Philippines Morning News For April 17

Islamic militants execute Filipino captive
The Philippine army says Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf militants have beheaded one of four Filipino fishermen they took captive in December
– SkyNews

Qatar and Philippines sign $200m contracts
Qatar and the Philippines have signed trade agreements worth $200 million during the final leg of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Gulf tour, Manila’s trade and industry secretary told reporters in Doha Sunday.
– The Nation

Rody to Qatar traders: Shoot corrupt Philippine officials
Harassed by corrupt revenue personnel? Shoot them. This was the advice of President Duterte to the business community here while stressing he would not condone any form of corruption during his watch.
– The Philippine Star

Duterte Mideast visits yield $925M in deals, agreements
President Rodrigo Duterte’s first economic mission to the Middle East has produced signed business
– Philippine Daily Inquirer

39 dead in Holy Week drug war
At least 39 people were killed in police operations during Holy Week as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa proved true to his word that there would be no Lenten break in the war on drugs.
– The Philippine Star

Piñol: Greedy rice traders behind inflation warning
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol on Sunday saw red and said a mouthful when sought for comment on the opinion of New York-based Global Source that the directive to prioritize buying local rice—and import when there’s a shortfall—may drive prices up if targets are not met.
– Philippine Daily Inquirer

Agricultural Economics 001
Of late, I was struck by a commentator who said that farm productivity was not that important. That farm net income is. This is difficult to reconcile as the two are related.
– Inquirerdotnet

Armed Forces plans all-Muslim units amid insurgency
The Armed Forces of the Philippines announced plans to create all-Muslim fighting units on Saturday, with quotas from the Catholic country’s largest religious minority, as it looks to bolster efforts to tackle Islamic insurgents.
– The Philippine Star

‘Dutertenomics’ seen to usher in ‘golden age of infrastructure’
If former President Benigno Aquino III had “Aquinomics” that cemented the Philippines’ status as “Asia’s rising star,” make way for “Dutertenomics” under President Duterte’s watch, which is seen ushering in a “golden age of infrastructure.”
– Philippine Daily Inquirer

Mexican investors keen on Mindanao
MEXICAN investors are keen on investing in Mindanao with a focus on agriculture, tourism, and telecommunications, said Julio Camarena Villaseñor, Mexican Ambassador to the Philippines.
The SunStar

Philippines, US to hold military drills
The Philippine military said Sunday it would hold annual exercises with US troops next month, reaffirming its commitment to the alliance despite cooling relations under President Rodrigo Duterte.
– The Star Online

* Philippines Morning news is restricted in content today due to the Easter holidays

Feature photo Danny O
Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Introducing The AEC News Today Mobile App

In an era of hectic schedules where time is precious, the AEC News Today mobile app enables you to stay up to date with the latest Asean news on governance and policy issues affecting the Asean Community while you are on the move and whenever you have a few minutes to spare.

See full details, including our AEC News Today Mobile App Privacy Statement here: Stay up to Date With The AEC News Today Mobile App

Download the AEC News Today mobile app from Google play or the App stores by clicking the icons below.

Philippines morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Philippines news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Philippines Morning News For April 17 added by John Le Fevre on April 17, 2017
View all posts by John Le Fevre →

Bio
Latest Posts

John Le Fevre

Thailand editor at AEC News Today

John is an Australian national with more than 40 years experience as a journalist, photographer, videographer, and copy editor.

He has spent extensive periods of time working in Africa and throughout Southeast Asia, with stints in the Middle East, the USA, and England.

He has covered major world events including Operation Desert Shield/ Storm, the 1991 pillage in Zaire, the 1994 Rwanda genocide, the 1999 East Timor independence unrest, the 2004 Asian tsunami, and the 2009, 2010, and 2014 Bangkok political protests.

In 1995 he was a Walkley Award finalist, the highest awards in Australian journalism, for his coverage of the 1995 Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) Ebola outbreak.

Prior to AEC News Today he was the deputy editor and Thailand and Greater Mekong Sub-region editor for The Establishment Post, predecessor of Asean Today.

In the mid-80s and early 90s he owned JLF Promotions, the largest above and below the line marketing and PR firm servicing the high-technology industry in Australia. It was sold in 1995.