Philippines Morning News For January 17

DOJ looks into criminal aspect of Rappler case
In accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s decision revoking Rappler’s corporate registration, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Tuesday said his office had started looking into the criminal liability of the news website.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sanofi to refund Philippines for $28M unused Dengvaxia doses
Facing growing demand from officials and lawmakers, Sanofi Pasteur agreed to refund the Philippine government for unused Dengvaxia doses worth about 1.4 billion Philippine pesos ($28 million). But safety questions continue to swirl after preliminary autopsy results came out from children who died after receiving Dengvaxia, though no causal link has been proven.
— Fierce Pharma

3 million senior citizens get TRAIN subsidy
Some three million senior citizens are qualified to receive an additional P200 per month this year as part of the tax reform law’s unconditional cash grant for poor Filipinos.
— Philstar

Philippines’ president made call on China’s sea research: spokesman
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte personally made a decision to let China conduct scientific research off the Philippines’ Pacific coast, his spokesman said on Monday, despite concern among critics about threats to maritime sovereignty.
— Reuters

Duterte reaches for unlimited, unending power
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte enters the new year with strong political momentum on his side. But a move afoot to amend the constitution in a manner that would potentially allow him to serve beyond a one-term, six-year legal limit could be a flash point in the months ahead.
— Asia Times

Philippines seeks more banana export opportunities
The Philippines Department of Trade and Industry announced it has initiated negotiations with Japan, Korea and Australia for lower tariffs and higher volume of exports of bananas, a key produce of southern Philippines.
— Fresh Plaza

Eruptions from Philippine volcano cause more than 34,000 to flee
Glowing-red lava spurted and flowed down the Philippines’ most active volcano Tuesday in a stunning display of its fury that has caused more than 34,000 villagers to flee.
— The Washington Post

The Philippine Central Bank Has a Dilemma
Philippine central bank Governor Nestor Espenilla said it’s getting harder to cut the reserve requirement ratio for lenders as he’d pledged to do when he took office six months ago, with inflation set to pick up.
— Bloomberg

Philippines threatens further legal action against Rappler
The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission said Rappler violated Philippine constitutional restrictions on mass media ownership, which require that media properties be locally owned and operated, by receiving funding from Omidyar Network, a U.S.-based philanthropic investment firm, news reports said.
— Committee to Protect Journalists

Duterte: I was not behind Rappler shutdown order
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday denied that he had a hand in the shutdown order of the Securities and Exchange Commission on the operations of the news website Rappler, saying that the heart of the issue is not press freedom but abuse by the country’s elite.
— Philstar

The Philippine National Police Reenters the War on Drugs
Duterte manages to convince the people to re-accept the PNP in the country’s war on drugs, despite past abuses.
— The Diplomat

Philippine Consulate awaits instructions on good conduct certificate in UAE
The Philippines Consulate in Dubai is waiting for instructions from the Philippine government in Manila on the issuing of the ‘good conduct certificate’ as a prerequisite for obtaining work visas in the UAE, Philippine consul-general Paul Raymund Cortes said.
— Khaleej Times

Biggest Philippines Warship Kicks Off 2018 Engagements
The BRP Tarlac carried out a port call as its first logistics run mission for the new year.
— The Diplomat

International groups slam SEC ruling on Rappler
International human rights groups, media watchdogs and lawmakers have condemned the move to shut down the online news organization Rappler, saying press freedom is under siege and rallying support to defend it.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

DOH: Inventory of Dengvaxia vaccines underway
The Department of Health (DOH) is conducting an inventory of all the remaining stocks of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in the local government units as manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur has committed to take back the unused vials until Friday.
— Philstar

DOH probes deaths of 5 more kids
The Department of Health (DOH) is probing five new cases of children suspected to have died after being given the Dengvaxia antidengue vaccine, a health official said Tuesday.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Political will keeping Duterte’s trust rating high–Davao analysts
Around this time when presidents usually see their trust ratings plummet, indicating that the honeymoon period is over, analysts based here agree that President Duterte’s political will allowed him to continue enjoying high ratings.
— BusinessMirror

Duterte aide denies meddling in Navy procurement
President Duterte’s longtime aide yesterday denied meddling with the procurement of the Philippine Navy’s weapons system for its warships.
— Philstar

Feature photo Asian Development Bank

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 January 17 added by Leakhena Khat on January 17, 2018
View all posts by Leakhena Khat →

Bio
Latest Posts

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.