Philippines Morning News For November 1

18 dead, P112M crops lost in Rosita’s wake
Typhoon Rosita (international code name: Yutu) has left 18 people dead, with most of the victims killed in landslides in Northern Luzon, authorities reported on Wednesday.
— The Manila Times

PH ‘ease of doing business’ rank falls to 124th out of 190 countries
The Philippines fell farther in its “ease of doing business” ranking from 113th last year to 124th this year in a field 190 countries covered by an annual World Bank report.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

October inflation may reach 7%
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Wednesday inflation rate in October may hit as high as 7 percent on the back of higher costs of fuel and water.
— Manilastandard.net

NFA allots P12.2 billion for rice imports
State-run National Food Authority (NFA) is allocating P12.2 billion for the procurement of 500,000 metric tons (MT) of rice as part of its strategy to flood the market with rice imports to bring the prices down.
— The Philippine Star

DBM allots P57.85-billion for ROW acquisition, potable water projects, in ’19 national budget
THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has increased the budget allocation for some 384 potable water projects and road right-of-way (ROW) acquisitions in the 2019 national budget.
— Business Mirror

Liquidity up by 9.7% to P11.2 T in Aug.
The central bank reported that in September, domestic liquidity growth slowed down to 9.7 percent to P11.2 trillion compared to the 10.4 percent expansion recorded in August.
— Manila Bulletin

Foreign investment rules eased
After several months of delay, Malacañang finally released the latest foreign investment negative list (FINL), giving clarity on the kind of welcome foreign investors can expect when doing business here in the country.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

DBM releases P662.5-M quick response fund in time for ‘Rosita’
The Department of Budget and Management has released P662.5 million to replenish the government’s quick response fund, or QRF, after Typhoon Rosita (international name: Yutu) pummeled northern Luzon and as the country prepares for more storms later in the year.
— The Philippine Star

Manila ranks among lowest in 2018 Sustainable Cities Index
Manila landed at the bottom-most quartile the 2018 edition of Arcadis’ Sustainable Cities Index (SCI) due to its low scores on sustainability despite “promising” economic growth.
— Philippines Magazine

NFA issues guidelines on rice importation
THE National Food Authority (NFA) has released various sets of guidelines covering the importation of rice by the private sector, including the extension of shipment arrival and the guidelines for the 350,000-metric tons (MT) out-quota importation.
— Business Mirror

Philippines seen sustaining growth amid high inflation
The economy is expected to sustain its robust growth this year and the next because of strong government spending and investment, but stability must be prioritized amid strong inflationary pressures and external headwinds, according to the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office.
— The Philippine Star

‘Grossly inaccurate’: Gov’t rips World Bank report on doing business in PH
The Department of Finance and the Department of Trade and Industry on Wednesday slammed a World Bank report evaluating the ease of doing business in different countries that allegedly showed “grossly inaccurate findings” in the Philippines.
— ABS-CBN News

Palace calls reported P25 wage hike for NCR ‘unofficial’
MALACAÑANG said the reported P25 minimum wage increase for Metro Manila is not yet official and remains under review, after labor and employer representatives claimed knowledge of information contained in the National Capital Region (NCR) wage order ahead of its release.
— BusinessWorld Online

Pay hike order for Metro Manila workers set in November 2018
The government will issue a new minimum wage order for workers in Metro Manila next week, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello announced yesterday.
— The Philippine Star

Duterte to campaign for his election bets
President Rodrigo Duterte will release a list of candidates that he will support in the 2019 elections.
— CNN Philippines

Duterte revives barter in Mindanao
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the revival of barter in Mindanao in a bid to promote growth and order in the war-torn region.
— Sun Star

11th Foreign Investment Negative List bares ‘modest’ gains in easing restrictions
MALACAÑANG on Wednesday finally issued the government’s closely watched list of sectors in which foreign participation is regulated, showing sectors where restrictions have eased including teaching in “higher education levels.”
— BusinessWorld Online

China’s top diplomat assures aid for Mindanao development
Mindanao will continue to get assistance for development initiatives, with projects already in the drawing board, such as the Mindanao Railway System and the rehabilitation of Marawi.
— Philippine News Agency

‘No militarization’ at BOC, as 10-month take hits P482B
AMID a verbal presidential order to let the military take over its operations to stop corruption and the repeated smuggling of illegal drugs, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported on Wednesday that its collections as of October 29 this year have reached P481.72 billion, higher by 31.3 percent than last year’s end-October collection of P366.74 billion.
— Business Mirror

Philippines ranks 5th among countries stifling the press
The Philippines ranked fifth in the Global Impunity Index on oppressing the press that was topped by strife-torn Somalia, based on a report released yesterday by the New York-based press freedom watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
— The Philippine Star

No shortlist yet for submarine acquisition: AFP official
The government has yet to come up with a shortlist of countries where it can acquire its first-ever diesel electric submarines from.
— Philippine News Agency

Rice self-sufficiency ratio slid to 93.44 percent in 2017–PSA
DESPITE a record-high palay harvest last year, the country’s rice self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) in 2017 dropped to 93.44 percent, from 95.01 percent in 2016, according to a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
— Business Mirror

P25-wage hike a pittance—Labor
Labor groups slammed the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board for approving a P25 daily wage hike for Metro Manila workers, calling it a “pittance” that pleased only employers.
— Manilastandard.net

PH, Japan to sign loan deal for MRT rehab next week
The governments of the Philippines and Japan will sign a loan agreement for the rehabilitation of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) on November 7, a Department of Transportation (DOTr) official said Wednesday.
— PTV News

Makati: P30 million paid for movie tickets for PWDs, seniors in 9 months
The Makati City government announced Wednesday it paid five theater owners more than P30 million for the free movie tickets given to senior citizens and persons with disability in the city who availed the privilege in the last nine months.
— Manilastandard.net

Policy picks: Philippines rice rules and new Singapore standards in our regulatory round-up
We take a look at the latest policy news making the headlines, including new rice rules in the Philippines and stricter managerial standards in Singapore.
— FoodNavigator-Asia.com

WATCH: Thousands head to provinces for Undas 2018
Thousands of commuters flocked airports and bus terminals Wednesday night, October 31, bound for the provinces ahead of Undas, which falls on a 4-day weekend.
— Rappler

China to speak up for Philippines’ rights record at UN, foreign minister says
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has vowed to defend the Philippines at the United Nations and in other international human rights forums.
— The Philippine Star

Duterte creates Philippine Anti-Illegal Drugs Strategy
AMID the government’s relentless drive against illegal drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte has institutionalized the Philippine Anti-Illegal Drugs Strategy (Pads).
— Sun Star

Senator cites ADB study in proposal for creation of urban poor commission
SEN. Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, citing an Asian Development Bank (ADB) study, prodded Congress to front-load the passage of a law creating a National Commission for the Urban Poor, with marching orders to address socialized housing problems, among other major concerns.
— Business Mirror

Feature photo Jes Aznar

This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo acknowledges International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, November 2.

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 November 1 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on November 1, 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.