Ready for Tax Reform Package 3?
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-01-03
The absence of a single agency overseeing valuations in accordance with international standards contributed to the lack of a national ... He is also the dean of the College of Business and Accountancy of Sacred Heart College-Lucena City.

DOLE chief Bello widens coverage of HSW deployment ban to Kuwait
BusinessMirror - 2020-01-03
In an interview on Friday morning, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said he directed the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Governing Board (GB) to expand the ban to HSWs who are returning to Kuwait with new contracts. This will ensure that only HSWs with existing contracts and have taken their vacation in the country ...

Quest for justice continues at CA for 58th Maguindanao massacre victim
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-01-03
MANILA, Philippines-The quest for justice for the death of Midland Review photojournalist Reynaldo "Bebot" Momay will continue at the Court of Appeals. Momay is the 58th victim in the ...

Speaker, majority Leader power house
Journal - 2020-01-03
We have already approved on third and final reading the measure amending the Foreign Investment Act of 1991, the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA), and the Corporate Income Tax and Incentive Rationalization Act (CITIRA). These bills are important parcels of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) that is ...

Kuwait deployment ban signed, but may be lifted if suspects in OFW death charged - Labor chief
CNN Philippines - 2020-01-03
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 3)-- The Philippine government will now officially stop sending new household service workers to Kuwait. This comes after officials of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Governing Board signed Friday the partial ban on the deployment of overseas workers to the Gulf State. The move ...

Kuwait deployment ban signed, but may be lifted if suspects in OFW death charged - Labor chief
CNN Philippines - 2020-01-03
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 3)-- The Philippine government will now officially stop sending new household service workers to Kuwait. This comes after officials of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Governing Board signed Friday the partial ban on the deployment of overseas workers to the Gulf State. The move ...

DOLE imposing partial ban on deployment to Kuwait
BusinessMirror - 2020-01-03
Bello said the ban will take effect once it is approved by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Governing Board, which he chairs. He said they are targeting to complete this by next week. "We will only lift if justice is given to Jeanelyn," Bello said. POEA issued its last deployment ban to Kuwait in 2018 upon the orders ...

PH sets partial ban on maids to Kuwait
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-01-02
The government is set to impose a partial ban on labor traffic to Kuwait, after another Filipino maid was killed by her employer in the oil-rich Gulf state. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said on Thursday that the ban was recommended by Labor Attaché Nasser Mustafa and subject to the approval of the board of the Philippine Overseas ...

Epiphany in the Nationalist Church of Sts. Philip and James
BusinessMirror - 2020-01-02
Barlin won. On November 24, 1904, the American-backed Supreme Court ordered the Iglesia Filipina Independiente to return all the Church properties to the Roman Catholic Church. To many of us, Barlin is the hero. As a result we have a Catholic Church that has no link to the history of battle for independence. As a result, we have a Church that ...

Japan tries to solve the mystery of Carlos Ghosn's audacious escape
CNN Philippines - 2020-01-02
(CNN) -- Japanese authorities have raided the house where fugitive auto executive Carlos Ghosn was staying before he escaped to Lebanon earlier this week. Japanese media reported that Tokyo district prosecutors entered the property on Thursday. CNN affiliate TV Asahi also reported that prosecutors were working with police to access CCTV video ...

House to ABS-CBN: Franchise grant a privilege not a right
Journal - 2020-01-02
Alvarez noted that the Supreme Court (SC) in the case of Radio Communications Philippines Inc. versus National Telecommunications Commission has already stated that the grant of a franchise is "merely a privilege emanating from the sovereign power of the state and owing its existence to a grant, is subject to regulation by the state itself by ...

Malacañang bans another US senator calling for De Lima's release
CNN Philippines - 2020-01-02
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 2) -- Malacañang has banned another American lawmaker from entering the Philippines over calls to release Senator Leila De Lima. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts is the third US official to be barred entry to the Philippines. Last week, Panelo ...

Emerging from the shadows: the US chief justice who will preside over Trump's trial
GMA Network - 2020-01-02
In his end-of-year message on Tuesday, Roberts hinted at a past disagreement with Trump, saying an independent judiciary was a "key source of national unity and stability," and called on ... as one of Rehnquist's law clerks and is now a professor at the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. "I think Chief Justice Roberts is likely ...

DOLE disposes 91% labor cases in 2019
Gov - 2020-01-02
DOLE-2 Regional Director Atty. Evelyn Ramos (extreme right) discusses the labor case disposition rate for 2019 during a press conference in Tuguegarao City. (Photo by PIA-Cagayan) TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Jan. 2 (PIA)--The Department of Labor and ...

ALI targets REIT offering this year
BusinessWorld - 2020-01-01
The listed property developer said in April that it will be placing its prime Makati Business District office assets under a REIT valued at $500 million. It is targeting to raise about $300 million from its REIT offering. "Amounts [are] still being finalized but roughly in the range," Mr. Bengzon said. If the listing will be materialized ...

Policymakers may consider additional excise taxes -- NTRC
philstar.com - 2020-01-01
MANILA, Philippines -- Policymakers may still consider increasing taxes on excisable items either to generate more revenues for the government or to discourage consumption of such products, according to a government think tank. In a report, the National Tax Research Center (NTRC) said demand for excisable products, such as cigarettes ...

Getting more things done sans distractions
philstar.com - 2020-01-01
The 2010s is characterized by the rise of strongmen who banked their power on populist hysteria. They came with all sorts of excuses that before been considered unfathomable: protectionism, anti-EU, anti-Muslim, anti-refugee, pro-state dictatorship, trade wars, anti-liberalism. From the Americas, to Europe, to Asia, these strongmen were ushered ...

Villanueva questions PH-Kuwait labor pact after latest OFW murder
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-01-01
MANILA, Philippines -- Senator Joel Villanueva has questioned the implementation of a labor agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait meant to protect overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from abuses following another killing of a domestic worker there. "We are outraged that another family has to grieve, and we question the implementation of ...

Holding companies not subject to LBT on passive income
BusinessWorld - 2020-01-01
Citing the Tax Code, banking laws, and pertinent regulations, among others, the SC ruled that the taxpayer is not an NBFI as it is not an entity authorized by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to perform quasi-banking functions. Further, the high court made a distinction between a "holding company" and a "financial intermediary" as ...

The landmark court decisions of 2019
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2020-01-01
The court referred to the shares of businessmen Jose Africa and Manuel Nieto Jr., which were acquired on June 10, 1974, in Eastern Telecommunications Phils Inc. and other investments which were proceeds ... on its aggressive island-building and occupation of islands in the West Philippine Sea. Morales and Del Rosario claimed that thousands ...

New Year brings 3rd tranche of tax hikes
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2019-12-31
Higher prices of gasoline, diesel and cooking gas will greet Filipinos on the first day of 2020 as the third tranche of excise tax increases takes effect. Smokers also will have to brace for higher prices of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. The retail price of unleaded gasoline will go up P1 per liter and that of diesel by P1.50 per liter starting ...

BARMM eyes foreign investments in 2020
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2019-12-31
He said the region had been working to ease the process of doing business and had been eyeing the granting of incentives or tax breaks to investors. The government and the MILF are implementing the normalization phase of the final peace agreement or the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. In the normalization phase, both sides have ...

PHL on brink of deployment ban to Kuwait as maid dies
BusinessMirror - 2019-12-31
THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday said it is closely monitoring the investigation in the death of another Filipino household service worker (HSW) in Kuwait, as labor revived calls for a partial deployment ban on the tiny oil-rich kingdom. In a statement, DOLE identified the victim as Jeanelyn Padernal Villavende ...

Service charge law may also benefit contractuals
BusinessMirror - 2019-12-31
CONTRACTUAL workers from qualified establishments could also benefit from the implementation of Republic Act 11360 or the Service Charge Law (SCL), according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Last Thursday, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III issued Labor Advisory 14, Series of 2019, stating all employees, including ...

Duterte tells lawyers, military not to compromise with water firms
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2019-12-31
"Now, this will be a mess, I told them, they have to iron this out, if they file a case, they may file a case at the Supreme Court, I will declare a suspension of the writ of habeas corpus and I will arrest all of them," Duterte said. "I want billionaires inside the prison, they will get a taste of jail." He also renewed his threats to ...

DOLE condemns killing of OFW in Kuwait; gives aid to SG road crash victims
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2019-12-31
MANILA, Philippines -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday expressed its outrage over the killing of another overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Kuwait as it sought for the swift resolution of the case. In a statement, DOLE said the recent incident was a "clear violation" of the agreement the Philippines and Kuwait ...

Filipinos warned against malicious online holiday greetings
CNN Philippines - 2019-12-31
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 30) -- Have you received a notification that a long-lost relative or an acquaintance you've met years ago sent you a holiday greeting? You might want to be extra careful in opening that message. A cybersecurity nonprofit firm from the Philippines warned the public against malicious and fraudulent ...

DOF unit inks information sharing agreements with LRA, banks
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2019-12-30
The Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) has entered into agreements with the Land Registration Authority (LRA) and with both state-run and private banks to improve property valuation system and credit transactions being undertaken by local government units (LGUs). The Department of Finance -attached agency last Dec. 12 signed a memorandum ...

Wage-setting review seen to gain traction
BusinessMirror - 2019-12-30
Workers are seen in file photo on one of the many construction projects in Metro Manila. Most construction workers are minimum-wage earners, and are among those being eyed to receive a subsidy endorsed by Department of Labor and Employment officials. THE call to finally "fix" the existing minimum-wage setting mechanism is expected to gain ...

Arrest of alien criminals rise to 65% in 2019
BusinessMirror - 2019-12-30
THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday disclosed that Chinese nationals topped the number of foreign criminals arrested in the Philippines in 2019. BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said immigration operatives have arrested at least 421 foreign fugitives in the country from January up to December of this year, which is 65 percent higher compared ...

DBP facilitates OWWA rebate program for OFWs
philstar.com - 2019-12-30
MANILA, Philippines -- The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has committed to assist the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in facilitating its rebate program, which benefits 167,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). In a statement, DBP president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Herbosa said the bank has signed a ...

Tesla delivers first China-made Model 3s to its own workers
CNN Philippines - 2019-12-30
(CNN) -- Tesla broke ground on its Shanghai factory just under a year ago. Now, it's producing cars for customers. Fifteen employees of the electric carmaker become the first customers to receive Model 3s produced in China during a ceremony at the factory on Monday, according to Tesla. Wang Hao, general manager for Tesla China, said during the ...

January 2 will be an epic day of holiday gift returns
CNN Philippines - 2019-12-30
(CNN) -- Millions of holiday gifts are about to turn into holiday returns. January 2 will be a particularly epic day for sending stuff back, UPS predicts. Shoppers will return more merchandise than ever following this holiday season, including a record 1.9 million packages on Thursday, according to a new UPS forecast. That would amount to a 26 ...

Number of foreign fugitives nabbed in PH more than doubled in 2019
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2019-12-30
MANILA, Philippines -- Immigration operatives have arrested this year over 400 foreign fugitives who hid in the Philippines to evade prosecution for their crimes. The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday said this figure is 64 percent higher than the number in 2018. "They can no longer come back because they have been placed in our blacklist ...

Dutch SC orders 25% cut in CO2 starting 2020
BusinessMirror - 2019-12-29
Two lower courts agreed, siding with Urgenda, setting up the showdown before the Supreme Court. While Prime Minister Mark Rutte had fought the case, arguing the issue was for politicians, not courts, he told reporters in the Hague that "our goal is to achieve" the reductions by the deadline. His government will continue to work on ...

The Pogo Phenomenon
BusinessMirror - 2019-12-29
These include having the necessary 9G, or Prearranged Employment Visa from the Bureau of Immigration (BI), as well as Alien Employment Permit (AEP) from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). An AEP is a document issued by the DOLE to FNs, who will be locally employed in a position where no Filipino can perform the tasks, for more than ...

Pay fees before Jan. 20, Makati residents, biz told
BusinessMirror - 2019-12-29
MAKATI Mayor Abigail Binay has reminded the residents and business owners to pay their taxes, and renew their business permits and licenses before the January 20 deadline. Binay also said authorized frontline offices to extend operations after office hours and on weekends starting January 2. "I have authorized the concerned frontline offices ...

DTI hopes for CITIRA approval in 1st quarter
philstar.com - 2019-12-29
MANILA, Philippines -- With government unable to pass the Comprehensive Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA) bill this year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is hopeful the proposed measure would be approved within the first quarter of next year to put an end to investor uncertainty affecting investments being made ...

HAU gets intellectual property accreditation
Sun Star - 2019-12-29
A UNIVERSITY in Angeles City, Pampanga recently received an innovation and technology accreditation from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). The Holy Angel University (HAU) received the accreditation following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between IPOPHL Director General Josephine Santiago and HAU ...

News under National Government Agencies Category
Philippine Information Agency - 2019-12-29
MANDALUYONG CITY, Dec. 29 -- The population growth of the Philippines recorded a decline of 0.21 percentage points (ppt) to 1.52% in the latter...

US senator tells Duterte admin: Free De Lima instead of denying Americans of visa
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2019-12-28
MANILA, Philippines -- Barely two days after President Rodrigo Duterte barred him and another senator from entering the Philippines, US Senator Patrick Leahy responded by calling on the administration anew to release detained Senator Leila de Lima rather than "irrationally threatening to deny visas to American citizens." In a statement ...

Decisive Congress needed
philstar.com - 2019-12-28
As a new year as about to unfold, our Congress is faced with the unenviable task of going through a number of proposed legislative measures that could determine the success or failure of our economy moving forward. First is the Corporate Income Tax and Incentive Rationalization Act (CITIRA), previously referred to as TRAIN 2 which, based on the ...

Returning OFWs get cash gift from President Duterte
BusinessMirror - 2019-12-28
Bello (Recto Mercene) Thirty overseas Filipino workers who landed aboard two separate flights from the Middle East yesterday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) got 10,000 each courtesy of the yearly "Pamaskong Handog sa OFWs," by the Labor Department and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). The first 15 OFWs ...

Indian Intellectual Property Rights Office Will Be a Game Changer
India West - 2019-12-28
A fully computerized intellectual property rights office in India will be a game changer to further the two-way bilateral trade and investment between the U.S. and India in 2020 and beyond. Recently in the upper house of the Rajya Sabha, it was announced by the concerned minister that in order to further traction the two-way trade and ...

Number of illegal foreign workers arrested doubles
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2019-12-27
The number of foreigners, mostly Chinese, who were arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) so far this year rose 130 percent as the agency ramped up its campaign against aliens illegally working in the country. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said that since January, 1,836 foreigners had been arrested by the BI intelligence division ...

PH population growth slows down
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2019-12-27
But its full implementation has been stymied by objections from several sectors, among them the Catholic Church, which raised the constitutionality of the law before the Supreme Court. Although the high court ruled in 2014 that the RH law is constitutional, it struck down eight provisions, including sanctions against public officials who refuse ...

Duterte bars entry of 2 US senators over De Lima case
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2019-12-27
were "not one of persecution but of prosecution," since the Supreme Court itself has "affirmed the incarceration of Senator De Lima as valid and lawful." "No other state can dictate upon ...

Glory and sorrow in 2019
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2019-12-27
They have condemned the cheaters--their schoolmates--and have also condemned the UP administration for attempting to let ... the Court cannot simply order the return of the same to the national treasury." My goodness. The law (Republic Act No. 1379) states: "Whenever any public officer or employee has acquired during his incumbency ...

Philippine business in 2019: Death and taxes
CNN Philippines - 2019-12-27
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 27) -- Death and taxes generally characterized local business this year, marked by the rise and fall of taipans, corporate deals, and tariffs. The Philippine economy saw highs and lows in 2019 as budget woes slowed down growth and business prospects. Activity has been revived towards the second half ...

PH bans entry of 2 US senators backing De Lima
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 2019-12-27
MANILA, Philippines -- President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Bureau of Immigration to deny two United States senators who pushed for the ban of Filipino officials who are allegedly behind the ...