Philippines Morning News For September 21

At least 21 dead, 74 missing in Naga, Cebu landslide
A landslide triggered by heavy rains killed at least 21 persons in Naga City, Cebu on Thursday morning, authorities said.
— ABS-CBN (video)

ADB OKs $7.8B in loans for PH for 2018-2021
As the Duterte administration prioritizes infrastructure development under its ambitious “Build, Build, Build” program, the Asian Development Bank has increased the share of transport projects in the total loans it is making available for the Philippines in the next four years.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Confirmed ‘Ompong’ death toll now at 23
The confirmed death toll from the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong has climbed to 23.
— Philippine News Agency

7% PH inflation in wake of typhoon likely – analyst
More than half a million metric tons of paddy rice were wiped out by Super Typhoon Mangkhut last weekend, adding pressure to rice prices which are already at a record.
— Manila Bulletin

Hundreds of families evacuated after deadly landslide in Cebu province
Some 500 families in Naga City, Cebu were evacuated Thursday following a massive landslide that left at least 18 people dead while dozens remain missing.
— ABS-CBN

PHL office market deals hit record-high 1.4 million sq.m. as of September 2018
AMID the continued growth in capital and lease values in the Philippines, the office segment of the real-estate industry remains robust as it posted a record-high 1.4 million square meters (sq m) of aggregate workspace transacted as of this month, indicating a strong demand, Leechiu Property Consultant bared on Tuesday.
— Business Mirror

House to push for open-pit mining ban
House of Representatives Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is determined to ban open-pit mining following President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive against this type of mining during his State of the Nation Address (SONA).
— Philippine News Agency

Court urged to issue warrant vs Trillanes for failure to present amnesty application
The Department of Justice has insisted for the issuance of a warrant and travel ban against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV due to his failure to present the primary evidence to prove that he did file for an amnesty.
— Philippine Star

Government to issue P50-billion Marawi bonds
THE government is eyeing to issue some P50 billion in Marawi bonds by October this year in support of rehabilitation efforts for the Islamic city laid siege to by terrorists for five months in 2017, according to Task Force Bangon (Rise) Marawi Head Eduardo D. del Rosario.
— Business Mirror

International People’s Tribunal convicts Duterte of human rights abuses
The International People’s Tribunal (IPT) has found President Rodrigo Duterte guilty of human rights violations, citing witness testimonies on alleged incidents.
— Philippines Magazine

Manila universities receive bomb threat
Several schools in Manila received bomb threats on Thursday, the Manila Police District (MPD) said.
— ABS-CBN

Gov’t to issue access cards for Boracay tourists
The government plans to give out access cards for those who wish to party or relax in the world-famous island of Boracay.
— Rappler

SBMA eyes P10.2-billion infra work
The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority is actively pursuing the implementation of a P10.2-billion six-year infrastructure development program to be funded under the national government’s Build-Build-Build program.
— Manilastandard.net

H1 oil import bill up 32.8% on high prices, weak peso
THE country’s net oil import bill in the first half of the year amounted to $5.678 billion, up by 32.8 percent from $4.277 billion in the same period a year ago, mainly on account of higher oil prices in the world market. Bigger import volumes and a weak peso were also factors.
— Business Mirror

Maynilad to spend P422M to replace QC pipes
West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad) said it would spend P422 million for pipe replacement in Quezon City in a bid to reduce water losses.
— The Manila Times

DoLE flags investment scam targeting OFWs
THE labor department has warned Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) against participating in investment schemes offered by entities without Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) approval.
— BusinessWorld Online

PT&T to invest P7B in network expansion
Philippine Telegraph & Telephone Corp. (PT&T), among the companies seeking to become a new mobile player under the government’s third telco initiative, is looking to spend around P7 billion to bring its internet backbone nationwide in two years.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Metrobank, BPI to raise P150B from debt market
METROPOLITAN Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank) and the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) are planning to issue bonds and commercial papers amounting to a combined P150 billion to finance their businesses.
— The Manila Times

Saudi employer sued for forcing OFW to drink bleach
Officials in Saudi Arabia filed a torture case against a local employer who allegedly forced an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) to drink household bleach, said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday, September 20.
— Philippines Magazine

Benguet Corp. to donate landslide-hit mine site
Benguet Corp. is willing to donate to the government at least 80 hectares of its Antamok mine site as Minahang Bayan or community mine for small-scale miners.
— Philippine Star

PHL foreign meat purchase bill grew to record 27.91% in last 7 months–BAI data
The country’s meat imports this year is on track to hit a new record high, as total volume from January-to-July posted a 27.91-percent growth driven by higher demand for protein and processed meat products.
— Business Mirror

Term deposit volume reduced
The Bangko Sentral ng PIlipinas (BSP) has slashed the volume of the term deposit auction facility (TDF) for the second straight week amid the tighter monetary condition.
— Philippine Star

I-Remit says remittance growth up 12%
I-REMIT, Inc. posted a 12% growth in personal remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFW) as of July this year, outpacing the 3% recorded by the industry as reported by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
— BusinessWorld Online

QC to model education system from Singapore
Quezon City wants to use Singapore as the model for its educational system, citing the country’s ASEAN neighbor of generally having one of the most elite students in the world.
— Manila Bulletin

At least 16 mayors under probe for absence during typhoon Ompong
More than a dozen mayors in northern Luzon are under investigation for supposedly abandoning their constituents at the height of Typhoon Ompong’s onslaught.
— ABS-CBN (video)

CHEd removes service requirement from free college tuition law IRR
The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) has agreed to remove the service requirement for beneficiaries of free tuition in government schools from the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017.
— BusinessWorld Online

Gordon: Culture of preparedness must be instilled in Filipinos
A lawmaker said Filipinos need to be made more aware of how to prepare and respond to calamities.
— CNN Philippines

Feature photo UK Department for International Development (DFID)

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 September 21 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on September 21, 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.