Philippines

MANILA – Metro Manila mayors unanimously recommending to the national government to ease COVID-19 mitigation measures in the region from modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) to general community quarantine (GCQ) on June 1, Metro Manila Development Authority General Manager Jojo Garcia announced Tuesday. Garcia said the mayors agreed on the recommendation on the intention on reviving the economy. All 17 …

MANILA – Sy-led lender BDO Unibank Inc. is the country’s top taxpayer for 2019 with nearly a month ahead of the thrice extended deadline, according to the Department of Finance on Monday, May 25. As of May 19, 2020, BDO is the top corporate taxpayer with Robinsons Land Corp in second place followed by Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), Bank of …

Manila – President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, May 25, rejected calls to open the upcoming school year in August, contrary to Deped’s announcement that it could resume classes in areas with eased quarantine protocols. “I will not allow the opening of classes where students are close to one another. Never mind if they can’t finish, [if] for this generation, there …

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted the resignation of Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr. of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) that was tendered four months ago. “We likewise affirm that the President has accepted the resignation of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Eliseo Rio, Jr.” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.\ …

MANILA – A magnitude 5.1 earthquake shook San Luis, Aurora, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Saturday. According to state seismology bureau, the quake’s epicenter was located 16 kilometers southwest of the municipality. Intensity 6 was felt in Baler, Aurora while Intensity 5 was felt in the province’s municipalities of Dipaculao and Maria Aurora. The other reported intensities …

BAGUIO CITY – A female cadet from Isabela has topped the Philippine Military Academy Masidlawin Class of 2020 which will have a simple graduation rite on Friday (May 22) without the usual pomp and pageantry that characterizes the event amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Cadet First Class Gemalyn Sugui, was the valedictorian of 196 graduates. The 25 year old valedictorian is …

As the global virus outbreak hit every sector of the economy, remittances of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are being hit hard by Covid-19 as thousands of Filipinos have been returning from countries around the world. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), they expect the remittances to shrink for the first time in almost two decades. The central …

MANILA – Senator Cynthia Villar apologized on Wednesday “humbly” apologized for her remarks and seeming “insensitive” comments against middle-class families. In a statement, Villar said her comments were not “meant to be an affront to the hardworking middle class of the country.” “I might have framed my questions and statements in such a manner that made it seem I was …

MANILA – Actress Angel Locsin revealed on an Instagram post that she mayhave a “200 million” bounty on her head and sought the attention of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Locsin, 35, posted a screenshot of tweets on her IG page from a certain @AbellanosaNJ – an account that has since been deleted. The twitter allegedly tagged GMA Network, …

MANILA – The country is already in the middle of its “second wave”, the country’s health chief said on Wednesday. “Actually we are now on the second wave. We are now in the lower part of the second wave.” “There was a very small wave last few days of January, and then there was a lull, and then we had …