Philippines Morning News For August 12, 2019

Dengue epidemic hits 3 more regions
Three more regions have breached the dengue epidemic threshold, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Sunday, bringing the total to 10 regions since the government declared a national outbreak.
— Manilastandard.net

PHL needs big-spending tourists to hasten GDP expansion—Neda
Tourists who are big spenders will help the Philippine economy grow faster in the near- and medium-term, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).
— Business Mirror

COA hits DepEd’s P316-M spending on out-of-town trainings, seminars
The Commission on Audit (COA) called out the Department of Education (DepEd) over its “irregular, unnecessary, excessive, and extravagant” spending in 2018.
— Rappler

Palace expresses alarm over maltreatment of foreign nationals
Malacañang on Sunday expressed alarm over the growing number of maltreated foreign nationals in the country.
— Inquirer.net

Dominguez to Congress: Pass ‘sin’ tax hike first as ‘UHC train leaving’
FINANCE Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III is lobbying Congress to first pass the set of laws focusing on taxation for alcoholic beverages and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) of the remaining tax reform packages to fund the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) law.
— Business Mirror

2019 inflation may settle at low end of forecast
Inflation may likely settle within the lower end of the government’s 2.7 percent to 3.5 percent forecast for full-year 2019, according to Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran.
— The Philippine Star

Narrow PH budget deficit seen in 2019
The Philippine government is likely to post a narrow fiscal deficit this year because of the delayed approval of the 2019 national budget, Moody’s Investor Service said.
— The Manila Times

Palace: China’s refusal to recognize arbitral ruling won’t stop Duterte from raising it with Xi
China’s refusal to recognize arbitral ruling won’t stop Duterte from raising it with Xi MANILA, Philippines — China’s refusal to recognize the arbitral ruling on the South China Sea would not deter President Rodrigo Duterte from invoking the landmark decision during his visit to China this month, Malacañang said Sunday.
— Spratly Islands

China hoping to rebuild ties with Philippines after angry backlash over sinking of fishing boat in South China Sea
China is seeking to repair relations with the Philippines ahead of a visit by President Rodrigo Duterte after a recent collision between two ships in the South China Sea resulted in the sinking of a Philippine fishing boat.
— Spratly Islands

Palace: Permission to China means we own West PH Sea
Giving China “permission” for its presence in the West Philippine Sea shows the Philippines to be the “owner” of that area, Malacaang said on Sunday.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

13 M consumers face brownouts, rate hikes – ERC
Rotational brownouts and higher electricity rates may await millions of Filipinos in the areas being served by more than hundred power supply agreements (PSAs) that were invalidated with finality by the Supreme Court (SC).
— Manila Bulletin

Co-ops pressed on P238 million from universal charge
STATE-LED Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) has uncovered up to P238.3 million in universal charge (UC) collected from electricity users by electricity cooperatives but not remitted to the agency, which is the fund’s administrator.
— BusinessWorld Online

‘China’s aggression should be dealt with’
Saying that China’s growing aggression should be properly dealt with, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Sunday urged other senators to look into the growing presence of Chinese vessels and warships in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
— The Manila Times

PHL rice inventory expanded 31% at the start of lean season–PSA
The country’s rice inventory as of July 1 rose by 31.9 percent to 2.625 million metric tons, from 1.99 MMT last year due to the significant hike in the buffer stock of the National Food Authority (NFA).
— Business Mirror

DNL may tap the debt market to finance next projects
CHEMICAL firm D and L Industries Inc. (DNL) may tap the debt market to fund its P8-billion expansion facility in Batangas, but the company is waiting for interest rates to go down before it borrows.
— Business Mirror

Philippines can seek US assistance in monitoring EEZ – Panelo
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Sunday said there is nothing wrong with seeking assistance from the United States in monitoring the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

AFP junks suicide bomber report as fake news
The Armed Forces of the Philippines dismissed as “fake news” a report by a Singaporean newspaper that a Sri Lankan couple has sneaked into the country to carry out attacks in Luzon.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

SEC eyes release of new REIT rules by September
THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) targets to release the final guidelines for real estate investment trusts (REIT) by September, while remaining optimistic that the first such product will be launched within the year.
— BusinessWorld Online

Baguio won’t allow firm to reassign market contract
The city government last week said it would not allow the Uniwide Group of Companies to reassign its 1996 lease contract to modernize the public market here to another company.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

NFA: No diversion of P7-B rice procurement subsidy
STATE-RUN National Food Authority (NFA) on Sunday clarified there was no diversion of its procurement subsidy from the government amounting to P7 billion, after the Commission on Audit reported that the grains agency used the funds to pay for maturing loans instead of rice buffer stocking.
— The Manila Times

DTI seeks to regulate online merchants
As electronic commerce is expected to account for 50 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2022, online merchants will be required to register with the Department of Trade and Industry to formalize their operation and to strengthen transparency and accountability for consumers to run to for their complaints.
— Manila Bulletin

126 stranded tourists rescued in Visayas
More than a hundred tourists were rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) from the Gigantes Island in Iloilo during the onslaught of Typhoon Hanna.
— The Philippine Star

Cancer law ready for implementation
Cancer patients can now avail of government support as the Department of Health has signed the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for Republic Act 11215 or the “National Integrated Cancer Control Act” (NICCA) on Friday.
— The Manila Times

Philippines motor vehicle, motorcycle output down in H1
Philippine motor vehicle and motorcycle output continued to decline in the first semester and was among the lowest in the Southeast Asian region.
— The Philippine Star

4Ps-type program pushed for farmers
THE Departments of Finance (DoF) and Agriculture (DA) is working on the implementation of an assistance program to help rice farmers suffering from low prices of palay (paddy rice) as a result of the new rice regime.
— The Manila Times

China to become biggest export market for Davao’s durian
Miculob said three Chinese buyers, one of them the owner of a convenience store with 1,800 outlets, have reached out to the local growers to supply them with huge volumes of durian fruits.
— Manila Bulletin

Robredo hits Duterte’s refusal to sanction cops who accept gifts
Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday said government officials and employees are prohibited by law from accepting gifts in any form.
— CNN Philippines

DOT accredits 7 more establishments in Boracay, total of 372 approved
A total of 372 accommodation establishments in Boracay were already approved for operation, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said.
— Manila Bulletin

Falling to death of handcuffed Chinese alarms Palace –Panelo
Malacañang is alarmed by the report of a handcuffed Chinese who fell to his death trying to escape through a 6th-floor window of a building in Las Piñas recently, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on Sunday.
— GMA News

Ilocos Sur town declares NPA rebels as ‘persona non grata’
Local officials in this town of Ilocos Sur have declared the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels as “persona non grata” to deter the possible terrorism infiltration in the area.
— Philippine Information Agency

Baguio plans to require microchip implants in pet dogs
Baguio used to be the place to eat dogs. But because of frequent raids brought by the Animal Welfare Act, dog restaurants have become very rare.
— Rappler

1,000 rounded up in Baseco anti-crime drive
More than 1,000 residents were rounded up in the Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operation conducted by the Manila Police District in Baseco, Port Area, Manila yesterday.
— Tempo

US to aid PH in search for missing plane, pilot in Aurora
The United States Embassy in Manila on Sunday vowed to assist the Philippine government in finding the missing plane and its pilot, which is believed to have crashed in the mountain ranges of Aurora in July 2019.
— Philippine News Agency

Meet the lawyers fighting Bikoy’s sedition complaint
Excitement, not tension, was palpable at the Department of Justice (DOJ) executive lounge on Friday morning, August 9, for the first hearing on the highly-political inciting to sedition complaint against key members of the opposition and high figures in the Catholic Church.
— Rappler

Lahar-prone Albay town undergoes disaster preparation drill
What is in a town’s ethnic name? Often, it is a reference to something endemic like plants. Sometimes, it serves as a warning.
— Rappler

Public servants may accept unsolicited gifts – Palace
Public servants may accept gifts or tokens of gratitude as long as these are unsolicited presents of small value given without expecting anything in return, Malacañang insisted yesterday.
— Tempo

Cusi stops P8/kwh power rate in poor areas planned by Napocor
Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi had stopped a planned increase in power generation chargethat would bring power rates in some of the country’s remotest and poorest areas to more than P8 per kilowatt hour.
— Inquirer.net

30th NSM celebration in E. Visayas promotes data innovation
With the theme, “Data Innovation: Key to a Better Nation,” this year’s National Statistics Month (NSM) celebration in Eastern Visayas come October will highlight and introduce data innovations and new methods in providing quality statistics that are vital to data users for development purposes.
— Philippine Information Agency

There are EJKs in Manila, contrary to what Isko Moreno believes
There are no extrajudicial killings in his city, first-term Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said on Thursday, August 8, as he paraded a fresh batch of drug suspects caught by the police.
— Rappler

Netizens warn youth vs. joining left-leaning groups
Netizens have urged young Filipinos not to join Anakbayan, League of Filipino Students (LFS), and other youth groups involved in activism.This, after Relissa Lucena, mother of a student recruited by the leftist organization Anakbayan, shared how her daughter changed and eventually left their home after joining the progressive group.
— Philippine News Agency

Feature photo Janwen

This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo focuses on the current dengue epidemic.

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).

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Philippines morning news for August 12 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on August 12, 2019
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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.