March 30, 2022
Higher energy, commodity prices threaten PHL growth
BusinessWorld, March 30, 2022
L.W.T.Noble
The Philippines is one of the Asia-Pacific countries that would be most affected by the surge in energy and commodity prices due to the Russia-Ukraine war, S&P Global Ratings said...
AI: HR violations continue in Philippines
Philippine Star, March 30, 2022
Alexis Romero
Malacañang yesterday dismissed as “recycled issues” and “false narratives” the alleged human rights violations cited in a latest report of rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI)...
PH seen to profit once commodity prices fall
The Manila Times, March 30, 2022
Mayvelin U. Caraballo
The Philippines is among the commodity-dependent group of emerging markets (EM) with generally good fundamentals that will profit once commodity prices fall following the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to analysts at Nomura Securities Ltd...
Easy entry protocols boost PHL as ESL hub
BusinessMirror, March 29, 2022
Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
The further relaxation of requirements for international travelers will help restore the country’s place as a major destination to study English as second language (ESL)...
PEZA orders BPOs to return to offices
BusinessWorld, March 30, 2022
Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
All registered information technology-business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) firms should comply with the government’s return-to-office order starting April 1, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said on Tuesday...
SEC issues guidelines on corporate dissolution
The Manila Times, March 30, 2022
Kelvin Lester K. Lee
In accordance with Sections 133 to 138 of Republic Act 11232, otherwise known as the "Revised Corporation Code (RCC) of the Philippines," that provides for the classification, requirements and procedure for corporate dissolution, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued last February 15 SEC Memorandum Circular 5, Series of 2022, which pertains to the guidelines on corporate dissolution under Sections 134, 136 and 138 of the RCC...
MMDA proposes two new number coding schemes
Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 30, 2022
Gabriel Pabico Lalu
Two new number coding schemes that will ban vehicles from public roads during rush hours on two weekdays are being proposed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in a bid to curb heavy traffic in Metro Manila...
No fare hike for commercial airlines- CAB
Manila Bulletin, March 29, 2022
Ariel Fernandez
As the prices of petroleum products continue to rise and remain unstable, the Civil Aeronautic Board (CAB) assured the public that there is no immediate reason for any fare hike on commercial flights...
SC adopts new rules to expedite resolution of civil, criminal cases before lower courts
Manila Bulletin, March 29, 2022
Rey Panaligan
The Supreme Court (SC) has revised the rules to expedite the resolution of civil, particularly monetary claims, and criminal cases filed before the first level courts – metropolitan trial courts (MeTCs), municipal trial courts in cities (MTCCs), municipal trial courts (MTCs), and municipal circuit trial courts (MCTCs)...
Manila files protest over Scarborough incident
The Manila Times, March 29, 2022
Francis Earl Cueto
Manila has filed a diplomatic protest over incidents of "close distance maneuvering" by Chinese coast guard ships in waters off Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea said on Tuesday...
Philippines told to respect sovereignty of China over shoal
BusinessWorld, March 29, 2022
Alyssa Nicole O. Tan
China on Monday asked the Philippines to respect its sovereignty over the Scarborough Shoal after Manila’s coast guard reported a Chinese vessel’s close distance maneuver that risked a collision near the shoal...
China warns PH against patrolling Panatag Shoal
Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 30, 2022
Tina G. Santos
China has warned the Philippines against “interfering” with its patrols at Bajo de Masinloc, saying the shoal and its waters are part of Chinese territory...
US disease unit lowers PH virus case status to 2
Manila Standard, March 30, 2022
Willie Casas
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC) has lowered the Philippines’ COVID-19 status to Level 2, following a drop in the number of infections in the country...
Lack of accountability 'facilitates' killings, rights violations in PH – Amnesty International
CNN Philippines, March 29, 2022
CNN Philippines Staff
Lack of accountability "continued to facilitate" killings and other human rights violations under the Duterte administration's flagship anti-drug campaign, Amnesty International said in its latest report...
Great Place to Work reveals Top 25 Best Workplaces in the Philippines for 2022
Manila Standard, March 29, 2022
Great Place to Work, the global authority in workplace culture and the gold standard of recognition as well as the data scientist behind the annual Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, released its list of the 25 Best Workplaces in the Philippines for 2022...
World should brace for debt crises–World Bank
BusinessMirror, March 29, 2022
Cai Ordinario
The world should brace itself for a spate of debt crises as a dozen developing countries could become unable to service their debts in the next 12 months, a World Bank expert has warned...
'Russia-Ukraine war to trigger new world order'
The Manila Times, March 30, 2022
Agence France-Presse
Russia's invasion on Ukraine will trigger a new "world order" and take globalization into a different phase, BlackRock's billionaire chief executive officer Larry Fink told an investment conference on Monday (Tuesday in Manila)...
Russia, Ukraine in talks with faint hope
Manila Standard, March 30, 2022
Agence France-Presse
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held face-to-face talks in Istanbul on Tuesday as Ukraine resumed evacuations from territory occupied by Russian forces and clung on in the besieged city of Mariupol...
Australia declares 'mass bleaching' at Great Barrier Reef
GMA News, March 30, 2022
David Williams, Agence France-Presse
Australia's spectacular Great Barrier Reef is suffering "mass bleaching" as corals lose their color under the stress of warmer seas, authorities said Friday, in a blow widely blamed on climate change...
UNWTO notes strong start in global tourism for 2022, but cites ‘new challenges’ to recovery
BusinessMirror, March 29, 2022
Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
Global tourism continued its strong uptrend in January 2022, but could be upended by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine...
Ukraine says 5,000 dead in 'catastrophic' Mariupol siege
Philippine Star, March 29, 2022
Agence France-Presse
Ukraine said Monday that at least 5,000 people have died in the "catastrophic" humanitarian crisis gripping pulverized Mariupol, as fighting raged around Kyiv including in a strategic suburb where defenders claim to have driven out Russian invaders...
Britain may be wasting nearly 3 billion pounds on COVID gear
ABS-CBN News, March 30, 2022
Alistair Smout, Reuters
Britain may be wasting nearly 3 billion pounds ($3.94 billion) on contracts for COVID-19 gear that have not given value for money, with millions spent each month storing unneeded and sometimes out-of-date kit, a watchdog said on Wednesday...
Political will, pandemic weigh on talks to save nature
ABS-CBN News, March 30, 2022
Laure Fillon and Kelly MacNamara, Agence France-Presse
Nations aiming to agree a global plan to save nature ended their first in-person meeting in two years Tuesday saying negotiations needed more time, as observers called for greater political momentum in the race to halt biodiversity loss...
Towering ice volcanoes identified on surprisingly vibrant Pluto
GMA News, March 30, 2022
David Will Dunham, Reuters
A batch of dome-shaped ice volcanoes that look unlike anything else known in our solar system and may still be active have been identified on Pluto using data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, showing that this remote frigid world is more dynamic than previously known...
In China’s Wall Street, bankers and traders sleep in offices to beat Shanghai COVID-19 lockdown
Rappler, March 29, 2022
Reuters
More than 20,000 bankers, traders, and other workers are bedding down in office towers in Shanghai’s Lujiazui district as they bid to keep China’s giant financial hub ticking over through a COVID-19 lockdown, according to local administration officials...
COVID-19 is third leading cause of death in 2021
BusinessWorld, March 30, 2022
Abigail Marie P. Yraola
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was the third leading cause of death in the country in 2021, preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed...
Comelec warns vs vote buying
The Manila Times, March 30, 2022
William Depasupil
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has warned candidates in the May 9, 2022 polls from engaging in vote buying activities, saying that it would be a different ball game this time...
DOJ, NBI to probe vote-buying incidents
Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 30, 2022
Marlon Ramos
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and its attached agencies, including the National Bureau of Investigation, will be busy looking into allegations of vote-buying, according to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra...
Daily COVID-19 cases to remain low until end-April – DOH
Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 30, 2022
Kathleen de Villa
Daily COVID-19 infections will remain below 1,000 by the end of April despite relaxed mobility restrictions at the height of the campaign season for the May 9 elections, according to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire...
Phivolcs may lower Taal alert level if no eruption in 2 weeks
Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 30, 2022
Daphne Galvez
The Alert Level 3 declared over Taal Volcano may be lowered to Alert Level 2 if it will have no more eruptions in the next two weeks, Undersecretary Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) told President Rodrigo Duterte in his weekly taped “Talk to the People” briefing on Tuesday...
No lockdown in villages inside Taal danger zone
Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 30, 2022
Delfin T. Mallari Jr.
Mayor Daniel Reyes of Agoncillo town in Batangas province has dismissed information being passed around that the local government has declared a “lockdown” in two villages within Taal Volcano’s 7-kilometer danger zone following Saturday’s eruption...
PDIC resolves more deposit claims, loan accounts in 2021 as process goes online
BusinessWorld, March 30, 2022
TJT
Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) settled 19,184 deposit insurance claims and resolved over 30,000 loan accounts of closed banks in 2021, the Department of Finance (DoF) said in a statement on Tuesday...
Swift action on wage hike petitions sought
Philippine Star, March 30, 2022
Mayen Jaymalin
The largest labor group in the country is urging regional wage boards to swiftly act on petitions for salary hikes...
Fuel subsidy still unclaimed by many PUV drivers
Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 30, 2022
Dempsey Reyes
With fuel prices again on the rise, many public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers say they have yet to receive the subsidy promised by the government which is now on its second week of distribution...
Getting booster critical — Duque
Daily Tribune, March 30, 2022
Jom Garner
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday expressed concern over the slow pace of administering Covid-19 booster shots, saying only 15 percent of total vaccinated individuals have received the additional third dose...
Crack whip on BOC, DA over vegetable smuggling – Sotto
Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 30, 2022
Julie M. Aurelio and Melvin Gascon
It’s now up to Malacañang to stop the rampant smuggling of agricultural products by cracking the whip on the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), whose personnel are in cahoots with one another in allowing the importation of vegetables at the expense of the local farming industry, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Monday...
DA orders stricter measures vs bird flu
Philippine Star, March 30, 2022
Catherine Talavera
Agriculture Secretary William Dar has called for stricter control and containment measures against avian influenza or bird flu amid reported outbreaks in duck and quail farms in several provinces...
Alert Level 3 to stay amid less restive Taal Volcano – Phivolcs
The Manila Times, March 29, 2022
Arlie O. Calalo
Alert Level 3 will remain over Taal Volcano even though its restiveness has been reduced, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said on Tuesday....
DOH: 33M eligible Filipinos yet to receive COVID-19 booster shot
Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 29, 2022
Cathrine Gonzales
Thirty-three million Filipinos eligible for COVID-19 booster shots have yet to receive the additional vaccine dose, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday...
Ignoring protocols could lead to rise in infections — DoH
BusinessWorld, March 29, 2022
Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
The Philippines may record as many as 670 coronavirus infections daily by the end of April if people ignore health protocols, according to the Department of Health (DoH)...
12 Makati schools resume face-to-face classes
Philippine Star, March 30, 2022
Neil Jayson Servallos
Twelve public schools in Makati City resumed face-to-face classes yesterday after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the city government...
DOH warns vs getting 4 or more COVID-19 shots
CNN Philippines, March 29, 2022
CNN Philippines Staff
The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday reminded the public to follow the prescribed number of COVID-19 doses by experts and authorities...
Measures eyed to help airlines, shipping firms as fuel prices rise
BusinessWorld, March 30, 2022
Arjay L. Balinbin
The Transportation department is preparing measures to help airlines and shipping firms cope with the continued spike in fuel prices...
DA wants P250 billion for 2023 to reduce import dependence
BusinessWorld, March 29, 2022
Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said the industry will require a budget of P250 billion in 2023 if the Philippines is to develop crops that make it less vulnerable to volatile commodity prices...
DA banking on China fertilizer deal
Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 30, 2022
Jordeene B. Lagare
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is optimistic it will seal a deal to procure fertilizers from China, even if the government has yet to receive a firm offer from its Chinese counterpart...
‘Cashless PH society possible within a decade’
Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 30, 2022
Doris Dumlao-Abadilla
With more and more Filipinos embracing digital payments out of necessity two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, a fully cashless Philippine society may be possible in less than a decade, a new research from global payments giant Visa suggested...
Transition to renewables seen accelerating in response to high price of imported fuel
BusinessWorld, March 29, 2022
Marielle C. Lucenio
Volatile fuel prices in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine will hasten the transition to renewable energy, industry representatives and analysts told BusinessWorld...
Hog inventory down 4.5% in January
Philippine Star, March 30, 2022
Catherine Talavera
The country’s hog inventory remained on a downtrend at the start of January as production continued to decline in the last quarter of 2021, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed...
BSP: Financial inclusion tack covers most vulnerable to disasters, finance shocks
Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 29, 2022
Ben O. de Vera
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Tuesday (March 29) said its updated financial inclusion tack will cast a wider net on sectors most vulnerable to natural calamities and economic shocks...
Neda: Duterte government OK’d ₧5.3-T projects
BusinessMirror, March 29, 2022
Cai Ordinario
The Duterte administration approved a total of P5.32 trillion in projects since it assumed office in 2016, according to data released by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda)...
PDIC’s deposit insurance fund balloons to P243.87B
BusinessMirror, March 29, 2022
Bernadette D. Nicolas
State-run Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) saw its deposit insurance fund (DIF) ballooning last year to P243.87 billion, posting a double-digit growth from a year ago...
ADB readies work recovery program for Filipinos
Philippine Star, March 30, 2022
Louise Maureen Simeon
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is working on a business and employment recovery program in the Philippines, especially for Filipino women who were hardest hit by the pandemic...