With several projections on coronavirus cases made by the Department of Health (DOH), including a five-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) was quick to express its opposition to longer lockdowns. In a statement Friday, PCCI acting president Edgardo Lacson said extended ECQ may even aggravate the health and economic crisis. Lacson said lockdown is not the lone option to mitigate the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). “Covid-19 pandemic is a pharmaceutical problem while lockdown is a militaristic solution. Our economy is disfigured after many protracted lockdowns, yet the spread of Covid continues,”
In line with the government’s goal of achieving population protection by vaccinating at least 70 percent of Filipinos against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Aboitiz Power Corp. announced on Friday it is ramping up its vaccination program for employees, with over 1,300 team members from Luzon and Visayas having received at least one dose as of August 9. The program, dubbed “We Got Your Vacc,” is also aligned with the Aboitiz Group’s target of vaccinating more than 30,000 team members and subcontractors nationwide. AboitizPower alone targets to inoculate this year 5,000 team members who have signed up for the program. “We
Only 0.0035 percent, or seven out of 2,000 people who are partially and fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), have contracted the disease, the chief of the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday. In a Zoom presser, FDA Director-General Eric Domingo said a total of 735 persons out of the 20,863,544 who have been partially and fully vaccinated have so far been infected with Covid-19, while 61 deaths (0.0003 percent) have been recorded on its VigiFlow system as of August 1. “Napaka-liit na porsyento, especially considering na ngayon, for every 100,000 Filipinos, meron anim or
The Department of Health (DOH) has placed this city under coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) alert level four due to increased bed utilization rate at 80 percent even there are no confirmed Delta variant cases yet. In an interview on Friday, DOH Center for Health and Development Covid-19 focal person Dr. Rheuel Bobis said the local government unit (LGU) is advised to increase dedicated beds for Covid-19 cases and capacitate the temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMF). “The asymptomatic patients or mild cases will stay at the TTMF,” he said. Bobis said there are no reported Delta variant cases in the
More than six million Filipinos have registered for the Step 1 online registration of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys). The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that as of Aug. 8, a total of 6,012,508 have completed the Step 1 process for the Philippine Identification (PhilID) card. The online signup ensures the safety of registrants and PhilSys staff, especially with the Covid-19 threat still prevalent. The Step 2 biometrics registration is ongoing on a small scale basis as areas under enhanced community quarantine, like the National Capital Region, suspended face-to-face transactions. With a valid proof of identity, Filipinos could easily access
At least 50 farmers will benefit from the banana flour processing facility that the Department of Science and Technology in Region 10 (DOST-10) will help establish in Iligan City, Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said Friday. “The project will utilize agricultural by-products to create additional sources of income to members of Iligan Agri-Rainbow Producers Cooperative (IARPC) and other associated farmers,” he said in a taped report. Through technical training and provision of the technologies, DOST-X will enable the farmers to produce high-quality flour from a monthly average of 1-ton unutilized bananas, such as low class cardaba variety, he added. DOST-10
