The United Nations Philippines sent its sympathies to the bereaved families and friends of Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chair Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon who passed away on Saturday morning due to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) complications. “The human rights community in the Philippines suffered a terrible loss. Chito Gascon, chairperson of the Commission of Human Rights passed away. A remarkable human rights defender who played a fundamental role in the setting up of the UN Joint Program (UNJP) on Human Rights,” Gustavo Gonzalez, UN Resident Coordinator to the Philippines said. In a separate statement, the UN Philippines cited

Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chair Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon has passed away following his bout with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), his family announced Saturday. He was 57. “Sa dami mong Laban, sa Covid pa tayo na talo! Love you Kuya! RIP Chito Gascon (Of all the fights you’ve fought, it was Covid that defeated you! Love you Kuya. Rest in Peace Chito Gascon),” his brother Miguel said in a Facebook post. Gascon was appointed CHR chair in 2015. CHR spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia, in a statement, described Gascon’s leadership as inspirational and nurturing where he impressed

Metro Manila may see a decrease of as low as 1,000 in the average daily new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) by November 2021 if the region maintains the downward trend in its case count. “If we will look at the daily cases, we will be averaging about 1,100 cases by November 15 here in the National Capital Region (NCR). Kung magtutuloy-tuloy ‘yan at maipagpapatuloy ang pag-control nitong transmission ng sakit na ito, lahat nagho-hope that by Christmastime magkakaroon tayo ng mas maluwag na classification at restriction (If this continues and we further control the transmission of the virus,

Twelve local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental are being targeted in the three-day coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) rapid antigen testing (RAT) roll-out starting Saturday as part of the province’s expanded contact tracing and early detection measures. Initially, only the cities of La Carlota, Talisay, Himamaylan, Kabankalan, and Silay, along with municipalities of Pulupandan, Binalbagan, Toboso, San Enrique, and Don Salvador Benedicto were covered, but the towns of Pontevedra and Hinobaan requested to be included as well. These LGUs were selected based on the average Covid-19 attack rate in the past seven days. Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the provincial

The Department of Tourism (DOT) continues its vaccination drive in the country’s gastronomic epicenter helping the tourism workers under the A1 health priority group from Central Luzon achieve 100 percent inoculation rate. On Saturday, Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat returned to Pampanga to oversee the vaccination of some 518 tourism workers employed in accommodation establishments used as quarantine or isolation facilities in Central Luzon. This completes the DOT’s target of inoculating 3,109 tourism workers in A1 hotels across Pampanga, Tarlac, Clark, and Subic Bay Freeport Zones, Angeles City, and Olongapo City. Puyat was joined by National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF)

Following the grant of Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Covid-19 treatment drug Ronapreve, the Department of Health (DOH) clarified on Saturday that a positive recommendation from the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) and Living CPG (Clinical Practice Guidelines) is needed before the government begins procurement. In a news release on Saturday, the DOH said it has been reviewing the use of Ronapreve, together with experts who are continuously updating the Living CPG regarding its use in the clinical management of Covid-19 patients. The health technology assessment also has to be concluded before hospitals can place an order through the government.