The 2020 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of NATIONAL REINSURANCE CORPORATION OF THE PHILIPPINES will be conducted virtually on August 7, 2020, Friday, at 3:00 P.M.
For complete information on the Company’s annual meeting, please visit www.nat-re.com/investor-relations/annual-stockholders-meeting.
VIDEO GAME REVIEW
The Last of Us Part II
Sony PlayStation 4
Not surprisingly, The Last of Us Part II dominated gaming news since the leaks spread on the internet in late April. Anticipation, already eager to begin with given the proven value of the source material, was further fueled by third-hand information. On the flipside, not a few quarters found cause to draw thoroughly unfair conclusions; after all, the game had yet to hit retail shelves, and any discussions on particulars of that title, or argued lack thereof, bordered on speculation. If there was any benefit to all the talk, though, it was that Sony wound up committing to a release date. Earlier in the month of the leaks, it was postponed indefinitely due to the novel coronavirus pandemic‘s effects on international distribution.
And so The Last of Us Part II officially rolled out on June 19 — with optimism, to be sure, as the culmination of six years of hard work by director Neil Druckmann and the same Naughty Dog team that served up its multi-awarded predecessor on the PlayStation 3 in 2013. The good news is that the developer’s latest work doesn’t just show its pedigree; it betters what had hitherto been the California-based company’s magnum opus. Forget about the fears on the basis of the leaks. It has everything that enabled The Last of Us to stand out — everything and more.
In The Last of Us Part II, players pick up the story through the eyes of Ellie five years from where The Last of Us left off. The central character is now 19 years old and living in a settlement in Jackson County, Wyoming, where Joel’s brother Tommy also lives. Surrounded by peers in a loving community, life is good for her — at least under the new normal in post-apocalyptic United States. She has settled in and seems to be enjoying herself. Unfortunately, her happiness doesn’t last. Shortly into the story, someone close to her is tortured and killed. Brimming with rage at the turn of events, she is moved to travel the countryside and avenge the brutal death by any means necessary. Using stealth, trickery, her trusty knife, and her guns, she carves a path through bandits, soldiers, and the Infected, all in an effort to right the wrongs she has suffered.
In terms of gameplay, The Last of Us Part II is pretty much like The Last of Us, albeit packed in a much prettier package. This means the same old routines of exploring ruined buildings and cities, scavenging for supplies, crafting equipment and upgrades, and battling hordes of humans, infected or otherwise. This means that large parts of gameplay are devoted to stealth sequences, requiring players to duck behind cover and eliminate enemies wisely and quietly. In these stealth sections, players are expected to do whatever they can to sneak, shoot, or stab their way through preset paths. While these stealth sequences feel less rigorous compared to modern stealth games like, say, Metal Gear, there’s still a surprising amount of freedom available while skulking about in the shadows. Paths tend to be linear, but these often branch out in multiple directions, giving players the ability to flank enemies or even avoid them. Sound and sight play key roles, and knowing when to make noise and when to stay out of sight and out of mind can mean the difference between life and death.
For the impatient or the clumsy, however, going loud is always an option, and it’s in this mode that the gameplay of The Last of Us Part II veers from its older sibling. These changes may be subtle, even very subtle, but those who’ve played The Last of Us will be able to note the improvements. For one, animations look and feel much smoother. Enemies react to damage realistically, thus providing no small measure of satisfaction when taking down foes with gunfire. Additionally, melee combat now proves much more fluid with the addition of a dodge button. It’s not akin to Resident Evil 3’s invulnerable dodge; that said, it gives players the opportunity to go toe to toe with several melee enemies and take them down without absorbing much damage.
Gunplay in The Last of Us Part II also winds up much tighter. Make no mistake: The lack of ammunition is still a problem. However, the times players are forced to use their precious ammo leads to some form of catharsis. The variety of weapons isn’t very large, but the overall arsenal does give enough options to face down enemies, whether those affected by the mutated Cordyceps fungus or more crafty human opponents. Unlike in The Last of Us, there’s never a helpless foreboding of inevitable death — not when shotguns, explosives, arrows, and Molotov cocktails are all within reach.
Choice becomes absent, though, in how the story of The Last of Us II plays out. Just like in The Last of Us, the narrative is pretty much set in stone, and players become unwilling spectators thrown into the middle of it. This isn’t bad per se; even if the first half of the game is a fairly standard revenge story, major parts are still able to shine. More critical quarters may be promoted to boil it down to something as simple as Ellie going out, Ellie killing people, and Ellie trying to track down her nemesis, but there can be no doubting the impact of the quieter moments of the first half. They’re very, very good, with the all-too-infrequent guitar segments, in particular, serving as highly effective counter-programming to the bouts of gunplay, stealth, and murder.
Where the plotline of The Last of Us II purposely becomes divisive is in its second half: Even as Ellie focuses on revenge, much effort is given to show the antagonist’s brighter side. There’s a clear focus on how “normal” and vulnerable the latter truly is. Indeed, a large part of the narrative focuses on humanizing past foes; for instance, non-playable characters Ellie has slaughtered make reappearances as friends and comrades. Clearly, the intent is to show that there’s more to digest than just Ellie’s side of the story. And as complicatedly brave as the decision to layer the dramatis personae may be, it works.
Notably, significant parts of the second half of The Last of Us II show the characters in unguarded moments. Players then find cause to empathize with their troubles; people treated as stepping stones to Ellie’s quest for revenge in the first half come alive and are given more nuance and depth in the second. Again, hints of the unique design choice abound, among them the frequent notes on the families and friends of enemies gunned down. There is a pervasive emphasis on forgiveness, however difficult — including forgiveness of self; for example, players are forced to kill a dog at one point, only to encounter it later as a friend.
In this regard, the wave of mixed emotions that The Last of Us Part II engenders is prompted. Should they be excited when they’re so close to vengeance? Should they then be ashamed that they’ve been roped in on a mission that’s ultimately pointless and self-destructive? When all is said and done, whether the remorse is earned — or even felt — depends on how players view the conscious decisions they made en route. From start to finish, the game shows the painstaking work Naughty Dog has done to keep players immersed and invested heavily in complicated characters. Through lifelike animations and silky-smooth gameplay elements, they’re then obliged to question why they enjoyed the bits and pieces of violence and gore.
Granted, it’s easy to see what type of feeling The Last of Us Part II is going for; revenge is a fool’s errand, and the story clearly has a deeper emphasis on self-reflection, on forcing the players to think about the lasting consequences of their actions. And for those who believe in Naughty Dog’s objective, it works; specific segments, especially in the second half, invoke introspection and deep thought — with the intent to turn what should be joy at finally reaching the final goal into something else, and at the very least an acknowledgment that maybe not everything done along the way was right.
Critics, and there are myriad, will claim with reason that the lack of choice in The Last of Us Part II spoils its intentions. Because there is no alternative but to proceed onward through thick and thin, the morals it wants to espouse fail, they argue. This works in other games, as being good and bad were clear-cut decisions that players were able to take; Dishonored, for instance, offered just rewards for the harder, non-lethal path compared to the grimmer, darker ending awaiting the easier, more lethal approach. In a game like that, such self-reflection would work as there was an active choice in the matter.
In any case, The Last of Us Part II can proudly say it achieved what it set out to do. It’s certainly a much-improved version of The Last of Us; at the basest level, the improvements to the combat mechanics, the extremely high quality of its action setpieces, and the adrenaline rush fights induce are all worth the effort. And, yes, it succeeds in its efforts to prod and provoke, and to get players to remember it long after they’ve finished it. The efficacy of the lingering taste, though, depends on how much the story hits home. In this light, those who enjoyed the original game should get a leg up. If nothing else, they’ll be able to approach the sequel’s story with an open mind.
All told, The Last of Us Part II stands as a testament to Naughty Dog’s commitment to the franchise. A lot of love and effort was clearly put into it, and its quality permeates every nook and cranny of its production. Granted, it can be hard to appreciate at times; for all its polish and seamless transitions from story to gameplay, and vice versa, it’s a decidedly acquired taste. Then again, Druckmann himself said it’s not meant to be fun. Perhaps it’s just meant to be, period. Highly recommended.
THE GOOD
• Superb gameplay elements, with a healthy mix of action, stealth, and peace and quiet
• Solid gunplay and melee combat, with decent stealth mechanics to give players good variety
• Good selection of guns, upgrades, and difficulty and accessibility options, which is to say most anyone can play the game in any number of ways
THE BAD
• Linear story with linear stage design
• Very gritty and serious plot
• Controversial ending
RATING: 9.5/10
POSTSCRIPT: CrossCode makes no bones about its conceit. In fact, it trumpets its willingness to straddle seemingly incongruous situations. As a single-player role-playing game set within a massive multiplayer online RPG, it has players control Lea, an avatar who has lost both her memory and her voice, in an effort to solve the mysteries behind the development. And, what’s more, she gets to mingle in the physical world as well. Thus, two stories in two settings get intertwined on the way to the denouement.
Significantly, CrossCode makes Lea’s progress within the CrossWorlds MMORPG run just about like any other player’s character in real life. She’s a Spheromancer with the capacity to launch both ranged and close-quarter attacks during inevitable combat phases. There’s likewise a large portion of interaction with other characters, including with some slated to join in exploration, as well as a fair amount of crafting and farming in order to raise attributes to the levels required to take the measure of opponents in battle. Parenthetically, skill trees are extensive and can open up more opportunities, particularly chain attacks, in this regard.
Simply put, CrossCode gives off a decidedly MMORPG vibe without players actually needing to go online. And, creditably, it proves to be just as deep and as populated, not to mention as aesthetically and aurally pleasing as the best ones in the industry; the 16-bit art style complements the throwback music, adding to the lure and allure of the gameplay. If there are any negatives, they’re in the frame rate drops when the screen gets busy, and in the audio glitches that occasionally crop up.
On the whole, though, CrossCode proves to be worth its $19.99 price tag as a well-made port of the crowdfunded release on the personal computer. With progressively challenging puzzles through seven themed dungeons, it’s a satisfying 50-hour romp that gives off a Zelda-esque vibe in an MMORPG environment. Sweet.
THE GOOD:
• Solid gameplay
• Balanced and fair combat mechanics
• Visually and aurally pleasing
THE BAD:
• Populated screens lead to frame drops
• Audio glitches evident on occasion
• Side quests can be repetitive
• Grinding required
RATING: 8.5/10
THE LAST WORD: The much-awaited NBA 2K21 has three covers slated for its release. All-Star Damian Lillard will be on copies for current-generation platforms, while presumptive Rookie of the Year Zion Williamson will grace offerings for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Meanwhile, the Mamba Forever Edition, available for all systems, will feature — who else? — hoops legend Kobe Bryant. The versions will retail for P3,190, P3,690, and P5,390, respectively.
The cover athletes were chosen for a reason. As explained by Alfie Brody, vice-president of Global Marketing at NBA 2K, Lillard, Williamson, and Bryant “represent different eras of the game of basketball.” Significantly, the next-generation version is being built from the ground up to take advantage of cutting-edge architecture. Moreover, the overlap of hardware generations will be addressed through the implementation of measures allowing for cross-progression and shared virtual credits within the same console family. Parenthetically, the Mamba Forever Edition provides owners with an extra copy of the game on the other generation within the same console family.
NBA 2K21 be available worldwide on the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Google Stadia on Sept. 4. It will likewise be a launch title for the PS5 and Xbox Series X this coming holiday season. The franchise has hit the top of video game simulation charts with every iteration in the last 10 years, and it figures to do the same this year.
METRO Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) said its subsidiary MPCALA Holdings, Inc. had paid in advance the second tranche of the concession fees for the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX).
In a statement e-mailed to reporters on Monday, MPTC said MPCALA paid the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) P4.368 billion, ahead of the July 10 due date.
“The payment is the second of six tranches amounting to P27.3 billion in total concession fees under the 35-year CALAX concession,” MPTC said.
The tollways group paid the first tranche of P5.460 billion in July 2015.
MPTC Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said: “It is our privilege to be the government’s private sector partner in this project of national significance. And despite this COVID-19 pandemic, our work continues to serve our communities, and our people.”
The group also paid in advance on May 1 its tax dues valued at P 1.03 billion.
“This payment will help enable the national government to fund development projects, high-priority resource management programs, operations, and concession-support activities,” DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar was quoted as saying in the statement.
The whole CALAX project covers 45.3 kilometers of expressway linking the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEx) from Kawit, Cavite to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) at the Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna.
MPTC is the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin
RIZAL COMMERCIAL Banking Corp. (RCBC) is looking to raise P3 billion in fresh funds as it taps the domestic bond market for the second time this year.
RCBC said in a filing with the local bourse on Monday that the fixed-rate bonds will have a tenor of two years and a fixed interest rate of 3.25% per annum.
“The funds raised from the bonds will be utilized to support asset growth, refinance maturing liabilities, and other general funding purposes,” it said.
RCBC said the minimum issue size for the bonds is at P3 billion, with an option to upsize under certain market and other conditions.
Its public offer period started on Monday, July 6, and will end on July 17, subject to adjustments.
Meanwhile, the issuance and listing of the bonds at the Philippine Dealing Exchange Corp. is set on July 27.
The bonds will be the fifth tranche of RCBC’s P100-billion bond and commercial paper program of which P62.45 billion remains unissued.
The sole lead arranger and book runner for the transaction is ING Bank N.V. Manila, while RCBC Capital Corp. served as the financial advisor. Both ING and RCBC Capital are selling agents of the bonds.
In April, RCBC raised P7.05 billion from two-year fixed-rate bonds that carry a coupon rate of 4.848%. The proceeds from the issuance will be used to support asset growth and to improve the bank’s liability structure.
The Yuchengco-led bank’s net income climbed 77% year on year to P2.3 billion in the first three months of 2020, boosted by its strong core business and trading gains.
RCBC’s shares finished trading at P17.04 apiece on Monday, down by two centavos or by 0.12% from its previous close. — Luz Wendy T. Noble
AYALA MALLS has teamed up with Life Cycles PH to provide free bicycles for frontliners.
UP Town Center, through Life Cycles PH, has donated 21 free bicycles so far for health care workers who require transportation to and from home. To avail of the service, they can present a company ID for verification and monitoring at the Life Cycle Station along Phase 1, near Mercury Drug in UP Town Center.
Ayala Malls has also installed bicycle racks in all its malls.
Here’s a quick glance at how PSEi stocks fared on Monday, July 6, 2020.
THE PESO rallied to log its best close against the greenback since 2016 on expectations of continued benign inflation, even as prices of some commodities went up.
The local unit closed at P49.381 versus the dollar on Monday, gaining 16.9 centavos from its P49.55 close on Friday, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed.
The peso opened the session at P49.52 per dollar. Its weakest showing was at P49.55 while its intraday best was at P49.36 against the greenback.
Dollars traded decreased to $609.77 million on Monday from the $758.3 million on Friday.
Analysts attributed the peso’s appreciation to manageable inflation despite expectations of a slight quickening in June.
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said the peso finished at its strongest “in more than 3.5 years or since Nov. 16, 2016 when it closed at P49.35” as investors await the release of June inflation data by the Philippine Statistics Authority this Tuesday, July 7.
A BusinessWorld poll of 16 economists yielded a median estimate of 2.2% for headline inflation in June, slower than the 2.7% a year ago but a tad faster than the 2.1% pace in May. Analysts said upward pressures mainly come from rising prices of oil and rice.
If realized, the median estimate would be near the lower end of the 1.9% to 2.7% estimate from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and well within the 2-4% target inflation for 2020.
“The peso continued to strengthen amid expectations of an uptick in the Philippine inflation report this Tuesday,” a trader said in an e-mail.
The trader said the actual inflation data on Tuesday will also determine market sentiment this Tuesday.
For today, both Mr. Ricafort and the trader see the peso moving within P49.25 to P49.45 per dollar. — LWTN
By Denise A. Valdez, Reporter
LOCAL SHARES pulled back on Monday as the rising number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines weighed on investor sentiment.
The 30-member Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) shed 44.25 points or 0.69% to close at 6,328.41 on Monday. The broader all shares index also slipped 15.76 points or 0.42% to end at 3,702.17.
“Local shares closed lower… as lack of leads made investors focus on other pertinent issues such as the worldwide surge in COVID-19 cases and the upcoming inflation report,” Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile message.
He noted investors were still waiting for the resumption of Wall Street trading after a three-day holiday weekend and thus took cues from other news.
But unlike the local bourse, other Asian markets were faring in green territory on Monday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Topix indices, China’s Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 index, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index and South Korea’s Kospi index were recording gains by the time the PSE closed.
“Asian stock markets rallied led by Chinese shares on encouraging comments from state media on how a healthy bull market will be extremely important to its economy in the future,” AAA Southeast Equities, Inc. Research Head Christopher John Mangun said in an e-mail.
“The PSEi did the opposite and ended slightly lower as investors are worried about a surge in new coronavirus cases and reports that the virus has mutated and is more contagious,” he added.
The Department of Health reported a record daily high of 2,434 new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines on Sunday, raising the country’s total to 44,254. There were also global news reports that COVID-19 may be airborne, citing more than 200 experts from different countries.
These issues, along with profit taking, brought the PSEi down after four straight days of gains. “The market corrected on profit taking…after we contracted the highest number of infections (on Sunday),” Diversified Securities, Inc. Equity Trader Aniceto K. Pangan said in a text message.
Four of six sectoral indices closed with losses on Monday: financials dropped 27.85 points or 2.19% to 1,239.71; property fell 28.93 points or 0.91% to 3,140.75; holding firms slid 33.46 points or 0.51% to 6,532.53; and industrials decreased 20.74 points or 0.26% to 7,929.99.
On the other hand, mining and oil gained 152.07 points or 2.86% to 5,458.91, and services grew 18.99 points or 1.32% to 1,451.07.
Some 1.07 billion issues valued at P6.15 billion switched hands on Monday, down from 2.66 billion issues worth P7.39 billion in the previous session. Advancers and decliners totalled 103 each, while 43 names ended unchanged.
Offshore investors returned to selling on Monday with net outflows totalling P745.45 million, a reversal of Friday’s net buying of P834.22 million.
By Vann Marlo M. Villegas, Reporter
LAWYERS’ groups and opposition lawmakers asked the Supreme Court on Monday to stop the government of President Rodrigo R. Duterte from enforcing a law expanding anti-terror crimes, saying the measure arms the state to stifle dissent and violate human rights.
In separate lawsuits, the plaintiffs also asked the high court to void clauses of the law for being illegal.
Lawyers led by Howard M. Calleja submitted a printed copy of the petition they submitted electronically at the weekend. Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman filed the second pleading while law professors from Far Eastern University (FEU) led by Dean Melencio S. Sta. Maria filed the third.
A bloc of opposition congressmen also filed a separate lawsuit.
The FEU professors argued the Anti-Terrorism law’s definition of the crime is vague and “overly broad,” covering “traditionally recognized and protected forms of expression against government shortcomings and excesses.”
“In effect, the general manner by which the provision is couched puts constitutionally protected speeches and expressions under a criminal class, or at least, to a suspect class, to the detriment of these freedoms,” they said in a statement.
They also said the law allows warrantless arrests based on suspicion, which violates a person’s basic rights.
“With the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, the imminent and real danger of silencing the public and sending a chilling effect to detractors of the government has become real,” according to the lawsuit.
The law considers attacks that cause death or serious injury, extensive damage to property and manufacture, possession, acquisition, transport and supply of weapons or explosives as terrorist acts.
It also creates an anti-terror Council made up of Cabinet officials who can perform acts reserved for courts, such as ordering the arrest of suspected terrorists. It also allows the state to keep a suspect in jail without an arrest warrant for 14 days from three days now.
The law, which repeals the Human Security Act of 2007, also allows the Anti-Money Laundering Council to examine bank deposits that may be related to terrorism and freeze these accounts without a court order.
Meanwhile, Mr. Lagman said the country does not need another anti-terror law and the government should instead enforce the old law.
“In a democratic society, security must never be attained or maintained at the expense of human rights and civil liberties,” the congressman said. “Derogation of freedom is not the price for security and peace, but the precursor of people’s unrest and righteous resistance.”
The congressional bloc also argued the law violates freedom of speech and the right to privacy because it allows the state to monitor suspects and record communications with a court order.
The lawmakers said the law is replete with unconstitutional provisions and should be nullified as a whole.
Presidential Spokesman Harry L. Roque said the law that Mr. Duterte signed on Friday safeguards people’s rights.
“You don’t have to worry if you’re not a terrorist,” he told an online news briefing in Filipino on Monday. “There are enough safeguards in the law.”
A terrorist is someone who tries to harm or kill a person, destroys or damages public or private property, interferes with critical infrastructure, develops, owns, or transports weapons and explosives, and causes fires, floods and explosions, according to the law.
It also provides that protests, advocacy and similar exercises of civil and political rights that don’t seek to harm people are not terror acts. — with Gillian M. Cortez
METRO RAIL Transit System Line 3 (MRT-3) operations will be shut down for five days amid a coronavirus outbreak among staff members, the Transportation department said on Monday.
“The temporary shutdown will be undertaken to give way to the swab testing of all MRT-3 personnel, including those of its maintenance provider and subcontractors, to prevent further spread of the disease, and, most importantly, to protect the health and safety of both its personnel and commuters,” the agency said in a statement.
The rail system will be closed from July 7 to July 11, and will resume limited operations when enough workers test negative for the COVID-19 virus, it said.
The shutdown period may be shortened or extended depending on the pace and results of the tests.
Six station workers — four ticket sellers, a nurse and a train driver — have been infected with the virus as of July 5, the Transportation department said. It added that 166 depot workers have tested positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DoH) reported 2,099 new coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the total to 46,333.
The death toll rose to 1,303 after six more patients died, while recoveries increased by 243 to 12,185, it said in a bulletin. There are 32,845 active cases.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire traced the increase in cases to the verification process in laboratories.
She said they have identified emerging virus hotspots including the cities of Marikina, Muntinlupa, Makati and Quezon, which are all in Metro Manila.
Infections in the Visayas region have been decreasing, but a “clustering of cases” has been observed in 64 towns in Cebu province and 314 towns in Metro Manila, Ms. Vergeire said. — Arjay L. Balinbin and Vann Marlo M. Villegas
MORE THAN 18 million students are expected to start virtual classes next month as the Department of Education adopts blended and distance learning, the presidential palace said on Monday.
Of 18.2 million enrollees, 17.4 million were public school students, Presidential Spokesman Harry L. Roque said at an online news briefing.
Enrollment will end on July 15.
The new academic year starts on Aug. 24, but students must stay home in the absence of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus.
The Education department will enforce blended learning strategies so students can learn without going to school. Teachers will provide printed learning modules that can be delivered to students’ homes.
Students may also choose to answer electronic documents online.
Education officials earlier said less than half of the country’s 800,000 public school teachers had been trained for distance learning amid a coronavirus pandemic, leading senators to question the school system’s readiness to start online classes in August.
Some senators also criticized the agency for failing to map out areas where different learning methods would be used.
Education officials said they were still gathering data for the mapping through a poll that students and their parents answer during enrollment.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones earlier said face-to-face classes won’t start until a vaccine for the novel coronavirus that has sickened more than 44,000 and killed about 1,300 people in the Philippines is found.
She took her cue from President Rodrigo R. Duterte, who has said he wouldn’t allow classes to open without a vaccine given the risk of an outbreak in schools.
Mr. Duterte locked down the entire Luzon island in mid-March, suspending work, classes and public transportation to contain the pandemic. People should stay home except to buy food and other basic goods, he said.
He extended the quarantine for the island twice and thrice for the capital region. The lockdown in Metro Manila has since been eased, but mass gatherings across the nation remained banned.
The Philippines has four levels of lockdowns — enhanced, modified enhanced, general and modified general community quarantine.
Mr. Roque said parents should still send their children to school despite the pandemic. — Gillian M. Cortez
