Philippines

The Department of Tourism is seeking to establish travel coupons that would subsidize the cost of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) swab tests for visitors in an attempt to make travel more accessible. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a television interview with the ANC that the DOT aims to join up with the University of the Philippines-Philippine General …

The Interior and Local Government Department has requested an accelerated search for consultants from the National Democratic Front, Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, who were convicted last week in a decades-old abduction and serious illegal detention case. In the statement, the DILG also said that based on intelligence sources, the couple is still in the country. The Quezon City Provincial Trial …

As part of efforts to streamline the organizational structure of the Lopez Company by cutting the number of public holding entities, Lopez Holdings Inc. will exit the local stock exchange. Surprisingly, The Lopez Holdings told the local stock exchange that the firm will voluntarily delist until First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPH), its power arm, completes the acquisition of up to …

Here’s something people can look forward to. A total of P3.3 billion in Christmas cash gifts to eligible pensioners will be issued by the state-run Government Service Insurance Scheme (GSIS). Rolando Macasaet, GSIS president and general manager, said in a statement released over the weekend that there are 330,496 old-age and disability pensioners who can hope to benefit from the …

The Department of Tourism welcomes this week’s reopening of Coron, Palawan to visitors, as it will help bring back the island’s missing employment. As more hotels and resorts are allowed to welcome tourists beginning today, El Nido, also in Palawan, is entering the second step of its phased reopening. The pristine island of El Nido is waiting for you! Don’t …

The Philippines’ practical timetable for beginning small population vaccination against COVID-19 is earliest in the second quarter of 2021, even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Philippines will grant an emergency use authorization to some of the leading vaccine developers (EUA). Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) Department …

Going back to earlier months, because of the local coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, employers are permitted to indefinitely delay the payment of holiday pay tomorrow. In view of this, Employers can postpone holiday wages until the current emergency situation has been reduced and the establishment’s regular operations are in place. Recently, The Department of Labor and Employment is ordering …

The Philippine government has expressed trust in the British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, even though some critics cast doubt on it over concerns about its reported success rate. They are confident that the AstraZeneca vaccine is being developed, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Friday when the Philippine government signed the first procurement agreement for a coronavirus vaccine, a tripartite …

In an effort to integrate automated contact tracing data eight months after the pandemic, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) also allows national government departments and local government units to use StaySafe.ph, the government’s official contact tracing software. In its battle against the coronavirus, the government policy-making body also urges private organizations to use …

This time in Zamboanga City, not even the coronavirus pandemic that emptied shopping centers could deter retail giant SM Supermalls from opening another outlet, as the organization aims to take advantage of travel restrictions to attract shoppers. Sy-led SM Prime Holdings Inc., the consolidated property arm of the SM Group, said in a statement sent to the stock exchange on …