'EVERYTHING IS WELL': DUTERTE ASSURES NATION ON NOVEL CORONAVIRUS RISKMANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte assured the Philippines late Monday nightthat the two confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus—one of whom died overthe weekend—are nothing to be alarmed about.Speaking to media after a meeting with top officials over the 2019-nCoVoutbreak, Duterte stressed that the two cases had arrived in the Philippinesfrom China and are not cases of local transmission."Everything is well in the country. There's nothing really to be extrascared of that coronavirus thing. Although it has affected a lot ofcountries, but you know, one or two in any country is not really thatfearsome," he said."In the Philippines, we only have two cases... two reported deaths but theywere Chinese... imported, hindi galing dito. It was not a native of thePhilippines but rather it was an imported one," he said, referring to thetwo travelers who are from Wuhan in China but arrived from Hong Kong onJanuary 21.The first confirmed case was a 38-year-old woman who had flown to Cebu andDumaguete before being admitted to a hospital in Manila on January 25. Thesecond case, a 44-year-old man, has been described as her partner orboyfriend.He died on Saturday, the Department of Health and World Health Organizationannounced on Sunday.Duterte also spoke out against calls to bar all Chinese people from thePhilippines."You know, it is not only a case of bad taste but it is not good for usFilipinos to be saying that. Remember, there are now so many thousands ofFilipinos in China and they cannot go out because coming in or going out ofChina is prohibited."'CHINA HAS BEEN KIND TO US': DUTERTE SAYS STOP BLAMING CHINESE FOR 2019-NCOVSPREADMANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday told Filipinos to stop blamingthe Chinese people for the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).Speaking to reporters after an emergency meeting with Cabinet officials andthe World Health Organization (WHO) representative, Duterte said hating theChinese would not be beneficial for the country especially since there arealso a lot of Filipinos in China."And this kind of mentioning the Chinese and blaming them, it’s like axenophobia. You hate anything that is Chinese. It is not good," he said."One is that we have many Filipinos in China. Second is even if there arenone, you know, we are a community of nations. We cooperate. China has beenkind to us. We can only also show the same favor to them, Duterte added.For Duterte, the spread of the virus is no one's fault, as it could havestarted anywhere in the world."Stop this xenophobia thing about… Kasi ang gusto mong masabi nila na ‘yung--- ito ngayon they are blaming the Chinese na galing sa China. It canalways… How would you call this? Incubate in some other places," he said."It happened in China on --- at least the first, ‘yun lang. But that is notthe fault of anybody. Not of the Chinese, not of the Filipinos, not ofanyone," Duterte added.GOV'T SEEKS POLITICAL CEASEFIRE AS PH SEEKS TO CONTAIN CHINA VIRUS SPREADMANILA - Malacañang on Monday appealed for a halt on politicking as thePhilippines ramped up efforts to prevent the spread of the 2019 novelcoronavirus.Communications Secretary Martin Andanar made the request a day after Manilaconfirmed its first coronavirus-related death, saying there are governmentcritics who supposedly want to "hijack" the public health crisis and turn itinto a political issue."Let us set aside our individual differences as we ask a moratorium topeople who want to hijack this situation and reduce it to mere politickingbecause lives are at stake," he said during a Palace press briefing.DUTERTE ALLAYS FEARS OVER 2019-NCOV OUTBREAKPresident Rodrigo Duterte on Monday sought to allay fears over the outbreakof the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that has spread from China, killingover 300 people and infecting several thousand others."Everything is well in the country. There's nothing really to beextra-scared of that coronavirus thing," Duterte said in a televised newsconference from Malacanang following an emergency meeting with key membersof his Cabinet and the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in thecountry.The Philippines has reported two confirmed cases of the 2019-nCoV acuterespiratory disease, involving two Chinese tourists who came from theChinese city of Wuhan where the virus originated. One of the patients diedon Saturday.Health officials said Monday it has probed 80 people so far for possiblecontraction of the 2019-nCoV ARD, although only two have yielded positiveresults. Thirty tested negative, while the results for the remaining 48 arestill pending.Duterte said there is no need for the public to be hysterical, as it didwhen initial reports of the new coronavirus were coming out, saying peoplecan go to the hospital and get treatment.He said he himself is not even scared to shake hands with people.The President said similar to the previous spread of HIV and SARS-CoV, thecurrent problem will also just "die a natural death" even as he acknowledgedefforts to reach a solution for it."But it would… Kagaya ng SARS, I assure you even without the vaccines itwill just die a natural death. Apparently itong mga ganito, mga virus, ano‘to HIV. Wala --- nawala na. Meron, kokonti na lang," Duterte said.CHINA ADMITS 'SHORTCOMINGS' IN VIRUS RESPONSEBEIJING — China's top leadership on Monday admitted "shortcomings anddifficulties" in its response to the coronavirus outbreak, as state mediasaid a new hospital built at breakneck pace began receiving patients in theepicenter of the crisis.Fifty-seven new deaths were confirmed on Monday -- the single-biggest dailyincrease since the virus was detected late last year in the central city ofWuhan.The government in Beijing nevertheless hit out at the United States forsparking "panic" with its response to the coronavirus, including a ban onforeigners who have recently been to China.China's elite Politburo Standing Committee called for improvements to the"national emergency management system" following "shortcoming anddifficulties exposed in the response to the epidemic," according to theofficial Xinhua news agency."It is necessary to strengthen market supervision, resolutely ban andseverely crack down on illegal wildlife markets and trade," it added.The government also said it "urgently" needed medical equipment and surgicalmasks, protective suits, and safety goggles as it battles to control theoutbreak.Authorities in provinces that are home to more than 300 million people --including Guangdong, the country's most populous in south China -- haveordered everyone to wear masks in public.But factories capable of producing around 20 million masks a day are onlyoperating at 60-70 percent of capacity, industry department spokesman TianYulong said, adding that supply and demand remained in "tight equilibrium"as a result of the Lunar New Year break.Tian said authorities were taking steps to bring in masks from Europe, Japanand the United States, while the foreign ministry said countries includingSouth Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan and Hungary had donated medical supplies.STRANDED CHINESE NATIONALS RETURN TO GUANGZHOUMANILA — Chinese nationals stranded at the Ninoy Aquino InternationalAirport (NAIA) were finally able to return to their country early yesterdayon a China Southern Airlines return flight to Guangzhou, after PhilippineAirlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific and Air Asia Zest canceled their flights to andfrom China, Hong Kong and Macau due to the 2019 novel coronavirus acuterespiratory disease (nCoV ARD).The China Southern Airlines flight CZ 3091 that used an Airbus 787 aircraftarrived at NAIA Terminal 1 around 10:30 a.m. with Filipino passengers and topick up the Chinese passengers who were stranded due to flight cancelations.Cebu Pacific Chinese passengers were brought to NAIA 1 to board flight CZ3092 back to Guangzhou.Some 300 Chinese nationals were stranded at NAIA because most of theairlines have canceled their flights to and from the different parts ofChina, Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson Dana Sandoval said at pressbriefing in Malacañang yesterday.Sandoval later clarified that the figure also included Chinese nationals inother parts of the country who wanted to go home.Thousands of incoming passengers, mostly Chinese and several French, Dutch,Canadian and other foreign nationals, were not allowed to enter the countryafter Malacañang on Sunday issued a directive preventing foreign passengerswho arrived from China, Hong Kong and Macau from entering the country amidthe outbreak of the nCoV.PAL and Cebu Pacific flights to and from mainland China (Beijing, Shanghai,Xiamen, Guangzhou and Shenzhen) remain canceled until March 29.All foreign nationals, except those with valid Permanent Resident Visas tothe Philippines, who have visited mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau 14days before traveling to the Philippines will not be allowed to check in fortheir flights.PHILIPPINES TO WAIT FOR PROOF THAI 'DRUG COCKTAIL' EFFECTIVE VS CORONAVIRUS:DOHMANILA - The Philippines will wait for further research on a combination ofmedications for flu and HIV that supposedly treated cases of coronavirus inThailand, Manila's health minister said Tuesday.A mixture of anti-HIV drugs lopinavir and ritonavir plus large doses of fludrug oseltamivir supposedly improved the condition of several novelcoronavirus patients, including a 71-year-old woman, under the care ofRajavithi Hospital in Bangkok, its doctors said.The treatment lacks scientific basis and is only backed by anecdotalevidence so far, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said, quoting theWorld Health Organization.Duque said he was also uncertain if the so-called "drug cocktail" wasapplied to "mild" coronavirus cases in which patients get better on theirown, or "severe" cases, about 2 percent of which lead to death."Kailangan pa natin ng further advisories kasi mahirap din naman baka maymangyari sa paggamit mo ng gamot, magiging pananagutan pa natin, kukumplikalang lalo ang sitwasyon," he told DZMM."Maigi na iyong maghintay-hintay tayo. Kung may patunay itong cocktail naito ay talagang epektibo, mabisa, ba't hindi naman natin gagamitin," headded.The coronavirus outbreak that emerged from China has killed more than 425,including a 44-year-old Chinese man who arrived in Manila in January.The fatality from the Chinese central city of Wuhan, the outbreak'sepicenter, showed "signs of improvement" before his health deteriorated,said Duque."Sa China, ganoon din e. Maraming kaso na mabilis ang kanilang downturn,nagdi-deteriorate ang kaso nila," he said.The Philippines is checking another confirmed coronavirus patient: a38-year-old woman from Wuhan, as well as 80 possible cases of the disease,he said.DOH HAD 'GAPS' IN COMMUNICATING INFO ON NEW CORONAVIRUS: EX-HEALTH CHIEFMANILA - The Philippines has a "strong health system" but had "gaps" inrelaying information to the public about the new coronavirus, a formerhealth secretary said Tuesday.The country is equipped "infrastructure-wise" to handle the new strain ofvirus but communicating information about it was a problem, according toIloilo Rep. Janette Garin."Yes we are prepared, we have the technical capability but the button topush that somehow came late," she told ANC's Early Edition."There were gaps in conveying the information, especially on laymanizing itand the number of people that were tasked to help."There should be a minimum of 3 to 5 spokespersons assigned to answerquestions from the regions, Garin said.The Department of Health should also "immediately refute" misinformation onsocial media, she added.Several schools in Manila had earlier suspended classes following a falsereport of an alleged novel coronavirus case in Binondo, Manila.TAAL FISHERS SEEK WINDOW HOURS TO HARVEST, FEED FISHMANILA — Fishermen in Taal Lake are appealing to the government to give them“window hours” to feed and harvest fish as well as repair their fish pens.In a letter to Agriculture Secretary William Dar and Batangas Gov.Hermilando Mandanas, the 3,000 members of the Taal Lake Aquaculture AllianceInc. (TLAAI) said 70 percent of their fish cages are intact despite TaalVolcano’s activity.TLAAI said BFAR and Coast Guard personnel should assist in theimplementation of the window hours.“Half of the surviving cages still have healthy living fish, but they needto be fed... to maximize quality and value. We also need to repair our cagesand start recovering and rebuilding whatever is left of our livelihood. Itis our only chance to recover and sustain our 12,000 workers and theirfamilies,” the group said.SAN JUAN BREAKS GROUND FOR P1 BILLION SOCIALIZED HOUSINGMANILA — At least 500 families will benefit from the second P1.03-billionsocialized housing project in San Juan City that broke ground yesterday,Mayor Francis Zamora said.With the first 22-story residential building that started last year, Zamorasaid the city government would be able to provide homes to around 1,000families.The housing project will rise along F. Manalo street in Barangay Batis.The building will have 540 residential units in a 2,577-square meterproperty with an average size of 29 square meters per unit. The firstbuilding is expected to house 296 families.“So in no time, we would be able to provide shelter to almost 1,000families,” Zamora said during the groundbreaking rites.He assured the public that no cost would be incurred by the localgovernment, which has a P1-billion debt left by the previous administration.Informal settlers and low-income families will benefit from the housingproject, according to the mayor.There are around 6,000 informal settler families in San Juan.“The previous administration relocated families in far-flung areas. It’sdifficult for those who work in Metro Manila to travel four to five hoursdaily,” Zamora said.He said the beneficiaries would have decent housing, which they can ownafter 25 years.“The units are rent-to-own. What they paid in 25 years would be consideredas partial payment,” he said.The local government opted to build vertical housing buildings due to thelack of vacant lots in the city.Luz Evangelista, officer-in-charge of the National Housing AuthorityNational Capital Region, said the program prompted other local governmentunits to follow San Juan’s housing project.The project – a modern, condominium-type building – is a complete housingpackage with water and electric facilities, a basketball court, amulti-purpose room and 14 commercial units.JOLO FIRE LEAVES AT LEAST 2,000 FAMILIES HOMELESSCOTABATO CITY — At least 2,000 families in Jolo have been displaced by a bigfire that hit seaside communities in the capital of Sulu province on Monday.Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahimsaid the regional government will help the Sulu provincial government attendto the needs of the fire victims.The regional government will distribute an initial 3,000 food packs to thoseaffected by the fire, BARMM's executive secretary, Abdulraof Macacua, alsoconcurrent Bangsamoro natural resources minister, said Tuesday.BARMM's emergency and calamity response unit will lead the relief operationswith the help of the police and the military's Western Mindanao Command.The Bureau of Fire Protection-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region is stillinvestigating what started the fire that razed thousands of small houses inTulay, Chinese Pier and Takut-Takut—three of the eight barangays in thecapital town.Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, Bangsamoro local government minister, said Tuesdaythe regional government will focus attention on the plight of the residentsdisplaced by the incident in support of the relief efforts of the Suluprovincial risk reduction and management council under the office of Gov.Sakur Tan.The fire reportedly started about in Barangay Tulay about 9:30 a.m. onMonday and quickly spread through houses made mostly of wood.PNP EYES LOCKDOWN OF TRAINING CAMPSMANILA — The Philippine National Police is considering a temporary lockdownof its training schools to protect PNP personnel and cadets amid the threatof the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (nCoV ARD), anofficial said yesterday.Among the training camps that could be closed to visitors are the PhilippineNational Police Academy (PNPA) in Silang, Cavite and National PoliceTraining Institute (NPTI) in Calamba City, Laguna.“We are seriously considering a temporary lockdown of the PNPA, NPTI andother regional training facilities to ensure the safety of cadets andtrainees,” PNP chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa told reporters at CampCrame in Quezon City.Gamboa said there is no specific timetable when the police training campswould be closed, adding they are still consulting with the Department ofHealth.“We will do it but only after a careful study,” he said.The PNP headquarters at Camp Crame and other police camps will remain opento the public, according to Gamboa.He urged police officers to take precautionary measures against the viraldisease.Police commanders were also given the discretion to allot funding for facemasks for their personnel.ELLEN ADARNA STEPS OUT TO WATCH LANY IN CEBUMANILA – More than two years after her showbiz hiatus, Ellen Adarna isslowly becoming more visible in public events.The actress watched the American band LANY at the Plus63 Music and ArtsFestival, which was held last Sunday at SM Seaside City in her hometown ofCebu.On Monday, she took to Instagram to express her love for LANY as she sharedphotos from the festival.“ILYSB, LANY,” she said.Last week, Adarna sparked rumors of a new romance after posting photos ofher appearing to be sweet with a man she tagged as Carlos Lemus.The actress has a one-year-old son with actor John Lloyd Cruz.NBA SCORES FEB 2FINAL/OT    1    2    3    4    OT    Tteam logo Nuggets 34-16    44    21    24    22    12    123team logo Pistons 18-33    30    38    22    21    17    128SCORING LEADERSN. Jokic DEN39 PTS, 10 REB, 11 ASTA. Drummond DET21 PTS, 17 REB, 4 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Suns 20-29    26    26    28    28    108team logo Bucks 42-7    30    37    30    32    129SCORING LEADERSD. Booker PHO32 PTS, 7 REB, 6 ASTG. Antetokounmpo MIL30 PTS, 19 REB, 9 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Pelicans 20-30    28    32    33    16    109team logo Rockets 31-18    30    35    27    25    117SCORING LEADERSB. Ingram NO28 PTS, 12 REB, 3 ASTJ. Harden HOU40 PTS, 10 REB, 9 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Bulls 19-33    29    34    22    17    102team logo Raptors 36-14    32    28    35    34    129SCORING LEADERST. Young CHI21 PTS, 7 REB, 1 ASTT. Davis TOR31 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST