Philippines morning news for July 16, 2020

Cases still rising but Duque says Philippines has flattened coronavirus curve
The Philippines, which is seeing a renewed surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases following the easing of containment measures, has “successfully” flattened the epidemic curve, the country’s health chief said Wednesday.
— Philippine Star

ABS-CBN to start retrenchment by end of August, as franchise remains elusive
Network giant ABS-CBN will cease operating some of its businesses and start retrenching workers by the end of August, as its remains without a franchise to operate its free television and radio broadcasts.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Gov’t says to prioritize health, food security under 2021 budget
Health and food security are among top priorities of the government under its proposed P4.3 trillion national budget for 2021, the Department of Budget and Management said Wednesday as the country continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
— ABS-CBN News

1,392 new cases bring Philippines COVID-19 tally to 58,850
The Philippines tally of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rose to 58,850 on Wednesday after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 1,392 more infections–512 “fresh” or newly validated and 880 reported late.
— GMA Network

PH saw at least 95% drop in foreign arrivals from March to June due to COVID-19 The number of foreigners who have arrived and departed from the Philippines from March to June has shrunk by at least 95% compared to the same months last year, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced today.
— Coconuts Philippines

PH eyes diplomatic means to resolve SCS dispute: Palace
Malacañang on Wednesday maintained that the Philippines will pursue a “peaceful and diplomatic” approach to resolve its long-standing dispute with China in the hotly-contested South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).
— Philippine News Agency

Philippines’ gross international reserves reach ‘all time high’ in June
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Wednesday the country’s gross international reserves rose to an “all time high” in June.
— ABS-CBN News

The Philippines’ future floats in the West Philippine Sea
THE WATERS of the South China Sea are home to a dizzying array of marine resources, ranging from vast oil and gas reserves deep beneath the surface to the complex and beautiful ecosystems capable of supporting international seafood markets and unraveling scientific mysteries.
— BusinessWorld Online

PEZA eyes 10 new ecozones to lure investors amid pandemic
Ten new economic zones were approved for establishment by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) in a bid to lure in investors believed to be key to the country’s economic revival from the pandemic.
— Philippine Star

Philippine waters among ‘global hotspots’ for ship loss
PHILIPPINE WATERS are among the major hotspots where almost a third of the world’s ships are lost yearly, mainly due to higher trading activity, congested ports, old fleets and bad weather, according to a study by a global insurance firm.
— BusinessWorld

59M Filipinos went hungry in 2017-19, says FAO
As many as 59 million Filipinos consider themselves food insecure between 2017 and 2019, a 31-percent jump from the 44.9-million figure between 2014 and 2016, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

April remittance contraction hits 19-year record
MONEY sent home by Filipinos overseas continued to dwindle for the second straight month in April — the biggest drop in almost two decades — as many of them lost their jobs amid a global coronavirus pandemic.
— BusinessWorld

Philippine areas under MECQ, GCQ, MGCQ until July 31
President Rodrigo Duterte on July 15, placed Cebu City under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) starting July 16.
— GMA Network

PEZA approves 50 projects worth P22.5 billion
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has approved the registration of 50 projects which would bring in P22.5 billion worth of investments to the country.
— Philippine Star

Philippines assured by WHO of equitable share in COVID-19 vaccine once available
The World Health Organization (WHO) has assured the Philippines of an equitable share of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine once it is discovered, the the chief of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Wednesday.
— GMA Network

No (Tax) Breaks: Pinoy online barter deals illegal, says Trade Dep’t
It looks like going after Pinoy online businesses and nudging them to pay taxes during a pandemic wasn’t enough.
— Coconuts Philippines

China, PH should safeguard friendly ties: FM
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called on China and the Philippines to cherish the hard-won friendly situation, consolidate the political foundation for improvement of bilateral relations, and safeguard important achievements of cooperation between the two countries.
— Philippine News Agency

Number of overseas Filipinos with COVID-19 crosses 8,900
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday 43 more Filipinos abroad were sick with COVID-19, raising the total tally of overseas infections among Philippine nationals to 8,915.
— ABS-CBN News

Economic hardships worse than virus risks
The Philippines needs to open up the economy fast and not prolong the lockdown, hard or mild.
— BusinessWorld Online

Audio clip reveals Duterte chided ABS-CBN in ‘dismantling oligarchy’ speech
A clearer picture of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Monday speech in Sulu surfaced after an unedited audio clip reveals the Chief Executive actually chided ABS-CBN in the same event where he claimed to have dismantled the oligarchy in the country.
— ABS-CBN News (video)

SCS maritime issue ‘not sum total’ of PH-China ties
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. and his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday underscored that the two countries’ maritime issue on the South China Sea is not the sum total of the Philippines-China bilateral relationship.
— Philippine News Agency

Government needs 50,000 more contact tracers
The government is still looking to hire an additional 50,000 contact tracers to help in the country’s fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said yesterday.
— Philippine Star

Displaced workers offered 400K job vacancies in construction
OVER 400,000 job vacancies in the construction industry could soon provide alternative employment to the thousands of workers displaced by the business disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
— Business Mirror

CHED: Some colleges say they may close due to lack of enrollees
Some colleges have informed the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) of their possible closure due to a lack of enrollees, chairman Prospero de Vera said Wednesday night.
— GMA Network

Hybrid elections to cost over P24B, says Comelec commissioner
The proposed hybrid elections–one that combines manual and automated processes–for 2022 will cost at least P24 billion, an official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Wednesday.
— GMA Network

DOLE to ABS-CBN: Give retrenched workers lawful benefits
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday appealed to ABS-CBN Corporation to give the necessary entitlements to its employees who may soon be subjected to retrenchment.
— Business Mirror

Job creation, upskilling seen as pillars of economic recovery plan
THE government will focus on job creation in its economic recovery efforts and plans to make a major push in upskilling the workforce, particularly those from vulnerable communities, Cabinet officials said.
— BusinessWorld

MORE Power urged to improve service
The Iloilo Economic Development Foundation (ILEDF) has called on More Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) to implement the necessary “corrective measures” to improve the power distribution service in Iloilo.
— Business Mirror

DOH says HIV drugs supply stable
The Department of Health (DOH) has assured the community of people living with HIV (PLHIV) that it has a stable supply of life-saving HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) drugs, amidst the “risk of running out” in other countries, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).
— Philippine News Agency

Clark airport’s new terminal to open by January 2021: DOTr
Clark airport’s new passenger terminal will be ready to operate by January next year, Cabinet members said on Wednesday after inspecting the facility.
— ABS-CBN News

Rural ecozones to boost BP2 program, expert reminds govt
A long-term rural industrialization program could just be the key to boost the government’s “Balik Probinsya” program as it can address the increasing number of unemployed and underemployed in rural areas.
— Business Mirror

Lawmakers to Duterte: Ban political dynasties if you want to dismantle oligarchy
Some lawmakers urge President Rodrigo Duterte to support important measures that will get rid of oligarchy in the Philippines.
— ABS-CBN News (video)

Value of PHL banana exports down 10% to $758.112 million from January to May–PSA data
The value of the country’s banana exports from January to May fell by 10.7 percent to $758.112 million, from $849.113 million recorded last year due to lower volume of shipments, preliminary Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed.
— Business Mirror

Enrollment drops more than 25%
Enrollment in kindergarten up to senior high school for the school year 2020-2021 dropped more than 25 percent from a year ago, according to figures from the Department of Education (DepEd).
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Colleges, universities told to move OJT, other subjects to 2nd semester
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Wednesday said it has instructed colleges and universities to reschedule subjects that require physical presence of students, due to the threat of the coronavirus outbreak in the Philippines.
— ABS-CBN News

PNP records 59 new COVID-19 cases; total now at 1,298
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday recorded 59 new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among its personnel, bringing the total number to 1,298.
— GMA Network

Court orders MV Vienna Wood’s crew to remain in PH
All 20 crew members of Hong Kong-flagged MV Vienna Wood were ordered to remain in the country on Wednesday, as part of a criminal case brought against the merchant vessel and its shipping company for the sinking of the fishing vessel (FV) Liberty 5 and its 14 missing Filipino crew and passengers.
— Philippine News Agency

DTI clarifies only commercial-scale barter subject to tax
THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said more automation and digitization after the pandemic will help companies survive, and pressed the private sector to take advantage of the “opportunity” to modernize operations to be ready for the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution.
— BusinessWorld

Pandemic seen to boost retail investor numbers with online trading shift
A surge in number of online accounts boosted the growth of stock market accounts in the local bourse last year, a clear sign of investors’ shift on trading format that likely gained further traction this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
— Philippine Star

Palace: No ‘house-to-house’ search for cops
The police won’t conduct house-to-house search to find persons with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Malacañang clarified Wednesday, as it claimed that staying in quarantine sites is not like imprisonment but going on a paid for vacation.
— Philippine Star

PAL flies 90 LSIs to Antique airport
The Philippine Airlines (PAL) flew in 90 locally stranded individuals (LSI) as it resumed its operation at Antique Airport located here on Wednesday.
— Philippine News Agency

Gov’t programs available for OFWs displaced by pandemic
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday enumerated several programs to mitigate the effects of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
— Philippine News Agency

Filipinos may sleep better with anti-terror law in force -Año
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año believes that Filipinos now have peaceful nights due to the anti-terrorism law, which has since been highly-criticized by the public.
— GMA Network

Fisheries sector recovery to depend on adapting to new markets — think tank
THE FISHERIES sector should be alert to changing consumer preferences and pursue more value-adding activities to work around the potential weak links exposed by the pandemic, such as the breakdown in logistics arrangements caused by the lockdown, a government think tank said.
— BusinessWorld

Health workers to lead ‘Oplan Kalinga’, but house-to-house ops still unclear
Another wave of statements from government agencies added little clarity on whether or not a house-to-house campaign for coronavirus patients will take place in the coming days.
— Philippine Star

WATCH: House probes Meralco on increase in bills during COVID-19 pandemic
The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability started probing the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) amid the observed increase in electric bills amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
— Eagle News

Palace: COVID-19 cases reported to gov’t, not qualified for home quarantine to be transferred to quarantine facilities to prevent COVID-19 spread
The Palace on Wednesday, July 15, said COVID-19 cases that have been reported to the government and are not qualified for home quarantine will be transferred to quarantine facilities so they can complete the 14-day period.
— Eagle News

DTI, BIR: Online barter not taxable so long as not a business
Online barter of goods is not illegal, and not subject to taxes, so long as transactions are personal in nature and not conducted to earn a living, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez clarified on Wednesday.
— Philippine Star

Work mostly back, but DSWD not yet done giving out pandemic aid
Second tranche was not the charm for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) whose speed in distributing cash aid to the poor worsened in the final batch of cash that should have already reached all intended beneficiaries.
— Philippine Star

Cayetano tells ERC to address consumers’ woes on Meralco bills
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday cited the case of ABS-CBN in reminding government agencies to follow the directives of President Rodrigo Duterte and be more progressive in interpreting the law.
— GMA Network

Lawmaker wants ABS-CBN’s former frequencies used for distance learning
Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte (Camarines Sur) wants the television and radio frequencies previously used by ABS-CBN Corp. used for the education department’s alternative distance learning program.
— Philippine Star

Feature photo WorldSkills Asean Bangkok 2018
This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo focuses on World Youth Skills Day, July 15, with an emphasis on World Skills Asean Singapore 2020.

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).

—

About Philippines morning news.

Philippines morning news roundup is the most comprehensive hand-curated selection of Philippines English language news headlines published. Each weekday we scour hundreds of local and international news sites and websites to find the most recent Philippines English language news today.

We filter our the dull, the boring, the repetitive, and the click-bait and package all of the Philippines daily news that you need to know to start your day into an easy to read, time saving format of Philippines news headlines and first paragraphs before 8.15am Manila time.

We clearly identify the source of all the Philippines news headlines, whether it is behind a paywall, a media release, or whether the news site uses annoying pop-up advertising or auto-play video, in case those things annoy you too. If a website uses particularly invasive pop-up adverts, we’ll tell you.

This enables you to make an informed choice of whether you want to learn more by clicking directly through to the original Philippines news article, or keep on reading the remaining Philippines daily news headlines.

Click here to get your Philippines English language news today by email before 9am Manila time daily. Remember to watch out for the confirmation email from us to confirm your subscription. Check your trash folder if you do not see it.

For more immediate updates download the AEC News Today Mobile App from the Apple or Google stores, or follow us on Twitter.

#Independentmedia

Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Philippines morning news for July 16 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on July 16, 2020
View all posts by Stella-maris Ewudolu →

Bio
Latest Posts

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.