DUTERTE PUTS METRO MANILA, NEARBY PROVINCES UNDER MECQ

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the imposition of Modified

Enhanced Community Quarantine in Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and

Bulacan as recommended by members of the Cabinet.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the announcement in a text

message to reporters while the president was talking about something else

entirely.

The MECQ will take effect at midnight of August 4 and will be in place until

August 18, according to reports.

Under guidelines released by the government in May, areas under Modifiied

ECQ will have limited movements within the MECQ zone for obtaining essential

services and work.

The following protocols will also be in place:

Operation of selected manufacturing and processing plants up to maximum of

50% workforce

Limited transporting services for essential goods and services

No public transport

No domestic flights, limited international flights

Controlled inbound travel (OFWs/returning filipinos)

Biking and non-motorized transport encouraged

No inter-island travel

No physical classes at all levels

Each family will have 2 members with quarantine passes that will permit them

to go on supply runs.

This comes after medical professionals and frontliners over the weekend

issued separate statements urging the national government to reform and

recalibrate its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, slamming what they called

the administration's militarist approach.

"Nobody in this world was really prepared to deal with this, in only a

matter of 48 hours upon advice, I already suspended the usual way of life. I

already sequestered you inside the quarantine of your homes," Duterte said

in a mix of Filipino and English.

"What I said earlier in the early days of this pandemic thing, I said that,

you know, be careful because it is wallowing the rest of the world. In Cebu

and Manila, you see, almost same behavior, there are really people still

going out," he also said.

Duterte at his address also admitted to lapses on the part of the national

government that were pointed out by the healthcare professionals, though he

was quick to pin the blame on corrupt officials in local governments.

MODES OF TRANSPORTATION ALLOWED, PROHIBITED IN AREAS UNDER MECQ

In a speech aired late Sunday, President Rodrigo Duterte announced that

Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan will return to a stricter

MECQ from August 4 to 18—heeding the calls of an overburdened health sector

for a “timeout” as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases surged.

From the time the announcement was made, the public was given a mere 24

hours to buy groceries and medicines, close their establishments anew and

plan ahead.

“For areas under the MECQ, public transportation is not allowed, and some

transportation services will remain limited,” DOTr said.

Those who will be hardest hit by the lack of public transport include

medical frontliners, workers in sectors that are allowed to operate and the

public transportation industry itself. Some jeepney drivers who were

recently allowed to operate will be prohibited on the roads once again.

The following modes of public transportation will not be allowed in areas

under MECQ:

Buses

Jeepneys

Taxis

TNVS

Tricycles (but with exceptions, subject to the guidelines set by the

Department of the Interior and Local Government and respective local

government units

Philippines National Railways, Light Rail Transit Line 1 and Line 2 and

Metro Rail Transit Line 3

The only public transportation allowed will be public shuttles for

frontliners and workers in industries allowed to operate under MECQ.

For private transport, the following will be permitted:

Company shuttle with passenger capacity of 50% and a special permit from

LTFRB for rented shuttles

Personal vehicles owned by workers in permitted sectors with only two people

per row

Individual use of bicycle, motorcycle or e-scooter by people allowed to go

out

PALACE TO VIRUS FRONTLINERS: WHY WAS DUTERTE 'LAST TO KNOW' YOUR DEMANDS?

MANILA — Malacañang on Monday questioned health workers on why President

Rodrigo Duterte was the “last to know” about their demands for improving the

countryÂ’s pandemic response.

Health workers called for Metro Manila to be placed under stricter lockdown

measures in an online seminar over the weekend, hours before Duterte

received their letter with this demand, said his spokesperson Harry Roque.

"Ibinigay natin lahat ng gusto ng mga frontliners dahil kinikilala natin

kayo bilang bagong bayani," Roque told ABS-CBNÂ’s TeleRadyo.

"Pero tingin ko dapat sagutin nila: Why was the President the last to know

about their demands at ipinaalam muna nila sa buong mundo bago nila ibinigay

kay Presidente iyong gusto nilang mangyari?" He said.

Duterte on Sunday announced that he would put back Metro Manila, Laguna,

Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan on modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

The President, however, also told health workers to “do the soul-searching”

and “do not try to demean government” by criticizing it.

“Next time, you can ask for an audience. Pero 'wag ho kayong magsigaw-sigaw,

rebolusyon, rebolusyon," Duterte said.

HEALTH WORKERS WANT TO HELP, NOT 'DEMEAN' GOVÂ’T WITH COVID-19 SUGGESTIONS:

PMA

MANILA — Medical frontliners gave suggestions on the country’s pandemic

response to “help” authorities and not to “demean” the government as claimed

by President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine Medical Association said

Monday.

Health workers earlier asked the government to place back Metro Manila under

stricter lockdown measures to arrest a spike in COVID-19 cases—a suggestion

that Duterte followed over the weekend.

The President, however, also told health workers to “do the soul-searching”

and “do not try to demean government” by criticizing it.

“No. Our purpose really is to help, to get some breather, to really make

sure that we are doing the right thing,” said PMA president Dr. Jose

Santiago Jr.

“We have to learn from the past 4 months, what are the weaknesses we had so

we can strengthen that in the coming days or in the coming weeks so we are

more prepared,” he added.

A shortage of health workers is among the problems that the government needs

to address. While one nurse ideally should tend to only one patient in

intensive care, nurses in some hospitals take care of 10 to 15 coronavirus

patients, Santiago said.

Aside from this problem, the Healthcare Professionals Alliance against

COVID-19 earlier said the government should also solve the following issues:

- Failure in finding coronavirus carries due to inaccurate rapid antibody

tests;

- Errors in quarantine protocols;

- Insufficient modes of public transport;

- Public disobedience of health guidelines;

- Breach of quarantine rules in workplaces; and

- Delays in the distribution of cash aid for displaced workers and the

poorest families.

“It’s really something that we have to prepare [for] in this kind of

battle,” Santiago said of the case projection.

'ITAGO NA LANG': HEALTH WORKERS' GROUP SAYS RAPID ANTIBODY TESTS INACCURATE

MANILA — Massive use of rapid antibody tests could be one reason for the

increase in coronavirus infections in the Philippines, a group of health

professionals warned Monday, adding that the tests are sometimes only 50

percent accurate.

Dr. Antonio Dans, spokesperson of the Healthcare Professions Alliance

Against COVID-19, said widespread use of rapid test kits by local

governments and offices as a requirement before workers can return to their

jobs could have led to the rise in coronavirus infections.

"[Ang rapid antibody test] hindi po 'yan accurate. Nagbigay na ng babala ang

[World Health Organization]...Kung may 10 tao na may COVID-19, 5 lima hindi

niya nahahanap. Nagkakamali siya sa 50 percent," Dans said in an interview

on ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

"Biro niyo, may ubo't sipon at lagnat, tapos gagawan niyo ng antibody test,

kalahati nun ay negative e di pauuwiin, papayagang magtrabaho, e di

manghahawa. Tingin ng marami sa amin, kaya lumala ng ganito ay dahil sa

antibody test na 'yan," he added.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned about the

limitations of the rapid antibody test kits, saying the kits only work half

the time.

Local doctors associations said they do not recommend the use of rapid

antibody tests for COVID-19 to screen employees returning to work.

In the interview, Dans urged companies and LGUs to stop using the rapid test

kits. "Dapat sa ngayon wag na munang gamitin, itago na lang. Gamitin ang

swab," he said, referring to the real-time reverse transcription polymerase

chain reaction-based tests that check if a patientÂ’s sample has the COVID-19

virus.

PHILIPPINES TO BOOST CONTACT TRACING DURING METRO MANILA MODIFIED LOCKDOWN:

AÑO

MANILA - The 2-week modified lockdown that will be imposed in Metro Manila

and 4 provinces aims to improve government's contact tracing efforts, the

vice chair of the National Task Force against the pandemic said Monday.

Aside from the virus epicenter, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan will be

placed on modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from August 4 to 18

as virus cases continue to surge.

"Ang purpose natin dito sa MECQ ay 'yung ating contact tracing. Sa Oplan

Kalinga, lahat ng positive atsaka contact suspects ay dapat ma-test natin at

ma-quarantine," Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año told

ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

'A SERIES OF DEVASTATING BLUNDERS': LACSON RENEWS CALL FOR DUQUE RESIGNATION

AS VIRUS CASES RISE

MANILA - Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Monday renewed his call for Health Secretary

Francisco Duque III to "resign or be replaced" after President Rodrigo

Duterte defended the Cabinet member anew even as coronavirus disease 2019

(COVID-19) cases continue to surge in the country.

There are 14 senators and various medical groups who want Duque out of the

Department of Health's helm, especially during the global pandemic, Lacson

said in a statement.

"I couldnÂ’t understand what 'amulet' or magic potion Duque has as far as the

President is concerned," he said.

Duterte, in a late night address, said Duque should not be blamed for the

spread of the virus in the Philippines because he "did not import COVID-19."

"No, sir. The COVID-19 importers are the virus-infected couple from Wuhan,

China who spread the virus in Manila because your Secretary Duque miserably

failed to do a simple contact tracing," Lacson said in a tweet.

"His failure to do a simple contact tracing on the co-passengers who took

the same flight as the virus-infected couple... was his first major offense

in a series of devastating blunders," he said.

He earlier tweted: "The health workersÂ’ plea for a 2-week ECQ is simply

telling DOH that we are not moving towards the right direction. If nothing

is wrong with the rudder, maybe the ship captain needs immediate

replacement."

Lacson and other senators have earlier blamed the DOH chief for the

Philippines' failure to stockpile medical supply, COVID-19 test kits, and

personal protective equipment for frontliners in the first quarter of 2020

when the number of coronavirus patients in the country was less than a

hundred.

In April, 14 senators signed a resolution calling for Duque's resignation

but the President shrugged off the petition and kept his Cabinet secretary.

As of August 2, the Philippines has breached the 100,000 mark with 103,185

COVID-19 cases.

Despite this, the President continues to defend Duque's leadership in the

Health Department.

"All these being considered, it is not difficult to understand why we are in

this mess," Lacson said.

THE REST

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PHILIPPINE AIRLINES AWAITS COVID-19 TASKFORCE GUIDELINES ON FLIGHTS UNDER

MECQ

MANILA - Philippine Airlines said Monday it was awaiting the guidance from

the country's coronavirus task force on how flights would proceed following

the reimposition of modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila.

President Rodrigo Duterte on late Sunday placed Metro Manila, Cavite,

Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan under modified ECQ until Aug. 18 after cases

surged and after frontliners asked for some "breathing space.

Under MECQ, public transportation is not allowed, to curb the spread of

COVID-19.

"We are awaiting guidance from the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force), CAAP,

CAB, MIAA on the specific effect of the return to MECQ on flights. We will

inform the public accordingly once such guidance/information is given," PAL

spokesperson Cielo Villaluna told ABS-CBN News.

Local airlines PAL, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia earlier grounded fleets when

the entire island of Luzon was placed under lockdown. Flights gradually

resumed after restrictions were eased on June 1.

On land, the operators of MRT-3 and LRT-2 on Monday announced that

operations would be temporarily suspended starting Aug. 4, in compliance

with the MECQ guidelines.

POLICE SET TIGHTER SECURITY CHECKS IN METRO MANILA, OTHER AREAS UNDER MECQ

Authorities will increase and tighten checkpoints in Metro Manila and

several neighboring provinces that President Rodrigo Duterte placed back

under the second strictest pandemic lockdown, a police official said Monday.

Instead of having checkpoints only in the boundaries between regions and

provinces, there will also be checkpoints between cities and towns under the

modified enhanced community quarantine or MECQ, said Joint Task Force COVID

Shield Commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar.

This aims to prevent the public from getting goods and services outside the

area where they live, he told ABS-CBNÂ’s TeleRadyo.

“Kung hindi kayo mga authorized persons outside residence dahil hindi naman

kayo workforce sa mga permitted industry, ‘wag na po kayong lumabas ng

bahay,” he added.

MANILA CHURCHES SUSPEND MASSES

MANILA — Churches under the Archdiocese of Manila will suspend public masses

and other religious gatherings beginning today until Aug. 14 following the

appeal of doctors and nurses to revert Metro Manila to the stricter enhanced

community quarantine or ECQ amid the rising cases of coronavirus disease

2019 (COVID-19).

“In response to the call of medical frontliners, all churches and parishes

under the Archdiocese of Manila will go back to ECQ protocols,” Auxiliary

Bishop Broderick Pabillo announced on Saturday.

Pabillo, however, said masses and religious services online would continue.

The Diocese of Cubao headed by Bishop Honesto Ongtioco also announced that

it would not hold religious activities for two weeks.

On Saturday, various medical groups urged the government to place the

National Capital Region under ECQ for two weeks, saying the period will

serve as a “time out to recalibrate the strategies against COVID-19.”

MALACAÑANG ANNOUNCES 2021 HOLIDAYS

MANILA—Malacañang released on Monday the list of regular and special

non-working holidays for 2021.

Through President Rodrigo DuterteÂ’s Proclamation No. 986, the Palace

declared the following days as holidays:

Regular Holidays

January 1 - New Year's Day

April 1- Maundy Thursday

Apirl 2- Good Friday

April 9 - Araw ng Kagitingan

May 1 - Labor Day

June 12 - Independence Day

August 30 (last Monday of August) - National Heroes Day

November 30 - Bonifacio Day

December 25 - Christmas Day

December 30 - Rizal Day

Special Non-Working Days

February 12 - Chinese New Year

February 25 - EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary

April 3 - Black Saturday

August 21 - Ninoy Aquino Day

November 1 - All Saints Day

December 8 - Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary

December 31 - Last Day of the Year

Additional Special Non-Working Days

November 2- All Souls Day

December 24- Christmas Eve

The proclamations declaring national holidays for Eid'l Fitr and Eid'l Adha

will be issued subsequently, the Palace said.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

DOCUMENTARY 'IN THIS FAMILY' WINS AT 2020 PBS SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

MANILA – The Filipino documentary film “In This Family” has officially been

named the jury winner for the 2020 PBS Short Film Festival.

This was announced by filmmaker Drama del Rosario in his Facebook account

last week, saying this feat “is so huge coming from a very, very stacked

jury.”

“Thank you so much to everyone who watched and voted for my documentary!

Your support has been so overwhelming, and I am so moved by all the messages

from queer youth, parents of queer children, and teachers of queer students.

I hope this documentary moves us closer to helping the LGBTQIA+ community

feel safe and loved, especially within Asian families and schools,” he said.

Del Rosario said showcasing this documentary at this particular time has

been special to him for two reasons.

“First, this documentary is executive produced by Cinematografo, which is

under ABS-CBN International. As a lot of people know, ABS-CBN and Philippine

media in general are not in a good place right now because of Philippine

politics. It has been so humbling to have this documentary represent how

important it is to keep Philippine media alive and growing! Our voices need

to be heard,” he said.

Secondly, del Rosario said the documentary became a way for him to be

connected to so many “Glee” fans because he referenced the show in the film.

“Naya Rivera’s character Santana Lopez was one of the crucial queer

characters that helped me and my family get to where we are now. It is a

testament to how much queer entertainment can change the life of a family on

the other side of the world,” he said.

Based on its official page, “In This Family” tells the story of del Rosario

after he was outed as a gay teen to his family.

It gives a glimpse of how his family reacted, as well as the societyÂ’s

understanding of homosexuality. The film likewise explores how parents learn

to embrace their children unconditionally.

SPORTS

NBA: Balanced Magic roll past Kings

Six players scored in double figures as the Orlando Magic cruised past the

Sacramento Kings, 132-116, in their second game of the restart of the NBA

season at the Walt Disney World complex in Florida, Sunday (Monday in

Manila).

Terrence Ross came off the bench to contribute 25 points, while Nikola

Vucevic had a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds. Aaron Gordon

scored 19 of his 22 points in the first half to set the tone for the Magic.

Orlando got off to a fast start, leading 44-26 after the first period, and

they never looked back from there.

Guard Markelle Fultz punctuated their huge opening quarter by drilling a

long heave at the buzzer. The Magic would eventually lead by as much as 36

points in the game wherein they shot 52.4% from the field, including 47.4%

from beyond the arc.

Fultz (14), Michael Carter-Williams (12), and DJ Augustin (10) also reached

double-digits for the Magic.

The win did not come without a cost for Orlando, however, as big man

Jonathan Isaac had to be helped off the court after re-injuring his left

knee.

Harry Giles III had a career-high 23 points for the Kings. Sacramento has

now lost both of their games in the bubble, denting their chances of

claiming the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

People treat you the way you treat yourself. - Michael Bassey Johnson