2016 in the Philippines

2016 in the Philippines details events that occurred in the Philippines in 2016.

Incumbents

* President:
** Benigno Aquino III (Liberal) ''(until June 30)''
** Rodrigo Duterte (PDP–Laban) ''(from June 30)''
* Vice President:
** Jejomar Binay (UNA) ''(until June 30)''
** Leni Robredo (Liberal) ''(from June 30)''
* Congress:
** Senate President:
*** 16th Congress: Franklin Drilon (Liberal) ''(until July 25)''
*** 17th Congress: Aquilino Pimentel III (PDP–Laban) ''(from July 25)''
** House Speaker:
*** 16th Congress: Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (Liberal) ''(until July 25)''
*** 17th Congress: Pantaleon Alvarez (PDP–Laban) ''(from July 25)''
* Chief Justice: Maria Lourdes Sereno

Events

January

* January 4 – The Sandiganbayan Special Second Division orders 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 denies the bail petition of Senator Jinggoy Estrada in connection with his alleged involvement in the PDAF 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 South China 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 13 – Zamboanga City declares a state of calamity due to the onslaught of El Niño phenomenon and its negative effects to the farmlands.
* 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 No. 10742 or the SK Reforms Act of 2016 that will enable reforms in strengthening the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) political system.
** North Cotabato declares a state of calamity after damages due to the 2016 El Niño reached over ₱200 million, including damage due to drought and rats.
* January 20:
** Former Iglesia ni Cristo evangelical worker Lowell Menorca II is arrested by Manila Police District policemen in civil clothes without any warrant of arrest showed due to libel charges filed by SCAN International Lanao del Norte chapter while he trying to attend a hearing in Court of Appeals. The INC categorically denied the involvement in commotion between the policemen and Menorca. (see '' 2015 Iglesia ni Cristo leadership controversy'')
** 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 liaison officials on the hiring of "ghost employees" in 2010.
* January 21 – Lt. Col. Ferdinand Marcelino, a former official of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency's Special Enforcement Service, is arrested in a buy-bust operation at a shabu laboratory in Santa Cruz, Manila.
* 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 fails to pass on its final reading in the House of Representatives before January. 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. 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

* February 1 – The Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 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. On February 9, Trillanes posted bail.
* February 3 – The COMELEC 1st Division denies all the disqualification cases against PDP–Laban presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
* February 5:
** The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) files the usurpation case against former PNP Chief Alan Purisima due to usurping his role in his involvement in the Mamasapano clash.
** 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. 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.
** The Office of the Ombudsman files graft and documents falsification charges before the Sandiganbayan against former Makati City mayor Junjun Binay and 22 others over the alleged overpriced construction of the Makati City Hall Parking Building II.
* February 26 – At least 60 are killed in an 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.
** The remains of the late President Elpidio Quirino, the sixth president of the Philippines, are transferred from the Manila South Cemetery in Makati to the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig to mark his 60th death anniversary.

March

* March 1 – Aid al-Qarni, an Islam preacher, and a diplomat from Saudi Arabian embassy is shot by a gunman after a lecture in the Western Mindanao State University in Zamboanga City.
* March 3 – The Office of the Ombudsman files charges against five former Representatives including former Muntinlupa congressman Ruffy Biazon, in connection with the PDAF scam.
* March 5:
** The Ombudsman orders the dismissal of Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian and 6 others over the deadly blaze that hit footwear factory Kentex Manufacturing Corporation, killing at least 72 people in May last year. On March 15, The Ombudsman also ordered the filing of graft charges against Gatchalian and seven other individuals in connection with this case.
** The Philippine government orders to impound a cargo ship from North Korea in the Subic port, in response to tighter sanctions by United Nations against North Korea due to its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. On March 24, the North Korean freighter M/V Jin Teng has left the country, after no contraband was found onboard and the ship was cleared by the United Nations.

* March 8 – Voted 9–6, the Supreme Court has affirms Grace Poe's natural-born status and declares she is qualified to run based on her 10-year residency.
* March 15:
** The Supreme Court dismisses several petitions by several party-list groups to issue a TRO to stop the implementation of the K+12 education program of the Department of Education.
** The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee begins its inquiry into the alleged money laundering of $100 million that has dragged into this one of the country's leading financial institutions.
* March 16:
** BIR employee Rhodora Alvarez, who blew the whistle on the alleged anomalous deal, files a plunder complaint against Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin over a P1.2 billion helicopter deal in 2013.
** Disqualified Laguna Governor Emilio Ramon "ER" Ejercito and eight other individuals are charged with graft before the Sandiganbayan over an alleged anomalous insurance deal entered in 2008.
* March 18 – Former Camarines Norte Governor Roy Padilla Jr., is arrested over his failure to return a firearm issued to him in 1992.
* March 21 – The UNESCO adds Albay

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