RISING air travel demand will require more investment in the supporting infrastructure, according to a study issued by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), a government think tank. “While the government recognizes the need to improve the air transport infrastructure by building new airports and improving existing facilities and technical capabilities, huge investments are […]
Category: Hot News
BoC working on trade facilitation upgrades in EU-backed project
THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) said it is working with ARISE Plus Philippines to improve trade facilitation in a European Union (EU)-backed project. The collaboration focuses on creating new policy and procedures for trade facilitation mainly through e-commerce, authorized economic operators, and integrated risk management programs, the BoC said in a statement on Monday. The […]
Congress still studying revenue-generating potential of luxury goods
THE House committee on ways and means intends to pass a luxury-tax bill and is evaluating which luxury goods have the greatest potential for generating revenue, its chairman said. “The committee will definitely pass a measure expanding (the list of taxable luxuries), but we will discuss which items can generate the most revenue for the […]
Internal migrants estimated at over 30% of PHL population
SOME 30.6% of the Philippine population consists of internal migrants, defined as those currently living in jurisdictions where they were not born, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. According to the PSA’s 2020 Census of Population and Housing, the category, which the PSA calls “lifetime migrants,” numbered 29.87 million. Of the so-called lifetime migrants, 21.48 […]
Yet another BIR deadline in April
For taxpayers following the calendar year as their tax period, the start of the new year marks the countdown to the April income tax deadline. While this is the most pressing deadline for most taxpayers, we should not forget that there is also another BIR requirement due in April — the Request for Confirmation (RFC) […]
Lack of transparency in Marcos trip to Davos scored by analysts
By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter and Beatriz Marie D. Cruz POLITICAL analysts on Monday criticized Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s alleged lack of transparency about his trip to Davos this week, which they said bodes ill for efforts to attract foreign investors. His five-day visit to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum (WEF) […]
Metro Manila’s COVID positivity rate declining, says OCTA
CORONAVIRUS infections in Manila and nearby cities have declined, according to the OCTA Research Group. The seven-day positivity rate in Metro Manila, which accounted for 31.5% of the country’s economic output last year, had fallen to 3.7% from 5.8% as of Jan. 14, OCTA said in a report on Tuesday. Low positivity rates were also […]
Marcos: Manila not pursuing China ‘partnership’
PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. on Monday said the Philippines is eyeing an agreement, not a partnership, with China to allow Filipino fishermen to fish in the South China Sea. This after former National Security Adviser Clarita A. Carlos said on Friday the Philippines was studying a proposal by China for a “partnership between […]
24 senior cops have yet to heed call to resign
TWENTY-FOUR third-level cops have yet to quit their jobs after about 97% of top-level police officers did so to cleanse their ranks of a “deep infection” of the illegal drug trade, the national police chief said on Monday. At a press briefing streamed live on Facebook, national police chief Rodolfo S. Azurin said he would […]
New department aims to integrate water sector, but will it mean better access, reasonable rates?
By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz A COMMUNITY in the small town of Danao in Bohol is among many countryside areas in the Philippines where there is water service up to the household level, but supply is limited to just a few hours per day under the best of circumstances. Resident Gonzala T. Bacotcot, whose own […]
Farmers group slams Marcos’ importation plan
A FARMERS group denounced the government’s importation plan for agricultural goods, saying the entry of onions, rice, and sugar from other countries to increase supply has not been effective in bringing down prices. “Importation is a solution for the lazy,” the Kilusang Mambubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said in Filipino in a statement on Monday as […]
DMW plans to repatriate 300 Filipinos living in Kuwait temporary shelters
THE DEPARTMENT of Migrant Workers (DMW) is planning to repatriate at least 300 Filipino workers currently staying in temporary Philippine government-run shelters in Kuwait, according to a department official. At an online press briefing on Monday, Migrant Workers Undersecretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said he is in Kuwait with labor officials to arrange a speedy […]
MMDA returns P1.2-B unauthorized WiFi fund from DICT — solon
THE METRO Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has returned a P1.2-billion fund it received from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) without the necessary approvals, a lawmaker said on Monday. Senior Deputy Minority Leader Paul R. Daza, who was one of the lawmakers present in the House investigation on the alleged illegal transfer of […]
Cone credits record PBA crowd for Ginebra’s win over Bay Area
1 of 2 54, 589-STRONG Ginebra crowd at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. — PHILIPPINE STAR FILE PHOTO IT WAS A SORT of a deja vu for the crowd darlings, who dealt with a similar situation before in the 2017 Governors’ Cup. — PHILIPPINE STAR/RUSSEL PALMA NEWLY-MINTED champion Barangay Ginebra raised a glass to […]
Peso may rise vs dollar on US CPI data
THE PESO is expected to continue rising against the dollar this week as investors price in US consumer inflation data that bolstered hopes of smaller rate hikes from the US Federal Reserve. The local unit closed at P54.89 per dollar on Friday, strengthening by 40 centavos from its P55.29 finish on Thursday, Bankers Association of […]
PSEi to move sideways on profit taking, rate bets
LOCAL SHARES may drop to start this week as investors pocket gains from their recent rally, but lower consumer inflation in the United States, which could lead to slower tightening by the US Federal Reserve and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), may provide support. The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) went up by […]
Marcos gov’t told to comply with court yardstick on future oil deals
By John Victor D. Ordoñez and Alyssa Nicole O. Tan, Reporters PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. should ensure that future deals on natural resource management with other countries follow the precedent set by the Supreme Court, which voided a 2005 oil deal with China and Vietnam, senators and political analysts said on Sunday. “The […]
Misfit cops will face raps after retirement — DILG
TOP PHILIPPINE police officials involved in the illegal drug trade may face prosecution even after retirement, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Sunday. “Even if a police official is allowed to retire for the time being, the monitoring and investigation must continue, to gather evidence that may lead to eventual […]
Opposition senator questions Marcos’ planned Davos pitch of still non-existent wealth fund
THE SENATE minority leader has called President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s plan to do a “soft launch” overseas of a still unapproved wealth fund a “ploy” to force the bill’s passage in the upper chamber. “It is more than a marketing strategy, it’s a move to tie the hands of Congress, particularly the Senate, […]
2,000 MW of renewable energy projects in Mindanao in the pipeline
By Maya M. Padillo, Correspondent RENEWABLE ENERGY (RE) projects that can produce about 2,000 megawatts (MW) of power are in the pipeline within the southern Philippine islands, according to an official of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA). Assistant Secretary Romeo M. Montenegro, MinDA deputy executive director, said projects with a combined capacity of 400 MW […]