Philippines

As of Saturday afternoon, according to the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippines reported a total of 487 persons under investigation (PUIs) for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to DOH assistant secretary Rosette Vergeire, more than half or 330 of the PUIs have already been discharged from various health facilities. There are currently 154 admitted PUIs which are closely …

On Saturday President Rodrigo Duterte led the opening of the newly built Sangley Airport. Advertising The Sangley Airport Development Project (SADP) was one of the key infrastructure projects of the “Construct, Build, Build” program of the Duterte administration, and was designed to help decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The Sangley Airport was originally targeted for completion in March 2020, …

The death toll from China’s coronavirus outbreak rose to 1,483 on Friday but the number of new infections in the hard-hit province of Hubei dropped after a change in case definitions caused a massive rise the day before. The central provincial health commission recorded 116 more deaths and 4,823 new cases, the majority involving patients who were clinically diagnosed. The …

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reduced Taal Volcano’s alert-level status to Alert Level 2, as metrics have consistently shown its decreased unrest in recent weeks. After graduating from Alert Level 3 on 26 January 2020, the state of Taal Volcano in the following three weeks was characterized by less regular volcanic earthquake activity, stabilizing ground deformation of the …

The number of Filipinos found positive for COVID-19 infection while embarking on the cruise ship docked in Yokohama has risen to 11, the Foreign Affairs Department has said. The DFA said the Filipinos who tested positive for COVID-19 were taken to different hospitals in and around the Tokyo area. It added that among the new group of 44 men, there …

On Friday, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said it has accelerated the release of face masks in the face of increased demand for personal protective equipment despite the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) threat. Advertisement The BOC indicated in a statement that since the detection and diagnosis of COVID-19 in January 2020, the Agency has been speeding the process and release …

Global oil demand will experience its first quarterly decline in a decade as the COVID-19 virus lashes China’s economy and ripples its effects worldwide. Advertisement “The global demand for oil has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the widespread shutdown of China’s economy,” reported the International Energy Agency in its latest monthly report. Demand is now expected …

Isabela Rep. Antonio “Tonypet” Albano said on Thursday that there was no direct pressure from President Rodrigo Duterte about the pending legislation seeking to expand the ABS-CBN broadcast network franchise. The President has never interfered with, and does not plan to intervene with, Congressional relations, “he said.” He respects the separation of powers and has great respect for us. Albano …

As of Thursday morning the Philippines reported 33 additional suspected cases of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), data from the Department of Health (DOH) reveal. Advertising This brings the total, cumulative number of persons under investigation (PUIs) to 441 in the country—230 of them are currently admitted to different hospitals and 206 others have been discharged that yielded negative results for the …

Malacañang said that it shares US President Donald Trump’s opinion of Manila-Washington’s imminent termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). Trump’s advertisement told a White House news conference on Wednesday that he wouldn’t mind the Philippines ending the VFA because it’s going to save a lot of money. Trump also said the US had helped defeat Islamic State militants in …