Philippines Morning News For May 1

Manila, Kuwait create opening to solve crisis
THE Palace on Monday dialed back on President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement that the deployment ban to Kuwait was permanent, saying it still could be lifted if the Gulf state signs an agreement on minimum conditions for the welfare of Filipino workers there.
— Manila Standard

SCUFN rejects PH’s plea to nullify PH Rise feature naming
Just like how a maritime law expert predicted on February, the Duterte administration’s appeal to nullify China’s naming of some of the undersea features of the Philippine Rise, formerly known as Benham Rise, was rejected.
— Philippine Canadian Inquirer

Relentless Assault on the Philippine Press
Filipino journalists will spend World Press Freedom Day on May 3 under government attack. New draft regulations issued by the Philippine House of Representatives would allow Congress to ban reporters who “besmirch” the reputation of lawmakers from covering the national legislature.
— Human Rights Watch

Philippines to start using drones for crop chemical spraying
Plantations in the Philippines plan to use drones in farms for spraying fertilisers and pesticides.
— Fresh Plaza

Duterte’s populist pivot away from the United States may not last
he rise of Philippine populist firebrand Rodrigo Duterte and his surprise victory in the 2016 presidential elections have left many in a state of shock — most notably the Philippine business, political and military elites and their close ally, the United States.
— East Asia Forum

PH among top 10 countries for asthma mortality
The Philippines ranks No. 9 in asthma mortality, with up to 7.9 percent of approximately 315 million suffering from the ailment globally.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Unemployment rises under Duterte’s watch
According to government figures, the profile of an unemployed Filipino is a male Junior High School graduate, between 15 to 24 years old.
— Rappler

Permanent ban on OFW deployment to Kuwait conditional – Palace
The ban on Filipinos going to work in Kuwait is not so permanent after all.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Lorenzo, Yap face graft raps for P46-M fertilizer bidding mess
Former Agriculture Secretary Luis “Cito” Lorenzo Jr. and former National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Arthur Yap have been charged in the Sandiganbayan in connection with the alleged lack of bidding for the purchase of P46.45 million worth of fertilizers in July and August 2003.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Philippines Showcases 7,641 Islands In Tourism, Trade, Investment Expo
New York’s iconic Grand Central Terminal will provide the backdrop to showcase the Philippines’ 7,641 islands as a destination for vacations, trade and investment.
— PR Newswire (media release)

Power distributor nets P4.9B
The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) recorded a 7-percent improvement in its core net income in the first quarter of the year to P4.9 billion from P4.6 billion in the same period in 2017 due to higher energy sales volume for the period.
— Malaya

UnionBank profit rises to P2.9 B, eyes P10-B stock rights
UnionBank of the Philippines posted a 32 percent growth in net income to P2.9 billion in the first quarter of 2018 from the P2.2 billion recorded in the same period last year.
— Manila Bulletin

PAGCOR: Galaxy’s $500-M Boracay resort is on hold
The Philippines gaming regulator said a plan by Macau’s Galaxy Entertainment Group to build a $500-million integrated casino resort on a Philippine holiday island is on hold until the company can convince the president of its “advantages.”
— BusinessWorld Online

Ease of doing business reforms being done in QC, Valenzuela
The trade department lauds Quezon City for being a model LGU when it comes to “ease of doing business”.
— ABS-CBN (video)

BSP: April inflation seen hitting 3.9-4.7%
Inflation could have accelerated to as high as 4.7 percent last month, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said, with tensions in the Middle East having made fuel more expensive and supply constraints also propelling power and rice price hikes.
— The Manila Times

American resort owner faces deportation for working sans permit
An American beach resort owner in Boracay will undergo deportation proceedings after he was arrested last week for working without permit, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday.
— Philippine News Agency

Five village chiefs charged before Ombudsman; 90 barangay chairmen, 117 ‘kagawad’ on narco list
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday filed administrative cases against five Manila barangay officials before the Office of the Ombudsman over their alleged failure to organize Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs).
— Manila Bulletin

Philippine poultry firm launches takeover bid for New Zealand’s Tegel Group
Philippine poultry giant Bounty Fresh Food has mounted a NZ$437.8m (US$308.5m) bid for New Zealand’s struggling Tegel Group Holdings as it seeks to expand into international markets.
— Food Navigator-Asia

New online real estate platform launched in PHL
A NEW online real estate platform hopes to revolutionize the local real estate industry, by creating an ecosystem linking property seekers with real estate professionals through technology
— BusinessWorld Online

Business optimism sinks to 2-year low
Business optimism in the Philippines sank to its lowest level in two years during the first quarter, dragging down the country’s rank from fourth most optimistic out of 36 economies in the fourth quarter of 2017 to 12th this year.
— Philippine Star

Rice, oil, power bump up April inflation – BSP
Inflation likely accelerated in April at a range of 3.9 to 4.7 percent due to higher rice prices, rising pump prices of petroleum products and more expensive electricity rates, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said yesterday.
— Philippines Magazine

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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 May 1 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on May 1, 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.