Philippines Morning News For July 17

ADB: 7 PH cities most vulnerable to flooding
Typhoons and flooding as a result of climate change will damage more houses in the Philippines by 2085 as seven cities are seen vulnerable to the rise in sea levels, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Friday.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

PH eyes bilateral FTA with US
After going through the failed proposal for sectoral free trade agreement (FTA) with the US and other forms of useless exercise to further open up access for Philippine goods in the world’s largest market, the Philippines is now eyeing the possibility of forging a comprehensive bilateral FTA with the US.
— Manila Bulletin

CA junks Marcos victims’ claim for $2-B damages
Over 10,000 human rights victims during the regime of president Ferdinand Marcos have lost a bid to collect nearly $2 billion in damages from the dictator’s family.
— The Philippine Star

SSS collects over P5 billion in overdue credit payments
STATE-RUN Social Security System (SSS) said it accumulated over P5 billion in overdue credit payments through its one-year payment scheme and is seeking to gain around P9 billion in the next five years.
— BusinessWorld Online

CEZA remitted P1.42B to nat’l treasury since ‘05
The Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) has remitted more than P1.427 billion to government coffers since it started earning in 2005.
— The Manila Times

Competition watchdog to start imposing sanctions
THE PHILIPPINE Competition Commission will impose starting Aug. 9 penalties on entities found violating Republic Act No. 10667, or the Philippine Competition Act, after the two-year transitory period under that law will have lapsed by then.
— BusinessWorld Online

Philippines rising
One year under the Duterte administration, the Philippines appears to be continuing the economy’s upward momentum. It has registered GDP growth for more than 70 consecutive quarters since 1998.
— Manila Bulletin

House to probe Del Monte’s P29-B tax liability
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez vowed to leave no stone unturned when the House of Representatives investigates reports that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) allowed a multinational company to get away with its supposed P29-billion tax liability.
— The Philippine Star

PH now covers 85% of entire airspace with 13 radars
Philippines’ air traffic radars are now up at 13 from 3, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said. With 13 radars the Philippines can now monitor 85% of its entire airspace to provide safer and more efficient flights.
— Update Philippines

LTFRB to impound Uber, Grab cars lacking franchise
Before the end of the month, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will start apprehending drivers accredited by ride-hailing companies and impound their cars if they continue to operate as public conveyances without franchises.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

PH still ‘deadliest’ in Asia for environmental activists
A London-based nongovernment organization has once again tagged the Philippines as the most dangerous country in Asia and third across the globe for environmental activists.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Philippine Tax Academy set to open in 2018
The government is set to establish the Philippine Tax Academy next year, aimed at providing government personnel continuous training on tax collection, the finance department said.
— Rappler

2018 budget for OP slashed
THE PROPOSED budget for the Office of the President (OP) has been slashed in the proposed expenditure program next year, Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said in an interview at Malacañang on Thursday, July 13.
— BusinessWorld Online

Farm output likely grew 5% in Q2 — Agri chief
FARM OUTPUT growth for the second quarter likely matched the first quarter’s pace to remain supportive of the economy during the period, the country’s agriculture chief said over the weekend.
— BusinessWorld Online

Gov’t spends P78.4 B to settle debt in May
The government spent P78.39 billion in May to settle its liabilities, data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed.
— The Philippine Star

Transport groups to hold protest on July 17 vs jeepney phaseout
Transport groups will stage a protest on Monday to urge President Rodrigo Duterte to stop the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program.
— ABS-CBN (video)

NEDA pushes nat’l ID system, end to ‘endo’
A committee under a legislative-executive advisory council has identified 13 priority bills as urgent, including a national identification system, the Traffic Crisis Act and a measure prohibiting labor-only contracting schemes, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said over the weekend.
— The Manila Times

PHL meat imports down 16.33% in Jan-May
Philippine meat imports in January to May declined by 16.33 percent as local traders were discouraged from buying more expensive meat products from abroad.
— Business Mirror

BOI investment pledges hit P273-B in mid-July ‘17
The Board of Investments (BOI), the country’s leading investment promotion agency (IPA), has approved a total of PHP272.7 billion from January to mid-July 2017.
— Philippine News Agency

Makati records 58,753 traffic violations from January to May
The Makati City Public Safety Department (PSD) has recorded over 58,000 traffic violations from January to May, with disobedience to traffic control signs and signals topping the list at 15,349.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Coffee production in Davao Region down by 2%
COFFEE production in Davao Region decreased by 2.14 percent to 11,429.78 metric tons (MT) in 2016 from 11,680.62 MT in 2015.
— Sun Star

DOH targets 3,119 kids in evac center to benefit ‘egg feeding’
Aimed to address micronutrient deficiencies of children in evacuation centers who were displaced after terrorist Maute group attacked Marawi City, the Department of Health (DOH) has launched egg-feeding program dubbed, “An Egg A Day Keeps The Doctor Away,” targeting 3,119 beneficiaries aged 6-59 months.
— Philippine Information Agency

Sea ruling now global law, inspite of Beijing
Despite Beijing’s attempts to undermine it, the UN maritime ruling favoring the Philippines already is part of world law. Manila tactfully must defend it and lead other lands in that effort, for Filipino and global interest.
— The Philippine Star

LEDAC lists 13 bills as ‘urgent’
THE CORE committee of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) has endorsed 13 bills — including a tariff on rice imports to replace the quota system — as legislative measures needing the certification by President Rodrigo R. Duterte as “urgent” such that they should be passed in the next five months.
— BusinessWorld Online

Gov’t to abolish HGC
The Duterte administration is looking to abolish the Home Guaranty Corp. (HGC), similar to its action on the Quedan and Rural Credit Guarantee Corp. (Quedancor).
— The Philippine Star

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.

Philippines Morning News For July 17 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on July 17, 2017
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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.