Philippines Morning News For December 6

November inflation eased to 4-month low of 6%—PSA
Inflation eased to a four-month low of 6 percent in November from a nine-year high of 6.7 percent in October, on slower increases in food and fuel prices, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Wednesday.
— Manilastandard.net

Unemployment at 5.1 percent, underemployment at 13.3 percent in October
Unemployment was steady while underemployment declined in October, compared to the same period in 2017, official data released Wednesday showed.
— ABS-CBN News

Budget dep’t releases P13.7 billion in construction funds for Marawi, schools
THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) released P13.71 billion worth of construction funds in mid-November, to fund the building of schools, the reconstruction of Marawi city, the Metro Manila Subway, and right-of-way acquisition.
— BusinessWorld Online

‘No underspending’: Nearly all funds under 2018 national budget released
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced on Wednesday, December 5, that 96.3% of the P3.767-trillion national budget for 2018 has been released as of November 22.
— Rappler

Imelda Marcos secures temporary freedom with 300,000 peso bail
Imelda Marcos has posted a 300,000 peso bail to secure her temporary freedom following the former First Lady’s conviction for graft.
— Philippines Lifestyle

DTI, DPWH seek P6.8-billion budget for road infrastructure projects
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are seeking a P6.8-billion budget for infrastructure projects in priority economic and manufacturing zones next year.
— The Philippine Star

Factory production growth softened to 3.9% in October
Manufacturing grew 3.9 percent in October from a year ago, the slowest in 10 months, pulled down by lower food production, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show.
— Manilastandard.net

Philippine taxes on sugary drinks could avert thousands of deaths, WHO study says
The Philippines could avert 24,000 premature deaths linked to diseases such as diabetes, stroke and heart failure in the next two decades after it adopted taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday.
— South China Morning Post

Budget chief: 2nd tranche of fuel excise tax will not affect 2019 inflation targets
Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the second tranche of the fuel excise tax increase will not prompt economic managers to revise the Philippines’ inflation targets for 2019.
— CNN Philippines

Train 2 to drive firms out of PH
SENATE Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Wednesday warned that at least 1,200 companies were poised to leave while a “good number” of investors were having second thoughts because of the government’s plan to remove tax perks under a second package of tax reforms.
— The Manila Times

House panel tackles scrapping of fuel tax hike
Lawmakers yesterday began tackling measures scrapping taxes on oil products or at least suspending some of them, with opposition Rep. Edcel Lagman warning of street riots similar to those ignited in Paris by rising fuel taxes.
— The Philippine Star

DTI to issue new SRPs on basic goods as sardines get costlier
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is set to release this week new suggested retail prices (SRPs) of basic and prime commodities after prices of some brands of canned sardines went up, while prices of bread declined.
— Philippine News Agency

American priest arrested in the Philippines for alleged sexual abuse of up to 50 boys
A 77-year-old American priest was arrested in the Philippines on Wednesday (Dec 5) for allegedly molesting dozens of boys while serving for over three decades at a church in Biliran province, south of Manila.
— The Straits Times

P3B for CHEd program realigned for free tuition
At the prodding of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the Senate on Wednesday agreed to realign the P3-billion budget of the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHEd) scholarship program to the free college education program after concluding it was pork.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

PCA Board to be asked to resign ahead of coco levy fund release
All the board members of Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) — the agency that will be tasked to handle the P100-billion coconut levy fund — will be asked to resign ahead of the much awaited release of the controversial fund.
— Manila Bulletin

Economists see possible rate cuts early 2019
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) may pause from its tightening episode and even start cutting its interest rates next year as a result of the easing of inflationary pressures, according to economists.
— The Philippine Star

SC upholds acquittal of Mikey Arroyo in ₱27-M tax evasion case
The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the acquittal of former Pampanga 2nd District Representative Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo in his P27-million tax evasion case.
— CNN Philippines

The meager truth of China’s aid to the Philippines
When Chinese President Xi Jinping made a landmark visit to the Philippines last month, many expected the leader to make good on a previous reported pledge to deliver as much as US$24 billion in aid and investment on his host.
— Asia Times

90% of Catholic priests are gay, says Duterte
Almost 90 percent of Catholic priests are homosexuals, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday.
— Inquirer.net

LTFRB cancels all franchises of Dimple Star Bus Company
ransport regulators have ordered the cancellation of all franchises of a bus company due to multiple reported crashes and accidents.
— CNN Philippines

Journalist critical of Duterte surrenders
The journalist who leads a news site that has battled Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte turned herself in on Monday to face what she termed a “manufactured” tax fraud case that carries the threat of a decade behind bars.
— The Asean Post

Grab partners with Philippines’ biggest company to boost e-wallet adoption
Grab today announced that it’s partnering with SM Investments Corporation (SMIC), the largest company in the Philippines by market capitalization.
— Tech in Asia

Philippines leader says Catholic bishops useless, should all be killed
President Rodrigo Duterte of Philippines, on Wednesday again attacked Roman Catholic bishops in the country, saying they should all be killed because they are useless.
— TheNewsGuru

Jica grant seen to boost farm output in Iloilo
More than a thousand farmers are seen to benefit from a Japanese-funded irrigation system in Iloilo that is expected to increase farm productivity.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Rising measles cases due to public’s eroding confidence in gov’t vaccine program
Jennylyn Matimbol endured a day’s trek, a motorcycle and even a horseback ride from the far-flung Sitio of Mahayag in Malapatan, Sarangani just to reach the R.O. Diagan Hospital in General Santos City.
— ABS-CBN News

Philippine radio station tunes into indigenous land rights
A community radio station in the Philippines is drawing attention to the struggles of indigenous Lumad people, whose rights to ancestral land and resources are increasingly under threat from industrialization.
— Reuters

Philippines fetes Singapore group helping maids
The Philippines has feted a Singapore non-profit organisation for its years-long work to help domestic workers in the Republic.
— The Straits Times

Tokyo Gas, First Gen to build LNG terminal in Philippines
Tokyo Gas Co has signed a joint development agreement with Philippines’ First Gen Corp to build and operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal in the Philippines, its first foray into energy infrastructure development in Southeast Asian country.
— Reuters

House panel OKs resolution on PH withdrawal from IPU
The House Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Relations and Diplomacy on Tuesday approved a resolution calling for the withdrawal of the Philippines from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
— The Manila Times

House panel signals openness to lowering P10 plastic bag tax
THE House Committee on Ways and Means is open to lowering the proposed P10 excise tax on plastic bags as a compromise with the industry.
— BusinessWorld Online

PUJ drivers, operators to get P20K fuel subsidy next year
The government is set to provide fuel subsidies amounting to PHP20,000 to public utility jeepney (PUJ) operators and drivers to mitigate the impact of higher fuel prices due to the imposition of excise taxes under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, a transportation official said Wednesday.
— Philippine News Agency

Pending case may hobble turnover of Ilijan plant to SMC unit
A pending case on the P20-billion contract cost claims against the privatized power supply contract of the 1,200-megawatt Ilijan gas plant may hobble its turnover to prospective owner South Premiere Power Corporation (SPPC) by year 2022.
— Manila Bulletin

Accredited Boracay hotels now 268
At least 25 more hotels have been added to the list of accomodation establishments allowed to operate in Boracay.
— The Philippine Star

MCIAA, Cebu gov’t formalize partnership for Bantayan Airport development; repairs to start soon
THE Cebu provincial government and the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the improvement of the Bantayan Airport, which has been closed since mid-Nov. 2017.
— BusinessWorld Online

Feature photo U.S. Department of Defense Current Photos

This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo acknowledges International Volunteer Day, December 5.

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 December 6 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on December 6, 2018
View all posts by Stella-maris Ewudolu →

Bio
Latest Posts

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.