News Report 22 April 2019 Local
1. Boao Forum Asia opens today
Manila Bulletin, 22 April 2019, p. 1, continued on p. 6
Around 300 Filipino and Chinese business leaders are expected to participate in the first ever Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in Manila today, April 22. During the conference, the country’s business leaders and their Chinese counterparts are set to “explore the possibility of investing in both the Philippines and China and discuss other future cooperation,” the statement said.
Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is on her second year as member of the Board of the BFA, is set to spearhead the two-day forum. She was also the one who extended the invitation to the BFA to hold the conference in Manila.
2. Duterte to attend China’s Belt and Road forum The Philippine Star, 22 April 2019, p. 1, continued on p. 9
resident Duterte will be leaving for China in the coming week to attend the Belt and Road forum where he might hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Apart from attending the Belt and Road forum, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the members of the Philippine
delegation (agriculture, finance and public works officials) are going to meet with their counterparts on the sidelines of the event.
3. Sabah consulate proposal treason - Locsin
The Philippine Star, 22 April 2019, p. 1, continued on p. 6
A proposal to open a consulate in Kota Kinabalu is “treason” as it will effectively recognize Malaysian sovereignty over Sabah, according to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. This was in reaction to a report in the Borneo Post quoting Sabah Deputy Home Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman as saying that a senior official of the Duterte administration had proposed setting up a Philippine consular office in Kota Kinabalu to assist undocumented Filipinos, including the issue of stateless children.
4. Defense chief rejects dev’t of nuclear arms Philippine Daily Inquirer, 22 April 2019, p. A5
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana rejected the suggestion of former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile that the country develop nuclear weapons to finally put a stop to China’s bullying in the West Philippine Sea.
Lorenzana pointed out that the Philippines was a signatory to the global nuclear nonproliferation treaty and that the Constitution expressly prohibits war as an instrument of national policy.
Korea
5. Phl, Korea eye bilateral free trade deal in Nov
The Philippine Star, 22 April 2019, p. C1, continued on p. C2
In a joint statement, Republic of Korea Trade Minister Myung-hee Yoo and Philippine Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez said the two countries agreed to pursue a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and complete negotiations by November as part of efforts to promote increased trade and stronger economic ties.
Economic
6. DTI expects total exports to rise 6% this year The Philippine Star, 22 April 2019, p. B8
DTI – Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) director Senen Perlada said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) expects exports to rise by 6.1 percent to $94.6 billion this year. However, Even as DTI-EMB expects total exports to increase this year, he said the ongoing dry spell could be a drag on growth as it affects the supply of agricultural products which serve as raw materials for fresh and processed exports.
He said the DTI is also hoping the country could start exporting cars, as well as pushing for other goods such as arms and ammunition, to offset the possible slowdown in agricultural exports this year.
7. China wrests Japan’s 30-yr record as top buyer of PHL bananas Business Mirror, 22 April 2019, p. A1, continued on p. A2
Government and International Trade Centre (Intracen) data crunched by the BusinessMirror showed that China became the country’s No. 1 market for bananas in 2018, claiming the spot that Japan had held for over 30 years. However, planters are seeking production support to maintain their stronghold in the new top market amid stiff competition from South American producers.
