The top news stories of 2024

Alice Guo and the POGO saga

It was in early May when Alice Guo, dismissed mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, was thrust into the national spotlight amid growing concerns over the proliferation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators in the country. Guo's bailiwick had two POGO hubs, which authorities eventually raided.

In a Senate committee hearing on May 7, which would go on for six months or until Nov. 26, Guo was grilled about why such illegal activities were happening right under her nose.

But little did they know that the inquiry would become a Pandora's box. Questions arose regarding her true identity—including her nationality, education, and parentage—amid accusations of her being a Chinese spy who also has ties with local officials, including an alleged lover. Guo, whom Filipino officials would call by her alleged real name Guo Hua Ping, vehemently and repeatedly denied the accusations against her.

Eventually, Guo would try to leave the country, only to be caught by Indonesian authorities in September. Now in Pasig City Jail's female dormitory, she's facing charges for qualified human trafficking, graft, money laundering, and material misrepresentation, among others. She's also facing violations of the Anti-Dummy law.

As for POGOs, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. ordered its immediate ban during his second State of the Nation Address last July.

Vice President Sara Duterte: confidential funds, fallout with Marcos, impeachment complaints

UniTeam, the tandem of Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte in the 2022 elections, made the headlines for their falling-out this year.

After its landslide victory, the Marcos-Duterte alliance had cracks after he gave Duterte the problem-plagued education portfolio instead of her preferred defense department.

It was the beginning of the end, as Marcos' allies later made decisions that negatively affected the Dutertes and their allies, including a House "small committee" removing confidential funds from Duterte's offices, the House stripping pro-Duterte network SMNI of its license and removing Duterte ally Gloria Arroyo as deputy speaker.

A domino effect ensues, with prayer rallies against Marcos being held in the Duterte bailiwick Davao and drug accusations and resignation calls hurled against him.

Duterte would seal the political divorce between the Dutertes and Marcoses as she resigned from the Marcos cabinet as education secretary and vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict without explanation on June 19.

Since then, she turned hostile toward Marcos, throwing insults here and expletives there. In November, she also mentioned contracting a hitman to assassinate him and his family if she were killed.

Amid her rancor, Duterte's offices are facing a House panel's months-long probe for alleged misuse of funds. She's also being questioned over the OVP and DepEd's confidential funds worth P775 million. The probe found issues with names listed as recipients of the funds, including a certain Mary Grace Piattos and other alleged fictitious names derived from snack brands.

Because of that, there are now three impeachment complaints filed against Duterte for alleged corruption and misconduct. She's also facing criminal complaints of direct assault, disobedience, and grave coercion.

Carlos Yulo's double Olympic gold

Gymnast Carlos Yulo made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics in August as the second Filipino athlete to ever win a gold medal at the biennial meet after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Yulo scored 15.116 points during the men's vault finals event, beating Armenia's Davtyan (14.966) and Great Britain's Hepworth (14.946).

He also dominated the gymnastics men's floor exercise finals, scoring 15.000 during his pet event. Israel's Artem Dolgopyat finished silver with 14.966 and Britain's Jake Jarman got bronze with 14.933.

The government and several businesses pledged millions worth of cash and in-kind rewards for Yulo following his achievement.

Quiboloy behind bars

Apollo Quiboloy, the leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, was put behind bars in September amid longstanding allegations of sexual abuse of children, exploitation, and human trafficking, among others.

Interior Sec. Benhur Abalos said Quiboloy was arrested by authorities following a two-week manhunt as he went into hiding.

But Quiboloy's lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said he "voluntarily surrendered" to the Armed Forces of the Philippines's Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces unit.

Before the pastor's arrest, there was a showdown between thousands of police officers and Quiboloy's legions of supporters outside the KOJC compound in Davao.

Quiboloy has maintained that the cases filed against him are trumped up. He also claimed that there were threats to his life while he was in hiding.

A Pasig court ordered Quiboloy's transfer from Camp Crame in Quezon to Pasig City Jail in November.

Thailand school bus tragedy

In October, a school bus in Thailand carrying over 40 students and teachers during a field trip caught fire due to a gas leak, killing 23 of them.

The bus, which was carrying six teachers and 39 students in elementary and junior high school, was traveling from Uthai Thani province, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of the capital Bangkok, for a school trip in Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces.

Authorities identified 23 bodies, while 16 students and three teachers were sent to the hospital.

The driver, identified by the police as Saman Chanput, surrendered to authorities several hours after the fire.

Investigation showed Chanput ran to grab a fire extinguisher from another bus that was part of the same trip but couldn't put out the fire. He ran away out of panic.

He was charged with reckless driving causing deaths and injuries, failing to stop to help others, and failing to report the accident.

The bus company, which underwent an investigation to determine its liability over the incident, vowed to compensate the victims' families.

Rodrigo Duterte faces war on drugs probe

Former president Rodrigo Duterte faced a congressional hearing into his administration's war on drugs in October.

Marcos' predecessor, who's also the VP's father, answered inquiries about his bloody drug war which led to thousands of deaths, including minors. The killings even caught the attention of the International Criminal Court, which has ordered an investigation.

A quad committee hearing in August found revelations in which the "Davao template" was used in the anti-narcotics campaign. The template had an alleged reward and incentive system for cops who would kill suspects.

The former leader said he won't apologize for the drug war as he did it to supposedly protect Filipinos and address the drug problem “firmly and without compromise.”

Donald Trump's shocking presidential comeback

Republican Donald Trump was elected the 47th American president in November, signifying a shocking comeback four years after he was voted out of the White House.

Trump was the first president since Grover Cleveland in the 1800s to return to office after a defeat. He's the successor of Joe Biden, who beat him in the 2020 elections.

Trump, a businessman, has been a polarizing figure amid his policies, including withdrawing from major climate and trade agreements, banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, starting a trade war with China, and more.

He also made history as the only federal official to be impeached twice after allegedly pressuring Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Biden and his son Hunter.

While he was acquitted by the Republican majority, he was impeached once again for incitement of insurrection after he refused to accept his loss against Biden in the 2020 elections. His supporters also had a rally that turned into a riot at the Capitol.

Trump also made headlines in July when he became the target of an assassination attempt during his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, having been shot in the ear during his speech as blood quickly became visible on his face.

Four typhoons inside PAR

The country, though it's no stranger to tropical storms, has had four of them at once inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility in November.

Satellite images at the time showed Typhoon Marce (Yinxing), Typhoon Nika (Toraji), and Super Typhoon Ofel (Usagi) cutting through the country with Super Typhoon Pepito (Man-yi).

Japan’s Meteorological Agency said it's the first time that four storms have existed at once in November since records began in 1951. It’s also the first time in seven years that it has happened in any month.

The United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration called the phenomenon "unusual." State weather bureau PAGASA, however, said it is not, claiming it was only due to the La Niña-like condition.

South Korean president's short-lived martial law attempt and impeachment

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 3 declared martial law, the first time in South Korea since 1980, shocking the nation and catching everybody off guard.

Yoon cited the need to eradicate "shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces" and restore order. (North and South Korea remain technically at war since the Korean War broke out in the 1950s. Hostilities only ceased via an armistice, not a peace treaty.)

The decree would give the South Korean military sweeping emergency powers.

It sparked nationwide protests, with thousands of South Koreans taking it to the streets. The parliament, surrounded by protesters and police, voted to lift martial law hours later, forcing Yoon to rescind the order.

On Dec. 7, opposition parties filed a motion to impeach Yoon for insurrection, but a near-total boycott by Yoon’s People Power Party blocked the impeachment. The motion needed 200 votes in the 300-member parliament to pass.

A second attempt was made on Dec. 14, and 204 lawmakers voted to impeach Yoon.

Yoon is suspended from office while South Korea's Constitutional Court has 180 days to deliberate on his removal. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is serving as the interim president.

PhilHealth's zero subsidy in 2025 budget

Ahead of Christmas, the Filipino workforce turned anxious after a bicameral conference committee said the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) won't receive an additional subsidy from the national government in the 2025 budget.

The Senate cited PhilHealth's unused funds worth P600 billion, with Sen. Grace Poe, the national budget's sponsor in the upper chamber, saying the insurer should exhaust them first.

Under the 2025 National Expenditure Program, PhilHealth should get a subsidy worth P74.43 billion.

The Senate reduced it to P64.419 billion before the bicameral conference committee decided to remove it altogether.

PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. assured members, who pay hundreds of pesos in monthly premiums, that they would continue to receive benefits for their medical needs.

Budget cuts in DepEd and other government agencies

DepEd, which is now under the leadership of Sec. Sonny Angara, is facing a budget cut amid PhilHealth receiving zero subsidy. Angara said his agency will lose P12 billion, P10 billion of which was meant for computers.

Senate President Chiz Escudero noted that Vice President Duterte's former office failed to spend more than P10 billion of over P13 billion that lawmakers had allotted for its computerization program in 2022.

DepEd was initially allotted P748.6 billion before it was cut to P737 billion for 2025. Nevertheless, it's still higher than its current budget of P717 billion.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development also got a budget cut of P18 billion.

The Department of Public Works and Highways, meanwhile, got an increase of nearly P289 billion.

Mary Jane Veloso's return to the Philippines

Mary Jane Veloso, the overseas Filipino worker who was on Indonesian death row for drug trafficking in 2010, returned to the Philippines on early Dec. 18, or after nearly 15 years.

Upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Veloso was immediately brought to the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong, where she would spend the rest of her sentence.

In 2010, Veloso was apprehended at Adisucipto International Airport in the city of Yogyakarta after authorities found her in possession of over 2.6 kilos of heroin. She said she was unaware of the contents of her luggage, noting that it had been given to her by her recruiters Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao.

Veloso was sentenced to death in April 2015, but was granted a last-minute reprieve from execution after appeals made by the late former president Noynoy Aquino.

On Nov. 20, Marcos announced Veloso's return following negotiations.

Marcos, however, said granting her executive clemency, as her family requests, is still "far off" as there's a need to "look at what her status is."