Philippines

The team will check shops and scrutinise the whole supply chain to detect whether and where the masks are being hoarded. The shops will be asked where they ordered their masks and if they received them. If the factories delivered fewer than ordered, the factories would have to explain, said the premier. Gen Prayut said more than a million masks …

Police Chief Archie Francisco Gamboa, a helicopter carrying the Philippine National Police (PNP), crashed in Laguna on Thursday morning. Gamboa, who was in Laguna to check the side of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG), rushed to the Westlake Medical Center in San Pedro Area. Apart from Gamboa, the two-year-old Bell 429 chopper was: PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac …

Legislators from the House of Representatives welcomed the decision of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises to begin formal discussions on the renewal bills for the ABS-CBN franchise on 10 March. Advertisement At a press conference in Quezon City on Thursday, Albay Representative Joey Salceda expressed appreciation for the expansion, adding that he had never seen the chance that the …

Pangilinan-led PLDT Inc. is set to increase its capital expenditure plan by 13,85 per cent this year, primarily to support its data sector and information technology (IT) ventures. Advertising According to PLDT president and chief executive officer Manuel Pangilinan, the firm will invest P83 billion this year, up from P72.9 billion in 2019. This sustained degree of investment in the …

For the first time since the reopening of the destination, President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to visit Boracay Island in an attempt to convince the public that domestic tourism is secure in the face of the 2019 coronavirus threat (COVID-19). Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Duterte would travel to the island of Boracay next Thursday, March 12. As part of …

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) announced that alleged unions brought an estimated $370 million to the Philippines last year with the aid of the Philippine Armed Forces (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and airport police escorts. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said that after Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero provided him with a report detailing the activities of the alleged …

Countries scrambled to secure their mask supply as panic buying, hoarding and robbery spread over fears of the deadly coronavirus outbreak on Wednesday, with global health officials warning that protective gear stocks were rapidly dwindling. The disease that first emerged in China occurs almost daily in new countries, with Iran, Italy and South Korea facing increasing numbers. Italy’s death toll …

The Philippine tourism industry’s stakeholders are now bleeding as a result of the 2019 global health scare coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with hotels opting to temporarily close down and air carriers incuring millions of losses. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in February tourist arrivals declined by 41 per cent due to the outbreak. Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) president Jose …

The Immigration Bureau (BI) said it is enforcing the partial lifting of travel ban to South Korea following days of restrictions due to the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. Filipino tourists can now fly to Korea — except for the province of North Gyeongsang, Daegu and Cheongdo — provided they conduct a declaration that they know and understand the …

Six schools in Leyte have been damaged because of the 5.5 magnitude earthquake that hit the province on Monday, a TV channel said Tuesday. Cabul-An Elementary School, Don Mariano Memorial School, San Joaquin Elementary School, Libertad National High School and Capoocan Pinamopoan National High School, Leyte sustained partial damage. The study said a window grill was removed at Pinamopoan National …