Philippines morning news for April 20

Philippines morning news for April 20
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Philippines morning newsDOH conducts almost 53K individual Covid-19 tests
The Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday said it performed a total of 52,837 individual tests for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).According to the latest data from the DOH Covid-19 Tracker, 7,166 of these tests are positive cases and 45,626 are negative cases.
— Philippine News Agency

Coronavirus cases in PH climb to 6,259, with death toll at 409
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Philippines rose further to 6,259 on Sunday, April 19.
— Rappler

Drones tapped to help enforce lockdown
The government said on Saturday it would use smart technology, including the deployment of drones, in enforcing the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to stop the COVID-19 outbreak.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

No cure yet for COVID-19, FDA stresses
There is still no locally developed cure for the new coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Saturday, warning the public against such claims that had been gaining traction on social media.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

500 families homeless in Tondo fire
Some 500 families were left homeless in a fire that hit a slum area in Tondo, Manila yesterday.
— Philstar

‘Face mask demand to hit 1.2 billion/month’
Demand for face masks in the country is seen to reach 1.2 billion pieces per month, doubled an earlier estimate, as wearing masks in public becomes the new norm to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, the Department of Trade and Industry said.
— Philstar

Liquor makers urge end to ban or ‘industry can’t survive’
Saying their industry’s survival is at stake, local liquor companies are asking the government to lift or ease the restrictions on alcoholic beverages that were imposed in connection with the Luzon lockdown and allow quarantined Filipinos the small mercy of a little drink.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

LGUs urged to provide tax relief to power firms
The Department of Energy is urging local government units to give energy companies a grace period for paying taxes and other fees amid the extended enhanced community quarantine.
— Philstar

‘Natural reaction’ for AFP to prepare for possible martial law-like lockdown
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it is only natural for the military to prepare for a possible “martial law-like lockdown” after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to enforce it.
— Rappler

Sweeper flight takes 143 foreign tourists in Mindanao to Manila
A sweeper flight of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) carried 143 foreigners stranded in Mindanao from Laguindingan Airport to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila Saturday, April 18.
— Rappler

3 kids drown in Isabela river
Three children drowned in a river in Isabela on Friday.
— Philstar

IATF-EID to discuss possible extension, lifting of Luzon ECQ
With less than two weeks remaining on the extended enhanced community quarantine being implemented all over Luzon, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is set to start another round of discussions this week on whether to recommend extending or lifting it, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año said on Sunday.
— Philippine News Agency

Cabanatuan imposes longer curfew, stricter use of Q-pass
The city government here will enforce longer curfew hours and stricter use of home quarantine passes (HQP) starting on Monday, 10 days before the lapse of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid- 19).
— Philippine News Agency

Negros Occidental eases restrictions on enhanced community quarantine
The provincial government of Negros Occidental has eased some restrictions it imposed in the ongoing enhanced community quarantine to stem coronavirus cases in the province.
— Rappler

With GCTA suspended, low-risk convicts stranded in BJMP facilities
Low-risk convicts are stranded in detention facilities as Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) remains suspended at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
— Rappler

PNP intensifies ops vs. non-essential travels
As part of stricter implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the police commanders in the provinces have been directed to check on all private vehicles for possible violations of home quarantine amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
— Philippine News Agency

PRRD to talk with health experts before deciding on ECQ: Go
President Rodrigo Duterte will talk with health experts before deciding whether to extend or modify the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed over the whole of Luzon to curb the transmission of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
— Philippine News Agency

DILG to LGUs: No more window hours in markets, groceries, pharmacies
After weeks of long lines outside markets and pharmacies due to physical distancing measures in light of the coronavirus pandemic , the interior department ordered local government units (LGUs) to stop setting window hours for people to buy food and medicine.
— Rappler

Production of 16,000 UP-developed COVID-19 test kits a day eyed by May
The manufacturer of the COVID-19 test kit developed by the University of the Philippines and the Philippine Genome Center aims to produce 16,000 of the kits per day by May to bolster the country s testing capacity, the company s chief said Sunday.
— GMA Network

Stricter measures in COVID-19 waste handling eyed
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is pushing for stricter measures in the collection and management of solid waste from quarantine and health-care facilities nationwide, amid the continuous spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Government revenues fell in first quarter
Revenues collections of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs fell P10.17 billion in the first quarter to P600.86 billion from a year ago, pulled down by the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, according to the Finance Department.
— Manilastandard.net

Halal donations start for Muslim medical front-liners
Since late February, Mary Johnston Hospital in Tondo, Manila, has been the new home for Dr. Princess Hannifa Sabdullah, who has spent nearly all her waking hours on the front lines battling the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Inequality to worsen in 3-mo ECQ–study
THE full weight of poverty would be felt, and felt hard, by millions of Filipinos if the lockdown in Luzon and Metro Manila would remain in place for three months, a policy brief released by the De La Salle University Angelo King Institute (AKI) revealed.
— Business Mirror

Number of Filipinos abroad with coronavirus now at 984
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Sunday, April 19, reported 116 new coronavirus cases involving Filipinos abroad, bringing the total number to 984.
— Rappler

PHL not top choice for Japan firms moving from China
THE Philippines is unlikely to be the top choice of Japanese manufacturing companies that are planning to shift production out of China, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Inc. (JCCIPI) said.
— BusinessWorld

More Filipinos saved money in Q1
More Filipinos are saving up their money to prepare for emergencies particularly health and hospitalization, according to a survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
— Philstar

Nascent data protection moves leave firms at risk, says Straits Interactive
VARIOUS companies in the Philippines are still in the infancy stage of implementing their data protection and data privacy obligations, placing them at a high risk for data breaches, Singapore-based technology company Straits Interactive Pte. Ltd. said.
— BusinessWorld

Most Filipinos altruistic, Church survey reveals
Even if faced with dwindling supplies and government aid, most Filipinos, who were affected by the monthlong enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon, still continue to think of the welfare of others.
— Business Mirror

Palace: Rights to be respected amid stricter measures vs. COVID-19
Malacañang on Sunday assured the people that the Duterte administration respects human rights as it implements measures against the further spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country.
— GMA Network

More troops to be deployed in areas most hit by coronavirus
The government is set to deploy more troops to areas in Metro Manila and other localities that are most affected by the coronavirus pandemic .
— Rappler

DILG to governors: Use P6.2-B cash aid with dispatch, transparency
The Department of the Interior and Local Government on Sunday urged the country’s 81 provincial units to use the P6.197 billion Bayanihan Grant to Provinces for the COVID-19 crisis with “dispatch, transparency, and accountability.”
— GMA Network

PH honorary consul general in Stockholm Erik Belfrage dies of coronavirus
Erik Belfrage, the Philippines’ honorary consul general in Stockholm, Sweden, succumbed to the coronavirus disease.
— Rappler

Processing of applications for SBWS until April 30
Eligible employers in small businesses have until April 30, 2020 to process the application of their affected workers for the emergency cash assistance under the Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) program of the national government, according to Social Security System (SSS_- Iloilo Acting Senior Communications Analyst Amiel Genova.
— Philippine Information Agency

Aid for workers seen to resume after fund replenishment calls
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Sunday said it is possible to resume with its cash assistance to formal sector workers with fresh moves in Congress calling for the augmentation of funds for DOLE’s emergency subsidy program.
— Philippine News Agency

MILO to provide online sports clinics for free
Kids and adults hoping to learn the fundamentals of basketball, volleyball, taekwondo, and gymnastics can do so at home with MILO Philippines providing free online sports clinics.
— Rappler

COA flags irregularities in Leyte town’s hiring of job order employees
The Commission on Audit (COA) reported several red flags in the hiring of job order employees by the local government of Hilongos in Leyte in 2019.
— Rappler

CHR says it has received over 200 complaints related to ECQ
The Commission on Human Rights has received more than 200 complaints related to the enhanced community quarantine since the precautionary lockdown against COVID-19 was implemented, the CHR said Sunday.
— GMA Network

SSS website down as online traffic surges over wage subsidy program
The Social Security System (SSS) on Sunday apologized for the downtime of its website, due to the surge in online traffic following the launch of the Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) program.
— GMA Network

DILG: Prepare for the ‘new normal’
Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año yesterday asked the public to prepare for the “new normal” in which wearing of face masks, social distancing, and prohibition of mass gatherings will be mandatory.
— Tempo

Sotto wants names of COVID-19 cash grant beneficiaries published
Senate President Vicente Sotto III is calling for the publication of the names of individuals who have benefited from the emergency cash subsidies distributed by the government under its social amelioration program (SAP), for the sake of transparency.
— GMA Network

Truce extension with NPA depends on inputs from armed conflict TF –Palace
The extension of the nationwide unilateral ceasefire of the government with communist rebels amid the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 will depend on President Rodrigo’s discussion with the National Task Force on Ending Local Armed Conflict.
— GMA Network

Westmincom: More Abu Sayyaf attacks expected after bloody Sulu clash
The police and military are bracing for more attacks by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu province in retaliation for casualties in past encounters with the military.
— Philstar

AFP: No extension of ceasefire with Reds
There will be no extension of the ceasefire with New People’s Army rebels, Central Command chief Lt. Gen. Roberto Ancan said yesterday.
— Philstar

Soldiers killed in Sulu clash hailed as heroes
The national flag was flown at half-staff at military camps across the country on Saturday, April 18, as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) mourned 11 Army soldiers killed in a battle with the Abu Sayyaf terror group in Sulu on Friday, April 17.
— Rappler

LGUs will now lead fight vs coronavirus – IATF
Local government units (LGUs) – enabled by the national government – will now lead the fight against the coronavirus pandemic , Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said on Saturday, April 18.
— Rappler

Globe invests $4 million for cloud business
Globe Telecom Inc. is acquiring the assets of US-based cloud consulting companies for $4 million or about P200 million as it seeks to expand the services it offers to its enterprise clients.
— Philstar

University of Makati students top Knowledge Channel’s mini docu competition
Documentary films of students from the University of Makati (UMak) nabbed the top spots of the 2019 Class Project, dominating the intercollegiate mini-documentary competition.
— Rappler

2 nabbed for selling overpriced medical supplies in Pampanga
Two persons were arrested in Barangay Dolores in San Fernando City, Pampanga on Friday for selling overpriced medical supplies.
— Philstar

Malacañang thanks outgoing NEDA chief Pernia for ‘valuable contribution’ to economy
Malacañang on Saturday, April 18, thanked outgoing Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia for “his valuable contribution to the Philippine economy.”
— Rappler

 

 

Feature photo Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines
This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo focuses on World Intellectual Property Day, April 26.

 

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

 

 

About Philippines morning news.

Philippines morning news roundup is the most comprehensive hand-curated selection of Philippines English language news headlines published. Each weekday we scour hundreds of local and international news sites and websites to find the most recent Philippines English language news today.

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Stella-maris Ewudolu

Journalist at AEC News Today

Stella-maris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Education from Ebonyi State University, Nigeria in 2005.

Between November 2010 and February 2012 she was a staff writer at Daylight Online, Nigeria writing on health, fashion, and relationships. From 2010 – 2017 she worked as a freelance screen writer for ‘Nollywood’, Nigeria.

She joined AEC News Today in December 2016.

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