Philippines Morning News For November 20

Southeast Asia’s poorest mostly Filipinos, Indonesians – ASEAN report
Around 90% of the 36 million people in Southeast Asia living below the international poverty line are Filipinos and Indonesians, according to a development report released by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
— Rappler

Rody to fire officials over foreign trips
President Duterte is set to fire next week government officials who have been traveling abroad even without the necessary travel order released by his office.
— Philstar

100 foreign jihadists in Philippines? Government checking
At least 100 foreign jihadists, fresh from their Islamic State (IS)-supervised military training in Indonesia, reportedly entered the country before the five-month Marawi siege was officially over.
— Philstar

Govt approves bank for overseas Filipinos
The government approved the acquisition of Philippine Postal Savings Bank by state-run Land Bank of the Philippines, a vital development for the creation of the Overseas Filipino Bank.
— Manila Standards

PH, EU to continue sustainable energy partnership
The Philippines and the European Union (EU) will continue their partnership to provide sustainable energy to rural communities across the country, according to the Department of Energy (DoE).
— The Manila Times

IMF sees PHL credit rise easing
CREDIT GROWTH in the Philippines may slow next year, an official of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said, with such deceleration expected to allay fears of overheating for the Philippine economy.
— BusinessWorld

Military agrees NPA should get ‘terrorist’ tag
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) agrees with President Rodrigo Duterte that communist rebels should be tagged as “terrorists.”
— Rappler

Stricter rules set on cement imports
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has repealed a department administrative order (DAO) setting the rules on the importation of cement to give way to all concerns raised by traders and manufacturers.
— Malaya

PNP to return to drug war if problem worsens
It may not be long before the Philippine National Police (PNP) takes back the lead role in the war against illegal drugs, President Duterte has said.
— Philstar

Duterte allies: Sereno lawyers can’t cross-examine witnesses
PRESIDENT Duterte’s allies at the House of Representatives are not keen on allowing the lawyers of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to cross-examine witnesses that will be presented against her in the impeachment case she is facing.
— Malaya

Regulations are key to unlock optimal benefits of digital economy–PIDS
Digital economy is beneficial, but it must be regulated. According to Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) President Gilberto Llanto, the digital economy is “arguably changing the landscapes of job, product, and service markets.”
— BusinessMirror

India interested to supply military equipment: Lorenzana
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Friday India has expressed interest to help in the Philippine military modernization by supplying equipment. Lorenzana made the remark when asked if the Philippines and India have agreed to sign any agreement on equipment supply during last week’s 31st ASEAN Summit.
— Update Philippines

Medical tourism–the Philippines claim to fame!
In a special report on medical tourism published by the Department of Tourism(DOT) in “Balikbayan”, the Philippines was ranked in 2015 as eighth among the top medical tourism destinations in the world, according to a list compiled by the International Healthcare Research Center and the Medical Tourism Association (MTA), a global nonprofit association for medical tourism and international patient industry which represents healthcare providers, governments, insurance companies, employers and other buyers of health care.
— BusinessMirror

Rights group says militants, troops violated law in Marawi siege in Philippines
In this June 9, 2017, file photo, black smoke from continuing military air strikes rises above a mosque in Marawi city, southern Philippines. The human rights group Amnesty International said in a report on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017, it has documented a variety of serious violations of humanitarian law, some amounting to war crimes, during the five-month conflict between Philippine government troops and Islamic State-allied militants who laid siege to the southern city of Marawi. (Credit: Aaron Favila/AP.)
— Crux

New Filipino-owned facility building 10 BFAR patrol boats
Josefa Slipways Inc., the Filipino shipbuilder that constructed the first two 50.5-meter Multi-mission Offshore Vessels (MMOV) of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has opened a new shipbuilding and ship repair facility on November 18.
— Update Philippines

Indonesians recognised after decades in the Philippines
On the screen flashed Indonesia’s world-renowned destinations. They were told if they could name one, a cash prize awaits. But many were clueless about what they were seeing, or worse, what the man – who introduced himself as their country’s representative – was talking about.
— Al Jazeera

Duterte backtracks on ‘revgov’ threat
President Rodrigo Duterte has denied threatening to establish a revolutionary government, saying he was misquoted by the media.
— The Manila Times

‘PH growth to top 6% in medium term’
Philippine economic growth is likely to stay strong over the next few years but downside risks appear to be rising, a Fitch Group unit said.
— The Manila Times

DOE working to adopt smart grid tech for PH
The Department of Energy (DoE) is moving toward adopting smart grid technology in the Philippines, which a top official of the agency said would be more beneficial and safer to use.
— The Manila Times

Tobacco farmers undergo livelihood training
MORE than 1,000 tobacco farmers and their dependents from northern Luzon are undergoing livelihood training courses for alternative source of income.
— The Manila Times

AirAsia eyes PHL flights to Russia via Vietnam
PHILIPPINES AIRASIA, Inc. is eyeing more routes from Vietnam after launching its inaugural flight from Manila to Ho Chi Minh over the weekend.
— BusinessWorld

Sweet tax and health don’t mix
From consumer advocates to organizations of stores and carinderia owners, a number of groups have come out in opposition to the proposed tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Their disagreement with the proposed tax measure has been more or less economic in nature.
— Manila Standard

Philippines: Payment ecosystem Salarium aims to raise $50m via ICO
Philippine-based payment solutions company Salarium is aiming to raise up to $50 million through an initial coin offering (ICO) of its “SALPay token”.
— DealStreetAsia

Feature photo European Commission DG ECHO
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).

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 November 20 added by Leakhena Khat on November 20, 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.