Philippines Morning News For May 15

World Bank fund to aid Guimaras mango produce
Some 171 mango growers and producers from Guimaras are recipients of a P18-million grant in a joint project of the World Bank, the host local government unit, and its beneficiaries.
— Manila Standard

NIA seeks unprecedented budget of P55 B in 2019
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is planning to ask for an unprecedented budget of P55 billion to bankroll its infrastructure projects that are crucial to develop the country’s irrigation system.
— Manila Bulletin

More foreign banks pick Philippines as hub for global operations
More foreign banks are trooping to the Philippines not only to put up branches or representative offices, but to transform the country as the hub for their global operations.
— Philippine Star

Manila Water secures P5-B loan from PNB
Manila Water Co. Inc. has signed a 10-year, term loan facility worth P5 billion with the Philippine National Bank (PNB).
— The Manila Times

Pepsi donates 1,000 solar ‘gasera lights’ to Marawi
PepsiCo and Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc. (PCPPI), in partnership with MyShelter Foundation’s Liter of Light, has donated 1,000 “gasera lights” to communities in Marawi City.
— Philippine News Agency

Philippines to integrate open-source electronic medical record platform for enhanced health programs
According to an announcement by the Ateneo de Manila University (ATENEO), the Philippine Department of Health Region VII is integrating the SHINE OS+ electronic medical record system of Smart Communications and Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center (AJWCC) with its existing reporting tool to enhance the region’s health programs.
— Open Gov

Davao City tourist arrivals up by 18% in Q1
AS of the first quarter of 2018, tourist arrivals in Davao City had increased by 18 percent to 543,279 from 459,104 tourist arrivals during same duration last year.
— Sun Star

China to deploy fighter jets to South China Sea — think tank
In a matter of time, China will deploy fighter jets to its artificial islands in the South China Sea, which is expected to significantly expand Beijing’s capability to project power in its outposts, a private think tank has reported.
— Philippine Star

Philippines: Election-related violence leaves 33 dead
At least 33 people have been killed and 19 others wounded in several poll-related incidents ahead of Monday’s nationwide local elections in the Philippines, the country’s police chief said.
— Aljazeera

PHirst Park Homes to launch P2.8-B Batangas housing project
PHirst Park Homes, the first-home division and brand name of listed real estate developer Century Properties Group, Inc., is launching a P2.8-billion project development in Lipa, Batangas.
— Manila Bulletin

EDC calls for government support to push geothermal development in the Philippines
With the Philippines having fallen behind Indonesia in the ranking of installed geothermal power generation ranking, this clearly has left a mark on the geothermal industry in the country.
— Think GeoEnergy

PH still top Asean market for US wines
The Philippines will remain America’s largest Southeast Asian wine market, with exports projected to reach 4.3 million liters or 477,778 cases worth $13 million (P677.27 million) this year, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.
— The Manila Times

Duterte to send off Filipino scientists to Philippine Rise
President Rodrigo Duterte is sending off an all-Filipino team of scientists to Philippine Rise on Tuesday to begin the country’s first scientific research in the vast undersea plateau off Aurora province.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Government keen on additional increase in sin taxes
The Department of Finance (DOF) will still push for a further increase in the excise taxes on sin products, particularly cigarettes, despite its possible impact on inflation, according to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez.
— Philippine Star

Teachers to get tax refund for service in May 14 polls
TEACHERS who served in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) on Monday would receive reduction in tax from their election-related income in the form of refund.
— Business Mirror

PH vehicle output plunges 38% in Q1
Philippine vehicle production continued to languish dropping 38 percent in the first quarter, data from the Asean Automotive Federation (AAF) showed.
— Malaya

32 ecotourism sites up for audit
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau proposed for the audit of potential ecotourism sites to assure sustainable development and economic benefits to indigenous people.
— Malaya

Duterte repeat vow to retire after PH shifts to federal system
President Rodrigo Duterte has declared again that he would step down once the country completes the shift to a federal system of government.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Develop ‘livable’ communities, property firms told
“LIVABLE COMMUNITY” isn’t exactly what comes to mind when you see the congested spaces in Metro Manila.
— BusinessWorld Online

New global bond sale in late Q3 or early Q4
The government is planning to launch another global bond sale this year following a successful issuance in January, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd said on Monday.
— The Manila Times

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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 May 15 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on May 15, 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.