How Philippines compare with its regional peers in returning to ‘normal’ life

Source BusinessWorld

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has retained the existing Covid-19 alert level system in place for now as he eyes a new health restrictions classification that corresponds to the current pandemic situation...

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Fitch ratings lowered its gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for the Philippines to 6.5% this year, from 6.9% previously, citing continued inflationary pressures due to high prices of food and other commodities...

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The Philippines and other economies in the Asia-Pacific were warned by credit rating firm Moody's Investors Service that food shocks brought on by the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine could escalate social unrest and trade protectionism...

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The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) expects the short supply of some food items to aggravate already high consumer prices...

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State capital expenditures and infrastructure spending rose in May of this year as a result of the government's railroad, subway and military upgrade projects, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)...

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As the Philippine peso hovers within 17-year lows, money sent home by Filipinos abroad are getting a boost...

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The Philippine economy is emerging as the most vulnerable to currency volatility in the region due to the country’s reliance on two imported commodities—food and fuel...

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Need funds to service our government debts? The tourism industry can help...

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Two more firms have been disqualified by the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) from securing a license after they were found to be operating unregistered money service businesses (MSBs)...

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Sen. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go has refiled his proposed bill establishing drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation centers nationwide...

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A party-list group has filed a bill making day care a permanent job with reasonable compensation and government support. House Bill 1830 filed by Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Ray Florence Reyes cited the “integral role day care workers play in nation-building,” thus the need to protect their rights and provide them with livable wages...

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Senator Risa Hontiveros expressed alarm on Tuesday as more online groups are made to prey on children. Hontiveros said that public groups on Facebook named Atabs and LF Kuya and Bunso post images of minors to lure predators.

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Cosplayers, street musicians, and dance groups have been delighting families and tourists who stroll around downtown Session Road here on Sundays when the city’s most popular and busiest road is closed to vehicular traffic...

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The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the nationwide digital divide and the need for innovative teaching methods for learning continuity, Senator Win Gatchalian said. Gatchalian thus filed a bill seeking to accelerate the digital transformation of the basic education sector, one of his 20 priority measures for the 19th Congress...

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Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is looking to pursue government-to-government deals with some of the world’s top suppliers of fertilizer such as Russia and China, as he aims to boost the country’s agriculture production...

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The Philippines is among the most vulnerable to food price shocks, and must enter into regional agreements to ensure supply and increase efficiency in domestic production, Moody’s Investors Service...

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China will finish infrastructure projects with the Philippines including three railways, and launch more that will set new benchmarks for cooperation, according to its Foreign Ministry spokesman...

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In light of the anticipated slowdown of the economy, Filipinos have reduced their consumption and boosted their emergency savings, a research released on Tuesday by a global information and insights company, TransUnion, showed...

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The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is contemplating repatriating around 115 Filipinos in Sri Lanka before the end of the month amid the economic crisis there...

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The Philippines has maintained its top classification status in the U.S. Department of State's 2022 Trafficking in Persons Department. For the seventh straight year, the country earned a Tier 1 ranking in the annual report released by the State Department...

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The provider of Beep cards, AF Payments Inc (AFPI), is facing delays in the delivery of cards as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues...

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Three candidates were nominated on Tuesday to replace Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the South Asian country and resigned last week after protesters overran his official residence...

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The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that would provide federal protection for same-sex marriage amid fears that the Supreme Court could roll back recognition of such unions...

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Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Tuesday, stressing closer ties in the face of Western pressure over the war in Ukraine, where Russian forces struck more targets across the country...

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The EU is preparing to carve out exceptions in its tough sanctions against Moscow that would unblock assets at Russian banks linked to trade in food and fertiliser, a document showed on Tuesday...

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The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that coronavirus cases have tripled across Europe in the past six weeks, accounting for nearly half of all infections globally. Hospitalization rates have also doubled, although intensive care admissions have remained low...

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Sri Lanka’s parliament will choose between three candidates for president on Wednesday, hoping the new leader will be able to pull the island out of its worst economic and political crisis since independence in 1948...

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The United States on Tuesday placed Russia on lists of countries engaged in a “policy or pattern” of human trafficking and forced labor or whose security forces or government-backed armed groups recruit or use child soldiers...

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Iran's president will host his Russian and Turkish counterparts on Tuesday for talks on the Syrian war in a three-way summit overshadowed by fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine...

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A Moscow court has fined Google 21 billion rubles ($360 million) for failing to remove content concerning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the country's telecommunications regulator said on Monday...

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Britain’s new finance minister on Tuesday set out how Britain would seize the “benefits of Brexit” by revoking EU laws, despite fears in some quarters over excessive deregulation in London...

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Advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday voted unanimously to recommend use of Novavax Inc's COVID-19 vaccine for individuals aged 18 and above...

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Asian buyers are ramping up palm oil purchases to replenish inventories after prices corrected to their lowest in a year and as top producer Indonesia has scrapped levies on exports...

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Britain recorded its highest ever temperature of 40ºC (104ºF) on Tuesday, July 19, as a heatwave gripping Europe intensified, scorching fields and damaging airport runways and train tracks...

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Over three years into the pandemic, cases of COVID-19 continue to ramp up globally as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes it, continues to mutate and evolve with the newest strain: BA.2.75...

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Dinosaur footprints dating back 100 million years have been discovered in southwestern China after a sharp-eyed diner spotted them in a restaurant's outdoor courtyard...

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Presumptive House Speaker Martin Romualdez has vowed to act swiftly on priority bills of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., including the proposed national budget for 2023...

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President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to preposition relief goods on typhoon-prone areas, one of the issues discussed during his third Cabinet meeting at Malacañang Palace Tuesday...

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Go Negosyo founder Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd on Tuesday reiterated his appeal to the government to approve second booster shots as some 1.5 million Covid-19 vaccines purchased by the private sector are set to expire by the end of July...

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President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. expressed support for the proposed rightsizing of all agencies, departments, and government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), with no exemptions, including the Department of Agriculture (DA) where he concurrently serves as secretary...

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As most industries recuperate from the pandemic, many businesses had to contend with a new threat from ballooning prices of raw materials...

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The new Congress under incoming speaker Martin Romualdez will prioritize the passage of the 2023 budget within the year...

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President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is considering pursuing government-to-government (G2G) deals to help cushion the impact of the high cost of fertilizers on local farmers...

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The Senate will probe various flood control projects in Metro Manila in the wake of frequent flooding incidents in the country’s capital and surrounding areas even after only a brief rainfall...

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Plans dealing with food security and inflation will be among the most eagerly expected portions of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) to be delivered by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on July 25, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said on Tuesday...

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Miners have asked the government to provide a stable environment and to specify how the industry can best comply with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards...

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The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats now have the most members in the House of Representatives as its ranks swelled to 64, after party president and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez administered the party’s oath to four more congressmen, apart from 12 mayors and several other local officials on Tuesday...

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Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles disclosed on Tuesday, July 19, that a validation conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) found out that the 1.3 million beneficiaries are no longer qualified under the government’s 4Ps...

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The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has paid P310 million to bus operators handling the government’s “Libreng Sakay” or free rides program on Edsa in the hopes that they would deploy all their buses, especially during rush hours to better serve commuters...

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The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said it will spend at least P15 million to help children of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) cope with the separation from their parents...

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Immunocompromised persons, children, pregnant women, and the elderly are at high risk of contracting monkeypox, a health expert said Tuesday...

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Sen. Risa Hontiveros has sounded the alarm on a thriving underground market for photos and videos of Filipino children on Facebook public groups that apparently cater to sexual predators...

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The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines is seeking the overhaul of the Kinder to Grade 12 (K-12) program amid its ongoing review by the Department of Education (DepEd)...

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There should be more health experts included in the groups set up to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and other health emergencies, OCTA Research fellow Ranjit Rye said on Tuesday at the weekly Pandesal Forum organized by the Kamuning Bakery Cafe...

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The parents who have a pending petition before a Quezon City Regional Trial Court against the Covid-19 vaccination especially for minors ages 5 to 11 years old have found an ally in Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio, the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) said on Tuesday...

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The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has no plans to extend the voter registration for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, an official said...

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The parents who have a pending petition before a Quezon City Regional Trial Court against the Covid-19 vaccination especially for minors ages 5 to 11 years old have found an ally in Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio, the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) said on Tuesday...

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Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno has ordered the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to further expand the country’s capital market by ramping up its digitalization efforts...

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The Philippine commercial real estate sectors, particularly retail, is making a strong comeback, thanks to pent-up consumer demand, looser travel restrictions and return-to-office mandates, according to real estate services firm Santos Knight Frank...

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Infrastructure spending picked up slightly in May as the Department of Transportation (DoTr) increased payments for railway and subway projects, offsetting the lower disbursements for public works projects due to the election ban...

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Amid reports that chicken dishes are unavailable in restaurants, a lawmaker wants to “bring back the Joy in Chickenjoy” by boosting the production of corn as an essential feed source for poultry...

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The Marcos administration is looking at entering into government-to-government (G2G) deals to address the surging cost of fertilizers that is driving up the prices of food and agricultural products...

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The government is currently exploring a number of options, including the importation of more sugar, to temper the rise in sugar prices, a senior Department of Agriculture (DA) official said Monday...

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Passengers will be paying more to travel by air next month with the higher fuel surcharges allowed to be collected by the airlines to cover the cost of elevated oil prices...

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The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said interdisciplinary coordination of three catalysts –Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) — will drive economic growth and address global risks and challenges...

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The Philippine stock market stayed in positive territory for the second straight session yesterday with investors continuing to pick up bargain stocks...

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Pump prices for domestic oil products may rise anew—after three straight weeks of rollbacks—if China lifts its COVID-19 lockdowns and the United States Federal Reserve does not push through with its planned interest rate hikes, an Energy Department official said Tuesday...

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Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to further expand the capital market through digitalization. “My marching order to you now is to make the Philippine capital market more broad-based and inclusive through digitalization and strengthened corporate governance,” Diokno said in a recorded video message to the SEC on Monday...

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