MANILA – The Joint Task Force Covid Shield on Friday created a Facebook account where netizens could directly report blatant violations of quarantine protocols. In a statement, JTF Covid Shield head Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the move is part of the effort to empower the people not only to help the government in the enforcement […]
Duterte signs P165.5-B Bayanihan 2 law
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, which provides for a PHP165.5-billion fund to finance the country’s response and recovery interventions intended to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed in a statement on Friday that Duterte signed the […]
Another BARMM lawmaker tests positive for coronavirus
COTABATO CITY – Another member of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) legislative body has been infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). “I am sad to announce and inform the public that I tested positive for Covid-19,” Marjanie Mimbantas-Macasalong, a parliament member of the BARMM’s Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), said in a statement released […]
House panel defers PCOO budget briefing
MANILA – The House Committee on Appropriations on Wednesday deferred the deliberations on the proposed PHP1.59-billion 2021 budget of the Presidential Communications Operations Office’s (PCOO) over the supposed “red-tagging” of Makabayan bloc lawmakers by one of the agency’s officials. ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro raised the motion to suspend the PCOO’s budget hearing due to […]
P13-B allocated for Covid-19 response under DOH 2021 budget
MANILA – Around PHP13 billion has been allocated in the proposed budget of the Department of Health (DOH) for the government’s coronavirus disease (Covid-19) response efforts and health system resilience programs for next year. During the hearing of the House Committee on Health on DOH’s proposed budget for 2021, Health Undersecretary Mario Villaverde said the PHP13.03-billion […]
Cezar Mancao named cybercrime center chief
MANILA – Former police officer Cezar Mancao II has been named chief of an attached agency in charge of all functions related to cybersecurity, Malacañang said Wednesday. In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed that Mancao was appointed as Executive Director V of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center (CICC) of the Department of Information […]
GenSan restricts entry of frontline essential workers
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Frontline and essential workers coming from areas with confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) local transmission are now required to present negative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test results before they can enter the city. City Mayor Ronnel Rivera directed its strict enforcement effective Tuesday through Executive Order (EO) No. 42-B, which […]
9 Sulu cops face admin raps on killing of Army intel officers
MANILA – The nine police officers involved in the shooting of four military intelligence operatives in Jolo last June and the three top officials in Sulu have been slapped with administrative charges, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Camilo Cascolan said Monday. Cascolan said administrative charges have been filed against Senior Master Sgt. Abdelzhimar Padjiri; Master […]
DOH hopes to start Avigan trial in coming weeks
MANILA – The clinical trial for the Japanese antiviral drug Avigan is expected to begin in the next few weeks once the Department of Health (DOH) finalizes the necessary documents for the research. “Hindi pa nauumpisahan ‘yong Avigan trial natin… Atin pong minamadali ang pag-proseso ng mga dokumento, hopefully in the coming weeks we can already start with the clinical […]
Zambo City tourism loses P897-M to Covid-19 pandemic
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The local tourism industry has recorded some PHP897.5 million losses due to the quarantine nationwide amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, an official said Saturday. Sarita Sebastian, city tourism officer, said the losses were recorded since the community quarantine on March 20 this year. Sebastian said the community quarantine that restricted the public’s […]
2 Soccsksargen cops isolated after positive rapid tests
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Two personnel of the Police Regional Office (PRO-12) were placed on strict isolation after turning out reactive for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infection in rapid antibody testing. Lt. Col. Lino Capellan, the PRO-12 spokesperson said on Friday that the two policemen were among the identified close contacts of an official of the […]
2 Pinoys among ‘outstanding’ migrant workers in Taiwan
MANILA – Two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were honored in Taiwan “for their dedication and hard work despite the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic”, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Taipei reported on Friday. In a statement, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Evelyn G. Kaguitla, a factory worker, and Amelia A. Comilang, […]
Lone bettor bags P49-M Lotto 6/42 jackpot
MANILA – A lone bettor from San Fernando, La Union is the first jackpot winner of the Lotto games since the start of community quarantine measures in mid-March that affected the games’ operations, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office said Friday. In an advisory, PCSO general manager Royina Garma said the winner bagged the PHP49-million jackpot prize […]