the Philippines' Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States. The termination process was initiated in February 2020 by notifying the United States. The termination was to take effect after six months but was pushed back multiple times. August August 16 – A daylong encounter between soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and members of the New People's Army in the latter's lair in Dolores, Eastern Samar results in deaths of at least 19 rebels. October October 3 – The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and assorted media partners publish a set of 11.9 million documents leaked from 14 financial services companies known as the Pandora Papers, revealing offshore financial activities which listed several current and former Philippine officials and personalities that included Secretary of Transportation Arthur Tugade and former COMELEC Chairman Andres D. Bautista. October 8 – Journalist Maria Ressa, the founder and chief executive officer of the online news website Rappler, is awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, along with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, "for their efforts to safeguard the freedom of expression" with regards to freedom of the press. Ressa is the first individual Filipino Nobel Prize laureate and the first Filipino Nobel Peace Prize laureate. October 12 – The Antipolo Regional Trial Court convicts three members of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement for the killing of labor leader Rolando Olalia and unionist Leonor Alay-ay. December December 10 – President Duterte signs Republic Act 11596 into law, criminalizing child marriage in the Philippines. December 16–18 – Typhoon Rai (Odette) makes landfall in southern Philippines causing at least 407 deaths and worth of damage to infrastructure and agriculture. Pres. Duterte declares a state of calamity in six regions on December 21 as a response to the typhoon's impact. December 31 – Republic Act 11641 is signed into law which creates the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) for Overseas Filipino Worker (OFWs). The department reorganizes Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the Department of Labor and Employment's International Labor Affairs Bureau and all Overseas Labor Offices, the National Reintegration Center for OFWs, and the National Maritime Polytechnic. Holidays On July 31, 2020, the government announced at least 18 Philippine holidays for 2021 as declared by virtue of Proclamation No. 986, series of 2020. On February 26, 2021, in an effort to stimulate economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Duterte signed