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(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila – Another 28,471 people in the country have been infected with COVID-19, the Department of Health said on Tuesday.

This is the first time since Jan. 12 that the single-day tally was below 30,000.

It raised the total case count to 3,270,758, where 8.7% or 284,458 are active cases. This number of currently sick people is down from the all-time high of nearly 291,000 reported on Monday.

However, the DOH said five testing laboratories did not submit data on time. It noted the five facilities made up for 1.7% of all samples tested and 2.1% of all positive results over the last two weeks… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — Limited face-to-face classes for all degree programs of higher education institutions (HEIs) in areas under Alert level 3 are set to begin on Jan. 31, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced Tuesday.

CHED also said HEIs in Alert Level 2 areas may start limited in-person classes anytime.

“Application to CHED is not a requirement for the conduct of the limited face-to-face classes,” the commission noted.

CHED said HEIs planning to implement such “must be willing to assume the responsibilities for the reopening of their campuses” that include complying with health protocols, retrofitting facilities, and getting support from stakeholders.

Institutions must also notify their regional CHED office by submitting an accomplished self-assessment checklist and notarized affidavit of undertaking prior the start date of their limited face-to-face classes, CHED added.

If there is clustering of COVID-19 cases, the HEI’s Crisis Management Committee will decide on the preventive suspension of the limited face-to-face classes in consultation with the local task force against COVID-19.

In December 2021, colleges and universities under Alert Level 2 started their limited in-person classes.

Under existing guidelines, CHED only allows fully vaccinated students and personnel to participate in limited in-person classes. Flexible learning will still be implemented for the unvaccinated.

As of Dec. 29, CHED said 87.1% of HEI faculty and employees, and 59.7% of students already received their coronavirus shots… Read More

(PhilStar) MANILA, Philippines — Power generators are assuring the public of enough inventory amid Indonesia’s coal export ban, which is seen to have a short-term impact on the Philippines.

In a statement, the Philippine Independent Power Producers Association Inc. (PIPPA) said its member generation companies (gencos) are continuously monitoring the developing concern on Indonesia’s coal export ban.

“We believe that this will have a short-term effect on the Philippine coal supply, and we remain optimistic on the lifting of the export ban,” it said.

“We assure the public that our member generators comply with the 30-day inventory levels set by the Department of Energy (DOE),” the group said.

Last month, the Indonesian Directorate-General of Mineral and Coal announced the ban for the entire month of January to avert a looming power crisis in Indonesia.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi made a written appeal to Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif to lift its coal export ban, specifically to the Philippines… Read More

(PhilStar) MANILA, Philippines — Telco giant PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. are urging their customers to transact using the group’s available digital channels as tighter restrictions have been put in place in more cities and provinces due to the rising cases of COVID-19.

PLDT and Smart senior vice president and head of consumer sales group Alex Caeg said the call is being made given that customers and employees’ safety are the group’s priority.

“Customers can reach us via our virtual booking sites, social media accounts, websites, and hotlines. The frontliner teams are ready to serve,” Caeg said.

PLDT and Smart said customers can pay their bills online, and can also apply for new accounts online at pldthome.com.

For billing concerns, PLDT customers can text PLDTHOMEBILL and send to 0970 0000 171 or check their bills at my.pldthome.com.

Smart postpaid subscribers, for their part, can manage their accounts via the GigaLife App or through my.smart.com.ph.

Smart customers can also download and use the Giga-Life app to purchase load for their prepaid phones and other services… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila – The country broke its record for the highest single day tally of new COVID-19 cases on Saturday after the Department of Health (DOH) logged 26,458 new infections.

The count surpassed the 26,303 cases recorded on Sept. 11 last year.

The DOH said 99% or 26,277 of the newly confirmed cases were detected within the last 14 days. The top three contributing regions remain unchanged – with Metro Manila coming in first with 16,139, followed by Calabarzon with 5,387, and Central Luzon with 2,281.

The positivity rate – or percentage of tested people who yielded positive results – also reached a new record high of 43.7%, based on 77,004 tests reported on Jan. 6.

A rate of above 20% is at critical level while below 3% indicates there is adequate testing, according to US nonprofit Covid Act Now. The World Health Organization suggests a positivity rate of below 5% for an area that has controlled the infection.

With the alarming jump in daily COVID-19 cases, the total count is now at 2,936,875.

The number of active cases breached 100,000 for the first time after nearly three months with 102,017 people currently sick. This represents 3.5% of the case tally.

The DOH said among the active cases, 94,007 are considered mild, 3,399 have no symptoms 2,842 are moderate, 1,462 are severe, and 307 are critical… Read More

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — President Rodrigo Duterte wants policemen stationed in hotels serving as quarantine facilities after several returning Filipinos allegedly breached health protocols.

During his weekly briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic, the President proposed to have at least two police officers deployed to ensure quarantine rules are being followed.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said he has already spoken with Philippine National Police chief PGEN Dionardo Carlos about the matter and they are currently preparing for its implementation.

Duterte said the police must have “complete authority to inquire” to ensure compliance to protocols.

Earlier, the government revealed several returning Filipinos have been discovered to be skipping quarantine protocols upon returning home despite rising COVID-19 cases and the threat of the Omicron variant.

The PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group recently filed a complaint against the so-called “Poblacion girl” and eight others for allegedly violating the government’s quarantine rules.

The person identified as Gwyneth Anne Chua was supposed to undergo isolation at Berjaya Makati Hotel, but managed to visit the city’s Poblacion area where she attended gatherings.

The Makati hotel already apologized, and said this was the “only incident of its kind” under its watch… Read More

(BusinessWorld) THE PHILIPPINE government on Tuesday raised the coronavirus alert in three provinces adjacent to the capital region as the country confronts threats from the more transmissible Omicron variant.

Bulacan, Rizal, and Cavite, which are part of the so-called greater Manila area, would be placed under Alert Level 3 from Jan. 5 to 15 “due to a sharp increase of COVID-19 cases in the particular localities,” the presidential palace said, citing a resolution passed by an inter-agency task force.

The level 3 alert, up from level 2, means more mobility restrictions and lower operating capacity for some commercial establishments, among other limitations.

The recommendation was made by the pandemic task force’s data analytics group, it said.

Rizal and Cavite are part of the Calabarzon region in the southern and eastern sides of the National Capital Region, while Bulacan is on the northern border… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday signed the ₱5.024-trillion national budget for 2022.

This is the biggest budget in the country’s history. It aims to fund programs that will mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the allocations are for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines that will be used as booster shots, purchase of additional vaccines, and special risk allowance of health workers.

The top 10 agencies that will receive the biggest allocations for next year are: Department of Education, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health , Department of National Defense, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Transportation, Department of Agriculture, the Judiciary, and Department of Labor and Employment… Read More