Duterte certifies 2020 national budget bill as urgent
President Rodrigo Duterte has certified as urgent next year’s P4.1-trillion proposed national budget. In a letter to Congress dated September 17, Duterte cited the immediate need to pass the budget bill in order to “maintain continuous government operations” after 2019.
GMA News

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Duterte orders total revamp at BuCor after GCTA mess
President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered a total revamp of the Bureau of Corrections in the wake of controversy involving the early release of heinous crime convicts and other anomalies, Malacañang said Wednesday.
GMA News

Duterte’s marching order to new BuCor chief: Rid NBP of drugs or I’ll crucify you
President Duterte warned new Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag that he would crucify him if he would not be able to rid the national penitentiary of illegal drugs saying that most drug activities in the Greater Manila Area come from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
Manila Bulletin

Case vs. new BuCor chief Bantag not an issue, says Palace
Malacañang on Wednesday defended President Rodrigo Duterte's appointment of Gerald Bantag as new Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) director general, saying it does not consider the criminal charges against him as an issue.
GMA News

Duterte denies allowing cops to engage in video-karera, says he was just being sarcastic
President Duterte has clarified that he was not encouraging policemen to venture in video-karera operations. The President explained that he was just being sarcastic when he commented about allowing policemen to engage in the illegal gambling activity if they could not stop it.
Manila Bulletin

Palace denies Duterte admitted hand in Loot ambush
Malacañang on Wednesday denied that President Rodrigo Duterte's remark on the May 2018 ambush on former Daanbantayan, Cebu mayor Vicente Loot was an admission of involvement.
GMA News

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Duterte honors soldiers killed in clashes with Abu Sayyaf
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday honored eight soldiers who were killed while fighting members of the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan and Sulu.
GMA News

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Palace: Safety measures in place under AFP-Dito Tel agreement
Malacañang said on Wednesday that security measures would be in place amid concerns over the agreement allowing Dito Telecommunity Corp. to set up equipment and facilities within military bases in the country.
GMA News

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Duterte siblings alert public against people using their names for gov’t posts, free food
Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte alerted the public against people who claim to represent him, ordering expensive food and drinks in restaurants here and used his name to avoid paying for these.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

ELECTION RELATED

Comelec: Voter registration turnout reached over 2M
Over two million voter applications have been filed with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) less than two weeks before the registration period ends, the poll body said Wednesday.
GMA News

Comelec to rule on Cardema’s withdrawal of nomination
Although Ronald Cardema already filed a notice withdrawing his nomination as first nominee of the Duterte Youth Party-List, the Commission on Elections still has to rule on it.
Manila Bulletin

DISASTER

MINDANAO

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

JUDICIARY

Supreme Court suspends rule on pro bono legal aid
The Supreme Court (SC) has suspended the implementation of the rule governing the requirement for lawyers to render pro bono legal aid services to qualified litigants.
GMA News

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Espenido, Albayalde, Madrigal floated as possible BuCor chief, says Go
The names of Ozamiz City Police chief Major Jovie Espenido, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde and Armed Forces chief-of-staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr. were initially floated as possible replacements of  sacked  Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon, Senator Bong Go disclosed on Wednesday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Guevarra: Duterte picked the right BuCor Chief
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has expressed trust that President Rodrigo Duterte picked the right Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief. Guevarra said this even as he admitted that the President did not consult him about the appointment of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Sr. Supt. Gerald Bantag to the post.
Manila Bulletin

Ombudsman: Initial findings on GCTA mess bared in two to three weeks
Ombudsman Samuel Martires said Wednesday he would release in two to three weeks the initial findings on the alleged liability of former Bureau of Corrections Nicanor Faeldon over the release of 1,914 convicts due to questioned good conduct time allowance.
GMA News

2 convicts freed through GCTA want to surrender to Sotto
Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday said two convicts who were freed through the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law are set to surrender to him.
GMA News

Law expert: GCTA-freed convicts no fugitives, warrantless arrest flawed
A law expert said Wednesday that the nearly  2,000 convicts released by virtue of the law on good conduct time allowance (GCTA) cannot be called fugitives and therefore cannot be subjected to arrest without warrant.
GMA News

Enrile wants De Lima, Roxas barred from seeking public office for GCTA mess
Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said Wednesday that Senator Leila De Lima and former Senator Mar Roxas should be barred from seeking public office for the alleged irregularities in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Roxas twits Enrile, says those facing plunder should be banned from public office
Turning the tables on former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile , former Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas said those accused of stealing from government coffers should be the one banned from public office.
GMA News

Roxas: GCTA’s implementing rules exclude inmates charged with heinous crimes
Former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas denied he failed to exclude convicts of heinous crimes from benefiting from the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law, saying that the law's existing implementing rules and regulations (IRR) already specify their exemption.
GMA News

Duterte’s P1-M reward ‘helpful’ for info vs GCTA convicts — PNP
President Rodrigo Duterte’s P1 million reward is helpful in gaining possible information for the arrest convicts who were “prematurely” freed through the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law, Philippine National Police (PNP) said Wednesday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

PNP: No shoot-to-kill order vs convicts
There is no shoot-to-kill order to the police to force the surrender of the remaining heinous crime convicts who walked free under the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law.
Philippine Star

Lawyers group: revised rules on good conduct law raise legal concerns
Not everyone is happy with the revised implementing rules and regulations of the controversial Good Conduct Time Allowance law. While a human rights lawyer sees the positive side of the new rules, he says they also raise legal concerns. But the Justice department is unfazed.
CNN Philippines

Death penalty: Deterrent or dilemma in PHL’s war vs. crime?
IF two former police chiefs had their way, there would be a channel on free TV airing live how the state wields its power over life and death.
Business Mirror

LEGISLATIVE

Senate of the Philippines

Senate panel OKs bill seeking separate prison facility for heinous crime convicts
The Senate Committees on Justice and Human rights, on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, and on Finance have released the committee report on the bill that seeks to establish a separate prison facility for those convicted of heinous crimes.
Manila Bulletin

Senate committee approves DOH’s P160-B budget for 2020
The P160.148 billion proposed budget of the Department of Health (DOH) for 2020 was approved on Wednesday by the Senate Committee on Finance, but the agency was required to submit reports on medicines and other equipment that remain undistributed.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

House of Representatives

House eyes five realignments in P4.1-T proposed national budget
The House of Representatives is eyeing at least “five” realignments in the proposed P4.1 trillion national budget for 2020, not only to benefit the agriculture sector, but also the energy, education, and health sectors.
Manila Bulletin

Congressmen assured of P100M each in projects under 2020 budget —Salceda
Each congressman will have an allocation of P100 million in the proposed P4.1-trillion national budget for projects for their districts and constituencies, an administration ally said Wednesday.
GMA News

Biazon seeks approval of sea lanes bill to address WPS issues
Muntinlupa City Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon yesterday batted for the passage of the archipelagic sea lanes bill which he called “urgent and imperative” to address the current controversies brought about by the ongoing territorial dispute between the Philippines and China over areas in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Manila Bulletin

Solon thumbs down Duterte proposal to adopt gross taxation scheme
President Rodrigo Duterte’s proposal to compute corporate taxes based on gross revenue rather than taxable net income is likely to meet fierce opposition in Congress.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

House panel OKs substitute bill institutionalizing Malasakit Centers
The House Committee on Health on Wednesday approved a substitute bill that would establish the Malasakit Program and institutionalize centers in public hospitals.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

House minority wants bigger MMDA budget for 2020
The minority bloc in the House of Representatives on Wednesday pushed for an increase in the budget of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for next year to fund the wage hike of its 8,000 employees.
Philippine News Agency

BUDGET, FINANCE and TAXATION

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

Philippine Army rebrands primary armored unit
In anticipation of its upcoming assets and the prospect of more aggressive land defense, the Philippine Army has rebranded its primary armored unit.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

ECONOMY AND INVESTMENTS

Peso appreciates as market anticipates Fed rate cut
The Philippine peso continued to strengthen against the dollar on Wednesday, as the market anticipated further easing of key rates in the United States. The local currency gained 6 centavos to close at P52.20:$1 versus Tuesday's P52.26:$1.
GMA News

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD and PUBLIC WORKS

Why Duterte’s no US fan? DOF says American investments on ‘Build, Build, Build’ near zero
No wonder Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte isn’t a fan of the United States. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said there’s a dearth of US investments in the Duterte administration’s multi-trillion peso “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program despite the program’s good record.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

AUDIT, GRAFT AND CORRUPTION

FOREIGN RELATIONS  

Envoy enhances Vietnam’s engagement with PHL as ‘trusted friend, reliable partner’
VIETNAM’S Ambassador to the Philippines Ly Quoc Tuan was only three years old when the war between his country and America erupted. Ly was 14 when the conflict ended, leaving behind a nation devastated, with the countryside and rice fields strewn with land mines. The once-verdant forests were stripped of their green cover—no thanks to the notorious “Agent Orange.” 
Business Mirror

8 Coast Guard personnel convicted for 2013 killing of Taiwanese fisherman
A Manila court on Wednesday convicted eight Coast Guard personnel for the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman in 2013, an incident that prompted Taipei to place sanctions on Manila at the time.
GMA News

Taiwan welcomes conviction of 8 Coast Guard personnel in Balintang shooting
Taiwan on Wednesday welcomed a lower court decision convicting eight Philippine Coast Guard personnel who were involved in the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman off Balintang Channel in 2013.
GMA News

West Philippine Sea

LABOR

DOLE proposes own version of Department of OFWs
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has come up with its own version of a measure that seeks to create a new department to cater to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Philippine Daily Inquirer

6,678 foreigners working in POGOs are undocumented – DOLE
At least 6,000 foreign nationals employed in the Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs) are undocumented, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) disclosed on Tuesday during the Senate deliberation on the P14.42-billion proposed budget of the DOLE for 2020.
Manila Bulletin

TRANSPORTATION

MMDA: Rush-hour Edsa ban on cars to pass bottlenecks at metro’s inner roads
While banning private vehicles on Edsa during rush hours could significantly reduce the volume of cars plying Metro Manila’s main highway, the gridlock would only likely transfer to inner roads of major cities.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Car brand ‘coding’ in Edsa? MMDA says it may not work
The proposal to have cars banned from using Edsa based on their brands may not work to solve the issue of traffic congestion, an official from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said on Wednesday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

SMC’s Ang: Construction of P735-B Bulacan airport to start by end of 2019
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) president Ramon S. Ang on Wednesday said the groundbreaking and construction of the P735-billion New Manila International Airport in Bulacan province would start by the end of this year.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MCIAA offers ‘win-win’ solution to MEPZ locators affected by airport expansion project
The Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) has reaffirmed its support for the local business community despite plans to relocate the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) in Lapu-Lapu City to give way to the construction of a parallel runway.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

HEALTH

Haze from Indonesia has reached Metro Cebu — DENR
The haze caused by the forest fire in Indonesia has reached Metro Cebu, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Wednesday.
GMA News

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

Angara urges gov’t to use P1-B quick response fund to address ASF
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara urged Wednesday the government to “break the glass of emergency fund” to stop the spread of the African swine fever (ASF).
GMA News

Mati City requires pork delivery thru refrigerated meat trucks
In yet another measure by a local government against the African swine fever (ASF), Mati City in Davao Oriental has banned the entry of fresh and processed pork unless these are transported via refrigerated meat delivery trucks.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Mounting problems in a shrinking agriculture sector
In a conversation with former Senator Joey Lina, host of “Sagot Ko Yan” television program, DA Secretary William Dar said that he and his team are working feverishly, 24/7, to address the rice/palay price turbulence spawned by the disastrous rice tariffication law.
Business Mirror

Attracting more young blood into agriculture
Among the countries in Southeast Asia, it can be said that Thailand is leading in initiatives to “technologize” its agriculture sector, which could help attract more young blood into farming.
The Manila Times

SeedWorks steps up hybrid rice farming in CLuzon
SEEDWORKS Philippines is intensifying efforts to increase production of high-quality rice, particularly its US-88 hybrid rice variety, in a move to boost productivity and income of farmers in Central Luzon (Region 3).
The Manila Times

EDUCATION

The meaning of being a teacher
They say teachers are the foundation of every society. They are the person behind every great mind; they prepare, they mold, they nurture students to help them reach their full potential, and, hopefully, pay it forward. 
Manila Standard

ENERGY

With only one bidder, PSALM declares failed auction for Malaya power plant
AC Energy, Inc. emerged as the lone bidder during yesterday’s auction for the 650-megawatt Malaya thermal power plant in Pililla, Rizal. With only one bidder, the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) declared the September 18 auction a failure. 
Business Mirror, Manila Standard

POVERTY

SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

HOUSING

TOURISM

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

DENR to take over Pasig River rehabilitation – Duterte
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will be in charge of the rehabilitation of Pasig River even though the waterway is unlikely ever to be cleaned, President Duterte announced Tuesday night.
Manila Bulletin

Fifth EITI report includes first study of small-scale miners
THE Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (PH-EITI) has included its first assessment of small-scale miners in the Fifth Country Report.
Business World Online

Water crisis

INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY



DEVELOPMENT SECTOR