The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday has enforced a 100-percent onsite work capacity in all of its offices in the National Capital Region (NCR) and other areas under Alert Level 1. In a statement, Commissioner Jaime Morente emphasized that strict health protocols will be observed including the wearing of face mask and physical distancing of all officials and employees. He said while fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed entry, those who are unvaccinated and partially vaccinated are still required to secure their slots from the bureau’s online appointment system. “As we transition to the new normal, the public can

The shift to Alert Level 1 in more parts of the country will generate an estimated PHP9.4 billion per week of economic activity in gross value-added terms, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said. During the Talk to the People of President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua presented the benefits of moving to the most relaxed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) alert level and the Economic Development Cluster’s proposed 10-point policy agenda. “Ang Alert Level 1 ay magdudulot ng benepisyo sa 62 percent ng ekonomiya at sa halos 20.3 milyon na manggagawa o 48 percent

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is now encouraging more on-site work and lessened work-from-home setup as the country now moves to the new normal. Speaking with President Rodrigo Duterte during the Talk to the People Monday evening, DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said urging employees to physically report in their workplaces will stimulate economic activities. “We will encourage more on-site presence. Before, we encouraged work-from-home. This time, it’s physical presence. This means many will go back to their offices, there will be resumption of many events that will stimulate spending. With the increased mobility, people are spending when they

The country’s manufacturing score in February has improved to 52.8, its highest since December 2018, the IHS Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) reported Tuesday. Last month’s manufacturing PMI was also better than the 50 index registered in January. IHS Markit economist Shreeya Patel said there were solid expansions in output and new orders that supported the growth of the local manufacturing sector. “While the relaxation of restrictions was no doubt the latest driver of growth, there were also tentative signs of improvements in material availability, as delivery times lengthened to the least marked extent for a year,” she said.

Nearly 2,000 rice farmers in Northern Samar have received cash aid from the central government under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund – Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA), the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported on Tuesday. The 1,955 rice farmers who received the cash aid on February 25 were from the towns of Bobon, Catarman, Mondragon, Pambujan, and San Roque in Northern Samar. Each of them received the PHP5,000 cash assistance, Rodel Macapañas, assistant chief of the DA’s regional planning, monitoring, and evaluation division said in a phone interview. Northern Samar is the last province to receive the grant under the

The continued recovery of the domestic economy makes executives of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) optimistic of a similar outcome for the bank. The bank’s net income grew by 41 percent year-on-year last year to PHP7.1 billion, driven by the 13-percent rise of both the revenues and loans and 26-percent increase in deposits. In a virtual briefing on Tuesday, RCBC senior vice president Ma. Christina Alvarez said 2021 is a good year for the bank because of strong growth in their core business and they are committed to continue with this performance. “The momentum is there. Really, the outlook is