Philippines Morning News For September 19, 2019

Duterte Says He Ordered a Politician Killed; a Spokesman Says He Misspoke
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines appeared to admit in a speech this week that he had ordered an assassination attempt on a politician last year, a startling statement even for a president known for bloody, provocative rhetoric.
— NYT

Preferably dead: Philippines’ Duterte seeks freed inmates’ capture
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has renewed an offer of big bounties for hundreds of convicted murderers and rapists set free in a corrections bureau blunder, and said he would be happier if they were caught dead rather than alive.
— CNA

250 live pigs from Negros Occidental barred from entering Cebu
Cebu provincial authorities say they are only allowing the entry of livestock raised in commercial farms in the Visayas and Mindanao. The Negros Occidental shipment were backyard swines.
— Rappler

‘Higher alcohol tax to reduce demand, revenues’
ALTHOUGH it welcomes the new tax structure for distilled spirits proposed under House Bill (HB) 1026, the Distilled Spirits Association of the Philippines (DSAP) warned the government that too many …
— Manila Times

Renewable energy could cut electricity rates by 30% — report
HEAVY RELIANCE on imported fossil fuels, high financing costs and uncompetitive market structures have contributed to make electricity prices in the Philippines among the highest in Southeast Asia, according to a report of a global research institute.
— BusinessWorld

Indonesia haze reaches Metro Cebu
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Haze from forest fires in Indonesia has reached Metro Cebu, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Visayas.
— Rappler

DOTr, San Miguel ink construction deal for Manila International Airport
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and San Miguel Corporation (SMC) signed a contract for the $15-billion Manila International Airport on Wednesday, September 18, bringing the building of an alternative to the congested Ninoy International Airport (NAIA) one step closer.
— Rappler

Commentary: Air pollution’s nasty effects should motivate stronger action but hasn’t
Dirty air drags down everything from student test results to football passing, says the Financial Times’ Robin Harding.
— CNA

Go, see a doctor
NO one questions President Duterte for letting heads roll at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) as details of corruption at its slimiest finally leaked out of Bilibid onto the Senate floor.
— Tempo

PH bond market grew 17% in Q2 – ADB
The Philippine bond market was the second fastest-growing among Emerging East Asia’s local currency bond markets, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.
— Manila Times

Brosas on Duterte’s Loot ambush remark: We all heard what he said
Makabayan Bloc lawmakers at the House of Representatives on Wednesday slammed President Rodrigo Duterte for supposedly admitting to ordering the ambush of former Daanbantayan, Cebu Mayor Vicente Loot and the subsequent denial of Malacañang.
— GMA Network

Duterte orders ‘total revamp’ of Bureau of Corrections
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a total revamp of the embattled Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on Wednesday, September 18, announced Malacañang.
— Rappler

Youth groups lead protest marking 47th anniversary of Martial Law
Showing a strong stance against injustices and a looming dictatorship, youth groups are leading a multi-sectoral front that will hold on Friday, September 20, a nationally coordinated protest to never forget the horrors of martial law.
— Rappler

Joke again? Lost in translation? Duterte says he ‘ordered’ Loot ambush
(3rd UPDATE) When President Rodrigo Duterte made the comment before government officials at Malacañang’s Rizal Hall on Tuesday, September 17, not few wondered whether they had heard him right. Did he actually admit that?
— Rappler

DoTr, SMC ink deal for ‘game-changer’ airport
Listed San Miguel Corp. (SMC) can now begin building its $15-billion New Manila International Airport (NMIA) in Bulacan province after signing a concession agreement on it with the Department of Transportation (DoTr) on Wednesday.
— Manila Times

As rice farmers groan, rice company holds a gala
AN OFT-REPEATED legend about Queen Marie Antoinette of France is that when she was told that the people had no bread, she replied, “Then let them eat cake.” The phrase has gone down in history as a marker of the indifference that the wealthy give to the poor.
— BusinessWorld

BuCor chiefs who freed heinous crime cons on GCTAs ‘quite likely’ liable –Guevarra
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday said the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chiefs who allowed the early release of nearly 2,000 convicts of heinous crimes in the last five years are quite likely liable for administrative offenses.
— GMA Network

Congressmen assured of P100M each in projects under 2020 budget –Salceda
Each congressman will have an allocation of P100 million in the proposed P4.1-trillion national budget for projects for their districts and constituencies, an administration ally said Wednesday.
— GMA Network

Magnitude 5.4 quake rocks Davao Occidental
A magnitude 5.4 quake shook Davao Occidental on Wednesday, September 18, at 3 p.m., with its epicenter located 136 kilometers southeast of Sarangani town. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said the quake was of tectonic origin.
— Eagle News

U.P. Martial Law subject should show Marcos side too, says Imee
Senator Imee Marcos said on Wednesday, September 18, that her family’s side should be presented as well in a course on Martial Law to be offered at the University of the Philippines Diliman starting next semester.
— Rappler

Roxas to Martires: ‘Unquestionably unfounded’ to say IRR strayed from GCTA law
MANILA, Philippines – Despite initially questioning why he has to explain himself, former interior chief Mar Roxas told the Ombudsman the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) he had signed merely followed what is in the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law.
— Rappler

Manila Water, Maynilad to ask SC to reconsider fines
MANILA WATER Co., Inc. said on Wednesday it will exercise all its legal options, including the filing of a motion for reconsideration by Oct. 2 in response to the Supreme Court (SC) decision that found the company liable for fines for violation of the Philippine Clean Water Act.
— BusinessWorld

PDEA bares evidence room with P22B worth of drugs
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) showed to the public their evidence room, which contains 2,700 kilos of drugs worth P22 billion amid allegations of recycling, according to a report by Ivan Mayrina on GMA’s 24 Oras.
— GMA Network

Davao Sur board member nabbed for estafa
DAVAO CITY – National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents in Region 11 (Davao Region) arrested on Wednesday Davao del Sur 2nd District Board Member Arvin Malaza along with seven others in an entrapment operation at a radio station in Digos City.
— Philippine News Agency

DOH-Bicol urges parents to have kids vaccinated vs. polio
The Department of Health (DOH) 5 (Bicol) is urging parents to have their children vaccinated against polio in health centers, as part of its intensified efforts to prevent the transmission of the viral disease in the region.
— Philippine News Agency

AFP to probe Murad’s claim that military is ‘main source’ of Mindanao loose firearms
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it will investigate whether the military itself is indeed the “main source” of loose firearms in Mindanao, a claim made by Al Hajj Murad Ebrahim, interim Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
— Rappler

Mandaue City orders total ban on pork, live hogs from Luzon
The cities of Cebu and Mandaue have both cracked down on the spread of African swine fever, issuing respective orders controlling the entry of live hogs and pork products into their areas.
— Rappler

Strong liquidity to drive demand for new listings
ANALYSTS are positive the market can absorb the torrent of companies seeking to go public this year, thanks to the low interest rate environment and strong appetite from local investors.
— BusinessWorld

NFA hikes buying price of palay
DAGUPAN CITY, Sept. 18 (PIA) – The National Food Authority (NFA) increased the buying price for palay or unmilled rice to P19 per kilogram (kg) from P17, while also removing add-on incentive payments under the old scheme.
— Philippine Information Agency

Makabayan solons push for higher budget for CHR
Makabayan Bloc lawmakers on Wednesday called for a higher budget for the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) next year in order for the agency to effectively perform its mandate to protect citizens against human rights violations and resolve cases of rights abuse.
— GMA Network

DavNor town holds forum on banana disease
DUJALI, Davao del Norte–Seeking to find viable solutions, the local government here convened banana farmers in Davao Region directly affected by Fusarium wilt or Panama disease on Tuesday.
— Philippine News Agency

Batanes villagers brace for ‘Nimfa’
Residents of the island-province of Batanes have begun preparing for Tropical Depression Nimfa by ensuring that their roofs would not be blown away by winds.
— Philippine News Agency

Mati City screens entry of meat products
As part of the measures to prevent the entry of the African swine fever (ASF), Mati City in Davao Oriental has started screening the entry of transported meat products into the area.
— Philippine News Agency

Private schools group decries budget cut in DepEd’s voucher program
A group of private schools is urging lawmakers to prevent budget cuts in the government’s senior high school voucher program, which may affect over a million students in as many as 4,000 private senior high schools all over the country.
— Rappler

Tarlac City exceeds DILG’s expectations in road clearing inspection
City government of Tarlac exceeds the expectations of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in compliance to the order of President Duterte to clear and reclaim all public roads in the country.
— Philippine Information Agency

DILG ASEC explains bringing gov’t closer to the people thru Dagyaw
The ‘Dagyaw’ town hall meeting is a conversation which is an active and positive exchange of words between the stakeholders that is done all over the country down to the barangays where people speak, and government listens to their sentiments to come up or frame responsive action.
— Philippine Information Agency

Philippines: Panama disease-hit areas may double
An official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Davao Region said areas affected by the Fusarium wilt, also known as Panama disease, may double by this year.
— FreshPlaza

Philippine fast-food chain Jollibee hungry to expand in US, China
Jollibee Foods Corp, the Philippine fast-food specialist known for fried Chickenjoy and chopped hotdogs in sweet spaghetti sauce, is doubling down on expansion plans in the United States and China that are likely to include more mergers and acquisitions.
— Straits Times (annoying popups)

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Philippines morning news for September 19 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on September 19, 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.