Philippines Morning News For July 5, 2019

BFAR prepares poaching raps vs China vessel; fine up to $1M
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Thursday said it would fine the Chinese trawler that hit and sank a Philippine fishing boat at Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea on June 9 if found poaching in Philippine waters at the time of the incident.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

BSP chief says change to Constitution now would be ‘disruptive’ to economy
CHANGING the Constitution in the second half of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s six-year term that began in mid-2016 would be “disruptive” to the economy, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said in an interview televised on Thursday.
— BusinessWorld Online

Fighters, bombers from China-controlled reefs have whole Philippines in range
Fighter and bomber planes launched from reefs that China reportedly equipped with missile systems and military facilities have within their range not just the entire Philippines but nearby countries as well.
— GMA News

Senators shun top post in tax committee due to political stigma
THERE are still no takers for chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means due to the “stigma” attached to tax measures, Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri told reporters on Wednesday.
— BusinessWorld Online

20 cops axed over girl’s death in drug bust
The chief of police in Rodriguez, Rizal and 19 other police officers were relieved from their posts yesterday in connection with the death of a three-year-old girl in a drug sting on Saturday.
— The Philippine Star

Caution pressed in renewable energy push
A PLAN to expand the country’s renewable energy (RE) portfolio needs “careful study” — even if it is a step in the right direction — in order to prevent passing the burden to consumers, the chairman of the Senate’s energy panel said.
— BusinessWorld Online

PH to validate damaged reef ecosystems in Spratly Islands
Malacañang on Thursday said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) should validate a reported destruction of reef ecosystems in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal and Spratly Islands due to China’s reclamation and illegal fishing activities.
— Philippine News Agency

Justice Carpio: Deal with China to fish in Reed Bank ‘lopsided’ against PH
Supreme Court (SC) Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said on Thursday, July 4, that the Philippine government must reject President Rodrigo Duterte’s supposed verbal deal to let China fish in Philippine waters as it could deplete fish in the Reed Bank very quickly.
— Rappler

COA calls out Customs for overstaying cargoes at Port of Manila; some of them for already 25 years
The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for thousands of overstaying containers at the Port of Manila, including some which have been in the port for 25 years.
— GMA News

CHR: Minors killed in drug war ‘simply not collateral damage’
The Commission on Human Rights on Thursday, July 4, condemned the “death of another innocent life” during a buy-bust operation in Rodriguez, Rizal.
— Rappler

Confused over gov’t policy in West PH Sea? Just listen to Duterte, says Malacañang
If you’re confused about government’s policy in the disputed West Philippine Sea, just listen to President Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang said Thursday.
— Spratly Islands

Shit happens, Bato says after a child got killed in drug bust
After a 3-year-old girl was fatally shot in a police antidrug operation, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Thursday said policemen did not want to harm innocent civilians, but “shit happens” in an “imperfect world.”
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

DoLE says not all firms can afford 14th-month pay
LABOR Secretary Silvestre H. Bello said the proposal to implement 14th-month pay requires further study in Congress since it could affect employers adversely.
— BusinessWorld Online

US trip for Duterte? Envoy says yes; Palace, no
After swearing two years ago that he would never step foot on “lousy” America, President Duterte has reportedly accepted US President Donald Trump’s invitation to visit Washington.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

China Bank to offer P20-B high-yield deposit instruments
Sy family-led China Banking Corp. is raising as much as P20 billion from an offering of high-yielding deposits to fund its growth agenda in the years ahead.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

More senators back death penalty
The push to revive the death penalty gained more supporters in the Senate, as more bills were filed to bring it back to life.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Intensify drive vs air pollution, LGUs urged
Even as seasonal winds bring pollution from mainland China to the northwestern Philippines, local governments must step up efforts to check locally generated pollution, such as open burning, according to a Filipino scientist.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Navy legacy ship decommissioned
The BRP Sultan Kudarat, a Miguel Malvar-class patrol ship and one the Navy’s oldest warships, will be deactivated on Friday in anticipation of the arrival of a Pohang-class corvette from South Korea.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

China swiftly stripping Philippines’ EEZ …
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Hot on the heels of an announcement by the Duterte Administration acquiescing to Communist China’s encroachment on its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), experts warn that China’s overfishing and island-building projects are rapidly stripping the area bare of marine resources.
— Spratly Islands

Fitch: Banks to ride PHL’s ‘robust’ growth
THE PHILIPPINES’ “fairly robust” economic growth — though below official target so far — can be expected to generate profit and expansion opportunities for banks in the country, Fitch Ratings said on Thursday, adding that liquidity conditions will likely ease further due to central bank steps to loosen monetary policy in step with much of the world.
— BusinessWorld Online

Cabinet secretaries misconstrued Duterte-Xi verbal fishing deal – Palace
Malacañang on Thursday refuted the statements of two Cabinet secretaries that President Rodrigo Duterte’s supposed verbal fishing agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping is not enforceable.
— CNN Philippines

BoC rice import tariff collections at P5.9 billion
THE BUREAU of Customs (BoC) has collected a total of P5.9 billion in tariffs from 1.43 million metric tons (MT) of rice imported by private traders following the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law in March, the Department of Finance (DoF) said Thursday.
— BusinessWorld Online

NegOr’s malnutrition rate continues downward trend
The malnutrition rate in Negros Oriental continues to decline over the years.
— Philippine News Agency

Davao City expects 250k tourists in Kadayawan
The Davao City Tourism and Operations Office (CTOO) is expecting around 250,000 tourists for the upcoming Kadayawan festival in August.
— Philippine News Agency

Digong 8888 Hotline TV ‘level up’ mode to address complaints
A new television show featuring concerned citizens’ complaints on public services will amplify solutions to address the remaining inefficiencies and corrupt practices of the government, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said on Thursday.
— Philippine News Agency

Bill exempting mental health medications from VAT filed in Senate
A bill seeking to exempt drugs and medicines prescribed for mental health conditions from value-added tax has been filed in the Senate.
— GMA News

Palace wants reef destruction probed before taking action
Malacañang on Thursday said it would direct concerned agencies to investigate reports that the Philippines was losing P33 billion a year from damaged reef ecosystems caused largely by China’s artificial island building and illegal fishing in the South China Sea.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Foreign fishing vessels crowd PH waters
More and more foreign commercial fishing vessels have entered the Philippines’ fishing grounds, including its municipal waters, in the past few years, threatening depletion of the country’s marine resources if their activities remain destructive and unchecked, maritime experts warn.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Right to security of tenure not absolute–business groups
Local and foreign business groups are appealing to President Duterte to veto the security of tenure (SOT) bill in a last-ditch effort to keep the country’s employment regime in status quo.
— Business Mirror

Duterte forms council for maritime safety
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte signed an executive order creating an inter-agency council on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member State Audit Scheme.
— The Manila Times

Trade dep’t launches Halal-certified logo
THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it launched the official Philippine Halal logo, which will be used to identify all Halal products made in the country.
— BusinessWorld Online

DBM to GOCCs: Check PhilHealth share funds
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is reminding government agencies and government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) to check their financial allocations in their share as employer for contributions to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).
— Business Mirror

Rice liberalization to help GDP rise
THE liberalization of rice imports would have a positive impact on the Philippine economy, the preliminary results of a study by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (Ifpri) showed.
— The Manila Times

DoE, Japan’s METI to review Mindoro power development plan
THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) has stepped up plans to improve the delivery of electricity in Mindoro island as it looks to review a power development proposal for the province in partnership with Japan.
— BusinessWorld Online

DOLE may launch inquiry into labor-related killings
THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is ready to conduct its own probe on allegations that labor-related killings are rampant in the country, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III.
— Business Mirror

SBMA sets P133.5-million upgrade of Subic SEA Games venues
At least P133.5 million will be spent by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to upgrade the sports facilities here in the upcoming 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
— Business Mirror

GSIS revokes resolution to sell North Harbor lot
The board of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has moved to revoke its authorization on the sale of its Manila North Harbor property pending the assumption of Rolando L. Macasaet as their new chairman.
— Business Mirror

Mergers and acquisitions in PH surged by nearly 400% in first half
Mergers and acquisitions in the Philippines surged by 398.2 percent to $2 billion in the first half from a year ago, boosted by the consolidation among cement players, according to the Global & Regional M&A Report.
— Manilastandard.net

Philippines healthcare unaffordable
A study has just confirmed what we already know is true: many Filipinos cannot afford to pay their hospital bills.
— The Philippine Star

Group urges Tariff Commission to lift safeguard duty on cement imports amid price surge
Laban Konsyumer Inc.’s urging the Tariff Commission (TC) to lift the safeguard duty on cement imports after domestic prices rose by as much as P10 per 40 kilogram per bag since the protectionist measure was imposed.
— Business Mirror

Senate bill filed to protect Pinoy fishermen
Sen. Francis Tolentino is pushing for the passage of the “Good Samaritan at Sea Law,” which aims to implement provisions in international maritime instruments concerning the safety of life at sea and the duty to render assistance to persons in distress at sea.
— The Philippine Star

PH bans pork from Germany
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will close its doors on imported pork products from Germany — one of the Philippines’ top suppliers of affordable raw pork material — as part of the country’s anti-African Swine Fever (ASF) measures.
— Manila Bulletin

Philippines among top HR ‘countries of concern’
Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Guatemala, Afghanistan and the Philippines were named “countries of concern” by global alliance CIVICUS during the 41st session of the United Nation Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday.
— The Philippine Star

Keep up the principle of legislative independence
THE principle of separation of powers governs the Philippine system of government, with the Legislature enacting laws, the Executive executing them, and the Judiciary settling legal controversies that may arise.
— Tempo

Unpacking the estate tax amnesty procedure
In pursuit of its mandate to enact the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Tax Amnesty Act (otherwise known as Republic Act 11213), the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) released the IRRs for availment of amnesty on estate and delinquent taxes.
— The Manila Times

Bello rejects ITUC claims of trade union deaths
LABOR Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III disputed the International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC) finding that the Philippines oppresses labor organizations.
— BusinessWorld Online

PDEA starts medical marijuana research
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Thursday has started a research on the proposed medical use of marijuana in the country.
— GMA News

Hundreds of Cavite MSMEs join Business Expo 2019
Hundreds of entrepreneurs in the province recently gathered at the Tagaytay International Convention Center for the Cavite Business Expo 2019 with this year’s theme “Future-Proof MSMEs:
— Philippine Information Agency

COA flags AFP for lack of guidelines on benefits for Marawi siege dead, wounded
The Commission on Audit has flagged the Armed Forces of the Philippines for supposedly distributing measly amounts of cash assistance to the families of soldiers who were either killed or wounded in action during the Marawi siege in 2017.
— GMA News

Negros Oriental distributes multi-cabs to 20 villages
The provincial government of Negros Oriental has turned over one multi-cab unit each to 20 barangays in the province, amounting to a total of PHP6 million.
— Philippine News Agency

Pagadian mayor vows to pursue pro poor program
After six years of being out of the political limelight, the newly-installed mayor of Pagadian City promised to pursue his flagship programs for the poor.
— Philippine Information Agency

ATI-4A promotes organic agriculture in farm tour for media
Around 20 local media practitioners from Cavite and Quezon province attended the two day farm tour dubbed as”Activate: Linking Media in Promoting Organic Agriculture in CALABARZON” on June 24-25, 2019.
— Philippine Information Agency

Cops with big tummies least priority in job promotion: Carranza
The Police Regional Office (PRO4A) Calabarzon on Thursday directed anew its personnel to be physically fit, noting that police officers with big tummies have to shape up as this would be included as a requirement in the next promotional process.
— Philippine News Agency

Pampanga lines up disaster preparedness activities
The city government here has lined up various activities on disaster preparedness and mitigation as part of its continuing campaign towards building disaster-resilient communities.
— Philippine News Agency

Supreme Court rules College of St Benilde tax-exempt
The Supreme Court (SC) sided with the De La Salle-College of St Benilde in the school’s tax dispute with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), as it invalidated a P122.4-million tax deficiency claim by the government.
— Rappler

Davao columnist sues police, military over her arrest resulting from mistaken identity
Davao City-based columnist Margarita Valle filed kidnapping, serious illegal detention, gross misconduct among a slew of criminal complaints against officials of the Philippine National Police and the Philippines Army over her nine-hour detention last month which turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
— GMA News

Negros Occidental prosecutor dismisses murder complaint vs mayor
NThe Office of the Provincial Prosecutor has dismissed the murder complaint against Moises Padilla Mayor Ella Garcia Yulo and two other officials stemming from the killing of a political campaigner in 2016.
— Rappler

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This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo focuses on plastic waste throughout Asean.

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