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Malacanang said it was saddened by the deaths of 14 Filipinos in a hotel fire in Iraq’s Kurdistan region Friday and that it was working with Iraqi authorities to bring home the remains of victims. 

Manila—A fire at a hotel in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Friday has killed 17 people, including 14 Filipinos, a Philippine Embassy official said. 

By Luis Leoncio The minority in the House of Representatives plans to question before the Supreme Court the “railroading” of President Aquino’s pet bill, the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Act, on the final session of Congress before it went on recess for the election period. 

By Jerry Maglunog  Contrary to the Aquino administration’s proud boasts of inclusive and sustainable growth, the past five years of his term showed the economy failed where it mattered most—in the agriculture sector where a third of the Filipino workforce are employed. 

By Luis Leoncio  The improved fiscal space that President Aquino and Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima have been citing for the string of ratings upgrade the country has received from credit watchdogs should have provided the source of funds for the proposed P2,000 increase in the monthly pensions for retired members of the state pension fund Social Security System (SSS), …

By Riza Lozada  The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has sought the view of local banks on a proposal to redefine their real-estate exposure, to include investments in socialized-housing developments. 

President Aquino directed the Department of Health (DOH) to monitor the situation abroad and study the Zika virus to ensure public safety, a Malacañang official said.

London—Although some lessons from the Ebola outbreak can be applied, the recent spread of the Zika virus presents a different challenge and needs a different response, according to a commentary published Friday by a British think tank Chatham House. 

By Luis Leoncio The current market downturn resulting from the flight of foreign funds from the Asian market has a good side to it, according to analysts who now consider the local stock exchange as a buyers’ market. 

By Luis Leoncio  The sad state of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) system is due mainly the failure of the government to fully implement the provisions of its concession agreement with the Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC), the Commission on Audit (COA) said in a report.