THE LIFE INSURANCE sector will adopt a special management process for claims related to the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to help policyholders get assistance faster.

TOKYO/ATHENS -- Japan and the Olympics movement decided on Tuesday to delay this year’s Tokyo Games into 2021 as the coronavirus crisis obliterated the world’s last major imminent sporting event.

LOCAL SHARES gained some momentum yesterday as investors reacted to news of monetary easing measures in the Philippines and United States.

VEHICLE SALES in the Philippines are expected to be flat in 2020 as the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon shutters dealerships, Fitch Solutions Country Risk and Industry Research said in a downgrade of its previous estimate of 7.4% growth.

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the government procurement policy board (GPPB) has authorized a simplified procurement process to expedite transactions during the state of calamity declared in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) has extended the cut-off date for the tax amnesty on delinquencies by another 30 days to May 23 as a form of relief to taxpayers affected by the COVID-19 lockdown.

LAWMAKERS approved a bill giving President Rodrigo R. Duterte special powers to deal with a novel coronavirus pandemic that has sickened hundreds in the Philippines and threatens to bring the economy to a standstill.

HEALTH authorities reported 90 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday — a record daily increase — bringing the total to 552.

ST. LUKE’S Medical Center on Tuesday said it had stopped admitting COVID-19 patients for confinement after both its branches in Quezon City and Taguig exceeded their capacities.

Besieged by the COVID-19 pandemic and pushed into adversity, the current circumstance has stimulated a surge in patriotic and emphatic response from the private sector and civil society groups.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic and people around the globe are understandably very worried, if not in a state of panic. In the Philippines, in an effort to quell the upward surge in infections similar to what is happening in other countries, President Rodrigo R. Duterte initially ordered a “community quarantine” of the National Capital Region (NCR) effective March 15 until April 1. However, on March 16, the President put the entire island of Luzon on “enhanced community quarantine” (ECQ-Luzon), strictly imposing a home quarantine, among others, starting on March 17 until April 12.

The coronavirus disease 2019/COVID-19 pandemic is just one more crisis, among the many, that the world has experienced in the 20^th century and in the present millennium. Each crisis has been a test of leadership, underscoring the need for a great leader, someone who can rally the citizenry, inspire them and keep up their spirits in the face of discouraging odds. Someone on whose wisdom they can depend on, whose words they can believe, and in whom they can entrust their lives.