CORONAVIRUS INFECTED MEDICAL FRONTLINERS IN PHILIPPINES SURGE TO 1,694

MANILA - The Philippines on Friday reported a spike in the number of medical

frontliners who are infected with the coronavirus, worsening the struggle

faced by the country's dilapidated healthcare system that is creaking under

the weight of rising infections.

As of May 1, a total of 1,694 healthcare workers in the country contracted

the highly contagious coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), up from 1,619

reported in the previous day, data from the health department showed. Of

those infections, 33 medical workers died while 256 recovered.

Broken down, 24 out of 566 doctors who fell ill died due to the virus while

seven out of 638 infected nurses passed away. Infections were also detected

among nursing assistants (104), medical technologists (66), radiologic

technologists (32), respiratory therapists (18), midwives (19) and

pharmacists (14).

Meanwhile, 237 others in the medical field also tested positive for the

virus.

While medical workers have won praise in the country, the rising number of

infections in their ranks highlights the strain they face in battling the

dreaded disease amid a shortage of protective gear, manpower and testing

capacity.

As of Friday afternoon, Department of Health logs 284 new COVID-19 cases,

raising the total infections in the Philippines to 8,772.

The DOH also reported 41 new recoveries, bringing the total number of

recoveries to 1,084. Meanwhile, 11 new deaths were recorded, which raises

the national toll to 579.

GUIDELINES ON MOVEMENT BETWEEN QUARANTINE ZONES

-Moving from an area under General Community Quarantine to another GCQ area

or from an under Enhanced Community Quarantine to another area under ECQ

will be considered movement within the same zone

-Non-essential entry into and exit from ECQ zones are prohibited except for:

1. health workers

2. government officials and government frontline personnel those traveling

for medical or humanitarian reasons

3. persons transiting to the airport for travel abroad workers in permitted

establishments and persons providing essential goods and services and public

utilities

4. essential skeletal workforce

5. repatriated OFWs and non-OFWs returning to their residences

6. other persons transported through the efforts of the national government

upon conduct of the necessary quarantine protocols and in concurrence with

the receiving LGUs

-"The movement of all types of cargoes by land, air, or sea within and

across areas placed under ECQ or GCQ shall be unhampered."

-Workers in logistics are allowed to transit quarantine areas "provided,

that only a maximum of five personnel may operate cargo and delivery

vehicles by land, with or without load."

-Uniformed personnel as well as government officials and employees on

official business and with travel authority, "especially those transporting

medical supplies and laboratory specimens related to COVID-19, and other

relief and humanitarian assistance," are allowed to passh through zones

-OFWs, permanent residents abroad and foreign nationals may leave the

country through airports and seaports even in areas under ECQ or GCQ. They

may be accompanied by one person, who shall be allowed to return to their

point of origin.

-"Repatriated OFWs or returning non-OFWs who have been issued a DOH or LGU

certificate of completion of 14-day facility-based quarantine, or those who

may be required to undergo a mandatory 14-day home quarantine shall be

granted unhampered transit across zones en route to their final destination

in the Philippines."

RELIGIOUS, WORK GATHERINGS NOT ALLOWED IN GCQ AREAS

Religious gatherings and work gatherings in areas under general community

quarantine will not be allowed, IATF spokesperson Harry Roque said.

According to Roque, the IATF has revised its guidelines on mass gatherings,

which will be the same with areas under enhanced community quarantine.

"Alinsunod po sa mga reklamo na natanggap na nanggagaling po sa mga local

official na imposible raw pong ma-implement 'yung social distancing sa

religious meetings saka sa mga work gathering, nabago na po ang guidelines.

Bumalik po tayo sa rules under ECQ," Roque says at the Laging Handa virtual

briefing.

'WHY MUST YOU PROVOKE THEM?': PHILIPPINE REP IN TAIWAN BLASTS ROQUE

MANILA - Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque didn't need to say Taiwan is

part of China and provoke the island-nation's anger, leading to a possible

deterioration of relations between Manila and Taipei, the Philippines'

representative in Taiwan said Friday.

Angelito Banayo, chairman and resident representative of the Manila Economic

and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei, said in an interview with ANC that

Roque should have been more careful with his statements as he is the

spokesman of President Rodrigo Duterte.

"I hate to say this because Harry Roque is a friend of mine. But let me

remind him that a spokesman must always have a purpose. More so when he has

the President of the country as his principal," Banayo said.

"It's good that has accepted the fact that deportation is the prerogative of

the host country...but what official purpose does it serve to needlessly

remark that Taiwan is part of China and wading in internal affairs of two

countries?

"Is the purpose to injure the sensitivity of a nation that treats almost

160,000 Filipino workers with fairness and equity. What then is the purpose

of extending animosity with a political non-sequitur?" he said.

Roque earlier said the Philippines will leave the issue of deportation

against a Filipina migrant worker "wholly to the decision of Taiwan and

China".

China considers Taiwan, an independent republic, as merely one of its

provinces.

Banayo said that the billions of dollars invested by Taiwan in the

Philippines, and the employment of "hundreds of thousands" of Filipinos in

both countries by the island-nation, might be at risk just because of the

spokesman's comments.

"We have a long history of friendship and Taiwan has always been ready to

help the country in times of disasters and calamities. Why then must we

provoke their anger and stoke their sensitivities?" he said.

Banayo suggested that Roque should apologize to Taiwan.

N. KOREA'S KIM MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE IN NEARLY THREE WEEKS: KCNA

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made his first

public appearance since speculation about his health began last month,

cutting the ribbon at the opening of a fertilizer factory, KCNA reported

Saturday.

Kim attended the event on Friday in Sunchon, near the capital Pyongyang,

after nearly three weeks of swirling rumors that the leader of the

nuclear-armed nation was seriously ill or possibly dead.

The North Korean leader had not made a public appearance since presiding

over a Workers' Party politburo meeting on April 11, and the following day

state media reported that he had inspected fighter jets.

At Friday's event, "all the participants broke into thunderous cheers of

'hurrah!'" when Kim appeared, the Korean Central news agency reported.

He inspected the facility and was "briefed about the production processes,"

the report said.

W.H.O. SAYS COVID-19 'NATURAL IN ORIGIN'

GENEVA, Switzerland - The World Health Organization reiterated Friday that

the new coronavirus was of natural origin after US President Donald Trump

claimed he had seen evidence it originated in a Chinese lab.

Scientists believe the killer virus jumped from animals to humans, emerging

in China late last year, possibly from a market in Wuhan selling exotic

animals for meat.

Trump claimed Thursday that he had seen proof that the Wuhan Institute of

Virology was actually the source of the outbreak, although he refused to

give details.

Asked about Trump's claim during a virtual press conference, WHO emergencies

chief Michael Ryan stressed that the UN health agency had "listened again

and again to numerous scientists who have looked at the sequences" of the

virus.

"We are assured that this virus is natural in origin," he said, reiterating

a stance the UN agency has expressed previously.

The WHO said earlier Friday that it wanted to be invited to take part in

Chinese investigations into the animal origins of the pandemic, which in a

matter of months has killed more than 230,000 people worldwide.

"What is important is that we establish what that natural host for this

virus is," Ryan said, stressing the need to understand "how the animal-human

species barrier was breached."

"And the purpose of understanding that is that we can put in place the

necessary prevention and public health measures to prevent that happening

again anywhere," he said.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus meanwhile continued Friday to push back

against criticism lobbed at his organisation, by Trump in particular, who

suspended Washington's funding after accusing the UN agency of downplaying

the seriousness of the outbreak and kowtowing to China.

FRANCE ALLOTS P109.4 MILLION FOR PHILIPPINES COVID RESPONSE SYSTEM

MANILA - France has allocated additional funding of P109.4 million in grants

to strengthen the surveillance, diagnosis and response systems of the

Philippines and four other Southeast Asian countries to the coronavirus

disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

"In line with the commitments made by French President Emmanuel Macron, the

French Development Agency is mobilizing to respond to this global health

emergency," the French embassy in Manila said yesterday.

Within the framework of the "COVID-19 - Health in Common" initiative

launched on April 9, additional financing was allocated on April 28 to a

project implemented by Institut Pasteur's ECOMORE II (ECOnomic Development,

ECOsystem MOdifications and Emerging Infectious Diseases Risk Evaluation),

which aims to support seven frontline laboratories in the Philippines,

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam in the fight against COVID-19.

In the Philippines, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) has

been selected to benefit from the funding.

'SENATORS MUST BE PHYSICALLY PRESENT ON RESUMPTION OF SESSION'

MANILA - Senators will have to be physically present in order to muster a

quorum when Congress resumes session on Monday so it can properly approve

any changes in parliamentary rules that would allow them to conduct

legislative business via teleconferencing, Senate President Vicente Sotto

III said yesterday.

Topping the Senate agenda is amending its rules to allow the chamber to hold

sessions, committee hearings and other meetings without physical gathering

amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

But to do that, the lawmakers must first be physically present to cast their

votes, particularly on Senate Resolution 372 signed by 15 senators seeking

to amend the rules to allow teleconferencing in legislative proceedings.

"No. Not in our rules yet. After we pass a resolution to that effect. Some

wise guy in the future can question our proceedings if I agree to Frank's

(Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon) proposition. We will allow virtual

attendance and participation after Monday," Sotto said when asked whether or

not the chamber will already start sessions via teleconference on May 4.

He said the directives of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious

Diseases prohibiting gatherings could not supersede a constitutional

mandate.

"We are authorized by the Constitution to formulate our rules, therefore we

may do so after we convene on Monday and agree to what the majority

decides," he pointed out.

THE REST

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ONLY 104 OF 1,632 LGUS HAVE COMPLETED SAP PAYOUT

MANILA - Only 104 of 1,632 local government units (LGUs) met the April 30

deadline for full payout of the P5,000 to P8,000 emergency cash subsidy for

low-income families under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP), meant to

cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

crisis.

This was according to Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista, citing a

tally made on Wednesday.

Irene Dumlao, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) social

marketing service officer-in-charge, said that of the 104 LGUs that

completed the payout, only 10 were able to do a 100 percent liquidation of

the SAP funds they had received from the DSWD and distributed to eligible

families in their jurisdictions.

The 10 LGUs, Dumlao said, submitted liquidation data which included

"disbursement report, SAC (Social Amelioration Card) forms encoded in the

Excel matrix we provided.

She identified the 10 LGUs as Adams, Ilocos Norte in Region 1; Pandi and San

Miguel both in Bulacan in Region 3; Casiguran, Sorsogon; and San Vicente,

Camarines Norte in the Bicol Region; Jordan, Guimaras; Buenavista, Guimaras;

and EB Magalona, Negros Occidental in Region 6; and Sulop and Taragona both

in Davao del Sur in Region 11.."

SULU REGISTERS FIRST COVID-19 CASE

A 63-year-old man, who died 11 days ago in a hospital in Jolo, was confirmed

to be the first positive case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the

province of Sulu, according to Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim

Mindanao (BARMM) Ministry of Health.

The Sulu Task Force COVID said the confirmation came Thursday as the

province transitioned Friday from general community quarantine (GCQ) being

among the areas with negative case prior to the release of confirmation from

Department of Health (DOH).

The patient from Indanan town died on April 19 while confined at the Sulu

Sanitarium. The Sulu Task Force COVID reported the patient has no travel

history and unknown history of exposure.

QUEZON CITY CORONAVIRUS CASES SURGE PAST 1,300

MANILA - Quezon City has registered 43 new COVID-19 cases on Friday,

bringing the total to 1,312, the local government said.

Citing Department of Health (DOH) data, the city government said the total

deaths have risen by 1 to 129. However, 13 more patients have recovered from

COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 242.

The city government also revealed that the number of COVID-19 cases with

complete addresses in Quezon City is now at 1,152.

Of this number, the Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit and

district health offices have validated 994 cases so far.

Barangay Batasan Hills still has the most COVID-19 cases with 53, followed

by Matandang Balara with 41 and Culiat at 38.

Meanwhile, District 4 has the most COVID-19 cases among the city's 6

districts, with 257.

The city government has placed 34 barangays under "extreme enhanced

community quarantine" due to higher risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Some 47 residents have so far been arrested for violating lockdown measures.

Meanwhile, more than 42,000 people have received emergency subsidy from the

government's Social Amelioration Program.

COPS NAB LABOR DAY PROTESTERS

MANILA - Police arrested two labor leaders before noon yesterday after they

staged a demonstration together with six others in a subdivision in

Rodriguez, Rizal to mark Labor Day.

Authorities said Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) vice president Lito

Rastica and labor leader Renaldo Dulay were nabbed for violating guidelines

on public gatherings during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to

prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

While following strict social distancing measures, the demonstrators staged

a protest inside Eastwood Subdivision at 9:30 a.m., holding placards to

commemorate Labor Day.

Probers said the six companions of the duo escaped when the policemen

arrived.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) had earlier warned activists that they

would be arrested and ordered to pay fines if they hold protest actions on

Labor Day that would violate lockdown protocols.

The BMP denounced the arrest of their members and demanded their immediate

release.

"Why is it that when the rich can freely go outdoors and queue to buy

Starbucks or other non-essential goods, they are not arrested? But when

workers call for mass testing and enough financial aid, they are jailed

immediately!" the BMP said in a statement.

The BMP said the inquest proceedings against the labor leaders will be on

Monday.

P40-M WORTH OF UNREGISTERED COVID-19 MEDICINE FROM CHINA SEIZED IN MANILA

WAREHOUSE

MANILA - Some P40 million worth of unregistered medicine from China were

seized at a warehouse in Malate, Manila on Friday.

According to the National Bureau of Investigation, this is believed to be

"Carrymycin" the same brand used by some coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

patients to cure the disease.

The cargo was declared as "personal effects," according to authorities.

The medicines were shipped along with personal protective equipment (PPEs)

and masks, NBI and the Bureau of Customs found.

The said drug from China is not registered with the Food and Drug

Administration.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

KC CONCEPCION TO HALF-SISTER GARIE: 'I CAN ONLY HOPE TO BE THE BEST BIG SIS

TO YOU'

MANILA - "No one's perfect but I can only hope to be the best big sis to

you."

These were the words of KC Concepcion as she expressed how much she loves

her younger half-sister, Garie.

On Instagram this past week, Concepcion shared that she received a surprise

handwritten letter and chocolates from Garie.

The caption read: "To my sister Garie, cheesy as it may sound, you never

fail to make me feel loved [and] appreciated. Though we didn't grow up

together, you are pure evidence that what matters most is what we do TODAY &

everyday!"

She added: "Sooo thoughtful to surprise me w/ a handwritten message [and]

chocolate covered strawberries! ... No one's perfect but I can only hope to

be the best big sis to you. Thank you sis! ILY!"

Garie replied: "Love you. ate! You're the best sis one could ever have,"

KC is Gabby Concepcion's daughter with Sharon Cuneta, while Garie, also a

singer, is his daughter with Grace Ibuna.

SPORTS

LEBRON JAMES SHOWS OFF 'SPACE JAM 2' LOGO, CONFIRMS TITLE

MANILA - Despite being in lockdown, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is

giving basketball fans something to be excited about.

James showed off the logo for the upcoming movie "Space Jam 2" on his

Instagram on Thursday (Friday, Manila time) where he will be playing the

starring role.

He also confirmed the official title of the movie - "Space Jam: A New

Legacy".

The movie is a sequel to the original 1996 "Space Jam" movie starring

Michael Jordan.

It is expected to release July next year with filming wrapping up in March

this year.

Apart from James, other basketball stars like Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard,

Anthony Davis and Diana Taurasi are tipped to make apperances in the movie.

James and the rest of the NBA has been on season stoppage since March 11 due

to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The league has yet to announce anything final on whether or not the season

can resume play.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 50.40

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of

enthusiasm. - Winston Churchill