1994 in the Philippines
1994 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 1994.
Incumbents
- President: Fidel Ramos
- Vice President: Joseph Estrada
- Senate President: Edgardo Angara
- House Speaker: Jose de Venecia, Jr.
- Chief Justice: Andres Narvasa
- Philippine Congress: 9th Congress of the Philippines
Events
February
- February 19 – Separate grenade attacks in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat and Davao City kill 11 people and injure 22.
March
- March 29 – The Philippines gets connected to the Internet. The Philippine Network Foundation connected the country to Sprint in the United States via a 64 kbit/s link.
April
- April – Dismissed police chief inspector Maj. Timoteo Zarcal and police inspector Maj. Jose Pring, charged in 1992 for their involvement in a kidnapping case, are among those acquitted by the Pasig Regional Trial Court. The said police officers would be killed in separate ambush incidents, perpetrated by Alex Boncayao Brigade, later that year.
- April 10 – The massacre of Helen, Chelsea Liz and Anne Geleen Arandia in Lipa City, Batangas.
- April 19 – Fernando Galera, a 26-year-old fish vendor who was accused of rape and robbery was sentenced to death for the first time a death sentence has been imposed since the country restored the capital punishment on January 1994.
- April 26 – The Supreme Court votes, 7–6, to void a contract between the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and a Malaysian firm to conduct an online lotto in the country, stating that it violates the law.
May
- May – A scam, involving undelivered treasury bills, perpetrated by some people in Bancapital Development Corp., is discovered by the authorities. It costs close to a billion peso potential losses in the banking system.
- May 21 – Miss Universe 1994, the 43rd Miss Universe pageant, was held in Manila. Outgoing Miss Universe Dayanara Torres of Puerto Rico crowned the pageant winner, Sushmita Sen of India.
- May 26 – Filemon Lagman, leader of Communist Party of the Philippines' urban hit squad ABB, is arrested by the military in Quezon City.
June
- June 5 – A conference on Indonesia's annexation of East Timor is held.
- June 8 – Abu Sayyaf Group extremists kidnap 36 Christian civilians in Basilan; fifteen of them shot dead and the rest are held, 20 of them, except Lamitan Roman Catholic priest Rev. Cirilo Nacorda, are freed then following a rescue mission.
- June 10 – Bomb attacks in Zamboanga City, perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf Group, kill 71 people.
- June 22 – Awarding ceremony of the annual Manila Film Festival is held in Manila Midtown Hotel, wherein a scandal would break out during the event, the case in which the recipients of the Best Actress and Best Actor awards are said to be rigged through conspiracy.
July
- July 6 – Nancy Siscar, a 22-year old elementary school teacher was raped and killed by brothers Jurry and Ricardo Andal and Edwin Mendoza in Barangay Banoyo, San Luis, Batangas.
- July – Former members of the MNLF’s Bangsa Moro Army kidnap city sports official So Kim Cheng in Davao City; despite closed negotiations, captors did not release the victim and later killed him instead after they learned of a group of operatives conducting own rescue attempt.
August
- August 7 – Fr. Nacorda is released after being turned over by the Abu Sayyaf Group to the Moro National Liberation Front, ending a hostage situation that lasted for about two months.
- August – The Supreme Court declares the controversial VAT Law legal, and rules as well that the enacted law does not interfering human rights. In response, the Energy Regulatory Board later orders a rollback of gasoline prices by ₱1, and also orders the National Power Corporation to lower fuel price cost adjustment charges covering a 17-day period in the first quarter of the year.
- August 14 – A huge demonstration against birth control is held by hundreds of thousands of Filipinos led by Cardinal Sin, in Luneta Park, Manila.
- August 27 – Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels hold 8 South Koreans and 30 Filipinos, all working at the construction site of a government's irrigation project in Mindanao, claiming that it intrudes on their territory; hostages are released, Sept. 4, following negotiations.
September
- September – The Manila Regional Trial Court stops an order from Malacañang disallowing jai alai.
- September 1–5 – The government and the Moro National Liberation Front sign a ceasefire agreement, aiming to end guerrilla war.
- September 4 – Unidentified men abduct traders Sixto Escudero, Sr. in M'lang, Cotabato and Jorge Lim and his two children in General Santos City; victims were rescued later by the authorities.
October
- October – Rebel group MILF attack towns in North Cotabato, wherein they burn a church and 10 houses in Aleosan, and take hostage 26 civilians in Kabacan, which are freed later on. Within this month, series of terror attacks in the province result in the death of 50 people from both the rebel and government side and displace thousands from four municipalities; are prevented upon ceasefire by end of the month.
November
- November – Graft charges are filed against dismissed Bureau of Immigration and Deportation chief Zafiro Respicio and 2 others regarding anomalous deportation of 11 Indians facing drug charges in court.
- November 15 – An earthquake followed by huge waves ravages Mindoro, killing at least 65 people and injuring more than 130 others.
December
- December 2 – Inter-island ship MV Cebu City and Singapore-registered freighter Kota Suria collide in Manila Bay, between Corregidor Island and Maragondon, Cavite, killing more than a hundred, with scores feared drowned.
- December – Senate votes, 18–5, to ratify the Uruguay Round on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
- December 8 – Dennis Venturina, a member of UP Sigma Rho Fraternity was murdered by five members of the Scintilla Juris Fraternity inside the UP premises.
- December 11 – A small bomb explodes on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, killing a Japanese businessman. The bombing was a field test done by Ramzi Yousef to test explosives that would have been used in Project Bojinka.
Sports
- October 2–16 – The Philippines participated in the 1994 Asian Games held in Hiroshima, Japan from October 2 to October 16, 1994. Ranked 14th with 3 gold medals, 2 silver medals and 8 bronze medals with a total of 13 over-all medals.
Television
Premieres
- Kousoku Sentai Turboranger on IBC-13 – June 25; Saturday 6:00pm
- Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman on IBC-13 – June 25; Saturday 6:30pm
- Sailor Moon on ABC-5 – July 2; Saturday 6:00pm
- Yaiba on ABC-5 – July 3; Sunday 6:30pm
- Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future – July 3; Sunday 6:00pm
- UAAP – UAAP Season 57 on New Vision 9 – July 9
- NCAA – NCAA Season 70 on PTV-4 – June 25
Finales
Births
- January 6:
- * MJ Cayabyab, actor and singer
- * Catriona Gray, Miss Universe 2018
- January 7 – Jessica Marasigan, member of Girltrends and Miss Philippines Water 2017
- January 11 – Ritz Azul, actress
- January 15 – Vince Gamad, actor
- January 22 – Hiedi Kysther Domingo, call center agent
- March 10 – Ma. Anneth Soledad Mirano, poet
- March 21 – Jeron Teng, basketball player
- April 7 – Jasmine Curtis-Smith, actress
- April 16 – Angelica Jane Yap, actress and model
- April 23 – Miko Manguba, actor and member of Top One Project
- April 27 – Elmo Magalona, actor and singer
- May 8 - Joy Plaza, actress and model
- May 17 – Julie Anne San Jose, actress and singer
- June 4 – Al John Viloria, model and medical student
- June 13 – Hopia Legaspi, actress
- June 16 – Mica Dyan Borja, host and beauty queen
- June 21 – Mika Aereen Reyes, volleyball player
- July 9 – Donnalyn Bartolome, actress and singer
- July 24 –
- July 30 – Isabella de Leon, actress and singer
- August 3 – Sarah Carlos, actress and courtside reporter of NCAA on ABS-CBN Sports and studied at San Beda College.
- August 14 – Kim Rodriguez, actress
- August 16 – Tippy Dos Santos, actress and singer
- August 23 – Mark Neumann, actor
- September 6 – Klarisse de Guzman, singer
- September 9 – Ganiel Krishnan, beauty queen and courtside reporter
- September 20 – Daisuke Sato, football player
- September 21 – Mara Alberto, actress, dancer, singer, and host
- September 22 – Avery Paraiso, actor
- October 13 - Ian Lariba, table tennis player
- November 2 – Denise Barbacena, singer and actress
- November 17 – Emmanuelle Vera, actress and singer
- November 20 – Kristofer Martin, actor
- November 23 – Monica Cuenco, actress and singer
- November 26:
- * Noven Belleza, singer
- * Yves Flores, actor
- December 7 – Myrtle Sarrosa, actress and former courtside reporter of National Collegiate Athletic Association on ABS-CBN Sports + Action
- December 14 – Joshua Dionisio, actor
- December 17 – Darwin Ramos, servant of god
- December 29 – Kristel Fulgar, actress
Deaths
- January 28 – Betty Go Belmonte, Filipina journalist and newspaper publisher
- April 3 – Leopoldo Mabilangan, former NPA leader and known rebel returnee
- April 7 – Cesar Legaspi, art director, National Artist of the Philippines
- May 7 – Timoteo Zarcal, controversial former police officer
- September 6 – Louie Beltran, journalist and columnist
- November 15 – Leandro Locsin, architect, National Artist of the Philippines
- November 18 – Eugene A. Tan, former president, Integrated Bar of the Philippines
- December 15 – Jose Pring, another controversial police officer and father of actress Joyce Pring