Philippines morning news for June 12

Philippines morning news for June 12
Advertisement
Online English lessons

Philippines morning newsInvestments surged 40% to P290.6b in five months
The Board of Investments approved P290.6 billion worth of investment commitments in the first five months of the year, up 40 percent from P207.5 billion year-on-year.
— Manilastandard.net

Trade deficit narrows to $3.5 B in April
The country’s trade position improved in April as exports went up marginally while imports declined, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said yesterday.
— The Philippine Star

WellMed owner charged
Estafa and falsification of public documents charges have been filed against one of the owners of WellMed Dialysis and Laboratory Center, the clinic at the heart of a scam that has led to the sacking of top Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) officials.
— The Manila Times

Palace concerned over China ships in Panatag
Malacañang yesterday expressed concern over the presence of Chinese naval vessels near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, which is off Zambales and well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
— Spratly Islands

WellMed owner’s camp cries illegal arrest, files petition for writ of habeas corpus
The camp of an owner of the WellMed Dialysis Center, which has been accused of processing PhilHealth medical benefits of deceased patients, has filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus.
— Eagle News

In catch-up mode, GDP seen growing over 6% in H2
The country’s economic growth will fall within the government’s target in the next three-quarters (or at least in the second half of 2019), as slowing rate of increase in consumer prices is seen to encourage consumer spending, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.
— Manila Bulletin

Growth in PHL health care costs second-highest in Asia — Mercer
HEALTH CARE costs in the Philippines are expected to post double-digit growth in 2019 and will continue to rise next year, driven by the higher cost of private health services.
— BusinessWorld Online

Duterte eyeing Dr. Jaime Cruz as new PhilHealth president
President Rodrigo Duterte is eyeing one Dr. Jaime Cruz as the new PhilHealth president.
— Eagle News

Old PH flags honored with solemn rite on eve of Independence Day
At sundown on Tuesday, 5,000 old, torn and faded Philippine flags were burned in Cavite province, in a solemn rite meant to give “final honors” to the national symbol.
— Inquirer.net

Deals and wagers: Party-list bloc expected to name House speakership bet next week
The Party-list Coalition is expected to name next week its bet for the House speakership race, its president said on Tuesday.
— Business Mirror

PSA pilots town of Biri for 2020 census of population and housing
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Northern Samar pilots the municipality of Biri, Northern Samar for the 2020 Census of Population and Housing scheduled from May 20 to June 17 2019.
— Philippine Information Agency

Philippines keen on exporting mangoes to South Korea & Russia
The Philippines intends to increase mango exports to Japan, South Korea and Russia to ease the glut in mango supply, but the Department of Agriculture (DA) admitted it will not be easy due to the stringent food-safety rules in these nations.
— Fresh Plaza

50 years of Singapore-Philippines friendship
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Singapore-Philippines diplomatic relations, the Singapore Embassy in Manila held an evening reception with the theme “50 Years of Singapore-Philippines Friendship” at the Ballroom of Hilton Hotel, Pasay City.
— Inquirer.net

Ahead of SONA 2019, Duterte Cabinet to hold 3 fora on accomplishments
As in 2018, the Duterte Cabinet will be holding fora to showcase the achievements of the Duterte presidency in the lead up to his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.
— Rappler

Plastic waste for groceries: Valenzuela launches swap scheme
Valenzuela City’s 400 street sweepers can now swap all the plastic waste they collect for groceries while public school students can win gift certificates for plastic sachets or beverage cartons they surrender to school coordinators.
— Inquirer.net

Cashless transactions’ ubiquity level to exceed BSP’s target rate
THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) remains optimistic the ubiquity level of electronic transactions would exceed its target as the Central Bank aims for greater efficiency of channels for delivering banking and financial services.
— Business Mirror

After KAPA, SEC runs after 5 more ‘investment scams’
Following the crackdown on the Kapa-Community Ministry International, Inc. (KAPA), the Securities and Exchange Commission ran after five more groups allegedly running illegal investment schemes.
— CNN Philippines

Coca-Cola maker to build P1-billion PET recycling plant
BOTTLING firm Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines Inc. will spearhead a P1-billion project to put up a food-grade recycling facility that will transform used PET plastic bottles into new and recyclable beverage bottles.
— Business Mirror

Grab: 15,000 ‘colorum’ drivers deactivated since start of 2019
Ride-hailing giant Grab Philippines on Tuesday, June 11, said that some 15,000 drivers have been deactivated from its platform since the start of the year.
— Rappler

SEC: P50 billion flowed into Kapa
Police and agents from the National Bureau of Investigation raided 14 offices of Kapa Community Ministry International Inc., a day after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the group shut down for its alleged involvement in an illegal investment scheme.
— Manilastandard.net

Real-estate companies doing business decline 11.1% to 519 in 2017–PSA data
There were fewer real-estate firms operating in the country in 2017, latest data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
— Business Mirror

DPWH to build P800-million road in Zamboanga City
The Department of Public Works and Highways is preparing for the implementation of an P800-million road project linking this city and the province of Zamboanga del Norte.
— Manilastandard.net

COA declares illegal dietary supplement allowance for Napolcom officials, personnel
The Commission on Audit has decried as “illegal” the grant of “Dietary Supplement Allowance” to employees and officials of the National Police Commission, saying that this is among the seven cash benefits worth a total P51.22 million that should be disallowed.
— Manila Bulletin

Duterte mulls revamp of airport management
President Duterte is eyeing a revamp of officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after expressing dismay over delays in international and domestic flights, purportedly due to a lightning advisory, last weekend.
— The Philippine Star

Rice inventory rose to nearly 3 million tons in May–report
The country’s rice inventory reached nearly 3 million metric tons (MMT) a few weeks before farmers started planting for the wet season based on the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
— Business Mirror

DOE to auction PDAs for RE service contracts
The Department of Energy (DOE) is enforcing changes in the award of service contracts to renewable energy (RE) developers with its intended offer of pre-determined areas (PDAs) for such installations.
— Manila Bulletin

Government urges banks to boost funding for ‘green’ projects
The government is urging financial institutions to provide innovative solutions and investment models that will spur financing on the green, climate-smart, and sustainable projects.
— Business Mirror

Dialysis center staff face fraud charges, but not Philhealth officials
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday, June 11, filed complaints of estafa and falsification of documents against 10 employees of the Wellmed Dialysis Center, including its detained owner and two whistleblowers.
— Rappler

House freezes ABS-CBN franchise, firm takes movies to China market
The House of Representatives has frozen the bill, which seeks to renew the legislative franchise of broadcasting giant ABS-CBN Corp. The franchise expires in nine months or on March 20, 2020.
— The Philippine Star

Decongestion of Metro Manila pushed
The Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction recommended the decongestion of Metro Manila when President Rodrigo Duterte’s official family tackled earthquake readiness on Monday night.
— The Manila Times

DOLE unit, Facebook partnership to boost OFW digital literacy, entrepreneurial skills
Social-media giant Facebook and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa), an agency under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), recently formalized a partnership that seeks to expand the digital literacy and sharpen the entrepreneurial skills of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in areas where they are concentrated most, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East.
— Business Mirror

Mangoes worth P20 to P50 per kilo up for grabs in DA bargain sale
The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced Monday that they are selling mangoes at a discounted price amid a supply surplus.
— Manila Bulletin

MRT-7 completion to be delayed to 2022
SAN MIGUEL CORP. (SMC) expects the completion of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) to be pushed back to 2022, with partial operations seen by 2021 as the company encounters right of way issues.
— BusinessWorld Online

New laws to boost PHL external trade–Neda
Amid the decline in the country’s total trade, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said passing new laws will improve the country’s external trade performance.
— Business Mirror

DPWH builds high-rise, typhoon-resilient schools in Southern Leyte
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Southern Leyte District Engineering Office has constructed new school buildings throughout Southern Leyte.
— Philippine Information Agency

DOH working to achieve WHO goal of 100% blood supply from voluntary, unpaid donors by 2020
With this year’s theme Safe Blood for All, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday said they are working to achieve 100% voluntary non-remunerated blood donations by next year, as envisioned by the World Health Organization.
— GMA News

DOST study backs hazard pay for MMDA enforcers
At age 37, Dennis Jimenez was diagnosed with hypertension, three years after he started working as a traffic constable for the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
— Inquirer.net

Duterte orders local flights to Sangley Point
President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the immediate transfer of domestic flight operations to Sangley Point in Cavite to ease the congestion at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).
— Inquirer.net

Security officials check Customs employees’ desk drawers, bags in anti-tara efforts
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has started random inspections of their offices, employees’ bags as well as that of their clients amid efforts to end the practice of the tara system or pay-off system, according to the report of Jun Veneracion for 24 Oras on Tuesday.
— GMA News

DA initiates metro-wide promo for PHL mangoes as surplus harvest reaches two million kilos
The Department of Agriculture initiated a marketing and promotional campaign for Philippine mangoes as a quick response to the oversupply of mangoes in the country.
— Eagle News

DOH advocates voluntary blood donation
The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday urged the public to take part in its campaign for voluntary and unpaid blood donation which is an integral part of universal health care (UHC).”Blood transfusion saves millions of lives every year.
— Philippine News Agency

38 daily cases of HIV may affect blood supply quality: Gordon
Philippine Red Cross (PRC) chairperson and Senator Richard Gordon on Tuesday said the increasing number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases this year could affect the supply of quality blood products nationwide.
— Philippine News Agency

Lorenzana asks countries to be more cautious when passing through PHL waters
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has urged the United States and other countries to me more careful when passing through Philippine territorial waters, saying the Philippines may have to get involved when a collision involving the US results in a shooting war.
— GMA News

Foreigners may soon need working visa, TIN to work in PH
Amid concerns of a rise in foreigners working illegally in the country, members of the Duterte Cabinet are seeking a new government regulation that will impose more requirements on foreign workers.
— Rappler

After 2 years, kin of Bohol mayor still await justice
Justice remains elusive to the family of Mayor Gisela Bendong Boniel of Bien Unido town in Bohol province, who was believed to have been killed by her husband.
— The Inquirer

Cebu City council voids Cebu South Road Properties sale
With councilors affiliated with Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) having the majority vote, the Cebu City council on Tuesday, June 11, approved a resolution declaring as void from the beginning the sale of land in Cebu City’s South Road Properties (SRP) area 4 years ago.
— Rappler

US to help coast guards in Pacific protect exclusive economic zones
The United States Coast Guard will continue to help Indo-Pacific countries which are having difficulties protecting their exclusive economic zones such as the Philippines, its commander in the region said on Tuesday.
— GMA News

DPWH probes Cebu underpass contractor
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is investigating a firm, which bagged a P700-million underpass project here, over allegations that it falsified its track record to get the contract.
— Inquirer.net

New museum focuses on the history of Binondo
MANY OF the first pharmacies, theaters, and department stores in the City of Manila were found in the district of Binondo. Founded in 1594, the city had a pivotal role in international trade and the place of the world’s first Chinatown in this role is the focus of a new museum.
— BusinessWorld Online

Northern Samar to host 2019 Regional Rescue Jamboree
The province of Northern Samar will host the 2019 Regional Rescue Jamboree at the University of Eastern Philippines in Catarman come July 21-27.
— Philippine Information Agency

Abra re-strategizes to improve nutritional status
With the province still having the highest prevalence of malnutrition in the Cordillera region, the Provincial Nutrition Committee re-identified its objectives based on its Provincial Nutrition Action Plan (PNAP) to achieve improvement of its nutritional status.
— Philippine Information Agency

 

Feature photo Rakso Air Travel & Tours

This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo acknowledges Philippines Independence Day, June 12.

 

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.

 

The following two tabs change content below.

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.

Support independent media by sharing using these tools. Do not steal our content

Make a comment

Your email address will not be published.