Philippines Roundup: Informal settlements, Japanese poultry imports, influenza-like-illness

Relocation of Informal settlements

An estimated 10,000 informal settler families along the Pasig River, a water body that bisects the Philippine capital of Manila will be temporarily housed in container vans for a PHP18 billion ($321 million) river development project. According to the Philippine Inquirer, the project which is expected to take about 3 years is supported by the First Lady of the Philippines Liza Marcos and aims to transform the riverbanks into an economic hub. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Romando Artes said “Informal settler families will be temporarily relocated to a staging area made of container vans in their current locations. They will temporarily live while the permanent housing facilities are being built.”

Ban on poultry imports from Japan

The Philippines' Department of Agriculture has temporarily banned the importation of poultry and poultry products from Japan due to an avian influenza outbreak. A press statement on January 18, indicated that Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. signed a memorandum order on January 17 suspending sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance for wild birds, poultry, and poultry products from Japan. “Only wild birds, poultry, and poultry products imported from Japan that are already in transit, loaded, and accepted on or before November 10 will be allowed entry to the Philippines,” said the DA. The Philippines state agency reports that the import ban was put in place after Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries notified the World Organization for Animal Health on November 28 about an epidemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

Increase in influenza-like illnesses in 2023

In Negros Occidental, an area located on the western side of Negros Island, the fourth largest island in the Philippines there was a 312.17% increase in influenza-like illnesses in 2023, with 2,675 cases and 65 deaths, compared to 649 and 19 deaths in 2022, according to the Provincial Health Office (PHO). Provincial health official Dr Girlie Pinongan reported that at the start of 2024, more people with respiratory conditions like pneumonia had also been hospitalised in hospitals in Negros Occidental. Following New Year's Eve festivities in the Philippines, the Philippine Inquirer reports a rise in the number of asthmatic patients admitted to the hospital.

Borrowing from Filipino investors to cover budget shortfall

The Philippine government plans to borrow from small investors in the first three months of 2024 to cover its budget shortfall. The Philippine Treasury Bureau is preparing to issue a Retail Treasury Bond (RTB) between January and March 2024. According to the Philippine Department of Finance (DOF), the issuance of the new RTBs will be part of the government's plan to borrow PHP 2.46 trillion ($43.9 billion) this year, with 75 per cent of it to be sourced from the domestic market. “To raise the country’s total financing requirement for the year of PHP 2.46 trillion, the government will continue to adopt a 75:25 borrowing mix in favour of domestic sources. This prudent debt management strategy will allow the country to effectively mitigate foreign exchange risks, take advantage of the abundant liquidity in the country’s financial system, and support the development of the local debt and capital markets,” said the DOF in a statement.

Suspension of onion imports

Philippine Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has issued an interim embargo of onion imports until May. The strategy was implemented to stop the supply glut from further driving down onion prices. As reported by the Philippine News Agency the suspension would be prolonged to July if the high-value crop's domestic harvest is still enough to meet local demand. “In principle, I agree with no onion importation until July. But that is on condition that if there is a sudden supply shortfall, we will have to import earlier,” said Tio-Laurel in a statement.