1996 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 1996.
Incumbents
President: Fidel Ramos (Lakas) Vice President: Joseph Estrada (NPC) Senate President Neptali Gonzales (until October 10) Ernesto Maceda (starting October 10) House Speaker: Jose de Venecia, Jr. Chief Justice: Andres Narvasa Philippine Congress: 10th Congress of the Philippines
Events
January Production of oil at West Linapacan, then the country's largest oilfield, stops due to increasing water in its wells. January 14 – President Ramos orders a nationwide crackdown on police and military personnel being under the influence of drugs, and suspected drug lords. January 22 – A Philippine Navy gunboat engages in a battle with three Chinese naval vessels near Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, marking the first violent military confrontation involving the two countries and further triggering an ongoing diplomatic crisis.—"Manila Treads on Eggshells With China Over Ship Run-In" The Christian Science Monitor. 02-02-1996.—"Timeline: China's Maritime Disputes (1895–2020)" Council on Foreign Relations.All were retrieved 01-31-2022.
February February 14 – Violent clashes erupt between Filipino soldiers and Vietnamese boat people, as the Philippines government attempts to forcibly repatriate hundreds of Vietnamese asylum seekers. February 18 – Overcrowded ferry ML Gretchen I, traveling from Cebu, overturns and sinks at the entrance to the port of Cadiz, Negros Occidental; by the end of the month, fifty-one people are reported killed. It happens when passengers shifted to one side to avoid high waves.Citations:
March March 18 – Fire razes Ozone Disco in Quezon City, killing 162 guests including college graduating students and 95 more injured. The incident was officially acknowledged as the worst fire in Philippine history, and among the 10 worst nightclub fires in the world."At least 150 are killed in disco fire in Manila" The New York Times. March 19, 1996. Retrieved April 25, 2021. March 24 – A mining disaster occurs on the island province of Marinduque when the leftover mine tailings from the drainage of the Marcopper Mining Corporation are leaked into the river and spilled into the sea.
June June 13 – Retired P/Col. Rolando Abadilla, intelligence officer during the Marcos administration, is assassinated in Quezon City. Communist Alex Boncayao Brigade claims responsibility. Five of the seven accused would be convicted in 1999.—"TIMELINE: Abadilla 5" Inquirer.net. 09-07-2016.—"Philippines: Lenido Lumanog's lasting legal legacy" Asian Human Rights Commission. 10-09-2016.All were retrieved 04-04-2022."Appendix: Case analysis: Supreme Court's rulings on Vizconde and Abadilla cases are contradictory" Asian Human Rights Commission. Dec. 21, 2010. Retrieved Oct. 8, 2021.
July
The Supreme Court upholds the death sentence for Leo Echegaray, who was convicted of rape in 1994 by a lower court. Echegaray is initially scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in Muntinlupa in July 1997.
July 31 – Sarah Balabagan, a migrant worker sentenced and imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates for almost two years for killing her employer in self-defense, is freed. She returns to the country the next day.Release from prison and return of S. Balabagan to the Philippines:—"Philippines: Filipino maid returns home after release from UAE jail" AP Archive. Aug. 1, 1996.—"Maid Returns, Spared From Death Sentence 17-Year-Old Killed Her Arab Employer During Attempted Rape" AP News via The Spokesman-Review. Aug. 2, 1996.—"Philippines Maid Returns Home" Migration News (Vol. 3, No. 9), University of California, Davis. Sept. 1996.About S. Balabagan:—(Opinion) "The story of Sarah Balabagan" Inquirer.net. Sept. 11, 2020.All were retrieved July 2, 2022.
August August 1 – Mabuhay, moves to its new orbital slot. Mabuhay satellite, previously named Palapa B-2P, was acquired by Mabuhay Philippines Satellite Corporation on an earlier date this year. Mabuhay became one to be owned by a Filipino entity. August 10 – Sagay becomes a component city in the province of Negros Occidental through ratification of Republic Act 8192.
September September 2 – A permanent peace agreement is signed by the national government and the Moro National Liberation Front at Malacañang Palace, concluding negotiations in Libya, Indonesia, and Mindanao, and ending the almost 27-year conflict in the southern islands.Citations:
"Mindanao Final Agreement" Peace Accords Matrix, University of Notre Dame. 2015. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2021.
October
October 3 – A judicial court acquits San Ildefonso, Bulacan, mayor Honorato Galvez in relation to the murder of Alvin Vinculado and injuring of his brother.Citations:
October 15 – The foreign department confirms the denial by Myanmar of visa application of former president Corazon Aquino following her remarks against the former's ruling junta in the United States four days earlier. October 24 – The national government bans José Ramos-Horta, an East Timorese resistance leader from Indonesia and Nobel Peace Prize winner, from entering the country by rejecting his visa application. Ramos-Horta has been invited by the leftist group Manila People's Forum as a keynote speaker in a November conference. It is the second time he has been banned since 1994. October 28 – Transport groups nationwide hold the Welgang Bayan to protest oil price hike and oil deregulation. However, only Makati, Las Piñas, Parañaque and Pateros in Metro Manila, as well as Bacolod, are affected by the strike. October 30 – The Philippine Airlines Employees Association, consisting of three labor unions, begins to go on the first of a series of strikes, resulting to cancellation of flights; continuing despite an ultimatum set on November 1 and until the month's first week as negotiations are later held. The strike is due to a labor dispute having been caused by the privatization of the airline by the Lucio Tan group in January 1995 and the employees' pending collective bargaining agreement. October 30–31 – In Cotabato City, business establishments are closed amid a general strike in protest over incidents of kidnap-for-ransom by the bandits.Citations:
November
November 5 – A police raid in Tagaytay, Cavite, led by provincial governor Epimaco Velasco, results to the confiscation of more than 200 kilograms of shabu and heroin worth , becoming the largest drug bust since the 1972 arrest of Lim Seng. Hongkonger Wai Kuen Alan Tong (Lucky Lau), a suspected member of the 14K syndicate, is arrested for drug trafficking; while another escapes. November 6 – In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the country's government bans RC Constantino, chairperson of militant group Sanlakas; with immigration authorities eventually deporting him after detaining him for 12 hours since arrival at Subang International Airport. Constantino is scheduled to attend the second Asia-Pacific Conference on East Timor (APCET) in relation to the area being occupied by Indonesia. November 9 – Forty-one inmates of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa begin to hold a hunger strike to demand an amnesty from the president. At least seven of the protesters are later hospitalized. November 11 – Eleven Filipino delegates to the APCET are likewise deported from Malaysia; almost all of them return to the country. They have been arrested by the police after about 400 members of the youth wing of the ruling United Malays National Organization break up the forum at the Kuala Lumpur Hotel; and then detained for two days. November 12 – Labor leader Filemon Lagman is arrested for murder in relation to the 1992 assassination of police intelligence officer Ibarra de Guzman, allegedly by the Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB), in Marikina. While in detention, Lagman later goes on a hunger strike to protest his arrest; lasting for 12 days until November 27, when the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) rules his detention being illegal, leading to his release. November 22: The APEC business forum begins. President Ramos signs two bills into law—one on sin tax on beer and cigarettes effective in 1997; and another imposing stiffer penalties for holders of fake passports. November 23 — Security personnel recover explosives on a bridge in Manila, as the United States Secret Service foils a suspected assassination plot by the Al Qaeda on president Bill Clinton upon his arrival. November 24–25 – 8th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit is held in Subic, Zambales; the first time the country hosted the event.
November 26 – Chinese and Filipino trade officials sign four agreements, including the continuation of operation of the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong after the end of British colonization; the establishment of Consular Offices in Guangzhou and Cebu City; and the construction of two power plants in the country. This occurs during a 3-day state visit of Chinese president Jiang Zemin that lasts until November 28. November 27 – The police raids an alleged shabu laboratory in Parañaque where five Hongkongers, suspected members of the 14K gang, escape. It is the third major operation since President Ramos ordered a crackdown on drug trafficking in October. November 28 – The Manila RTC sentences Rommel Concepcion to life imprisonment for murder. Concepcion, who shot to death fellow student Jellico Gamilla during an alleged fraternity war in front of the Far Eastern University on July 14, 1994, has earlier been granted bail. November 29 – Senate president Maceda, in his privilege speech, reveals a land deal between the Public Estates Authority (PEA) and Amari Coastal Bay Development Corporation (ACBDC), which was signed by then PEA chairperson and transportation secretary Amado Lagdameo, citing numerous alleged violations including being underpriced.Citations:
The deal is part of "Boulevard 2000", the government's plan to develop the Manila Bay area, which involves land reclamation; as Amari is said controlled by Thailand-based real estate company Ital-Thai. Massive investigations would later be launched.
December
December 3 – A fire, considered the largest in Lipa, Batangas, hits an entire purok, caused by an explosion in a public market and resulting to massive damages. December 4 – The National Bureau of Investigation and the Presidential Security Group raid the national headquarters of COBSAF (Cool But Sure And Firm Foundation) in Intramuros, Manila, and arrest a couple and a pastor. COBSAF, initially a non-government organization, is later alleged illegally using the presidential seal and President Ramos in its operations. December 7 – Marikina becomes a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila through ratification of Republic Act 8223 which was approved on November 6. December 10 – The Supreme Court rejects a petition from the Presidential Commission on Good Government to keep five individuals appointed to the 15-member board of directors of the San Miguel Corporation, allowing former Marcos crony Danding Cojuangco to regain his shares, including the company, which were sequestered by the government after the 1986 ouster of president Ferdinand Marcos. December 13 – The police arrests Arnold Salazar, alleged ABB leader, in a drug bust in Cubao, Quezon City. Salazar has been suspected of killing Rey dela Cruz, barangay captain of Quiapo, Manila, and former police colonel Reynaldo Dino in 1990.Citations:
December 20: The Supreme Court, acting on a petition filed by senator Miriam Santiago, issues a temporary restraining order to PIRMA, suspending the signature campaign for constitutional amendment and lifting of term limits on elected officials,Citations:
and barring the Commission on Elections from hearing the group's petition.