Philippines morning news for May 13

Philippines morning news for May 13
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Philippines morning newsForeign direct investments up by 20% in February 2019
Foreign direct investments (FDIs) rose by 20% to $746 million in February, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Friday, May 10.
— Rappler

Beijing’s South China Sea Bet On Duterte’s ‘Friendship’ Is Souring
China’s bet on Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘friendship” to advance its South China Sea agenda is beginning to sour.
— Forbes

Q1 infra spending up 13.4%–DBM
Infrastructure spending rose at an annualized rate of 13.4 percent in the first quarter due to payables from prior years’ public projects, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
— Business Mirror

Duterte allies seek to dominate Philippine midterm polls
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s name is not on the ballot but Monday’s midterm elections are seen as a crucial referendum on his rise to power with a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs, unorthodox style and contentious embrace of China.
— Bangkok Post

The Philippines’ Midterm Election Will Test Duterte’s Presidency
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he hasn’t lost an election in his three-decade political career.
Bloomberg

Duterte slams contracts entered into by his predecessors
President Rodrigo Duterte has criticized his predecessors for signing contracts which he claimed were either riddled with corruption or detrimental to the public.
— GMA News

Philippine financial system grows in 2018 as lenders’ assets expand
THE PHILIPPINE financial system sustained its growth in the second half of 2018 on the back of the banking industry’s expansion, ending the year with an uptrend in assets, loans, deposits, and capital, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
— BusinessWorld Online

‘Red tape, tight rules discourage investments in renewable energy’
Renewable energy may be one of the government’s new top sources of investment, but industry players have complained it is difficult to develop clean power projects in the Philippines largely due to bureaucratic red tape.
— Business Mirror

ERC reviewing norms for allowable levels of power plant outages
THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said it is reviewing the number of unscheduled outages that power plants are permitted over a year, which will seek to benchmark against the outage rate allowed in other jurisdictions have adopted.
— BusinessWorld Online

BSP to keep trimming rates this year – analysts
MONETARY policy easing in the Philippines is likely to continue this year following the 25-basis-point (bp) cut in the central bank’s key interest rates last week, analysts said in separate reports.
— The Manila Times

Untapped P6-B Epira fund must go to rural devt, and quickly–Gatchalian
CITING the P6-billion unused income from the implementation of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) due to red tape, Sen.Sherwin Gatchalian moved over the weekend to tap the idle funds for rural electrification, development and livelihood, rehabilitation of watersheds, as well as environmental enhancement projects.
— Business Mirror

Taxes from sugary drinks miss 2018 goal – DoF
EXCISE-TAX collections from sugar-sweetened beverages fell short of the government’s target for full-year 2018, the Department of Finance (DoF) reported.
— The Manila Times

Bank rediscount loans hit record P73.7 billion in 4 months
Loans taken out by banks from the rediscount window of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reached an all-time high of P73.7 billion in the first four months.
— The Philippine Star

20 killed in 43 election-related incidents: PNP
A total of 20 persons were killed in 43 incidents a day before the May 13 polls, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Sunday.
— Philippine News Agency

84 nabbed for vote buying, selling in NCR
Authorities arrested 84 persons allegedly carrying out vote buying activities in separate police operations in five cities of Metro Manila, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director, Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, said Sunday.
— Philippine News Agency

PAGASA warns of floods, landslides triggered by severe thunderstorms
Severe thunderstorms over the country could possibly trigger flash floods or landslides due to the low-pressure area in Mindanao and the frontal system over the extreme Northern Luzon, State weather forecasters warned yesterday.
— Tempo

Around 16,000 cops to be deployed in M. Manila for May 13 polls
Around 16,000 policemen will be deployed in Metro Manila to secure the May 13 polls.
— Eagle News

PHL set to be second biggest rice importer again–USDA report
THE opening up of the Philippine rice market will whet traders’ appetite for cheaper staple, pushing the country’s total rice imports this year to a record high of 2.8 million metric tons (MMT), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.
— Business Mirror

PHL rice inventory up 20.5% in April
The increase in the stockpile of the National Food Authority (NFA) boosted the country’s total rice inventory to 2.629 million metric tons in April, 20.5 percent higher than last year’s 2.182 MMT, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
— Business Mirror

BOC creates regional risk management units
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has created new regional units to oversee the performance of district ports in monitoring cargos and implementing customs control measures.
— The Philippine Star

DOF to audit beverage makers
The government will look into the sweetened beverage industry’s claims that no high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been used since Jan. 1, 2018, after the collected excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) fell short of target last year.
— Malaya

Widows take over in Philippines deadly polls
Gertrudes Batocabe never wanted to enter the Philip­pines’ cutthroat politics, but after her husband was shot dead, allegedly by a rival in next week’s midterm election, she felt bound to take his place.
— The Star Online

Philippines raises €750 million as investors clamor for bond sale
The Philippines returns to the European capital markets after over a decade and investors were in a frenzy.
— Rappler

Korean firm hikes investments in Clark tourism by P15 billion
Korean firm Widus International Leisure Inc. (WILI) is set to pour additional P15 billion investments ($300 million) in their leisure and resort complex project in the next three years inside this Freeport zone bringing its total investments in Clark to $500 million, according to Clark Development Cooperation (CDC).
— Manila Bulletin

BARMM’s 1.98-M voters to troop to polls Monday
Almost two million registered voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are expected to cast their votes for the May 13 polls.
— Philippine News Agency

DTI pushes for stronger IP protection
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is gearing up to strengthen intellectual property (IP) protection in the country amid efforts from both public and private sectors to establish a robust creative economy.
— The Manila Times

No room for Filipinos in the Philippines?
Investigations are underway in the Philippines of establishments and other businesses that not only cater solely to Chinese nationals, but are also rejecting local Filipino customers.
— The Asean Post

Duterte to army, police: Kill bets who refuse to surrender high-powered firearms
President Rodrigo Duterte told the army and police to shoot and kill candidates who refuse to surrender their high-powered firearms.
— CNN Philippines

Sandiganbayan junks ex-mayor’s motion to quash charge
The Sandiganbayan Seventh Division has junked the motion to quash filed by former Tanudan Mayor Francisca P. Cawi of Kalinga, who is facing a malversation charge for allegedly misappropriating P2.9 million worth of public funds.
— Manila Bulletin

Magnitude 5.2 quake, 4.4 aftershock jolt Cagayan
A magnitude 5.2 quake followed by a magnitude 4.4 aftershock struck Calayan town in Cagayan on Sunday afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
— Inquirer.net

Do’s and don’ts in today’s polls
The Commission on Elections and the Department of Interior and Local Government yesterday reminded voters of the “do’s” and “don’ts” when they cast their votes in today’s midterm elections.
— Tempo

Do Filipinos want more death?
Duterte Youth, a right-wing youth organisation supporting the administration of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, recently promised that it would push for the revival of the death penalty for heinous crimes if it wins a seat in the House of Representatives in the coming 2019 midterm elections.
— The Asean Post

DTI backs Taiwanese firm’s plan to bring robot assistants to PH airports
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) supports the plan of Taiwanese firm the New Kinpo Group (NKG) to bring robot assistants to Philippine airports.
— Rappler

Philippines reiterates commitment to indigenous people’s rights at UN forum
The Philippines is fully committed to support the rights of the country’s 14 million indigenous people, including the preservation of their culture and traditions.
— Manila Bulletin

‘Indo-Pacific’ concept is raising concerns throughout the region
U.S.-led naval exercises involving the Philippines, Japan, and India are provocatively taking place in the Chinese-claimed waters of the South China Sea.
— Spratly Islands

BARMM’s 1.98-M voters to troop to polls Monday
Almost two million registered voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are expected to cast their votes for the May 13 polls.
— Philippine News Agency

Time for Asean leaders to speak up on SCS
Government officials and heads-of-state in Asean appears to have a collective aversion to speaking up in public about Chinese transgressions and coercion in the South China Sea (SCS).
— Spratly Islands

Sison no intention of joining Duterte in ‘hell’
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte should reopen peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to avoid his “direction” to hell, exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Jose Maria “Joma” Sison said on Sunday.
— The Manila Times

Calbayog mayor’s supporters ambushed ahead of May 13 polls
Violence gripped this city in the run-up to the May 13 elections after gunmen believed to be members of private armed groups killed 4 political leaders and supporters of reelectionist Mayor Ronaldo Aquino.
— Rappler

Robredo wants stricter implementation of law vs vote-buying
Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday called for the public to take their right to vote seriously amid reports of vote-buying across the country.
— Inquirer.net

Duterte: I’d be happy to go to hell with Joma Sison
President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday threw tirades anew against Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison, saying that he would be happy to go with the latter to hell.
— GMA News

No number coding for provincial buses on May 14 – MMDA
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced on May 9 that the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or the number coding scheme will be suspended on Tuesday, May 14, 2019 for provincial buses.
— Philippine Information Agency

Davao City: Peaceful, with most bets running unopposed
Except for the big two political rallies which briefly clogged the downtown city streets with people in the last two days of the campaign, it’s all too peaceful and quiet in hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte, whose three children are sure to win the city’s top posts.
— Inquirer.net

5 Chinese kidnappers arrested in Makati City
Five suspected members of a Chinese kidnap-for-ransom group who allegedly abducted three countrymen were arrested by the Las Piñas City police in an entrapment operation in Makati City yesterday.
— Tempo

Duterte eyes more troops to Lanao del Sur to stem violence
President Duterte is mulling on bringing more government troops with him to Lanao del Sur if reports of violence continue in the province amid the election period.
— Tempo

Comelec confident 80-90% of poll precincts to open on time for elections
The country’s poll body expects that at least 80 percent of all polling precincts would open on election day on time without encountering any problem.
— Inquirer.net

‘Defective’ VCMs in Bataan undergo final testing, sealing
The Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) in a polling precinct here on Saturday afternoon conducted the final testing and sealing of a vote counting machine (VCM) that malfunctioned in a test last week.
— Philippine News Agency

PNP-SoLeyte deploys force multipliers to secure voting centers with no cellphone signals
The Philippine National Police (PNP) – Southern Leyte Police Provincial Office will be deploying force multipliers that will help secure the voting centers with no cellphone signal during the coming May 13 national and local elections.
— Philippine Information Agency

PHL, Indonesian navies wrap up coordinated border patrol activities
The first leg of the Border Coordinated Patrol of the Philippine and Indonesian navies has ended, with the aim of securing the common border between the two countries and stop maritime and sea crimes including smuggling and piracy.
— GMA News

Liberal Party to question before SC Comelec’s choice of Nacionalista party as dominant minority party
Liberal Party president Senator Francis Pangilinan said that they would question before the Supreme Court the recent resolution of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) which picked the Nacionalista Party as the dominant minority party.
— Eagle News

Baguio cops arrest 35 for drinking on eve of May 13 polls
The police arrested 35 people caught drinking at a bar on Sunday, a day before the May 13 midterm elections.
— Inquirer.net

Pharmaceutical firm leads campaign to empower cancer patients
Pharmaceutical firm Roche Philippines has launched the “Strong for Someone” campaign over the weekend, with the goal of helping cancer patients know the vital information they need to fight the disease.
— Philippine News Agency

NegOcc ARB coop develops ecopark in Cadiz City
The Dalayapan Agrarian Reform Cooperative (DARCO) is developing a 20-hectare ecological park in Barangay Caduha-an, Cadiz City in northern Negros Occidental.
— Philippine News Agency

Western Mindanao election period peaceful under martial law –AFP
The Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Mindanao Command spokesperson on Sunday said that the present election period in the region is more peaceful than in previous elections, which he attributed to martial law.
— GMA News

Ex-Sen. Alvarez withdraws from congressional race due to vote-buying
Former Senator Heherson Alvarez has withdrawn from his bid to represent the fourth legislative district of Isabela due to “massive vote-buying.
— Philippine News Agency

Duterte hits Poe for enduring EDSA woes, sees no problem if she wins
President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday cited re-electionist Senator Grace Poe for the lingering traffic problem on EDSA, but said he has no problems if she eventually wins.
— GMA News

Eco groups laud bets against incineration
Environmentalist groups on Saturday praised a number of senatorial candidates, including reelectionists Nancy Binay, Grace Poe and Bam Aquino, for their strong positions against waste incineration.
— Manilastandard.net

MILF, MNLF, village chiefs’ help sought to ensure peaceful polls
Military authorities in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat provinces have sought the assistance of village officials, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) as front-liners to ensure honest, orderly and peaceful elections (HOPE) on Monday.
— Philippine News Agency

PPCRV: Unaccredited assistance desks prohibited at voting centers
The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting on Sunday reminded the public that setting up assistance desks at voting centers without the accreditation of the Commission on Elections is not allowed on Monday, election day.
— GMA News

Comelec declares PDP-Laban as dominant majority party, Nacionalista party as dominant minority party
-The Commission on Elections has declared the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan as the “dominant majority party” while the Nacionalista Party was declared the “dominant minority party,” a move which is now being questioned by the opposition Liberal Party.
— Eagle News

Norwegian dies of rabies after rescuing puppy in PH
A 24 year-old Norwegian woman died this week of rabies after she was bitten by a puppy she rescued while on vacation in the Philippines, her family said.
— The Manila Times

 

Feature photo Brian Evans

 

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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