Tag: Nationwide Round-Up

NEARLY 600 overseas Filipinos from Japan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia arrived at the weekend, bringing the total number of repatriations since February to 68,440 as the coronavirus pandemic displaces workers and affects global travel.

HEALTH WORKERS who are at the frontlines of the coronavirus fight may not get cash benefits if they fall critically ill or die from the disease without the passage of the proposed Bayanihan 2 law.

THE PHILIPPINE capital does not need to revert to stringent lockdown measures and can just enforce localized quarantine in specific areas to contain the spread of the coronavirus, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday.

SENATORS ON Monday pushed for measures that will create and preserve jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic that has so far left 7.3 million Filipinos unemployed.

THE OVERSEAS Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Wednesday asked the Senate for a P5 billion supplemental budget, citing that it is facing the risk of bankruptcy by the end of 2021.

THE SENATE committee on labor, employment and human resource development will push for a labor audit as 7.3 million Filipino workers have so far been displaced by the economic downturn due to the coronavirus crisis.

THE PRESIDENTIAL Palace on Monday said the executive department is collaborating with legislators for the passage of a law that will extend the President’s emergency powers for response measures on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

HEALTH SECRETARY Francisco T. Duque should take a leave of absence while the Ombudsman is conducting an investigation on alleged irregularities in the Department of Health’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a senator said on Thursday.

THE OFFICE of the Ombudsman has formed two teams to investigate alleged anomalies committed by health officials, including Secretary Francisco T. Duque III, in the government’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

THE Department of Justice will submit to the Office of the President on Wednesday its comment on the anti-terrorism bill, which will become law with President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s signature.

MULTISYS Technologies Corp. needs at least half of the Philippines’ 109 million population to register to StaySafe.ph for the platform be fully effective as a health outbreak mitigation system, company Chief Executive Officer David Almirol Jr. said.

THE GOVERNMENT may tap labor groups to augment its manpower for assisting returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said on Sunday.

THE HOUSE committee on agriculture and food will look into the poultry industry’s grievance over the government’s refusal to temporarily stop imports amid oversupply in the market.

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) plans to extend the period of its emergency employment program for informal sector workers who lost their livelihood due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

AN OPPOSITION lawmaker has asked House Speaker Alan Peter S. Cayetano to postpone the transmittal of the anti-terrorism bill to the President’s office, citing representatives who expressed intent to change or clarify their vote on the proposed law that has been widely criticized as a threat to civil liberties.

THE Department of Health said 25 families have received the P1 million cash benefit granted to health care workers who died due to coronavirus infection in the line of duty.

Duterte may still revise Congress-approved anti-terrorism bill PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte will first review the Congress-approved bill that will expand the coverage of the current...

THE proposed Bayanihan II law, which provides for a P140 billion standby fund for the coronavirus response and recovery program, was approved on second reading Wednesday at the Senate.

Over P14B spent so far on medical supplies; actual testing still under 9,000 daily THE government has so far spent over P14 billion in medical...

BUSINESS groups denounced the prevailing culture of impunity with reports of public officials violating quarantine protocols but not immediately held liable by law enforcers.

THE Department of Health (DoH) has instructed all accredited coronavirus laboratories to finish the testing of all pending samples by Thursday, following instruction from the Office of the President.

AT least 60% of Filipinos fear reporting back to work as they worry over the coronavirus threat, a poll by health maintenance organization PhilhealthCare, Inc. showed.

MORE than 11,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), among those who have been displaced by the coronavirus global pandemic, have already gone back to their home provinces as of May 25.

“WE all serve at the pleasure of the President.” This was the statement of Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque in a briefing on Monday when asked about the reported looming exit of Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III.

THE Food and Drug Administration warned the public against “misleading advertisements” on disinfectants that supposedly decrease the risk for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

DoH: Test kits enough, but not other supplies and logistics for labs THE Department of Health (DoH) said the country has sufficient testing kits for...

PALACE Spokesperson Harry L. Roque on Tuesday explained that an “expanded targeted testing” is a priority measure to curb coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmissions after receiving public backlash on his Monday statement that the government will not be conducting mass testing.

TRADE and Labor officials on Monday clarified the rules for employers on testing workers as more industries are allowed to resume operations following a two-month lockdown due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread.

THE liquor industry has been given the greenlight to resume operations under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) and the general community quarantine (GCQ) classifications, but the national alcohol ban remains in place with discretion given to local government units (LGUs).

AROUND a million Filipinos are seen to take part in the government’s plan to decongest the capital within the next six months.

HOUSE of Representatives Minority Leader Bienvenido M. Abante, Jr. filed House Bill 6701 on Wednesday seeking the abolition of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for its alleged “defiance” to Congress over the franchise of broadcast firm ABS-CBN Corp.

LOCKDOWN rules will only be eased after May 15 if the national government, along with local governments, will be able to expand testing capacity for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

UP TO 40,000 Filipino seafarers, including those who work on cruise ships, may not get rehired by their companies due to travel restrictions being imposed by the Philippine government in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

FOLLOWING uproar from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), President Rodrigo R. Duterte has ordered the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to make their higher premium contributions voluntary.

THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (DoLE) will soon be releasing a recovery plan that will include a three-month wage subsidy for workers in micro and small businesses affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

LAWMAKERS at the House of Representatives have appealed to the administration to reconsider the rule prohibiting senior citizens, or those 60 years old and above, from going outside their home even under the more relaxed quarantine policy that will take effect May 1 in parts of the country.

THE national government released on Tuesday the guidelines for the general community quarantine (GCQ), wherein more businesses will be allowed to reopen and public transportation can resume, taking effect May 1 in many areas across the country.

THE Commission on Audit (CoA) is temporarily relaxing rules on donations received by the government in support of its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response efforts.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte’s decision will be “conservative” on whether the Luzon-wide lockdown will be lifted, extended, or modified after April 30, according to his spokesperson.

THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) has approved the resolution of the Board of Pardons and Parole simplifying the application procedures for parole and executive clemency.

THE NEW school year will likely open in August instead of the usual June start, Education Secretary Leonor M. Briones said on Tuesday.

A LAWMAKER called for the resumption of operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) to boost government funds as it addresses the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) will be in charge of procuring coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapid test kits instead of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) due to transaction limitations, OCD Undersecretrary Ricardo B. Jalad said.

A GROUP of business organizations asked the Supreme Court and the Department of Justice to immediately assess the cases of inmates vulnerable to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for their possible early release.

THE government’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will establish a special unit for the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) displaced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic.