Philippines Morning News For April 16, 2019

Duterte signs 2019 budget into law
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Monday finally signed the four-month delayed P3.757-trillion 2019 national budget into law, but vetoed about P95.3 billion in appropriations.
— BusinessWorld

Palace: Govt on top of power situation in Luzon
MALACANANG has assured the public that the government was on top of the power situation in Luzon where several plants in the region either shut down or were performing below …
— Manila Times

DOH, CBCP warn against crucifixion, self-flagellation on Holy Week
With only four days ahead of Good Friday, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) once again reminded devotees that the Catholic Church does not endorse the practice of crucifixion or self-flagellation during Holy Week.
— GMA Network

Palace reaches out to foreign media; launches ‘The Virtual Presser’
Malacaang is reaching out to members of the foreign media who have been critical of the Duterte administration through the “The Virtual Presser,” an interactive online video platform launched Monday.
— The Inquirer

Rich People Accused By Duterte Of Faking Water Shortages And Financing Rappler
In his speech last Saturday at Bukidnon, the president let out accusations saying rich people are faking water shortages and financing the online news website Rappler.
— Philippine News

Groups want release of 11 Negros villagers
Farmers’ and human rights groups on Monday called for the release of 11 villagers who were arrested during the military-backed police operations in Negros Oriental province on March 30 where 14 farmers were gunned down.
— The Inquirer

Remittance growth slowest in six months
MONEY SENT HOME through banks by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) — which fuels household spending that, in turn, contributes nearly 70% to gross domestic product — grew in February, according to data the central bank released on Monday, but at the slowest pace in six months due to what one …
— BusinessWorld

Antique eyes malaria-free status
The province of Antique is looking towards being declared as malaria-free, after 11 years of not having any case of the mosquito-borne disease.
— Philippine News Agency

IRR of UHC law may be released by June: Ejercito
The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the Universal Health Care (UHC) law may be released by June or July at the latest, Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito said Monday.Ejercito said the main components of the law — local health systems, health financing, governance, and …
— Philippine News Agency

Lawyers group seeks SC help, protection from military harassment
An organization of human rights lawyers on Monday sought the Supreme Court’s protection from alleged continuing harassment and “red tagging” of their members by the military and the police.
— The Inquirer

PLDT Home revenue reaches P36.4-B in 2018
PLDT Inc. has increased the revenue of its Home Business group by 10 percent year-on-year, driven by robust consumer demand for broadband services, to end 2018 with a hefty PHP36.4 billion.
— Philippine News Agency

DOE: Power supply situation may improve starting Wednesday
The Department of Energy (DOE) said the power supply situation in the country is expected to improve this Holy Week, starting Wednesday, as more power plants are expected to restart operations.
— The Inquirer

Ressa arraignment over cyber libel rap to proceed
A Manila court has turned down the motion filed by beleaguered online news publisher Rappler Inc. executive editor, Maria Ressa, on a cyber libel complaint filed against her and the news agency’s former writer, Reynaldo Santos.
— Philippine News Agency

PNP deploys more than 90,000 cops for Holy Week
The Philippine National Police deployed more than 90,000 policemen to secure peace and order this Holy Week, its chief said on Monday.
— GMA Network

DTI fully launches online processing for product certifications
The ease of doing business in the Philippines moved a step forward with the full implementation of the Product Certification Information Management System (PCIMS), which can process product certifications online.
— Rappler

Luzon grid under yellow alert anew; a red alert to be in effect later in the day
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines has placed under yellow alert the Luzon grid anew, with a red alert to be hoisted later in the day.
— Eagle News

Pampanga painter to be crucified for 33rd time
Ruben Enaje is not yet throwing away his steel nails or white robe. On April 19, Good Friday, he is going to be crucified, his 33rd time to do the painful practice, as his thanksgiving offering as well as sacrifice.
— The Inquirer

Are there enough funds to implement the UHC law?
From time to time, my medical colleagues and I would mull the future of universal health care (UHC) which President Duterte recently signed into law. At the turn of the century, many were talking about it already, but we thought it could not be achieved in our lifetime.
— The Inquirer

More taxpayers filing ITRs electronically – BIR
More taxpayers have switched filing their income tax returns (ITRs) by electronic means, a senior Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) official said as the agency marked the annual April 15 …
— Manila Times

Vehicle sales up 14%; automakers optimistic
Automobile sales continued to recover in March, growing by double digits and raising manufacturers’ hopes of a turnaround from last year’s plunge. Data released by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers …
— Manila Times

PCOO’s Virtual Presser prevents inaccurate reporting by foreign media
A “Virtual Presser” that allows foreign media to ask questions directly to Philippine government officials online is expected to prevent inaccurate reporting, an official of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) said Monday.
— Philippine News Agency

Filipina domestic worker in Hong Kong sacked for cancer diagnosis awarded damages
A domestic worker sacked after a cancer diagnosis was awarded damages by a Hong Kong court Monday, in a case that highlighted exploitation of foreign women toiling as maids in the wealthy financial hub.
— The Inquirer

Consultation process resolving SCS issues
THE Philippines and China held the fourth meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea last April 2-3.
— Tempo

26th Panaad sa Negros Festival sales hit P20-M
Total sales generated by the local government units (LGU) and other exhibitors in the week-long 26th Panaad sa Negros Festival reached PHP20.2 million, a final report released by the Capitol on Monday showed.
— Philippine News Agency

HOLY WEEK TRADITION PHILIPPINES: What Filipinos Usually Do During Holy Week
Here is an overview of what the Filipinos usually do during the Holy Week. The Philippines is among the countries that usually have remarkable observance of religious events.
— Philippine News

Labor-backed Senate bets find PSA’s P10-k survival budget ‘deceptive’
Candidates backed by labor groups on Monday branded as deceptive and counter-productive the recent report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on poverty incidence and how much money a family needed a month to escape getting considered poor.
— GMA Network

SEC issues rules for listed firms’ reports on sustainability
THE SECURITIES and Exchange Commission (SEC) has formally launched the sustainability reporting guidelines for publicly listed companies (PLCs), which will be required to submit their sustainability reports starting next year.
— BusinessWorld

Dogs tapped for swine fever watch
Nearly P100 million is being spent by the government on trained sniffing dogs to detect meat and meat products in all major Philippine airports as part of its campaign against …
— Manila Times

53 transport workers found positive in initial drug test –PDEA
A total of 53 public transport workers tested positive for drug use after the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) implemented surprise mandatory drug testings in 89 major transport terminals nationwide on Holy Monday.
— GMA Network

MisOr sees tourist influx in Lent for faith tourism
Influx of tourists in the province of Misamis Oriental this Holy Week 2019 is seen to flock for the faith tourism destinations catering to devotees and pilgrims.
— Philippine Information Agency

Feature photo Catholics&Cultures

This week’s Philippines Morning News feature photo acknowledges Good Friday, April 19. We wish all of our Philippines readers a safe, healthy, and enjoyable Easter.

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 April 16 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on April 16, 2019
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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.