in a YouTube video claiming their lives are in danger and
that some ministers have allegedly been abducted.
 July 24 – The Department of Science and Technology's free
Wi-Fi project was launched.[
 July 27 – President Aquino III delivered his 6th and final
State of the Nation Address at Batasang Pambansa.
 July 28 – Two environmental groups Basel Action Network
and BAN Toxics have submitted the case questioning the
Canada's imported trash in the Philippines to the Basel
Convention.
 August 7 – Senator Gringo Honasan, former CIBAC
congressman and now TESDA chair Joel Villanueva, and 7
other former and incumbent lawmakers were charged
before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with
the pork barrel scam.
 August 16 – Pamana, a 3-year old Philippine Eagle, was
shot dead inside her forest sanctuary in Mount Hamiguitan,
2 months after she freed in time for Independence Day.
 August 17 – Philippine Air Force receives 10 brand-new
helicopters for combat utility and attack to be used for
internal security operations.
 August 18 – The Supreme Court has granted the bail
petition of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, one of the three
senators facing graft and plunder charges in connection
with the alleged pork barrel scam.
 August 21 – The Supreme Court has affirmed the
conviction of two Alpha Phi Omega (APO) members for
the hazing of University of the Philippines-Los Baños
student Marlon Vilanueva in 2006, the first conviction
under Republic Act 8049 or the Anti-Hazing Law.
 August 24 – President Benigno Aquino III has given
instructions for the Bureau of Customs to stop the physical
inspections of balikbayan boxes unless X-ray and K-9
examinations give rise to suspicions that they contain
prohibited items.[117] On the Senate hearing last
September 3, Bureau of Customs chief Alberto Lina went
apologized to the inconvenience brought about the
alleged opening of balikbayan boxes by Customs
personnel.
 August 27–31 – Iglesia ni Cristo members staged
demonstrations near the DOJ office and later in EDSA to
call on Sec. De Lima to focus on important issues such as
the SAF 44 case and not on the case filed by an ex-INC
minister against Sanggunian members. They protests on
alleged violations of the separation of church and state.
 September 7 – The PNP's Highway Patrol Group started
their duties as traffic enforcers deployed in the Epifanio De
los Santos Avenue (EDSA), particularly in 6 major
chokepoints where traffic build-up had identified.
 September 8 – President Aquino III has announced the
appointment of former Liberal Party (LP) Secretary General
Mel Senen Sarmiento as the Secretary of Interior and Local
Government, replacing Mar Roxas.
 September 10 – Human Rights Watch criticized the
response of President Benigno Aquino III to reports on the
murders of an indigenous Lumad family and the alleged
rape of an indigenous Manobo girl by soldiers and
militiamen of the Philippine Army. The Philippine
Commission on Human Rights condemned the killings and
linked the Bagani paramilitary group and the Army’s 36th
Infantry Battalion who it believes were of the opinion that a
Manobo school was an "NPA School".
 September 11 – The Basilan Regional Trial Court, officially
declared the Abu Sayyaf Group as a terrorist group.
 September 18 – 1 person was killed in a bomb explosion
on a bus in Zamboanga City; 28 were injured.
 September 20 – Joel Reyes, former Palawan governor and
his brother, Mario, former Coron, Palawan mayor were
arrested by Thai police due to overstaying in Phuket,
Thailand. The Reyes Brothers are primary suspects in the
killing of Palawan environmental journalist Gerry Ortega in
January, 2011, the two deported back to Manila, four
days later.
 September 21 – 3 foreigners and a Filipina were
kidnapped by dozen armed men at a resort in the Island
Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte.
 September 30 – Former Abra governor Vicente Valera,
found guilty with 2 counts of murder, sentenced to up to
40 years in prison in relation to the killing of his rival, former
Abra Representative Luis Bersamin in 2006.
 October 9 – The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the
dismissal in service and the eventual perpetual
disqualification to run in any political positions for former
Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay, in connection with the
overpriced Makati City Hall Building II.
 October 13 – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the
Moro National Liberation Front signed a “unified
declaration” calling for the approval the draft Bangsamoro
Basic Law as an embodiment of each other’s separate
peace pacts with Malacañang.
 October 17–28 – PAGASA confirmed that the haze from
Indonesia had reached Mindanao. Typhoon Lando and
the northeast monsoon were linked to the haze that had
affected the island.[132][133] The haze affected operations
of airports in Mindanao and Visayas.[134] On October 28,
PAGASA declared that the country was free from haze.
 October 18 – 46 dead, 82 injured and 268,877 families
were affected after heavy rains and floods due to
Typhoon Lando shuts down Luzon.
 October 21 – Ombudsman sacked five officials of the
Technology Resource Center, particularly Deputy Director
General Dennis Cunanan for their alleged participation in
the PDAF scam.
 October 26 – President Benigno Aquino III signed the
amended Public Employment Service Office bill into law
during the 15th National PESO Congress at the Philippine
International Convention Center in Pasay City.
 October 30 – The United Nation-backed Permanent Court
of Arbitration has ruled that it has the jurisdiction to hear
the maritime claim of the Philippines against China.
 November 3 – The Court of Appeals had started to hear
the writ of amparo and habeas corpus petitions of
expelled Iglesia ni Cristo minister Lowell Menorca II
against the leaders of the church, including executive
minister Eduardo Manalo and three members of the
Sanggunian, in connection with the illegal detention and
abduction of Menorca by the church officials.
 November 4 – The UN Department of Safety and Security
warned their staff assigned in the country against the
tanim-bala modus at the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport.
 November 5 – The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity officially
declared Tubbataha Reef in Sulu Sea as the 35th heritage
park.
 November 17 – Voted 5-4, the Senate Electoral Tribunal
denied the petition filed by aspiring 2016 presidential
candidate Rizalito David for the disqualification of Grace
Poe as Senator.
 November 18–19 – The Philippines hosted the 2015 Asia-
Pacific Economic Cooperation, organizing a series of
economic meetings in the country until November, which
was highlighted by the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting
near the end of the summit.
 November 20 – Princess Jacel Kiram and Malaysian
politician Nurul Izzah Anwar posted a photo demanding
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to free opposition
leader Anwar Ibrahim which was received negatively in
that country, prompting Nurul Izzah to apologize.
 November 24 – The Quezon City RTC has found Jason
Ivler, the principal suspect in the ambush of the Renato
Ebarle, Jr. son of former Presidential Chief of Staff
Undersecretary Renato Ebarle, Sr. guilty over the crime of
murder, happened 6 years ago. He was sentenced
reclusion perpetua or at least 30 years in jail and ordered
to pay more than P9.3 million pesos in damages to the
Ebarle family members.
 November 25 – Eight armed men who have identified as
supporters of ISIS, together with an Indonesian bomb
trainer, were killed in an encounter by military troops in
Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat.
 November 28 – The first two of the 12 KAI T-50 Golden
Eagle fighter jets, made by the Korea Aerospace
Industries, that the government purchased from South
Korea arrived at the Clark Air Base in Angeles,
Pampanga.
 December 1 - Grace Poe was disqualified by the
COMELEC 2nd Division from being president after failing to
reach the 10-year residency requirement for a
presidential candidate.
 December 5 – The Philippine Air Force receives two FA-50
lead-in fighter jets, two C-295 medium-lift fixed-wing
aircraft and six Augusta 109 attack helicopters for
territorial defense, search and rescue, disaster response
and combat operations.
 December 9 – The Office of the President has ordered a
60-day preventive suspension order against Cebu City
Mayor Michael L. Rama for alleged culpable violation of
the constitution, grave abuse of authority, grave
misconduct and oppression over the destruction of local
government projects in his city.
 December 11 – Grace Poe's certificate of candidacy is
cancelled by the COMELEC 1st Division after a 2-1 vote,
barring her from running as president after failing to
comply with the ten-year residency requirement by the
Philippine Constitution.
 December 13-December 17 – Typhoon Melor (locally
called Nona) makes landfall in Northern
Samar,[157][158] and made more landfalls before
dissipating. Forty-two are killed during the typhoon and
damages cost over ₱6 billion ($136 billion).
 December 18 – President Aquino declared a state of
national calamity due to the onslaught of Typhoon Melor
(locally named as: Nona) that hit different provinces in
Luzon and Visayas
 January 1 – The Iglesia ni Cristo claims three new Guinness
world records during the "Countdown to 2016" grand New
Year event at the Ciudad de Victoria in Bocaue, Bulacan.
 January 4 – The Sandiganbayan Special Second Divison
has finally ordered Alfonso Lim Sr., a crony of the late
president Ferdinand Marcos to return to the government
all properties he acquired.
 January 7 – The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has denied
the bail petition of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada in connection with
his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.
 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.[
 January 12 – The Supreme Court upholds the
constitutionality of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation
Agreement between the Philippines and the United States
signed in 2014.
 January 14 – President Aquino vetoes House Bill No. 5842,
which intends to increase the pension of the members of
Social Security System.
 January 15 – Munap Saimaran, one of the bandits in the
2000 Sipadan kidnappings, is arrested in Sulu
 January 19 – President Aquino approves Republic Act
10742 or the SK Reforms Act of 2016 that will enable
reforms in strengthening the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK)
political system.
 January 20 - 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 liason officials on the
hiring of "ghost employees" in 2010.
 January 22 - Justice Secretary Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa
is appointed as the new Associate Justice of Supreme
Court, replacing retired justice Martin Villarama, Jr.
 January 24–31 – The 51st International Eucharistic
Congress is held in Cebu.
 January 26 – The Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee
concludes its hearings on the corruption allegations
against Vice President and UNA presidential candidate
Jejomar Binay.
 January 27 – The Bangsamoro Basic Law supposed to be
passed 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.
 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.
 February 1 − The Makati Regional Trial Court 142 issues a
warrant of arrest against Senator and Vice Presidential
candidate Antonio Trillanes IV over the libel case filed by
disqualified Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, Jr.
 February 5 - Maguindanao suffers from the effects of the
2014-2016 El Niño, 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.
 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.
 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.[25] The previous official count was 7,107 by the
Gazetteer of the Philippine Islands in 1945.
 February 16 – Six policemen killed and eight wounded in a
clash with New People's Army members in Barangay Sta.
Margarita, Baggao, Cagayan.
 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.
 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.
 February 26 - At least 60 are killed in a encounter in Butig,
Lanao del Sur. Among them were suspected members of
Maute Terrorist Group and three soldiers.
 February 29 - The Philippines and Japan signs an
agreement on the transfer of the Japanese defense and
surveillance equipment to the country's military.