DUTERTE SAYS LIKELY TO LIFT LUZON LOCKDOWN IF PH GETS ANTIBODY TREATMENT VS

COVID-19

MANILA -- President Rodrigo Duterte late Monday said that he is likely to

lift the lockdown in Luzon if the country can get an antibody treatment for

the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

"Kung nandiyan na 'yong antibody, available na sa market dito and it is

being sold in quantity, in number, then I'm inclined to at that time to

maybe lift the lockdown," Duterte said.

“Mayroon nang medisina, antibody, ang isang giant pharmaceutical (company)

pero hindi galing sa tao. Sabi by May, they would start to market it,” he

added.

“Kung meron na ‘yan, tapos makita ko na ginagamit ng tao, ili-lift ko. Tutal

kung magkasakit kayo, may antibodies naman tayo mabili. Ngayon kung wala ka

mabili, problema mo na ‘yan kasi tapos na yung lockdown,” Duterte said.

US drugmaker Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. said in March it has identified

hundreds of antibodies that could treat or prevent COVID-19, and was

preparing to begin clinical trials.

The company will select the top 2 antibodies to develop a "cocktail"

treatment and scale up its manufacturing to produce 200,000 doses per month

by the end of summer in the US.

At least a dozen other drugmakers are currently working on vaccines,

antivirals and other treatments to help those infected with the

fast-spreading virus, with some antivirals already being used in trials.

Duterte on Monday reminded the public to stay at home while waiting for an

antibody treatment to be readily available in the market.

As of Monday, the health department tallied 45 recoveries, bringing the

total to 242, with 4,932 infections and 315 fatalities nationwide.

COVID-19: PHILIPPINE OVERTAKES MALAYSIA AMONG SOUTHEAST ASIAN COUNTRIES WITH

MOST COVID-19 CASES

Data from John Hopkins University in the United States shows that the

Philippines is now the country with most COVID-19 cases among its Southeast

Asian neighbors.

The Department of Health reported 284 new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines,

raising the total number of cases in the country to 4,932.

The health department also announced 18 additional deaths, bringing the

national toll to 315.

Meanwhile, 45 additional patients have recovered from the disease, which

brings the total number of recoveries to 242.

Malaysia has logged 4,817 cases followed by Indonesia with 4,557, Singapore

with 2,918, Thailand with 2,579, Vietnam with 265, Brunei with 136, Cambodia

with 122, Myanmar with 62 and Laos with 19.

PHILIPPINES LOOKS TO RESTART ECONOMY UNDER 'NEW NORMAL' FROM COVID-19

MANILA -- The Philippines is looking for ways to restore the public's

confidence in the economy, once it restarts under a "new normal" due to the

COVID-19 pandemic, the country's deputy social economic planning chief said

Tuesday.

Under lockdown for a month and with 17 more days to go, some 60 percent of

consumers polled by the National Economic and Development Authority said

they would not buy durable goods in the next 12 months. They are also

foregoing travel, said NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon.

"We need to address the uncertainty. We need to build confidence in health

systems capacity," said Edillon, in charge of policy and planning at NEDA.

The NEDA is targeting growth of -1 to 0 for the second quarter. The first 3

months of year was a "good quarter" notwithstanding the start of the

lockdown on March 17, she told ANC.

Some 77 percent of micro, small and medium enterprises maintained their

workforce during the quarantine period, taking out loans to sustain

payrolls. This resulted in delayed payments for suppliers, she said.

"You have the undesirable domino effect. You need to arrest that," she said.

The NEDA is preparing for a "new normal" where physical or social distancing

and face masks will be the norm.

"We have to define what is the new normal and how can we best adapt what are

the policies to help the economy adjust," she said.

DUTERTE ORDERS IMMEDIATE PURCHASE OF RAPID COVID-19 TEST KITS

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the “immediate” purchase of rapid

test kits for the new coronavirus to boost the country’s testing capability

despite the lack of guidelines from health authorities.

In a late night speech Monday, Duterte said he “will take the risk” and

order the procurement of the rapid test kits despite the absence of

clearance from the country’s Food and Drug Administration and approval from

the Health and Technology and Assessment Council.

“I’m clearing the way. I will ask Secretary [Francisco] Duque to talk to the

people in charge, si Secretary [Carlito] Galvez. And they can proceed to buy

it immediately as fast as you can really to the procurement at this time,”

he said.

But the DOH cannot directly procure the rapid test kits due to the absence

of approval from the Health Technology Assessment Council, a group of health

experts tasked to facilitate provision of financing and recommendations on

health technologies to be financed.

Section 34 of the Universal Health Care Act states that “investments on any

health technology or development of any benefit package by the DOH and

PhilHealth shall be used on the positive recommendations of the HTA.”

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the government could bypass the

restrictions by ordering the Office of Civil Defense to make the purchase.

“So hindi lang pwede ang DOH and PhilHealth but because we are in the state

of calamity, OCD can do the purchase,” the spokesperson of the government’s

coronavirus task force.

National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr.

said the government will need to purchase 900,000 polymerase chain

reaction-based kits to confirm the validity of results obtained from the use

of rapid test kits.

PCR-based kits are expected to cost around P3.2 billion. Galvez said the

government is eyeing to buy two million rapid test kits but the approximate

cost of the said kits is not yet available.

The DOH earlier said it does not recommend the use of rapid test kits

because such kits can produce false positive and false negative.

ROQUE RETURNS, REPLACES PANELO AS DUTERTE SPOKESMAN

MANILA — He’s back.

Lawyer Harry Roque is returning as President Duterte’s spokesman, as

Malacañang seeks a “new tack on messaging” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He will replace Salvador Panelo, who took over before Roque decided to run

for senator.

Roque, however, withdrew his senatorial bid days before the start of the

campaign because of a heart condition.

Panelo recently received flak for suggesting that eating bananas and

gargling with salt water might work to fend off the coronavirus disease 2019

or COVID 19. Health experts belied this.

“The Palace confirms that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has offered the

position of presidential spokesperson to Atty. Harry Roque who, in turn, has

accepted the same,” Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo, who will remain as chief legal counsel, said the present crisis

“calls for a new tack on messaging.” He did not elaborate.

Roque, a former lawmaker and law professor at the University of the

Philippines, was named the President’s spokesman in October 2017, replacing

Ernesto Abella, who was transferred to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

COVID MASS TESTING BEGINS IN METRO MANILA TODAY

MANILA — Mass testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection

begins today as scheduled, a day after Manila and Quezon City kicked off

their own localized testing.

The long-planned mass testing is finally taking off as the number of

COVID-19 cases in the country reached 4,932, with the death toll now at more

than 300, according to data released by the Department of Health (DOH)

yesterday. Recoveries totaled 242.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire also announced that 1,429

people have completed the online biosafety course organized by the

University of the Philippines-Manila.

Vergeire said over 300 volunteer-medical technologists, molecular

biologists, laboratory technicians and researchers would be deployed

“strategically” to laboratories in coordination with the Institute of

Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of UP-Manila’s National Institutes of

Health.

“We are expanding our testing capacity… but we want to make sure that there

are enough health workers in every facility,” she said.

Vergeire said they are also working with the Department of Science and

Technology on the use of equipment and supplies for lending to DOH.

She said so far, six polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines are now being

matched with some laboratories certified by the DOH to do the testing.

“The laboratories are implementing extended operating hours to make sure

that they can do more testing. We have 15 laboratories now, but (the number)

is expected to expand as we are speeding up the evaluation of applications

for certification of 28 laboratories across the country,” she added.

COVID-19 RESPONSE CHIEF REJECTS NATIONWIDE LOCKDOWN

The government will not expand the nearly one-month lockdown of Luzon island

to the entire country to beat COVID-19, a leader of the pandemic response

said Tuesday.

The southern regions of Davao and Zamboanga have contained their cases of

the respiratory disease through community quarantine, said COVID-19 Response

Chief Implementor Carlito Galvez Jr.

He also commended the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for

its timely release of cash aid for communities under lockdown.

"Maganda ang pag-implement ng tinatawag na community quarantine ng Mindanao

at Visayas... Walang possibilities na iyong buong Mindanao o iyong buong

Visayas e ila-lock down natin," Galvez told DZMM.

PHILIPPINE COVID-19 TESTING HAS 15,000 BACKLOG: GOV'T

MANILA - The Philippines needs to test about 15,000 people for possible

COVID-19 infection, nearly a month into the lockdown of millions in its most

populous island, a leader of the country's pandemic plan said Tuesday.

Of the 15,000 potential COVID-19 "suspects", about 5,000 to 8,000 are in

Metro Manila, said COVID-19 Response Chief Implementor Carlito Galvez Jr.

said.

The health department defines a COVID-19 "suspect" as someone who has

symptoms of the respiratory disease and travel or residence in a hotspot of

the disease or exposure to a confirmed or probable carrier.

The country has 102,000 test kits and the government plans to buy some 1

million more units, said Galvez.

MAKATI IMPOSES MANDATORY QUARANTINE, WEARING OF FACE MASKS

MANILA — The city government of Makati has started implementing mandatory

quarantine of persons either confirmed or suspected to be infected with the

coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other communicable illnesses.

Wearing of face masks is also mandatory for the residents while the city is

under a state of public health emergency, Mayor Abby Binay announced

yesterday.

Binay said the city council passed ordinances last week to curb the

transmission of COVID-19 in the communities.

Under Ordinance 2020-088, COVID-19 patients and those who come in contact

with infected persons must undergo home quarantine for seven days or more,

depending on the guidelines set by the Department of Health and city health

office.

Violators will be penalized with up to a year in prison and fined P5,000.

PHILIPPINES ALLOWS HEALTHCARE WORKERS WITH EXISTING OVERSEAS CONTRACTS TO

WORK ABROAD AGAIN

MANILA- Filipino healthcare workers with existing overseas employment

contracts may depart the Philippines again, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles

said Tuesday as the government exempted those with prevailing commitments in

other countries from an ongoing deployment ban.

All Filipino healthcare workers with perfected and signed overseas

employment contracts as of March 8, 2020 will be allowed to depart the

country as agreed by the government's inter-agency task force on the

coronavirus response.

Departing healthcare workers just have to sign a declaration signifying

their knowledge of the risks involved in traveling overseas, Nograles said.

"Papayagan na po silang umalis. Kailangan lang po nilang pumirma ng

deklarasyon na batid nila ang mga panganib sa paglipad papunta sa ibang

bansa," Nograles said in a virtual press briefing.

The development came following complaints about a memorandum issued by the

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration suspending the deployment of

doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers abroad in the hopes of preserving

the local frontline force against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The POEA suspended the deployment of all health care workers until the

national state of emergency due to COVID-19 is lifted and “until

COVID-19-related travel restrictions are lifted at the destination

countries.”

RESOURCES INSUFFICIENT TO TEST FILIPINOS WITHOUT COVID-19 SYMPTOMS: HEALTH

DEPT

MANILA - The Philippines does not have enough resources yet to include

people without COVID-19 symptoms in a mass testing for the respiratory

disease, the health department said Tuesday, nearly a month into the

lockdown of millions to stop the pandemic.

The "risk-based" screening will prioritize "critically ill" patients,

vulnerable groups like the elderly, pregnant women and those with

pre-existing health problems, then health workers, and patients with

symptoms of the disease, said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

People who have not yet developed symptoms despite recent travel abroad or

exposure to COVID-19 carriers will only be screened when laboratories can

already run 8,000 to 10,000 tests per day, she said.

"Hindi po ito ibig sabihin ay lahat ng Pilipino iti-test natin. Hindi rin po

ito indiscriminate testing... Sa ngayon po hindi sufficient ang resources

natin para maisagawa natin ito," she told DZMM.

There are 10 COVID-19 laboratories nationwide. Five other laboratories that

the health department accredited Monday would need 3 to 4 more days of

preparation before they could run tests, said Vergeire.

Some laboratories like the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in

Muntinlupa receive more requests than its other counterparts. The health

department plans to "spread" these requests to remove backlogs and achieve

the 8,000 to 10,000 daily test goal, she said.

MMDA: CARS BACK ON EDSA

MANILA — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority noticed an unusual

increase in the volume of vehicles passing through EDSA yesterday, as shown

in closed-circuit television footage of the MMDA.

“It’s like back to normal along EDSA. It means marami ang hindi sumusunod sa

enhanced community quarantine,” MMDA special traffic and transport zone head

Bong Nebrija said. “Iyong iba nga, nagjo-joyride na lang (The others were

just having a joy ride) for the sake of going out.”

Nebrija said the build-up of vehicles was observed near the Balintawak and

Nepa Q markets over the weekend.

“There might have been lapses in the implementation of quarantine

checkpoints,” he said.

Nebrija called on local officials and police personnel to help MMDA

enforcers in monitoring EDSA and other major thoroughfares in the metropolis

to ensure that people are complying with quarantine rules.

PAL ANNOUNCES PARTIAL RESUMPTION OF FLIGHTS

MANILA — Philippine Airlines announces plans to resume some international

and domestic flights on selected routes.

The carrier, however, cautions that these are highly subject to change,

depending on factors related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

This include the duration of current Philippine community quarantine, the

status of relevant travel bans and restrictions imposed by governments

affecting passenger demand, and public health and safety situation in each

of the cities and countries that PAL serves.

The company clarifies that it will not operate any international route for

the remainder of April. There are only special considerations for operating

ad hoc special flights to retrieve stranded passengers, as well as cargo

flights to keep intact critical supply chains across the country and within

the Asia/Pacific region.

ZAMBOANGA CITY BURIES COVID-19 FATALITIES

The Zamboanga City government started burying the remains of COVID-19

fatalities without burial rites last week.

The local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) COVID-19, chaired by Mayor Maria

Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, confirmed some of the remains of those who died

from the deadly virus have been buried in sites earlier identified.

The task force said only the remains of those whose families have no means

to bury their dead patient and those who have died of COVID-19 are buried

there.

A marker with the names of those who were buried was also placed for

identification, the IATF says.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

WATCH: RACHELLE ANN GO, HUSBAND INSPIRE WITH COVER OF 'WAY MAKER'

MANILA – Rachelle Ann Go and her husband Martin Spies turned to social media

on Sunday to inspire their followers on Easter amid the ongoing coronavirus

pandemic.

Uplifting everyone’s spirits during this time, Go and Spies shared a video

of them singing the worship song “Way Maker.”

“Happy Resurrection Sunday! We love to worship! All the glory to our savior

Jesus Christ,” Go wrote.

Immediately after the video was uploaded, it earned hundreds of comments

from netizens saying they were moved by the couples' cover.

As of writing, the clip already has thousands of views.

Go also encouraged her followers to comment other worship songs they wish

for them to perform.

SPORTS

FOOTBALL: MORE THAN 1,000 FANS SHRUG OFF VIRUS CONCERNS TO ATTEND MATCH IN

BELARUS

BREST, Belarus - More than 1,000 soccer fans cheered, chanted and hugged

each other as they attended a Belarusian top-flight league match on Sunday

despite calls from a growing number of supporters to boycott games due to

the coronavirus pandemic.

Belarus is the only country in Europe still playing a national soccer

league, making it an unlikely draw for fans overseas who are starved of

matches in their own countries.

In choosing to stay open, the league took its cue from President Alexander

Lukashenko, who has resisted imposing strict lockdown measures and variously

prescribed remedies like drinking vodka or driving tractors to fight the

pandemic.

Many fans have chosen to stay away, but more than 1,000 attended the clash

between FC Dynamo Brest and Isloch Minsk, one of three games played in the

top-flight Vysshaya Liga on Sunday.

Only a relatively small number were seen wearing masks.

Defending champions Brest won 3-1 to go third in the standings after four

matches.

The club earlier launched an innovative solution to dwindling match

attendance numbers -- putting mannequins with cut-out photographs of fans

into the stands.

Belarus currently has 2,919 reported cases with 29 deaths from the new

coronavirus.

The World Health Organisation has urged the Belarus authorities to introduce

tighter measures to contain the coronavirus, saying on Saturday that the

pandemic was entering a "concerning" new phase in the country.

Lukashenko dismissed fears about the virus as a "psychosis" and said it was

more important to keep the economy going.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 50.59

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating -- in work, in play,

in love. - Anne Morriss