Philippines Morning News For March 4, 2019

Philippine measles epidemic tops 14,000 cases
The number of cases of measles in the Philippines has exceeded more than 14,000 and the count is still rising even as the government steps up its campaign against a vaccine scare that was triggered by deaths allegedly caused by Dengvaxia, a vaccine against dengue.
— Bangkok Post

GOCC subsidies rise 4% in 2018; PhilHealth top recipient
SUBSIDIES granted to state corporations rose in 2018, with the bulk going to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), the Bureau of the Treasury said.
— BusinessWorld Online

Economists see Feb inflation at 2 to 4% range
Inflation likely eased last month back to within the two to four percent target set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) due to easing food prices, particularly that of rice, according to economists.
— The Philippine Star

Philippine factory business improvement weakest in six months
PHILIPPINE MANUFACTURERS in February registered their weakest improvement in operating conditions in six months after the softest rise in new orders in seven, according the latest survey compiled by IHS Markit for Nikkei, Inc.
— BusinessWorld Online

Peso Beats Asian Peers in Surprise Win as Philippine CPI Eases
The Philippine peso has defied a yawning current- account deficit to emerge as Asia’s best-performing currency in February. And it may continue to surpass its peers.
— Bloomberg

Why China’s eyeing of bankrupt Philippine shipyard sets off alarms in maritime Southeast Asia
Since Rodrigo Duterte’s ascent to presidency, Philippine-China relations have undergone a strategic renaissance.
— South China Morning Post

Malacañang denies that Chinese loans have high interest
The Malacañang assured that loan agreements between China and the Philippines do not carry high interest rates, after a former lawmaker revealed a “one-sided” loan from China for an irrigation project.
— CNN Philippines

BIR has P80 B in uncollected taxes
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has some P80 billion in uncollected taxes in the past decade, which the government seeks to partially capture through the newly enacted Tax Amnesty Law, according to the Department of Finance (DOF).
— The Philippine Star

Senate bets say no to oil deregulation, fuel excise tax hike
Several senatorial candidates on Sunday, March 3, called for the suspension of the laws on oil deregulation and tax reform.
— Rappler

British, Filipino firms to reveal impact of Train on companies
A British consultancy firm and Filipino audit company will reveal the implications to national and international companies of the Duterte administration’s Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Package 2.
— Business Mirror

Initial damage to farms from El Niño hits P150M
AT least 5,400 Filipino farmers have already incurred losses of more than P150 million due to hotter weather caused by El Niño, an initial damage assessment report of the Department of Agriculture (DA) obtained by the BusinessMirror showed.
— Business Mirror

BSP targets further charter amendments to look into deposits, conglomerates
THE CENTRAL BANK will seek further amendments to its charter to relax deposit secrecy rules and look into conglomerates that own banks to further boost their regulatory powers.
— BusinessWorld Online

Analysts flag ‘potential fractures’ in Bangsamoro Transition Authority
DEFENSE Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana on Saturday said the national government may exercise its power to “remove” any appointed transition leader who is “perceived to be sabotaging” the transition government of the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
— BusinessWorld Online

Boracay, El Nido beaches voted among Asia’s best
Despite its six-month closure last year, Boracay continues to gain interest from tourists with its beaches listed among the best in Asia in travel website TripAdvisor’s 2019 Traveler’s Choice Awards.
— The Philippine Star

China’s 2018 investment pledges to PH grow 20 times
China is betting on the Philippines once more, as approved investment pledges soared by an astonishing 2,072% in just a single year.
— Rappler

Auditors flag P3.6B in Philippine Coast Guard transactions
Auditors have flagged P3.6 billion worth of transactions in the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), adding to the list of financial irregularities that the agency has to answer for.
— Rappler

S. Korea, FAO launch $5.8M aid for peace, dev’t in Mindanao
The Korean Government, through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have launched a US$ 5.8 million (approximately Php302.4 million) initiative that will support efforts to foster sustainable peace and development in Mindanao.
— Manila Bulletin

SSS eases loan rules for 1.2 million pensioners
State-run Social Security System (SSS) made it easier for its more than 1.2 million qualified retiree pensioners to apply for the Pension Loan Program.
— Manilastandard.net

E-cigarettes more effective than nicotine therapy
A major new study has shown that e-cigarettes or vapes are nearly twice as effective as traditional nicotine replacement therapies in helping smokers quit cigarettes.
— Manilastandard.net

Pinoy sailors send home record $6.1B in 2018
Filipino sailors sent home a new record high of $6.14 billion or around P318.55 billion* in 2018, party-list group ACTS-OFW announced on Sunday, March 3.
— Rappler

SBMA revenue shares to local governments hit P1.87 billion
Revenue shares released by the Subic Bay Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) to neighboring local government units (LGUs) have reached a total of more than P1.87 billion, after it distributed last week the dividends for the second half of 2018.
— Business Mirror

PAL earmarks $650 million to fund acquisition of aircraft in 2019
Philippine Airlines has programmed $650 million worth of capital expenditures this year to fund the acquisition of new aircraft.
— Manilastandard.net

Number of Filipina executives plummets to 37%
The number of female executives in senior management positions at Philippine companies plummeted to 37 percent in 2019 from 47 percent in 2018, according to Grant Thornton International Ltd.’s Women in Business 2019 report.
— Manilastandard.net

Foreigners working in PH must pay taxes: DOF
The Department of Finance (DOF) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) are working closely with other government agencies, including the justice and labor departments, to ensure that foreign nationals working in Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO) comply with the country’s tax laws, particularly in the payment of income taxes.
— Philippine News Agency

PHL bans AI-hit India’s poultry; farm group seeks Senate hearing on ASF
THE Philippines has temporarily banned the importation of poultry products from India due to reported outbreaks of avian influenza (AI) in the South Asian country.
— Business Mirror

1,600 PH, US soldiers join military exercise
More than 1,600 soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US Army will participate in an annual bilateral exercise aimed to enhance their readiness and tactical interoperability while strengthening multinational relationship.
— The Manila Times

Office vacancy rates to reach 7.1% this year
AVERAGE VACANCY rate for office spaces in Metro Manila will likely hit 7.1% this year as more than 800,000 square meters (sq.m.) of new office supply is seen to enter the market in 2019, according to real estate services firm KMC Savills.
— BusinessWorld Online

Samar lawmaker gets 115 years for P16.1-M graft
The Sandiganbayan has convicted Samar second district Rep. Milagrosa Tan for eight counts of graft in connection with the anomalous purchase of emergency supplies for typhoon victims when she was governor in 2001.
— The Philippine Star

MARINA drawing up incentives for shipbuilding and repair industry
THE MARITIME industry regulator said it wants to attract private organizations to continue engaging in shipbuilding and repair by developing a scheme of tax incentives.
— BusinessWorld Online

UNICEF, rights group urge rescue of Positive Discipline Bill from Duterte veto
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Child Rights Network (CRN) on Saturday lamented President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to veto the “Positive and Non-Violent Discipline of Children Act,” and urged officials and the public to save the bill.
— GMA News

Nullify Bangsamoro ratification, SC asked
A petition seeking the nullification of the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in Cotabato City has been filed before the Supreme Court (SC).
— The Manila Times

NIA starts P11.2-B irrigation project
The government has begun the construction of the P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (JRMP) in Iloilo, the largest irrigation project outside of Luzon.
— The Philippine Star

Group seeks P900 minimum wage for laborers
Party-list group ACTS-OFW is seeking a daily minimum wage of P900 for construction workers to help address a looming shortage due to migration.
— The Philippine Star

Philippine Family Businesses Most Receptive Of Technological Systems In Southeast Asia, Study Says
A study by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) of The Economist Corporate Network suggested that in Southeast Asia, family-owned businesses in the Philippines are most receptive of running a business around technological operations.
— Business Times

Market-driven forces to enable tower companies to create economic benefits
The Department of Information and Communications Technology said it is at the final stages of preparing the common tower policy for eventual affirmation and signing.
— Manilastandard.net

Commentary: Broken trust, when officials rush to close southern Philippines church bombing case
The Philippine government’s premature declaration that Indonesians were the perpetrators of the Jolo cathedral bombing last month has set back the prospects for regional cooperation on terrorism and reinforced a perception among Indonesian counterparts of the Philippines as an unreliable and unprofessional partner.
— Channel NewsAsia

PH to host Asia Water Council confab
For the first time, the Philippines will host the Asia Water Council (AWC) conference in Makati City on March 14-15 this year.
— Philippine News Agency

Labor party senatorial bets push for larger representation of labor in Senate
Several senatorial candidates on Sunday said they will be pushing for larger representation of the labor sector in the Senate to address long-standing issues and concerns, specifically contractualization.
— Manila Bulletin

Spike in number of drug addicts from 4M to 8M shows war on drugs ‘ineffective’ –rights group
A human rights group on Saturday claimed that President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement that the number of drug addicts in the country had reached seven to eight million proves that the government’s war on drugs is ineffective.
— GMA News

Palace allays Pinoys’ fears of extrajudicial killings
Filipinos who are not involved in illegal drugs have nothing to fear, Malacañang said yesterday, after a nationwide survey suggested that a majority are worried about becoming victims of extrajudicial killings.
— The Philippine Star

BSP to banks: Step up efforts vs money laundering
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has directed banks and financial institutions to step up customer due diligence procedures to make sure the Philippines would not be used as a money laundering site in light of the crisis in Venezuela.
— The Philippine Star

Manny Pacquiao: ‘Too much democracy is bad for the Philippines’
Administration Senator Manny Pacquiao said “too much democracy” is hurting the country.
— Rappler

DENR on alert for forest fires
Secretary Roy Cimatu has placed all regional offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on alert for forest fires.
— Tempo

Magnitude 5.3 quake jolts Ilocos Norte — Phivolcs
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake was recorded 22 kilometers northwest of Burgos, Ilocos Norte on Sunday, according to the Philippine Institue of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
— The Manila Times

Groups push to end leprosy stigma, discrimination
Organizations advocating for the care of people affected by leprosy gathered on Sunday for a regional assembly, aiming to put an end to the social stigma and discrimination and to push for their inclusivity.
— Philippine News Agency

Aquino, Abad will be held liable – Palace
Former President Benigno Aquino 3rd and other former officials are not yet off the hook regarding cases involving the anti-dengue vaccine dengvaxia, Malacañang said on Sunday.
— The Manila Times

PHL slips to 5th in Women in Business survey
A NEW SURVEY showed 37% of senior management positions at Philippine companies are occupied by women, well above the global average of 29%.
— BusinessWorld

DOLE eyes 90% cut in laborer deployment
To mitigate the shortage of construction workers in the country, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) may cut down the deployment of construction workers abroad by as much as 90 percent.
— The Philippine Star

PHL Coast Guard to open 21 radar stations across the country
Amid the series of recoveries of cocaine left afloating in the eastern seaboard of the country, the Philippine Coast Guard said it will open 21 radar stations nationwide to beef up its monitoring operations.
— GMA News

More than 1K turtles intercepted at NAIA
Authorities on Sunday intercepted more than 1,000 turtles left inside four bags at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
— Philippine News Agency

Public warned vs. ‘fixers’ of PhilHealth IDs, records
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Saturday warned the public against individuals offering assistance to present and prospective members to secure identification (ID) cards and member data records (MDR) for a fee.
— Philippine News Agency

CBCP accepts PNP protection of clergy
A Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) official has welcomed the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) offer to protect members of the clergy facing alleged death threats.
— The Manila Times

Colmenares dares Panelo: Release official copy of Chico River irrigation deal
Senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares on Sunday dared presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo to release the official copy of the deal struck between the Philippines and China on an irrigation project and he will question it in court.
— GMA News

Lumad representative claims schoolmates tortured, killed by military
A lumad representative on Saturday claimed some of her schoolmates suspected to be members of the New People’s Army were abducted, tortured and killed by the military as the martial law continues in Mindanao.
— GMA News

DOF offices get ISO mark
Two offices under the Department of Finance (DOF) tasked to provide frontline services were recertified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for meeting the standards on quality assurance, consistency and efficiency of services.
— The Philippine Star

INC volunteers unite to clean up city’s “Nature Park”
By Caesar Vallejos OPEN FOR BUSINESS, Eagle News Service The lush foliage of a serene oasis at the center of a highly urbanized environment turned more intense with the bright colored shirts worn by volunteers from the Iglesia Ni Cristo Locale of Visayas Avenue for its first Clean-Up Drive project.
— Eagle News

Group bares data on child rights violations under Duterte admin
Child rights advocate group on Saturday released its data on children’s rights violation committed by law-enforcement agencies under the Rodrigo Duterte administration.
— GMA News

100 Hanjin workers locked out of Subic shipyard
The remaining workers of the financially troubled Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction-Philippines on Friday, March 1, accused the giant shipbuilder of barring them from entering the company’s premises in Subic.
— Rappler

Sandiganbayan suspends Lucban mayor for 90 days
The Sandiganbayan ordered the suspension of Mayor Celso Olivier Dator of Lucban, Quezon, in relation to a pending graft case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman.
— Rappler

Veto of corporal punishment bill: A nod to parental rights
IN VETOING the bill that would have entirely banned corporal punishment on children, President Rodrigo Duterte has upheld long-standing parental rights and autonomy, as well as checked the tendencies of …
— The Manila Times

Subic Bay to host 17 SEAG events
Areas within the Subic Bay Metropolitan Freeport are being readied to host a total of 17 events in the coming 30th Southeast Asian Games which the Philippines will host from Nov. 30 until Dec. 11.
— Manilastandard.net

Government vows to tax foreign workers in online gaming
The government will make sure that thousands of foreign nationals working in Philippine offshore gaming operations pay their income taxes, the Finance Department said over the weekend.
— Manilastandard.net

MWSS says full sewerage coverage by 2026 ‘unrealistic’
The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office has branded as “unrealistic” the goal of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to expand Metro Manila’s sewerage coverage up to 100 percent by 2026.
— Manila Bulletin

Pope Francis names Cebu bishop to head PH military ordinariate
POPE Francis has appointed a Cebu bishop to head the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines.
— The Manila Times

Man charged for streaming Philippines child rape videos
A man has been charged with ordering videos of rapes and sexual assaults, some of them on children, broadcast live from the Philippines, a French prosecutor said on Saturday.
— The Philippine Star

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.

Philippines morning news for March 4 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on March 4, 2019
View all posts by Stella-maris Ewudolu →

Bio
Latest Posts

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.