Philippines drops to 22nd in English proficiency ranking

Source BusinessWorld

S&P Global Ratings affirmed on Thursday the Philippines’ investment grade rating, amid the economy’s continued recovery from the pandemic...

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Despite a record-high domestic output, the Philippines was only able to produce 81.5 percent of its total rice supply last year, lower than the 85 percent rate recorded in 2020, latest official statistics showed...

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The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Thursday raised its key interest rate for a sixth time this year to tame inflation, which it now sees rising to 5.8% by yearend...

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The Monetary Board (MB) on Thursday raised key interest rates by three quarters of a percent, noting continuing upside inflation risks and the need to support the peso...

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Business groups have welcomed the Department of Energy (DOE)’s decision to amend provisions of Renewable Energy (RE) Act of 2008 to allow more foreign players to participate in the Philippine renewable energy sector...

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Sen. Mary Grace Poe on Wednesday said the full implementation of Republic Act 11934 or the "Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act" was set on Dec. 27, 2022...

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Higher education institutions (HEIs) may choose to design and deliver their degree programs through onsite learning or hybrid learning modality starting the second semester of School Year (SY) 2022-2023, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Prospero de Vera III said...

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The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said there’s a need to resolve issues of locators related to the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) rules on zero value-added tax (VAT) rating incentive...

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Consumers in Metro Manila will face higher water bills starting next year...

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Goodbye, agents. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.) Inc. (Manulife Philippines) now allows anybody to buy products when they need it and wherever they are...

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The future of artificial intelligence requires more powerful hardware to realize its potential. Nvidia and Microsoft will meet that need by building an “AI supercomputer.”...

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President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping have reaffirmed their support for the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea "to help manage differences and regional tensions," the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday...

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Tension over Taiwan is expected to be on the agenda when US Vice President Kamala Harris meets President Marcos next week, Manila’s ambassador to Washington said on Thursday...

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The Philippines and China have agreed to hold “friendly consultation” regarding the South China Sea dispute, the Chinese Embassy said on Friday, adding that the two nations should team up “to reject unilateralism and acts of bullying.”...

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President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday called on members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) to become instruments of peace and innovation to ensure international prosperity...

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Thai conglomerate CP Group has pledged to make additional investments in the Philippines in aquaculture, rice, and swine production, following a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Bangkok, Thailand...

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Determined to secure additional investments from the Thai conglomerate CP group, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. said he will be deploying agriculture officials to initiate exploratory talks with the said company...

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There' high interest in the Philippines as a tourism destination, that’s for sure, but more European tourists will come if only airline fares and hotels were less expensive...

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The Philippine government through Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has called on member-states of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to take with a grain of salt accusations of human-rights violations committed against activists, lawyers and mediamen in the country...

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The Philippines has accepted 200 recommendations from the United Nations Human Rights Council, including investigating extralegal killings and protecting journalists...

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North Korea fired what was apparently an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), South Korea said Friday, a day after it launched a smaller missile and warned of “fiercer military responses” to the United States boosting its regional security presence...

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UN chief Antonio Guterres urged rich and developing nations to stop the "finger pointing" at deadlocked climate talks on Thursday and reach a deal on covering the losses suffered by vulnerable countries battered by weather disasters...

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North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile Thursday, Seoul's military said, the latest in a record blitz of launches as Pyongyang warned of a "fiercer" military response to the United States and its allies...

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Rotting teeth, swollen gums and oral cancers: nearly half the world's population suffer from mouth diseases, the World Health Organization said Thursday...

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The European Central Bank (ECB) sees an increased likelihood of a recession in the 19 countries that use the euro currency, warning that soaring energy prices and high inflation fed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have raised risks for bank losses and turmoil on financial markets...

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Pacific rim leaders flew to Bangkok on Thursday for a summit on pandemic recovery and the global economic turmoil unleashed by the war in Ukraine...

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Myanmar’s ruling military on Thursday freed a former British ambassador, a Japanese filmmaker and an Australian economic adviser to deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, officials said, among nearly 6,000 prisoners included in a mass amnesty...

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The Federal Reserve will downshift in December to deliver a 50-basis-point interest rate hike, but economists polled by Reuters say a longer period of U.S. central bank tightening and a higher policy rate peak are the greatest risks to the current outlook...

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The dollar was headed for its best week in a month on Friday, as hawkish remarks from Federal Reserve officials and stronger-than-expected retail sales data have put the brakes on a pullback that was triggered by signs of softening inflation...

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A slight uptick in new COVID-19 cases was reported in the National Capital Region over the past week, with a member of the OCTA Research Group noting that the positivity rate has started to plateau...

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A slight uptick in COVID-19 cases was reported in the National Capital Region over the past week, with a member of the OCTA Research group noting that the positivity rate has started to plateau...

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The Department of Transportation has started soliciting the insights of the private sector for the planned privatization of the EDSA busway, the DOTr announced yesterday...

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As P17 billion in Philhealth dialysis claims payments seen this year, a member of the House Committee on Appropriations on Thursday announced the launching of a public-private partnership project (PPP) to assure patients ready access to free, state-of-the-art dialysis treatment...

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Newly appointed Anti-Red Tape Authority (Arta) Director General Ernesto Perez on Thursday said he would focus on the remaining 7 percent of government entities nationwide who have not yet published their citizen’s charter that provides the public with their current or updated service procedures and standards...

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The Department of Education (DepEd) will soon launch its National Reading and Math programs as part of the agency’s learning recovery efforts at the basic education level...

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Senator Loren Legarda has urged the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to make its disaster warning systems more understandable to prevent a destructive trail similar to that of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng (international name: Nalgae)...

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The 24- member Senate has approved the proposed budget of the Department of Health (DoH) for 2023 in the amount of P323 billion...

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The P25/kilo of rice being sold at the "Kadiwa ng Pasko" will be available every payday and will run until Dec. 31, 2022, a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Friday...

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It has been a year since the officer in charge of the Department of National Defense (DND), Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr., retired from military service. He is therefore no longer covered by the one-year appointment ban on retired military officials...

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An expert said that 40 percent of newly born are malnourished as poor Filipinos underconsume meat, vegetables, dairy and eggs, amid the high food prices in the country...

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An international human rights monitoring group has claimed that the Philippine National Police (PNP) has underreported the number of drug war deaths under the current administration, saying that other observations suggest a higher number...

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Delays in issuing national ID cards have been blamed on measures adopted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to protect the authenticity of registrants’ information...

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As expected, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) delivered an aggressive 75-basis-point rate hike, bringing the benchmark rate to a 14-year high of five percent to help insulate the Philippine economy from external headwinds and exchange rate fluctuations that could further entrench price pressures...

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Foreign equity restrictions in the country’s renewable energy (RE) sector has been lifted following the Department of Energy’s issuance of the amended rules of the RE Act of 2008...

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The Philippines failed to produce more food last year as the country’s rice self-sufficiency declined to 81.5 percent in 2021, with dependence on imports for the Filipinos’ main staple increasing yet again...

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Farmers cannot be on the losing end if the national government decides to lower the price of rice, the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. said Thursday...

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Vacancy rates in Metro Manila’s premium office space market continued to hover in the double digits in the third quarter of this year, as landlords stuck to high rates that left “large gaps” between bids and asking rents...

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The Philippines can expect roughly $157.5 billion worth of investments in offshore wind (OSW) projects should current proposals materialize, the Department of Energy (DoE) said on Thursday...

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Labor groups scored the government for declaring more long weekends on public holiday list for 2023 instead of giving workers additional pay amid the rising cost of living...

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The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said Japanese manufacturers are considering investing in Philippine renewable energy and electric vehicle (EV) projects...

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Motorists will be able to pass through the NLEx Connector road, an elevated expressway linking the border of North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) in Caloocan to Sta. Mesa, Manila by the second quarter of next year as developer Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) unit ramps up construction...

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