The city government of Mandaue will extend the implementation of the policy requiring travelers to present reverse transcription – polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results before entry amid the rapid surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases. In a media interview on Friday, Mayor Jonas Cortes said an executive order (EO) will be issued to extend the effectivity of an earlier EO that requires swab test results from all visitors coming from the provinces of Bohol, Negros Oriental in Central Visayas, and Negros Occidental in Western Visayas. The policy requires all persons from these provinces who will visit the city
Local government units (LGUs) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) gathered here Friday to deliberate on the plans laid out by each LGU for its inclusion in the region’s priority Projects Program Activities (PPAs) for the fiscal year 2022. “I am optimistic that we can bridge our programs, projects, and activities that are genuinely responsive to the needs of our people,” BARMM Chief Minister Ahod “Murad” Ebrahim said in his speech for the first-ever Bangsamoro Governance Summit at the BARMM center. In pursuit of upholding moral governance, he said the transition period provides the Bangsamoro the opportunity
About 3,077 families living in communities near the Marikina River have been evacuated as its water level continued to rise due to the heavy monsoon rains, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Saturday. In a message to reporters, Mark Cashean Timbal, NDRRMC deputy spokesperson, said this is equivalent to 13,225 individuals seeking shelter in 28 evacuation centers in Marikina City. Timbal said the evacuees came from the city’s flood-prone and low-lying communities. As of 10 a.m. Saturday, the Marikina River’s water level has reached 16.4 meters, prompting authorities to raise Alert Level 2, which encourages
More than a year into the pandemic, the tourism industry makes do with all possible paths it could take to resume safe travels and hasten its recovery, and it will continue to do so until the administration’s last day in office, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat has assured. Romulo-Puyat said the situation has slightly improved compared to the first half of 2020 when all travels were virtually halted. “First of all, na-restart natin ang turismo. Nakapagbigay tayo sa Bayanihan 2, may PHP6 billion loans tayo na na-allot, which is four years to pay, zero interest, zero collateral at may two years
The Philippines 7,107 islands are now connected more than ever—with faster internet speeds, better mobile and broadband coverage, and free wireless fidelity (WiFi) networks in some of the most remote parts of the country. Less than a year before the end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has led the change in improving the country’s connectivity, with international data speed monitoring firm Ookla reporting a “continuous upward trend” in June 2021. According to Ookla, the country’s average download speeds for fixed broadband have reached 66.55 megabits per second (Mbps) in June 2021, a
The Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) has guaranteed the turnover of all completed permanent houses to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Marawi City starting this month. “As promised last month, we will be turning over or inaugurating completed projects starting this month with these housing units and another mosque,” TFBM chair, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, said during his visit to the city on Thursday. During his visit, del Rosario awarded 170 permanent shelters to the eight homeowners’ associations, composed of Maranao families, severely affected by the 2017 battle between government troops and the
