Philippines Morning News For September 5, 2019

Philippines sides with China on revision of UNCLOS – Locsin
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin on Wednesday said the Philippines is “on the side” of the Chinese government in seeking the revision of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
— Manila Bulletin

Polio detected in Manila sewage, Mass immunization campaign in August
In mid-August, the local government of Manila conducted a mass immunization campaign against polio, targeting about 197,000 children under 5 years old.
— Outbreak News Today

Dengue cases in Philippines hit nearly 230,000 with over 950 deaths: U.N. agency
Nearly 230,000 dengue cases were registered in the Philippines with over 950 deaths, a United Nations agency said on Wednesday.
— Xinhuanet

Duterte fires Faeldon, tells freed convicts to surrender in 15 days
PRESIDENT Duterte on Wednesday fired Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon for disobeying him amid the controversy caused by the agency’s decision to grant early release to heinous crime convicts over good conduct.
— Business Mirror

Xi told Duterte foreign ships don’t need to seek permission when passing territorial waters –Lorenzana
Lorenzana also said that Xi told Duterte that under the international law, foreign ships, which intend to sail through territorial waters of another country, do not need to seek permission.
— GMA News

Duterte rejects China’s call for Philippines to ban online gambling
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that while he was not a fan of online gambling he was unwilling to ban the business, as China has called for, because of the harm that would do to the country’s economy.
— Euronews

Philippines hits Vietnam with new tariffs on cement imports
A surge in cement imports, mainly from Vietnam, has prompted the Philippine government to impose tariffs on the construction material, as it seeks to protect domestic industry from cheaper competition.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

PHL improves ranking in WEF tourism index
BETTER ground and port infrastructure allowed the Philippines to improve its performance in the 2019 edition of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index.
— Business Mirror

PHL records highest number of phishing victims in the region
THE PHILIPPINES recorded the highest number of users victimized by online phishing attacks in the first half of the year, a report by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky said.
— BusinessWorld Online

Sotto says based on “A-1” intel report, “millions” being paid for release of some convicts under GCTA law in BuCor
Senate President Tito Sotto on Wednesday, Sept. 4, said he received an “A-1” intelligence report “millions” of pesos were being paid for the release of some convicts under the Good Credit Time Allowance Law in the Bureau of Corrections.
— Eagle News

US woman held in Philippines after airport staff find baby in her bag
An American woman is in custody in the Philippines after she allegedly tried to fly out of the country with a baby in her hand luggage, local authorities said.
— CNN

Russia offers to modernize AFP
Russia is offering to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and boost its standing as a military force by supplying it with state-of-the-art military assets and equipment.
— Business Mirror

Philippines’ Fintech Industry Calls for ASEAN Wide Standardised QR
The ASEAN must standardize quick-response (QR) codes for digital payments platforms to facilitate and simplify regional trade.
— Fintech News Singapore (media release) (blog)

Philippines, Brunei agree to enhance defense ties
Top defense officials of the Philippines and Brunei have agreed to enhance bilateral and multilateral defense cooperation based on mutual interests.
— Inquirer.net

DICT to probe ‘colorum’ courier services of aliens
FOLLOWING the reported “colorum” courier services being operated by foreign companies, the House of Representatives and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) both agreed to regulate the couriers and freight forwarding services in the country.
— Business Mirror

Office space demand surpasses supply
OFFICE spaces available for the information technology-business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) sector in the country’s accredited economic zones (ecozones) are no longer enough to meet demand, an industry group has warned.
— The Manila Times

DOLE hit for lack of baseline data on contractual workers
More than half a million contractual Filipino workers may have been regularized in the past 3 years, but lawmakers told the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) that it should not be counting this among its accomplishments.
— Rappler

Panelo says failure to pay damages to victim’s kin increases jail time for convict
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo believes failure to pay court-ordered damages to the kin of a victim will lengthen the jail time of a convict.
— Eagle News

‘Hello, Love, Goodbye’ breaks record as highest-grossing PH film – Star Cinema
Let there be no doubt left in your mind that 23-year-old Kathryn Bernardo is among this generation’s top stars – both in terms of acting chops and box office hits.
— Rappler

21 judges, 83 lawyers sanctioned in first half of 2019 — Bersamin
The Supreme Court sanctioned 21 judges and 83 lawyers in the first six months of 2019, Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin said Wednesday, illustrating what he described as an effort to discipline the ranks.
— GMA News

Why the Philippines Is Reporting Record Growth in Retirement Visas
After John Ryder retired from teaching high school, he found himself running short of money to keep living in his apartment along the shores of San Francisco Bay, one of the most expensive parts of the United States. In 2015 he moved to the Philippines. Things could hardly be better.
— VOA

GSIS opens emergency loan in 4 dengue-affected areas
State-run Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) announced yesterday that it has opened an emergency loan facility in four dengue-affected areas declared under a state of calamity.
— Manila Bulletin

SKY seeks to corner a third of PH fiber internet business
Media giant ABS-CBN Corp. wants to raise its market share in the fiber internet business, announcing on Wednesday a slew of new pricing plans that undercut the rates of competitors.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

DPWH signs ease of doing business pact with 35 other government agencies
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has signed with 35 other agencies a memorandum of agreement that will hasten government processes by cutting bureaucratic red tape to attract more investors.
— Business Mirror

Paedophile who ordered child abuse in Philippines jailed
A paedophile who ordered the live online sexual abuse of Filipino children by their parents has been jailed for nine years.
— BBC News

PH, Sri Lanka to develop bilateral military training, diplomacy vs. insurgency
The Philippines and Sri Lanka are set to enhance military cooperation through the development of bilateral training and diplomacy to fight the threats of insurgency.
— Manila Bulletin

DENR action plan launched for mercury phaseout
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) led the recent launch of the country’s National Action Plan (NAP) for the phaseout of mercury-containing products and wastes.
— The Philippine Star

Budget cuts may hurt DOLE programs for OFWs, displaced workers in 2020
The P1.9-billion decrease in the proposed budget of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for 2020 will significantly hurt its programs benefiting overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and displaced workers, as well as students who want to intern in government offices.
— Rappler

Improving PH investment attractiveness to benefit from trade war
The Philippines should work on reducing restrictions on foreign direct investments in order to benefit from opportunities amid the trade war between the United States (US) and China, according to a trade official.
— Philippine News Agency

Binay pushes for comprehensive anti-discrimination bill
Senator Nancy Binay on Wednesday called for the passage of a universal anti-discrimination bill instead of one that only covers sexual orientation and gender identity.
— GMA News

Public-private partnerships to solve energy, solid waste challenges
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, also chair of the Senate Energy Committee,cited the importance of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in bridging gaps to solve energy and solid waste challenges in our country.
— Philippine Information Agency

DSWD-10 to delist 4Ps recipient nabbed in CDO drug bust
The Department of Social Welfare and Development-Region 10 (DSWD-10) has warned Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries involved in illicit activities will be expelled from government’s conditional cash transfer scheme.The warning came following the arrest of two women in separate drug operations in their respective …
— Philippine News Agency

Rice prices still not hitting P27/kilo as projected under tariffication law
The government’s economic team projected that rice prices would drop to as low as P27 per kilo due to the rice tariffication law effectively liberalizing the market.
— Rappler

Kaspersky Lab to tackle threats in healthcare at annual cybersecurity event
Cybersecurity research firm Kaspersky Lab is set to host journalists from over a dozen Asia-Pacific nations for its annual Cyber Security Weekend at Yangon, Myanmar on Thursday, September 5, to discuss and provide insight on the growing number of cyber threats in the region.
— Rappler

Fight for same-sex marriage in PH still alive despite Supreme Court ruling
The fight for same-sex marriage in the Philippines is still very much alive despite the recent Supreme Court ruling that unanimously dismissed a petition based on technical grounds – lack of a legal standing and violation of hierarchy of courts.
— Rappler

House bill simplifying passive income, financial taxes approved on 2nd reading
The House of Representatives approved on 2nd reading the bill that would simplify the taxes imposed on financial investors.
— Rappler

DepEd: High dropout rate due to teenage pregnancy
The spike in the number of out-of-school youths can be traced to teenagers who are forced into marriage due to underage pregnancy, the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday.
— The Philippine Star

OWWA-XI releases P42-million to member OFWs
In line with its mandate to provide social protection and promote the welfare of member Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Region XI has released a total of P42,327,449.83 representing various financial assistance to 2,844 member OFWs from January to August 2019.
— Philippine Information Agency

City Council seeks ordinance to prevent spread of health scare
The chair of the City Council Health Committee has passed a resolution to prevent the spread of health scare.
— Philippine Information Agency

Borongan City dad ushers Agri-Trade Fair
In line with the celebration of the Borongan Town Fiesta, City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda led the cutting of the ribbon at the opening of the Agri-Trade Fair on September 2, 2019, this city.
— Philippine Information Agency

Improved PH nickel mining seen this year
Following years of decline, the country’s nickel mining industry may improve in 2019 as suspended mining firms are expected to resume operations, an international research group said.
— The Manila Times

Southeast Asian photo contest zooms in on youth ‘agripreneurs’
A photo contest which zooms in on images depicting Southeast Asian youth actively engaged in agriculture has been launched to inspire others to become “agripreneurs”.
— Philippine News Agency

LTO to sanction motorists violating traffic rules on railroad crossings
Drivers who violate traffic rules at railroad crossings will be strictly sanctioned by the Land Transportation Office (LTO), pursuant to the directive of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
— GMA News

Feature photo G.O.D. Int’l

This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo focuses on International Literacy Day, September 8.

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 September 5 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on September 5, 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.