2009 PHILIPPINES NEWS BREAKERS

2009 is about to end and here, i gathered all the news breaker of the past months of the year 2009

1. TYPHOON ONDOY AND PEPENG
(SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2009)


Typhoon Ondoy brought the worst rainfall to Metro Manila among recorded typhoons since the start of rainfall record keeping according by PAGASA, producing only moderate winds but hours of extremely heavy rain. President Gloria Arroyo declared a "state of calamity" encompassing most of Luzon after at least 86 people were initially reported dead in landslides and other incidents. Flood water levels reached a record 20 feet high in rural areas. As of October 24, 2009, at least 464 deaths were officially reported from the typhoon in the Philippines. Followed by another strong typhoon Pepeng!

2. THE DEATH OF CORY AQUINO
(AUGUST 2009)

In 2008, Aquino was diagnosed with colon cancer and after a one-year battle with the disease, she died on August 1, 2009. The 76 year-old Aquino died at the Makati Medical Center at around 3:18 a.m. due to complications of cardiorespiratory arrest. Aquino's death on August 1, 2009 struck not just the entire Philippines but the whole world, as well. Both local and international leaders conveyed their messages of grief over Aquino's passing and expression of admiration for the woman who brought down tyranny and authoritarian rule in her country.

3. KATRINA HALILI AND HAYDEN KHO VIDEO SCANDAL
(MAY 2009)

In May 2009, videos that show compromising encounters between Halili and Dr. Hayden Kho were distributed over the internet without her consent. It was supposed that the person behind the leak of the videos to Internet was a certain Eric Johnson Chua, a close friend and fraternity brother of Hayden Kho. Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., in his privilege speech, denounced Kho's acts and would file a case for the removal of Dr. Kho's license. She is also consulting with the women's rights group GABRIELA regarding the legal actions that will be placed against Kho. She has since attended a Senate Hearing where she denounced Hayden Kho. Recently she filed a criminal case against the mother of Hayden Kho for libel before the Quezon City Prosecutors Office alleging that the latter made malicious remarks against her. She has also filed against Dr. Kho for violation of Republic 9262 (Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children).

4. EFREN PEÑAPLORIDA AS THE CNN HERO OF THE YEAR
(NOVEMBER 2009)


In March 2009, Peñaflorida was featured as a CNN Hero as part of the news network's program to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to help others. On November 22, 2009, he was named CNN Hero of the Year for 2009. Efren is a teacher and social worker in the Philippines. He is the founder and head of the Dynamic Teen Company, which offers Filipino youth an alternative to street gangs through education, recreating school settings in unconventional locations such as cemeteries and trash dumps. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conferred on Peñaflorida the Order of Lakandula in a ceremony at Malacañang Palace upon his return to the Philippines.

5. H1N1 PANDEMIC SCARE
(MAY 2009)

The 2009 flu pandemic in the Philippines is a part of larger global flu epidemic that involves new Influenza A virus strain, H1N1. The pandemic reached the Philippines on May 21, 2009 when a young Filipina girl first contracted the A(H1N1) virus while vacationing in Houston, Texas, US. In the following days, several local cases were reported to be caused by contact with two infected Taiwanese women who attended a wedding ceremony in Zambales. Since the outbreak of A(H1N1) in the Americas, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo urged the Department of Health, the Bureau of Immigration, the Bureau of Quarantine and other concerned agencies to control monitor airport and seaport arrivals for possible flu infection. First death was reported on June 19, 2009, a 49 year-old Filipina employee of the Congress, as well as the first death in Asia!

6. MANNY PACQUIAO'S VICTORY
(MAY & NOVEMBER 2009)

On May 2, 2009, Pacquiao defeated Ricky Hatton to claim the IBO and Ring Magazine light welterweight titles (as well as the lineal light welterweight title), at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, in a fight billed as "The Battle of the East and West". With less than ten seconds remaining in the second round, Hatton was knocked out cold by a sharp left hook, prompting the referee to award Pacquiao the win by knockout. But the most remarkable is when Manny Pacquiao defeated Miguel Cotto via twelfth round technical knockout (TKO), to become the first fighter in boxing history to win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions. In addition, he is the only boxer to win the lineal championship ("the man who beat the man") in four different weight classes.

7. THE DEATH OF TED FAILON'S WIFE
(APRIL 2009)


Trinidad Etong (Ted Failon's wife) was rushed to the hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head. She died from her injuries the following day. Failon himself had rushed his wife to the hospital, and subsequently issued a statement saying that he had found his wounded wife in their bathroom after she had used his handgun in a suicide attempt. Hours after the shooting, Failon was arrested, allegedly for tampering with the crime scene, though he was able to leave police custody the following day to be at his wife's bedside. Failon himself denied any involvement in the shooting of his wife, and he tested negative for powder burns in a paraffin test conducted by the Quezon City police. The family driver and three housemaids of the Failon family were charged by the Quezon City police for obstruction of justice, for allegedly destroying important evidence in the shooting, which occurred at the Failon family home. This was followed by the arrests of Mrs. Failon's brother and sister by the Quezon City police, allegedly also for obstruction of justice. It is concluded that Trina Etong committed suicide, which is investigated by National Bureau of Investigation.

8. GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO BREAST IMPLANTS?


On July 3, 2009, it was announced that Arroyo had undergone a biopsy to examine lumps discovered in her breast and groin. Press Secretary Cerge Remonde stated that the results of the biopsy were negative. Remonde also denied reports published in July 3, 2009 editions of the Manila Bulletin and the Philippine Star that Arroyo had undergone surgery for the removal or repair of breast silicone implants.

9. THE DEATH OF FRANCIS MAGALONA
(MARCH 2009)

Magalona died seven months after being diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia.
The announcement was first made over Eat Bulaga!. News of his death sparked a surge of web traffic to several Philippine news sites, causing a momentary slowdown in the operation of those sites. Guests at his wake included the late former president Corazon Aquino, along with other politicians and artists who paid tribute to Magalona's contribution to Filipino music, and to national pride - the dominant advocacy theme in FrancisM's music. On March 18, 2009, the Philippine Government - through the efforts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts -- recognized Magalona with by awarding him a posthumous Presidential Medal of Merit. The award's citation noted that it had been given “for his musical and artistic brilliance, his deep faith in the Filipino and his sense of national pride that continue to inspire us.”

10. MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE
(NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2009)

The Maguindanao massacre, also known as the Ampatuan massacre (after the town where the mass graves were found), occurred on the morning of November 23, 2009, in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao province, on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. The victims were about to file a certificate of candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan town. Mangudadatu was challenging Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr., son of the incumbent Maguindanao governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr., in the forthcoming Maguindanao gubernatorial election, part of the national elections in 2010. Those killed included Mangudadatu's wife, his two sisters, lawyers, aides, and motorists who were witnesses or were mistakenly identified as part of the convoy. Even before the Maguindanao massacre, the CPJ had labeled the Philippines the second most dangerous country for journalists, second only to Iraq. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called the Maguindanao massacre the single deadliest event for journalists in history. Thirty-four journalists are known to have been abducted and killed in the massacre, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.