House panel passes resolution backing creation of body to probe incidents involving seafarers
A HOUSE of Representatives committee approved Thursday a resolution calling for the creation of a maritime search and rescue task force to help deal with worldwide incidents involving Filipino seafarers.
PHL rebound from low base seen outpacing regional peers
THE ECONOMY’S rebound in 2021 is expected to be larger than those of its regional peers because it will be coming off a low base in 2020 due to the prolonged lockdown, Oxford Economics said.
Infra push seen closing telecommunications, transportation gaps
THE FLAGSHIP ‘Build, Build, Build’ (BBB) program is addressing the Philippines’ infrastructure deficit in telecommunications and transportation, but is less responsive to the needs of social programs, a government think tank said.
Weak post-pandemic growth a risk to job revival — IIF
WEAK GROWTH in the wake of the pandemic may not create jobs fast enough, potentially worsening inequality, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF).
Industry backs no Thai tariff action, citing supply disruption
INDUSTRY GROUPS have declared their opposition to the potential suspension of tariff concessions on exports from Thailand to the Philippines, warning that regional supply chains could be disrupted and consumer prices might rise.
Palay farmgate prices rise 1.2% in first week of Jan.
THE average farmgate price of palay, or unmilled rice, rose 1.2% week-on-week to P16.70 per kilogram during the first week of January, with the price improving 4.6% from a year earlier, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
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IP filings drop in 2020; rebound seen with economic reopening
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) filings declined in 2020 as inventors and creatives delayed the filing of applications during the lockdown declared to contain coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
DoF says rollout of online systems on track this year
THE Department of Finance (DoF) is set to launch various electronic channels this year that will digitize tax-related processes, including an online platform for tax exemption applications, as well as an online business registration system and the electronic-invoicing system of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
Ending the long heartbreak over RPTs in PPPs
By Jose Patrick S. Rosales
“Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame, darlin’ you give love a bad name” — go the opening lines of a famous Bon Jovi song. In December, the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) sitting En Banc resolved an issue that often strikes (or shoots, if you will) at the very heart of national Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects — real property taxes (RPT).
NEDA warns no FINL easing without economic reform bills
SOCIOECONOMIC planners warned Congress that failure to pass pending reform legislation will likely stall the opening up of the economy, adding that without such laws, it may not be possible to expand foreign investment to more industries.
Infrastructure focus may have led PHL to neglect public health — Moody’s
THE Philippine focus on infrastructure investment has led to a corresponding lack of funding for social services like healthcare, with the resulting inability to efficiently deal with a public health crisis highlighting the country’s exposure to “highly negative risk,” Moody’s Investors Service said.
Open dumpsites due for total shutdown by March — DENR
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Tuesday that its regional offices have been ordered to shut down all open dumpsites by March.