Philippines drops anew in World Press Freedom Index

Source BusinessWorld

The Country's job market is on track to bounce back to its pre-pandemic level by the second half of 2022, as business activity improves with the easing of mobility restrictions...

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The Philippine Statistics Authority on Thursday reported an annual inflation rate of 4.9% for April, compared to 4% in March, with food and transport costs leading the rise in prices...

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The Philippines' press freedom ranking further declined in 2022, amid continued cyberattacks on news websites and judicial harassment of journalists...

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Despite uncertainties wrought by the prolonged pandemic, the Philippines attracted private sector financing for $2.3-billion (over P120-billion) worth of public infrastructure projects in 2021, the World Bank said...

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Nearly four million Filipinos were still considered jobless at the end of 2021, according to the latest full-year employment data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)...

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Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III has broached the possibility of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) extending its support to the Philippines’ localized climate adaptation and mitigation projects...

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The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said the list of pandemic goods exempt from value-added tax (VAT) has been expanded to include a new set of devices used in treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)...

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Retailers, including online sellers, have been warned to display appropriate prices for goods on sale, with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) describing as “shady” the practice of only releasing the price of online goods via private messages (PMs)...

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A definitive regulation is being sought from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the proposed “forward market’” to be instituted in the country’s Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM)...

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State-run Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) announced that it is finally pushing through with the scheduled premium contribution hike this year after it deferred the move last year...

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Albay Rep. Joey Salceda warns illegal online lenders and investment scammers of jail time and steeper fines once President Rodrigo Duterte signs into law the Financial Consumer Protection Act (FCPA)...

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The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) was directed to refund customers a total of P7.75 billion, which is equivalent to P0.47 per kilowatt hour (kWh) for residential customers, to be carried out this month...

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It took a long time coming, but the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) finally announced that medical doctors are now exempted from the number coding scheme...

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The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) urges business owners and establishments to disclose their prices in compliance with the Fair Trade Laws...

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Anyone who continues online cockfighting operations—or “e-sabong”—will be arrested, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Wednesday...

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The Department of Finance (DoF) said on Wednesday that the national government has secured a $56.6-million (about P2.96-billion) loan from South Korea to fund engineering services for the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges Project...

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The Department of Finance (DoF) said the Philippines has exchanged loan documents with the Korea-Economic Development and Cooperation Fund to finance preliminary studies on the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges Project...

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Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. will represent President Duterte in the special summit between the United States and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)...

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Overseas Filipinos workers in the United Arab Emirates have been reminded that they can renew their Overseas Employees Certificate (OEC) and their membership with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in the Philippines, and not necessarily in Dubai or Abu Dhabi...

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A month into relinquishing his post as Trade Secretary, Ramon Lopez has assured the public that programs initiated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will continue in the coming administration, whoever wins...

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Several lawmakers from the United States Senate once again called on the Philippine government to release detained Philippine opposition Senator Leila de Lima...

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The government should focus on the development of liquefied natural gas terminals because the resumption of drilling for oil and gas in the West Philippine Sea may take a long time, according to an industry executive...

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President Duterte the Philippines and Taiwan could be hit if China throws its support behind Russia in its invasion of Ukraine...

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Major oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia are set to meet on Thursday with less pressure to open tabs more widely than planned as China's Covid-19 lockdown threatens demand...

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Russia on Wednesday said its forces had practised simulated nuclear-capable missile strikes in the western enclave of Kaliningrad, amid Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine...

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The European Union proposed its toughest sanctions yet against Russia on Wednesday, including a phased oil embargo, as Moscow pressed an offensive in eastern Ukraine and close Russian ally Belarus announced large-scale army drills...

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The largest banks in the country were found to be the top supporters of coal-related energy projects this year, an energy advocacy and bank watchdog group said in its most recent report...

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Two new Omicron sub-variants are driving an increase in reported COVID-19 cases in South Africa, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, stressing the importance of testing to monitor virus mutations and spread..

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Unregulated online content has spread disinformation and propaganda that have amplified political divisions, fanned international tensions and even contributed to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a media watchdog said Tuesday...

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The number of people facing hunger rose to 193 million last year as conflict, climate change, and economic crises ravaged people’s livelihoods, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said Wednesday...

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Pfizer executives said on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) they were confident of strong demand for the company's Covid-19 antiviral treatment amid easing pandemic rules as the drugmaker reported another round of strong earnings...

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The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced its biggest rate hike since 2000, with a half percentage point increase as it works to crush soaring US inflation...

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Pope Francis and the prime minister of Japan, the only country to be hit by atomic bombs, met on Wednesday, May 4 and discussed their common hope for a world free of nuclear weapons...

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The number of unaccompanied children who sought asylum in the European Union in 2021 jumped by 72% as the number of refugees arriving from Afghanistan rose sharply, the bloc’s statistics office said on Wednesday...

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The European Union’s executive on Wednesday, May 4, proposed the toughest package of sanctions yet against Moscow for its war in Ukraine, but several countries worried about the impact of cutting off Russia oil imports stood in the way of agreement...

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Chinese government-linked hackers have tried to steal sensitive data from some three dozen manufacturing and technology firms in the US, Europe and Asia, security researchers said Wednesday, in findings that shed new light on Beijing's alleged use of hacking to buttress its powerhouse economy...

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Russia said Wednesday it has banned entry to several dozen Japanese officials, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after Tokyo joined international sanctions against Moscow over its military campaign in Ukraine...

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Mexico will step up security along its southern border in preparation for a possible new wave of migrants headed for the United States, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday...

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North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, just a week after leader Kim Jong Un vowed to boost Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal at the "fastest possible speed." ...

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A Russian military plane was flying in the skies over Berdyansk, a city in southern Ukraine, but no one took much notice...

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From southern Ethiopia to northern Kenya and Somalia, swathes of land across the Horn of Africa are being ravaged by a drought that has put 20 million people at risk of starvation...

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The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has asked the National Bureau of Investigation to file criminal charges against individuals behind at least five instances of spreading disinformation in social media about the May 9 elections...

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President Rodrigo Duterte has created a transition committee that will oversee a hopefully smooth handover of government business to the new president who will be elected next week, said presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar...

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Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan has placed the whole province of Misamis Occidental and Pilar town in Abra under its control because of intense rivalry among contending parties that led to violence...

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The Department of Energy (DOE) assured worried Filipinos on Wednesday that there will be no power outages when the nation goes out to vote on election day four days hence...

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With only four days left until Election Day, some of the country’s top statisticians find themselves at loggerheads and pondering questions on whether survey designs need to be updated to more accurately reflect public sentiment in light of survey results that indicate a victory for Ferdinand Marcos Jr...

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The Department of Education (DepEd) said that schools serving as polling centers will have isolation polling precincts (IPPs) for those with symptoms of Covid-19 on election day...

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The Palace downplayed the Philippines’ fall in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, saying the country was not in the “red list” of very bad press freedom situations, despite the ranking drop...

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State insurer PhilHealth on Wednesday said it will collect higher contributions from its members beginning June, ending a one-and-a-half year reprieve it granted earlier amid the COVID-19 pandemic...

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The Commission on Elections on Wednesday reminded Filipinos that wearing campaign shirts on election day is illegal...

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The Philippine central bank should order the removal of online cockfighting features in electronic wallet (e-wallet) applications following President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s order to stop the gaming operations, said a senator on Wednesday...

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The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are on alert for the national and local elections on May 9, 2022...

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The Senate on Wednesday conducted a dry run of the reception of certificates of canvass (CoCs) and election returns (ERs) for the May 9 presidential and vice presidential elect...

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Voters who will arrive at polling precincts on May 9 with coronavirus symptoms such as high body temperature will not be disenfranchised as health protocols have been set and will be implemented nationwide...

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Less than two months before President Duterte steps down from office, Malacañang formed a transition committee to ensure the smooth transfer of power to the next president, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar revealed...

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Environmental watchdog EcoWaste Coalition has asked candidates to immediately conduct post-campaign cleanup and for voters not to litter designated polling centers with sample ballots on May 9...

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Growing public acceptance of authoritarianism is one of the urgent issues that needs to be immediately addressed by civil rights advocates regardless of the winners in the May 9 elections...

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Around 50,000 to 60,000 have so far signed up as volunteers for National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) for election day, an official of the poll watchdog said Thursday...

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Riva Gutierrez began sending her plastic waste to a recycling firm last year after seeing the huge amount of plastics starting to pile up in their trash. Alarmed over the couple of large black bags full of many single-use, discarded plastics: Gutierrez knew something needed to change...

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The Department of Trade and Industry on Wednesday expressed confidence that the next administration will keep prioritizing the creation of jobs, whoever its leaders may be...

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The Bureau of Customs (BoC) on Wednesday said it surpassed its April collection target by 20%, as the value of imported oil continued to climb...

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Initiatives to develop the country’s Islamic banking industry will help open investment opportunities in Mindanao and, in turn, bring down poverty in the region...

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The private sector has poured in at least $2.3 billion in the infrastructure programs of the Philippines last year as investments started to return with the gradual recovery from the pandemic...

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To achieve the country's food sovereignty goals, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will need a higher annual budget of up to P290 billion, Secretary William Dar said...

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Philippine shares bounced higher from early-session losses after local bargain hunters stepped into the scene...

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Malacañang is confident additional revenues could be found to replace the P5 billion to P6 billion to be lost from the banning of e-sabong (online cockfighting) activities...

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Philippine logistics cost is highest among Asean neighbors, with traffic as one of the barriers to supply chain management, industry players said...

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For revenge travelers, money is no object...

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With improved collection efficiency and expensive oil, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) again overshot its revenue target in April, and by nearly a fifth...

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The Small Business Corp. (SB Corp.) said it will launch a new loan program with funding of P6-7 billion designed to help sustain the recovery of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs)...

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The Department of Tourism has plans to beef up medical tourism in the country as the pandemic has brought into light the importance of medical travel and wellness tourism...

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The government yesterday borrowed P35 billion from the debt market at a higher yield to investors due to the impending rate hike by the US Federal Reserve...

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