1997 in the Philippines

1997 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 1997.

Incumbents

President: Fidel Ramos [Vice President of the Philippines|President of the Philippines|Vice President]: Joseph Estrada Senate President: Ernesto MacedaHouse Speaker: Jose de Venecia, Jr.Chief Justice: Andres NarvasaPhilippine Congress: 10th Congress of the Philippines

Events

January

January 3 – The Bureau of Immigration adopts a policy against foreigners with unauthorized stay in the country, by virtue of the Alien Social Integration Act.
January 7 – A Presidential citation is given to Rhona Mahilum, who was noted for rescuing her siblings from their burning house in Negros Occidental.
January 15 – A memorandum of understanding is signed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Japanese non-governmental organization Asian Women's Fund, aiming to provide assistance to former comfort women.
January 17 – Zamboanga del Norte representative Romeo Jalosjos is arrested in Bagac, Bataan, barely a month after being charged of crimes against chastity.
January 27:
* A ceasefire agreement between the national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is signed, ending more than a week of fighting in Buldon, Maguindanao.
* A passenger bus, traversing the Pilar–Manila route, plunges into a ravine in Labo, Camarines Norte, killing nineteen people including the driver.
January 28–31 – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources exterminates 596 monkeys at a farm in Calamba, Laguna, through lethal injection, to prevent the possible outbreak of the Ebola Reston virus that had earlier killed seven.
January 29 – President Ramos signs the law strengthening the country's science and technology program.
January 31 – First Lady Amelita Ramos leads the launching of the country's bulk carrier, Sea Amelita, in Tsuneishi shipyard in Balamban, Cebu.

February

February 3 – The Supreme Court votes,, to stop the sale of 51 percent of the Manila Hotel to Malaysian company Renong Berhad, and orders its owner, the Government Service Insurance System, to sell it instead to Manila Prince Hotel, citing the constitution's "Filipino first" provision and the hotel being part of the "national patrimony". The Committee on Privatization would later file a petition for rebidding.
February 4 – Three gunmen assassinate Bishop Benjamin de Jesus in front of Jolo Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu, in what would be the country's first killing of a Roman Catholic bishop.
February 5 – President Ramos signs Republic Act No. 8249, amending the charter of Sandiganbayan.
February 8 – Republic Act No. 8180, the law deregulating the oil industry, takes effect, ending twenty years of government control of oil companies and removing subsidies. As early as February 5, several protest rallies, demanding the repeal of the said law, have been conducted.
February 13 – A Beechcraft Baron explodes and crashes off Naic and Cavite City in Cavite, while on its way to Manila from Mindoro. All six individuals are either confirmed or presumed dead.
February 14 – A Beechcraft RPC 1919 crashes upon takeoff at an airport in Jolo, Sulu, killing retired Cotabato City auxiliary bishop Antonino Nepomuceno and other individuals. The plane crash is initially believed caused by either being shot or a pilot error.
February 18 – A Senate resolution affirming their absolute opposition to the constitutional amendments is adopted.
February 19:
* The Court of Appeals dismisses a petition by a Rizal-based group against the privatization of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, citing lack of merit; upholding a Manila Regional Trial Court ruling. MWSS would be awarded to the winning bidders two days later.
* Sandiganbayan orders a 90-day suspension of senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago in relation to graft charges filed in 1995 while she was the chief of the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation.
February 21 – A House resolution granting amnesty to the members of Reform the Armed Forces Movement – Soldiers of the Filipino People – Young Officers Union, concurring with Proclamation No. 723, is approved.
February 22 – Joel Arnan, leader of Kuratong Solido group, and two fellow inmates, escape from a municipal jail in San Pedro, Laguna, during a noise barrage and despite being guarded by the elite force from Western Police District Command.
February 23 – During a private meeting at the residence of Christopher Carrion in Ayala Alabang Village, in Muntinlupa, President Fidel Ramos informs the former President Corazon Aquino that he could not halt the campaign on Constitutional reform in the Philippines, citing it as a violation of freedom of expression. Ramos emphasized his commitment to uphold the Constitution and denied involvement in the initiative.

March

March 1 – South African president Nelson Mandela, beginning his three-day state visit, arrives in the country.
March 17 – The longest bridge in Pangasinan, connecting the municipalities of Santa Maria and Asingan, is inaugurated.
March 19 – President Ramos grants temporary asylum to Hwang Jang-yop, the top ideologue from North Korea.
March 26 – Las Piñas becomes a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila through ratification of Republic Act 8251.

April

April 8 – The Supreme Court issues a temporary restraining order from the government's implementation of the national identification system.
April 9 – President Ramos orders the release of, which is intended for the partial payment for pension adjustment of the World War II veterans.
April 16 – As part of the government campaign to prevent polio in the country, five million children are given free anti-polio vaccines.
April 20 – The main camp of the MILF in Sirawai, Zamboanga del Norte, is captured by the government forces, with seven rebels killed.
April 21 – Malacañang confirms the government's dropping of its opposition to the asylum application of communist leader Jose Maria Sison, then exiled in the Netherlands.
April 24 – The leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines affirms banning of homosexuals in the military.
April 27 – MILF confirms that five thousand Moro National Liberation Front rebels have been defected to their side, citing the allegedly slow implementation of the government's livelihood programs.
April 29–30 – The military dispatches marine reinforcements to the disputed Spratly Islands following reports that three armed Chinese Navy warships have been deployed there. Jet fighters are deployed the following day to augment the contingent, at the same time of Manila's protest demanding Beijing's explanation. On May 3, China, stressing its sovereignty over the area, insists of legal rights to dispatch their vessels.

May

May 2 – The Supreme Court affirms the validity of the country's membership in the World Trade Organization.
May 9 – The World Bank approves new loans, worth about, to the country, which will cover programs on poverty alleviation, infrastructure, and natural resources, for the next three years.
May 11 – Military personnel in election duty are attacked in Lantawan, Basilan by thirty Abu Sayyaf members, with seven from the latter killed in the gunfight.
May 20 – The Philippines rejects the proposed exploration with China on the disputed Scarborough Shoal. Eight days later, President Ramos favors the agreement on the countries' joint development of the area.
May 21 – The Philippine Coast Guard arrests twenty-one Chinese fishermen at the Scarborough Shoal. On May 30, Taiwan, claiming that the area is part of their sovereign territory, complains the said arrest. On May 26, foreign ministry officials of the Philippines and China meet in Beijing, in an attempt to de-escalate tension caused by conflicting claims in the area.
May 28 – The launch of the country's first electronic library project in Manila Hotel is led by the Commission on Higher Education and Department of Education, Culture and Sports.
May 31 – Sandiganbayan dismisses graft charges against former First Lady Imelda Marcos on the allegations of receiving bribes while she was the minister of human settlements, citing insufficient evidence.

June

June 4 – Vice president Estrada resigns as chairperson of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission, reportedly to prepare for his presidential bid.
June 10 – The Supreme Court dismisses with finality the motion for reconsideration submitted by PIRMA proponents and government counsel for the constitutional reform, upholding its earlier decision stopping such attempts.
June 14 – FVR declares that he had authorized the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, to expedite a bill on people's initiative based on the reasons provided by the Supreme Court in rejecting the petition.
June 16 – Forty-three surveyors from a state-run oil firm are captured by suspected MILF guerrillas in Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao, but are later freed. This led to a massive army offensive against the MILF that would begin the following day, occurred in Pagalungan, also in Maguindanao, and in parts of Cotabato. As of June 28, clashes have killed 146 from the MILF and twelve troops.
June 22 – President Ramos signs Proclamation No. 1030 declaring the Philippine tarsier a specially protected fauna.
June 23 – The military fires warning shots at a Chinese fishing vessel, which anchored near a Filipino-held island in the Spratlys.
June 26:
* Some 110 active law enforcement personnel are placed by the Intelligence community on a wanted list for alleged role in kidnapping activities.
* 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 to Kabacan, Cotabato, where a shootout occurs, leaving seven people dead. Among the civilian hostages, two are killed, while ten are still being held as of the following day.
* Government troops capture Camp Rajamuda, a major MILF base, in Pikit, Cotabato.
June 27 – An army detachment in Kabacan is attacked by 50 MILF fighters, 13 of whom will be killed in a gunbattle.

July

July 11 – The Philippines begin to experience the effect of the Asian financial crisis; the peso devalues by 11.5% with the peso-dollar rate recorded at ₱29.45. Further depreciation causes the Philippine Stock Exchange composite index to go down, and mainly affects the country's economic growth, with annual nominal GDP per capita drops by 12.5% from the previous year. The crisis affects numerous countries in East and Southeast Asia.
July 16 – Sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong were abducted and killed in Cebu City, the suspects were later sentenced to death, which in turn would lead to the abolition of death penalty in 2006.

August

August 2 – Kabankalan becomes a component city in the province of Negros Occidental through ratification of Republic Act 8297.
August 15:
* Ferry boat F/B King Roger, on board 43 tourists from Hong Kong, overturns and capsizes off Manila South Harbor while returning to the Manila Yacht Club marina from a tour of Manila Bay, killing seven.
* Passenger ferry M/V Kalibo Star, with a Cebu–Tacloban route, overturns and sinks off Biliran, leaving at least 12 dead and 13 missing.
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

September 4 – Simultaneous grenade explosions in bus terminals in Manila and Bulacan kill six and injure 105, mostly commuters. A previously unknown, pro-government group Filipino Soldiers for the Nation claims responsibility for these attacks.
September 21 – The new presidential pronouncement is released which prompts anti-charter change groups led by the Catholic Church and former President Cory Aquino's allies to step up their campaign, culminating in an indignation rally at Rizal Park in Manila, during 25th anniversary of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. declaring martial law in the country.
September 22 – Two overloaded PNR trains collide in Muntinlupa City, killing nine and injuring around 200; one of the country's worst train accidents.
September 23 – The Supreme 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.
September 25 – A clash between the armed men of Gov. Abdusakur Tan and Jolo Mayor Sout Tan occurs at Maimbung and Indanan towns in Sulu, killing 17 supporters from both rivals.
September 30 – Anti-Rape Law is passed.

October

October 5 – A cargo truck collides into a mini-bus in Tampilisan, Zamboanga del Norte with 25 people reportedly killed in what police considered as the worst road accident in the Zamboanga Peninsula area.
October 6 – MILF conducts an execution of two individuals, who had been "sentenced to death" for multiple criminal charges, in Masiu, Lanao del Sur, said to be done by the virtue of the Islamic laws, causing public criticisms.
October 27 – Pres. Ramos signs a law, repealing the Anti-Squatting Law ; decriminalizing squatting but maintaining sanctions against professional squatters and squatting syndicates.
October 28 – Pres. Ramos signs a law creating special courts for the cases involving children and family relations.
October 29 – Pres. Ramos signs Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act, a law protecting the rights of the indigenous sector to their ancestral domains and creating the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

November

November 5 – The Supreme Court votes, 9–2, to declare a law ending government regulatory control of the oil industry as unconstitutional.
November 12 – A clash between MILF rebels and armed guards of a coconut plantation in Maguindanao ends with the deaths of Amin Cusain, an MILF leader, seven rebels and two civilians.

December

December 22 – Pres. Ramos signed seven social reform bills into law, including computerization of the electoral process in the next year and subsequent general elections and autonomy for the Cordilleras.
December 26 – Heavy rains cause the collapse of the gold mine tunnels in Mount Diwata, Monkayo, then part of Davao del Norte; five are rescued; later reports confirm that 80 miners are killed.

Holidays

As per Executive Order No. 292, chapter 7 section 26, the following are regular holidays and special days, approved on July 25, 1987. Note that in the list, holidays in bold are "regular holidays" and those in italics are "nationwide special days".

In addition, several other places observe local holidays, such as the foundation of their town. These are also "special days."

Entertainment and culture

February 6 – Entertainment magazine columnist Cristy Fermin is convicted by a judicial court of libel, filed in 1995 by actress Annabelle Rama, whom she accused of embezzlement, along with her husband Eddie Gutierrez, in the United States. She is given a maximum of 1½-year prison sentence.
February 22 – Jaya wins the grand prize in the 2nd Asian Song Festival held in Hong Kong, for her rendition of the song "You Lift Me Up".

Sports

February 20 – Gerry Peñalosa defeats defending champion Hiroshi Kawashima of Japan in their boxing match in Tokyo, winning the WBC super flyweight title through a unanimous decision.
May 17 – Luisito Espinosa retains the WBC featherweight title after defeating Mexican challenger Manuel Medina in Rizal Park in Manila.
June 14 – Gerry Peñalosa defeats challenger Seung Koo-Lee of South Korea, retaining his WBC super flyweight title.
October 11–19 – The Philippines participated at the 1997 Southeast Asian Games.
November 22–23 – The Philippines as hosting the 1997 Asian Judo Championships held in Manila.
December 14 – The Alaska Milkmen won against Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies, 4 games to 1, to retain the 1997 PBA Governors Cup title.

Births