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(SunStar) PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte approved the extension of the general community quarantine (GCQ) in the National Capital Region (NCR) for another two weeks until July 31, 2021.

Under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), the second highest quarantine classification, until July 31, 2021 are Bataan in Central Luzon; Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao; Davao Occidental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur and Davao del Norte in Davao Region; and Butuan City in Caraga.

Placed under GCQ with heightened restrictions are Cagayan Province; Laguna and Lucena City in Calabarzon; Naga City in Bicol; Negros Oriental in Central Visayas; Zamboanga del Sur; and Davao City until the end of July.

Aklan, Bacolod City, Antique, and Capiz in Western Visayas Region will be under GCQ with heightened restrictions until July 22, 2021.

Under GCQ for the second half of July are Baguio City and Apayao in the Cordillera Administrative Region; City of Santiago, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino in Cagayan Valley; Bulacan in Central Luzon; Cavite, Rizal, Quezon and Batangas in Calabarzon; Puerto Princesa in Mimaropa; Guimaras and Negros Occidental in Western Visayas; Zamboanga Sibugay, City of Zamboanga and Zamboanga del Norte; Davao Oriental; General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Cotabato and South Cotabato in Soccsksargen; Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Sur in Caraga; and Cotabato City in Bangsamoro… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 15) — Metro Manila will ease some restrictions as it shifts to the regular general community quarantine until the end of the month along with Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced Thursday.

Metro Manila, Bulacan, and Rizal were under GCQ with “some restrictions” prior the new classification, while Cavite used to be under GCQ with “heightened restrictions.”

The announcement comes days after the Health Department flagged an uptick in new cases among seven cities in the National Capital Region.

The OCTA Research Group likewise recommended retaining NCR under GCQ until the end of the month, citing the need to strengthen the enforcement and monitoring of health protocols given the threats posed by the more transmissible Delta coronavirus variant.

Laguna, meanwhile, will remain under GCQ with “heightened restrictions” until the end of the month. Lucena City, Naga City, Negros Oriental, Zamboanga del Sur and Davao City will also be under this classification until July 31.

Aklan, Bacolod City, Antique, and Capiz will likewise be placed under GCQ with “heightened restrictions” but only until July 22.

These areas will be placed under GCQ until the end of the month:
– Cordillera Administrative Region: Baguio City, Apayao
– Region 4-A: Batangas, Quezon
– Region 4-B: Puerto Princesa
– Region 6: Guimaras, Negros Occidental
– Region 9: Zamboanga Sibugay, City of Zamboanga, Zamboanga del Norte
– Region 11: Davao Oriental
– Region 12: General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Cotabato and South Cotabato
– CARAGA: Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Sur
– BARMM: Cotabato City

Meanwhile, the following places will be under modified enhanced community quarantine until July 31:
– Region 3: Bataan
– Region 6: Iloilo City, Iloilo Province (until July 22)
– Region 10: Cagayan de Oro City
– Region 11: Davao Occidental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte
– CARAGA: Butuan City

The rest of the country will be under modified GCQ until end-July… Read More

(The Manila Times) GENEVA: The UN warned Thursday that a “perfect storm” was brewing, with a raging pandemic disrupting access to routine vaccinations, leaving millions of children at risk from measles and other deadly diseases.

A full 23 million children missed out on basic childhood vaccines last year, as routine health services were hit worldwide by restrictions aimed at controlling Covid-19 and many parents shunned the clinics that were open for fear of exposure to the virus.

It marks the highest number in over a decade and 3.7 million more than in 2019, according to data published Thursday by the World Health Organization and the UN’s children’s agency UNICEF.

And the sharp decline in routine vaccinations comes as many countries have begun loosening restrictions even as the pandemic is far from over.

This has the potential of not only driving up Covid transmission, but also of allowing otherwise vaccine-preventable diseases to begin spreading.

That is because the restrictions in many countries have until now also provided a buffer protecting unvaccinated children against exposure to childhood diseases.

“In 2021, we have potentially a perfect storm about to happen,” Kate O’Brien, head of the WHO’s vaccines and immunization department, told reporters… Read More

(SunStar) (UPDATED) Malacañang has confirmed that travelers from Indonesia will be included in the ban until July 31, 2021.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said the restrictions will begin at 12:01 a.m. of July 16 and end at 11:59 p.m. of July 31, 2021.

All travelers coming from Indonesia or those with travel history to Indonesia within the last 14 days preceding arrival in the Philippines will be covered by the ban.

Passengers already in transit from Indonesia and those with travel history to Indonesia, who arrive before 12:01 a.m. of July 16 may still be allowed entry in the Philippines but will be required to undergo a full 14-day facility quarantine despite a negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result.

“This action is undertaken to prevent the further spread and community transmission of Covid-19 variants in the Philippines,” Roque said.

Indonesia’s epidemic curve is nearly vertical, with cases rising to record highs daily due to the Delta variant.

Based on the Johns Hopkins University tracker, Indonesia reported 47,899 new cases on July 13, bringing its seven-day average to 38,644.

It was the second time that daily cases surpassed 40,000 in Indonesia. A day earlier, on July 12, daily cases reached 40,427.

The Our World in Data tracker showed that 459,064 cases were recorded only in the last 14 days from June 30 to July 13… Read More

(BusinessWorld) THE FIRST 18-kilometer section of the 30-kilometer Central Luzon Link Expressway project will be opened to motorists Thursday, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said.

“Bukas na ang opening kaya nagpa-final inspection na ako dito. Ang bubuksan bukas ay 18 kilometers (The opening will be tomorrow, so I am conducting a final inspection. The 18-kilometer section will be opened),” Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar said in an announcement via social media Wednesday.

The section runs from the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx)/Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) connection in Tarlac City to the intersection of Aliaga-Guimba Road in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija, Mr. Villar said.

The expressway will be “toll-free,” he said.

“DPWH is committed to complete the entire 30-kilometer expressway project within the term of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, with the 10.3-kilometer Cabanatuan Section under Contract Package 4 already at 88.7% while the Zaragoza Interchange Section under Contract Package 5 is at 26.9% and expected to make significant progress as site possessions are secured for the project’s right-of-way requirements,” the department said in a statement.

“Once fully operational, the P11.811-billion expressway is expected to shorten the usual travel time of 70 minutes between Tarlac City and Cabanatuan City to just 20 minutes,” it added.

The project is expected to become an east-west link for the expressway network of Central Luzon “to ensure continuous seamless traffic flow” from Metro Manila and vice versa passing through North Luzon Expressway, SCTEx, and TPLEx… Read More

(GMA News) The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has recently closed down 355 illegal dumpsites in the country, its spokesperson Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said on Wednesday.

At the Laging Handa public briefing, Antiporda said these were open dumpsites, which the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 had ordered to be closed.

“Three hundred thirty-five po ang huling napasara. Twenty years na po ang batas na [Republic Act] 9003, pero ngayon lang po natupad ang ipinag-uutos ng batas na ipasara ang open dumpsites,” he said.

(Three hundred thirty-five were recently closed. It’s been 20 years since RA 9003 was enacted, but its order to close open dumpsites is just being enforced now)

Antiporda said that the DENR is now focusing on the safe closure and rehabilitation of the dumpsites.

He also advised local governments units (LGUs) affected by the closure of the dumpsites to establish a residual containment area for their garbage while they develop a sanitary landfill.

Antiporda also warned LGU against burying their garbage in these areas as this is still considered as an open dumpsite and dangerous.

“Better shape up bago tayo abutan ng batas (before the long arm of the law reaches you),” he added… Read More

(BusinessWorld) METRO Manila and nearby provinces should stay under a general lockdown until end-July, researchers from the country’s premier university said on Tuesday, as health authorities said coronavirus infections in eight metro cities increased in the past two weeks.

“The cases in the National Capital Region are hardly decreasing, OCTA Research Group fellow Fredegusto Guido P. David said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “We think we can retain the general community quarantine but expand business capacities.”

The government also should stay on top of its vaccination rollout, he said.

Coronavirus infections in Manila, Makati, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Mandaluyong, Malabon, Navotas and San Juan rose in the past two weeks, said Alethea de Guzman, a bureau director at the Department of Health (DoH).

“People who get sick have exceeded the daily moving average,” she told a televised news briefing in Filipino. The intensive care unit (ICU) and health care use rates in these cities remained high, Ms. de Guzman said.

Makati and San Juan were high-risk areas, with hospital beds and intensive care units for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients nearly full, she said.

Makati City had a virus reproduction rate of 22%, while 69% of its ICUs were occupied. Its healthcare use rate was 70%.

DoH data showed 126,000 residents of San Juan have had their first vaccine dose, but the virus reproduction rate there was at 10% in the past two weeks.

The average daily attack rate in Makati and San Juan stood at 9.76 and 8.95 for 100,000 people, respectively, Ms. de Guzman said.

She added that one vaccine dose was not enough, adding that even fully vaccinated people should follow minimum health standards.

Vaccinated people should continue to wear face masks and shields, observe physical distancing and avoid large crowds, she added… Read More

(GMA News) A Chinese businessman was declared dead on arrival after a still unidentified assailant shot him inside the elevator of the Sunjoy Tower in Binondo, Manila Tuesday afternoon.

According to Sam Nielsen’s Super Radyo dzBB report, the shooting victim was still unidentified.

Manila Police District Station 11 said the businessman and the suspect were inside the elevator when the gunman shot him in the stomach and chest. The suspect also stole P2 million cash from the victim, who was supposed to deposit money at a bank.

The suspect, who was about 5″6 and wearing a black mask, fled the scene.

Earlier, members of the Manila Police District’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team cordoned off the crime scene, then entered the building to investigate the shooting.

The MPD said that aside from robbery, revenge could also be one of the motives in the killing. Police said the businessman previously laid off some of his workers.

Police also clarified that no hostage-taking took place… Read More