Philippines’ freedom of expression remains ‘highly restricted’

Source BusinessWorld

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has agreed to retain the existing Covid-19 alert levels "for now" as he orders a study on the country's quarantine classification...

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The Philippine economy will likely sustain its recovery momentum this year, but risks remain from elevated inflation and a possible reimposition of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions to curb a fresh surge, the central bank governor said...

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The national government received Monetary Board approval to borrow $3.54 billion overseas during the second quarter, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced on Monday...

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The Philippines is among the countries in the world with the highest number of unvaccinated children against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) last year, according to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef)...

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President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Monday ordered a sweeping review of all projects and programs of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to pinpoint how the agency can effectively help local food producers and bring down the prices of commodities...

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Public school students will no longer be required to wear school uniforms, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio said on Monday...

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Stapled paper and polymer banknotes are legal tender and should be used and honored in transactions, even if the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) discourages the use of staples on peso bills...

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Injected vaccines against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 have been hugely successful, saving nearly 20 million lives globally in their first year of use and slashing the pandemic's death toll by an estimated 63%, according to a recent study. Yet good as these shots are, they have not stopped the virus from spreading from person to person...

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The Philippines resumed exporting shallots to Indonesia after the trade was disrupted in 2015 in a dispute over Indonesian pest-free certification requirements...

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The British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP) said Monday that it supports Philippine ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade deal, saying it will enhance the Philippines as an investment destination...

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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will have to be consulted regarding the request of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the Philippines to comment on ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan’s move to resume the investigation into former President Rodrigo Duterte’s violent war on drugs, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said on Monday...

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National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos on Monday dismissed the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s recent remark rejecting the 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping claims to almost the entire South China Sea as “nothing new...

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China will “coordinate seamlessly” with the Philippines on the renegotiation of loan agreements, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday...

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Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator Daniel Whitley arrived in Manila on Monday for a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) trade mission that is seen to strengthen food security in the country and help foster stronger ties and build economic partnerships between the United States and the Philippines...

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The Philippines and Germany are collaborating to develop policies that will promote science-based climate planning, according to the Philippine Climate Change Commission (CCC)...

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The United States is looking to expand agricultural trade and food security joint initiatives with the Philippines as a delegation led by US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator Daniel Whitley arrived in Manila on Monday...

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Russian shoppers are switching to cheaper food items driven by a drop in real disposable income, the country’s leading food retailer X5 Group said on Monday, July 18, as high inflation crimps purchasing power...

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Britain's Prince Harry told the UN Monday that the overturning of constitutional rights in the United States was part of "a global assault on democracy and freedom"...

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South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin kicked off a three-day visit to Japan on Monday as the two nations explore ways to warm their icy ties, seen as the worst in decades...

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Britain on Monday braced for another day of soaring temperatures, with predictions that the country could see its hottest day in history as people tried to find ways to stay cool...

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Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 whose blood flows less freely than normal are at higher risk of death from complications, a US study showed...

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Astronomers have spotted in a galaxy adjacent to our Milky Way what they are calling a cosmic "needle in a haystack" - a black hole that not only is classified as dormant but appears to have been born without the explosion of a dying star...

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Britain’s former finance minister Rishi Sunak held onto his lead in the race to become Britain’s next prime minister on Monday as another hopeful was knocked out, leaving four candidates in an increasingly bitter contest to replace Boris Johnson...

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A heatwave sweeping southern Europe that has caused hundreds of deaths and huge wildfires showed some signs of abating on Monday but continued to move north, including towards Britain where authorities issued an extreme weather warning...

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Oil firms are slashing pump prices anew today, the third straight week of price rollback for diesel and the second consecutive for gasoline...

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The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is asking Congress to resolve the question on whether the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections will push through on Dec. 5...

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The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is working on a P4.5-billion project that will allow Filipinos to use credit and debit cards to pay for fares in public transport, an official said yesterday...

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Amid complaints over the delayed release of national IDs, the Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost) on Monday sought to assure the public that it is doing its part by promptly delivering the cards in its possession...

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The Department of Health (DOH) aims to administer at least 23 million COVID-19 booster shots within President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first 100 days in office, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the officer in charge of the department, said on Monday...

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Go Negosyo founder Jose Ma. "Joey" Concepcion 3rd on Monday urged Department of Health (DoH) Officer in Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire to call out the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) for delaying its decision regarding the administering of the second booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine...

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The Department of Health (DOH) will reconstitute the member agencies of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Palace announced on Tuesday...

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Majority of Filipinos believe the results of the 2022 elections were accurate and fair, the June 24 to 27 survey of Pulse Asia showed...

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A three-year period is enough for fixed and mobile internet service providers to cover all unserved and underserved areas in the Philippines, according to DITO Telecommunity Corp., agreeing with the proposed measure that seeks to improve internet service and access across the country...

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With the implementation of hybrid work, 25-year-old Mario San Juan (not his real name) makes sure he is able to go home before rush hour when traffic is much heavier and finding a ride is more challenging. At the train station, however, he still finds himself waiting in long lines with other commuters most likely following the same strategy he has in mind...

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President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s plan to deflate the bureaucracy will undergo multi-sectoral consultations, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) assured on Monday.

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On Tuesday, July 19, Rappler's pandemic reporter Bonz Magsambol speaks to infectious disease specialist Dr. Rontgene Solante about the BA.5 subvariant. Bookmark this page to watch the interview at 4 pm...

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Forty four percent of Filipinos are dissatisfied with the K to 12 (K-12) education system in the country, a Pulse Asia survey shared Monday showed...

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The Philippines posted 14,640 coronavirus infections in the past week, with a daily average of 2,091 cases, according to health authorities...

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With schools in the Philippines and across Asia-Pacific reopening from prolonged closures amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has joined calls to extend students’ study time so they can recover from learning losses...

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The cancellation of three massive railway projects due to a financial tussle between the governments of the Philippines and China may prove to be both good news and bad news for commuters and the economy...

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International think tank Fitch Solutions retained its growth forecast of the Philippines despite new expectations of a more aggressive tightening cycle by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)...

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The Department of Health said 15,592,533 eligible Filipinos have so far received their first booster shot against COVID-19 as of July 18. This leaves more than 49.7 million others who have yet to receive another layer of protection against the infection, the department noted...

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Foreign borrowings approved by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) surged by 48 percent to $8.34 billion in the first half from $5.64 billion in the same period last year as the government tapped the offshore debt market to raise funds for its financing requirements and its pandemic response measures...

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The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has been cautioned not to overdo rate hikes, as Moody’s Analytics and Fitch Solutions Country Risk & Industry Research expect monetary authorities to further raise key interest rates until the end of the year...

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Filipinos are starting to see the breakfast staple “pandesal” shrink after prices of key ingredients like wheat, eggs, and flour have risen high enough to threaten the viability of the smaller mom-and-pop bakers...

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Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno has committed to keep climate change mitigation and adaptation at the forefront alongside economic growth under President Marcos’ watch...

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The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) may have more room to raise interest rates further with the domestic economy growing by as much as 7 percent in 2022, but it was warned that too much policy tightening might lead to a so-called hard landing...

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As widely expected, rates for government securities further increased across the board following the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)’s surprise and hefty 75-basis-point rate hike last week...

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The government has committed to fast track its transition toward clean energy by pursuing more renewable energy sources amid the worsening impact of climate change...

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The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ recent move to raise key interest rates by 75 basis points (bps) is a welcome step, perhaps the most crucial of the many outlined measures by the previous economic team to control what has largely been triggered by expensive imports of oils and other commodities...

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The Department of Trade and Industry-Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion (DTI-BDTP) recently announced that starting this July until December 2022, it will promote the "#FlexPHridays" campaign in over 140 digital screens of LRT 1 and MRT 3 stations in Metro Manila...

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President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday said his administration will prioritize farm-to-market road projects to strengthen the farming industry by providing the farmers quality infrastructure support...

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The Philippine economy is showing noticeable recovery in most industries to the extent that Hyundai Heavy Industry (HHI), which won close to a hundred billion pesos in defense contracts from the Philippine Navy (PN), is investing in a maintenance depot inside the Subic Bay Freeport...

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The incoming 19th Congress and the Department of Finance have agreed on the need to craft a medium-term fiscal plan and identify key economic priorities, which Congress will institutionalize in a Joint Resolution, a leader of the House of Representatives said on Monday...

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The Bureau of Customs (BOC) collected almost P838 million in revenues through its post-clearance audits in the first half of this year...

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BSP seen to hike key interest rate above 4% on higher prices, weaker peso. "We expect at least another two rounds of rate hikes on schedule, taking the key policy rate to above 4%," said Moody's Analytics in a commentary released Monday...

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