KAKAMMPI News

MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said it was on alert for new pathogens following an increase in influenza-like illnesses in the country. Patients with flu-like symptoms, such as high-grade fever, cough, cold, and sore throat, who visit DOH facilities are tested to identify the virus that caused their illness, Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag said. "And indeed we confirm that several cases are due to COVID-19 and the other numbers point to influenza A or influenza B," he said. "We are doing this on a regular basis because we are on a watch out for new pathogens." Tayag told ANC that there has been a significant increase in influenza-like cases since the start of the year. Some 190,000 influenza-like cases have been reported so far in the Philippines this year, he said. Tayag urged doctors to promptly report any unusual clustering of flu-like cases "so that we can investigate and make sure that we also notify authorities as may be neede...

The 17 Filipino seafarers who are among the hostages in the ship seized by Yemen's rebel group Houthi in the Red Sea are fine, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday. In a television interview, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said Houthi members have been consistent in indicating that they will not hurt the hostages. “The good news is that we do know that our seafarers are fine and that the Houthi rebels have been indicating consistently that they do not intend to harm them,” De Vega said in an ANC interview. While he cannot predict when the Pinoy hostages will be released, De Vega pointed out that there have been instances before that Filipino seafarers were taken in Yemen and all of them were eventually released. “The government is still doing what it can. We're on top of the situation…We'll get them out,” De Vega said. According to him, some of the Filipino seafarers were able to contact their families. De Vega said the Houthi rebels were...

The 14 Filipino seafarers on board the civilian vessel in the Black Sea that was hit by a Russian missile have safely returned to the Philippines, according to a 24 Oras Weekend report on Saturday. The vessel was reportedly docked at a Black Sea Port in Ukraine when the missile hit. According to the ship's captain Arnel Lopez, who sustained injuries from the incident, he saw the missile hit the vessel in real time. Second Officer Giovannie Perez added that he was traumatized and still had nightmares of the incident. The Department of Migrant Workers provided medical assessments for the Filipino seafarers to ensure their welfare following the incident. — Jiselle Casucian/DVM, GMA Integrated News

The 17 Filipino seafarers who are among the hostages in the ship seized by Yemen's rebel group Houthi in the Red Sea are fine, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday. In a television interview, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said Houthi members have been consistent in indicating that they will not hurt the hostages. “The good news is that we do know that our seafarers are fine and that the Houthi rebels have been indicating consistently that they do not intend to harm them,” De Vega said in an ANC interview. While he cannot predict when the Pinoy hostages will be released, De Vega pointed out that there have been instances before that Filipino seafarers were taken in Yemen and all of them were eventually released. “The government is still doing what it can. We're on top of the situation…We'll get them out,” De Vega said. According to him, some of the Filipino seafarers were able to contact their families. De Vega said the Houthi rebels were...

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday announced that two Filipinos convicted for drug trafficking offenses in China were executed. In a statement, the DFA said the two Filipinos were executed on November 24, 2023, as confirmed by the Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou. “We offer our most sincere condolences to their families and loved ones. We respect the wishes of their families for privacy, and as such are withholding the identities of the two Filipinos,” the Foreign Affairs Department said. “The Department likewise, deferred from immediately announcing this sad development pending receipt from the Chinese side of the formal notification of their execution,” it added. The DFA said the two executed Filipinos were arrested in 2013 after they were caught with 11 kilos of shabu hidden in a DVD player. They were convicted in 2016. DFA officials recently accompanied the relatives of the two convicted Filipinos who went to China for a "compassionate visit...

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday announced that the operations of the Philippine e-Visa system in China has been temporarily suspended until further notice. In an advisory, the DFA said that visa applicants in China are advised to contact the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate by visiting the directory at https://dfa.gov.ph/about/dfa-directory/our-foreign-service-posts-dfa in lodging their applications as well as for further inquiries. According to the DFA, no explanation has been given yet on why the operations have been suspended.—Anna Felicia Bajo/AOL, GMA Integrated News

The man who was stabbed to death during an attack near Eiffel Tower in central Paris was Filipino-German, the French Embassy said Monday. "Having learned of the victim's dual nationality, France sends its condolences to his family and loved ones, to the Filipino people and to the German people," it said in a statement. French Ambassador Marie Fontanel said the man was a tourist with German-Filipino nationality. "On behalf of the French government, I wish to address my deepest condolences to his family and relatives and to the Filipino and German people," Fontanel said in a separate statement. Reports said the attacker, who was immediately arrested, was a French citizen known to intelligence authorities. Police responding to the scene used a taser to neutralize the attacker. Two others were injured in the attack — a French and a British national. French authorities said the suspect was born in France in 1997 and previously sentenced to four years in pris...