Category: Philippines

PHILIPPINES: Significant shift in energy policy

Teneo October 29, 2020

The government has removed foreign ownership restrictions on geothermal projects and stopped accepting applications for coal-fired power plants.
While the shift is nominally driven by environmental goals, corporate developments around the gas sector could be a key driver.

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PHILIPPINES: Duterte threatens Congress with … possibly, maybe, something

Teneo October 8, 2020

A fight over the speakership is threatening to delay the approval of the 2021 budget, which would slow the country’s economic recovery.
President Rodrigo Duterte asked the legislators in a press conference to resolve the issue, otherwise he said, “I’ll do it for you.”

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PHILIPPINES: Duterte Posts 91% Approval Ratings – Not a Misprint

Teneo October 5, 2020

The president’s numbers are up across geographies and socio-economic groups, even among those hardest-hit by the economic contraction.
His approval ratings reflect public worries about the pandemic, which will likely cause his government to continue with its cautious and gradual approach to reopening the economy.

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PHILIPPINES: Reforming national health insurer will be difficult

Teneo August 21, 2020

Recent congressional investigations have revealed widespread corruption in the agency.
However, its internal controls are weak and the increasing complexity of its operations make it difficult for external agencies such as the Commission on Audit to exercise effective oversight.

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PHILIPPINES: Duterte reluctantly agrees to doctors’ request for Manila lockdown

Teneo August 3, 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte re-imposed movement and business restrictions for the greater metropolitan Manila region from 4-18 August, following a plea Saturday from doctors’ organizations that the system could “not hold the line much longer.”… Read the rest

PHILIPPINES: The context to Duterte’s threat against the telcos

Teneo July 28, 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat to cancel the licenses of the country’s two largest telecommunications companies will be more difficult to carry out than his denial of a broadcast license to ABS-CBN this June.

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PHILIPPINES: Duterte’s policy speech on Monday – curb your expectations (again)

Teneo July 24, 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte will supposedly present his “roadmap to recovery” on 27 July.
However, he is unlikely to deviate from the limited stimulus being advocated by his economic team, or radically reshape his administration’s other healthcare policies.

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PHILIPPINES: Numbers paint a weak outlook for migrant workers

Teneo July 17, 2020

Remittances have dropped for a second straight month and a total of about 250,000 migrant workers are expected to have returned home in the next few months since the start of the pandemic, with possibly more awaiting repatriation.

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PHILIPPINES/INDONESIA: The two that stand apart

Teneo June 26, 2020

Of the large Southeast Asian economies, the Philippines and Indonesia continue to grapple with the highest absolute number of new daily coronavirus diagnoses, and the trend is still unclear as to whether either country has reached a plateau.… Read the rest

PHILIPPINES: The politics of the decision against journalist Maria Ressa

Teneo June 16, 2020

On Monday, a local court found prominent journalist and administration critic Maria Ressa guilty of cyber-libel and ordered that she pay a fine and damages of roughly USD 8,000, and sentenced her to a minimum of six months and a maximum of six years in prison.… Read the rest