DOH orders Metro Manila hospitals prepare more beds for COVID-19 patients
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday asked hospitals in Metro Manila to prepare more beds… Keep Reading
Church-led network of 250 groups joins call for terror law repeal
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—A network of 250 Church and people’s groups sought to add its voice to the already loud protests being heard nationwide against the enactment of the Anti-Terrorism Act which the groups said came at a time when the country faced severe threats from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI)… Keep Reading
Pampanga village, sitio placed under total lockdown
LOCKDOWN. Governor Dennis Pineda (center) announces that a village and a sitio in Apalit, Pampanga were placed under strict lockdown after 15 new confirmed Covid-19 cases were reported in the said town on Sunday (July 5, 2020). The lockdown of Barangay Capalangan and Sitio Pulung Kawayan in Barangay Sulipan in Apalit town will be until July 16,… Keep Reading
2 NegOcc emergency responders test positive for Covid-19
UNDER QUARANTINE. The barangay hall of Minoyan village in Murcia, Negros Occidental. Minoyan, the place of residence of the 47-year-old ambulance driver of the Capitol’s Emergency Response Unit who tested positive for Covid-19, is currently under enhanced community quarantine. (Photo courtesy of Adrian Bobe) BACOLOD CITY – Two emergency responders deployed as front-liners in Negros… Keep Reading
CDO targets 173K households for anti-Covid-19 interventions
Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno. (PNA file photo) CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY–The City Health Office (CHO) said Monday that some 173,000 households in the city have been visited by health workers as part of the local government’s initiative to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). CHO resident epidemiologist, Dr. Teodulfo Joselito Retuya, said that… Keep Reading
DOF chief vows continuation of fuel marking program
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III MANILA – The pandemic will not hamper the government’s fuel marking program, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said on Monday. Department of Finance (DOF) data showed that as of July 2, 2020, the government was able to mark about 9.3 billion liters of fuel since the program started in September… Keep Reading
Constitution framers: Anti-terror law puts PH on a ‘slippery slope to authoritarianism’
MANILA, Philippines —Framers of the 1987 Constitution on Monday stood against the recently-signed anti-terror law, saying that it puts the country on a “slippery slope to authoritarianism.” “The Anti-TerrorismActgives unprecedented powersto the administration.And we may already be on a slippery slope to authoritarianism,” a statement signed by Teodoro Bacani, Florangel Rosario Braid, Edmundo Garcia, Christian… Keep Reading
Use of remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment yields encouraging results in De Oro hospital
CAGAYAN DE ORO—The Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), one of the biggest hospitals in Mindanao, has started administering the antiviral drug remdesivir on critically-ill COVID-19 patients here and has been getting good results, a health official said. Dr. Bernard Rocha, NMMC spokesperson, said the NMMC was among the few hospitals which had purchased the hard-to-find… Keep Reading
Infected returnees spoil De Oro score in COVID-19 fight
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The arrival here of stranded individuals, who tested positive for coronavirus, spoiled the celebratory mood of health officials who had announced two achievements in the city’s fight against COVID-19—a slowdown in local virus transmission and halt in hospital admissions. Dr. Joselito Retuya, chief epidemiologist of the Cagayan de Oro health office, said… Keep Reading
Over 3K Bulakenyo students get financial aid
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE. Governor Daniel Fernando distributes financial assistance worth PHP5,000 each to 222 Bulakenyos taking up masteral degree at the KB Gym in the provincial capitol compound, City of Malolos, Bulacan on Monday (July 6, 2020). A total of 3,092 students enrolled in private universities and colleges in the province also received PHP3,500 each. (Photo… Keep Reading
2 PBA players penalized for playing pickup game amid GCQ
MANILA – Japeth Aguilar and Adrian Wong were ordered on Monday to undergo swab testing and a 14-day self-quarantine after videos and photos of them surfaced in social media while playing pickup basketball despite the general community quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila. The decision was part of the sanctions Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner Willie… Keep Reading
Covid-19 crisis to deepen economic slump in APEC: report
JAKARTA – The economic contraction from the coronavirus pandemic in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region is expected to be deeper than previously projected, according to a new report from the APEC Policy Support Unit. The APEC region’s economic growth is now forecast to decline by 3.7 percent in 2020, down from the initial forecast… Keep Reading
Ilocos Norte gov’t to suspend rental charges for Plaza del Norte
Plaza del Norte Hotel and Convention Center in Laoag City. (Photo courtesy of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte) LAOAG CITY — The provincial government of Ilocos Norte is temporarily waving the rental charges it imposes on a private entity managing the Plaza del Norte Hotel and Convention Center here. The Rivermount Hotel in Sarrat,… Keep Reading
De Oro gov’t doc’s birthday surprise: Arrest for SSS violations
ILIGAN CITY—A government doctor was celebrating his 41st birthday on Sunday (July 5) in advance when police arrived to arrest him at his home at the village of Tubod. The doctor, who works at the Cagayan de oro City Health Insurance Office, was surprised to learn he faced charges of violating the Social Security Act… Keep Reading
DOH-NegOr cautions public against dengue this rainy season
Dr. Socrates Villamor, provincial chief of the Department of Health in Negros Oriental. (PNA file photo courtesy of Capitol PIO) DUMAGUETE CITY – The provincial chief of the Department of Health (DOH) in Negros Oriental on Monday called on the public to put in place measures against dengue with the onset of the rainy season.… Keep Reading
BOC-Cebu imposes P5K fine per clerical error to fight smuggling
FINE PER CLERICAL ERROR. To fight technical smuggling and maximize revenue collection, the Bureau of Customs-Port of Cebu is strictly imposing the PHP5,000 fine for every clerical error committed by an importer in the import entry and other customs documents. BOC-Cebu acting district collector lawyer Charlito Martin Mendoza on Monday (July 6, 2020) said imposition… Keep Reading
N. Ecija town imposes liquor ban due to rising Covid-19 cases
LIQUOR BAN REIMPOSED. The municipal government of Talavera in Nueva Ecija reimposes the ban on liquor on Monday (July 6, 2020) after two confirmed Covid-19 cases were reported in the town. Mayor Nerivi Santos-Martinez has issued a directive reinstating the prohibition of the selling or serving of alcoholic drinks in the municipality during the modified… Keep Reading
T-bill rates sustain drop
National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon MANILA – Rates of the Philippines’ Treasury bills (T-bills) declined across-the-board on Monday, still due to the recent cut in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) key policy rates. Average rate of the 91-day T-bill went down to 1.649 percent from 1.746 percent during the auction last June 29. The… Keep Reading
QCGH residents brave getting swab samples from dead patients
Collecting swab samples from the dead comes with its own share of challenges, the residents said. “Hirap akong i-swab yung bibig kasi mahirap nang buksan yon pag nakasara yon e pagka namatay na yung pasyente,” ENT resident Dr. Lena Alethea Cruz said. Read More Keep Reading
Stars, politicos put it on ‘The Great Dictator’ video protest vs anti-terror law
MANILA, Philippines —A gathering of some of the country’s biggest stars, human rights advocates and other political figures performed the Filipino version of the famed final speech from Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” movie to protest the signing of the anti-terror law. The speech was translated to Filipino by Rody Vera and was directed and… Keep Reading
PNP, AFP to revisit operational protocols after Sulu shooting
REVISIT PROTOCOLS. Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Archie Gamboa (right), together with PNP Internal Affairs Service Inspector General Alfegar Triambulo (2nd from right), and PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac (left), welcomes Armed Forces of the Philippines Inspector General, Maj. Gen. Franco Nemecio Gacal at Camp Crame, Quezon City on Monday (July 6, 2020). The… Keep Reading
Plasma banks in hospitals pushed
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Imee Marcos has filed a bill seeking to establish plasma banks in both public and private hospitals across the country while a vaccine against COVID-19 has yet to be developed. Under Senate Bill No. 1648 or the proposed Plasma Donation and Collection Act, the Department of Health would be tasked to… Keep Reading
ABS-CBN workers, celebs call for support ahead of House panel vote
MANILA, Philippines — ABS-CBN employees, celebrities, and netizens expressed their support to the embattled media giant online and on the streets as the House committee on legislative franchises is expected to vote this week whether or not to grant ABS-CBN a fresh 25-year franchise. ABS-CBN workers and supporters concluded their three-day vigil at the broadcast… Keep Reading
228 Filipino repatriates from Thailand arrive Monday
Riu Rodriguez, a UP student, finally heaved a sigh of relief. He was among the 228 Filipinos who are either OFWs who lost their jobs or stranded tourists who were not able to return home when the airports halted commercial flights in late March. They were aboard flight PR733 of Philippine Airlines (PAL) departing Bangkok… Keep Reading
Palace to terrorists: Beware of anti-terror law
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque MANILA – Malacañang on Monday allayed rising fears over the newly-signed anti-terrorism law, saying only terrorists and not dissenters, should beware since criticizing the government is not a crime. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made this remark after National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said critics who claimed that the law would erode… Keep Reading
Army says rebel slain in Iloilo recruited by NPA as minor
DECEIVED. Malvin Christian V. Cruz of Barangay San Nicolas, Oton, Iloilo was identified by his parents as the NPA member who was killed in an encounter with government troops in Sitio Lay, Barangay Dalije, Miagao, Iloilo on June 29, 2020. The Army said Cruz was deceived into joining the movement when he was only 17… Keep Reading
NegOcc biz group pushes for new skills for crisis-hit workers
Frank Carbon, chief executive officer of Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (PNA-Bacolod file photo) BACOLOD CITY – A business leader in Negros Occidental said helping workers develop new skills or livelihood during this time of pandemic is vital to enable them to adapt to available employment or a new environment. Frank Carbon, chief… Keep Reading
Guevarra declining SC nomination a ‘personal decision’: Palace
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra (File photo) MANILA – It was Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra’s “personal decision” to decline his nomination to the Supreme Court, Malacañang said Monday. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte had no hand in convincing Guevarra to stay as chief of the Department of Justice. “Ang alam ko po personal… Keep Reading
DFA reports no new COVID-19 cases, deaths among Filipinos abroad; total remains at 8,679
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday reported no new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases and fatalities among overseas Filipinos. “On this brand new week and after three months of daily monitoring COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad, the DFA reports no new confirmed cases and no new fatalities due to COVID-19 among… Keep Reading
2 Malolos cops tagged in robbery-extortion activities nabbed
MANILA, Philippines — Two members of the Malolos City Police Station and their two civilian accomplices were arrested in an entrapment operation for alleged involvement in robbery-extortion activities. In a report to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Archie Gamboa, PNP-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) director Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee identified the suspects as… Keep Reading
Makabayan bloc moves to strike down anti-terror law
MANILA, Philippines — The Anti-Terrorism Act seeks to terrorize people into silence, members of the Makabayan bloc said in their petition filed before the Supreme Court. This is the third petition filed with the Supreme Court to oppose the anti-terror law. Petitioners said Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 has violated… Keep Reading
