Philippines Morning News For February 2

High-Ranking Communist Rebel Is Arrested in Philippines
The Philippine police said on Thursday that they had arrested a top leader of the country’s decades-old Communist insurgency, in the latest signal that President Rodrigo Duterte is not interested in resuming the peace talks he halted last year.
— The New York Times

Time for Duterte to deliver on ‘golden age’ vow
The Philippine economy boomed last year, lifting a country once regarded as ‘the sick man of Asia’ among the region’s most buoyant and vibrant economic achievers.
— Asia Times

Philippines is world’s top social media user: study
For the third year in a row, the Philippines emerged as the country that spent the most time on social media, according to a report by creative agency We Are Social and social media management platform Hootsuite.
— ABS-CBN

Why not sell Philippine Dealing System shares to the public via an IPO?
THE government-owned Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and the privately held Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) should not be allowed to take control of the ownership of Philippine Dealing System Holdings Corp. (PDSHC).
— The Manila Times

Is the Philippines a Chinese province?: Inquirer columnist
Partisanship is a state I wish to avoid and have been trying to do so for many years.
Of course, I have not been always successful, but I keep trying and I transcend it most of the time now.
— The Straits Times (paywall)

Philippine Bill Would Recognize Catholic Annulments
The Philippines’ House of Representatives passed a bill that would legally recognize Church-decreed declarations of nullity, or annulments.
— National Catholic Register

Poe denies pushing for Facebook ban in Philippines
Sen. Grace Poe denied on Thursday that she was pushing for a ban on Facebook in the Philippines, insisting that this is the disinformation that the Senate is trying to combat in its hearings on the so-called “fake news.”
— Philstar

Good cop runs after Philippines’ tycoons to keep internet affordable
An economist and academic at the helm of the Philippines’ anti-trust watchdog runs after the country’s tycoons with the same vigor as his marathon runner alter-ego, all in the name of consumers’ welfare.
— ABS-CBN

Philippines’ SM conglomerate ditches bakeshop buy
SM Investments, the Philippines’ most valuable conglomerate, is halting its purchase of local chain Goldilocks Bakeshop, both companies announced on Thursday.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Philippines counting on its expat army to lure more tourists
The Philippines is turning to its 10 million citizens living abroad and friendlier ties with China to help boost tourism in a country that lags Southeast Asian neighbours in visitors.
— Gulf News

DPM Teo Chee Hean visits Philippines, calls on Vice-President Leni Robredo
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean called on Philippine Vice-President Leni Robredo on Thursday (Feb 1) as part of his three-day visit to the Philippines this week.
— The Straits Times (paywall)

New vigor in Philippines-EU relations
In 2016, the EU ranked as the Philippines’ fourth largest trading partner, third as export market and fifth as import supplier. We have a surplus in our trade with the EU in contrast to our trade with China and ASEAN where we have large deficits.
— Philstar

Google wants Filipino biz to expand online presence
Google Philippines aims more Filipino enterprises to expand their presence online in order to tap opportunities brought by the digital economy.
— Philippine News Agency

Philippines volcano seen from space in satellite images
Mount Mayon on the island of Luzon in the Philippines has seen lava flowing from eruptions over the past few weeks. The volcano’s seismic monitoring network has detected a total of 273 volcanic earthquakes, 15 tremor events and seven rock fall events, according to a report released today.
— ABC News

PH ranks first in Asia in budget transparency
The Philippine government was named the most transparent is Asia when it comes to national budget, latest survey by the International Budget Partnership (IBP) revealed.
— Manila Bulletin

Elusive inclusiveness: Will federalism finally bring progress to rural PHL?
During the day, cranes atop unfinished skyscrapers cast long shadows over the concrete jungle that is Bonifacio Global City (BGC). By nightfall, they help illuminate the starless night sky of Metro Manila.
— BusinessMirror

Rappler links Duterte 2016 campaign to Philippine fake news ‘ecosystem’
News website Rappler has found millions of false social media accounts spreading fake news linked originally to the 2016 Philippine campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte.
— Asia Pacific Report

Palace to enforce suspension of deputy ombudsman Carandang
Only a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the courts can stop President Duterte from carrying out his suspension of Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang, Malacañang said yesterday.
— Philstar

PH, US, other governments unprepared to fight hackers – cybersecurity expert
Governments the world over, from the Philippines to the United States, are not prepared to fight hackers, cybersecurity expert Marc Goodman declared Wednesday, during the PilipinasCon 2018, a Forum on Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things at the Enderun Colleges in Taguig City.
— Manila Bulletin

Industry group wants to bar furnace imports from China
The ASEAN Iron and Steel Council (AISC) has called on governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to stop the importation of induction furnaces to produce carbon steel products from China.
— Philippine News Agency

TRAIN drags down growth of PHL manufacturing sector
After a stellar performance in 2017, the country’s manufacturing sector showed signs of slowing down at the beginning of the year based on the purchasing managers’ index (PMI) report for January, attributed mainly to the impact of the newly implemented Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act.
— BusinessMirror

Albay health office confirms contaminated water supply
The Albay Provincial Health Office (PHO) confirmed Thursday that samples from 30 natural sources of water from where evacuation centers draw their water supply have been found to be contaminated with fecal and total coliforms.
— Manila Bulletin

Feature photo Fabio Achilli

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 February 2 added by Leakhena Khat on February 2, 2018
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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.