BoI: Investments up to P454.8B in Jan-Sept
Investment pledges approved by the Board of Investments (BoI) grew by 19 percent to P454.8 billion in January to September this year from P381.2 billion in the same period last year, the Board of Investments (BoI) said yesterday.
— The Manila Times
Filipino makes splash in ADB’s water photo contest #WaterYouDoing (photo gallery)
A 27-year-old education researcher from the Philippines was the lone representative of an Asean member country to garner an award in the recent Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Youth Water Photo Competition, #WaterYouDoing.
— AEC News Today
The 15 best Philippine companies to work for in Asia
A human-resource survey of more than 5,200 workers at 150 companies across the Philippines has named more than a dozen domestic employers as among the Best Philippines Companies to Work for in Asia 2018.
— AEC News Today
Workers seek wage hike anew
With the impending jeepney and bus fare increase, workers are again demanding a wage hike.
— The Philippine Star
Gov’t sets SRPs on rice
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Trade and Industry yesterday signed a joint memorandum circular (JMC) setting suggested retail prices (SRP) on both locally produced and imported rice sold in the local market.
— Malaya
Tourism spike seen as Siargao named Asia’s best island
Tourist arrivals on Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte province is expected to increase after it was named the best island in Asia by a luxury travel publication.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer
Weak opposition boosts Duterte camp’s chances of clinching midterms
A weak opposition bloc in the Philippines has become more apparent in the run-up to midterm elections in May, boosting the chances of Rodrigo Duterte’s allies to clinch victory and adding impetus to the president’s reform agenda.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)
DOF rues P86.3B in perks
Some profitable firms enjoyed P86.3 billion worth of tax perks in 2015, even if they did not need government support, the Department of Finance said Thursday.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer
DOF sees P14-billion gain from higher fuel costs
The Department of Finance (DOF) expects revenue losses from the planned suspension of the additional increase in fuel taxes effective January next year will be somehow compensated by higher collections from value-added tax (VAT).
— Manila Bulletin
US aid to Marawi reaches P3.2-B
The United States government has already pledged a total of PHP3.2 billion to the rebuilding of Marawi City as of October 2018, making it one of the largest foreign aid donors to the city’s recovery efforts a year after the bloody siege ended.
— Philippine News Agency
Duterte shrugs off health rumors anew, says dark skin caused by using partner’s facial cream
President Rodrigo Duterte once again shrugged off rumors on his health problems.
— CNN Philippines
Philippines’ San Miguel halves food unit’s share sale to $920 million
Philippine conglomerate San Miguel Corp (SMC.PS) slashed the size of its food unit’s share sale by almost half to $920 million, as a weak stock market thwarted what could have been the nation’s biggest ever secondary offering.
— Reuters
EU calls for accelerated FTA talks
European Union (EU) Ambassador Franz Jessen has urged the Philippine government to accelerate discussions to realize the proposed bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) to further improve economic relations between the two parties.
— Manila Bulletin
MORE DETAILS ON THE PHILIPPINE NAVY’S HORIZON 2 OFFSHORE PATROL VESSEL PROJECT AFTER ADAS 2018
Shipbuilders from Asia, Australia and Europe gathered in Manila from 26th to 28th September 2018 for the 3rd Asian Defense, Security, and Crisis Management Exhibition 2018 (ADAS 2018), the Philippines’ foremost defense exhibition held biennially.
— Maxdefense Philippines
BSP adds P10-billion offer to 28-day TDF
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) added another P10 billion to its weekly auction of 28-day term deposit facility (TDF) as demand rises for this tenor.
— Manila Bulletin
Fines for nuisance candidates pushed in Senate
A bill seeking to penalize all nuisance candidates is now being pushed in Senate.
— UNTV News
Duterte: I will not submit to the ICC
President Rodrigo Duterte said there was no way he would give in to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
— CNN Philippines
Indonesia, Philippines sign 10 border agreements
The Governments of Indonesia and the Philippines have signed 10 agreements related to the border of the two neighboring countries.
— Antara News
PHL aerospace industry export grew 42% from 2012 to 2016–DTI chief
The country pioneered the first commercial flights in Asia 70 years ago and it comes as no surprise that today, “the Philippines is supplying the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers various aerospace parts.”
— Business Mirror
Villar pushes P2B cacao intercropping, training for farmers
Senator Cynthia Villar vowed to push for the approval of a P2 billion budget for cacao intercropping and training that will help improve the livelihood of farmers in the country.
— Manila Bulletin
152 senatoriables, 185 party-lists aspire in 2019 mid-term polls
A total of 337 aspirants for the Senate and party-list seats have filed their Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) and Certificates of Nomination and Acceptance (CONAs) during the five-day filing period for the May 13, 2019 mid-term polls, an official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Wednesday.
— Northbound Philippines
PNP gets 700 drone units to beef up security ops
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has acquired 700 drones to beef up law enforcement, security and safety activities against possible attacks by communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and other threat groups.
— Philippine News Agency
Pasay prosecutor gives Trillanes 7 days to reply to sedition charge
The Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office has given seven days to the camp of Senator Antonio Trillanes, IV to reply to the sedition charge filed against him.
— Manila Bulletin
NPC seeks Facebook report, insurance over data breach
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has ordered Facebook to submit a data breach notification report and provide identity theft and phishing insurance to the 755,973 affected users of the social networking site based in the Philippines.
— The Philippine Star
ABS-CBN TVplus box sales exceed 6 million units
Almost three-fourths of non-cabled homes in Metro Manila are now watching TV via digital terrestrial television (DTT) due to the robust sales of ABS-CBN TVplus, the company said in a statement.
— ABS-CBN News
Family planning bolsters economic, social success: UN
Effective family planning is key to a country’s economic and social development, an official of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said Wednesday.
— Philippine Canadian Inquirer
Work-from-home bill ‘one step closer’ to becoming a law: solon
The Telecommuting Act of 2017 also known as the work-from-home bill is a step closer to becoming a law pending the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte, a lawmaker said Thursday.
— ABS-CBN News
LTFRB approves jeepney, bus fare hike beginning November
COMMUTERS riding jeepneys and buses should brace for a round of fare hike come November, as transport regulators on Thursday provisionally approved the petitions for fare adjustments due to the continuing increases in fuel prices.
— Business Mirror
Phoenix Petroleum to issue up to P10-B commercial papers
PHOENIX Petroleum Philippines, Inc. said its board of directors had approved the issuance of commercial papers amounting to up to P10 billion, of which an initial series amounting to P7 billion are to be offered this year, the company told the stock exchange on Thursday.
— BusinessWorld Online
Belgium asks PHL to lift ban on pork imports after ASF
BRUSSELS asked Manila to lift the import ban it imposed on pork products from Belgium after it confirmed that African swine fever (ASF) struck wild boars in a forest.
— Business Mirror
Business seeks less luxury good imports, more new infra projects
Businessmen yesterday approved the 44th Philippine Business Conference (PBC) Resolutions seeking urgent government action to strengthen exports, less importation of luxury goods, ensure rice sufficiency, construction of mass transit system, new major international airport in Metro Manila and establishment of a major seaport outside the metropolis.
— Manila Bulletin
Project signed for Marawi’s school children
Save the Children Philippines, together with Insular Life Assurance Co., Ltd and Insular Foundation Inc., has launched the “Balik-Marawi, Balik Eskwela” project for displaced school age children in support of the government’s rehabilitation of the conflict-stricken province, one year after the end of hostilities.
— Manilastandard.net
SMHC to pay for right-of-way acquisition, permits for airport
SAN MIGUEL Holdings Corp. (SMHC) has committed to shouldering the costs for right-of-way acquisition and local government permits for its proposed New Manila International Airport in Bulacan in order to secure the go signal from the Department of Transportation (DoTr).
— BusinessWorld Online
East Asia and Pacific, including PHL, among best performers in shared prosperity–WB
THE East Asia and Pacific region, which includes the Philippines, was one of the best performers in shared prosperity, according to the World Bank.
— Business Mirror
Accenture launches online training program to develop ‘soft skills’
ACCENTURE Philippines (Accenture) said it launched the “Skills to Succeed Academy” online training initiative to improve the so-called “soft skills” of jobseekers aged 16 to 24.
— BusinessWorld Online
2018 milk imports to hit 2.7 MMT–report
Cheaper international dairy products would encourage traders to import more milk this year, with shipments seen reaching 2.7 million metric tons (MMT) liquid milk equivalent, 8 percent higher than last year’s 2.5 MMT.
— Business Mirror
Hungary, PHL to hold first joint economic meeting in early 2019
The governments of Hungary and the Philippines will hold the first meeting of their Joint Economic Committee (JEC) in the first half of 2019, according to Hungarian Deputy Chief of Mission David Ambrus.
— BusinessWorld Online
DOST says it will dismantle own monorail system in UP
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will dismantle the monorail commuter system it built inside the campus of the University of the Philippines (UP) before the year ends.
— Business Mirror
3 dead in FDA chief convoy ambush
Three police security escorts to the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were killed in an ambush by gunmen, suspected to be members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA), on Thursday morning in Lupi, Camarines Sur.
— The Manila Times
Why Philippines and Indonesia are prone to natural hazards
The catastrophic damage left behind by the 7.5-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Palu, Indonesia still leaves people shaken to their very core.
— Rappler
Feature photo cornellcurrent
This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo acknowledges International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, October 17.
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 October 19 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on
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Stella-maris Ewudolu
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.
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