METRO MANILA – In an effort meant to not further escalate the tension, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the military not participate in the South China Sea drills being conducted by several nations. According to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Duterte gave a standing order that Philippine navy should not get involved in the South China Sea exercises except the 12 mile …

METRO MANILA – Despite implementing the longest, strictest lockdown in Southeast Asia, the Philippines now has the most coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the region with more than 119,000 cases. The Department of Health (DOH) reported 3,561 new cases that overtakes Indonesia in terms of total COVID-19 cases in the region. With Metro Manila now being the epicenter of …

AEON Mall confirmed that two management employees of PT AMSL Indonesia (AEON Mall BSD City) were infected with Covid-19. Juanita Rustandi, Senior Operations Manager of AEON Mall Indonesia said that the two employees who work in the administration section of the mall management at AEON Mall BSD City do not have direct contact with mall visitors. After being confirmed positive, …

The Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah stated that her side was ready to run a government subsidy program for workers affected by COVID-19 with an income of below IDR 5 million. Starting in September 2020, the Minister of Manpower emphasized that salary subsidies would be given to 13.8 million workers of Rp. 600 thousand per month for four months and …

KOTA KINABALU – With the rise of Covid-19 cases in the state, Sabah will be tightening its standard operating procedures (SOPs) including limiting the number of people gathering to a maximum of 150. Sabah State Health Department reported an increased number of  Covid-19 cases from July 25 to August 4. From 384 to 402 cases. Chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd …

PETALING JAYA – Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has withdrawn his bid to review the application against the Federal Court’s decision to lift the stay on his SRC International Sdn Bhd trial. Najib’s representative Nur Syahirah Hanapiah, confirmed to the media that the client withdrew his notice of motion has been taken care off. According to Nur Syahirah, …

METRO MANILA – Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) has suffered a net loss of P12 billion, a contrast to the Php 2.5 billion earned last year. JFC net loss in the second quarter was P10 bil compare to the P1 billion income. The countrywide sale for both franchise and company owned were also down by 24.5% to P85.8 billion and 48.4% …

BEIRUT – Two Filipinos were killed while eight others were injures in the massive explosions in Beirut, Lebanon on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. According to Affairs Assistant Secretary Ed Menez the latest report from the Philippine embassy confirmed that the two have been killed were in their employer’s house during the explosion. DFA Condoles with Families of …

In the quarter II-2020, Indonesia’s economic growth contracted or -5.32% compared to the previous quarter II-2019 (year on year). Meanwhile, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reports quarterly or from the first quarter of 2020 to the second quarter of 2020, Indonesia’s economy contracted -4.19% (QtQ). Although Indonesia’s economic growth is experiencing a minus, according to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, …

The DKI Jakarta Transportation Agency (Dishub) plans to create a special transportation application called “Super Apps” which involves various modes of transportation. This application is likely to unite the two largest online transportation providers, Gojek and Grab, in one platform. Head of DKI Jakarta Transportation Agency Syafrin Liputo in a virtual discussion, Wednesday (5/8), explained that this application will support …