Philippines

The Philippine National Railways (PNR) has suspended work from Thursday till Saturday to give way to its Executive Building for “cleaning and disinfecting” as cases of COVID-19 have increased in the region. In an advisory, PNR stated that it would stop their work from March 12 through March 14, In adherence to the protocols developed by the DOH. Yet PNR …

To prevent coronavirus disease from spreading following exposure of the country’s top economic officials to COVID-19 patients, the Department of Finance (DOF), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) temporarily suspended operations on Thursday to disinfect their facilities. Finance Secretary Carlos G. Domínguez III said the DOF building in Manila …

If Terrence Romeo, one of the most polarizing figures in the league, would perform in a reduced role when he was traded to San Miguel in 2018, there were doubts. Romeo, a three-time Scoring Champion, proved his critics wrong after thriving behind the formidable Beermen center, despite coming off the bench. Romeo, completely embracing his new role, won him the …

As the number of COVID-19 cases in the country is increasing, the spread of rumors about the disease also seemed to intensify, and the public was warned: look out for fake news. Theories of fraud and misleading information on the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease in 2019 have swamped social media, questioning government calls for calm as false reports …

The Philippines has 16 new cases of 2019 coronavirus disease or COVID-19, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 49, said Wednesday the Ministry of Health (DOH). Coronavirus disease is a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China’s city in Hubei province. The International Committee on Virus Taxonomy classified SARS-CoV-2 as the …

Since February, more than 300 staff from 19 tourism-related establishments have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak that has curtailed air travel, particularly from China, one of the country’s biggest tourism markets, the Labor and Employment Department said on Tuesday. Around the same time, according to assistant labor secretary Dominique Rubia-Tutay, 47 businesses with 4,416 employees have adopted …

The number of cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Philippines grew to 24 on Monday night. President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of emergency, with the Department of Health recommending quarantine to the public in order to prevent congesting facilities. Who’s expected to endure a controlled home quarantine? —People who have a history of travel to other areas …

The State Workers ‘ Pension Fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) announced on Tuesday that it will cover the insurance claims of the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the helicopter that crashed last week as well as the medical expenses and property damages incurred as a result of the incident. Announcement In a tweet, GSIS president and general manager Rolando …

The Department of Health requested a supplementary budget of P3 billion from the House of Representatives to combat the spread of coronavirus disease by 2019 or COVID-19 in the country. At the hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said that P2.35 billion of the budget would be used to buy personal protective equipment — headgear, …

Notwithstanding comments by President Rodrigo Duterte and the Ministry of Health opposing it, Albay Representative Joey Salceda insisted on Tuesday that a lockdown should be enforced in the light of that COVID-19 cases in the nation. Salceda said that the government should not formulate public policies that rely on the current intensity of viral transmission. Salceda said he doubts that …