Monthly Archives: June 2020

Economic managers say the government can only afford P130 billion for spending programs. Lawmaker Stella Quimbo says that is ‘a pitiful response to the biggest economic catastrophe since the World War.’ by Ralf Rivas, 5 Jun 2020 MANILA, Philippines – Lawmakers are aiming to pass a massive P1.3-trillion economic stimulus package to jolt the economy…

by John Unson (Philstar.com), 5 Jun 2020 COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The Marines rescued Thursday seven Filipinos who escaped from Sabah, Malaysia where illegal recruiters promised them employment that never came true.

By Leslie Ann Aquino, Manila Bulletin, 2 Jun 2020 More than 300,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic but majority of them don’t want to be repatriated, the Department of Labor and Employment said on June 2, Tuesday.

by Janvic Mateo (The Philippine Star), 4 Jun 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Education officials have asked lawmakers to increase the budget of the education sector to support programs to be implemented in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

By Samuel P. Medenilla, Businessmirror, 4 Jun 2020 TRANSPORTATION and labor leaders called on the government to give a daily P800 “guaranteed income” for public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers to ensure their compliance with social distancing measures during the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis.

by Ian Nicolas Cigaral (Philstar.com), 4 Jun 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Foreign direct investment (FDI) pledges in the country’s economic zones sank to their lowest level in 2 years in the first quarter, laying fresh evidence on how investors were turned off by the pandemic which the government seeks to fix through a cut in…

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Over 40 business groups call on the Philippine government to swiftly produce a law for economic recovery by Ralf Rivas, 4 Jun 2020 MANILA, Philippines – Forty-four of the country’s biggest business groups urged the Duterte administration to quickly implement a “more substantial” stimulus plan to revive the economy from the coronavirus pandemic.

by Jobo E. Hernandez, BusinessWorld, 4 Jun 2020 FEWER FILIPINOS worked in overseas job markets last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

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by Jovee Marie de la Cruz, BusinessWorld, 3 Jun 2020 Around 30 jeepney drivers from Caloocan City out of work since the lockdowns in March hold a rally to ask City Hall to let them ply their routes. They say they have yet to receive cash aid from the government, and that they should also…

By Cai Ordinario, Businessmirror, 3 Jun 2020 THE solution to Metro Manila’s transportation woes could only be a P32 billion worth experiment away, according to a US-based transportation expert.

By: Roy Stephen C. Canivel, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 3 Jun 2020 Simply lowering the corporate income tax might only prompt companies to weather through the pandemic, without any assurance that the tax cut would get them to either keep or hire more workers, a private think tank said.

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By: Leila B. Salaverria, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 3 June 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Anger mounted in Metro Manila on Tuesday over lack of public transportation for workers allowed to return to their jobs after three months of quarantine, with senators calling the situation an emerging crisis and slamming transportation officials for their insensitivity and lack…

by Genshen L. Espedido, BusinessWorld, 2 Jun 2020 THE Increase in urban poverty as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is not expected to last, but the countryside represents longer-term problems, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Acting Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said.

By Jenina P. Ibañez, BusinessWorld, 2 Jun 2020 BUSINESS GROUPS and exporters are asking Congress to consider a longer transition period from the current tax incentives system and to accelerate the corporate income tax cut, in an effort to restore fiscal certainty to investors amid the pandemic.

By Eimor Santos, CNN Philippines, 2 Jun 2020 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 2) — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) wants to subsidize employers to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on job security.

By Leslie Ann Aquino, Manila Bulletin, 2 Jun 2020 Only very few complaints have been received by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regarding how companies comply with health protocols.

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Workers were forced to walk or to hitch rides on trucks or, if they were lucky, in cars due to a lack of public transportation. Many were stranded. By: Jodee A. Agoncillo, Krixia Subingsubing, Meg Adonis, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2 Jun 2020 MANILA, Philippines — They were raring to go back to work on Monday…

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By Lorenz S. Marasigan, Businessmirror, 1 June 2020 WITHOUT assisting public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers, the government risks a transport paralysis, which could lead to an economic recession, a coalition of transport advocates warned.

By Jovee Marie de la Cruz, Businessmirror, 1 June 2020 THE Philippine economy could contract to as deep as 9.6 percent in the second quarter of the year with the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the House Ways and Means panel chairman said at the weekend.

By Elijah Felice Rosales, Businessmirror, 1 Jun 2020 THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) has approved 26 fresh projects that will bring in over P13 billion in new capital and generate nearly 20,000 jobs, as investors take their next steps now that quarantine restrictions nationwide are eased.

by Roy Stephen C. Canivel, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1 Jun 2020 More than half of German companies are holding back their investments in the Philippines because they find the economy too restrictive, data showed.

by Lawrence Agcaoili (The Philippine Star), 31 May 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Money sent home by Filipinos abroad to their loved ones in the Philippines is seen to further contract this year as more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are displaced due to the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, according to the Bangko…