2018 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in 2018.
Incumbents
President: Rodrigo Duterte (PDP–Laban) Vice President: Leni Robredo (Liberal) Congress (17th): Senate President: Aquilino Pimentel III (PDP–Laban) (until May 21) Tito Sotto (NPC) (from May 21) House Speaker: Pantaleon Alvarez (PDP–Laban) (until July 23) Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (PDP–Laban) (from July 23) Chief Justice: Maria Lourdes Sereno (until May 11) Antonio Carpio (acting) (May 14 – August 25); (October 11 – November 28) Teresita De Castro (August 28 – October 10) Lucas Bersamin (from November 28)
Events January January 1 – Republic Act No. 10963, widely known as the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law (TRAIN Law), takes effect. January 5 – Former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes is released from detention after the Court of Appeals resolved in his favor a petition in connection with his murder case for the killing of broadcaster Dr. Gerry Ortega in 2011. January 22 – Mayon Volcano's alert status is raised to Alert Level 4 due to intensified volcanic activities. The day before, the volcano shoots to to the air and generated ash plumes that reached above the summit. The province of Albay declares a state of calamity days earlier on January 16 due to continuous volcanic activity. January 23 – The Supreme Court approves the funding for the Motor Vehicle License Plate Standardization Program (MVPSP), clearing the way for the release to motorists of 700,000 license plates turned over by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) as constitutional. January 25 – Police Officer 3 Carlos Baccali Bocaig, a survivor of the 2015 Mamasapano firefight, dies from a grenade explosion during a fireworks display in La Paz, Abra on the third anniversary of the clash. January 29 – The Office of the President orders a 90-day preventive suspension order against Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang for alleged grave misconduct and grave dishonesty for the unauthorized disclosures of the alleged bank transactions of President Rodrigo Duterte and his family. January 31: A total lunar eclipse coinciding with a supermoon and blue moon phenomenon is witnessed by many astronomers and skywatchers throughout the country. Rafael Baylosis, a peace consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), together with his companion, are arrested in Quezon City.
February February 2 – President Duterte signs Republic Act No. 10969 or the Free Irrigation Service Act, a law that waives irrigation fees for farmers who own 8 hectares of land or less. February 6 – The Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of the year-long extension of martial law in Mindanao in December 2017. February 7 – The Supreme Court orders a halt on court proceedings on graft and usurpation of authority cases filed against former President Benigno Aquino III at the Sandiganbayan for his alleged role in the 2015 Mamasapano raid that killed 44 SAF troopers. February 12: The Philippine Government signs an administrative order to completely ban the deployment of all workers to Kuwait. Following the February 9 confirmation of the death of a Filipina domestic worker in the gulf country allegedly due to abuse. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales orders the dismissal from service of former Cebu governor and incumbent 3rd District Representative Gwendolyn Garcia for grave misconduct in connection with the purchase of a sprawling property for close to P100 million. February 19 – The Senate committee on national defense and security begins its probe on the P15.5 billion-Frigate Acquisition Project (FAP) of the Philippine Navy with Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go in attendance and several Cabinet members present to support him. February 26: The Senate orders the arrest of former Commission on Elections (COMELEC) chair Andres Bautista over his non-attendance of a probe into his alleged ill-gotten wealth. Former president Benigno Aquino III and former budget secretary Butch Abad face a House investigation into their administration's deployment of Dengvaxia, a dengue vaccine, that was then at the center of a health scare. February 28 – The United States Department of State adds seven organizations, including the Maute group, to its list of foreign terrorists and terrorist organizations due to their connection to the Islamic State.
March March 1 – President Duterte signs Republic Act No. 10973, restoring the power of select officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to issue subpoenas on cases under investigation. March 8: Voted 38–2, the House Committee on Justice finds probable cause in the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. The Department of Justice (DOJ) indicts 11 members of the Aegis Juris fraternity over the fatal hazing of University of Santo Tomas law freshman student Horacio "Atio" Castillo III in September 2017. March 9 – Former Vice President Jejomar Binay and his son, former Makati mayor Jejomar Binay Jr., are charged at the Sandiganbayan over the alleged anomalous procurement process in the construction of the Makati Science High School. March 12: The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee orders the release of former Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon after he promises to Senator Richard Gordon that he will no longer engage in backtalking and will heed Senate summons. The Department of Justice cleared alleged drug lords Kerwin Espinosa, Peter Lim, and 20 others of charges related to the narcotics trade due to lack of evidence. March 14 – President Duterte announces that the Philippines is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which was looking into whether it has jurisdiction to probe allegations of state sanctioned killings in his war on drugs. The Philippines issued a formal notification of its withdrawal from the Roman Statute, which was received by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on March 17. The effectivity date of the withdrawal shall be exactly one year from receipt of the notification. March 17—A Piper PA-23 passenger aircraft bound for Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte crashes upon take off from Plaridel Airport in Bulacan, killing all five people on board as well as five on the ground. March 26 – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas announced the release of new peso coins and their designs.
April April 2 – The Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), begins the manual recount of votes for the election protest of former Senator Bongbong Marcos against Vice President Leni Robredo. The recount to validate the results of the 2016 vice presidential election commenced with the counting of votes cast in Marcos' pilot provinces of Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental. April 26 – Boracay closes to tourists for six months and undergoes rehabilitation. The closure is officially announced on April 4. Checkpoints staffed by police officers and soldiers are set up at piers in Boracay to turn away visitors from the island. Passes are given to residents of Boracay.
May May 11 – The Supreme Court votes 8–6 to grant a quo warranto petition by the Solicitor General against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, removing her from office for violating requirements on the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth. May 14 – The Barangay and Sangguiang Kabataan elections are held. May 18 – The National Museum of Natural History is opened to the public. May 30 – President Duterte declares his plan to make the entire island of Boracay a land reform area, saying that he wants to prioritize Boracay's first inhabitants. Duterte adds that his Cabinet and Congress may conduct a study on the possibility of putting up "only a small area for tourism" in Boracay and the majority of the island for land reform.
June June 23 – Diwata-2, the second microsatellite under the Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite program, is deployed to space. June 29 – President Duterte signs Republic Act No. 11053 or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, that bans hazing in all forms and imposes higher penalties for those convicted of hazing.
July July 2: Controversial Tanauan, Batangas mayor Antonio Halili is assassinated by an unknown sniper during a flag-raising ceremony, and becomes the 11th local government official to be killed in the Philippine drug war. The Philippine Coast Guard detains cruise ship MV Forever Lucky in Bataan on suspicion of involvement in human trafficking. The NBI rescues 139 alleged victims from the vessel and charges Johnny Cabrera, the alleged lessor of the ship. July 4 – The AFP clashes with militants from the ISIL-affiliated Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), in Maguindanao after the latter attempt to occupy a town center. After 12 hours, the BIFF withdraws to the hills, leaving four militants dead, while two militants, a government soldier and a militiaman are wounded.
August August 10 – Maya-1, the first Filipino nanosatellite, is deployed from the International Space Station. August 16 – A passenger aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 operating as Xiamen Airlines Flight 8667, crashes at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila, skidding off the runway while attempting to land. All 157 passengers and eight crew members evacuate the aircraft. However, numerous flights at NAIA are delayed or diverted. August 25 – Teresita De Castro is appointed by President Duterte as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, following the ouster of the Maria Lourdes Sereno via quo warranto, making her, according to de Castro, "technically" the first female Chief Justice. She takes office on August 28. August 28 – A bomb blast kills three and injures more than 30 others during the celebration of the Hamungaya Festival in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat. August 31 – President Duterte signs Proclamation No. 572, voiding the amnesty of opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for supposed failure to "fulfill all the necessary requirements."
September September 2 – A bomb blast in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, kills two and injures 12. The attack is blamed on the BIFF. September 17: President Duterte repeats his call to shut all mines in the country following deadly landslides, hours after Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu orders all mining to be stopped in the Cordillera region. Typhoon Mangkhut triggers a landslide in Itogon, Benguet, killing more than 40. The total death toll of the typhoon includes at least 81 people and at least 59 others are recorded missing. Former Army general and politician Jovito Palparan is convicted for the kidnapping and disappearance of students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño. He and two other associates are sentenced to life imprisonment. September 20 – A landslide occurs in Naga, Cebu, killing at least 53 people.
October October 20 – Nine sugarcane workers are fatally shot inside a hacienda in Sagay, Negros Occidental.
November November 9 – The Sandiganbayan convicts former First Lady and Ilocos Norte 2nd district representative Imelda Marcos of seven counts of graft, sentencing her to 6–11 years in jail for each count, in connection with the bank transfers to Swiss foundations during her term as governor of Metro Manila. November 20–21 – Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a state visit in the country.
December December 7 – The Sandiganbayan acquits former Senator Bong Revilla of plunder in connection to the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam. December 11 – The Balangiga bells, which had been taken by the United States Army from Balangiga, Eastern Samar in 1901 as war trophies during the Philippine–American War, arrive at Villamor Air Base in Pasay after 117 years of U.S. possession. December 12 – Congress approves President Duterte's request for martial law extension in Mindanao until 2019.