Philippines Morning News For September 13, 2019

Duterte’s South China Sea U-turn: illegal climbdown, or clever gambit for oil?
Climbdown or clever gambit? The jury is out on Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to ignore a landmark ruling by an international court and plough ahead with joint oil and gas exploration with Beijing in the South China Sea.
— South China Morning Post

Philippine vice president blasts ‘reckless’ Duterte over China deal
The vice president of the Philippines on Thursday rebuked the country’s leader for being “reckless” in suggesting he would consider ignoring an arbitration ruling in its favor over a territorial dispute with China in order to forge a joint energy deal with Beijing.
— Reuters

PH lost P464B in early 2019 because of delayed budget approval, says lawmaker
THE Philippines suffered economic losses worth P464 billion in the past six months because of a delay in the enacted budget for 2019, a lawmaker said on Thursday.
— The Manila Times

Duterte orders shift to cash-based budgeting
President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the government to shift to a cash-based budget, even if Congress has previously rejected the move when the government first attempted to switch to cash-based budgeting for the 2019 fiscal plan.
— CNN Philippines

DBM released P3.3 trillion for 2019 government projects
OVER 91 percent of the P3.6 trillion 2019 national budget has been released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to fund government projects for the year.
— Business Mirror

Philippines Customs seizes P53M of smuggled agri-goods
The Bureau of Customs in the Port of Manila has seized 16 container vans full of wrongfully declared agricultural products. These are valued at P53 million (€925,000), the bureau said Wednesday.
— Fresh Plaza

Hanjin creditors close to deal with investor on Subic shipyard
THE Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said creditors are close to a deal for the takeover of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines, Inc., with foreign investors currently in talks with banks on how to proceed with the bankrupt shipbuilder’s facilities and work force.
— BusinessWorld Online

Over 90% of 2019 budget released
NEARLY all of the P3.66 trillion in this year’s national budget has been released as of end-August, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reported on Thursday.
— The Manila Times

House plenary okays 28 agencies’ budgets; 2020 GAB on track
THE House of Representatives is on track to approve the P4.1-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) after the lower chamber’s plenary approved the budget of 28 agencies for next year.
— Business Mirror

Manila to spend on state-of-the-art plans, tools for disaster management
The city government of Manila is willing to spend P20 million to integrate a state-of-the art disaster risk resilience management plan designed by the University of the Philippines System.
— Manila Bulletin

FALSE: Philippines was ‘richest country in Asia’ during Marcos years
The Philippines was the “richest country in Asia” during the administration of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, according to Facebook page Ka Rex Cayanong.
— Rappler

Blood processing fee waived for dengue patients
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) — Capiz Chapter is charging the blood processing fee on dengue-related blood requests to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s P10-million nationwide financial assistance for dengue patients.
— Reliefweb

PH Army captain cleared of P2.1M liability in communist terrorist ambush
Philippine Army Captain Jonathan Zulueta was cleared of his liability over P2.1 million in supplies lost during a terrorist ambush in 2013.
— Politiko

Foreign embassies required to get DFA clearance before donating to BARMM
European countries and other foreign embassies must seek clearance from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) before donating funds to the newly established Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Foreign Secretary Teodoro “Teddyboy” Locsin Jr said on Thursday, September 12.
— Rappler

Internet inequality in the Philippines
Not all 4G wireless users are created equal. This was what Opensignal – a London-based company that specialises in mapping wireless coverage – found out recently when it analysed the fluctuations in 4G download speeds that its users in the Philippines experience throughout the day across different regions.
— The Asean Post

Filipino villagers swap trash for rice in fight against plastics
A village in the Philippines is trying to tackle the scourge of plastic waste by offering rice to residents in exchange for their trash.
— Reuters

Warrants needed to rearrest freed convicts – GCTA law author
Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez, among the principal authors of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law, has advised former convicts who availed of the GCTA law to wait for a warrant of arrest for them so they could go back to the correctional facility where they were detained serving their conviction.
— Rappler

Ex-BuCor chief bares more scams
FORMER Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) deputy chief Rafael Ragos on Thursday revealed several “money-making” schemes at the agency and the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), including bringing in female entertainers for high-profile inmates for a fee.
— The Manila Times

Immigration rounds up 280 Chinese for engaging in illegal gambling
CLOSE to 300 Chinese were arrested by joint operatives of the Bureau of Immigration-Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) and Philippine National Police(PNP) for allegedly engaging in illegal gambling operations.
— The Manila Times

Nationwide transport strike set Sept. 30
Major transport groups will lead a nationwide strike on Sept. 30 to protest the proposed phaseout of jeepneys and UV Express service vehicles next year.
— The Philippine Star

CA stops Ombudsman, DILG from barring Nueva Ecija Governor Umali from assuming post
THE Court of Appeals (CA) has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) enjoining the Office of the Ombudsman from implementing its decision issued in 2016 barring Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali from assuming his post after finding him liable for mishandling his pork-barrel fund amounting to P15 million.
— Business Mirror

DPWH gets down to work for SEAG
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is now checking all public infrastructure—mainly roads and bridges—leading to venues of the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) which the Philippines is hosting starting on Nov 30.
— Inquirer.net

Ninoy’s statue to be moved, says QC government
The children of the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. have given their blessing to transfer the democracy icon’s statue located at the corner of Timog Avenue, the Quezon City government said Thursday.
— Manilastandard.net

Philippine property sector to withstand global headwinds — Colliers
The Philippine property sector should withstand external headwinds that are threatening the global economy amid “strong appetite” for commercial and residential spaces in the country, property consultancy Colliers International said.
— The Philippine Star

Cockpit voice recorder of crashed plane in Laguna retrieved, to be decoded
Over a week after a medical evacuation plane crashed in Calamba City, Laguna, the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder has been retrieved and will be decoded to help determine the cause of the crash.
— Rappler

Filipinos Dropping Out of the Workforce Could Benefit the Economy
Low unemployment in the Philippines may be masking the fact that more people are opting not to work — and preferring to stay in school for longer.
— Bloomberg (paywall)

Dar orders NFA to lower rice prices to P27/kilo
Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Thursday ordered the National Food Authority (NFA) to bring down rice prices to PHP27 per kilo by flooding Metro Manila markets with 3.6 million bags of the food staple.
— Philippine News Agency

Bulacan swine farm spares life of piglet to prove it is ASF-free
Considered as ground zero of African swine fever (ASF) in the country, this piggery in Barangay Pritil, Guiguinto, Bulacan culled all of its 81 pigs, except for one.
— GMA News

Fewer vote-buying, irregularities in 2019 polls: SWS
There are fewer Filipinos who have witnessed vote-buying and other irregularities during the May 2019 midterm polls, a survey from the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released Wednesday (Sept. 11) showed.
— Philippine News Agency

Court affirms denial of Jinggoy Estrada, Napoles bids for dismissal of plunder case
THE Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division stood pat on its ruling that denied the demurrers to evidence of former Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Janet Lim-Napoles in their plunder case in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.
— The Manila Times

Philippines government leads the way with HR
The Philippines is leading the charge in Southeast Asia in terms of having standalone HR units within its government ministries and agencies.
— HRM Asia

Suicide bombings in Mindanao take place despite extended martial law
Suicide bombing attacks in the southern portion of the Philippines, where martial law is being implemented, have grabbed headlines especially when news reports bared that a Filipino was involved in one of the explosion incidents.
— GMA News

EO presses state offices to spend on time
MALACANANG has moved to ensure that government offices spend within the fiscal year what they are given under the national budget, by formally adopting the cash budgeting system (CBS) starting this year through Executive Order No. 91.
— BusinessWorld Online

A master plan instead of emergency powers
THREE years after the new Duterte administration called for emergency powers in 2016 to solve Metro Manila’s traffic problem, the issue remains undecided and is not likely to be resolved any time soon.
— Tempo

Philippines advised to further diversify its energy sources
Over-reliance on one type of energy or dependence on one country as an energy source is a threat to national security, an official of the US Department of State said here, as he pointed to alternative models of resource development that the Philippines can adopt.
— BusinessWorld Online

DILG, MinDA to launch rural solar water supply
The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will jointly design a program, which aims to provide solar-power generated water supply systems in off-grid villages all over Mindanao and the island provinces of the region, to provide water for drinking and irrigation.
— Philippine News Agency

DOJ alarmed as inmates ‘agitated’ by NBP slays, other issues
We are alarmed. The DOJ is afraid because there are reports that inmates are now agitated. That’s why we have to put an end to all these issues, Justice Undersecretary Deo Marco said in a mix of English and Filipino.
— GMA News

Duque downplays rise in diabetes cases, says doctor’s ‘epidemic’ claim may be ‘figure of speech’
HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd downplayed a doctor’s claim that the continued rise of diabetic cases in the country may be considered an epidemic, saying he could have meant it as a “figure of speech” like of “epidemic proportion.”
— The Manila Times

Gov’t mulls Netherlands help in extraditing Joma
The government is considering seeking the help of the Netherlands to extradite communist leader Jose Maria Sison to face murder charges in the country.
— Tempo

BuCor doctor denies hospital pass for sale modus
A medical officer of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) denied the existence of hospital stay for sale scheme for inmates, but bared that some inmates offer money to doctors.
— GMA News

More ‘money-making’ activities in BuCor bared
A FORMER official of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on Thursday revealed several “money-making” activities at the BuCor and New Bilibid Prison (NBP), including bringing in female entertainers for a fee.
— The Manila Times

Palace blames province for Chinese dredging
Malacañang on Thursday blamed the local government of Zambales for allowing illegal dredging operations by undocumented Chinese nationals in Masinloc town.
— BusinessWorld Online

Healthy inmates can stay up to 8 months inside NBP hospital
A former inmate at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) on Thursday revealed that healthy prisoners can pay to stay for several months at the wards of the NBP hospital, where they conduct their illegal drug transactions.
— Philippine News Agency

T’boli town declares CPP-NPA ‘persona non grata’
The municipal government of T’boli in South Cotabato has declared the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) as “persona non grata.”
— Philippine News Agency

PIA orients NegOr PIOs on gov’t counter insurgency approach
The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) here gave an orientation for members of the Association of Negros Oriental Public Information Officers (ANOPIO) on the government’s prime approach to counter insurgency during the association’s monthly conference held Aug. 29, 2019 here.
— Philippine Information Agency

Feature photo Antoinette Taus

This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo focuses on World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD), September 10.

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).

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Philippines morning news for September 13 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on September 13, 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.