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Volume VIII, No. 117
Market Indicators FOREX
PHISIX
US$1 = P51.89
8,467.56
21
X Briefly
48.01
X
points
Vis-Min interlink
IN-DEPTH
P15.00
Monday | February 26, 2018
THE Mindanao State University (MSU) has slammed CNN Philippines over what the university called “unverified and unfounded” news report that the school and its students joined a nationwide mass walkout of students Friday to protest a number of issues like charter change, federalism, tax reform, and martial law in Mindanao. “The MSU academia vehemently denounces CNN Philippines on the unverified and unfounded news re participation of MSU students in the mass walkout,” the state university said in a statement released for “widest dissemination” on the same day of the reported mass student action. “There is no truth to the news report of CNN Philippines tagging the university and her students as participants,” MSU System President Habib Macaayong declared through the statement. “In fact, all students in the campus conscientiously attended their classes and the so-called mass walkout did not happen all throughout the day.”
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A
By MYRNA M. VELASCO, Contributor
T the initial excise tax rate of P50 per metric ton, the Department of Energy (DOE) is advancing a policy idea that the generation companies (GenCos) will initially absorb the cost impact, instead of passing it on in the bills of the Filipino ratepayers.
TRANSMISSION firmconcessionaire National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has formally filed an application with the Department of Energy (DOE) on getting its P52-billion Visayas-Mindanao Interconnection Project (VMIP) be covered by streamlined permitting processes under Executive Order 30. It is among the initial 10 projects lodged with the energy department that may be accorded ‘time saving process’ on its required government approvals. EO 30, which was issued by President Rodrigo Duterte in June last year, generally cuts the length of time on approval processes and licensing of projects, including the requirement on environmental clearance certificate (ECC) which is now harmonized with the system of the energy department.
No walk-out
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No pass-on policy eyed on coal TRAIN tax: DOE www.businessweekmindanao.com
As of 6:00 pm February 23, 2018 (thursday)
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HIBOK-HIBOK. A tourist on the White Island in Camiguin has the sun and the sea all to herself as she takes a picture of Mt. Hibok-hibok, an active volcano. mindanews photo by froilan gallardo
This is the main reason then why the DOE is requiring data and information submission from coal plants – chiefly on cost impacts that the initial rate of excise tax would have on their operations. The P50/metric ton excise tax is the first phase of the tax impositions under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act of the Duterte administration. That will go up to P100 per metric ton next policy/PAGE 11
Gov. Pimentel to Bishop:
Mining not the cause of Surigao del Sur landslides By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN, Contributing Editor
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur— Surigao del Sur G o v. V i c e n t e Pimentel Jr. lashed
back at Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar saying that mining has n ot h i ng to d o
with the landslides wrought by Tropical Storm Basyang that killed five people in the
two mining towns of the province. “It is unfortunate that instead of helping and comforting the victims as good Christian must do in mining/PAGE 11
SCHOOL BAGS. Students from Consolacion Elementary School in Cagayan de Oro City shield their heads from the searing sun with their new bags from Sen. Sonny Angara. photo by mark doña francisco
Moro CSO leaders acknowledge possibility of ‘watered down’ BBL but… By CAROLYN O. ARGUILLAS, MindaNews
MARAWI City — Leaders of Bangsamoro civil society organizations acknowledge the possibility of a “watered d o w n” v e r s i o n o f t h e
B angsamoro B asic L aw (BBL) but hope the law that Congress assured will be passed later this month is “still acceptable” or they will
oppose its ratification. “I think people are saying it’s not going to be absolutely t h e BTC ( B ang s am oro Transition Commission)drafted BBL. It will be watered down. The most important
thing we want to see is how much? So the bottomline is, yun bang pag water down is still acceptable in the sense that will it still work for the interest of the Bangsamoro?” asked Guiamel Alim,
Executive Director of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS). “Any law that is not acceptable and will not redound to the benefit of bbl/PAGE 11
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