Philippines Morning News For September 20

Philippines Morning News For September 20
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Philippines morning newsPhilippines ranked 8th most vulnerable to malware attacks in Asia
Experts in information technology security discovered that the Philippines is the 8th most vulnerable to attacks by malicious software or malware.
— Inquirer.net

Economy seen growing 6.7% this year
RAM Rating Services Berhad of Malaysia expects a 6.7 percent economic growth for the Philippines this year.
— The Philippine Star

ASEAN human rights delegates barred from visiting De Lima
Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) were barred from visiting detained Senator Leila de Lima despite having complied with the 10-day visit notice.
— Rappler

PHL exporters promote health benefits of coconut products in US
THE Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) supported 17 Regional Interactive Platform for Philippine Exporters (Ripples) Plus and enrolled Philippine coconut exporters in a 2017 US Coconut Roadshow.
— Business Mirror

Free tuition to shore up enrollment in agriculture courses
President Duterte signed into law Republic Act (RA) 10391, or the “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act”, last month. The law allows students in state universities and colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges and state-run technical-vocational schools to enjoy free tuition. RA 10391 also provides that public tertiary and vocational schools would no longer collect miscellaneous fees.
— Business Mirror

Dermalog eyes Philippines ID card project
German biometrics firm Dermalog is interested in the Philippines’ ID card project, after recently developing the country’s driving licence.
— Planet Biometrics

Neighbourly diplomacy shifts from Laos
The twists and turns of Thailand’s diplomacy toward its neighbouring countries have recently undergone a metamorphosis. The military’s seizure of power from the elected government in May 2014 allowed civilian…
— Bangkok Post

Nickel prices fall towards one-month lows
Nickel prices have fallen towards the one-month lows hit last week as funds took profits, but concern about supplies from the Philippines and healthy demand, particularly from Chinese stainless steel mills, are expected to lend support.
— NEWS.com.au

Gov’t allocates P518-M road aid for MisOr
Soon dirt roads in the province of Misamis Oriental will be cemented following its inclusion in the priority project of the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces (formerly known as Konkreto at Ayos na Lansangan ang Daan Tungo sa Pangkalahatang Kaunlaran or Kalsada Program).
— Philippine Information Agency

Senate approves bill on ‘tighter scrutiny’ of Executive spending
The Senate, voting 18-0, passed on Monday a proposed law mandating the country’s economic managers to render biannual reports to Congress on the “status and directions” of fiscal and monetary policies.
— Business Mirror

3,827 Pinoys in foreign jails – Recto
There are least 3,827 Filipinos, including 140 on death row, languishing in jails across 52 countries and territories as of the end of 2016, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said yesterday.
— The Philippine Star

BOI grants tax perk, approves launch of P322.7-million steel plant
The Board of Investments (BOI) has approved a P322.7- million steel plant of Portal Steels Inc. that qualifies the upstart company as a new operator under the Investment Priorities Plan (IPP).
— Business Mirror

Gov’t fully awards 10-year T-bonds as rates drop
THE GOVERNMENT raised P15 billion worth of reissued 10-year Treasury bonds (T-bonds) yesterday on the back of strong market demand, which drove yields down despite some cautiousness ahead of a rate-setting meeting in the United States.
— BusinessWorld Online

Human rights groups: ‘Martial law in entire nation not impossible’
For Manlaban para sa Karapatan, the organizers of one of the September 21 protests to remember martial law in the Philippines, another declaration of martial law in the entire Philippines is not a far-fetched idea.
— Rappler

Stocks retreat, peso strengthens
After three consecutive sessions of new record highs, the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) retreated yesterday as investors decided to cash in on their recent gains.
— The Philippine Star

Peso gains, PSEi drops ahead of policy meetings
The peso strengthened on Monday, bouncing back to the P50:1 level, but the stock market snapped a three-day run of all-time highs ahead of key central bank policy meetings.
— The Manila Times

New P323-M steel billet plant to rise in Carmona, Cavite
Portal Steels, Inc. is investing P322.7 million for a steel manufacturing plant in Carmona, Cavite to supply its own requirement and to serve the local market as well.
— Manila Bulletin

Philippines leads ASEAN preparedness in infra buildup, says UN body
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) has recognized the Philippines as one of the most prepared Southeast Asian countries to carry out a massive infrastructure buildup program, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.
— The Philippine Star

Maynilad allots P102 M for Pasay pipes
West zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is investing P102 million for its pipe-laying project in Pasay.
— The Philippine Star

BIR says tax refund backlog hits P24 billion
THE BACKLOG of tax refund claims hit P24 billion at the end of July, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said.
— BusinessWorld Online

SC to vote on de Lima drug case in Ocober
The Supreme Court (SC) will vote on the case of Sen. Leila de Lima on October 10 to allow all the justices to submit their reflections and opinions on the lawmaker’s petition to nullify her arrest and dismiss the drug charges filed against her.
— The Manila Times

Jeepney groups want basic fare raised to P10
Five transport groups are asking for a P2 increase in the minimum jeepney fare, seven months after a P1 hike was approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
— Inquirer.net

Prices of bread, canned goods set to rise anew
Consumers face another round of price increases for prime commodities like bread and canned products.
— ABS-CBN (video)

Consumers warned of products that did not go thru FDA
THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns the public of purchase and consumption of food products that are available in the market but have not gone through the FDA evaluation, product testing, and registration.
— Sun Star

Dominguez: PH to get more investors despite human rights issues
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said Tuesday the Philippines’ solid macroeconomic fundamentals will continue to attract more foreign direct investments despite concerns of some quarters over the seemingly worsening human rights violations in the country.
— Manilastandard.net

Minor killings a major problem for Duterte
Are you a pedophile? Why are you so fixated? I’m suspecting now. Are you gay or are you a pedophile?” Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte recently lashed out at Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairman Chito Gascon, who has led investigations into the killing of minors in the government’s ongoing lethal drug war.
— Asia Times

Philippines: Bananas make up 12% of all exports from Davao
Export of fresh bananas made up 12.44 percent of the entire export made by Davao Region in 2016 amounting to about $84.85 million.
— Fresh Plaza

Philippines’ Duterte facing ‘Hunger Games’ protests
Critics of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte have adopted the three-finger salute from the hit “Hunger Games” films as a sign of resistance against his rule and drug war killings.
— Channel NewsAsia

Filipino fast food group Jollibee eyes bid for UK’s Pret A Manger: Sources
Jollibee Foods Corp, popular in the Philippines for its sweet-style spaghetti and fried chicken, is exploring a bid for Britain’s Pret A Manger which could value the upscale sandwich chain at over US$1 billion, sources familiar with the matter said.
— Channel NewsAsia

IP, Moro group charges Duterte for CARHRIHL violations
A group of national minorities filed cases against the Armed Forces of the Philippines and President Rodrigo Duterte for allegedly violating provisions under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).
— Davao Today

Faeldon, 11 others face raps over P6.4-B shabu shipment
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) filed a criminal complaint on Monday before Department of Justice (DOJ) against former Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and 11 other officials in connection with the PHP6.4 billion shabu shipment seized in two warehouses in Valenzuela City last May 26.Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
— Northbound Philippines

SC asked to order refund P17.7B-worth excess SMS fee to subscribers of Globe, Smart, Sun
The Bayan Muna partylist filed a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) seeking to compel the country’s major telecommunication companies to give a refund to their subscribers for overpriced text message rates amounting to more than PHP17.7 billion.
— Update Philippines

Northern Mindanao corn output recovers in 2Q, palay production up by 36%
Corn production in Northern Mindanao has recovered from the ill-effects of El Niño phenomenon during the second quarter of 2017, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in the region reported.
— Philippine Information Agency

Sales of home-grown franchises hit P107B
Home-grown franchises see sales to grow to 10 to 20 percent this year amid rising consumption of Filipinos and the continued expansion of franchised businesses.
— Malaya

 

Feature photo Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
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.

 

 

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Stella-maris Ewudolu

Journalist at AEC News Today

Stella-maris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Education from Ebonyi State University, Nigeria in 2005.

Between November 2010 and February 2012 she was a staff writer at Daylight Online, Nigeria writing on health, fashion, and relationships. From 2010 – 2017 she worked as a freelance screen writer for ‘Nollywood’, Nigeria.

She joined AEC News Today in December 2016.

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