Philippines Morning News For December 26

Rodrigo Duterte’s son quits as vice mayor over drug smuggling links
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s eldest son has quit as vice mayor of the southern city of Davao, citing his being linked to a drug smuggling case by opponents and personal problems from a failed marriage as reasons for the move.
— ABC

China expands in West Philippine Sea, Philippines relies on ‘good faith’
The Philippine continues to rely on Beijing’s “good faith” after a Chinese government report said that it “reasonably” expanded its islands in the disputed West Philippine Sea.
— Philstar

36 bodies retrieved in mall fire; govt probe set
The Justice Department ordered a criminal investigation Monday into a shopping mall fire that killed 37 people, including call center staff from an American firm.
— Manila Standard

UN ready to support storm-ravaged Philippines
As the country reels from the death and devastation wrought by a slew of natural disasters in recent days, the United Nations expressed its sympathies with the Philippines and expressed readiness to provide support to local emergency operations.
— Philstar

The Philippines’ deadly Christmas weekend
A fatal bus accident early Monday was the latest in a string of deadly tragedies to hit the Philippines this holiday weekend, including a typhoon and a shopping mall fire.
— CNN

Palace claims war vs illegal drugs ‘hugely successful’
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drugs — criticized for supposed human rights abuses —was “hugely successful,” according to Malacañang.
— The Manila Times

Typhoon Tembin moves from Philippines to Vietnam as death toll rises to 230
Hundreds of thousands of people in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta have been evacuated as the region braces for the arrival of Tropical Storm Tembin, which left more than 230 people dead in the Philippines.
— ABC

Probe ordered into Philippine shopping centre fire
Authorities in the Philippines have ordered a criminal investigation into a fire at a shopping centre on Mindanao island over the weekened that killed 37 people.
— Al Jazeera

Employers support House bills on job mismatch
Employers are supportive of four House bills that seek to develop a more competitive Filipino workforce by providing qualified people free access to technical and vocational training.
— Philstar

PH cinema needs a fresh dose of talent, looks, brains
Like many things that were great during the first bloom of youth, the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) today has fallen into hard times. It has a hard time making money at the box office. It produces more bad films than good; it is dominated by tired movie formulas. Those who speak for the festival lack conviction about the event and can only mouth clichés.
— The Manila Times

Activist now defending Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
You are a lawyer who has just been named presidential spokesman. It is your fourth day on the job. The boss admits to murder.
— New Zealand Herald

Rescuers search for survivors of Tembin in Philippines as death toll rises
Thousands of villagers in the southern Philippines spent their Christmas morning in emergency shelters as the region dealt with the aftermath of one of the deadliest storms this year.
— The Sydney Morning Herald

Charges to be filed vs those responsible for mall fire – Bello
Authorities will investigate a shopping mall fire in Davao City that killed dozens of people, most of them call center staff from an American firm, to determine responsibility for “appropriate legal action” and compliance with occupational and health standards and fire safety regulations.
— The Manila Times

Philippines relies on China’s good faith amid expansion in SCS
The Philippines will still rely on China’s good faith even as the Asian power has expanded and fortified the islands it is occupying in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea.
— Philstar

Shippers warn of higher cargo rates
Cargo transport firms are warning that higher fuel taxes under the recently-signed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Act will inflate operational costs and burden consumers.
— The Manila Times

Davao City declared under state of calamity
The city council here has declared the city under a state of calamity after the lashing it took from Tropical Storm “Vinta” last week.
— Manila Bulletin

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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.

Philippines Morning News For December 26 added by Leakhena Khat on December 26, 2017
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Leakhena Khat

Leakhena is a junior journalist at AEC News Today who is also currently studying International Relations, which she finds adds perspective to her work reporting on the Asean Community.

“I love what I am doing so much as it gives me a lot of great experience and provides challenges to my mind.