Philippines Morning News For April 26, 2019

Budget deficit narrows in Q1 due to budget delay
The national government’s budget deficit was much lower for the first quarter, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Treasury (BTr).
— CNN Philippines

ADB hikes Philippines lending program to $7.11 B
Improving water supply in the country is among the priorities of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as it ramps up lending to the Philippines under its current country operations business plan (COBP), its top officials said.
— The Philippine Star

Gov’t will consider all offers for takeover of Hanjin shipyard
All offers from potential buyers of a strategically located but debt-laden Philippine shipyard will be welcome, the trade minister said on Thursday, ruling out barring Chinese firms over national security fears.
— Manila Bulletin

Dengue cases hit 60,000
The number of dengue cases nationwide increased to 61,406 from Jan. 1 to April 6, according to the Department of Health.
— The Philippine Star

Duterte assures ‘high-quality’ projects with China as new deals signed
President Rodrigo Duterte in Beijing vouched for the Philippines’ joint projects with China which are controversial back home.
— CNN Philippines

2.9-m Filipino children remain unvaccinated–UNICEF
An estimated 2.9-million Filipino children are unvaccinated and remain vulnerable to life-threatening diseases such as measles, rubella and polio, UNICEF highlights today as it marks World Immunization Week from April 24 to 30
— Manilastandard.net

Sale of assets, gov’t subsidy eyed to cover NFA’s P144-B debt
The government has yet to decide on how the National Food Authority (NFA) will pay its billions of pesos in debts following its restructuring in line with the new rice law.
— Inquirer.net

Livelihood at risk: Farmers question Philippines rice tax
Farmers in the Philippines say their incomes have more than halved since the introduction of a tariff on rice import.
— Al Jazeera

Duterte tells Xi: Belt and Road Forum chance to affirm valued ties
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in China, with the Philippine leader looking forward to the implementation of joint projects.
— Rappler

Duterte vows to pursue more projects under China’s Belt and Road Initiative
The Philippines is ready to pursue more projects with China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as part of “more comprehensive and strategic cooperation” between the two nations, President Duterte said Thursday.
— Manila Bulletin

4.4-magnitude quake hits Ilocos Norte
A 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck Ilocos Norte on Friday, April 26. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake hit 7 kilometers southwest of San Nicolas at 3 a.m.
— Eagle News

U.S. presses China to halt militarization of South China Sea
Standing side by side, top U.S. officials urged their Chinese counterparts on Friday to halt militarization of the disputed South China Sea, drawing a rebuke from the Chinese for sending U.S. warships close to islands claimed by Beijing.
— Spratly Islands

The Philippines introduces its first legal framework to regulate digital payments
Top-down initiatives are being introduced in the Philippines to develop the country’s startup sector.
— KrAsia

El Niño damage to farm sector climbs to P7.96B
THE damage caused by El Niño to the farm sector has reached nearly P8 billion, but the Department of Agriculture (DA) said its production goals for 2019 will still be achieved despite the losses incurred by rice and corn farmers.
— Business Mirror

DTI seeks removal of Asean trade barriers
THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is pushing for the study and removal of “unnecessary” nontariff barriers imposed by some members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to ease market access for exports in the region.
— The Manila Times

FALSE: Aquino admin officials ‘stole, deposited’ 3,500 metric tons of gold in Thailand
Claim: Former Philippine president Benigno Aquino III and some members of his Cabinet allegedly stole 3,500 metric tons of gold worth $141 billion, and illegally deposited it in Thailand in 2014.
— Rappler

Senator fears brownouts during canvassing of votes
Amid the recent power plant outages, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday warned that the canvassing of votes or the day after the May 13 elections may face possible brownouts as demand is expected to pick up after the holiday.
— GMA News

Sara Duterte opposes federalism
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte is against federalism, saying it would only empower warlords in Mindanao.
— Rappler

Continued rise in oil prices a big threat to PH economy
The Philippines would be the hardest hit among emerging markets next year if global oil prices reach $100 per barrel by yearend, according to the UK-based Oxford Economics.
— Inquirer.net

ABS-CBN earmarks P6b for ‘19 capital expenditures
ABS-CBN Corp. said it allotted P6 billion to fund capital expenditures this year that include its digital transformation, broadband business expansion and program rights acquisition.
— Manilastandard.net

Manila Times editor resigns over ‘matrix’ story
The managing editor of The Manila Times resigned on Wednesday, April 24, two days after the newspaper owner insisted on publishing a story linking media organizations to an ouster plot against President Duterte.
— Rappler

ADB says inflation tame, cites water, Clark rail as its PHL priorities
THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) said that monetary conditions are now more favorable with the taming of inflation, which pushed food prices higher in the Philippines in 2018, and added that support for key water projects and the Malolos-Clark railway are its priorities for the country in 2019.
— BusinessWorld Online

DOTr: P500 million worth of fuel subsidy cards distributed under Pantawid Pasada program
Over 100,000 fuel subsidy cards worth more than P500 million have been distributed under the government’s Pantawid Pasada program, the Department of Transportation said.
— Eagle News

Private firm eyes BOT for Davao airport dev’t
A private company is proposing a P48-billion development of the Davao International Airport under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme.
— Philippine Information Agency

PH validating if bodies in Cyprus mineshaft belong to missing Filipinas
The remains of two murdered women found in a mineshaft in Cyprus might be those of two Filipinos reported missing since 2018, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.
— Inquirer.net

PH among most emotional countries: study
The Philippines is among the world’s most emotional countries in 2018, according to a global well-being index.
— ABS-CBN News

MSMEs supporting corporate tax reform
Majority of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are supportive of the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-Quality Opportunities or TRABAHO bill currently pending in the Congress, the Department of Finance (DOF) has reported during a recent Cabinet meeting in Malacañang.
— Manila Bulletin

Three killed in helicopter crash in Philippines
A helicopter crashed on Thursday afternoon in the northern Philippines, killing three people, local police said.
— Xinhuanet

Australian firms expanding in PH not minding tax changes
Regardless of the outcome of the second package of the government’s comprehensive tax reform measure, Australian businesses will continue to invest in the Philippines as they cannot afford to miss out on the strong economic potential in the country, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Steven Robinson said.
— Manila Bulletin

S&P grants ‘BBB’ rating to govt euro bond offer
THE government’s planned euro debt market received on Thursday an investment grade score from S&P Global Ratings.
— The Manila Times

Luzon power reserves thin from plant outages, de-rated capacities
Four power plants have gone on unplanned outages since Monday, while two are on de-rated capacities, (reduced production) resulting in the thinning of power reserves in the Luzon grid.
— Philippine News Agency

Regional share in gross domestic product, 2018
THE ECONOMY of Bicol Region grew the fastest among the 17 Philippine regions in 2018, exceeding the growth rate posted by the capital as well as the national average.
— BusinessWorld Online

22-hour water interruptions expected as Cebu’s Jaclupan dam dries up
Dozens of barangays in Cebu will experience water interruptions of up to 22 hours daily due to shortage in one of Cebu’s two dams.
— Rappler

Manila Times exec says Salvosa was ‘asked to’ resign; editor responds he ‘planned to resign anyway’
The president and CEO of the Manila Times on Thursday said the editor who questioned the publication of a story linking media organizations and a lawyers’ group to the supposed ouster plot against President Rodrigo Duterte was asked to resign.
— GMA News

Maria Ressa accepts Tully Award, says sense of purpose ‘sharper’
Rappler CEO Maria Ressa accepted the 2018 Tully Award for Free Speech on Wednesday, April 24, as she said the sense of purpose in her newsroom has never been sharper in the face of threats.
— Rappler

Energy dep’t assures power still sufficient even for elections
THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) has maintained that Luzon has sufficient power even on election day as fears persist about rotating brownouts after the grid operator issued a red alert notice on Thursday, running for four straight days after the Lenten break.
— BusinessWorld Online

Makati to prioritize hiring seniors for subway project
The city government of Makati said on Thursday, April 25, it would prioritize hiring senior citizens for the Makati Subway project , which is expected to generate about 10,000 jobs.
— Rappler

3 regions post high rice yields despite El Niño
Three rice-producing regions posted high yields during the dry season despite the El Niño affecting 276,568 metric tons (MT) of the crop, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
— Rappler

PNP-Region 11 nets 31 suspects, P8-M illegal drugs in a week
Police units in Region 11 have confiscated more than PHP8 million worth of shabu and marijuana in police operations from April 15 to 21, a police official said Thursday.
— Philippine News Agency

Bicol posts fastest economic growth among regions in 2018
Bicol bested 16 other regions in terms of economic growth in 2018, said the Philippine Statistics Authority on Thursday, April 25.
— Rappler

Ilocos Norte tourist arrivals reach 600K during Holy Week
Around 600,000 local and foreign tourists spent their Holy Week in Ilocos Norte, up by more than 20 percent compared to the same period last year of almost half million, a consolidated report from the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office (INTO) released on Thursday shows.
— Philippine News Agency

Philippines and China keep lines open on maritime row
The Philippines and China agreed to resolve differences in maritime claims through bilateral mechanisms without prejudice to theirburgeoning alliance and economic cooperation.
— Inquirer.net

Chinese firms in Boracay required to have English trade names, employ Filipino workers
Chinese establishments on Boracay Island should have trade names primarily in English and should “employ Filipino workers in general,” an official of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) said Thursday.
— Inquirer.net

Phivolcs chief: Ground motion data crucial in building, infra design
Metro Davao Site Response Atlas would play an important role in the design and construction of buildings and other infrastructure.
— Philippine Information Agency

Land valuation writ outlined
The Department of Agrarian Reform has issued an administrative order on the creation of a document required to estimate the value of lands awarded to farmer-beneficiaries.
— Manilastandard.net

Philippines’ largest developer paves way for country’s first REIT listing
Ayala Land, the Philippines’ largest property developer, plans to raise around $500 million in the country’s first-ever real estate investment trust listing.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Tucker Carlson Says Canada Sending Trash to Philippines Is ‘Garbage Colonialism’
Tucker Carlson has accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of engaging in colonialism over a huge shipment of garbage sent to the Philippines.
— Newsweek

GrabPay can now be used at SM Cinemas
GRAB Philippines said its mobile wallet arm GrabPay can now be used to pay for tickets at SM Cinemas as part of its continued expansion in the country.
— BusinessWorld Online

Feature photo Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines

This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo acknowledges World Intellectual Property Day, April 26.

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 26 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on April 26, 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.