Philippines Morning News For April 25

Philippines set for new halal accreditation scheme as officials eye bigger slice of $630bn market
A new halal accreditation scheme for the Philippines will be launched by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) next month as the nation seeks to capitalise on increasing demand at home and overseas.
— Food Navigator-Asia

Philippine to bank on non-traditional exports in event of trade war
The Philippines intends to capitalize on non-traditional markets to boost its exports sector should the looming trade war between the US and China escalate, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said.
— Philippine Star

Philippine economy to lose up to P1.96 billion over Boracay closure
The country’s economy is estimated to lose P980 million per quarter or a total of P1.96 billion over the impending 6-month closure of Boracay, with Western Visayas to suffer the most, according to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia.
— Rappler

P30-B cancer fund pushed
The government should bridge the disparity in cancer treatment for rich and poor patients given the skyrocketing cost of cancer care and medication.
— The Manila Times

UNICEF seeks ‘urgent action’ amid decline in PH immunization coverage
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged parents and communities to ensure the health of children through routine immunization as it noted a decline in vaccination coverage in the Philippines.
— ABS-CBN

Pay hike, inflation top concerns of Filipinos – Pulse Asia
Increasing the pay of workers and controlling inflation are the two topmost urgent national concerns of Filipinos, according to a Pulse Asia survey.
— Philippine Canadian Inquirer

BI orders Australian nun Patricia Fox: Leave PH in 30 days
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has ordered Australian nun Sister Patricia Fox to leave the country after it forfeited her missionary visa.
— Inquirer.net

3,671% spike in measles cases alarms DOH
The Department of Health (DOH) is urging parents to have their children vaccinated against measles following what health authorities said was an alarming surge (3,671 percent) in the number of measles cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Mindanao.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

CLI to issue P5 billion in corporate notes
CEBU Landmasters, Inc. (CLI) will be issuing P5 billion worth of corporate notes this year to partially finance its projects in Cebu and Davao.
— BusinessWorld Online

SC upholds divorce with foreign spouse outside PH
The country now recognizes a divorce obtained by a Filipino with a foreign spouse outside the country, according to a Supreme Court (SC) ruling.
— CNN Philippines

Duterte’s defiance imperils European trade
Europe and the Philippines’ diplomatic spat has rapidly escalated since President Rodrigo Duterte’s government briefly detained and unceremoniously expelled a senior European Union (EU) party official earlier this month.
— Asia Times

SM Prime to offer P10-B bonds to fund P80-B capex
SM Prime Holdings, Inc., one of the leading integrated property companies in Southeast Asia, is planning to raise P10 billion from the issuance of long-term, fixed-rate bonds to help fund its P80-billion capital expenditure budget for the year.
— Manila Bulletin

US university to help improve fisheries management in Philippines
The University of Rhode Island (URI) said it will use a $25-million federal grant to help improve the Philippines’ struggling fishing industry.
— Sun Star

Bank transfer feature levels up cashless platform
PayMaya Philippines, the digital financial arm of PLDT Inc., recently launched InstaPay, a new service feature that allows users to receive money transfer from banks.
— Malaya

P13.4m for Dupax development work
The local government unit here has allotted more than P13.4 million for the development of roads and water system projects in town.
— Manila Standard

Q1 budget deficit higher at P162.2B
Government spending surged in March, a Cabinet official said on Monday, resulting in a substantially higher first quarter budget deficit.
— The Manila Times

PH, Sweden establish business council
Philippines and Swedish businesses have to forge stronger cooperation to increase trade and investments between the two countries.
— Malaya

Sabang Renewable Energy to build Philippines 1st hybrid-powered grid
Local renewable energy developer Sabang Renewable Energy Corp. (SREC) is putting up the country’s first hybrid-powered micro-grid in Sabang, Palawan to reduce diesel consumption and generate savings on rural electrification.
— Philippine Star

PH school chain eyes Vietnam, Indonesia
Phinma Education, the education arm of the Phinma Group of companies, is eyeing Vietnam for its next venture in Southeast Asia after its recent foray in Myanmar.
— Malaya

Baguio City urges voluntary drug test for village, SK polls bets
The Baguio City Council has approved a resolution encouraging all candidates for Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Election (BSKE) to take a step forward and volunteer to undergo drug testing to ensure that the polls will not be tainted with issues of candidates being involved in illegal drugs.
— Northbound Philippines

Palace: Proclamation on Boracay state of calamity out by April 26
President Rodrigo Duterte is about to issue a proclamation of a state of calamity in Boracay — and his spokesperson says it will be out soon in the countdown to the island’s closure.
— CNN Philippines

Food, beauty products drive up demand
HOMEGROWN seaweed processor Shemberg Marketing Corp. sees a strong demand in carrageenan in Asia, driven by the rise in food and beauty industries.
— Sun Star

Grab drivers to no longer see rider destinations starting Friday
Drivers of ridesharing firm Grab Philippines will no longer see passenger destinations starting Friday, April 27, which will lead to reducing the incidents of cancelled booked trips.
— Philippine News Agency

Rates for 20-year T-bonds rise to 6.85%
The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) made a partial award yesterday of the 20-year Treasury bonds as the market was asking for higher rates due to expectations of policy tightening both in the Philippines and the US.
— Philippine Star

Philippines apologises to Kuwait for sovereignty violation over ‘rescue’ of workers
The Philippines on Tuesday (Apr 24) formally apologised to Kuwait for actions the latter viewed as violation of its sovereignty after the Southeast Asian nation’s embassy “rescued” several overseas workers from employers’ homes, the foreign secretary said.
— Channel NewsAsia

‘Gov’t assistance during Boracay closure not enough’ – residents
As residents availing of financial assistance flood government centers, some still point out that it is still not enough.
— Rappler

PH to tap more foreign borrowings despite weakening peso
Citing “good” rates being offered by China, Japan and South Korea to finance priority projects and programs, economic managers on Tuesday increased the share of foreign borrowings to the total financing program in the next five years.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

DOTr, LTO plate-making plant launched
The transportation department inaugurated its own plant for the production of license plates on Tuesday, one of the answers to the roughly 8.2-million plate backlog from 2015.
— Business Mirror

Cebu transport sector seeks crackdown on colorum tourist buses
TRANSPORT LEADERS in Cebu have asked the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas to intensify their campaign against colorum tourist buses.
— BusinessWorld Online

Feature photo Brian Evans

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 April 25 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on April 25, 2018
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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.