Palace: Sison, an ‘illusionist’ waging a ‘failed rebellion’
Communist leader Jose Maria Sison has become an “illusionist” waging a “failed rebellion” against the government, Malacañang said Thursday. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo tried to dismiss Sison’s latest threat seeking the ouster of President Duterte this year, insisting that the exiled communist leader was out of touch with reality.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine Star, Manila Standard

CPP-NPA members ageing, declining in numbers: Palace
Membership in the ranks of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) is now ageing and declining in numbers as they fail to recruit young ones "without coercion or intimidation", Malacañang said on Thursday. "Where in the past, they were able to mislead the best and the brightest amongst our youth, the latter has become more discernible," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
Philippine News Agency

Only three scenarios for the communist insurgency
One reason for the survival of the communist insurgency is that there are those, like many ex-activist University of the Philippines and Ateneo teachers now in their senior years, who naively believe that the violent organization behind it is doing something right: effectively putting pressure on the elites to reform the country’s social structure. 
The Manila Times

CPP’s plan to oust Duterte set to fail — Lacson
Any attempt to oust President Duterte from office by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CCP) this year is bound to fail, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson said Thursday. Lacson, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) during the Estrada administration, said Jose Ma. Sison, one of the founders of the CCP, and the CCP/NPA (New People’s Army) ‘’have been attempting to overthrow the government, past and present and take over government for the past 50 years.
Manila Bulletin, Business Mirror

------------------

AFP chief vouches for National Task Force vs insurgency
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr., said he is looking forward to the operationalization of the Executive Order No. 70 or the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in 2019.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency

------------------

NegOr town mayor seeks review of permits issued to quarry firms
Ayungon town Mayor Edsel Enardecido is appealing to Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo to review the permits granted to small-scale quarry operations in the province as some may already be involved in mining operations with the use of heavy equipment. Enardecido in a telephone interview on Thursday aired his appeal two days after heavy equipment belonging to the Pilipinas Eco-friendly Mining Corporation (PEMC) in Ayungon, Negros Oriental, was torched by armed men.
Philippine News Agency

NPA leaders, bomb maker surrender in Compostela Valley
At least four key personalities of the Pulang Bagani Command (PBC) of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the Davao region surrendered in New Bataan, Compostela Valley last week. Col. Manuel Siquitin, 701st Infantry Brigade commander, said a certain Cory, vice commander of the Basil platoon of the PBC; an alias JB, a bomb maker, and team leaders Aldrin and Jeffrey yielded an M16 rifle, a caliber .45 pistol, three improvised explosive devices, bomb materials, medical supplies, documents of high intelligence value and P6,500 in cash.
Philippine Star, Philippine News Agency

Peace Talks

Preparations on for localized peace strategy rollout
MEETINGS ARE now ongoing for the operationalization of the localized peace process strategy, which will focus not just on ending the communist armed struggle but building “conflict-resilient” communities. “Aside from focusing on our enemies, we also have to look at our people and communities through a people-centered strategy to make our communities resilient from communist recruitment, propaganda, and exploitation,” said Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Madrigal Jr. in a statement on Thursday, Jan. 3. 
Business World Online

Incidents/ Operations   

Reds’ ammo cache uncovered in Surigao Sur
A cache of ammunitions of the Communist New People’s Army Terrorists (CNTs) was uncovered late Wednesday afternoon by the Army’s 36th Infantry (Valor) Battalion in Himat-e area, Barangay Cayale, Tago, Surigao del Sur province. “With the intensified intelligence tracking and community support, this CNT supply cache fell into the hand of our patrolling troops,” Capt. Francisco P. Garello, Jr., Public Information Officer (PIO) and of the 36th IB told The Manila Bulletin on Thursday.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency

NPA claims torching mining firm’s heavy equipment in Negros Oriental
The New People’s Army (NPA) has claimed responsibility for burning P120-million worth of heavy equipment owned by a mining firm here early Wednesday morning. Dionesio Magbuelas, spokesperson of the NPA in Central Negros, said the Mt. Cansermon Command of the Communist Party of the Philippines burned 8 backhoes, 2 payloaders, 2 dump trucks, 2 generator sets and 1 rock crusher.
ABS-CBN News, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Daily Guardian

I have ‘evil plan’ for enemies of the state – Duterte
President Duterte has crafted an “evil plan” for the enemies of the state, saying they do not monopolize evil in the country. The President said he has authorized the deployment of more government troops to Sulu to deal with the Abu Sayyaf group, which he claimed was beyond redemption.
Manila Bulletin

Was deadly Cotabato City bombing a revenge plot?
Security officials are not discounting a "vendetta" angle in Monday's bombing here, a possible retaliation for the deaths of four Islamic militants, two of them foreigners, in a military operation nine days before. A son of the ethnic Maguindanaon Salahuddin Hassan named Salamuddin was reportedly killed along with Indonesian Abdulrahid Ruhmisanti and the Singaporean Abu Hud Zain in a covert operation last December 22  in Barangay Tatak in the marshy center of Mamasapano, Rajah Buayan and S.K. Pendatun towns in Maguindanao.  
NDBC News

Mayor: Cotabato City gets threats prior to Dec. 31 bombing
Prior to the bombing outside a mall here that left two dead and 34 others injured, the city mayor said the city had been receiving threats from a rebel leader. Sayadi said a week earlier she met with Wahid Tundok, leader of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) 118th base command, at the city hall to explain her side and stance on the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).   
NDBC News, Manila Standard

Nothing new about UK advisory against travel to Mindanao — Andolong
The United Kingdom’s advisory against traveling to Mindanao due to terrorism is nothing new, the spokesman of the Department of National Defense (DND) Thursday said. In a statement, DND Spokesman Director Arsenio Andolong,.explained that the government of the UK regularly issues security advisories to its subjects who are overseas.
Manila Bulletin

Rep. Sema visits blast victims, extends aid
Rep. Bai Sandra Sema of Maguindanao's first district with Cotabato City on Thursday morning visited blast victims at the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center where he extended financial aid. Rep. Sema personally handed over the assistance to the victims.
NDBC News

CHR denounces deadly blast in Cotabato City
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) condemned on Thursday the deadly bomb attack at a mall in Cotabato City on Dec. 30. “The Commission on Human Rights strongly condemns the bombing at Cotabato City,” CHR Spokesperson Jaqueline de Guia said in a statement.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

-----------------

Philippine Army: Seized guns, ammo from Maute suppliers not from AFP
The P1.2 million worth of firearms and ammunition seized from suspected Maute “gunrunners” and were allegedly smuggled by the military turned out to be from a commercial source, an investigation of the Philippine Army revealed. Army’s 7th Infantry Division chief public affairs officer Lt. Col. Eugenio Julio Osias said Thursday that based on the inspection, the serial numbers in the confiscated arms cache did not match those issued to the Philippine Army.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MARAWI

SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE WORLD      

Mental Health And Terrorism: What Are The Links?
The recent revelation that the individual who carried out multiple stabbings in the city of Manchester in the United Kingdom on New Year’s Eve had mental health issues should come as no surprise. The stabbings are currently being treated as a terrorist incident. That the event occurred near the Manchester Arena bombing of 2017, where 23 people were killed and 139 wounded, is tragic.
Forbes

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE HAS A TERRORISM PROBLEM. CAN IT BE RESOLVED?
Humanitarian assistance had a tough year in 2018. Under the Trump administration, the United States — the world’s leading provider of foreign assistance — ended all funding to the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, even as it sought to increase its overall humanitarian assistance budget by 21 percent for FY 2019. Battles over humanitarian assistance also continued to play out in Syria, where many have decried the Assad regime’s refusal to provide consistent access for relief efforts. 
War on the Rocks (University of Texas)

Justice Dept. admits error but won’t correct report linking terrorism to immigration
The Justice Department has acknowledged errors and deficiencies in a controversial report issued a year ago that implied a link between terrorism in the United States and immigration, but — for the second and final time — officials have declined to retract or correct the document.
The Washington Post

Obama’s Anti-Terror Chief: Domestic Islamists Pose Greater Threat
Barack Obama’s counter-terrorism adviser believes the threat from domestic Islamists, the far left and far right will only increase. Speaking to CBS’ Intelligence Matters, Lisa Monaco also warns of the ease at which people can be radicalized online.
Clarion Project

Boko Haram raids military posts in northeast Nigeria
Boko Haram jihadists have raided at least three military posts and overpowered troops in the latest attacks in northeast Nigeria, sources said Wednesday. ighters from the IS-affiliated Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) overran the posts in Borno state on Tuesday, military and militia sources said. The Boko Haram faction has in recent months intensified attacks on military targets in Borno and Yobe states, raiding bases and killing dozens of troops.
France24

Oxford Street terror attack plotter 'resisted' de-radicalisation
A man who planned to drive a van into 100 people in London was working with a government de-radicalisation programme at the time, a court has heard. Islamic State (IS) supporter Lewis Ludlow pleaded guilty last August to planning the Oxford Street attack and raising money for terrorism.
BBC News

Tunisia faces challenge of dealing with female terrorists detained abroad
More than 40 Tunisian women and 100 Tunisian children stay in detention centers and camps abroad, said Omar Hajji, representative of the Tunisian Interior Ministry on Thursday. Tunisia is now facing a real challenge of dealing with the return of women terrorists and their children from conflict areas, Hajji said during a conference themed "terrorism and women" organized in Tunis by the Tunisian Institute of Strategic Studies.
Xinhua

Where do the Kurds fit into Syria's war?
The future of Kurdish-led areas of northern and eastern Syria has been thrown into doubt by President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops who have helped to secure the region.
Reuters

BANGSAMORO ORGANIC LAW

Duterte: I pray that something good will come out of BOL
President Duterte is confident that the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) will be ratified in the upcoming plebiscite to help bring peace and development in the region. “I hope and I pray that something good will come out of the BOL,” the President said during the birthday celebration of former political adviser Francis Tolentino in Tagaytay City.
Manila Bulletin, ABS-CBN News

‘Let Muslims govern Bangsamoro region’
Stakeholders of the BOL (Bangsamoro Organic Law) should be guided by Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who urged Filipinos “to foster peace and solidarity among themselves by working toward the eradication of a mentality that promotes disputes among people, and regarding others as one’s own brothers and sisters.”
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Securing the historic BOL vote
New Year’s Eve. Imagine the horror of shoppers and city folk — all looking forward to a peaceful celebration with their kith and kin at home — when a bomb blew off right outside the entrance of the South Seas Mall in Cotabato City on Dec. 31. In the aftermath, two lay dead, including the driver of Bangsamoro Transition Commissioner Melanio Ulama; more than 30 others were wounded.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Go out, vote in BARMM referendum, Guiani says
Cotabato City Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani on Thursday urged her constituents to go out and vote and make their voices be counted during the referendum that would decide the fate of the Bangsomoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to be held on Jan. 21.
Manila Standard

NDMC hosts symposium on BOL
The Notre Dame of Midsayap College (NDMC) here is hosting a forum on Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) on Friday, January 4. Fr. Jonathan Domingo, OMI, NDMC president, said Lawyer Benedicto Bacani, director of Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG), is the invited speaker.
NDBC News

Comelec expands BOL vote coverage
Of the 45 villages in North Cotabato province that opted to take part in the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite, only 20 had been allowed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to join the exercise on Feb. 6. Taher Guiambangan Solaiman, chair of the North Cotabato Composite Team of Civil Society Organizations (NCCT-CSO), said the poll body approved the petitions of 20 local governments in the province to participate in the plebiscite to ratify Republic Act No. 11054, or the BOL.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MAGUINDANAO AND COTABATO CITY

LANAO PROVINCES

BASILAN

SULU 

TAWI-TAWI 

DRUGS

P1.58-M illegal drugs seized in SoCot in 3 months
Police operatives in South Cotabato province recovered some PHP1.58 million worth of illegal drugs in a series of anti-drug operations during the last quarter of 2018. Senior Supt. Joel Limson, acting South Cotabato police director, said Thursday the illegal items were seized during 107 successful search and checkpoint operations, as well as other related raids conducted by police units within the province's 10 towns and lone city.
Philippine News Agency

Operations/ Incidents

Bulacan drug suspect killed, 6 others nabbed in drug ops
A notorious drug pusher was killed while six others were arrested in separate anti-illegal drug operations in Bulacan province on Wednesday and Thursday. Senior Supt. Chito G. Bersaluna, Bulacan Police Director, identified the suspect who was killed as Arvin Bautista, 40, a resident of Emerson Subdivision, Barangay Saog, Marilao, who was on the drug watch list of the Pandi municipal police. His cohort managed to elude arrest.
Philippine News Agency

Eggplant farm ‘caretaker’ slain in Laguna buy-bust
A suspected illegal drug pusher was killed in a buy-bust operation in San Pablo City in Laguna province on Thursday evening. In a text message, Laguna police chief Sr. Supt. Eleazar Matta said the police conducted a buy-bust operation targeting Jonald Moredo  in an eggplant farm in Barangay San Nicolas at around 7 p.m.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Former inmate busted for P2-M shabu in Cebu
More than a week after his release from jail, Ivan Matig-a, 25, went back to selling illegal drugs. Chief Insp. Randy Caballes, chief of the Cebu City Police Station 11, said Matig-a, who yielded more than P2 million worth of suspected shabu was arrested by police after he sold a medium pack of the suspected banned substance for P12,000 to a poseur buyer in Sitio Tugas, Barangay Mambaling, in Cebu City, Cebu, at past 10 p.m. 
The Manila Times

Three drug suspects caught in Taguig sting
Three alleged drug suspects were arrested on Wednesday night in a drug sting conducted by police in Taguig City, an official reported on Thursday. The case investigator, Police Officer 2 Kenny Boy McDonald Ellorde, said Eudaldo Babagay, 61, was arrested after he sold sachets of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu to a police officer who had posed as a buyer. 
The Manila Times

P25T ‘shabu’ seized in Pahanocoy
Suspected shabu estimated to be worth P25,000 was revocered in a drug buy-bust operation in Barangay Pahanocoy. The suspected illegal drugs weighing about 1.5 grams were confiscated from resident Magin Encarnacion, a police report showed.
Panay News

Recovery and Rehabilitation  

4 Iloilo City villages ‘certified’ as drug-cleared
Iloilo City has four of its 180 villages (barangays) already cleared of illegal drugs as certified by the Regional Oversight Committee. In an interview on Thursday, lawyer Ferdinand Panes, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Iloilo City director, announced that Barangay Quezon in Arevalo district was the latest village to be declared drug-cleared. 
Philippine News Agency

ILLICIT FIREARMS, EXPLOSIVES AND AMMUNITION

CROSS-BORDER TRADING/ SMUGGLING  

KIDNAPPING

2 kidnapped Chinese nationals rescued
Two kidnapped Chinese nationals were rescued in separate operations, the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) reported on Thursday. The PNP-AKG said the mother of one of the victims, Kang Xintong, said she received a call on December 12, 2018 from the kidnappers using her son’s WeChat account.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

ILLICIT FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS 

Duterte's maid-molesting story 'concocted' – Panelo
President Rodrigo Duterte's story of him touching a maid's private parts was nothing but a tall tale, claimed Malacañang on Thursday, January 3, after facing intense backlash. "Exact words of the President when he told me, 'That's a concocted story to dramatize the hypocrisy of the person I was referring to,'" said Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo during a Palace news briefing.
Rappler

Duterte signs resolution extending life of 2018 budget for another year
President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a joint resolution extending for one year the availability of funds allocated for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and for capital outlay under the 2018 national budget.
Rappler, Manila Bulletin

Pray for Duterte, says Quiapo priest ahead of Nazareno 2019
The rector of Quiapo Church, Monsignor Hernando Coronel, urged devotees of the Black Nazarene to pray for the Philippines' leaders, including President Rodrigo Duterte, in the face of the Chief Executive's recent tirades against Christian beliefs. Duterte earlier said Jesus Christ is "unimpressive" because he allowed himself to be nailed on the cross. Duterte said if he is God and is condemned to be crucified, he would summon lightning to burn all heretics.
Rappler

That was 2018
When historians recall in their books a hundred years from now what the year 2018 was like, they won’t be focused on the six-month shutdown of Boracay or the number of “credible” aspirants for various local posts in the 2019 elections compared to “nuisance” candidates.
Business World Online

-----------------

Diokno's in-laws behind firm that bagged big gov't projects – Andaya
The construction firm that cornered P550 million worth of infrastructure projects in Sorsogon and Catanduanes in 2018 alone is being run by in-laws of Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr said on Thursday, January 3.
Rappler

Andaya seeks AMLC help in probe of firms linked to Diokno's in-laws
House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr said on Thursday, January 3, that he would seek the help of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to access the bank transactions of two construction firms involved in alleged anomalous multibillion infrastructure projects.
Rappler

Contractor not aware Diokno’s in-laws behind partner firm – lawyer
The lawyer of C.T. Leoncio Construction and Trading’s owner Consolacion Leoncio said they sealed their joint venture agreement (JVA) with Aremar Construction without knowing the latter had ties with Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno. Lawyer Rafael Madrid told reporters in Naga City on Thursday, January 3, that C.T. Leoncio – the contractor that allegedly cornered billions of government projects nationwide – finalized their JVA with Aremar Construction for projects in Sorsogon in “good faith.”
Rappler

-----------------

Villarin gives ‘modest’ score for VP Leni-led opposition
Akbayan Party-List Rep. Tom Villarin gave a somewhat modest assessment of the Vice President Leni Robredo-led opposition as far as its efforts in 2018 was concerned. “On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being highest, opposition efforts under VP Leni will rate at seven [in 2018],” Villarin said.
Manila Bulletin

DISASTER

NDRRMC: At least 122 dead due to Tropical Depression Usman
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported 122 deaths related to Tropical Depression Usman as of Thursday, January 3. In an updated report, the NDRRMC said it was still validating the recorded deaths in Mimaropa, Bicol region, and Eastern Visayas.
Rappler, Manila Bulletin

Davao approves P10 million aid for 5 Luzon provinces hit by ‘Usman’
The City Council of Davao has approved in a special session on Thursday the disbursement of P10 million in assistance for the five provinces in Luzon hit by Tropical Depression Usman. The passage of the ordinance allowed City Mayor Sara Duterte to “utilize the 30% quick response fund (QRF) out of the 5% Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (Calamity fund)” of the City Government of Davao in 2019” as provided for by Section 21 of the Republic Act 10121, or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.
Mindanews

MINDANAO

Palace: Mindanao still a safe place to visit
Mindanao remains a safe place to visit, Malacañang has assured the public following the recent travel alerts issued by United Kingdom and Australia.
Manila Bulletin

ELECTION RELATED

Duterte expresses dismay with survey on top senatorial bets
“Susmaryosep.” With that remark, President Duterte expressed dismay with the survey results showing the frontrunners in the upcoming senatorial race.
Manila Bulletin

Duterte to candidates faring poorly in polls: I will campaign for you
President Duterte has offered to campaign for candidates faring poorly in the polls, saying they don’t have to terrorize voters to secure their support. The President made the offer after declaring that voters must be allowed to choose their new leaders in the May elections without getting harassed by politicians.
Manila Bulletin

Lawmakers want Daraga town under Comelec control
Legislators want justice to be served soon for their slain colleague AKO Bicol Representative Rodel Batocabe, whom the police suspect was killed by a private army hired by Daraga Mayor Carlwyn Baldo. Kabayan Representative Ron Salo said on Thursday, January 3, that while Baldo is “innocent until proven otherwise,” the Commission on Elections should already place Daraga town under its control.
Rappler

108 Ilocos police chiefs reshuffled ahead of 2019 elections
The Philippine National Police (PNP) Ilocos Region has reshuffled 108 of its local chiefs in preparation for the 2019 elections, regional police office spokesperson Superintendent Mary Peralta confirmed to Rappler on Thursday, January 3. “108 local police chiefs shuffled effective January 2,” Peralta said in a phone interview.
Rappler

Representing the marginalized Filipinos
Have you ever wondered what the Philippines would look like if ordinary Filipinos are represented in decision-making, if every individual’s right is championed, and if every citizen is heard? This is the courageous aspiration Samira Gutoc envisions for the county; and this, in essence, is the dream that Marawi civic leader and peace-builder Gutoc wants to share in her newly-launched video.
Manila Standard

Election-related Violence

Supporters of rival bets accuse each other of failed ambush in Abra town
Supporters of rival mayoral candidates in the Abra town of Lagayan allegedly engaged in a gunfight on Thursday morning (Jan. 3) along a river bank. No casualties have been reported at press time. The bullet-riddled red Ford Ranger pick-up truck with no license plate was found abandoned near the river in Barangay (village) Collago past 7 a.m.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

JUDICIARY

LEGISLATIVE

House panel approves bill creating a National Commission for Senior Citizens
The House Committee on Appropriations has approved a bill seeking the creation of a seven-man National Commission for Senior Citizens. The panel passed the substitute bill to House Bills 6251,802 and 7018, authored by Senior Citizen partylist Rep. Francisco Datol Jr., the late AKO BICOL partylist Rep. Rodel Batocabe and Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas, respectively.
Manila Bulletin

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)

LGUs encouraged to acquire communication system
Local government units (LGUs), lacked the necessary communication equipment for an early warning system, have been encouraged by the Antique Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) to prioritize its acquisition. PDRRMO head Broderick Train said Thursday that five of the 18 municipalities of the province have not yet hooked up with the Unified Communication Network System (UCNS) since it was installed in 2018 due to lack of equipment and personnel assigned to handle the communication system.
Philippine News Agency

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

PCG eyes to hire more personnel, build more lighthouses in 2019
Strengthening its workforce by getting additional personnel and building more lighthouses will be the Philippine Coast Guard’s primary goals this year, its top official said Thursday.
Manila Bulletin

ECONOMY AND INVESTMENTS

Peso softens on Chinese economic data
The Philippine peso failed to sustain its strength against the US dollar on Thursday, dragged by weaker-than-expected Chinese economic data. The local currency lost 13.5 centavos to close at P52.650:$1 Thursday from P52.515:$1 Wednesday.
GMA News

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

GRAFT AND CORRUPTION

FOREIGN RELATIONS  

US: We have a strong, robust security alliance with PH under MDT
The United States government on Thursday reiterated its “absolute” and “ironclad” commitment to its alliance with the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). “We have a strong and robust security alliance with the Philippines, and the United States stands by its Mutual Defense Treaty obligations,” US Embassy Press Attache told the Manila Bulletin when asked to comment on the mounting calls for a review of the 68-year-old defense pact.
Manila Bulletin

West Philippine Sea

LABOR

TRANSPORTATION

Fate of angkas, habal-habal under House review
The move to legalize habal-habal (motorcycles-for-hire), also known as angkas, is now being reviewed by the Committee of Transportation in the House of Representatives. In a post on his official Facebook page, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña announced that House Bill No. 6909, filed by Cebu City North District Representative Raul del Mar, is now in the hands of the committee’s technical working group.
Cebu Daily News

HEALTH 

DOH must restore trust in vaccination program
The Department of Health (DOH) in Central Visayas needs to enhance its information, advocacy communication and promotion campaign in 2019 to restore public trust in its immunization program that was derailed by the Dengvaxia issue.
Manila Bulletin

DOJ set to resolve 2nd batch of Dengvaxia complaints
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to resolve the second batch of complaints concerning the deaths of schoolchildren who got shots of the Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine.
Manila Bulletin

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

Oil tax will worsen plight of fishing sector — PAMALAKAYA
A local fisherfolk group lamented that the implementation of the second tranche of excise tax on fuel and gasoline this year as it will be the “finishing blow” to the livelihood of the fishing sector, which is considered as the country’s poorest of the poor.
Manila Bulletin

EDUCATION

DepEd to conduct Early Registration this January
The Department of Education (DepEd) is scheduled to conduct the Early Registration of incoming Kindergarten, Grades 1, 7 and 11 learners in all public schools nationwide starting this January. Based on the “Basic Education Enrollment Policy” issued by Education Secretary Leonor Briones in DepEd Order No. 3 series of 2018, the Early Registration – which covers incoming kinder, grade 7 and grade 11 learners in public schools – “shall be conducted from the last Saturday of January to the last Friday of February of each year.”
Manila Bulletin

ENERGY

Energy World Philippines gets go signal to build LNG facility
THE local unit of Australia’s Energy World Corp. Ltd. (EWC) has taken the lead in the race to build an integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in the Philippines as its proposal has been cleared by the Department of Energy (DoE).
Business World Online

POVERTY

HOUSING

TOURISM

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES 

House leader seeks ban on disposal of electronic devices at solid waste management facilities
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte wants to prohibit the disposal of electronic devices at the solid waste management facilities. The vice chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations filed House Bill 8776 mandating that electronic devices be recycled or reused and penalizing individuals and waste management facilities that fail to responsibly dispose them.
Manila Bulletin

COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Taxpayer asks SC to stop 3rd telco award to Mislatel
A taxpayer has filed a petition to intervene in the Supreme Court (SC) case that sought a stop to the government’s award of the third telecommunications slot to the Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co., Inc. (Mislatel). Marlon Anthony R. Tonson told the SC that as a consumer he “has an interest in seeing to it that the State provides its members with the best policy environment for information and communications.”
Manila Bulletin

DEVELOPMENT SECTOR