KAKAMMPI News

Jose Rodel Clapano - The Philippine Star The STAR / Michael Varcas, file MANILA, Philippines — Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. underscored yesterday that the national government is not delaying tripartite agreements for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines by local government units (LGUs) and the private sector, but rather observing due diligence to protect them. “We are not delaying,” said Galvez, also the National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF) chief implementer. “What we are doing is we are observing due diligence. We want to ensure that the money of the LGUs and the private sector are protected.” During his report to President Duterte last Tuesday, he said the NTF recognizes the big contribution of LGUs and the private sector in the national vaccination program against COVID-19, including their willingness to use their own funds to help the country secure vaccines. However, he cited how some of these procurement deals are multi-party agreements (MPAs) which involve private...

August 29, 2021 – The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) announced today the suspension of its PhilHealth Circular No. 2021-0013 on the Temporary Suspension of Payment of Claims to address issues arising from the said issuance. However, PhilHealth assures the public that its anti-fraud program is still in full force to protect the National Health Insurance Fund. For more information on this development, please send a text message to 09216300009 and receive a callback from PhilHealth’s Action Center. Suggestions, comments, and feedback may also be sent to actioncenter@philhealth.gov.ph. ###

By JOVILAND RITA, GMA News Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Tuesday said more Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLOs) will be opened in different countries before the end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term in 2022. In a meeting with Duterte on Monday night that was aired Tuesday, Bello identified at least six areas where the new POLOS will be established. “Bago po matapos ang inyong termino, Mr. President, inaasahan ko po na mabuksan pa ng karagdagang POLOs sa Thailand, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Russia, and Mexico,” he said. (Before your term ends, Mr. President, I expect that additional POLOs will be opened in Thailand, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Russia, and Mexico) Bello said that the recently opened POLOs under Duterte’s administration were in Germany, New Zealand, Osaka in Japan, Los Angeles in the US, Morocco, and Czech Republic. Reporting some of the Labor Department's accomplishments, Bello said they continue to give protection to overseas Filipino worker...

Starting 1 Sept 2021, Singapore will find jobs for any worker in the construction, marine or process industries whose work permit was prematurely terminated by his employer. The SIngapore Contractors Association (which also holds an employment agency licence) has been tasked with the responsibility to find new jobs for these workers within 30 days, though if no match is found, the worker will still be repatriated. This is an improvement over the present system where premature termination makes repatriation mandatory. For workers whose work permits are reaching expiry but whose employers do not wish to renew them,they already have a 20-day period to look for change of employer. Unfortunately, we are very short on details, because the announcement consisted literally of just one sentence! We are still trying to find out more, and are particularly concerned about the conflict between the two schemes. We're also trying to find out how much the Contractors Association will cha...

As Taliban forces took control over Afghanistan, a Filipino private security contractor helped fellow overseas Filipino workers looking to leave the area. According to Raffy Tima and JP Soriano’s joint report on “24 Oras,” Elmer Presa shared that he went around despite his fear to rescue others. “Hindi ko po inexpect na pagbalik ko nung e-extraction ko sila ay napakadami ng Taliban doon. So nagpakilala po ako na may kukunin po akong tao,” Presa said. “So nagpakilala po ako na may kukunin po akong tao, sa salita po nila with combination of English, ang sabi lang po sa akin… okay, lakad ka lang, walang problema,” he added. In a video taken by Presa, lines of private security contractors could be seen leaving the compound with their bags. “Napakarami po ng mga Taliban na palakad-lakad and purposely ang layunin po ay ma export po kami, makalampas doon sa military airport,” he said. He said the situation got better at the airport. A few hours later they were then told to board a C17 ...

By JAMIL SANTOS, GMA News A second repatriation flight is now being prepared by the government for OFWs stranded in the now Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said Thursday. "OFWs that are still in Afghanistan are around 100 that needed to be repatriated. As far as I know, a second repatriation flight is already being organized," OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said at the Laging Handa briefing, citing Department of Foreign Affairs' data. "I think the 100 will take about three or four repatriation flights," he added. Cacdac said the OFWs will receive financial, livelihood, and scholarship assistance through the various DOLE programs, including the DOLE-AKAP and the Tabang OFW programs. A batch of 35 Filipinos who had been rescued from conflict-hit Afghanistan arrived in Manila on Tuesday, according to the DFA. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan on Sunday as the Islamist militant Taliban fighters enter...

By JOJO DASS DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A 32-year-old overseas Filipino worker and registered nurse, who opened his own healthcare consultancy firm in Abu Dhabi two years ago, was the youngest and only Filipino to be included in the top 100 list of healthcare professionals by an international award-giving body. Dan Lester Dabon, chief executive officer and founder of DLD Healthcare Consulting Service, was given the 2020-2021 Top 100 Healthcare Leaders Award by the International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare (IFAH) during ceremonies recently held at the MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas, USA. “I feel so honored because I had the opportunity to represent my advocacy on a global platform while carrying the badge of being a dignified millennial Filipino,” Dabon, who started out as a hospital nurse assistant in Abu Dhabi in 2012, told GMA News Online. “Looking back,” he said, “I still couldn’t believe it took me a decade to work on something I didn’t even dream of becoming one.” Most...

By JAMIL SANTOS, GMA News The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Thursday reported that a total of 654,546 overseas Filipino workers have already returned home amid the global threat of the Delta coronavirus variant. Interviewed at the Laging Handa briefing, OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said the general rule for returning OFWs is for them to stay in hotel quarantine facilities for 10 days. But OFWs who came from travel-restricted countries will still undergo a 14-day quarantine. Travel-restricted countries include the UAE, Oman, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Another exception is if an individual is fully vaccinated and they come from the 36 countries under the 'green list' of the IATF. They will be under quarantine for seven days, Cacdac said in Filipino. Those quarantined for 10 days will undergo swab test on the seventh day, and will be allowed to leave the isolation facility upon being tested negative on the 10th day...

By JAMIL SANTOS, GMA News A group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in northern Afghanistan on Tuesday appealed to the Philippine government for repatriation a week after the militant group Taliban took over the war-torn country. Interviewed on Unang Hirit, Alfonso Dorado, an OFW staying in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, said the United Nations had a contingency plan for their repatriation, but no exact date was given. "Sa ngayon okay naman po, pero hindi kami nakakalabas. Wala naman po kaming naririnig na mga krimen sa labas, mga insidente, wala naman po," Dorado said. (Our situation is okay so far, although we could not go out. We don't hear crimes of outside nor any other incidents) Dorado added that Mazar-i-Sharif has almost become a ghost town following the Taliban takeover, but locals said some stores are open and there is still supply of food. "Marami pang puwedeng mangyari at anytime. Humihingi po kami ng tulong na kung puwede ang ahensiya ng gobyerno, ...

ABS-CBN News Posted at Aug 13 2021 05:25 PM MANILA — State medical insurer PhilHealth on Friday acknowledged that it has yet to settle "billions" in pesos of hospital claims, which medical facilities say could finance the treatment of COVID-19 sufferers. The Philippine Hospital Association earlier said PhilHealth owed private and public medical facilities some P20 billion in COVID-19 claims. While the insurer has paid out some P106 billion since last year, some "delay" snags its processing of hospital claims, said PhilHealth Vice President for Corporate Affairs Dr. Shirley Domingo. "In a way, tama naman ang sinasabi... na there are billions [in pesos] that are payables," she said in a televised public briefing. "But we have to reconcile our data with them, which we are doing naman… at the national and regional level, kung magkano na ang payables ng PhilHealth sa mga individual hospitals." (In a way, it is correct that there are billion...

The country's COVID-19 hospital referral system said on Friday it could provide assistance to patients suffering from other illnesses. The One Hospital Command Center is open to calls from patients, their relatives, health facilities or local government, said its medical officer Dr. Marylaine Padlan. "Basta may pangangailangang medical, COVID man po ito or non-COVID, puwede pong tumawag dito sa One Hospital Command Center at tutulungan po namin sila," she said in a televised public briefing. (As long as there's a medical need, whether or not it's related to COVID, they can call the One Hospital Command Center and we will help them.) "Wala po kaming tinatanggihan po dito sa One Hospital Command Center," added the doctor. (We refuse no one here.) The center could be reached through hotline numbers 1555, 0915-777-7777, 0919-977-333, and 886-505-00, Padlan said.

TOKYO— A cargo ship ran aground and broke into two off northern Japan, the coastguard said Thursday, with the crew of the Panama-flagged vessel taken to safety. Aerial images showed the separated stern of the Crimson Polaris tipped upwards and the other part of the stricken boat listing into the sea. A fuel leak from the ship has spread around 24 kilometers, a coastguard spokesman told AFP, but the extent of any environmental impact was unclear. "Crimson Polaris ran aground in Hachinohe port in Aomori," said the spokesman, who declined to be named. "All the 21 crew members— Chinese and Filipino— were rescued safely," he said. Three patrol boats and three aircraft were dispatched after the ship ran aground on Wednesday in the port off Japan's northeastern coast. Authorities were trying to contain the oil leak but had not yet been able to erect an oil fence around the boat, the spokesman said. "The patrol boats will operate overnight" to avoid col...

By JOAHNA LEI CASILAO, GMA News The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has offered to welcome more Filipino nurses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Friday. “The Kingdom offered again to host more Filipino nurses where they are deeply appreciated; not deprecated and detained back home,” Locsin said in a tweet. Locsin made the remark after a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, where they discussed bilateral relations between the two countries. Likewise, the secretary said Saudi Arabia will give the nurses “a chance to earn a decent living and up their skill set [and] then get recruited by Western countries which is fine with The Kingdom.” “As usual, The Kingdom’s care and concern for Filipino overseas workers were first on the agenda and last when we said goodnight and goodbye,” he said in a separate tweet. This week, Saudi Arabia began compensating the families of health workers who died because of COVID-19, state medi...

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) bound for Hong Kong are running out of money as they wait for the government to address the issue regarding uniform vaccination cards. Vaccination cards being issued in the Philippines are not accepted in Hong Kong as they do not come from a single source. Because of that, OFW Azenith Abrio and others like her who are waiting for their flights to Hong Kong are facing the future with uncertainty. "We came here in Manila [on] April 19, there are more of us, more than 10. We stayed in one transient house where we always stayed until now, from April to August, hanggang sa kung kailan kami makakaalis... we're running out of money, wala na kami pera, wala na kami pagkain," she said in a 24 Oras report on Wednesday. Malacañang was saddened by this development, but said the government is addressing the issue. "We are finding ways and means now para magkaroon tayo ng basehan na kilalanin yung ating vaccination cards [to find basis so that...

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has disclosed that the vaccination cards being issued in the Philippines are not accepted in Hong Kong. Locsin said the vaccination cards would not be honored because they are not connected to a single source. "Our vaccination cards are not accepted in Hong Kong because they are not connected to a single source. Poor OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) going to their jobs in Hong Kong even if jabbed," Locsin said in a tweet on Tuesday. Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje earlier said the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Bureau of Quarantine have been working to generate a digitized vaccination card. She said this could possibly be rolled out by the end of August or in September. The Philippine government had coordinated with the World Health Organization (WHO) to seek guidelines on the international verification system for COVID-19 vaccinations. The guidelines are necessary for the deployme...

By JOAHNA LEI CASILAO, GMA News Over 640,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been repatriated to the Philippines amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Tuesday. According to the agency, a total of 641,717 have finished the required quarantine protocols while 9,000 are still undergoing quarantine. “Pinaiksi ang quarantine period para sa ating OFWs upang bigyan sila ng pagkakataon na makasama ng mas matagal ang kanilang pamilya,” Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement. (The shortened quarantine period for our OFWs gives them the chance to be with their families longer.) In May, the Inter-Agency Task Force n Emerging Infectious Diseases approved the Department of Health’s proposal to have incoming travelers tested for COVID-19 seven days from their arrival in the country. Travelers will be endorsed to their respective local governments after the 10th day to complete the mandato...

A Filipino nurse was physically assaulted in New York in the United States while distributing free face masks to subway commuters, according to a report on Unang Balita on Friday. The nurse, Potri Ranka Manis, sustained bruises on her face and body after she was assaulted by a couple who refused the face masks she was giving them. Aside from assaulting her, the couple also allegedly took her cellphone and shouted racial slurs at her, telling her to go back to China. The New York Police Department is already looking for the suspects. —KBK, GMA News

Shay Cullen The live streaming of child sexual abuse and the proliferation of child abuse materials and images that leads to the sexual abuse and rape of children has greatly expanded during the pandemic. Although the arrivals of international child sex tourists has fallen in the Philippines, there are still resident foreign paedophiles abusing children.The famous Internet Watch Foundation, the leading charity tracing paedophiles online and monitoring and closing down child abusing web sites, has reported that there were 8.8 million attempts by child sex abusers in the UK to access these sites during lock down since 2020 and this year. The paedophiles are using their Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to access abusive videos and sexual abuse images of children online, to share them and order sex acts online where children are abused to order. This is shocking and astonishing and this 8.8 million figure is from the UK alone. The traffic of child sexual abuse material through the I...

Fr. Shay Cullen 6 August 2021 The recruitment and sale of humans is an age-old crime against the rights, freedom and dignity of everyone exploited and forced to work for little or no wages and controlled and trapped by their traffickers and slave-masters.Young women and boys are especially targeted and offered fake jobs and given empty promises to get them to sign documents that put them in debt and under the control of their recruiters. Worse, when trafficked to work in the Philippines or abroad, they are forced to work in brothels, as domestics, in factories and are living mostly in sub-human conditions and are underpaid. Many are brought to brothels and sex parlors, sexually abused and trapped in sex work from which few escape. The “Not for Sale Fund,” an international charity says, “Today, there are approximately 45.8 million people caught in the trap of modern slavery around the world. This includes 10 million children, 15.4 million people in forced marriage, and 4.8 million ...

Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star ) - July 28, 2021 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — The Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP) is studying whether people administered with Sinovac vaccine should be given booster shots to strengthen their protection against COVID, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said yesterday. At a public briefing, Duque said the VEP has not recommended booster shots for those who have completed their inoculation. But he said should the VEP recommend giving them a third dose, those who are immunocompromised will be prioritized. “If ever we consider that, just like in other countries, the immunocompromised will likely be prioritized. But for the general population, there is no recommendation that booster shots are needed,” he said. Duque issued the statement in reaction to a study that the antibodies generated by Sinovac vaccine fade after about six months. The study showed that administering a booster dose may help maintain the vaccine’s efficacy. Earlier, the DOH...

(Philstar.com) - August 2, 2021 - 1:45pm MANILA, Philippines — The National Capital Region will be under an 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew when the Enhanced Community Quarantine starts on August 6, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Benhur Abalos said Monday. Abalos, in a virtual briefing at the Palace, said Metro Manila mayors voted unanimously on this. He also clarified that approval from the the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is not necessary since this kind of regulation is within the power of mayors." Abalos also explained that enforcement of a liquor ban will be up to the discretion of each mayor. “When it comes to liquor ban, we are giving the discretion to each [local government unit]. So far, there are LGUs saying they will not implement liquor ban,” he said, adding that they are collating information on this. Metro Manila will be under a two-week ECQ from August 6 to 20 as the government curbs the spread of the ...

Xave Gregorio (Philstar.com) - July 10, 2021 - 3:26pm MANILA, Philippines — A year after a House committee rejected ABS-CBN’s application for a fresh franchise and under a year before the elections, workers are calling on the public to vote out the 70 lawmakers who voted to kill the network’s application. “Next year, eleksyon, tingin ko ay may paniningil ang manggagawa sa gobyernong ito. (Next year it’s the elections, I think the workers will make this government pay),” Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino president Leody de Guzman said Friday during an online forum hosted by the ABS-CBN chapter of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. Related Stories List of lawmakers who voted for and against ABS-CBN franchise renewal Christian Lloyd Magsoy, Defend Jobs Philippines spokesperson, echoed this, urging the public not to forget the lawmakers who voted to reject ABS-CBN’s franchise application. “Maari tayong maningil sa kanilang ginawa dito sa mga kababayan natin, mga kap...

Published July 27, 2021 2:29pm Budget carrier Cebu Pacific on Tuesday announced it will hold a special commercial flight to repatriate Filipino workers in Dubai on July 30. In a statement, Cebu Pacific advised interested workers to book their tickets on the website, subject to seat availability while individuals whose flights were canceled may rebook at https://bit.ly/CEBmanageflight. Cebu Pacific said interested individuals must present negative RT-PCR test results that were taken within 48 hours prior to departure. Meanwhile, passengers must always wear face masks and face shields, except during meals, while onboard the flight amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon landing, passengers must undergo a mandatory 14-day facility-based quarantine. Due to this, Cebu Pacific advised passengers to pre-book quarantine hotels for 15 days or 14 nights. “The cost of quarantine hotels for OFWs will be paid for by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA); while returning overseas Filip...

By BEA MICALLER, GMA News Silver medalist Nesthy Petecio of the Philippines reacts with her medal. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino A gallant Nesthy Petecio fell short as she settled for a silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after bowing to hometown bet Sena Irie of Japan in the final round of the women's featherweight division Tuesday at the Kokugikan Arena. The 29-year-old pug struggled to connect in the first round as Irie, who is nine years younger than the FIlipina fighter, utilized an effective clinch game to slow Petecio's offense. The Japanese boxer got the nod of all five judges, 10-9. But Petecio battled back in the second round as she broke free to landed some strong punches to secure a 4-1 scorecard and brought the bout to a decision in the last round. In the crucial third round, Irie was able continued to be effective in grabbing and holding Petecio, though the Filipina was able to launch some power shots. All five judges saw the round in favor of the Japanese fi...

By TED CORDERO, GMA News Remittances from overseas Filipinos (OFs) saw a double-digit growth in May as the global economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed Tuesday. Central bank data showed cash remittances—money transfers coursed through banks—rose by 13.1% to $2.382 billion from $2.106 billion in the same month in 2020. “This was due to the 16.2% and 2.7% increase in receipts from land-based workers (to $1.84 billion from $1.631 billion) and sea-based workers (to $488 million from $475 million), respectively,” the BSP said. Year-to-date, cash remittances grew 6.3% to $12.28 billion from $11.554 billion year-on-year. “The growth in cash remittances from the United States, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, and Canada contributed largely to the increase in remittances in January to May 2021,” the central bank said. The United States accounted for the lion’s share of overall remittances with 40.1%, follow...

By CONSUELO MARQUEZ, GMA News The monthly deployment of Filipino seafarers has reached almost 40,000, which is close to pre-pandemic numbers, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Bernard Olalia said Wednesday. In a Department of Labor and Employment online briefing, Olalia said the continuous deployment was made possible by the interventions of national government, including vaccination efforts and the crafting of guidelines. "Nari-reach ang 40,000 level na monthly deployment ng seafarers. Kung susumahin natin ang nakaraang deployment noong pre-pandemic nasa halos ng 50,000 monthly deployment ng seafarers," said Olalia. [We are already reaching 40,000 level of monthly deployment of seafarers. Before the pandemic, there was an almost 50,000 monthly deployment of seafarers.] Last month, the government allocated thousands of vaccine doses to seafarers and overseas Filipino workers to fast-track their deployment. They were also given vaccines...

Several Filipino fishermen have been stranded at sea for at least three months, housed in Chinese vessels that have reportedly continued to move farther away from areas that could be reached by cellular signals. The fishermen took to social media to appeal for assistance from the Philippine government after operations of the Chinese fishing vessel ended in May. The fishermen say their salaries have not reached their families, and their agency has not been coordinating for them to return home. “Tapos na po ang kontrata namin, tapos nilalayo nila kami sa signal, nilalayo nila kami para hindi maka-contact o makahingi ng tulong,” Nante Maglangit, one of the stranded fishermen, said in a report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday. (Our contract already ended, and they are distancing us from signals to prevent us from communicating or asking for help.) The fishermen also lamented that they have been left hungry, as food supplies lasted only until April. “Lugaw na lang po at saka ‘yung...

By LUCKY MAE F. QUILAO "More than 900 Filipino donors and a few other nationalities comprise the FBDM," shared Tessie Acuña, 65, co-founder and official representative of the organization. "The FBDM was founded on June 2, 2014, and our collaboration with the Policlinico di Milano started right after this date," she said. Likewise, she said, "My husband is a cancer survivor and is still alive after having been in coma, two stem cell transplants, and continuous chemo and immunotherapy from September 2010 until the present.” Recently, the FBDM responded to an urgent need for 30 bags of blood for a liver transplant in Policlinico di Milano, according to Acuña. It has also donated blood to all the patients – regardless of nationality – in need of blood transfusion in Policlinico di Milano, Monzino Heart Center, European Institute of Oncology (IEO), and Gaetano Pini Orthopedic Institute, among seven others in the Lombardy region. Donors, on the other hand, wou...

Published July 29, 2021 2:46pm The Philippines has begun to deploy home-based caregivers to Israel following a labor agreement signed by the two countries in 2018. Forty-eight caregivers left for Israel on Tuesday, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Thursday. They are part of the first batch of 377 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were supposed to be deployed last year, but there was a delay in the processing of their documents and their flights because of the COVID-19 restrictions, according to Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Bernard Olalia. “We are now processing the documents of the qualified applicants for the second round of recruitment, and this time, we are looking at more than 1,000 OFWs who will undergo the usual process of selection, hiring and matching with their respective employers in Israel,” Olalia said. Aside from caregivers, household service workers, and nurses, Israel has a high demand for various jobs in the sector...

Published August 3, 2021 10:31am For the first time since joining the Games in 1924, the Philippines is taking home four medals in a single appearance. This as Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam defeated Olympic and world champion Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals of the men's flyweight division of the boxing event of Tokyo Olympics Tuesday at the Kokugikan Arena. The victory assured Paalam a semifinals berth and at least a bronze medal. Zoirov is a gold medalist in the flyweight division in both the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2019 AIBA World Championships. But the Filipino proved up to the task as he defeated the boxing champion in two rounds, after the fight was stopped early due to a clash of heads. They fight went to do the judges scorecards, where Paalam won 4-0-1 to claim the victory. Paalam will next face home bet Ryomei Tanaka of Japan. With his win, this year's contingent has already eclipsed the Philippine team's performance during the 1932 Lo...

Agence France-Presse Posted at Aug 02 2021 06:36 PM Hong Kong civil servants, teachers and healthcare workers must get vaccinated against the coronavirus or pay for regular testing, the city's leader announced Monday, as her administration adopted a push into mandatory inoculations. The finance hub is one of the few places in the world to have secured ample supplies of the coronavirus vaccine, but public take up has been lackluster. After six months, only 36 percent of the city's 7.5 million residents are fully vaccinated with two jabs while 48 percent have received one dose. But infections have remained low as Hong Kong has been all but closed to non-residents for most of the last 18 months and all arrivals must undergo lengthy quarantine in designated hotels. On Monday, chief executive Carrie Lam announced a new push to raise the city's vaccination rate by making jabs compulsory for four sectors: civil servants, healthcare workers, care home staff and school teache...

ABS-CBN News Posted at Aug 03 2021 01:34 AM MANILA - The number of Filipinos abroad who have contracted COVID-19 rose to 21,641 as 503 new cases were recorded from the previous week, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday. The DFA also reported 71 new recoveries and 56 new fatalities. Those currently being treated abroad for the disease is at 7,789 as 12,531 of those infected have recovered, while 1,322 have died. There are currently 98 countries/territories with Filipinos stricken with COVID-19. Those undergoing treatment are broken down as follows by region: 1,860 in the Asia Pacific, 945 in Europe, 4,871 in the Middle East and Africa, and 113 in the Americas. In the Philippines, COVID-19 has so far sickened 1,605,762 people. The tally includes 28,093 deaths, 1,515,054 recoveries, and 62,615 active cases. The new coronavirus is believed to have first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. Variants of the virus have since emerged in the United Kingd...

Jing Xuan Teng, Agence France-Presse Posted at Aug 03 2021 01:13 PM BEIJING - Authorities in Wuhan on Tuesday said they would test its entire population for Covid-19 after the central Chinese city where the coronavirus emerged reported its first local infections in more than a year. The city of 11 million is "swiftly launching comprehensive nucleic acid testing of all residents", senior Wuhan official Li Tao said at a press conference on Tuesday. Authorities announced on Monday that seven locally transmitted infections had been found among migrant workers in the city, breaking a year-long streak without domestic cases after it squashed an initial outbreak with an unprecedented lockdown in early 2020. China has confined the residents of entire cities to their homes, cut domestic transport links and rolled out mass testing in recent days as it battles its largest coronavirus outbreak in months. China reported 61 domestic cases on Tuesday as an outbreak of the fast-spread...

ABS-CBN News Posted at Jul 30 2021 11:46 PM MANILA - The Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday announced it will be suspending operations of its consular offices and temporary off-site passport services (TOPS) in Metro Manila from August 6 to 20. The advisory came after the national government announced earlier Friday that the enhanced community quarantine will be again implemented in the National Capital Region during the said period. "Passport applicants affected by the temporary closure of DFA’s Consular Offices and TOPS facilities during this ECQ period will receive separate email advisories with regard to their new appointment schedule," the foreign office said. The DFA however said it will continue accepting applicants who already have confirmed appointments with its Passport and Apostille/Authentication Services office in ASEANA Business Park, Parañaque City from Aug. 6 to Aug. 20. "Applicants with appointments for Apostille/Authentication Services at Cons...

The Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) vows to pursue appropriate strategies and interventions ensuring every Filipino family will have the capacity to enhance their quality of living amid increasing population numbers and a surging pandemic. It plans to achieve such by working together with relevant partners, stakeholders and the academe, covering the whole of government, as well as the public and private sectors. POPCOM marks today, July 27, the seventh birthdays of 100 Filipino children whose birth anniversaries signaled the Philippines surpassing its population count of 100 million in 2014. Since their deliveries in state hospitals seven years ago, the agency has considered the birthdays of the said children as significant. They symbolize the country's growing populace and the numerous challenges it poses to a government with modest resources in providing for the welfare and wellbeing of every child. The natal days of Chonalyn Sentino—one of the country’s so-...