Taal still on alert level 4 as it continues to emit steam-laden plumes 300 to 500 meters high
Taal remains on alert level 4 as it continues to weakly emit steam-laden plumes 300 to 500 meters high since this morning.
— Eagle News
Most Taal Volcano evacuees complain of acute respiratory infections -DOH
Between 50 to 60 percent of evacuees who seek consultations with the Department of Health (DOH) complain of acute respiratory infections caused by the ashfall, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Sunday.
— GMA Network
DOJ to send slain OFW’s autopsy report to Kuwait
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to send to Kuwait the autopsy report of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on the body of slain overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Jeanelyn Villavende in a bid to prosecute her employers.
— The Philippine Star
BBB implementation hits record high P696 billion in 2019
Duterte administration’s Build Build Build program reached a new high last year in terms of the value of projects implemented amid strong headwinds, according to Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar.
— The Philippine Star
Filipino domestic helpers fled mistreatment in Middle East but government hasn’t delivered the support it promised
Filipinos who have returned home after fleeing oppressive work conditions in the Middle East face an uphill battle to claim a rehabilitation cash grant offered by the government and start a new life to make up for lost foreign currency earnings.
— South China Morning Post
Senate starts probe on motorcycle taxi regulation today
The Senate committee on public services starts today its inquiry into the move of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to regulate motorcycle taxis.
— The Philippine Star
Trump invites Duterte to US for ‘special’ ASEAN meet
President Donald Trump has invited President Rodrigo Duterte to come to the US for a “special” meeting with other leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
— CNN Philippines
Philippines alerted on latest kidnapping in Malaysia
The military has been alerted by its Malaysian counterpart regarding the kidnapping of five crewmembers of a Malaysian fishing boat in the waters off Lahad Datu in Sabah.
— The Philippine Star
UN downgrades PHL growth forecast
THE United Nations (UN) downgraded its growth estimates for the Philippines this year, according to the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2020.
— Business Mirror
Gov’t spending P384b to unclog EDSA traffic
The Public Works Department announced a massive decongestion program worth P384 billion to restore EDSA’s traffic flow to normal level.
— Manilastandard.net
Paid ransom emboldens kidnappers in latest case, says source
Ransom paid by Indonesian authorities in a previous kidnapping case may have emboldened a suspected Filipino kidnap-for-ransom group to grab five Indonesian fishermen from a Sandakan-registered trawler in the latest case that occurred in Tambisan Island waters off Lahad Datu on Thursday, sources told Daily Express.
— Daily Express
Govt calls on public to turn over rescued wildlife to authorities
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has reiterated its appeal to the public to help rescue and protect wildlife species fleeing the wrath of Taal Volcano in Batangas province.
— Business Mirror
House vows passage of vital bills to support Duterte legacy
The House of Representatives has reaffirmed its commitment to pass President Rodrigo Duterte’s priority measures to help sustain the administration’s legacy in providing the Filipinos a safe and comfortable life.
— Philippine News Agency
Duterte to Maynilad, Manila Water: Accept new deals or rot in jail
President Rodrigo Duterte warned water concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water that their executives would be sent to jail in just “one night” if they refuse to accept the new deals offered by the government.
— Rappler
Gordon: Albayalde must be charged for violating Dangerous Drugs Law
Senator Richard Gordon believes that former Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde should be charged for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Law, over the allegedly anomalous drug operation in Pampanga in 2013.
— GMA Network
Batangas gov’t: More than 160,000 evacuees as Taal Volcano still rumbles
More than 160,000 evacuees from affected areas in Batangas have been distributed in evacuation centers in Batangas, Cavite, and Quezon provinces nearly a week since Taal Volcano started erupting on January 12, the Batangas provincial government said on Saturday, January 18.
— Rappler
ACB head: Animals should be rescued, shelters should be set up
Scenes of pets, work and other animals being rescued by their owners, or those which unfortunately died as a result of having been buried in tons of ash spewed by Taal Volcano since it erupted on January 12 are in the news and social-media platforms.
— Business Mirror
Batangas electric cooperatives report large drop in power demand
Demand for power in Batangas province drastically declined this month as thousands of residential customers evacuated and businesses closed amid the unrest of Taal Volcano, the National Electrification Administration said over the weekend.
— Manilastandard.net
Agri damage from Taal eruption now at P3.17B
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said Taal Volcano’s eruption last week killed over 55,000 farm animals, including cows, horses and pigs valued at over P3 billion.
— Business Mirror
GOCC subsidies reach P11.8 billion in November 2019
Government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) received P11.82 billion in subsidies from the national government in November last year to support their operations and programs, according to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).
— The Philippine Star
DENR to set up offices for eight protected areas in Cagayan Valley
Eight protected areas in the Cagayan Valley region (Region 2) will soon have its own Protected Area Management Office (PAMO) as mandated by the Republic Act 11038, or the Expanded-National Integrated Protected Areas System Act.
— Business Mirror
PH wary of Chinese state-backed hackers
The Philippine government is mindful of the security risks brought about by increased Chinese control of its infrastructure and the reported Chinese state-backed hackers’ cyber attacks and other threats around the world.
— Manilastandard.net
BSP to launch its debt papers in Q1
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is planning to conduct market sounding activities to determine the market’s preferences in relation to the BSP’s planned issuance of securities in the second quarter of 2020.
— The Philippine Star
Comelec expects 4.3M new ‘excited’ voters to register
OVER 4 million new voters are expected by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to participate with the resumption of voter registration for the 2022 national and local polls on Monday.
— Business Mirror
PEZA expects investments to rebound 10%
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority said it expects investments in the economic zones to rebound 10 percent this year following a 16.2-percent slump last year.
— Manilastandard.net
Quezon City eyes extension of tax payment deadline
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is asking the city council to extend the deadline for payment of taxes from Jan. 20 to Feb. 2.
— The Philippine Star
3.3-magnitude quake jolts Batangas
A 3.3-magnitude earthquake struck Batangas on Sunday, Jan. 19.
— Eagle News
Philippine volcano has destroyed livelihoods
Decimated fish, scarred coffee plants and vanished tourists: the Taal volcano eruption in the Philippines has inflicted significant damage on the livelihoods of tens of thousands and is expected to cause more.
— The Asean Post
Romualdezes’ bill plugs loophole exploited by sexual predators
In most countries, having sex with a 12-year-old child would have qualified as statutory rape. Not so in the Philippines, where 12 is considered the age of sexual consent, the lowest in Southeast Asia.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer
Agusan Sur road mishap kills 7, injures 3 others
Seven members of a family died and three others were injured in a road accident on a national highway in Barangay Patin-ay in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur on Saturday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported.
— Philippine News Agency
Batangas gov asks Chinese envoy for grant to help in Taal rehab
Batangas Governor Dodo Mandanas has asked Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian for either a grant or a soft loan to be extended to the province in order to boost recovery and rehabilitation efforts following the damage brought by Taal Volcano’s eruption.
— Rappler
De Lima wants stricter penalties vs. witnesses who lie under oath
Detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima over the weekend called on Congress anew to impose stricter penalties on witnesses found to have lied while under oath, including perpetual disqualification for government officials.
— GMA Network
Taal eruption victims need mental health support, too –Hontiveros
The families affected by the eruption of the Taal Volcano need not just food and hygiene kits, but mental health support as well, Senator Risa Hontiveros said Sunday.
— GMA Network
Duterte vows to look for funds for construction of Cebu elevated railway
President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, Jan. 19, vowed to look for funds for the construction of an elevated railway in Cebu.
— Eagle News
Ex-vice mayor, village chief shot dead in Bulacan
A former vice mayor and incumbent village chief of Pandi town in this province were gunned down by still unidentified armed men while in a restaurant in Barangay Bulihan, Plaridel on Sunday afternoon.
— Philippine News Agency
Duterte: I will focus on flyovers
President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said he wants to concentrate on projects that can be completed in the two years left in his term–such as flyovers.
— GMA Network
Implementing rules on real estate investment trust ready for signing
THE government is set to sign today the amendments to the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Act, which is expected to draw up REIT registrations from listed property firms.
— BusinessWorld
Taal has lost her patience
The volcano might have been upset when the Augustinian friars first came in 1572 to establish a township on the shores of the lake in Batangas province. S
— BusinessWorld
Robredo on lawmaker’s push for House probe into PHIVOLCS: Now is not the time
Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday, Jan. 19, said now was not the time to probe the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
— Eagle News
Filipinos sweep Southeast Asian-wide photo contest
Four Filipinos won five of the six top prizes in the 13th Photo Contest of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, which focused on the theme “Cultivating Southeast Asia’s Youth Agripreneurs.”
— Manilastandard.net
Government honors OFWs with P500M OFW Hospital
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III announced the construction of P500 Million hospital for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), a manifestation of the Duterte administration’s love and care for the OFWs worldwide.
— Philippine Information Agency
BARMM kicks off first athletic meet
More than 6,000 student-athletes and officials from the nine school divisions Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) gathered in Nuro Central Elementary School in Nuro Upi, Maguindanao on Thursday, January 16, for the kick-off of the first BARMM athletic meet.
— Philippine Information Agency
Mayor Sara encourages private sector involvement in Pasalamat Festival
Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Sunday graced the Pasalamat Festival 2020 at city gym here. Mayor Sara thanked the city government through Mayor Sammuel Co for inviting her to be the event’s guest speaker.
— Philippine Information Agency
Over 8,000 MILF fighters decommissioned in 2019 – OPAPP
Over 8,000 fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had been decommissioned by the end of 2019, announced Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Assistant Secretary Wilven Mayor.
— Rappler
Tax exemption for election honoraria of teachers pushed
As the registration for the May 2022 polls opens on January 20, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is urgently calling for the passage of a bill that aims to grant tax exemption to the honoraria, transportation allowance, and other benefits of poll workers, especially public school teachers.
— Philippine News Agency
State-of-the-art cement, port facilities open in Bataan
PHINMA Corporation inaugurated on Saturday its first state-of-the-art cement and port facilities under its subsidiary, the PhilCement Corp., at the Freeport Area of Bataan here.
— Philippine News Agency
UP History Dep t faculty members slam Bongbong Marcos efforts to twist truth
Member of the University of the Philippines’ Department of History slammed Senator Bongbong Marcos call to revise history textbooks as an effort to twist the truth and hide the numerous human rights violations during the regime of his father.
— GMA Network
House aims to pass proposed new departments before March break
The House of Representatives is planning to pass proposed measures creating the Departments of Filipino Overseas (DFO), Water Resources (DWR), and Disaster Resilience (DDR) before the next congressional recess in March.
— GMA Network
Central Luzon cops bring P2.5M worth of relief goods to Batangas colleagues
In times of crises and calamities, the police must also take care of their own.
— Rappler
A mom asks Santo Niño, let her children killed in drug war ‘enter heaven’
Fe* goes weekly to the church to light a candle for her children. Every day, she prays.
— Rappler
The ‘Lost Boys’ of Palawan: A new way of life when fishing is no longer enough
The Lost Boys of Palawan know exactly where they are heading. Doracotan Island is visible on the blue horizon.
— CNA
Hotdog member Dennis Garcia dies
Hotdog member and bassist Dennis Garcia has died, his daughter Isa announced Sunday, January 19.
— Rappler
DepEd to ensure education continuity for Taal-affected students
The Department of Education will see to it that students who were displaced by the eruption of Taal Volcano in Batangas will continue with their education despite staying in evacuation centers.
— GMA Network
Sinulog 2020: Road closures in Cebu City
The Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) warned motorists not to park their vehicles along the 6-kilometer route of the Sinulog Grand Parade on Sunday, January 19.
— Rappler
New Coast Guard base, radar station to be put up in ZamboEcozone
The Philippine Coast Guard District South Western Mindanao turned over a check amounting to Php160-million for the construction of a 1.4-hectare base. .
— Philippine Information Agency
Jiro Manio faces frustrated murder charges over alleged stabbing incident
The Marikina police have filed charges of frustrated homicide against former child actor Jiro Manio, who was arrested on Friday, January 17, for allegedly stabbing a man.
— Rappler
U.P. History professors slam Bongbong’s call to revise Marcos regime accounts in textbooks
Professors of the University of the Philippines (UP) Department of History denounced the call of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr to revise accounts of his father’s two-decade regime in school textbooks.
— Rappler
Labor group pushes 25% hazard pay for workers amid Taal unrest
Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Saturday, January 18, urged employers to provide a minimum of 25% hazard pay for employees working within the danger zone amid the Taal Volcano unrest.
— Rappler
Family who lost father amid Taal eruption charged P70,000 for funeral
A family of evacuees who lost their father amid Taal Volcano’s unrest has faced yet another obstacle: paying the funeral parlor bill amounting to P70,500.
— Rappler
Gov’t showcases gains of the Duterte Administration
Seeking to highlight the Duterte administration’s accomplishments and efforts put into by the different government agencies and as felt by the beneficiaries, the Presidential Communications Operations Office on Friday, January 17, launched the “Duterte Legacy” campaign at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City.
— Philippine Information Agency
An island, a volcano, a home: Taal was where these Filipinos lived and made their living
At 70, Cesar Orese doesn’t mind having aged in the countryside.
— CNA
Group urges public to donate usable clothes to evacuees
As relief donations continued to pour in for affected communities in Batangas, a disaster management organization reminded the public to be mindful of the clothes they donate to families displaced by the ongoing Taal Volcano eruption.
— Rappler
Panama sends police reinforcements to remote area after sect sacrifice
Panama has sent police reinforcements to a remote indigenous village where locals have been left terrorized by the alleged religious sacrifice of 6 children and a pregnant woman, authorities said on Friday, January 17.
— Rappler
WATCH: PH rising up from a year of outbreaks
On September 19, 2019, the health department declared a polio outbreak in the Philippines. Polio is a highly contagious disease caused by poliovirus invading the nervous system.
— Rappler (video)
Our dysfunctional bureaucracy as a binding constraint
It’s becoming ever more clear that our dysfunctional, weak, inefficient, and corrupt bureaucracy is a binding constraint to growth and development.
— BusinessWorld
Sandiganbayan to Enrile: Don’t complicate your plunder case proceedings
The Sandiganbayan dismissed a motion by the camp of former senator Juan Ponce Enrile involving his P172.83-million plunder case , saying that it would only complicate the proceedings .
— Rappler
COA rejects ex-PNP chief Razon’s motion in procurement case
The Commission on Audit (COA) affirmed with finality the notice of disallowance over an anomalous P398-million procurement contract for armored car spare parts.
— Rappler
No need to organize Taal Task Force –Palace spokesman Panelo
So far, there is no need to put in place a task force that will centralize relief and rehabilitation efforts amid the eruption of the Taal Volcano, Malacañang said Sunday.
— GMA Network
DOE urged to ensure safety of power plants in Batangas
Makati City Representative Luis Campos on Sunday urged the Department of Energy to check possible threats to Luzon’s energy infrastructure in Batangas province amid the possible hazardous eruption of Taal Volcano.
— GMA Network
De Lima wants animal rescues included in disaster preparedness plan
Opposition Senator Leila de Lima on Sunday called on the government to revisit the national disaster preparedness program which needed to have plans for the rescue of animals should a calamity strike.
— GMA Network
Bataan to intensify awareness of youth vs terrorism
Bataan Provincial Youth Council (BPYC) will be conducting an orientation for the youth sector that will intensify their awareness against terrorism.
— Philippine Information Agency
Over 130 homegrown films find home in Iloilo’s regional film festival
The regional cinema is alive in Iloilo.
— Rappler
Over 100,000 rice farmers to receive P5k assistance
Out of the 110,734 rice farmers in the Cagayan Valley region, 745 farmers from Alcala and Enrile towns in Cagayan received their share of P5,000 each under the Rice Farmer Financial Assistance Program (RFFA) of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
— Philippine Information Agency
Feature photo Jerome Austria Abuan
This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo focuses on the Taal volcano eruption.
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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Governance, not government; policies not politics.
Stella-maris Ewudolu
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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