House okays P3.757-T 2019 national budget
The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading the proposed PHP3.757-trillion 2019 national budget.
— Philippine News Agency
PH ranking in 2018 global talent survey plummets
The Philippines ranking in the 2018 world ranking on the quality of workers plummeted to 55 from 45 in 2017 among 63 countries on worsening concerns on employment and the country’s education system.
— Manila Bullein
Protests, Winnie the Pooh Memes Greet Xi Jinping in Philippines
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping received a frigid welcome in the Philippines on Tuesday as hundreds of protesters circled the Chinese embassy in Manila and others took to attacking Xi on social media for launching a colonization campaign in Philippine territories of the South China Sea.
— Breitbart
Exclusive: Philippines announces plans for Blockchain in Budget & Management
The Philippines will use blockchain in its procurement process, and is tracking major projects from space to slash corruption, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno has told GovInsider in an exclusive interview.
— GovInsider
LIST: Philippines, China sign 29 deals in Xi Jinping visit
The Philippines and China on Tuesday signed 29 deals during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit, highlighting the growing cooperation between the two countries under President Rodrigo Duterte.
— ABS-CBN News
Xi launches Philippine charm offensive as China looks to dislodge U.S. influence
At an Asian summit last week, Vice President Pence and Chinese President Xi Jinping traded barbs and delivered dueling visions of an Asia-Pacific tilted toward one of two poles: the United States or China.
— The Washington Post
Government to spend P688.02 million for repair, rehab of four airports
The Department of Transportation has allotted more than half-a-billion pesos and has partnered with the Department of National Defense to repair, rehabilitate and expand four airports in Luzon and Mindanao.
— Business Mirror
Senate OKs general tax amnesty bill
The Senate has approved on third and final reading the Tax Amnesty Bill, which seeks to raise at least P36 billion in revenue that could help fund the government’s numerous subsidies.
— The Philippine Star
Philippines to award 500,000 T rice tender this week
Five companies, led by Singapore-based commodity trader Olam International, gave the lowest offers in a Philippines’ import tender for 500,000 tonnes of rice on Tuesday, an official of the state grain agency said.
— Reuters Africa
Chinese steel firm to build $3.5-B plant in Misamis Oriental
CHINESE steel company Panhua Group Co., Ltd. will build a 305-hectare integrated steel manufacturing plant in Misamis Oriental through a three-phase project at an investment of $3.5 billion, the Trade secretary said on Tuesday.
— BusinessWorld Online
ILO, EU launch P15.7-M supply chain project in PH
The International Labor Organization (ILO) and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday launched a new EUR262,000 (about PHP15.7 million) responsible supply chain project in Manila.
— Philippine News Agency
USD25-M Fish Right program kicks off in Iloilo
A partnership program between the United States and Philippine governments to promote sustainable fisheries in the county was launched in this city on Tuesday (Nov. 20).
— Philippine News Agency
3rd telco player: Senate sets nat’l security probe
Senators will look into “national security concerns” involving the selection of the consortium of businessman Dennis A. Uy’s Udenna Corp. and state-run China Telecom as the new major telco player.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer
PHL bond market’s growth slows in Q3
THE LOCAL bond market grew at a slower pace in the third quarter as yields spiked due to concerns over elevated inflation and expectations of further monetary policy tightening here and in the United States, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.
— BusinessWorld Online
Malaysia and Indonesia foreign fighter transit routes to Philippines identified
A Philippine terrorism expert has identified backdoors in the Malaysian Borneo state of Sabah and Manado in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province used by foreign militants to enter the southern Philippines to join Islamic State-affiliated groups.
— The Defense Post
Caritas Philippines builds 30,000 homes for typhoon victims
The social action arm of the Catholic Church in the Philippines says it has spent about US$60 million building houses for victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan that devastated the central part of the country in 2013.
— UCA News
MPIC, Dole Philippines sign P1-B biogas facilities deal
Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) has signed a deal with Dole Philippines Inc. to build waste-to-energy facilities at the manufacturing sites of the fruit cannery.
— GMA News
DICT, China Telecom sign deal for submarine cable
THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Tuesday signed a letter of intent with China Telecommunications Corp. that will allow it to use the government’s cable landing facilities to roll out its submarine cable, which is expected to help improve internet speeds in the country.
— BusinessWorld Online
DOTr to impose sanctions on vehicle owners participating in ‘economic sabotage’
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday warned that sanctions will be imposed on vehicles proven to have contributed to “economic sabotage,” such as the participation of several truck groups in a “truck holiday” protest.
— Inquirer.net
IKEA expands to PH with biggest store yet
IKEA’s first Philippine store will finally open in late 2020 and will also be the Swedish furniture retailer’s largest outlet worldwide, company officials announced on Tuesday.
— The Manila Times
South Korean coop to build farm equipment assembly plant in PH
A South Korean cooperative has committed to establish an assembly plant for tractors, harvesters, planters and farming accessories in the Philippines next year, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Tuesday.
— ABS-CBN News
Xi cites PH as partner in dev’t, vows continued aid
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday promised to continue assisting the Philippines, calling it a “good and close neighbor for thousands of years” and a partner in development.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer
Chinese exports to Philippines delayed
Chinese exports to the Philippines recently encountered difficulties. The products arrived, but are stuck in the port unable to clear customs and reach the customers.
— Fresh Plaza
Marawi siege recruiter gets 40 years in jail
A Taguig court sentenced Tuesday one of the recruiters in the Marawi siege to a 40 year prison term without parole.
— CNN Philippines
House confirms validity of Mislatel franchise
The House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Franchises chairperson Franz “Chicoy” E. Alvarez sent a letter to the National Telecommunications Commission regarding the latter’s request for guidance on the validity and existence of Republic Act No. 8627, entitled “An Act Granting the Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company Inc., a Franchise to Construct, Establish, Install, Maintain and Operate Wire and/or Wireless Telecommunications Systems in the Philippines.”
— Manilastandard.net
PH among preferred investment destinations
Investors have tagged the Philippines as one of their preferred Southeast Asian investment destinations, a Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) Philippines executive said during The Manila Times’ 8th Business Forum on Tuesday.
— The Manila Times
AirAsia to launch Clark-Seoul flights
AirAsia will launch flights from the Clark International Airport in Pampanga to Seoul, South Korea, beginning January 19, 2019.
— Rappler
Feature photo SuSanA Secretariat
This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo acknowledges World Toilet Day November 19
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.
Stella-maris Ewudolu
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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