Gov’t pushes POGO hubs
THE GOVERNMENT is wielding another tool in its bid to better regulate Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) — which are estimated to be costing the state an estimated P22.5 billion annually in foregone revenues due to untaxed foreign workers — encouraging such establishments to locate in hubs, the industry’s regulator said on Friday.
UN rights council votes to probe Philippine drug killings
THE United Nations has approved a resolution to investigate President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s war on drugs that has killed thousands.
Nation should assert South China Sea rights — SWS poll
MAJORITY of Filipinos think that the Philippines should assert its right to disputed islets in the South China Sea and arrest Chinese fishermen who destroy marine resources in the area, according to a poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
Ex-solon refuses to enter plea in graft case
FORMER Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando G. Andaya, Jr. on Friday declined to enter his plea in a P900 million corruption case at the Sandiganbayan.
JBC shortlists 6 high court nominees
THE Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has shortlisted six nominees for the Supreme Court after considering 23 applicants for the job, according to the high court’s social media page.
Parañaque terminal eyes more routes, services
A MODERN intermodal terminal in Parañaque City that will serve commuters between Metro Manila and nearby provinces plans to add more routes and services by year-end, according to Jason Torres, assistant vice president at Megawide Construction Corp., part of a consortium that won the project.
GOCC dividends hit record P61.3 billion year to date
GOVERNMENT-OWNED and controlled corporations (GOCC) remitted a record P61.3 billion to the Treasury in the year to date, the Department of Finance (DoF) said Friday.
Customs on track to raise P10 billion from rice tariffa
THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) said that it is on track to achieve the P10 billion revenue target for rice import tariffs to fund the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), after more liberalized rice imports started in March.
Rice inventory rises 10.1% in early June
THE national rice inventory was estimated at 2.598 million metric tons (MMT) on June 1, up 10.1% from a year earlier, but fell 11.8% month-on-month, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
Senate bill to allow microgrids to be developed without franchise holders’ consent
A SENATE bill aims to speed up rural electrification by boosting the development of microgrid systems by accredited developers, imposing sanctions on bureaucratic delays and lifting the requirement of securing waivers from franchise-holding utilities.
MARINA expects EO to boost efforts in passing shipping-industry audit
THE Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) said it expects an Executive Order (EO) to help prepare the industry hurdle an international compliance audit and met the standards of the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO).
ERC issues refund order to 12 power distributors
THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has issued orders to privately-owned power distribution utilities (DUs) directing them to refund customers on the unused “regulatory reset cost” including any remaining amount from the previous regulatory period plus interest.
PAL, Cebu Pacific on-time performance improves in July
PHILIPPINE Airlines, Inc. (PAL) and Cebu Pacific showed significant improvements in their on-time performance (OTP) in July, two weeks after they signed signed pledges to improve with the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
Apo Agua on schedule to complete Davao water project by 2021
DAVAO CITY — Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc., a joint venture between Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. and JV Angeles Construction Corp., is on track to complete the P12.6-billion bulk water supply project for Davao City by the first half of 2021.
PNOC signs exploration agreement with Israel’s Ratio Petroleum
PHILIPPINE National Oil Co. (PNOC) and Israel’s Ratio Petroleum Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to “seek to establish cooperation” for the exploration and development of oil and gas resources in the Philippines, the Energy department said Friday.
Shopee focuses on growing number of transactions
ONLINE mall Shopee Philippines said its targets for the fourth quarter are to quadruple the number of transactions via its platform and to generate five times the value of the merchandise from a year earlier.
Peso continues rally vs dollar
THE peso continued to rally against the dollar on Friday amid lingering expectations of a rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Caritas to appeal IC stop order
CARITAS Health Shield said it would appeal an Insurance Commission (IC) order that stopped it from selling new products and adding clients for alleged fraud.
PSEi closes in on 8,200
LOCAL SHARES closed in on 8,200 on Friday — fueled partly by a return of net foreign buying — but failed to hit that level and finished lower at the end of the session amid lack of sufficient leads to sustain the lift.
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Duterte sets massive Customs cleansing
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Thursday said that he will be axing 64 ranking officials of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) due to their involvement in corruption.
Automobile sales recover in June, first semester
CAR SALES recovered to post year-on-year increases both in June and last semester, according to data jointly released to media on Thursday by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA).
Departments, agencies consolidate rules governing foreign workers
FIVE DEPARTMENTS and four agencies have moved “to harmonize the regulations and policy guidelines governing the issuance of... documents to foreign nationals intending to work in the Philippines” that are currently provided under various laws.
Vic Sotto, Vice Ganda films among first 4 MMFF entries
SUREFIRE crowd-pullers once again dominate the first four film entries for this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), which is set to run from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7 in cinemas nationwide.
Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 3 is now a streaming series
THE satirical comedy, Ang Babae sa Septic Tank, is back for a third installment. This time the cult favorite tackles the issue of historical revisionism, with comic Eugene Domingo playing herself as a director and main actress in a Josephine Bracken biopic.
China is stifling its own movie business
AS TRADE tariffs and tweets by President Donald Trump hammer some of China’s biggest companies, the country’s movie business is taking a hit — from its own government.
Puregold expects double-digit growth in revenues this year
PUREGOLD Price Club, Inc. expects to see double-digit growth in revenues this year, as it partnered with Globe Fintech Innovations, Inc. (Mynt) to introduce a new payments system using mobile wallet GCash in its supermarkets.
Aurora inspires listeners to be ‘Different’
IF DAVID BOWIE and Björk had a child, it would be Norwegian singer Aurora (full name: Aurora Aksnes). The singer’s unique evolving sound and track themes in her new album, A Different Kind of Human — Step 2, illustrate why.
Holcim Philippines completes expansion of facility in Davao City
HOLCIM Philippines, Inc. on Thursday said it has completed the expansion of its plant in Davao City, which is expected to boost production capacity.
Emmy winner Rip Torn, 88
EMMY WINNER Rip Torn, whose tempestuous nature made him a compelling character actor on the screen and stage but sometimes caused him trouble on the set and in private life, died on Tuesday at the age of 88, media reports said.
Globe taps Israeli satellite networking firm
GLOBE Telecom, Inc. inked a new partnership with an Israel-based satellite networking firm for the provision of WiFi services in schools and hospitals across the country.
Taylor Swift is highest-paid celebrity
LOS ANGELES — Singer Taylor Swift was named the world’s highest-paid entertainer on Wednesday but was closely followed by two members of the wider Kardashian clan — reality star turned cosmetics queen Kylie Jenner and rapper Kanye West.
Airlines asked to submit monthly OTP reports
THE government’s aviation regulator is ordering airlines to submit a report of their monthly on-time performances (OTP), in an effort to improve operations across all airports in the country.
Spanish court rules Julio Iglesias the father
MADRID — A Spanish court ruled on Wednesday that singer Julio Iglesias is the father of a 43-year-old man, resolving a paternity dispute that had lasted three decades after the veteran star refused to take a DNA test.
Free gov’t documents for first-time job seekers to cost P3B in lost revenue
THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said the government stands to lose P3 billion in revenue due to a new law that waives fees for official documents needed by first-time jobseekers, but added that it views such lost revenue as an “investment” in ensuring that talented people have equal access to the workforce.
Now Telecom says open to partnership with Dito
NOW Telecom Co., Inc. said it is open to partnering with new major telecommunications player Dito Telecommunity Corp. in order to expand its operations in the country.
Workers at Chilean Walmart retailers strike over wages
SANTIAGO -- As many as 17,000 workers at Walmart’s largest union in Chile walked off the job early Wednesday morning, demanding better salaries after negotiations over a new labor contract broke down earlier this week, the union’s president said.
Boy-band producer Kitagawa, 87
TOKYO — Johnny Kitagawa, one of the Japanese entertainment industry’s most powerful producers and the Guinness record-winning brain behind many of Japanese pop music’s most popular boy bands, such as SMAP, died on Tuesday at 87 after a stroke, his office said.
Lockheed Martin to keep Pennsylvania helicopter plant open at Trump’s request
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP has decided to keep the Sikorsky helicopter plant in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, open after US President Donald Trump pressed its chief executive to continue operations, the company said on Twitter on Wednesday.
Maynilad steps up effort to reduce nonrevenue water
MAYNILAD Water Services, Inc. has stepped up its plan to reduce nonrevenue water (NRW) with the acquisition of a second mobile leak detection equipment to boost its leak repair drive.
PSBank raises P6.3 billion from offer of 2-year bonds
PHILIPPINE SAVINGS Bank (PSBank) raised P6.3 billion in fresh funds via two-year fixed-rate bonds as it saw robust demand from investors.
What to see this week
5 films to see on the week of July 12 — July 18, 2019
