COVID-19 CASES IN PHILIPPINES RISE TO 3,870, DEATHS NOW AT 182

Too early to tell if cases are decreasing,' DOH official says

MANILA — For the second consecutive day, the number of new coronavirus cases

in the Philippines was below the 200-mark after health authorities reported

106 additional infections Wednesday.

The new coronavirus has so far infected 3,870 people in the Philippines

since the Department of Health first detected a case in late January.

From Monday, the number of new known cases dropped from a high of 414 to a

low of 104. The biggest daily rise in new confirmed infections was reported

on March 31.

The DOH earlier said that spikes in the number of cases are expected as the

country ramps up its testing efforts.

“It is too early to tell if these cases are already actually decreasing. But

rest assured we are exerting our maximum effort to track all cases to see a

better picture at the soonest possible time,” Beverly Lo, DOH health policy

development and planning bureau research division chief, said.

The department also reported five new fatalities, taking the death toll to

182.

Twelve more patients recovered, bringing the number of recoveries to 96. But

the figure is way lower than the number of recovered patients in

PhilippinesÂ’ Southeast Asian neighbor Malaysia at 1,321.

The DOH said that the low number of recovered patients is not a cause of

concern.

“The recovery of COVID-19 patients is long. It will take around two weeks

for those with mild cases to recover, while three to six weeks for severe or

critical cases,” Lo said.

GOVERNMENT SETS UP 55 COVID-19 REFERRAL HOSPITALS

MANILA — The government has set up 55 coronavirus disease referral hospitals

across the country as part of efforts to secure facilities and resources for

health workers treating those infected with COVID-19, according to

Malacañang.

In his weekly report to Congress on the implementation of the Bayanihan to

Heal as One Act, President Duterte said every region has at least one such

facility.

In Metro Manila, three hospitals with a total capacity of 620 beds have been

designated for COVID-19, while around 1,700 isolation and quarantine beds

are to be put up with local government units (LGUs), the Bases Conversion

Development Authority and the Department of Public Works and Highways

(DPWH).

The report said the country has 172,144 private and public health workers,

including 28,428 doctors, 89,254 nurses, 42,108 midwives and 12,754 medical

technologists.

The country also has 1,263 ventilators, it added.

'WALA PA 'YANG PERA NA 'YAN': DUTERTE SAYS GOV'T YET TO HAVE P300 BILLION IN

BATTLE VS COVID-19

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said some P300 billion in

government funds that would be used to combat the coronavirus disease 2019

(COVID-19) pandemic have yet to be collected.

"'Yong pinagdadaldal ng isang congressman na u***, na may P300 billion

ibinigay ng Kongreso, hangin po lahat 'yan. Wala pa 'yang pera na 'yan

dito," he said in a pre-recorded public address aired early Thursday, in

response to an unnamed lawmaker.

"Saan na ‘yung P300 billion? Wala pa po ‘yan, kokolektahin pa po ‘yan. Saan

‘yung P270 billion? Wala pa po ‘yan, kokolektahin pa po ‘yan," he

reiterated.

He did not name the lawmaker who drew his ire.

Under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act law, the government will provide cash

aid from P5,000 to P8,000 to 18 million families belonging to low-income

households.

In the same briefing that aired early Thursday morning, Social Welfare and

Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Bautista said the agency has

distributed some P100 billion in cash to Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program

(4Ps) beneficiaries during the ongoing crisis.

"The economy is not moving, standstill so wala tayong kita. Ang ginagamit

natin, ito na 'yung inireserba natin na pera. Ang ipinagyayabang ko na may

pera tayo, P300 billion," he added.

Duterte said the government's priority is the "poorest of the poor," but he

agreed that others are also affected.

He also ordered Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez to look for more funds

for the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The P100 billion for one month, or the P270 billion, for two months yan,

nakaprogram na, as earlier estimated, is not enough. I'm calling on the

secretary of finance to generate.... Magnakaw ka, maghiram ka, wala akong

pakialam, i-produce mo 'yung pera kasi 'pag naubos na ito, hindi ko

malaman," Duterte said.

"We are exploring options to adjust our budget. Iyong budget na ‘yung ---

‘yung earlier na budget wala pa ‘yung COVID. Sinabi ko bawasan na lang ‘yung

iba or totally ilaglag mo na lang ‘yang project na ‘yan, ilagay mo dito kasi

ang unahin natin ang tao, ang tiyan. Kasi ‘pag wala nang kinakain, a human

being can be violent especially makita niya ‘yung mga anak niya wala ng

kain, nag-iiyak siya. Maghingi ng gobyerno tapos wala na akong maibigay at

maubos ‘yung bigas natin," he added.

DUTERTE WARNS LANDLORDS, LESSORS VS EVICTING TENANTS AMID COVID-19 CRISIS

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte early Thursday warned landlords and

lessors against evicting tenants and lessees amid the coronavirus pandemic,

which has forced most workers and businessmen to stop their normal

operations and leading to loss of income.

Duterte said in a press briefing that landlords and lessors should not

pressure their renters and lessees since the ongoing enhanced community

quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon and other places due to the coronavirus disease

2019 (COVID-19) has affected work and businesses.

"'Do not tempt the gods. Kasi pag 'di ito naayos, itong COVID-19, mapurnada

tayong lahat. 'Wag ninyong madaliin," he said.

The President said COVID-19 global pandemic might continue to affect the

country for two years, and by that time, no one might be around to collect

anything..

"Maghintay kayo [lessors], nagpaparenta, huwag ninyo madaliin. Kasi baka

wala tayo, wala ka na magkolekta. You're not even sure if you're still

around to collect the money," Duterte said.

He said evictions, whether residential or commercial in nature, might lead

to riots and legal proceedings, which might be a problem since the justice

department and the Supreme Court have suspended their work.

The President added he will personally see to it that tenants who were

evicted will get their lease back.

QUEZON CITY INSTALLS SWAB BOOTHS FOR COVID TESTING

MANILA — Prototype swab booths have been installed at the Quezon City

General Hospital (QCGH) to minimize possible exposure of healthcare workers

to the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.

The booths would allow health workers to safely extract swabs from patients

under investigation or monitoring for the viral respiratory disease.

QCGH director Josephine Sabando said they used the booths to extract swabs

from around 40 patients when the project was launched on Tuesday.

The specimens will be forwarded to a testing facility such as the Research

Institute for Tropical Medicine.

The city government said it would also install swab booths at the Novaliches

District Hospital and Rosario Maclang Bautista General Hospital.

The booths were developed by the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers,

Datem Inc. and USHER Technologies, which also constructed misting stations

set up in various locations in Quezon City.

Sabando said nine COVID-19 patients were being treated at the QCGH. Several

individuals are waiting for their COVID-19 test results.

FROM TAAL ERUPTION TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC: PETA CONTINUES ANIMAL RESCUE OPS

AMID LUZON-WIDE QUARANTINE

MANILA — An animal welfare organization said there is no stopping its team

from helping animals as it continues its rescue operations amid the

Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said that it is currently

helping animals in Metro Manila including those rescued from the Taal

Volcano island.

“While Filipinos are social distancing and keeping indoors, PETA's rescue

team is on the streets of Metro Manila, feeding and rescuing injured and

sick animals,” the group said.

It assured the public that it is following the guidelines set by the health

agencies amid the COVID-19 crisis including the practice of social

distancing, wearing gloves, and frequent handwashing while giving animals

care.

“Before the lockdown started, our team tried to process as many Taal

adoptions and foster applications as possible—with outstanding results. That

work continues, but now, our team has to walk—sometimes many kilometers—to

unite animals with their new guardians,” the group also said.

The enhanced community quarantine, extended until April 30, bans the mass

transportation.

PETA then called on the government to grant its team and other rescuers the

authority to travel freely to assist with ongoing rescue work as it is more

efficient than walking long distances.

As of Tuesday, PETA has distributed 900 kilos of dog and cat food to

guardians who are unable to afford it or can't access supermarkets because

of the travel restrictions.

The group urged Metro Manila residents who are unable to care for companion

animals or if they encounter an animal in “immediate physical danger or in

urgent need of food or veterinary care” to give them a call at their

emergency response line at 0999-888-7382.

When Taal erupted in January, PETA placed some of the pets it rescued from

the island for adoption.

DOT SECURES OVER 11,500 HOTEL ROOMS FOR RETURNING OFWS' QUARANTINE

MANILA— The Department of Tourism said it has secured at least 209 hotels or

a total of 11,549 rooms for the accommodation of homebound overseas Filipino

workers who will undergo a 14-day quarantine once they arrive in the

country.

The number of rooms was accounted as of April 7, according to Tourism

Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

Puyat said that at least 160 of the hotels are located in Metro Manila and

have accommodated some 5,289 OFWs who arrived in recent days.

More hotels are located outside Metro Manila in regions 1, 2, 3, 4A, 7, 8,

and 11, to cater to OFWs who may be checked in near their home destinations.

The DOT added that additional hotel rooms may be reserved as needed for more

returning OFWs.

CORONAVIRUS WIPES OUT SOME WEALTH FROM 12 FILIPINO BILLIONAIRES

MANILA — Twelve of 15 Filipino billionaires ended up poorer this year than

last year as the worldÂ’s richest join the rest of the world on reeling from

the impact of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic,

global media firm Forbes said.

For the second year, former senator Manuel Villar, whose business empire go

from retail to property, topped the list of richest Filipinos with a net

worth of $5.6 billion as of April.

Villar was an outlier from a losing pack of billionaires, with his wealth up

slightly from $5.5 billion in March last year. Globally, the former

legislator ranked 286th out of 2,095 in the list.

After Villar, seven Filipino business leaders who suffered a massive blow on

their wealth, which Forbes directly attributed to the lingering impact of

the COVID-19. “The world’s richest are not immune to the devastating impact

of the coronavirus,” said Kerry Dolan, assistant managing editor of Wealth,

Forbes.

“The drop in the number of billionaires this year reflects the economic

impact the pandemic is already having,” he added.

It did not help that for its latest report, Forbes used the stock prices and

exchange rates in March 18 in gauging the billionairesÂ’ wealth, just as the

global stock markets were plunging as the coronavirus pandemic put many

investors on panic mode.

Globally, Forbes observed that 267 people lost their billionaire status this

year while a record 1,062 individuals have seen a drop in their fortunes. In

total, 2,095 billionaires were included in the annual global list led by

Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos, who retained the top spot for

the third year in a row with $18 billion net worth.

In the Philippines, after Villar, logistics magnate Enrique Razon came in

second place among the wealthiest Filipinos. As of April, Razon was worth

$3.4 billion, down from $4.8 billion last year, Forbes said. He placed 565th

in the world.

PHILIPPINES 'DEEPLY CONCERNED' OVER SINKING OF VIETNAMESE BOAT BY CHINESE

SHIP

MANILA — The Philippine government on Wednesday expressed "deep concern"

over the reported sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat on the South China

Sea.

According to a report from South China Morning Post, Vietnam had released a

video showing a much larger Chinese maritime surveillance ship racing after

a small wooden Vietnamese fishing boat near an oil rig in the contested

waters.

The video footage taken from a nearby Vietnamese vessel showed the Chinese

ship ramming into the smaller Vietnamese boat, causing it to turn over and

sink.

"Our own similar experience revealed how much trust in a friendship is lost

by it; and how much trust was created by VietnamÂ’s humanitarian act of

directly saving the lives of our Filipino fishermen," the Department of

Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The DFA stressed that the Philippines will not stop thanking Vietnam, whose

fishermen rescued distressed Filipino fishermen after a Chinese vessel

rammed their fishing boat in June last year.

The continued strengthening of regional relations, according to the DFA, is

especially critical in light of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

(ASEAN)-China joint commitment to collectively tackle the ongoing crisis

brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, as declared in the Statement of the

Special ASEAN-China Foreign MinistersÂ’ Meeting on COVID-19, issued on Feb.

20.

The DFA reminded that ASEAN “stood by China” when it was fighting the

coronavirus, which was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan

in December last year.

The Philippines urged “forbearance” and “good” behavior to each and every

government and to extend the forbearance and behavior to people under their

respective jurisdictions.

“COVID-19 is a very real threat that demands unity and mutual trust. In the

face of it, neither fish nor fictional historical claims are worth the fuse

that’s lit by such incidents,” the DFA said.

Vietnam accused the Chinese Coast Guard of sinking the fishing boat near the

Paracel Islands on April 2 and lodged an official protest to Beijing.

Chinese maritime militia and Chinese Coast Guard vessels reportedly

harassed, rammed and beat up Vietnamese fishermen in the Paracels regularly.

CATHOLICS, MUSLIMS JOIN IN PRAYER VS PANDEMIC

MANILA — The nationwide observance of Holy Wednesday yesterday was not what

Filipinos have been used to, but amid a lingering health crisis, its aim

could not have been more timely: solidarity.

Various religious groups across the country united in an online inter-faith

prayer for health workers and other frontliners and for the healing of the

nation from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Before the prayer proper, dubbed “Buklurang Panalangin ng Pagkakaisa Para

Sugpuin ang COVID-19,” a Qur’an and a Bible were displayed on a podium,

followed by church bells simultaneously pealing nationwide.

A Facebook page, Dominus Est., said chaplains, priests, pastors and AiÂ’mah

of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) also joined in the pealing of

bells and in the prayers.

Live-streamed on the official Facebook page of government-run PTV starting

at 3 p.m. yesterday, the inter-faith prayer saw a Muslim imam, a Catholic

priest, a Protestant and an Aglipayan, among others, reading their

respective prayers.

Shortly after reading verses in the QurÂ’an and in the Bible, representatives

from various groups read prayers for healthcare frontliners, for the

Philippine National Police (PNP) and AFP, and for those afflicted with

COVID-19.

The groups comprising various religions prayed for the safety of the

frontliners – to spare them from getting infected with the coronavirus and

to give them knowledge and wisdom to come up with the treatment for

COVID-19.

The groups also prayed to spare from harm and to protect PNP, AFP and other

security officers working double time in maintaining peace and order in the

country amid the extended enhanced community quarantine.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

SYLVIA SANCHEZ, ART ATAYDE CLEARED OF PNEUMONIA AFTER CONFIRMING POSITIVE

FOR COVID-19

MANILA — Screen veteran Sylvia Sanchez and her husband Art Atayde have both

been cleared of pneumonia, two weeks after they both confirmed positive for

the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Their daughter, actress Ria Atayde, shared the good news in a StarStudio.ph

report on Wednesday.

"It has truly been overwhelming and reassuring knowing that there are so

many people praying with and for us and our parents' speedy recovery. As of

today, we have been told that our parents' lungs are finally cleared from

pneumonia," she said in a statement.

Both Sanchez and Atayde are due to undergo another test to determine if

they're no longer positive for COVID 19, "before they can finally go home,"

Ria added.

The couple confirmed their condition last March 24, counting them among the

showbiz personalities who have been infected, alongside Christopher de Leon

and Iza Calzado.

Ria, who is one of four siblings, at the time underwent strict home

quarantine. In her statement on Wednesday, she said they've since eased

their self-isolation measures, "because none of us developed symptoms."

"We continue to ask for prayers as they are not out of the woods just yet.

Thank you so much again, everyone! All your love, light and energy have been

such great support for our family in these trying times," she said.

SPORTS

NFL USING DRAFT TO SUPPORT COVID-19 RELIEF

The 2020 NFL Draft will double as a three-day charity event to benefit six

non-profit organizations providing relief efforts against the coronavirus

pandemic, the league announced Wednesday.

The event, which will be entirely virtual with teams making selections from

remote locations and players at their homes due to the pandemic, is

scheduled for April 23-25 and is being deemed a "Draft-A-Thon."

Current and former NFL players are expected to encourage donations from

viewers, and there will be tributes for healthcare workers and other first

responders.

The funds raised, which will all go into one central fund, will benefit the

American Red Cross, CDC Foundation's All of Us, Feeding America's COVID-19

Response Fund, Meals on Wheels COVID-19 Response Fund, Salvation Army and

United Way's COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund.

"As we face this global health crisis together, we are filled with gratitude

for the extraordinary work of first responders, healthcare workers and many

others who are helping those in need," commissioner Roger Goodell said in a

statement.

"The Draft-A-Thon will deliver much-needed funding to many who are suffering

as well as those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Conducting this event virtually, and taking all necessary precautions while

doing so, underscores the importance of staying home and staying strong

during this unprecedented moment in our history."

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 50.58

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

It is the true nature of mankind to learn from mistakes, not from example. -

Fred Hoyle