Philippines morning news for March 15

Philippines morning news for March 15
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Philippines morning news

‘Hot money’ flowed into PHL for second straight month
FOREIGN investors continued to place “hot money” in the Philippines in February, as the latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed sustained foreign portfolio investments (FPI) net inflow for the month.
— Business Mirror

Palace: Philippines won’t cooperate with ICC on probe vs Duterte
THE Philippine government will not cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) should the latter proceed with its investigation on President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-narcotics drive, Malacañang said Thursday, March 14.
— Sun Star

1.2M households without water
The bad news is all customers of Manila Water in Metro Manila and Rizal province will now experience service interruptions every day until the rains come.
— The Manila Times

Chinese firms ‘hands off’ Hanjin takeover – Board of Investments
The Board of Investments (BOI) on Thursday, March 14, said that Chinese firms are so far “not interested” in taking over Subic-based shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines.
— Rappler

‘$20-billion net FDI signals investor confidence’
THE country’s $20.1 billion in net foreign direct investments (FDI) over the two-year period of 2017 and 2018 is “unprecedented” and shows the deepening investor confidence in the Philippines, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).
— Business Mirror

Millions of children at risk as death toll rises in Philippines measles outbreak
An estimated 3.7 million children under five in the Philippines are at risk during a measles outbreak that has already claimed 286 lives, most of them children or babies, the Red Cross is warning.
— Reliefweb

Tax amnesty clips government revenue target
The Duterte administration’s economic managers have decided to cut the government’s revenue target this year following the enactment of a watered down tax amnesty law.
— The Philippine Star

Slowdown in remittance growth seen pressuring the peso
The Philippine economy should “remain fairly strong” despite sluggish remittance growth over the past 10 years, although this makes the country and its currency more vulnerable to sudden shifts in global risk appetite, a London-based think tank said.
— The Philippine Star

Philippines needs ‘czar,’ more infra for water: American Chamber
American businessmen in the Philippines on Thursday renewed their call for the government to designate a ‘water czar’ to oversee concerned agencies as tens of thousands in the capital grappled with a supply shortage.
— ABS-CBN News

Palace signs into law measure cutting red tape from energy projects
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop (EVOSS) Act, which seeks to streamline the permit-issuing process for power generation, transmission, and distribution projects.
— BusinessWorld Online

Duterte says priests should be shot
President Rodrigo Duterte again launched into a tirade against priests, studded with violent language and threats.
— Rappler

Cimatu calls on Filipinos to cut down on plastic use as PHL among top 5 countries throwing plastic in oceans
– Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has called on all Filipinos to cut down on plastic use as the Philippines becomes one of the top five countries in the world that contribute to plastic waste in oceans.
— Eagle News

Rappler chief Maria Ressa posts P300,000 travel bond
RAPPLER Inc. Chief Maria Ressa posted a P300,000 travel bond, which a Manila court had set for her trips this March and April.
— The Manila Times

DILG files charges against 46 officials in narco-list before the Office of the Ombudsman
On orders of President Duterte, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) late Thursday filed complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against 46 narco-politicians earlier named by the President.
— Manila Bulletin

US report highlights rape cases related to Philippine drug war
At least 8 cases of rape were lodged against 16 policemen in the Philippines between January 2017 and July 2018, the US State Department said in its annual report, released Thursday.
— ABS-CBN News

Philippines becomes more investment-driven economy: economist
The Philippines’ economy has become more investment-led in 2018, the chief economist of the Department of Finance said on Thursday, indicating that the country is enjoying the confidence of foreign investors.
— Xinhua

Philippine Air Force gets go signal to start cloud seeding ops
The Philippine Air Force has been given the green light to start cloud seeding operations to address the El Niño phenomenon.
— Inquirer.net

NegOcc farmers avail of P53-M loan from DA special credit program
Hundreds of farmers and fisherfolk in Negros Occidental have benefited from about PHP53 million in loans from the Production Loan Easy Access (PLEA) program of the Department of Agriculture -Agricultural Credit Policy Council (DA-ACPC).
— Philippine News Agency

Cebu Pacific’s Australian traffic grows over 50%
Cebu Pacific said Thursday passenger traffic between the Philippines and Australia grew more than 50 percent as of November last year, overtaking rivals Philippine Airlines and Qantas.
— Manilastandard.net

PRRD signs law on free access to tech-voc education
President Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed a law mandating free access to technical-vocational education to address unemployment and job mismatch in the country.
— Philippine News Agency

New law makes PH adoption process faster, simpler
Adopting a child will now take only around two months under a new law that simplifies the country’s adoption process and does away with months or even years of tedious processes.
— CNN Philippines

Gov’t to look into possible mismanagement, officials’ inefficiency as cause of water crisis
The government’s investigation on Metro Manila’s water supply problem is underway, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Thursday.
— CNN Philippines

Measles cases in Bangsamoro region drop, but still at 361 so far this year
THE MINISTRY of Health (MoH) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) reported 361 confirmed measles cases from Jan. to March 10 this year, a significant drop from 1,260 cases in the same period last year.
— BusinessWorld Online

Beyond dry spells, El Niño could induce violent storms
THE onset of El Niño in the country is set to be a major risk to the country’s growth and inflation prospects for the year, ING Bank Manila economist Nicholas Mapa warned.
— Business Mirror

Tourists told to explore other Kidapawan destinations
City Tourism Office here has appealed to both local and foreign tourists to explore other destinations in the city and North Cotabato in the face of the impending closure of Mt. Apo to trekkers.
— Philippine News Agency

EU, UN-backed Justice Zone opens in Davao
European Union Ambassador Franz Jessen affixes his signature on the Wall of Commitment to supporting the Justice Zone and reform initiatives.
— Philippine News Agency

30K residents flee BIFF, military clashes in Maguindanao
Ongoing clashes between military forces and the Islamic State-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) have displaced more than 30,000 residents in Maguindanao’s seven adjoining municipalities.
— Philippine News Agency

Duterte dares ICC: Hang me
If the International Criminal Court (ICC) will declare him guilty of crimes against humanity due to the series of drug-related killings, President Rodrigo Duterte said he would be “glad to go” and will even be the one to put the rope around his neck.
— Philippine News Agency

Franchise sector to yield record revenues of US$31-B this year
Members of Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) is hoping to yield combined revenues of US$31 billion this year — its highest on record — on the back of growing middle class as well as improving business activities in rural areas.
— Manila Bulletin

Duterte vetoes Central Luzon investment hub bill
President Rodrigo Duterte has vetoed a bill seeking the creation of an investment and infrastructure coordinating hub in Central Luzon.
— The Manila Times

OFWs with HIV up 33% in January
The number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) went up by 33 percent in January, according to party-list group ACTS-OFW.
— The Manila Times

Duterte: P1 million for killing ‘number 1 ecstasy supplier’
Government operatives involved in an operation that resulted in the death of an alleged party drug supplier to celebrities will get a cash reward from President Duterte.
— The Philippine Star

Health care, purchasing top sectors for online hiring in Q4
ONLINE HIRING activity in the Philippines rose slightly during the fourth quarter of 2018, online job recruitment site Monster.com said.
— BusinessWorld Online

Philippines internet use all-time high in fourth quarter 2018
nternet use in the country hit an all-time high in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll.
— The Philippine Star

Indonesia wants Philippines import safeguards on coffee mixes lifted
The Indonesian government is demanding for the Philippines to permanently lift the safeguards on the imports of coffee mixes in exchange for investments in the country.
— The Philippine Star

Rice tariffication law good for farmers, agri group says
The rice tariffication law is advantageous to the farmers and to the rice farming industry as a whole, according to farmers’ group Samahang Industriya ng Magsasaka (SINAG).
— Philippine News Agency

Ibon denies channeling funds to NPA, says gov’t out to control economic analysis
Research group Ibon Foundation has denied being a conduit for funding of the New People’s Army.
— GMA News

Foreign lawyers to probe attacks on Filipino counterparts
awyers from various international organizations will conduct fact-finding missions on various attacks against members of the legal profession in the Philippines.
— Inquirer.net

Manila Water sends ‘conspiracy theories’ down the drain
Embattled Manila Water rejected speculations and conspiracy theories that the lack of water supply in parts of Metro Manila and Rizal was orchestrated to push for the construction of the China-funded Kaliwa Dam or push for another rate hike.
— Rappler

38 lawyers killed since August 2016 –IBP
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) on Thursday said 38 lawyers have been killed since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in 2016.
— GMA News

Seven farmers’ groups in Maasin City get rice harvesters
A total of seven groups of rice farmers in this city will now have a taste of mechanizing their works in the farm, particularly the harvesting of palay.
— Philippine Information Agency

Water shortage forces NKTI to cut number of dialysis patients
The shortage of water supply in Metro Manila has forced the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) to cut the number of its dialysis patients on Thursday.
— GMA News

House to hold discussions on Metro Manila water crisis
The House of Representatives will hold on Monday next week a discussion on the ongoing water crisis in many areas in Metro Manila.
— GMA News

EcoWaste laments increased use of disposable products amid water shortage
The water supply shortage is being blamed for the increased demand for the use of disposable plates, spoons, forks and cups, among others.
— The Philippine Star

Autopilot agricultural drone sprayer tested in Ilocos Norte
Some local farmers in Ilocos Norte looked up in the sky with excitement on Thursday as they witnessed the initial takeoff of an autopilot drone sprayer which could apply foliage fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide including seeds, and aqua feeds, at high speed compared to the traditional method.
— Philippine News Agency

Bus operators want wage scheme to pay drivers more
BUS operators said one of the flaws of the part-fixed and part performance-based salary scheme being enforced by the labor department is the failure to recognize the need to pay bus drivers more than conductors.
— BusinessWorld Online

Whither the implementation of the new UHC Law?
THE ENACTMENT of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law marks a watershed in the Philippine health sector.
— BusinessWorld Onine

PCCI members urged to transform their businesses for Industry 4.0
Members of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) were urged to rethink their policies and strategies to prepare their businesses for the transformation that the digital revolution is bringing.
— Eagle News

Rural Missionaries of the PH denies being a communist front
The Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP) denied it is a legal front of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and is financing terrorist activities, claims made by government officials who had asked the European Union (EU) and Belgium to cut their funding for …
— Rappler

 

Feature photo Brian Evans

 

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.

 

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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.

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