News Evening Round up
Oct 01, 2019 • 3 min Read
BSP projects inflation at 0.6-1.4% in September | Business Mirror – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Monday said inflation further decelerated in September from its level in the previous month, owing largely to lower rice prices and base effects. In a statement, the BSP Department of Economic Research announced its projection for the September inflation at 0.6 to 1.4 percent. This means that BSP’s models point to an assured deceleration from the 1.7-percent inflation rate in August.
PGH budget for 2020 cut by P456M | DAILY INQUIRER – The “budget-cut epidemic” afflicting the country’s health sector has spread to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), which suffered a P456-million reduction in its proposed budget for 2020, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said on Monday. “While many [Filipinos] are getting sick, we are slashing our budget for hospitals,” Recto told the Inquirer.
PH cargo traffic unhurt by US-China trade war | MANILA TIMES – Worsening trade tensions between the US and China, the country’s major trading partners, have not hurt the Philippines’ cargo traffic, a government official claimed on Monday. “Business as usual,” Jay Daniel Santiago, general manager of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), said when asked about the impact of the US-China trade war.
African swine fever spreading quickly | MANILA BULLETIN – The deadly African swine fever (ASF) is spreading fast within the Philippines’ top hog producing regions, and the government has claimed that the virus had only resulted in the death and culling of at least 20,000 pigs so far. Agriculture Secretary William Dar confirmed on Monday that a thousand pigs recently died in Pangasinan, the newest area in the country to be hit by ASF – a fatal animal disease among pigs and wild boars with up to 100 percent mortality rate.
PDEA chief quizzes PNP over 15 escorts | MANILA STANDARD – Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency director general Aaron Aquino on Monday asked why the Philippine National Police has recalled his 15 police escorts—supposedly for duty during the Southeast Asian Games—when no other government officials have had their security details pulled. The security pullout comes after Aquino testified before the Senate that corrupt policemen were reselling drugs seized in police raids.
Palace tells DA to contain ASF | PHILIPPINE STAR – The Philippines is nowhere near containing African swine fever (ASF) as the number of culled pigs increases and more areas are affected – with the province of Pangasinan being the latest to report the virus. President Duterte has ordered agencies led by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to contain the spread of ASF after receiving reports of the new cases in Pangasinan.
New witness to tell all | DAILY TRIBUNE – A “surprise witness” may make his appearance before the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights at 10 a.m. today and is expected to spill the beans on police involvement in the illegal drug trade. A Daily Tribune source disclosed the expected attendance by the new witness although senators begged off from confirming the identity of the invited resource person, whose name was not included in the official roster of guests.
Año vouches for Albayalde’s dedication, hard work | SUN STAR MANILA – PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde (left) shakes hands with Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, former CIDG chief, before the Senate hearing on October 1, 2019. DEPARTMENT of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año vouched on Tuesday, October 1, for the dedication and hard work of Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde amid allegations linking the latter to the so-called ninja cops.
PUV sector to government: Give new engines, not jeeps | SUN STAR BAGUIO – NO HALT in jeepney operations was felt in Baguio City amid a nationwide transport strike Monday, September 30. Stop and Go (Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Na Tutol sa Phase-out) coalition secretary general Lina Lucdo said the 50-association-strong group did not join the nationwide strike because there is a good working relationship between the local government unit of Baguio and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
