Philippines morning news for June 5

Philippines morning news for June 5
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Philippines morning news‘Near impunity’ for drug war killings in Philippines, UN report says
Tens of thousands of people in the Philippines may have been killed in the war on drugs since mid-2016, amid near impunity for police and incitement to violence by top officials, the United Nations said on Thursday (Jun 4).
— CNA

Health certificates, travel passes now required at airports
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, airports across the country tightened their security measures and required passengers additional documents as domestic flights resumed on Thursday.
— GMA Network

Virus sinks FDI pledges to 2-year low in first quarter
Foreign direct investment (FDI) pledges in the country’s economic zones sank to their lowest level in 2 years in the first quarter, laying fresh evidence on how investors were turned off by the pandemic which the government seeks to fix through a cut in corporate taxes.
— Philippine Star

Duterte still wants VFA terminated, says Palace
President Rodrigo Duterte has not changed his decision to end the Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States even after he suspended its implementation for six months, Malacañang said Thursday.
— GMA Network

House approves P1.3-trillion stimulus bill on 3rd reading
THE House of Representatives on Thursday approved on third and final reading a P1.3-trillion stimulus package called the ARISE (Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy) bill, the new name for what had been known as the proposed Philippine Economic Stimulus Act (PESA).
— BusinessWorld Online

Philippines COVID-19 cases top 20,000
The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines breached the 20,000 mark on Thursday after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 634 new infections–313 “fresh” or newly validated and 321 reported late–bringing the total to 20,382.
— GMA Network

Philippines resumes trial of hydroxychloroquine as COVID-19 treatment
The Philippines will resume the use of anti-viral drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for patients who have contracted the coronavirus disease.
— Philippine Star

BSP to extend alternate reserve compliance until 2022
THE CENTRAL BANK will extend banks’ alternative reserve compliance until 2022 in a bid to support the financial system and struggling sectors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
— BusinessWorld Online

8 bills enacted into law under first regular session of 18th Congress–Sotto
Eight legislative measures crafted and scrutinized by lawmakers have been signed into law under the first regular session of the 18th Congress, according to Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Thursday before he officially declared sine die adjournment in the chamber.
— GMA Network

‘Expanded targeted testing’ may soon include asymptomatic cases
The government is planning to expand its coronavirus testing to include people who have no symptoms, an official said Thursday.
— Philippine Star

Magnitude 6.6 earthquake strikes waters off Davao Oriental
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake was recorded at 4:50 p.m. Thursday off the waters of Davao Oriental province, according to state seismology bureau Phivolcs’ report.
— Philstar

Remittance decline due to COVID-19 seen much worse than in 2007-09 financial crisis
THE decline in remittances to developing countries will be much worse than the 5% drop recorded in the wake of the 2007-2009 global financial crisis, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) said.
— BusinessWorld Online

Duterte borrows another $500 million from World Bank for coronavirus
The Philippines signed another $500-million (P25-billion) loan deal with the World Bank to support poor households and small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic .
— Rappler

Budget reallocation delayed COVID-19 sickness, death benefits for health workers –DOH
The distribution of financial assistance to COVID-19-stricken health workers was delayed due to the exploration and reallocation of budgets for the fund, the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.
— GMA Network

BSP notes rise of financial crimes during quarantine
The rise of digital payment transactions in the country resulted in the increase in financial crimes, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) receiving around 100 complaints during the lockdown period alone.
— Philippine News Agency

OFW numbers decline to 2.2 million in 2019
FEWER FILIPINOS worked in overseas job markets last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
— BusinessWorld Online

Anti-terror bill subject to review, no rush signing it into law – Palace
While the proposed amendments to the country’s anti-terrorism law was certified urgent, Malacañang said Thursday this does not mean that President Rodrigo Duterte will automatically sign it into law.
— Inquirer.net

Aviation industry guidelines on health standards out
The transportation department has issued guidelines for the aviation industry to ensure that health standards and safe physical distancing are observed during flights.
— Philippine Star

‘Covid likely erased poverty-reduction gains of past 3 years’
THE coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic and the lockdown that placed the economy at a standstill in the past two months may have already erased the gains in poverty reduction in the past three years, according to economists.
— Business Mirror

JP Morgan grants P33 million to foundation to help women microentrepreneurs in PH
Global financial services company JP Morgan Chase is giving $650,000 or around P33 million to international nonprofit Grameen Foundation to help 3,500 women running microenterprises in the Philippines whose livelihoods were affected by the COVID-19 crisis, Grameen said on Thursday.
— ABS-CBN News

MMDA sets guidelines for modified number coding scheme
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Thursday laid out its guidelines for motorists as the modified number coding scheme takes effect on June 8 for the duration of the general community quarantine (GCQ).
— Inquirer.net

PHL has 220 patients in WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Trial
A total of 220 Covid-19 patients have so far joined the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Solidarity Trial, which seeks to find a cure for the virus and disease that began in Wuhan, China in December last year.
— Business Mirror

Palace to UN rights chief: Filipinos’ rights, freedoms protected
Malacañang on Thursday asserted that the Philippines is not suppressing freedom of expression and tightening censorship during the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis.
— Philippine News Agency

Virus-infected inmates now 222
The number of inmates infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 has climbed to 222, the Department of Justice reported yesterday.
— Philstar

Health workers with COVID-19 now 2,703; recoveries up to 1,465
The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday reported that the number of healthcare workers who have contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has climbed to 2,703 as of June 3.
— GMA Network

96 new COVID-19 cases reported among overseas Filipinos, total now at over 5,300
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported 96 new confirmed COVID-19 cases involving overseas Filipinos, with the total number of confirmed cases at 5,355 as of Thursday, June 4.
— Eagle News

Quarantined fishers to extend stay in Dumaguete PCCs
The 164 fishermen who have been under quarantine since their arrival in Negros Oriental last month will have to stay an extra number of days at the patient care centers (PPCs) here after a number of them were found positive of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
— Philippine News Agency

Business groups press Duterte for ‘more substantial’ economic plan vs virus
Forty-four of the country’s biggest business groups urged the Duterte administration to quickly implement a more substantial stimulus plan to revive the economy from the coronavirus pandemic .
— Rappler

House OKs bill allowing PRRD to adjust school calendar
The House of Representatives on Thursday night unanimously approved on third reading a bill allowing President Rodrigo Duterte to adjust the opening of classes during a state of emergency or calamity.
— Philippine News Agency

Slight increase in COVID-19 patients at PGH but most have mild symptoms
Doctors at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) have noticed a slight increase in the number of patients being admitted for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) over recent days, the hospital director said Thursday.
— GMA Network

House bill on PCR testing for vulnerable sectors approved on 3rd reading
The House of Representatives on Thursday approved on third and final reading the measure that mandates the conduct of baseline Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing as the protocol for COVID-19 testing for the vulnerable members of the society.
— GMA Network

U.N. report: Documents suggest PH police planted guns in drug war ops
In an explosive report released on schedule amid the global coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations Human Rights Office said that Philippine police planted guns as evidence to support their nanlaban (fought back) narratives against drug suspects they killed in operations.
— Rappler

Youngest COVID-19 survivor in Philippines ‘Baby Kobe’ dies
The country’s youngest COVID-19 survivor has passed away, his father confirmed on Thursday.
— Philippine Star

Abuses, killings in PH possibly incited by Duterte’s violent rhetoric – U.N. report
The United Nations Human Rights Office on Thursday, June 4, said that the various threats of President Rodrigo Duterte possibly resulted in violence in the Philippines, despite clarifications of presidential spokesperson or other government officials.
— Rappler

Filipino community in Hong Kong now COVID-19 free – DFA
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that the Filipino community in Hong Kong has no more active coronavirus cases, following the recent recovery patients who have since been discharged from the hospital.
— Rappler

Once enacted, new anti-terror law may be challenged before SC -Carpio
Once signed into law, the anti-terrorism bill may immediately be challenged before the Supreme Court, retired senior associate justice Antonio Carpio said Thursday.
— GMA Network

‘Anti-terror council should be composed of judges’
Members of the judiciary and not unelected officials should comprise the anti-terrorism council, the establishment of which is stipulated under the newly approved bill on detecting and fighting terrorism.
— Philippine Star

Tricycles, pedicabs now allowed on national roads amid mass transport shortage -Palace
Tricycles, pedicabs and other vehicles with sidecars are now allowed on national highways to address the shortage of mass transport amid the prevailing general community quarantine in different parts of the country due to COVID-19, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr. said Thursday.
— GMA Network

20-year extension sought for power subsidy for poor
A MEASURE extending for 20 years the lifeline rate subsidy granted to low-income households has been filed in the Senate.
— BusinessWorld Online

Recto: Compensation for virus-hit health workers should be tax-free
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Thursday, June 4, said that compensation promised by the law for health workers who died or severely infected with coronavirus should be tax-free.
— Rappler

Labeling dissent as rebellion ‘institutionalized, normalized’ in Philippines — UN report
The vilification of dissent and attacks against perceived critics of the Philippine government are being “increasingly institutionalized and normalized in ways that will be very difficult to reverse,” the United Nations Human Rights Office said Thursday.
— Philippine Star

Corporate tax cut by July unlikely
AN IMMEDIATE REDUCTION of the corporate income tax rate to 25% by July is unlikely, as the Senate prioritized other measures over the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE) bill on Wednesday.
— BusinessWorld Online

U.N. report: PH local system not enough to exact accountability for killings
The United Nations Human Rights Office said in its awaited report that the Philippines’ local systems have so far failed in exacting accountability for the more than 20,000 deaths in President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
— Rappler

DOTr: OFWs can now have quarantine certificates processed online
Overseas Filipino Workers can now have their quarantine certificates processed online.
— Eagle News

Duterte’s focus on ‘real and inflated’ security threats leads to serious rights violations – U.N. report
President Rodrigo Duterte’s overarching focus on countering real and inflated national security threats has resulted in grave human rights violations, a United Nations report found.
— Rappler

Diokno likens PH’s credit rating affirmations to upgrade
Bangko Sentral ng Pilpinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno said affirmation of the country’s investment grade credit ratings is already a plus despite the economic hit from the global pandemic.
— Philippine News Agency

Drilon: We need 130k contact tracers, not trolls
Senate Minority Franklin Drilon on Thursday said the government needs to tap 130,000 contact tracers to beef up COVID-19 surveillance in the country, not trolls who would be funded using state coffers.
— GMA Network

Luzon grid placed on ‘yellow alert’ due to outages, gas shortage
THE Department of Energy (DoE) said Luzon was under yellow alert Thursday between noon and 3 p.m. due to power plant outages and limited output received from the Malampaya gas field.
— BusinessWorld Online

House OKs on 2nd reading bill on post-pandemic ‘better normal’
The bill seeking to make several health and and safety measures mandatory in post-pandemic Philippines is one step closer from passage in the House of Representatives.
— Rappler

‘Change not coming’ on decision to scrap VFA, Roque says, just a suspension
President Rodrigo Duterte has not changed his mind about terminating the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), Malacañang said Thursday as it clarified that only the termination process of the treaty has been suspended.
— Philippine Star

Congress to go on break with stimulus in limbo, anti-terrorism bill prioritized
Legislators are starting their 50 day-long break on Friday with their priorities put into question after a Congress dominated by President Rodrigo Duterte’s allies passed a controversial anti-terrorism bill, while leaving much-needed economic stimulus in limbo.
— Philippine Star

DOJ: 222 PDLs, 48 personnel in BuCor facilities confirmed infected with COVID-19 virus
Over 200, or 222, persons deprived of liberty have been infected with the COVID-19 virus, the Department of Justice said on Thursday, June 4.
— Eagle News

Gov t preparing cash aid for jeepney drivers this June -Palace
The government is preparing a cash assistance this June for jeepney drivers displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic, Malacañang said Thursday.
— GMA Network

COVID-19 vaccine by 2021 a long shot but possible — pharma firms
A number of pharmaceutical companies on Thursday said it is possible but unlikely that a vaccine for COVID-19 would be ready by 2021.
— Philippine Star

PH aims to test more asymptomatics, all frontliners – Dizon
Citing improved testing capacity, the government says it can now test more asymptomatic persons in addition to individuals with symptoms or confirmed exposure to coronavirus cases.
— Rappler

Gov’t changes mind: Kids, seniors must stay home even under MGCQ
Even under the most relaxed form of community quarantine, the elderly, children, pregnant women, and persons with certain health conditions are prohibited from leaving their homes save for work or essential activities.
— Rappler

6 jeepney drivers charged in Caloocan City for asking gov’t to allow them to work
Six jeepney drivers in Caloocan City were arrested earlier this week for protesting against the government, which continues to prohibit them from working.
— Coconuts Philippines

Palace says religious gatherings at 50 percent seating capacity of venues allowed under MGCQ
Malacanang announced on Thursday, June 4, that mass gatherings for religious services or purposes would now be allowed only in areas under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ), but limited to the 50 percent seating capacity of religious venues.
— Eagle News

Where did funds from 2019, 2020 budgets for coronavirus response go?
The government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has entailed billions of pesos being set aside to fund different measures and programs.
— Rappler

Go chides gov’t agencies for delay in health workers’ benefits
Senator Christopher Lawrence Bong Go on Thursday lambasted the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for the delayed distribution of cash benefits to health workers who have died of, or infected with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
— Philippine News Agency

Army captures NPA lair in Surigao Norte
A 45-minute gun battle between government troops and communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels resulted in the capture of the rebels’ lair in the hinterlands of Surigao del Norte Wednesday.
— Philippine News Agency

Senate adjourns session without passing Bayanihan Law 2 on 3rd reading
The Senate adjourned its first regular session on Thursday afternoon without passing the proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.
— GMA Network

DOLE pushes for employment preservation in Bicol
With the huge impact of community quarantine to labor sector, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Bicol urges employers to protect jobs and prevent retrenchments by adapting the alternative work schemes.
— Philippine Information Agency

DOH: Funds for minor programs realigned for COVID-19 response
The Department of Health (DOH) said on Thursday, June 4, that it only realigned the budget of its minor programs to aid the government’s COVID-19 response.
— Rappler

‘Angry’ Duterte orders gov’t to ensure virus-hit health workers get compensation
An angry and frustrated President Rodrigo Duterte has given government agencies until Tuesday, June 9, to make sure health workers severely sick or who died of coronavirus get the compensation promised to them by law.
— Rappler

BARMM proposes recovery plan for Covid-hit firms
The Regional Board of Investments of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RBOI-BARMM) has conducted an on-site survey on four big processing companies in Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao to determine the status of business and investments of various firms affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
— Philippine News Agency

PRO-9 deploys 360 new cops for 6-month field training
The Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) has deployed a total of 360 newly-recruited policemen in different police stations across the region for a six-month of Field Training Exercises/On-the-Job Training (FTX/OJT).
— Philippine News Agency

Motobike backriding to be allowed in Cebu
Motorcycle backriding will soon be allowed in the province of Cebu.
— Tempo

 

 

Feature photo Department of Transportation – Philippines
This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo focuses on International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, June 5.

 

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.

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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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