News Roundup 03 February 2023
Feb 03, 2023 • 3 min Read
Fuel price rollback expected on Feb 7 | INQUIRER.NET – Local oil companies are expected to implement a big rollback in the prices of petroleum products next week, an industry source said.
The source said pump prices of diesel may go down by P2.40 to P2.70 per liter and gasoline, by P1.90 to P2.20 per liter. The price of kerosene is also expected to decline by about P2 a liter.
Estimates were made based on the four-day average prices in the global market from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2.
Last week, prices of gasoline increased by P1.30 per liter, diesel by P1 per liter and kerosene by P1.35 per liter.
Cumulative adjustments stand at P7.20 per liter for gasoline, P3.05 per liter for diesel and P4.55 per liter for kerosene.
Escudero wants Marcos admin to uphold ‘no tax exemption’ policy in Maharlika fund | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should uphold its “no tax exemption” policy in the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) bills.
Senator Francis Escudero said this on Thursday as he raised concern about the privileges that will be accorded to the Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC).
“The secretary of budget and management was part of the previous administration. The secretary of finance was the secretary of budget and management in the previous administration and the policy of the previous administration was not to provide tax exemption, or at the very least minimize it,” Escudero said in a statement.
“It is bad policy to have a lot of exemptions and very difficult to implement, if at all. So, I think they should continue with that policy,” he continued.
Full Story at: Escudero wants Marcos admin to uphold ‘no tax exemption’ policy in Maharlika fund | Inquirer News
Typhoon-devastated Filipinos are vulnerable to trafficking — UN report | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Cases of human trafficking in the Philippines spiked after major typhoons wiped out local communities’ agricultural industries, making the country a striking case study globally of how climate-induced income losses can lead to trafficking.
This was mentioned in a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report 2022 released last January 24 that described the emerging connection between the climate crisis and the increased displacement in regions prone to harsh weather events.
The report described the situation in the Philippines, along in Bangladesh, Ghana and the Caribbean Islands, as an example of how “weather-induced natural disasters can expose communities reliant on fishing, farming and agriculture to higher risk of trafficking.”
“The widespread and intensifying impacts of climate change are heightening vulnerabilities to trafficking in persons,” the report stated.
“Rising and shifting temperatures and weather patterns are disproportionally affecting poor communities relying on the primary economic sector, including agriculture and the extraction of natural resources.”
Full Story at: Typhoon-devastated Filipinos are vulnerable to trafficking — UN report | Philstar.com
Police break up barricade of Sibuyan residents resisting mining ops | PHILSTAR.COM – CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines (Updated 4:42 p.m.) — Two people were hurt after police dispersed a human barricade formed by residents of Sibuyan Island in Romblon in response to the sudden escalation of mining activities there, environmental groups reported Friday.
Videos posted by groups Alyansa Tigil Mina and Living Laudato Si’ showed local police dispersing community members protesting the operations of Altai Philippines Mining Corporation (APMC) on Sibuyan Island.
This allowed three trucks of APMC carrying nickel ore for export to pass through.
“[The police] forced to break up the people who blocked the trucks… We couldn’t handle it because we were outnumbered,” Donato Royo, a barangay official who was present during the dispersal, said in Filipino.
Sibuyanons are opposing the extraction of nickel ore on the island, saying it will disrupt Sibuyan’s intact ecosystems, including Mt. Guiting Guiting Natural Park, and the livelihood of locals.
Full Story at: Police break up barricade of Sibuyan residents resisting mining ops | Philstar.com
