News Report 08 August 2019 Local
1. Duterte: America drove me to China
Manila Bulletin, 08 August 2019, p. 1, continued on p. 10
President Duterte said that America was the reason he had to go to China at the beginning of his term when their legislators labeled him as a human rights violator and when they blocked the Philippine National Police’s (PNP’s) purchase of firearms.
2. Duterte stands by PNP drug war data Manila Bulletin, 08 August 2019, p. 2
President Duterte on Tuesday said that he would stand by the data provided by the Philippine National Police (PNP) on the government’s drug war rather than listen to the ranting of human rights groups whose own anti-drugs war data he called “a lie.”
Korea
3. No-tariff status for Korean autos eyed Manila Bulletin, 08 August 2019, p. B1
The Philippines and South Korea are close to forging an agreement that will grant zero tariff on the importation of completely built up (CBU) units from the latter that will level the playing field on Korean cars with other CBU cars imported from ASEAN.
Sources said that the Board of Investments (BOI) is extending the same duty-free privilege on imported CBU packs from South Korea on condition on hopes it will invest in car assembly in the country as well as grant other tariff concessions on some of Philippines’ agricultural exports.
4. PHL, S. Korea free-trade pact seen finished before Nov Business Mirror, 08 August 2019, p. A1, continued on p. A2
THE Philippines and South Korea are poised to conclude a bilateral free-trade agreement (FTA) one month ahead of the November target.
Trade Assistant Secretary Allan B. Gepty said the Philippines and South Korea will head to Busan next week for the third round of FTA negotiations. As the third round nears, negotiators are confident they will conclude the trade deal before the November target, and could even come up with a working draft by October.
Economic
5. Trade gap narrows to $2.47B in June Manila Bulletin, 08 August 2019, p. B1
The country recorded a narrower trade deficit in June this year after imports contracted during the month while exports slightly rose, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The total trade-in-goods deficit of the Philippines shrank by 30 percent to $2.47 billion in June from
$3.55 billion in the same month last year.
