April 19, 2022
COVID-19 spike slowed remittances growth in February
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 19, 2022
Ronnel W. Domingo
Personal remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) grew by just 1.2 percent year-on-year in February to reach $2.79 billion from $2.76 billion previously, slower than in January as yet another wave of COVID-19 infections rippled across the globe...
BIR not extending tax filing deadline
Philippine Star, April 19, 2022
Elijah Felice Rosales
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will no longer extend the deadline for the filing of annual income tax returns (AITR), but will allow taxpayers to make changes to their documents until May 16...
‘No more granular lockdown’ – DILG
BusinessMirror, April 19, 2022
Samuel P. Medenilla
The country is now officially free from granular lockdown in areas with novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)...
Agri trade deficit widens in 2021
BusinessWorld, April 19, 2022
Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson
The agricultural trade deficit widened 40% year on year to $8.92 billion in 2021, as the country imported more agricultural products to address increased consumer demand after the economy reopened...
Second booster shots put on hold
The Manila Times, April 19, 2022
Franco Jose C. Baroña,Kristina Maralit
The Department of Health (DoH) announced on Monday that the plan for second Covid-19 booster shots for priority sectors has been put on hold until the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) has given its final recommendation...
Probe on utilization of Bayanihan funds pressed
Philippine Star, April 19, 2022
Delon Porcalla
A senior administration lawmaker has urged his colleagues in the House of Representatives to verify the fund utilization of the two Bayanihan laws that Congress approved during the pandemic so as to prevent a repeat of “project hitches”...
DENR enforces stricter rules on charcoal production
Philippine Star, April 19, 2022
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has issued an administrative order (AO) imposing stricter requirements on the production and trade of wood charcoal...
‘PHL’s game-changing laws stir international investors’ interest’
BusinessMirror, April 18, 2022
Jovee Marie De La Cruz
The chairman of the House Committee on Economic Affairs on Monday said the Philippines is now attracting a “good” kind of attention from investors who were previously hesitant to invest in the country...
RBAP says raising capital requirements to hurt small lenders
BusinessWorld, April 19, 2022
Luz Wendy T. Noble
Regulaory reforms that will require bigger capital for rural banks which would encourage mergers may be detrimental to small lenders that have been affected by the pandemic, according to the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP)...
Senate panel considers bill limiting e-sabong to Sundays, public holidays
BusinessWorld, April 18, 2022
Alyssa Nicole O. Tan
A Senate committee said on Monday that it is considering a bill that will restrict online cockfighting, known as e-sabong, to Sundays and holidays...
Sotto to save vetoed Sim Card Bill
Daily Tribune, April 19, 2022
Jom Garner
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Monday offered two ways to save the Sim Card Registration Bill, which President Rodrigo Duterte recently vetoed...
Start-up sends tiny robots on voyage into brains
ABS-CBN News, April 19, 2022
Laurent Banguet, Agence France-Presse
Sending miniature robots deep inside the human skull to treat brain disorders has long been the stuff of science fiction -- but it could soon become reality, according to a California start-up...
Demise of golden toad heralds climate change extinction threat
ABS-CBN News, April 19, 2022
Kelly Macnamara, Agence France-Presse
For just a few days every year, the elfin cloud forest of Costa Rica came alive with crowds of golden toads the length of a child's thumb, emerging from the undergrowth to mate at rain-swelled pools...
ARTA to launch system for complaints
The Manila Times, April 19, 2022
Anna Leah E. Gonzales
The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is set to officially launch today, Tuesday, the new e-ARTA Complaints Management System (CMS), the first automated complaints management system in the Philippine government...
Meralco, Mitsubishi launch self-sustaining e-vehicle charging station
Manila Standard, April 18, 2022
Alena Mae S. Flores
Manila Electric Co. and Mitsubishi Motor Philippines Corp. unveiled on Monday the first environment-friendly Dendo Drive Station, or self-sustaining e-vehicle charging station, at the Mitsubishi dealership under Peak Motors Philippines Inc. in Pasay City...
Capping prices, food exports
wrong inflation busters–WB
BusinessMirror, April 18, 2022
Cai Ordinario
World Bank economists have warned countries against imposing price controls and restricting food exports as a means of arresting rising domestic food prices...
China lockdowns may dent PHL manufacturing
BusinessMirror, April 18, 2022
Cai Ordinario
China's struggle to contain the spread of Covid-19 may dent the performance of the Philippines manufacturing and export performance in the coming months, according to local economists...
Japan, PHL sign P14-B loan for post-pandemic vaccination budget support
BusinessMirror, April 18, 2022
Cai Ordinario
The Japanese and Philippine governments on Monday signed and exchanged notes for a new P14-billion loan that will be used to finance the country’s vaccination needs...
USTR flags corruption, delays in PHL BOC, DA
BusinessMirror, April 18, 2022
The United States Trade Representative has expressed concern over reports of corruption and undue and costly delays in customs processing in the Philippines...
WB flags Metro Manila BRT project implementation as ‘unsatisfactory’
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 18, 2022
Ben O. de Vera
Implementation of the Metro Manila bus rapid transit (BRT) project has remained sluggish five years since the World Bank (WB) approved its loan financing, the Washington-based multilateral lender said...
Microsoft: Rate of young PH workers shifting jobs rising
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 18, 2022
Miguel R. Camus
Nearly half of young Filipino workers are considering changing jobs over the next year as their priorities shift to health and well-being in the post-pandemic era, technology giant Microsoft said in a new survey...
DOLE chief lays down groundwork to open more OFW jobs in Germany
BusinessMirror, April 18, 2022
Samuel Medenilla
The country is now eyeing the deployment of more skilled workers to Germany under a new bilateral labor agreement with the European country, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) revealed on Monday...
‘Manila and Tokyo boost partnership for Asia zero-emissions community’
BusinessMirror, April 18, 2022
Jonathan L. Mayuga
The Philippines and the Government of Japan are strengthening their partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions toward a decarbonized society and zero emissions community in Asia...
Ookla Q1 report shows faster PH internet; Caloocan tops cities in download speeds
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 19, 2022
Gabriel Pabico Lalu
The country’s internet speed continued to increase according to the latest Ookla Speedtest Global Index Rankings, now placing 93rd based on median download speeds for mobile data, and 60th for fixed broadband connections...
Asian gov’ts face ‘delicate balancing act’ to spur growth
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 18, 2022
Ronnel W. Domingo
Asian economies including the Philippines are facing a delicate balancing act between supporting recovery and managing rising levels of debt and inflation, even as aggressive tightening by the United States Federal Reserve might send ripples of volatility in the region...
Ukraine-related price jolts threaten Cuba’s already tepid recovery
Rappler, April 18, 2022
Reuters
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is making Cuba’s three-year-old foreign exchange crisis worse as import costs jump, undermining an incipient recovery and threatening more hardship for residents, according to economic experts and businessmen...
Ukraine restricts rail exports due to Easter closures, traffic buildup
Rappler, April 18, 2022
Reuters
A buildup of wagons at border crossings and closures during the Easter holidays have prompted Ukraine to temporarily restrict goods supplies from Ukraine to Poland and Romania by rail, a senior representative of the Ukrainian railways said on Monday, April 18...
Perseverance and praise key for child learning: brain expert
ABS-CBN News, April 19, 2022
Masafumi Sugita, Kyodo News
As the new school year in Japan gets under way this month, many parents make a fresh start in trying to get their children ahead by involving them in extracurricular activities such as English study or piano lessons...
Vaccinate more people to prevent surge — WHO
BusinessWorld, April 18, 2022
Norman P. Aquino, Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Alyssa Nicole O. Tan
The Philippines should vaccinate more people to prevent another surge in coronavirus infections as it moves toward lifting all lockdowns, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)...
Fully vaxxed definition may change over time — WHO exec
CNN Philippines, April 18, 2022
CNN Philippines Staff
The definition of fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may change over time amid proposals to redefine it, a World Health Organization official said on Monday...
Classes suspended to give way to polls
The Manila Times, April 19, 2022
Franco Jose C. Baroña
There will be no classes from Kinder to Grade 12 in all public schools from May 2 to 13 to give way to the national elections, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced on Monday...
WHO warns of virus surge in May if people relax guard
Manila Standard, April 19, 2022
Willie Casas
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday backed the Department of Health’s (DOH) warning that the country may experience another surge in COVID-19 infections by mid-May if minimum public health standards are ignored...
Teachers hit DepEd rule on on-site reporting
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 19, 2022
Jane Bautista
On the first day of her on-site reporting after more than two years of doing remote work, social studies teacher Mary Joy Valenzuela faced a laptop inside an empty classroom that had chairs and desks covered in a thick layer of dust...
PH loses as DOE halts oil search, says expert
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 19, 2022
Frances Mangosing
“It’s a game of chicken and we’re losing,” maritime expert Jay Batongbacal said on Monday after the Department of Energy (DOE) ordered the suspension of oil exploration activities in the West Philippine Sea on April 6...
Palace: 2nd booster shot meant for waning immunity, not surge
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 19, 2022
Dona Z. Pazzibugan and Julie M. Aurelio
Malacañang on Monday said the approval of a second COVID-19 booster shot for specific priority groups was not due to the projected surge in active cases next month...
Agaton damaged P725.2M worth of crops
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 19, 2022
Joey Gabieta and Jordeene B. Lagare
Damage to the agriculture sector due to Tropical Storm Agaton (international name: Megi) increased further to P725.2 million as of Monday morning, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported...
Comelec partners with SM for VCM demo project
Philippine Star, April 19, 2022
Evelyn Macairan
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with SM Supermalls to use malls for the public demonstration of vote counting machines (VCM)...
‘Investment promoting units must use budget boost well’
BusinessMirror, April 18, 2022
Bernadette D. Nicolas
Finance Secretary and Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) Chairman Carlos G. Dominguez III said investment promotion agencies (IPAs) should maximize the budgetary support that they get from the national government and focus on attracting more foreign investments amid the Covid-19 pandemic...
Comelec thumbs down extension of absentee voting
Manila Standard, April 18, 2022
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has thumbed down the idea of extending overseas voting as it will go against the Constitution...
DOF: Local gov’ts ramping up infra-related borrowings
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 18, 2022
Ben O. de Vera
Similar to the national government, local governments have been ramping up infrastructure development, hence borrowing more to build local public works and health facilities during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic...
PH to pay back ₱1.3T COVID-19 response loans in 40 years
CNN Philippines, April 18, 2022
CNN Philippines Staff
The Philippines is expected to pay back ₱1.3 trillion in foreign loans used for its COVID-19 pandemic response in 40 years, the Department of Finance (DOF) said over the weekend...
Comelec, SM sign pact on counting machine demo
Manila Standard, April 18, 2022
Vito Barcelo
With 19 days left before election day, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has started demonstrating how to use the vote-counting machine (VCM) in malls to inform and educate the public about the voting process...
Boracay exceeds tourist carrying capacity – DOT
Philippine Star, April 19, 2022
Ghio Ong
Breaching crowd limitation due to the COVID pandemic, the world-famous tourist destination Boracay reportedly went beyond its carrying capacity during the Holy Week...
BSP reminds public to use cyber security features for online transactions
BusinessMirror, April 18, 2022
Bianca Cuaresma
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) issued a public advisory on Monday urging financial consumers to use all available security features for online transactions to boost protection against online cybercrimes...
Creation of Islamic banking regulatory unit approved
BusinessMirror, April 18, 2022
Bianca Cuaresma
Various government agencies on Monday announced that they have approved the establishment of the Shari’ah Supervisory Board (SSB) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm)...
Pinoy voters in US ask for extension of overseas absentee voting due to delay in ballot delivery
GMA News, April 19, 2022
Dave Llavanes, Jr.
Some registered Filipino voters in the US appealed to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to extend the overseas absentee voting (OAV) in their area for Eleksyon 2022...
Duterte: Rich countries should pay Philippines for climate change effects
GMA News, April 19, 2022
Mel Matthew Doctor
Wealthy countries which spewed massive carbon emissions should pay the Philippines for the damages caused by climate change, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday...
DENR aims to make dolomite beach water fit for swimming
Manila Bulletin, April 18, 2022
Faith Argosino
In a little over two months, the controversial Manila dolomite beach should be fit for recreational activities, such as swimming...
‘Agaton’ farm damage hits P720 million–DA
BusinessMirror, April 18, 2022
Jasper Y. Arcalas
The damage to the agriculture sector caused by Typhoon “Agaton” (international code name Megi) has climbed to over P720 million with 17,925 hectares of farms across six regions affected, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Monday...
OFW remittances hit 3-month low in February
Philippine Star, April 19, 2022
Lawrence Agcaoili
Remittances from overseas Filipino workers rose by only one percent to hit their lowest level in three months, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)...
Vehicle sales up 43% in March
Philippine Star, April 19, 2022
Louella Desiderio
Local vehicle assemblers achieved their highest monthly sales since the pandemic, rising by 43 percent in March, as Metro Manila and several areas moved to the most lenient alert level status...
Customs collects P60.15B from fuel-marking project
BusinessMirror, April 18, 2022
Bernadette D. Nicolas
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) announced it has collected P60.15 billion in duties and taxes from marking fuel with paid excise taxes in the first quarter of this year...
Central bank raises P140 billion from 28-day securities
BusinessWorld, April 19, 2022
L.W.T. Noble
The Central Bank fully awarded the 28-day bills it offered on Monday as accepted rates went down after the government’s latest bond issuance...
Another fuel price hike set
Daily Tribune, April 19, 2022
Maria Romero
After only two weeks of ease, oil companies implement another round of fuel price increases this week partly due to higher market premiums and freight rates...
Aquaculture sector demands gov’t aid
BusinessWorld, April 19, 2022
Maria Romero
Local aquaculture industry has been driving the growth of the agriculture sector but it needs support from the government, particularly in importing porcine processed animal proteins (PAP) for use in aquafeeds...
Sustainable fund turns in 21% gain
Daily Tribune, April 19, 2022
TDT
ATR Asset Management’s (ATRAM) Sustainable Development and Growth Fund (SDGF) marked its first year in business last February with the distinction of having the third highest return among Peso Equity funds in the Philippines in 2021...
Foreign companies keen on investing in PH
The Manila Times, April 19, 2022
Philippine News Agency
Many international companies are keen on investing in the Philippines after the passage of game-changing reforms under the Foreign Investments Act and Public Service Act, a House leader said on Monday...
Neda pushes for nationwide alert level 1 to spur more employment
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 18, 2022
Ben O. de Vera
Implementing the lowest alert level 1 nationwide will fast-track the return of more employment opportunities as joblessness in the country remained among the highest in emerging Asia, the state planning agency National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said...
Answer to inflation threat: More imported pork, fish
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 18, 2022
Ben O. de Vera
Short supply of food items like pork, fish and corn would add to upward inflation pressures aggravated by expensive oil wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the state planning agency National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said...
Analyst: No respite yet for PH shares as inflation rears ugly head
Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 18, 2022
Miguel R. Camus
Philippine shares are on a near-term downtrend amid risks from higher inflation, amplified by the weakening peso...
Investment agencies receive P58-b support
Manila Standard, April 18, 2022
Julito G. Rada
Investment promotion agencies received P58 billion as budgetary support from the national government in the last five years, the Fiscal Incentives Review Board chaired by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said Monday...