Philippines Morning News For January 24

Exclusive: Looted cash, gold help Islamic State recruit in Philippines
Islamist insurgents looted cash, gold and jewellery worth tens of millions of dollars when they occupied a southern Philippines town last year, treasure one of their leaders has used to recruit around 250 fighters for fresh attacks.
— Reuters

Philippine Volcano Erupts, Causing 56,000 To Flee
Mount Mayon, the Philippines’ most active volcano, erupted for eight minutes on Monday afternoon, spewing a 3-mile-tall column of debris and volcanic gas. It exploded at least five more times Monday night and Tuesday morning.
— NPR

PHL growth seen breaching 6% even without elections
Elections are no longer a major factor in Philippine economic performance, economists said, allowing the country to stay away from “boom-bust” growth cycles seen in previous administrations.
— BusinessMirror

Philippines losing over P220 billion a year due to child undernutrition – report
The Philippines loses over P220 billion yearly due to the high prevalence of child undernutrition, according to a report launched Tuesday, January 23.
— Rappler

Supreme Court eyed to break Charter change impasse
The Supreme Court (SC) can break the impasse between the Senate and the House of Representatives over procedures for approving a constitution for a federal form of government, Sen. Francis Escudero said yesterday.
— Philstar

Philippines retains EU export perks despite ‘extrajudicial killings’
The Philippines Tuesday hailed the retention of duty-free privileges for most of its exports to the European Union despite concerns over alleged “extrajudicial killings” in President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
— ABS-CBN

The 9 trends that will shape digital marketing in the Philippines in 2018
Over the past few years, the Philippines has been making great strides in embracing various digital marketing innovations, showing no signs of slowing down. All these are driven by the growing internet and social media usage in the country. According to We Are Social’s Digital in 2017 report, Filipinos spend an average of 9 hours on the internet and 4 hours and 17 minutes on social media every day, the most in the world.
— Rappler

Philippines to fast track Muslim self-rule in Mindanao
The Philippine Congress has vowed to fast-track a long-delayed bill establishing self-rule for Muslims in the southern island of Mindanao, in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s warning that another war could break out if the legislation collapses.
— Al Jazeera

Supreme Court orders license plates to be released
Expect fewer vehicles in the streets with improvised or even quirky plates following the Supreme Court’s lifting yesterday of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the release of 700,000 license plates.
— Philstar

Fresh tax hikes eyed under ‘Package 2 Plus’
A supplement to Package 2 of the government’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) will be submitted to Congress later this month, Finance Secretary Carlos Doinguez 3rd said on Tuesday.
— The Manila Times

Government to evaluate, audit power facilities
The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued guidelines for the performance assessment and audit of all power generation, transmission and distribution systems and facilities.
— BusinessMirror

Philippine economy returns crown to China
Despite 19 years of uninterrupted growth, the Philippine economy was still unable to surpass China’s expansion, after the Asian superpower posted a “surprising” recovery in 2017, from a 26-year low in 2016.
— Rappler

Why This Volcano Eruption in the Philippines May Be Especially Deadly
The most active volcano in the Philippines is well known for its perfect cone shape—which actually signals how dangerous the volcano can be. Its geology and location could soon combine in explosive, and deadly, fashion.
— National Geographic

No role for Duterte in transition govt
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will not accept any role in a transition government as his administration pushes for a shift to federalism, Malacañang maintained on Tuesday.
— The Manila Times

Singapore-Philippines aviation market: rapid growth, but Cebu Pacific and Scoot JV still unfinished
The Singapore-Philippines market has grown rapidly over the past decade, driven primarily by expansion from low cost airlines. Four of Asia’s main LCC brands now compete in the Singapore-Philippines market and account for more than 50% of the capacity.
— Centre For Aviation

TRAIN to dampen consumer spending this year, experts say
The country’s GDP may grow at a slower pace this year, as the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law could cut consumer spending, economists said on Tuesday.
— BusinessMirror

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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 January 24 added by Leakhena Khat on January 24, 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.