Day: January 5, 2021

At least 16 more police officers have recovered from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), pushing the tally of Covid-19 recoveries in the Philippine National Police (PNP) to 8,738 as of Monday night.

Based on the latest data from the PNP Administrative Support for Covid-19 Task …

The Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) has only shown its terroristic nature by announcing its deployment of partisan units also known as “liquidation squads” in the urban areas to go after people against its organization.

“They are only clearly out to terrorize …

Palapag town in Northern Samar has imposed a travel ban for returning residents starting Tuesday due to the rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the Eastern Visayas region.

In a resolution released Monday night by the local inter-agency task force addressing the Covid-19 …

Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc., the country’s leading chained full-service restaurant, has signed a franchising agreement to open its first store in Singapore following a seven-year deal with Brenrich Pte. Ltd.

“We are thrilled to restart our international franchise journey in Singapore, which is at …

– Bobby Ray Parks and Stanley Pringle are being touted as the top contenders for the Best Player of the Conference (BPC) for the recently concluded PBA Philippine Cup as voting began on Tuesday.

Parks, TNT’s current spark plug, finished the bubble conference as number …

Instead of implementing a total firecracker ban, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night said he would still allow local government-led fireworks in communities.

In a taped speech, Duterte said he wanted to “compromise” by allowing fireworks displays led by the government to help firecracker manufacturers …

A more contagious Covid-19 mutation first identified in the UK has now been found in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.

The identification raises to four the number of states that have found the variant among their populations. California, Colorado and Florida had all …

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night warned Congress against tinkering with the Presidential Security Group (PSG) personnel over their vaccination against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), saying it would not result in anything good.

Duterte said his close-in security detail decided to get inoculated with …

The crime incidents in this city decreased by 40.11 percent in 2020, figures released by the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) on Tuesday showed.

Over 12 months, a total of 1,105 incidents were recorded, lower by 740 compared to the 1,845 incidents reported during the …

The government remains on track with its target to roll out the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine in the country by the first or second quarter of the year, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said here on Tuesday.

In a press conference, Panelo assured …

Personnel of the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army gave away post-Christmas presents during separate activities in two villages of Negros Occidental.

On Monday, the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) and the 303rd Infantry Brigade (303rd IBde) released their respective reports on the …

Floods spawned by the tail-end of a frontal system left five persons dead while another went missing in Bicol, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in the region said Tuesday.

The five fatalities were identified as Juan Caballero, Efren Del Castillo, and Edwin Ceciliano, all …

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday announced the recent seizure of two containers containing used clothes locally known as ‘ukay-ukay’ worth over PHP7 million at the Port of Manila.

In a report, Port District Collector Michael Angelo Vargas said the shipment consigned to a …

Social Security System’s (SSS) contribution rate hike starting January 2021 will benefit its members since claims will be based on their contributions, SSS president and chief executive officer Aurora Ignacio said.

During the Laging Handa briefing aired over state-owned PTV-4 Tuesday, Ignacio said they are …

The Armed Forces of the Philippines welcomed the indictment of nine policemen involved in the shooting of four Army intelligence operatives in Jolo, Sulu in June last year.

“For us that is another welcome development sapagkat hinahangad po ng Armed Forces of the Philippines na …

In a statement, the DOH said the studies are led by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), following a “growing” evidence on the potential of saliva as a specimen for testing.

“Recently there has been growing evidence on …

An outpouring of help from various groups and organizations continues for Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental after a diarrhea outbreak hit Barangay Butuan on Sunday.

Mayor Jason John Joyce on Monday said a senior citizen died while 33 others were hospitalized due to the outbreak.…

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma on Monday led church and government officials in launching the 100-day countdown to the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines.

In a simple ceremony at Plaza Sugbo in front of the historical kiosk of the cross of Spanish navigator Ferdinand …

The House of Representatives is ready to review the Universal Health Care Act and its implementing rules and regulations, particularly the scheduled increase in Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) contribution rates this year.

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco made the statement on Tuesday after President Rodrigo …

The Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) Free Wi-Fi for All Program (FW4A) has rolled out a total of 4,305 live sites in 2020 alone, a 500-percent increase compared to the annual average for the past four years of the program.

In a statement …

President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed openness on the use of the saliva-based test for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) which recently garnered a 99 percent detection rate in the United States.

Citing the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), Duterte said the saliva-based test would be a good …

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to defer the scheduled increase in the contribution rates this year.

In a public address late Monday night, Duterte told PhilHealth CEO and President Dante Gierran to suspend the contribution hike to lessen …

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has already released PHP127.83 million assistance to workers in Eastern Visayas displaced by coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Receiving the PHP5,000 assistance for each recipient are the 20,092 private-sector employees not included in the first distribution of financial …

The country’s inflation rate soared to 3.5 percent in December 2020, bringing the full-year figure to 2.6 percent, as food prices rose amid the seasonal spike in demand due to the holiday season and possibly the spillover effects of typhoons, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) …

A lawyer who initiated a complaint against Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso when he was still the city’s vice mayor has been sanctioned by the Supreme Court (SC) for violating rules on notarial practice.

In a seven-page decision dated Dec. 7 and made public …

The cities of Marikina and Mandaluyong have allotted funds for the purchase of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines for their residents.

Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said the city has allocated PHP82.7 million for the procurement of the vaccines, which is included in the city’s PHP2.3 …

Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) director general Jeremiah Belgica said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the ability to accelerate the process of registration of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine once it is available here.

During the Laging Handa briefing Tuesday, Belgica said the streamlining …

The Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, or more popularly known as the U.P. Chapel at U.P. Diliman in Quezon City, has been repaired and repainted by DMCI Homes just in time for the New Year.

DMCI Homes worked on rehabilitating the 65-year-old national historical landmark …

Deserving students may now receive medical scholarships and render return service under a new law signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte signed Republic Act (RA) 11509, also known as the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act, on Dec. 23, 2020 to establish a Medical Scholarship and …

The rate of price increases in the country posted a further uptick to 3.5 percent in December 2020 but Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno said this remains transitory given the recent weather disturbances.

Last month’s inflation print is higher than the previous …

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) on Tuesday said it will continue to enforce the phase-out of wooden-hulled passenger ships traveling domestic routes despite reports of grounded passengers.

In a statement, MARINA said that following the expiration of Certificates of Public Convenience (CPC) of wooden-hulled ships …

Two Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel in Albay and a graduating police cadet are now in hot water after testing positive for shabu in a random drug test, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Debold Sinas said Tuesday.

In a statement, Sinas said he has …

The crowd-drawing activities of the city’s biggest annual patronal celebration, the feast of the Sto. Niño de Bula slated on Jan. 15, have been canceled due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Nicanora Vargas, chairperson of Barangay Bula here, said Tuesday they decided to …

– Maya and Her Loyal Friends, an original English-Waray illustrated storybook published by J. E. Mondejar Publishing House (JEMPH) here, now has a Tagalog version as it aims to produce more copies in other dialects in support of the Mother Tongue-Based Multi-Lingual Education (MTB-MLE) program …

Former Department of National Defense Secretary Norberto “Norbie” Gonzales saw nothing wrong with the vaccination against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) of some members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) but said it should have been kept secret.

“The only bad thing there is why …

The northeast monsoon affecting Northern and Central Luzon will bring light rains over most parts of the island on Tuesday, the weather bureau said.

In its 4 a.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Cagayan Valley, the Cordillera Administrative …

Aid workers of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) distributed on Tuesday relief goods to some 600 families displaced by armed hostilities in South Upi, Maguindanao.

Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, Interior and Local Government Minister in the BARMM, quickly dispatched a team of relief …

The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is reminding all local government units (LGUs) throughout the country to put up a Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS), a system that will make it easier for the public to transact with the government.

During the Laging Handa briefing Tuesday, ARTA …

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Tuesday announced that the Step 2 registration process for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) project will gradually begin in the selected provinces early this month.

In an advisory, the PSA said it will conduct a gradual and small-scale rollout …

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Tuesday said it is one with President Rodrigo Duterte in his effort to ease the burden on many Filipinos affected by the pandemic.

“In response to his directive, PhilHealth will still collect premiums from Direct Contributors using the …

The validation result for saliva-based Covid-19 testing might be out this or next week, National Task Force Against Covid-19 deputy chief implementer Vivencio Dizon said in a Palace briefing Tuesday.

Dizon, who is also the testing czar, said the validation for saliva-based Covid-19 testing started …

Thirteen people, including the province’s second top priority target of the anti-illegal drugs campaign, fell in simultaneous operations by units of Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office on Monday.

Col. Marvin Joe Saro, Nueva Ecija police director, said on Tuesday those arrested included four persons with …

he Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday lauded the passage of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Act or Republic Act (RA) No. 11510 institutionalizing parallel learning system in basic education for out-of-school children and adults in special cases.

In a statement, the DepEd said the …