Philippines Morning News For September 5

Off the rocks: Philippine flagship BRP Gregorio del Pilar removed from shoal (video)
The Philippine Navy managed to get its stranded flagship, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, off Half Moon Shoal on Monday night, but the dignity of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) remains firmly aground.
— AEC News Today (video)

House OKs TRAIN 2 on second reading
Notwithstanding serious objections from various business groups including the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AMCHAM), the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on second reading the second package of the Duterte administration’s tax reform program, now christened Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High Quality Opportunities (TRABAHO).
— Manila Bulletin

PHL to ink exploration deal with Israeli oil firm
AN agreement on energy exploration in Palawan between the Philippines and Israeli company Ratio Petroleum Ltd. is expected to be signed during the President’s visit.
— Business Mirror

Philippines’ Duterte scraps amnesty, to arrest chief critic
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday withdrew amnesty for an opposition senator involved in a failed coup 15 years ago and ordered his arrest, in what would be the second detention of a lawmaker critical of him.
— Bangkok Post

PHL among 6 countries that account for 80% of human rights activist deaths worldwide — report
There has been a “dramatic” rise in the number of human rights activists in recent years—and the Philippines has one of the highest number of cases, a report revealed.
— GMA News

PH among ‘top performers’ in Asia on sustainable trade
The Philippines is a top performer among low income economies in Asia in sustaining long-term trade.
— Rappler

ADB supports digital technologies for innovative development solutions
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is helping countries in Asia and the Pacific leverage digital technologies for development, while implementing digital reforms within its own institution, said ADB President Mr. Takehiko Nakao during a 2-day forum being held at ADB headquarters.
— Manila Bulletin

NFA okays immediate importation of 133,500MT rice for ‘Zambasulta’
The National Food Authority (NFA) approved on Tuesday the immediate importation of 133,500 metric tons of rice for Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (ZAMBASULTA) to mitigate the ongoing problem of high rice prices in these areas.
— Philippine News Agency

Current account gap seen breaching target
The Philippines could post a wider current account deficit this year—topping the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) target—and in 2019, an ING Bank Manila economist said.
— The Manila Times

Grab no longer required to reimburse ₱2/minute charge
Regulators no longer required transport network company Grab to reimburse the per-minute charge that it said was unauthorized.
— CNN Philippines

Malampaya consortium runs to SC in P53-billion tax dispute
THE consortium that operates the Malampaya Deep Water Gas to Power project has filed a petition for certiorari before the Supreme Court in a bid to reverse the government auditors’ stand barring it from including its income-tax payments in the sums it remitted to the national government as the latter’s 60-percent share of royalties in the project.
— Business Mirror

Longer maternity leave to cost SSS P4B more per year
The possible passage of the 100-Day Maternity Leave Law will increase the maternity benefit expenses of the Social Security System (SSS) by an additional P4 billion every year, thus the possible source of funding needs to be identified, the pension fund’s top official said.
— Malaya

TESDA to create 50K new tech-voc programs to propel economy
With national development as its main goal, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will create 50,000 new technical-vocational programs and targets to develop 50 percent of this before President Rodrigo Duterte’s term ends.
— Philippine News Agency

Canada sets pitch for e-jeepneys in PH
The Canadian government is advancing an investment pitch relative to the modernization of the country’s transport sector – primarily in the rollout of electric jeepneys.
— Manila Bulletin

Boracay can handle only 55,000 people a day, says DILG
Before its shutdown in April, Boracay Island, comprising of only three villages, had been hosting an average of 15,000 people daily beyond its ideal carrying capacity of 55,000, an official of the Department of the Interior
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Holcim to spend P160 million for CSR programs
CEMENT manufacturer Holcim Philippines Inc. (HPI) is allotting P160 million for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs that will benefit close to 400,000 people by 2020.
— Business Mirror

Philippines to Publish Final ICO Regulation, Draft Crypto Exchange Rules Within Two Weeks
Regulators in the Philippines plan to reveal draft cryptocurrency regulation by the middle of this month, local media outlet The Manila Times reported Monday, September 3.
— CoinTelegraph

Filipinos in Libya told to prepare for possible evacuation
The Philippine government on Tuesday told Filipinos in Libya to prepare for possible evacuation, as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised the alert level following days of factional fighting in that Middle East country.
— Xinhua

Philippines gov’t adopts Greenpeace tuna processing tool
The Filipino department of agriculture’s bureau of fisheries and aquatic resources is set to adopt a monitoring mechanism that ranks tuna canneries based on seven sustainability criteria; the Tuna Cannery Ranking Tool.
— Undercurrent News

Customs’s August revenue surplus hits P2.326 billion
THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has reported breaching its revenue collection target for seven consecutive months, posting a revenue surplus of P2.326 billion in August, with strong collections coming from more than a dozen ports.
— Business Mirror

Impeach case vs 7 SC justices found sufficient in form
The attempt by opposition lawmakers to hold the “Gods of Padre Faura” liable for banishing one of their own has breezed through its first test
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Nestlé Philippines responds to Greenpeace waste criticisms following Manila’s ‘plastic waves’
Nestlé Philippines has responded to criticisms over packaging waste made by environmental campaigners after ‘plastic waves’ hit Manila, with the firm issuing reassurances that steps are in place to ‘reduce its environmental footprint’.
— Food Navigator-Asia

PDIC to bid out residential lots, other assets of shuttered GSIS Family Bank
RESIDENTIAL LOTS owned by the closed thrift bank of Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) worth P184.9 million will be disposed by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) through a public bidding.
— BusinessWorld Online

97 undocumented OFWs from UAE to arrive Wednesday
Ninety-seven undocumented Filipino migrant workers from Dubai and Northern Emirates will arrive in the country Wednesday morning, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.
— ABS-CBN

Thai princess still helping Leyte school hit by ‘Yolanda’
The Banayon Elementary School in this town continues to receive assistance from Thailand’s Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and the Royal Thai Embassy after it was hit by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) five years ago.
— manilastandard.net

Megaworld to build JPMorgan headquarters in Fort Bonifacio
MEGAWORLD Corp. is building an office tower for JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. in Fort Bonifacio, as the global banking and financial services provider consolidates its presence in the country.
— BusinessWorld Online

Feature photo Benson Kua

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 September 5 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on September 5, 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.