The head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday assured that there is no shortage of medical-grade oxygen tanks in the country, saying the use and hoarding of unprescribed oxygen tanks may lead to injuries or death. In a virtual briefing, FDA Director-General Eric Domingo said there has been no shortage of oxygen tanks in any part of the country, with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reporting that less than 50 percent of the manufacturing capability of oxygen plants are in use. Medical-grade oxygen, he said, is classified as a drug under FDA Circular 2014-018 as

The state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Department of Agriculture (DA) to facilitate the disbursement of financial assistance to the agriculture sector. DBP president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Herbosa said under the agreement, the bank would provide the disbursement channels to implement the DA’s initiatives on direct cash or loan interest rate subsidy and other forms of assistance to qualified agro-fishery enterprises, agriculture cooperatives, farmers, fisherfolk, and other agricultural workers. “(The) DBP and DA will continue to work on an expanded alliance to promote the growth potential of agribusinesses

People aged 65 and above who intend to join next year’s national elections will be allowed to go out for the filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COC) in October, Malacañang said on Friday. In a press statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said senior citizens who want to run for a national office would be recognized as “Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APOR)” from Oct. 1 to 8. This developed after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) allowed Filipinos 65 years old and above to file their COC before the Commission on Elections (Comelec). “The

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will be needing an additional PHP7.5 billion for the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) displaced by coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has requested for the said amount to be used for the repatriation of OFWs for the month of September until December. “Our good Secretary Bello has requested for an additional of PHP7.5 billion which will be utilized for the remainder of the year,” he said in a virtual forum on Friday. The OWWA chief added that the PHP5.2 billion which was

Three police officers were confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) Delta variant, a ranking police official said on Thursday night. In a message, PNP deputy chief for administration and Administrative Support For Covid-19 Task Force (ASCOTF) commander, Lt. Gen. Joselito Vera Cruz said the three who tested positive for Covid-19 last July were immediately placed under a 14-day quarantine. “They were tested Covid-19 positive last July and had finished their 14-day isolation. However, the results of their genome sequencing were only released this August (so) they were directed to immediately undergo RT PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain

Fitch Solutions discounts any reduction in the key rates of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) until late 2022 to further support economic recovery, given that inflation remains elevated, but projects a cut in banks’ reserve requirement ratio (RRR) as an easing measure. In a report dated August 12, the country risk and industry research firm cited the decision of the BSP’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB) to keep key rates steady for the sixth consecutive rate-setting meeting on Thursday to help buoy the economy for as long as needed. “We at Fitch Solutions forecast the BSP to keep its policy