Philippines Morning News For December 25

PDEA releases directives to boost drug war
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has released its official operational directives to strengthen its lead role in the war on drugs following the return of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies to the operations.
— Philstar

Dozens Feared Dead in Fire at Philippines Mall
Fire crews battling an enormous blaze that tore through a shopping mall in a southern city in the Philippines, trapping at least 37 people, pulled one body from the building, the mayor said on Sunday.
— The New York Times

Investors may focus on second, third-tier firms
and third-tier firms — especially those with good prospects — could dominate trading during the final week of the year, analysts said.
— The Manila Times

Free college education awaits Filipino youth
President Duterte fulfilled this year one of his campaign promises in the education sector: free college education for Filipinos.
— Philstar

Philippines storm death toll tops 200, tens of thousands displaced
More than 200 people have been killed and scores were missing in the southern Philippines yesterday after a tropical storm triggered severe flooding and landslides that also wrecked Christmas for tens of thousands of survivors.
— The Herald

Most Filipino consumers still rely on traditional channels to obtain fast-moving goods
WHILE major mall developers in the country are aggressively expanding to other retail formats, such as hyper and supermarkets, Filipino shoppers still turn to their trusted sari-sari, or neighborhood variety stores, and nearby market stalls, as they still consider traditional channels as the No. 1 shopping destination for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG).
— BusinessWorld

DoE normalizing power, fuel supplies after ‘Urduja’
AFTER Typhoon Urduja struck the Visayas and Mindanao last week, the Department of Energy (DoE) is doubling its efforts to normalize power and fuel supplies in affected areas.
— The Manila Times

P10 B laundered in Philippine in 2 years
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has reported P10.2 billion worth of funds laundered in the country in 2015 and 2016, the results of the Second National Risk Assessment (NRA) on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing report show.
— Philstar

Top-level budget body updates medium-term fiscal program
THE DEVELOPMENT Budget Coordinating Committee (DBCC) in its 171st meeting — and the last for the year — on Friday updated the government’s medium-term fiscal program with downscaled revenue projections due to the recently enacted tax reform law, while it left most macroeconomic assumptions unchanged.
— BusinessWorld

No Christmas break for bad administration, disasters, jihadism
It is saddening but true. As the nation celebrates Christmas Day today, we do so under the shadow of 1) a devastating typhoon in Mindanao and Palawan, 2) renewed threats by jihadists to enter the country and wreak havoc on public safety and our national security and 3) loss of public funds to profligacy.
— The Manila Times

62% of Pinoys oppose extended martial law
Six in every 10 Filipinos oppose the extension of martial law in Mindanao beyond 2017, the fourth quarter survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.
— Philstar

Central bank further relaxes rules on private sector’s FX access
THE BANGKO SENTRAL ng Pilipinas (BSP) has further relaxed its foreign exchange (FX) rules by making it easier for the private sector to tap such currencies, the monetary authority said in a press release on Friday.
— BusinessWorld

Dengvaxia purchase above board – prober
The previous administration’s purchase of a controversial dengue vaccine is “above board” and “all within legal bounds,” the head of the health department’s investigating panel said yesterday.
— Philstar

New hotel brand to debut in Manila on January 16
CITY of Dreams Manila is committed to improving its offerings to its customers, as its parent company introduced its new luxury hotel brand called “Nüwa.”
— BusinessWorld

SWS: Rody’s satisfaction rating rebounds to ‘very good’
Public satisfaction with President Duterte rebounded by 10 points to return to “very good” territory in the fourth quarter, based on the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
— Philstar

Duterte weeps for 37 feared dead
AT least 37 people were reported missing and feared dead in the fire that hit the New City Commercial Center (NCCC) mall in President Rodrigo Duterte’s home city of Davao on Saturday night.
— The Manila Times

It’s back to center stage for PPP
AT least five multibillion-peso deals under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program are expected to take center stage in 2018, as the government tries to accelerate infrastructure development via private-sector funding next year.
— BusinessWorld

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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 December 25 added by Leakhena Khat on December 25, 2017
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Leakhena Khat

Leakhena is a junior journalist at AEC News Today who is also currently studying International Relations, which she finds adds perspective to her work reporting on the Asean Community.

“I love what I am doing so much as it gives me a lot of great experience and provides challenges to my mind.