Philippines Morning News For June 11

China to apply law vs. ‘violators’ at Scarborough Shoal: DFA
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Chinese government assured the Philippines that it will “apply the law very harshly” to violators of the fishing agreement at the Bajo de Masinloc (BDM) or the Scarborough Shoal, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said Sunday.
— Northbound Philippines

BIR ordered to return P50 million in excess taxes to San Miguel
THE Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) has granted San Miguel Holdings Corp. (SMHC) a partial tax refund of P50.61 million for “excessive” taxes collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
— BusinessWorld Online

Neda vows P2.69-B China-funded Chico River project to succeed
The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) seeks to assure Filipinos the P2.69-billion Chico River Pump Irrigation Project funded by the Chinese government will not fail.
— Business Mirror

Construction activity up 2.6% in Q1
Construction activity in the country grew 2.6 percent in the first quarter as more non-residential buildings rise, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
— Philippine Star

BIR exceeds targets, nets P172.5B in May
Monthly and year-to-date collection targets were exceeded in May by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which reported netting P172.49 billion — up 8.6 percent from a year earlier.
— The Manila Times

DENR wants to lift moratorium on new mining projects
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu is seeking to amend the controversial Executive Order (EO) 79 and DENR Memorandum Order (DMO) 2016-01, which effectively banned new mineral projects in the country and caused the slowdown in the growth of the mining sector.
— Manila Bulletin

P1.5-M fund distributed to Apalit senior citizens
More than P1.5-million fund from the local government here were distributed to senior citizens of this fourth district town as part of their monthly social pension.
— Sun Star

PEZA investment pledges drop in 5 months
Investment pledges in the country’s economic zones continued to post a steep drop in the first five months on persisting concerns over the government’s second tax reform package.
— Philippine Star

P200m for Balili flood control project eyed
An inter-agency body says it needs P200 million to bankroll the Balili River Flood Control and River Park project that will help clean up a large portion of the river system which starts from Baguio City to Naguilian, La Union, apart from serving as an ecotourism destination in La Trinidad town.
— Manilastandard.net

1,500 cops deployed for #BabaeAko rally
At least 1,500 police officers would be deployed for the rally of the #BabaeAko movement at the Liwasang Bonifacio tomorrow to protest President Duterte’s kissing of a married woman during his visit to South Korea, an official said yesterday.
— Philippine Star

Para athletes seek financial support for ASEAN buildup
As the Philippines hosts the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in 2019, the Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC) hopes the country’s hosting of the 10th ASEAN Para Games (APG) in 2020 won’t be overlooked.
— Rappler

Top internet users: Philippines ranks 12th
Sixty-seven million out of the 104 million Filipinos – or 63 percent of the total population – are social media savvy and have been using the internet despite its slow speed, making Filipino netizens the 12th among the top 20 internet users globally.
— Philippines Magazine

Consumer confidence improves in Q2 2018
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced that consumer confidence improved for the 2nd quarter of 2018, based on the results of its Q2 2018 Consumer Expectations Survey (CES).
— Rappler

PH solar power plants among Southeast Asia’s top 25
Philippine facilities occupy 10 slots in Southeast Asia’s top 25 operational solar power plants, and electricity produced from this technology is expected to triple in four years, according to Dutch firm Solarplaza.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

3 more countries seek to renew air agreements with Philippines
THE list of countries that the Philippines may update and expand its air-services agreements with this year now includes Switzerland, after the European country expressed interest in modernizing its air pact with the Philippines.
— Business Mirror

Duterte Has Brought Safety To The Philippines
President Rodrigo Duterte’s cruel tactics against drug traffic may have terrified some in the Philippines.
— Forbes

No order from Duterte to stop patrols in WPS: SAP Go
Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go clarified Saturday that President Rodrigo Duterte did not order the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to stop patrolling the disputed West Philippine Sea.
— Philippine News Agency

Offensives vs BIFF force evacuation of over 1,700 families in Maguindanao
Hundreds of families fled their homes Sunday due to offensives against ISIS-inspired groups in Maguindanao.
— CNN Philippines

Cayetano: PH, China agree fishermen can freely navigate South China Sea
The Philippines and China have agreed that fishermen can freely navigate the disputed South China Sea, Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said on Sunday.
— Inquirer.net

Philippine rice inventory hits 6-month high
The country’s rice inventory as of May 1 rose to the highest level in six months, after the harvest of local paddy kicked into high gear in April, according to data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
— Philippines Magazine

Revenues from coconut oil exports down 39.2 percent in January to April
The value of the country’s coconut oil (CNO) exports fell by 39.2 percent to $383.046 million in January to April, from last year’s $630.048 million, preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
— Business Mirror

NTA exploring export markets for tobacco ahead of smoking ban
THE tobacco harvest is expected to dwindle this year as farmers shift to other crops in preparation for the nationwide smoking ban, and regulators are exploring alternative markets including export destinations, where prices are firming up due to interest in alternatives to smoking that are still based on tobacco.
— BusinessWorld Online

Homeowners hit developer over woes
Every homeowner’s dream is to live in a community that is fully functional — with electricity and water, an environment that is safe and secure, and with enjoyable features the developer promised beforehand.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

PH trade deficit widens to 4-month high
Investors digested the widening trade deficit in the Philippines which hit a four-month high in April.
— ABS-CBN (video)

Policymakers acting ‘too slowly’ on inflation
German lender Deutsche Bank has raised concerns that Philippine monetary and fiscal authorities are acting “too slowly” to address a rise in underlying inflation, which it claimed was an indication of economic overheating.
— Philippines Magazine

BSP: Household savings continue to improve
The central bank said household savings continued its rise particularly in areas outside of the National Capital Region (NCR), based on a consumer-related survey.
— Manila Bulletin

Feature photo Brian Evans

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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 June 11 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on June 11, 2018
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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.