Philippines morning news for March 29

Philippines morning news for March 29
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Philippines morning newsTwo-month investment pledges fell 23% to P102 billion
Projects approved by the Board of Investments dropped 23 percent in the first two months to P101.72 billion from P131.61 billion a year ago, despite the surge in foreign investment pledges.
— Manilastandard.net

Outstanding govt debt eases to P7.45T in February
THE national government’s outstanding debt eased to P7.451 trillion in February due to lower domestic and foreign borrowings, the Bureau of the Treasury reported on Thursday.
— The Manila Times

Senate panel pitches key reforms to boost FDI flow
THE government must move quickly to step up implementation of urgent economic reforms to reverse the Philippines’s dismal performance in luring investors to the country, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs said on Thursday.
— Business Mirror

Government trims domestic borrowings to P315 billion in 2019 2nd quarter
The national government is planning to borrow P315 billion from the domestic market through the issuance of Treasury bonds and Treasury bills within the second quarter, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said yesterday.
— The Philippine Star

Lacson confident Palace will partly veto budget
SENATOR Panfilo M. Lacson said Thursday that he is confident that President Rodrigo R. Duterte will veto parts of the P3.757-trillion 2019 budget now awaiting his signature, especially allegedly unauthorized items inserted after the bicameral conference committee approved the spending plan.
— BusinessWorld Online

‘8M Pinoys hit by TB epidemic’
Eight million Filipinos are affected by the Tuberculosis (TB) epidemic that has swept the country, according to Senate candidate Dr. Willie Ong, who served as a consultant of the Department of Health (DoH).
— The Manila Times

UnionBank sets up private bank for ultra-high net worth clients
UNIONBANK OF THE Philippines, Inc. launched its private banking services to offer wealth management for ultra-high net worth individuals and families.
— BusinessWorld Online

‘P70 million allotted for accurate info on drug war status’
The Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) has a P70-million budget for this year to come up with accurate information on the status of the war on illegal drugs and the actual number of drug users, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said yesterday.
— The Philippine Star

State of calamity in 18 El Niño areas
Preliminary damage wrought by El Niño, which placed 18 areas nationwide under a state of calamity, has hit P2.675 billion, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
— Manilastandard.net

PPPs seen to support universal healthcare
The public-private partnership (PPP) scheme can be a viable option for expanding the provision of healthcare services alongside the implementation of the newly-enacted Universal Healthcare (UHC) Act, according to the PPP Center.
— The Philippine Star

Consumer, business confidence improves in Q1
Consumer confidence improved in the first quarter of 2019, which also saw a more upbeat business outlook, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported Thursday.
— The Philippine Star

Cross-border credit data sharing, a ‘boon to economy, OFWs’
REMITTANCES by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) reached $32.21 billion in 2018, an all-time high record, according to data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
— Sun Star

Agricultural trade deficit expands in Q4 2018
The agricultural trade deficit in the 4th quarter of 2018 expanded by 30.78% from the same period in 2017, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
— Rappler

Philippines officially asks EU to stop funding alleged CPP-NPA fronts
The Philippine government has formally requested the European Union to stop its funding for certain groups they are alleging as “fronts” of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army.
— Inquirer.net

Duterte’s federalism on the line as local election campaign starts: analysts
Local campaign officially begins Friday in a crucial midterm elections analysts believe can either push or halt President Rodrigo Duterte’s federalism agenda.
— ABS-CBN News

Duterte to Chinese official: PH gov’t had no hand in ICC case vs. Xi
President Rodrigo Duterte welcomed a ranking Chinese official during a courtesy call in Davao City Wednesday.
— CNN Philippines

Liquidity crunch heightens calls for BSP to cut banks’ reserve ratio
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is facing pressure to reduce the reserve requirement ratio for lenders to ease liquidity constraints.
— Manila Bulletin

DOT forms sports tourism group
THE Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 on Wednesday, March 27, led the creation of the region’s first sports tourism council that will help Central Visayas take off as the country’s sports tourism capital.
— Sun Star

Defense Meeting Puts Philippines-Vietnam Security Cooperation into Focus
From March 10 to March 13, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana paid a visit to Vietnam for a ministerial meeting.
— The Diplomat

PH still below target of contraceptive prevalence rate
More than six years after the reproductive health (RH) law was enacted, the Philippines is still far from its goal of achieving a contraceptive prevalence rate of 65 percent by 2022.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Mynt payments app to roll out insurance products in PH
Mynt, the Philippine payments app backed by billionaire Jack Ma’s Ant Financial, plans to roll out insurance products en route to becoming a sprawling financial services platform in its Chinese ally’s image.
— Manila Bulletin

China offers help to improve lives of Filipinos
China has offered assistance to the Philippines to improve the lives of Filipinos amid the vibrant relations between the two countries.
— Manila Bulletin

Japan-bound Filipino skilled workers to get equal or more pay than Japanese counterparts
Filipinos, who will work in Japan under its new specified skilled worker residency law, are guaranteed to receive equivalent or even better pay than that their local counterparts, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said on Thursday.
— Manila Bulletin

Exporters seek solution to palm oil dumping
As the Department of Agriculture (DA) threatens to ban palm oil imports coming from Malaysia and Indonesia, representatives of the two Southeast Asian countries reached out to the Philippines to address the issue of dumping and smuggling of the commodity here.
— Manila Bulletin

Manila Water taps additional deep wells to address shortage
MANILA WATER Co., Inc. has started operating an additional 13 deep wells in its concession area to address the water shortage.
— BusinessWorld Online

‘Low’ $62-million price tag on Chico River project can’t justify furor–Panelo
MALACAÑANG said the fact that the $62-million loan for Chico River Pump Irrigation Project is just “low” does not merit the “circuitous” and “pointless” arguments made by critics.
— Business Mirror

The Philippine journalists taking the rap in Duterte’s latest war
When Filipino journalist Pia Ranada fell into a ditch and injured her leg on election day, May 9, 2016, the presidential candidate she was reporting on drove her to hospital and sat with her as she was treated.
— Reuters

Atienza asks Malaysia to spare lives of 48 Pinoys on death row
Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza urged the Malaysian government on Thursday to downgrade to prison terms the death sentences against Filipinos in Kuala Lumpur jails.
— Business Mirror

10-year construction roadmap launched
A 10-year roadmap for the country’s construction industry was formally launched by the Philippine Constructors’ Association (PCA) on Thursday in Clark, Pampanga.
— The Manila Times

2 PIA officers resign over ‘financial irregularities’
Two personnel of the state-run Philippine Information Agency (PIA) have reportedly resigned from their posts after an internal fact-finding inquiry launched by the office revealed irregularities involving its Finance Management Division.
— Philippine News Agency

Online recruiting picks up in January, February — Monster
MONSTER.COM said online recruiting in the Philippines grew 16% year-on-year in January with growth slowing to 11% in February, with hospitality and health care jobs in greatest demand.
— BusinessWorld Online

Manila Fiscal’s Office junks case filed vs Japan magnate Okada
THE Manila City Prosecutors Office has dismissed the perjury case filed by the Okada Manila operator against Japanese casino magnate Kazuo Okada for lack of sufficient evidence and merit.
— Business Mirror

BAI needs P84 million for ASF interventions
The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said it would need at least P84 million to beef up biosecurity measures that would protect the P200-billion Philippine hog industry from the dreaded African swine fever (ASF).
— Business Mirror

Solon pushes for economic reforms to foster competition
A senator on Thursday stressed the need for the immediate implementation of economic reforms that will foster a more competitive business environment in the country.
— Philippine News Agency

SC dismisses petition that questions legality of ‘bundled’ airport projects
The Supreme Court has dismissed the petition filed by a civic organization questioning the legality of “bundling” several airport projects for prospective bidders.
— Inquirer.net

Reclamation bid not behind Manila Bay rehab: DILG exec
An official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has dismissed speculations that the government is rehabilitating Manila Bay to pave the way for a reclamation project.
— Philippine News Agency

Coal-fired plant classified ‘of national significance’
GNPOWER KAUSWAGAN Ltd. Co. has secured approval from the Energy department for its application to be certified as an energy project of national significance, making it the biggest Mindanao-based coal-fired power plant to enjoy the benefits of an executive order that assures a faster approval …
— BusinessWorld Online

COA orders Philhealth in Southern Tagalog to return P20M in allowances
The Commission on Audit has ordered regional officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) in Region 4-A to refund the government P20 million worth of excessive and extravagant allowances granted to employees from January to December 2012.
— GMA News

DILG-Central Luzon launches enhanced disaster preparedness manual
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga–The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Central Luzon on Thursday launched at the regional level an enhanced disaster preparedness manual as part of its continuing efforts to make communities calamity-resilient.
— Philippine News Agency

PEZA pushes for new eco – zones and world class industry workers
PEZA Director General Charito Plaza assures that with the new PEZA, economic zones will be driver of progress for the country that will work towards building smart towns, digital cities and new metropolitan areas in every region in the country.
— Philippine Information Agency

Cops repel NPA attack in Victoria, Northern Samar
Some 50 New People’s Army (NPA) Communist-Terrorists (CTs) failed to overrun the Victoria Municipal Police Station in Northern Samar around 3:44 am today.
— Philippine Information Agency

DOTr warns contractors against posers, fake bidding documents
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Thursday warned against individuals or groups who pose as its employees or officials and send out fake public bidding documents thru e-mail.
— Inquirer.net

PDEA: More than 100 stars with ties to illegal drugs
The chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said there may be more than 100 celebrities with illegal drug links based on the combined roster of the police and the military but clarified the list is still up for further validation.
— Tempo

How well are the government’s anti-poverty schemes working in the Philippines?
The latest figures, recorded in 2015, show that 21.6% of Filipinos are living below the poverty line. That is down from 25.2% in 2012.
— Asean Today

Franchise Asia Philippines Expo 2019 Opens Today
Franchise Asia Philippines is back and is bigger than ever. Organized by the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA), the said event is the Philippine franchising sector’s centerpiece capacity-building activity.
— Business Mirror

No emergency, but we should start saving water
WARNED that they would all suffer the consequences if they did not immediately restore the water supply to Metro Manila East Zone communities served by Manila Water, the officials concerned very quickly reopened the valves last week and the flow of water to the thousands of households in the zone resumed immediately.
— Tempo

‘We hear you’: Venice Grand Canal scraps ‘floating lanterns’ gimmick
To mark Earth Hour on Saturday, March 30, the Venice Grand Canal mall at McKinley Hill in Taguig City had planned to sell floating lanterns to the public.
— Rappler

Drug test surprises BJMP officials on new jail chief’s first day
Just a day after he was named as the new Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) officer-in-charge, Chief Superintendent Allan Iral ordered a surprise drug test of his command group and officials on Thursday, March 28.
— Rappler

Cebu CENRO needs 500 volunteers for tree-planting program to compensate affected trees due to BRT project
A GREENING program intended to compensate for the 2,182 trees that will be earth-balled to pave the way for the Bus Rapid Transit project in Cebu City will be in full swing next month and at least 500 volunteers are needed.
— BusinessWorld Online

Kidapawan vet office to host anti-rabies vaccination
The city veterinary office (CVO) here is eyeing to reach more than 1,000 cats and dogs during a free mass vaccination drive scheduled in Barangay Poblacion on Friday.
— Philippine News Agency

Prayers for the birthday of a president critical of the church
PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte, who has professed belief in God but not in institutional religion and has repeatedly lashed at the Catholic church, received prayers from both friends and foe on his 74th birthday on March 28.
— BusinessWorld Online

Mar camp on allegations of ‘mishandling’ Yolanda funds: ‘Doon lang tayo sa totoo’
The camp of senatorial candidate Mar Roxas urged the public to stick to the truth in the face of accusations that the former Interior Secretary mishandled funds meant for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda.
— GMA News

World-class ‘urban garden’ opens in Dasmariñas City
What used to be an unassuming idle land by the river, measuring more than two hectares in area along Mangubat Avenue here, has now transformed to a world-class “Promenade Des Dasmariñas”, a public park where city residents can enjoy, relax, unwind and exercise.
— Philippine News Agency

LTFRB warns public vs investing in Yellowdot
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board on Thursday, March 28, warned the public against investing in Yellowdot Transport Terminal Inc.
— Eagle News

Troops unearth Abu Sayyaf arms cache in Sulu
Soldiers pursuing Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits have discovered an arms cache in the hinterlands of Sulu province, military officials said Thursday.
— Philippine News Agency

Comelec reminds bets of rules as local campaign period starts Friday
Candidates have to take down these [illegal campaign] materials that were already posted during the pre campaign period.
— GMA News

[ANALYSIS] Goodbye to arms control regime
Last year, the Philippines officially joined missile-capable countries in the Indo-Pacific region after successfully testing its Israeli-made Spike-ER (extra range) surface-to-surface missile (SSM) installed on 3 of its Multi-Purpose Attack Craft (MPAC) in Manila Bay.
— Rappler

Paolo Duterte on dad’s birthday: Find time to rest, we’ll take care of critics
Former Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte urged his father to take some rest sometime as President Rodrigo Duterte celebrated his 74th birthday on Thursday, March 28.
— Rappler

 

Feature photo Philippine Red Cross

 

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.

 

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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.

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