00:00As we prepare to ring out 2024 and ring in the new year, the Manila Times looks back
00:21on the stories that helped shape the year that was.
00:34Stormy 2024 Six storms from September to November of 2024
00:48devastated the Philippines, killing over a hundred people, displacing thousands and
00:55destroying crops and infrastructure.
00:58It was considered across the globe as an unusual phenomenon.
01:04Because Tropical Storm Enteng, Super Typhoon Julian, Severe Tropical Storm Christine, Typhoons
01:11Marse and Nika, and Super Typhoon Pepito happened only weeks apart, with the last two
01:24occurring almost on the same week.
01:28Before these were Typhoons Agon and Karina, starting the weather rampage in the middle
01:36of the year.
01:41All from grace, from son of God, to fugitive, to prisoner.
01:56This was the story of Pastor Apollo Kibaloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ or
02:04KOJC in 2024.
02:10Revered by members of his church, Kibaloy fell from grace, after he was accused here
02:17and in the United States of money laundering and human trafficking, which he has denied
02:26following his arrest and detention in September after playing hide and seek with authorities
02:31for months.
02:34Unfazed, Kibaloy intends to fight this one out, not in court, but in the upcoming 2025
02:41elections, where he filed his Certificate of Candidacy for Senator through his lawyer
02:46in October.
02:50RUN UP TO 2025 ELECTIONS
02:54The Commission on Elections or COMELEC is perhaps the busiest government agency in 2024
03:02and will be busier in 2025 as it prepares for the national and local midterm polls.
03:10Among its notable achievements were the early delivery of the automated counting machines
03:17by South Korean-based service provider Miru Systems, the first ever issuance of guidelines
03:24on campaigning through social media, which includes compelling candidates to disclose
03:30the use of Artificial Intelligence or AI in their campaign materials, and prohibiting
03:37the use of the technology to spread misinformation against their rivals and the filing of Certificates
03:43of Candidacy by interested individuals.
03:50TROUBLED WATERS
03:51China's continued and increasing aggression in the South China Sea remains one of the
04:04year's top stories.
04:06The dangerous maneuvers employed by Chinese ships against Philippine vessels in territories
04:12within the country's Exclusive Economic Zone has been a cause of concern not only in the
04:19Philippines but among like-minded allies led by the U.S. who adhere to the United
04:26Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNPLOS and Freedom of Navigation.
04:33Buoyed by the support of the international community, the Philippines conducted joint
04:38drills with the U.S. and its Asian and European counterparts in the disputed waters, angering
04:44China.
04:46The Philippines also filed several diplomatic protests before the UN.
04:54GOLD
04:552024 was a banner year for sports as the country's athletes shone in various international competitions,
05:07including August's Paris Olympics where gymnast Carlos Yulo gave the Philippines not just one
05:14but two golds for the first time.
05:20BANNED
05:26In his State of the Nation Address in July, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared that
05:32all Philippine offshore gaming operators or POGOs must go by the end of the year and issued
05:40Executive Order 74 to back up the announcement.
05:44The ban stemmed from allegations that the ongoing POGO activities became a source of
05:49human and drug trafficking and money laundering.
06:04ALICE GUO
06:10Aside from Pastor Quiboloy, no other personality has captured the imagination of the Filipinos
06:16in 2024 than then-Bamban Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.
06:24A Senate inquiry into POGOs exposed Mayor Guo's alleged links to the illegal activity
06:30following a raid on one of the hubs in her home province.
06:35Guo, like Quiboloy, eluded authorities for months until her arrest and detention in May.
06:45And Guo, like Quiboloy, has denied the accusations against her.
07:00BREAKUP
07:01Although President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte ran and won under
07:14the UNITEAM in the 2022 National Elections, some cracks have started to show, starting
07:22with the resignation of Duterte as Education Secretary and Vice Chairman of the National
07:27Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
07:33Then in November, Duterte publicly threatened Marcos, his wife Liza and Speaker Martin Romualdez
07:41if anything happened to her.
07:47Her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, who was Marcos' predecessor, added fuel to the
07:54fire when he called on the military to intervene.
08:20BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
08:27Scandals and box office history were among the biggest local stories in entertainment
08:34in 2024.
08:39Young actor Sandra Mulac, son of former child superstar Nina Mulac, accused two network
08:45executives of rape.
08:48Hello, Love Again, starring Kathleen Bernardo and Alden Richards, became the highest-grossing
08:59Filipino film.
09:06And actor Anthony Jennings was accused by his then-girlfriend Jamela Villanueva of
09:16cheating with co-star Maris Racal.
09:21And here were the Manila Times' top stories of 2024.
09:25Read us on print or click on to www.manilatimes.net and our social media platforms and watch us
09:32on our new streaming channel.
09:35Make the Manila Times your new source of choice.
09:37Wishing everyone the best in 2025.
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