WEARING MASKS NOW MANDATORY
MANILA — For better protection against the coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19), Malacañang ordered yesterday all those living in areas under
enhanced community quarantine to wear face masks or other forms of
protective equipment when they go out to buy essential items.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who is also spokesman of the Inter-Agency
Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), said
the call was part of the governmentÂ’s intensified efforts to contain the
COVID-19 outbreak.
In addition to the strict home quarantine and social distancing policies,
Nograles enjoined the public to follow the guidelines on the wearing of face
masks. Local government units are tasked to make sure that their
constituents will follow the protection measure.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has warned
citizens that people caught not wearing face masks in public would be
accosted.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said they would immediately implement the
mandatory wearing of face masks for people who step outside of their house.
Año said that the new measure will apply to everyone who are given
exemptions from the lockdown, including those who have quarantine passes to
buy groceries in the market.
DISCRIMINATION VS COVID-19 PATIENTS, FRONTLINERS NOW ILLEGAL IN MANILA
MANILA — Those who will discriminate against patients with coronavirus
disease, people suspected to have infection and frontliners will now be
penalized in Manila City.
The city government of Manila passed the Anti COVID-19 Discrimination
Ordinance of 2020, which prohibits any act that “causes stigma, disgrace,
shame, humiliation, harassment or otherwise discriminating against” COVID-19
patients, persons under investigation and persons under monitoring.
“Since the emergence of COVID-19, we have seen instances of public
stigmatization among persons who have contracted the disease including PUIs
and PUMs and the rise of harmful stereotypes... Stigmatization could drive
people to hide the illness to avoid discrimination and prevent people from
seeking health care immediately and discourage them from adopting healthy
behaviors,” the ordinance read.
The ordinance will likewise punish any public officer who refuses to give
assistance to PUIs, PUMs and healthcare workers who intend to return to
their places of residence.
Those who will publicly claim, post on social media or announce that a
person is infected or suspected to have COVID-19 will be also held liable.
Violators of the ordinance will be fined P5,000 or face imprisonment of up
to six months or both. Maximum penalty will be imposed if the offender is a
public officer.
Police units across the country were ordered to provide assistance and
security to healthcare workers after there were reports of hospital staff
suffering abuse and harassment amid panic over COVID-19 infections.
The new coronavirus has so far infected 2,633 people in the Philippines—107
of whom have died. There are additional 1,154 PUIs and 6,321 PUMs.
TASK FORCE SEES START OF MASS COVID-19 TESTING BY APRIL 14
MANILA — The National Task Force on COVID-19 sees mass testing for the novel
coronavirus disease to start by April 14, presidential peace adviser Carlito
Galvez Jr. said Thursday.
In a press briefing on the developments in the country's efforts to curb the
spread of COVID-19, Galvez said that there are now nine accredited hospitals
that can conduct the tests.
He added that the task force has asked the Department of Health to expedite
the accreditation of more hopsitals to boost testing capability.
"On massive testing for [Patients Under Investigation] and [Patients Under
Monitoring], we are also determined to fast track the accreditation of
substantial laboratories so we can start the massive testing," he also said.
"We expect that by April 14, we shall be able to start massive testing,"
Galvez, who is chief implementer of the National Action Plan on COVID-19,
said.
A lack of test kits and accredited laboratories has hampered the country's
ability to detect COVID-19 cases, with some dying before test results came
back from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, the main laboratory
for those tests.
On March 25, the Department of Health said that mass testing was still not
an option.
"While we already have 100,000 testing kits, we expect more to arrive, these
are not enough to conduct mass testing," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario
Vergeire said then in a televised press briefing.
FRONTLINERS GET MOBILE PHONE 'RAPID PASS' AT CHECKPOINTS: COVID-19 TASK
FORCE
MANILA -- Frontliners can download QR codes on their mobile phones for
quicker and near contact-free passage at checkpoints, the government's
coronavirus task force said Friday.
The Rapid Pass can be secured through the website rapidpass.ph. The QR code
can be scanned as a mobile phone download or a paper printout, Cabinet
Secretary Karlo Nograles, spokesperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force for
COVID-19.
Similar to bar codes, QR codes are used in mobile banking and cashless
transactions.
"Ito pong RapidPass System ay kinonceptualize po namin sa IATF para
mapabilis ang systema ng pag check ng ating mga sasakyan at mabawasan ang
person-to-person contact sa mga frontliners na gumagawa ng kritikal,"
Nograles said.
The Rapid Pass is not a requirement and frontliners can still pass through
checkpoints with their IDs, he said.
Checkpoints were placed in areas around Luzon to ensure that the enhanced
community quarantine imposed from March 17 to April 12, to stop the spread
of COVID-19, is properly implemented
LOCKDOWN LIFTING RESTS ON HEALTH BEFORE BUSINESS: TRADE CHIEF
MANILA -- The Philippines will consider health before business in deciding
when to lift lockdown on half of its 100 million people to fight the
COVID-19 pandemic, an economic manager said Friday.
President Rodrigo Duterte's inter-agency coronavirus task force will
"balance" health concerns with the need to restart businesses and resume
work for people in Luzon, Trade Sec. Ramon Lopez said.
"The major basis of the lifting is health-related, not business-related,"
Lopez told DZMM. The task force will assess if numbers have improved, he
said.
Luzon is on the third week of lockdown, which is scheduled to end on April
12. As of Thursday, the Philippines confirmed 2,633 cases including 107
deaths and 51 recoveries.
Lopez said a ''new normal" would take hold at the end of the lockdown,
wherein people will observe physical distancing and wear protective gear to
avoid spreading disease.
DSWD STARTS DISTRIBUTING COVID-19 CASH AID TO POOR FAMILIES
MANILA - The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Friday will
start distributing cash aid to poor Filipino families in the cities of
Manila, and Parañaque to help them rebuild their lives from the coronavirus
pandemic, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said.
Families in the 2 Metro Manila cities who are entitled to the subsidies will
be approached by government representatives, Nograles said. Cash aid
distribution in other parts of the country will follow in the coming days,
he said.
"We have been informed by the DSWD that the subsidies will be distributed
starting today in Manila and Parañaque, and we expect other jurisdictions to
be distributing these to their residents in the next few days," Nograles
said in a virtual press briefing.
The subsidies, ranging from P5,000 to P8,000 will be distributed in cash as
part of the government's P200-billion social amelioration program.
Cash aid for the beneficiaries of the government's Pantawid ng Pamilyang
Pilipino Program (4Ps) will also be distributed starting Friday, Nograles
said.
The Cabinet official urged the beneficiaries to wait for the announcements
of their local government units on the distribution of the cash assistance.
'BAWAL EPAL': DILG BARS LOCAL OFFICIALS FROM PUTTING NAMES, PHOTOS ON
LOCKDOWN AID
MANILA - The interior department said Friday it banned local officials from
plastering their photos and names onto relief aid for indigent families
during a Luzon-wide lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agency received reports that some barangay officers had prepared
envelopes with their names to put in cash aid that the national government
would give, said Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya.
"Hindi po ito panahon ng pamumulitika, panahon po ito ng public service," he
told DZMM. "Naglabas na rin po si Secretary [Eduardo] Año ng kautusan sa
ating mga LGU na walang epal, walang pangalan, walang picture at hayaan ang
mga barangay na i-handle nang tama ang paglalabas ng ayuda."
Barangay officials are required to submit a list of the 18 million poorest
Filipino families that will receive cash aid on top of food packs, "subject
to vetting and approval" of the social welfare department, said Malaya.
The beneficiaries will also include the elderly, migrant workers in
distress, persons with disability and single parents, he said.
The house-to-house aid distribution will start this afternoon in 2 pilot
barangays in Tondo, Manila and Parañaque chosen by their city governments,
said the official.
Residents in other areas should wait for the aid announcement from their
barangay leaders and prepare IDs for claiming the assistance, Malaya said.
The Philippines as of Thursday confirmed 107 deaths out of its total 2,633
cases of the respiratory disease.
Even during the lockdown, cases of the disease could spike the recent
delivery of test kits and the accreditation of additional screening
laboratories, the health department earlier said.
LOW INTEREST LOANS AVAILABLE FOR SMALL BUSINESSMEN POST-LOCKDOWN: TRADE
CHIEF
MANILA -- Small and medium enterprises can avail of loans up to P500,000 to
reboot from the coronavirus lockdown, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said
Friday.
The government is offering up to P200,000 for micro SMEs and up to P500,000
for medium-sized firms, with 0.5 percent monthly interest and payable in 2
to 5 years. There will be a grace period of 5 to 6 months for payments,
Lopez said.
Micro businesses have P3 million in assets, small firms have P3 million to
P15 million while medium enterprises have P15 million to P100 million,
according to the government's definition.
"Ayuda ito sa kanilang working capital para makabangon agad (This will boost
their working capital, helping them recover)," he said.
The loan fund, dubbed Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso, will include food
carts, Lopez said.
Businessmen can apply for loans at the Department of Trade and Industry's
Negosyo Centers after the lockdown, which is scheduled to end on April 12.
WHERE CAN YOU GET TESTED FOR COVID-19 IN THE PHILIPPINES?
MANILA- The Philippines is stepping up its testing capacity for the new
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as more cases of the disease are recorded in
the country.
As of Friday, the Philippines already has 8 COVID-19 testing centers in the
following areas:
LUZON
1. Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City
2. San Lazaro Hospital in Manila City
3. UP National Institutes of Health in Manila City
4. Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City
5. Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center in Benguet
VISAYAS
1. Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City
2. Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City
MINDANAO
1. Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City
Other health facilities meanwhile are still undergoing accreditation for
COVID-19 testing.
The government is eyeing to implement mass COVID-19 testing by April 14
after the health department announced that it could already run 1,000 tests
a day from the previous daily average of 300.
GAMBOA SEEK PRAYERS FOR 2 GENERALS STILL IN ICU AFTER CHOPPER CRASH
MANILA - The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday
appealed for more prayers for the fast healing of two colleagues who were
among those in the helicopter crash in Laguna last March.
“Unfortunately, 2 pa sa classmates ko ang struggling. They are both in the
intensive care unit at syempre very maselan sila,” said PNP chief Archie
Gamboa.
Gamboa was with Major Generals Jovic Ramos and Mariel Magaway, his
comptrollership and intelligence heads, respectively; Brig. Gen. Bernard
Banac, the PNP spokesman; an aide, a technician and 2 pilots when the
2-year-old Bell 429 chopper crashed in San Pedro, Laguna on March 5.
The accident left Ramos and Magawas still in critical condition.
“We continuously pray na sana they recover their health and we hope they
could live their normal lives again,” he said.
Gamboa said relatives of the two generals could not visit them due to the
present coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
“Hindi rin sila mabisita ng kanilang mga kamag-anak dahil na rin sa threat
ng COVID-19,” he said.
ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE
P1M IN 1 HOUR: LEA SALONGA WOWS WITH FACEBOOK LIVE CONCERT FOR BENEFIT OF
COVID-19 FRONTLINERS
MANILA — A consummate artist who's performed on the big stage worldwide, Lea
Salonga treated a room inside her home no different on Thursday, as she
streamed an hour-long concert for the benefit of vulnerable sectors amid the
coronavirus crisis.
Salonga is the latest in a dozens-long list of artists lending their voices
to "Bayanihan, Musikahan," an online concert series that aims to raise funds
for frontline workers, as well as the urban poor whose livelihood have been
affected by the community quarantine.
The stage veteran channeled her theater background as she performed tunes
from her Broadway outings, including "Gaman" from "Allegiance," and "The
Human Heart" from "Once on this Island." The latter — along with "Bring Him
Home" from "Les Miserables" (which she did not perform as part of its cast)
— Salonga dedicated to healthcare workers and other frontliners.
Salonga also sang OPM classics including "Nais Ko," "Bakit Labis Kitang
Mahal," "Sana Maulit Muli". She ended her stream fittingly with "Paraiso,"
about yearning for Earth's recovery.
In between her performances, Salonga shared updates on "Bayanihan,
Musikahan's" fundraising progress. Since the program was launched on March
18, it has raised P22.3 million — and that's excluding the concerts that
were streamed on Thursday.
Salonga's online concert alone raised over P100,000 in its first 10 minutes,
then over half a million after half an hour, until it crossed P1 million
before the show's end.
"That's amazing!" Salonga exclaimed.
"There's no such thing as too small of a contribution or a donation,"
Salonga said, "because when you pool all of these resources together, it
becomes one whole big thing and so many people will be able to get the help
that they need, the protection that they need."
ANNE CURTIS, REGINE VELASQUEZ LEND HAND TO ANGEL LOCSIN'S TENT DRIVE FOR
HOSPITALS
MANILA — Anne Curtis and Regine Velasquez are among the celebrities who are
helping provide additional room for COVID-19 patients at overwhelmed
hospitals, through the program of fellow Kapamilya actress Angel Locsin.
Locsin has been spearheading the fundraisder #UniTentWeStand, which is now
in the process of delivering 12x24-meter tents to dozens of hospitals in
Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.
Curtis and her husband, restaurateur Erwan Heussaff, as well as Velasquez
and her husband, music veteran Ogie Alcasid, were among the showbiz
personalities who pledged tents early on.
On Thursday, Locsin showed on Instagram that the tents from the Heussaffs
and the Alcasids have been set up at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center
and Diliman Doctors Hospital in Quezon City, respectively.
Ten 15x15-meter tents were also donated to the National Kidney and
Transplant Institute by the Alcasids, according to Locsin.
Later on Thursday, Locsin, along with her fiancé Neil Arce, also delivered
three tents to the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Quezon
City.
As of April 1, Locsin's #UniTentWeStand has already set up a total of 22
tents at 11 hospitals. Her group will deliver tents to 38 more locations,
including the PNP General Hospital, in the coming weeks.
SPORTS
YULO, DIDAL MAKE ELITE ‘FORBES’ LIST
MANILA — Olympics-bound gymnast Caloy Yulo and skateboard queen Margielyn
Didal landed in Forbes Asia’s “30 under 30” for 2020, joining three other
Filipinos in the list of the most influential youngsters across the
continent.
The 19-year-old Yulo, who won the countryÂ’s first world title last year, and
the 20-year-old Didal, one of four Pinoy gold medalists in the Asian Games,
were among entertainment and sports personalities named to the elite roster
yesterday.
They shared the spotlight with Francis Plaza, founder of payments processing
platform PayMongo, Louise Mabulo, founder of The Cacao Project and
multimedia artist Breech Asher Harani, who were feted in the other
categories.
“Carlos Yulo is a Filipino gymnast who became the first male athlete in
Southeast Asia to win a gold medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics
Championships in 2019, when he won the men’s floor exercise,” Forbes Asia
said of Yulo.
It also cited his two-gold, five-silver debut at the SEA Games and the
PresidentÂ’s Awards bestowed on him by the Philippine SportswritersÂ’
Association.
Didal was honored for her putting the Philippines on the skateboarding map.
“At the most recent Asian Games in 2018, Margielyn Didal helped win one of
four gold medals for the Philippines by winning the womenÂ’s street
skateboarding event,” Forbes Asia said.
“As of this writing, Didal is preparing to qualify for the Olympic Games in
Tokyo, where skateboarding has been included in the Games for the first
time,” it added of the Cebuana, who just last month claimed bronze at the
maiden WomenÂ’s Open of the Tampa Pro competition in Florida.
According to Forbes Asia, the 2020 list “highlights 300 young entrepreneurs,
leaders and changemakers who are changing the world.”
“This year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list-makers inspire optimism in what is
promising to be a tough year ahead,” Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia editor Rana
Wehbe said.
“They are a resilient and energetic bunch who are facing challenges head-on
and actively working for a future that matches their aspirations,” Wehbe
added.
INDICATORS
FOREX $1 = P 50.85
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Much ingenuity with a little money is vastly more profitable and amusing
than much money without ingenuity. - Arnold Bennett
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