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Economy to lose P3 billion each week NCR Plus is under Alert Level 3

Health workers process the papers of individuals before they undergo RT-PCR tests at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, Jan. 4. -- Photo by Michael Varcas, The Philippine Star

By Jenina P. Ibañez, Senior Reporter  

The economy will lose P3 billion a week in productivity contributions due to the shift to the more restrictive Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila and nearby regions, government economic managers said on Friday.  

“We estimate that the shift from Alert level 2 to Alert Level 3 for NCR plus, which includes Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, will result in a Gross Value Added loss of about P3.0 billion per week,” the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) said in a joint statement. 

The five areas are under the stricter alert level 3 up to Jan. 15. 

The DBCC said it is monitoring the impact of the surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, especially in the capital region and nearby provinces. 

“While this may delay our goal of shifting to Alert level 1, we believe that this is a temporary setback and is a necessary adjustment in view of the new COVID variant,” economic managers said. 

The daily COVID-19 tally went up to 21,819 cases on Monday for a total active case count of 77,369. The Philippines recorded a total of 43 Omicron variant cases so far. 

The DBCC said the country is in a better position to manage a spike in cases, given the vaccine rollout and increased hospital capacity. 

“We now resort to granular lockdowns; and, from all indications, the Omicron variant results in less severe cases, especially to those who are fully vaccinated.” 

About 50 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which means the government missed its end-2021 target of 54 million. 

The DBCC also said this year’s P5.024-trillion national budget would serve as the country’s main fiscal stimulus. 

“(The budget) was crafted with COVID response and recovery in mind, we expect to accelerate government spending and help the economy bounce back. 

Economic managers said the national budget will prioritize its response to the pandemic. 

“Alongside this, the extended validity of the fiscal year 2021 general appropriations act will serve as an added fiscal stimulus that will support national government agencies and local government units in continuing to accelerate the implementation of COVID-19 recovery measures. 

BUSINESSES AFFECTED  

Meanwhile, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez on Friday said he has received reports that operations of some malls have been affected by the surge in COVID-19 cases. 

“Yes, we have been receiving reports of malls slowing down their operations and reducing their staff due to the more transmittable Omicron variant,” Mr. Lopez told the media in a Viber message on Friday. 

He noted in some commercial establishments, employers are preparing replacements for staff that may have tested positive for COVID-19 or undergoing precautionary isolation. Other companies are allowing employees to work from home. 

“As we know the businesses, they will find ways to temporarily replace sick staff to ensure that operations continue,” he said.  

Philippine Airlines Inc. (PAL) on Friday said in a statement there may be some flight cancellations and changes in flight schedules amid the surge in COVID-19 cases. The flag carrier said many of its frontline staff are unable to go to work. 

Cebu Pacific also said it has canceled some flights until Jan. 10, as it works with regulators and stakeholders to manage the impact of COVID-19 on its workforce. 

Meanwhile, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) assured the public that banking services will continue despite the imposition of Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila and other areas.  

“The BSP further reiterates its directive to BSP-supervised financial institutions to strictly observe minimum health protocols to safeguard the safety and well-being of bank personnel and customers,” the central bank said in a statement. 

The BSP urged the public to use e-banking and digital payment services for safer and more efficient financial transactions. — with inputs from M.C.Lucenio 

Philippines borrows $800 million for booster shots

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

The Philippines has borrowed $800 million from multilateral lenders to fund the roll out of booster shots of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, as the country battles a fresh surge in infections.   

Finance Undersecretary Bayani H. Agabin said the government borrowed $250 million each from the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in December.  

Another $300-million loan agreement with the World Bank was also signed last month, the Department of Finance (DoF) said in a press release on Friday.  

“We expect everything, we expect (these loans) to be effective around, towards the latter part of January. So that will give us funds to purchase our COVID-19 booster shots,” Mr. Agabin was quoted as saying in the statement.   

The DoF is waiting for the Justice department’s opinion on the enforcement of agreements already signed with the lenders.  

The government in December cut the waiting time for a booster dose to three months amid the threat from the more transmissible Omicron variant.    

The country has seen a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases in recent days. President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Thursday evening said unvaccinated people will be arrested if they disobey stay-at-home orders.  

About 50 million Filipinos were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of last year, which means the government missed its 54 million end-2021 target.   

Mr. Agabin said the Customs bureau had cleared shipments of over 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from March to December last year. The vaccines delivered during that period could help inoculate 100% of the country’s adult population, along with minors aged 12-17, DoF said.  

The government had borrowed $23.4 billion from external sources to fund its COVID-19 response as of Dec. 7.  

REHABILITATION 

Meanwhile, Mr. Agabin reiterated that the DoF plans to borrow another $120 million from a World Bank credit line to support the government’s rehabilitation efforts in regions devastated by Typhoon Odette.  

The government will draw from the $500-million World Bank credit line for disaster recovery. It borrowed an initial $80 million for its disaster recovery efforts last month.  

Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) brought heavy rains and destructive winds over central and southern Philippines in December, causing widespread destruction.  — Jenina P. Ibañez  

PAL says flight cancellations likely amid COVID surge

REUTERS

Philippine Airlines Inc. (PAL) on Friday said there may be some flight cancellations and changes in flight schedules, as the surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections has affected operations.  

“We will endeavor to sustain as many flights as possible under these new circumstances, but some cancellations or schedule adjustments are likely,” the flag carrier said in a statement on Friday. 

PAL said it has seen an increase in passengers seeking to rebook or cancel their flights after testing positive for COVID-19 or under precautionary isolation.  

“At the same time, many of our frontline team members in ticket offices, contact centers and other support teams are unable to report for work.” 

“These simultaneous events have created challenges in our ability to serve all our customers promptly, including longer wait times for calls to our reservations hotlines, longer queues in ticket offices, and corresponding delays in handling transactions,” it said.  

The country is currently battling a surge in COVID-19 infections. The Department of Health on Friday reported 21,819 new infections, bringing the active cases to 77,639. 

Metro Manila and other areas have been placed under the more stringent Alert Level 3.  

Instead of calling the PAL hotline or going to a ticket office, the company urged customers to use the MyPAL Request Hub (https://bit.ly/MPRHPAL) for rebooking requests, questions and other transactions. 

“Please consider deferring less urgent rebooking transactions until after the ongoing surge in cases and the current Alert Level 3 period in Metro Manila,” PAL said. 

From Jan. 8 to 31, PAL said its ticket offices in Cubao, Makati, Filinvest, Ortigas, PNB (Pasay City) and Quezon Avenue will be open only five days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Padre Faura ticket office is temporarily closed and will reopen on Jan. 12.  

The PAL Domestic Road Ticket Office will be open from Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The PAL ticket office at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 remains open daily from 2 a.m. to 10 p.m., while the one at Terminal 3 is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. 

“Our PAL teams are doing all possible to process all passenger requests, unclog any bottlenecks and serve you the best we can. We request your understanding and cooperation as we cope with these serious but temporary challenges,” the company said. — MCL  

Berjaya Philippines assures shareholders amid Makati hotel suspension

The Makati Business Permit Licensing Office implements the order closure against Berjaya Hotel in Makati City, Jan. 6. -- Photo by Michael Varcas, The Philippine Star

Berjaya Philippines, Inc. assured its investors that it is still able to generate income from its other businesses, despite the three-month suspension of its Berjaya Hotel in Makati.   

“The interests of the independent and minority shareholders are protected or safeguarded as the issuer has income from the United Kingdom, the vehicle sales business, and other various investments,” the company said in a disclosure on Friday.   

Berjaya Philippines also said the listed firm’s income from Berjaya Hotel Makati “is not material,” accounting for not even 0.50% of the company’s revenues.   

For its first quarter ending September, the listed company reported revenues of P8.51 billion, of which P8.47 billion came from vehicle sales. Only P37.37 million revenues came from its hotel operations.  

Berjaya Philippines’ net profit attributable to owners worth P272.67 million in the first quarter ending September, surging 410% from P53.4 million a year ago.  

The company’s vehicle sales are from H.R. Own Plc, its motor dealership based in the United Kingdom.   

Berjaya Philippines made the clarification comes after the Department of Tourism (DoT) suspended the accreditation of the Berjaya Hotel Makati for letting a traveler from the United States skip the required quarantine period. It has 15 days to appeal the order. 

The Makati City Hall ordered the hotel’s closure on Thursday, but Berjaya Hotel Makati said there was no legal basis for its closure.  

“For one, the DoT order is not yet final as the hotel will appeal it within the fifteen-day period it is given. Meanwhile, the suspension is not in effect. Secondly, there is no law that penalizes a hotel for not reporting a guest who jumps quarantine,” the hotel said in a statement issued on Thursday. 

“Thirdly, we must be accorded due process and be allowed to explain before any penalty is imposed. We have not been given our day in court by the Makati City Hall.” 

Shares of Berjaya Philippines slumped 5.17% or 29 centavos to close at P5.32 apiece. — K.C.G. Valmonte 

Cebu Pacific cancels more flights after CAAP limits arrivals

BW FILE PHOTO

Cebu Pacific said it canceled more flights after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) limited arrivals at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).  

In a travel advisory on Friday, the budget carrier also said it is working with regulators and stakeholders to manage the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on its workforce.  

“Cebu Pacific also continues to review its manpower levels with employees currently on quarantine,” the company said.  

The cancelled flights originally scheduled on Jan. 8 to 10 include those from Manila to Kalibo, Legazpi, Tacloban, Boracay (Caticlan), Iloilo, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Davao, Cebu, Bohol (Tagbiliran), Cauayan, Puerto Princesa, Iloilo, Coron (Busuanga), Dipolog, and Legazpi.   

“As the situation remains fluid, additional flight cancellations may take place in the coming days, and so we appeal for your patience and understanding,” Cebu Pacific said.  

In a separate advisory, Cebu Pacific said it is also reducing its flights between Manila and Bacolod to once daily or 7 times a week from 16 times weekly. It canceled flights to and from Bacolod scheduled on Jan. 9 to 15.  

Cebu Pacific said the Negros Occidental local government issued an order to limit the flights to and from the National Capital Region amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte  

COVID positivity rate in the Philippines hits 40%

SM Supermalls partnered with local government units to host vaccination sites in its 71 malls. -- Courtesy of SM Supermalls

FOURTY percent of the people tested for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines were found to be positive for the virus, the Department of Health (DoH) said in its latest bulletin. The 40% positivity rate is the highest experienced in the country since the COVID19 pandemic started. The health department also reported that there were 21,819 infections on Friday – the sixth-highest one-day tally since the pandemic began.

This brings the total number of infections since the pandemic started to 2.91 million. The total death toll hit 51,871 after 129 more patients died, while the recoveries increased by 973 to 2.78 million in total, the health department said in its regular bulletin.

There are now 77,369 active cases, 2,438 of which are asymptomatic, 70,321 are mild cases, 2,837 are considered moderate, 1,461 are severe, and 312 are critical.

The agency said 99% of the coronavirus cases occurred between Dec. 25 to Jan. 7. The top regions with cases in the past two weeks were Metro Manila with 13,634 infections, Calabarzon with 4,129 and Central Luzon with 2,084.

The DoH said 72 cases had been removed from the tally, with 51 reclassified as recoveries and one as a death. It added that 111 cases previously tagged as recoveries had been relisted as deaths. Ten laboratories failed to submit data.

The agency said 32% of the intensive care units in the Philippines were occupied, while the rate for Metro Manila was 48%.

NUMBER TO INCREASE

Butch Ong of the OCTA Research Group, a private research firm, said in a Friday news briefing that the increase in COVID-19 cases was due to the high mobility during the holiday season.

The number of COVID-19 cases will continue to increase in the next couple of weeks, he added, noting that the current surge may last for a month, basing his judgment on the experience of South Africa with the Omicron variant. “However, we cannot really say for now,” he said.

“Hopefully by February, the situation will be better,” he added.

“It will be very scary for the next few weeks, but we simply have to be patient. We have to wait until this wave passes,” OCTA’s Nicanor Robles Austriaco, Jr. said during the same briefing, “so it’s still important that every single one of our fellowmen still gets vaccinated and boosted because it might help the country as a whole.”

Mr. Austriaco also reiterated his belief that the Omicron variant is the “beginning of the end of the pandemic,” but emphasized that even though it is milder than the Delta variant, “it is still a killer.”

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire, in an online news briefing, said that despite its mild symptoms, the Omicron variant is highly contagious. “The higher the [number of] infections, the higher the chance of the virus to replicate, which is their cycle, and they can reproduce.”

“The most important part is there will be higher chances for the virus to mutate,” she added in a mix of English and Filipino. “We need to prevent this high number of infections so that we will not have further mutations which can lead to more fatal outcomes.”

Likewise, Edsel Salvana, a member of the DoH Technical Advisory Group and director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the National Institutes of Health at the University of the Philippines Manila, said that the Omicron is a virus, not a vaccine, so it can cause heavy damage to others.

“The risk is not zero. They (vaccinated) can still be infected although it is less severe than (for) somebody who is unvaccinated,” he said in Filipino during the same briefing, “so it is hard to say that it is the beginning of the end.”

OCTA’s Mr. Ong advised the public to follow minimum public health standards, and to get tested immediately when experiencing symptoms, and to isolate to avoid getting infected with the virus.

“If you’re feeling unwell, stay home… If you are unvaccinated, please do consider (vaccination) to protect not only yourself, but our community, and to see the end of the pandemic probably soon.”– Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

Nograles: unvaccinated can be ‘restrained’ regardless of alert level

PHILSTAR

THE president’s order to restrain unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals if they insist on leaving their homes is applicable regardless of the alert level, according to the Presidential Palace on Friday.

“For the public’s safety, health and well-being, the barangay captains, wherever they may be, the president has a directive for them to plead to our residents, barangays, that the unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, should not go out, for now, to stop the spread of this virus and protect them,” Acting Presidential Spokesman and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said at a televised news briefing.

When asked if this directive will be in effect regardless of the alert level in an area, Mr. Nograles, in a mix of English and Filipino, said that “it appears, last night, in the declarations, pronouncements, and directives of the president, it appears that (it is) regardless and that it is nationwide.”

During a pre-recorded briefing on Thursday evening, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said that despite lawyers’ advice that unvaccinated cannot be restrained, it is his position that it can be done as the Philippines is under a national emergency.

“I’m now giving orders to the barangay captain to look for those persons who are not vaccinated and… request them or order them, if you may, to stay put,” he said, as provided in the transcript sent by his office. “If he refuses, he goes out of the house and goes around in the community or wherever, he can be restrained.”

If the restrained individual continues to resist, the barangay captain “is empowered now to arrest the recalcitrant persons,” the president added. The barangay captain will also have the authority to call on civilians to assist in this act, and they will then become agents of a person in authority.

Mr. Duterte said he was not afraid of people filing cases against him due to this decision.

“Well, they can file cases. I’d be happy to answer. I’ve already said that I have cases in the ICC (International Criminal Court), why not just add to that, so that I can answer them all in one go when the time comes,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“Ultimately I am responsible for the safety and well-being of every Filipino and that is why my orders are to restrain them,” the president added.

As of Friday, there are 51.6 million fully vaccinated individuals in the Philippines, while 2.8 million have received a top-up booster shot.

MORE AREAS UNDER ALERT LEVEL 3

During the same briefing, the Palace announced that 14 more areas will soon be under Alert Level 3 amid a fresh surge of coronavirus cases in the country.

Mr. Nograles said during a recorded briefing that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases agreed to heighten the alert level in the following areas beginning Sunday:

  • Dagupan City
  • City of Santiago
  • Cagayan province
  • Olongapo City
  • Angeles City
  • Bataan
  • Pampanga
  • Zambales
  • Naga City
  • Iloilo City
  • Lapu-Lapu City
  • Batangas
  • Lucena City
  • Baguio City

The whole of the National Capital Region, specifically Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, and Laguna, are currently under Alert Level 3. This will remain so until Jan. 15.

The raised alert level limits indoor capacity to 30% and outdoor venue capacity to 50%, while government agencies and instrumentalities may have 60% on-site capacity.

Also on late Thursday, Mr. Duterte ordered the police to arrest and detain those selling COVID-19 drugs and essential medicines on the black market. “Arrest them and detain them. I am ordering the police to arrest black marketeers.” — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

One disqualification decision submitted for resolution as Marcos Jr. skips Comelec hearing

Because Abubakar M. Mangelen and his lawyer missed a hearing, the First Division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) decided to rule that his petition to disqualify presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. has been submitted for resolution.

Mr. Marcos also missed the preliminary conference, as, according to his lawyer, he was under isolation due to a possible coronavirus 2019 (COVDI-19) infection. The initial lack of a medical certificate to prove this drew the ire of Comelec officials.

Mr. Mangelen, who says that he is the real chairman of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, whose stand-bearer is Mr. Marcos, said he had not received a notice about the hearing.

He had filed a petition with the Comelec to disqualify Mr. Marcos on Dec. 2, saying that Marcos’ certification of nomination and acceptance by the party is “unauthorized, null, and void.”

Meanwhile, stipulations for two other petitions against Mr. Marcos, which were filed by the progressive group Akbayan and petitioners led by Bonifacio Ilagan, were finished at the hearing.

Both petitions state that Mr. Marcos is not qualified to run for presidency since he was convicted of tax evasion, a crime that permanently bans a person from holding public office.

Appearing as counsel for the petitioners led by Mr. Ilagan was Jake Ray Fajardi, while Antonio Salvador appeared for Akbayan. Hanna Barcenas appeared as Mr. Marcos’ lawyer.

The petitioners presented a certification from the Quezon City Regional Trial Court that showed that Mr. Marcos had not yet paid his fines. To counter, Marcos’ counsel showed a certificate from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) that said he had paid the fines a long time ago. Ms. Barcenas said that Marcos had paid the BIR through Landbank, but also confirmed that he had not paid the Supreme Court.

Comelec Commissioner Ma. Rowena V. Guanzon told Marcos’ camp that they should show a receipt.

Another issue raised by the petitioners was that Mr. Marcos had not filed his income tax returns (ITR) for 1982 to 1985. When Ms. Barcenas denied this, the election official asked her when the ITRs were filed. Ms. Barcenas said that she still had to check the dates.

NOT FEELING WELL

The respondent, Mr. Marcos, was unable to attend the hearing of the three disqualification cases filed against him because, according to Ms. Barcenas, he was not feeling well.

Ms. Guanzon requested that Mr. Marcos attend the hearing virtually through Zoom since he did not have a medical certificate to prove he was unwell.

“Why is it hard for (former) Senator Marcos to go on video? He can do that through the phone!” the election official said.

Ms. Barcenas promised that they would be able to present a medical certificate within the day. She added that the Dec. 20 summons stated that either the respondent or his counsels should be at the hearing. However, Ms. Guanzon said that the summons ordered Mr. Marcos to attend in person or virtually.

Later that afternoon, Mr. Marcos’ doctor sent a medical certificate to his counsel saying that the presidential aspirant had fever and a sore throat. He noted that Mr. Marcos had come in contact with two COVID-positive people.

The Comelec directed the Marcos camp to submit their manifestation with his medical certificate and the parties were also required to submit their memoranda within 48 hours.

Marcos’ counsel asked to submit their camp’s memoranda in 15 days but Commissioner Guanzon denied it.

The First Division of the Comelec required all the parties involved to submit their memoranda by Jan. 9 at 12 pm. Only after the memoranda are provided can the poll body consider both disqualification petitions as submitted for resolution.

The preliminary conference for the three disqualification cases against Mr. Marcos was livestreamed on Comelec’s Facebook page. The marking of evidence by the lawyers before the Clerk of the Commission was not shown online. — Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan

Bangsamoro gov’t OK’s bulk water supply, hotel-resto projects worth over P200M

TWO PROJECTS with a combined investment of more than P200 million, one for bulk water supply and the other involving accommodations and dining services, have been approved by the Bangsamoro government’s Regional Board of Investments (RBOI).

The regional government, in a news release on Friday, said the approval of the two proposals are “considered as an opening salvo” for efforts to ramp up investments in the region.

The water venture will be undertaken by Hanabana Construction and Equipment Corp. a company based in Cagayan de Oro City.

Pagana Kutawato Corp., on the other hand, will set up a “container van type” hotel and open branches of its existing restaurant business.

Both projects will be in Cotabato City, the regional capital of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Samim Yusoph, Hanabana’s BARMM coordinator, said the bulk water supply will be delivered to the local water distributor.

“Actually, our company was contracted with Metro Cotabato Water District (MCWD) for the project to build a bulk source of potable water system in the city using our modified water equipment or technology amounting to more than P100 million,” Mr. Yusoph is quoted as saying in the news release.

“As agreed in the contract, the MCWD will not pay any single centavo for the use of our water technology or equipment but the volume of water to be pumped out going to the residences in Cotabato City of around 7,000 cubic meters daily will be payable by them monthly once it is operated,” he said.

For Kutawato, its investment is intended to meet an increasing demand for accommodations and halal food services as well as attract more tourists to Cotabato City.

“Our purpose of expanding… in a new innovative design is to cope with the increasing demand of our visitors on accommodations and foods, (as) Muslims commonly like to eat in a restaurant,” said company owner Anwar Malang.

RBOI Chairman Ishak V. Mastura said having these two projects at the start of the year is a “good sign for the region for more possible investments to come in.”

“We are eyeing for an increase in investments in the BARMM like what happened last year, in which we generated investments more than our target,” Mr. Mastura said.

RBOI reported P2.8-billion worth of investments in 2021, higher the P2.5-billion target.

Mr. Mastura had earlier said that there were “hardly” any new registered investments in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and administrative adjustments under the transitional government. The biggest approved venture that year was a P14-million infusion by Community Wireless and Power Corp. in an internet service project in Lanao del Sur. — Marifi S. Jara

21,000 vaccine doses wasted in Odette-hit areas

MUNICIPALITY OF LILOAN FB PAGE

Around 21,000 doses of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines that were deployed in areas that were devastated by Typhoon Odette (known internationally as Rai) are now considered “wastage,” said the Department of Health (DoH).

“We have initially about 21,000 doses that have been officially reported as wastage. The [other areas] have not been able to submit a report because we have a current problem with those with no electricity, no connectivity,” Health Undersecretary Myrna C. Cabotaje, head of the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC), said in a mix of English and Filipino at a televised news briefing on Friday.

The DoH is working to complete a final report, she added, which may be released in the next one to two weeks.

She noted that the wastage data specifically came from Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga. They are also looking into Palawan as its northern area was also affected by the Odette, which was the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines last year.

Ms. Cabotaje said that the government has deployed 146 million out of the 210 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines that have been procured by the national government, the private sector, local government, and donations, but noted that inoculations have begun to slow down.

“Our cases are increasing, but our vaccinations are slightly slowing down because our health care workers are also affected [by COVID], so they cannot vaccinate temporarily,” she said, “but in the next two to three weeks, hopefully, the process will accelerate once again.”

There is also a delay due to the difficulty of deploying vaccines to typhoon-hit areas, she added.

“We need more people who want to get vaccinated,” Ms. Cabotaje said.

As of Friday, the Philippines has 51.6 million fully vaccinated individuals, while 2.8 million have received a top-up shot, according to the DoH website. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan

COVID forces Senate to close; House extends its lockdown by a week

BW FILE PHOTO

There will be a “total closure” of the Senate building next week due to the high number of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infections within its premises, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III said on Friday.

This as the House of Representatives will remain under lockdown until next week thanks to the threat of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the House leader said in a statement on Friday.

In a Viber message to reporters, Mr. Sotto noted that “there are now 46 active COVID positive cases, employees in the Senate.”

He added that, “175 employees are also under quarantine due to exposure and manifestation of COVID symptoms, and are still waiting for swab test results.”

Heeding the recommendation of the Senate medical team, the Senate will close from Jan. 10 to 17 to conduct a thorough disinfection and to lessen contact among employees to prevent or slow down the transmission of the virus.

The Senate chief noted that five of the medical bureau’s own staff are under quarantine, and this has depleted their workforce. “They find it hard to attend to the needs of the employees.”

Therefore, “nobody can enter the Senate premises except those that will do the disinfection on Jan. 8 and 15,” he said.

HOUSE SHUTTING DOWN

Meanwhile, House Speaker Lord Allan Q. Velasco said that its lockdown will be extended by a week.

“We have decided to extend the lockdown by another week from Jan. 10 to 16 as a precautionary measure to protect the health and safety of House members and employees in view of an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases in NCR and adjacent provinces.”

Due to the current surge of infections, the House has been on lockdown since Tuesday.

The House chief said that regular work in the House will begin on Jan. 17, when it is scheduled to meet for its first plenary session after the Christmas holidays. However, only 20% of the workforce will be allowed into the building starting on Monday.

Mr. Velasco has directed House Secretary General Mark Llandro L. Mendoza to strictly implement the lockdown. Lawmakers were also instructed to remain at home since they could access committee meetings, public hearings, and other events in the House online.

“Now, more than ever, it is important to continue to wear face masks, maintain proper physical distancing, practice good hygiene, and get vaccinated. For those who have already completed their primary doses of COVID-19 vaccine, get your booster shot once you’re eligible,” Mr. Velasco said. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan and Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan

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