Philippines Morning News For March 14

Subsidies to various government agencies hit P131 billion in 2017
The national government has disbursed subsidies to various agencies amounting to P131 billion for 2017, with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) receiving the highest subsidy of P47.19 billion for the year.
— Business Mirror

Rappler lawyer rejects tax evasion rap
News website Rappler did not have to pay income tax or value added tax for the sale of its Philippine depositary receipts or PDRs, contrary to allegations made in a tax evasion complaint, its lawyer said Tuesday.
— ABS-CBN (video)

Aquino should be charged for ‘hastening’ Dengvaxia procurement – Gordon
Criminal charges should be filed against former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and his budget and health secretaries for allegedly “hastening” the procurement process of the controversial P3 billion Dengvaxia vaccine, Senator Richard Gordon said Tuesday.
— Inquirer.net (video)

PHL slaps temporary ban on Dutch poultry products
The government has imposed a temporary ban on importing poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and domestic and wild birds from a municipality in the Netherlands.
— Business Mirror

P71-billion infrastructure, MSME projects OK’d
A CABINET-LEVEL body has approved P71.35 billion worth of flood-control and bridge projects as well as one that aims to enhance the productivity of micro, small- and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said on Tuesday.
— BusinessWorld Online

Mass vaccination flawed, US scientist tells senators
A US-BASED expert on dengue research said Tuesday he was “astonished and upset” with the mass vaccination program that administered the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia to 800,000 children.
— Manila Standard

Philippine unicorn Revolution Precrafted bags $3.2b deal in Dubai
Philippine-based developer Revolution Precrafted, a unicorn startup that provides prefabricated properties around the world, has sealed a landmark $3.2-billion deal to build luxury apartments and hotel villas in Dubai’s The World Islands.
— Deal Street Asia

US gives Philippine air force first drones
The United States gave the Philippine air force on Tuesday its first surveillance drone system, as the two nations step up cooperation in the battle against jihadist militants.
— The Jakarta Post

Market slips by 0.4% on thin trade
The local stock barometer yesterday slipped as investors braced for an upcoming US inflation data, which will provide clues on the pace of the US Federal Reserve’s monetary tightening.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

SteelAsia sets P80B integration
SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. is embarking on an P80-billion five-year investment program that would fulfill the Philippines’ dream of having a true steel industry.
— Malaya

Petron profit up 30% to P14.1 billion last year
Petron Corp., the country’s largest oil refiner, reported a 30 percent jump in net earnings in 2017, driven by strong sales here and abroad.
— Philippine Star

Water rates to go down by April
Water bills may be going down this April but government regulators are already studying a proposed hike in water rates which could take effect this year.
— ABS-CBN (video)

PH eyes $5.7-M sales in Malaysia fair
The Philippines hopes to earn $5.7 million in export sales at the Malaysian International Halal Showcase (Mihas) 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, next month.
— The Manila Times

Package 2 to affect PH competitiveness
The government’s tax reform Package 2 — focused on corporate profits and fiscal incentives — could end up being detrimental to investments, a Fitch Group unit said.
— The Manila Times

BoI approves P85.9-b investments of Solar Philippines
The Board of Investments said it approved the registration of eight solar projects of Solar Philippines Commercial Rooftop Projects Inc. worth P85.9 billion.
— Manila Standard

ConCom allows only 2 relatives to run in poll
The Consultative Committee (ConCom) tasked by President Rodrigo R. Duterte to review the 1987 Constitution on Tuesday voted to allow only two relatives within the second degree of consanguinity and affinity to run in the same elections, but they can only run for one national post and one local position.
— Philippine News Agency

Customs generates P1.86-B revenues in Subic
THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) at the Port of Subic presented Tuesday, March 13, the top 15 importers who contributed the bulk of the P1.86-billion revenues collected in January and February 2018.
— Sun Star

Maynilad, MWC plan to spend P285 B
Maynilad Water Services, Inc. and Manila Water Corp. — are looking to spend as much as P285 billion over the next 19 years so that by 2037, the country’s capital is already 100 percent covered in terms of sewage treatment system.
— Manila Bulletin

DOH urges dog, cat owners to have pets vaccinated
With summer just around the corner, the Department of Health (DOH) has called anew on pet owners to be responsible by ensuring that their pets, especially dogs, are vaccinated and properly leashed.
— Northbound Philippines

Philippines seizes hundreds of smuggled animals
Authorities seized on Tuesday (Mar 13) hundreds of exotic pets smuggled into the Philippines, which is a regional hub in the illicit animal trade.
— Channel NewsAsia

Cha-cha should ban Duterte from re-election – professor
As the administration prepares for a shift to a federal form of government by going through different amendment and revision proposals, a professor argued on March 13 that the new constitution should ban the President from running again.
— Philippine Canadian Inquirer

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 March 14 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on March 14, 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.