COVID-19

Cases

Philippines' COVID-19 deaths top 600 as cases rise to 8,928
The death toll due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines surpassed 600 on Saturday, after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 24 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 603.
GMA News, Rappler, ABS-CBN News

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Overseas Filipinos with COVID-19 now 1,741 with 207 deaths
Another 32 Filipinos abroad have contracted the novel coronavirus, bringing the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 among overseas Filipinos to 1,741, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Saturday, May 2.
Rappler, CNN Philippines

Filipino missionary in Spain dies of COVID-19, says CBCP
A Filipino missionary assigned in Spain has died due to the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said Saturday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Department of Health

Gov’t eyes increasing COVID-19 testing capacity to 20,000 daily
As the country continues to fight the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Malacañang said the government is aiming to attain a daily testing capacity of up to 20,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests per day.
Manila Bulletin

Funeral workers face risk daily as COVID-19 frontliners
An undertaker or funeral director for five years, Ryan Santos did not expect the hardships they are experiencing amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
GMA News

IATF

IATF recommends ECQ extension in Albay, Zamboanga City; Roque says it's up to Duterte to approve
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has approved the extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Albay and Zamboanga City but presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Saturday said this would be up for approval by President Rodrigo Duterte.
GMA News

Gov't ready with measures to avert shortage of health workers –Roque
The government has prepared measures to prevent a possible shortage of health workers, after the Department of Health expressed alarm over the rise in the number of medical frontliners contracting COVID-19.
GMA News

PNP-led body prepares list of persons allowed outside homes under ECQ, GCQ
The Joint Task Force COVID-19 Shield is working on a list of persons to be allowed outside of residence in areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), and the more relaxed general community quarantine (GCQ).
GMA News

DTI expands list of items allowed for delivery during ECQ
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Saturday it has expanded the items which allowed to be delivered in areas under enhanced community quarantine, such as Metro Manila, and most of the areas in Luzon.
GMA News

Regions

Cebu City reports 119 new COVID-19 cases, total at 879
Cebu City on Saturday reported 119 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, bringing the total in the city to 879.
GMA News

Tudela mayor, town police force quarantined for COVID-19
The mayor and the entire police force of Misamis Occidental's Tudela town were quarantined after they came into contact with a nurse who was coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positive.
GMA News

5 Davao derby-goers from Agusan Sur found positive of COVID-19 in rapid tests 
Just as this province started to downgrade its status from enhanced community quarantine to general community quarantine (GCQ) on May 1, five residents in the province who went to the Davao derby in March tested positive of COVID-19 in rapid tests conducted  by the Provincial Health Office (PHO).
Mindanews

In Davao City, Buhangin district has surpassed Talomo in number of COVID-19 positives
The administrative district of Buhangin has surpassed Talomo District in the number of COVID-19 positives, with 35 cases against Talomo’s 33 as of Friday, May 1, according to records of  the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).
Mindanews

Lanao Norte, CDO record 2 new Covid-19 cases
A seafarer who arrived here and a 21-year-old patient in Cagayan de Oro City are the latest patients to test positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the two cities.
Philippine News Agency

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'We need to be bold': Provinces make difficult decisions on 1st day of GCQ
With zero coronavirus cases, Aurora province in Central Luzon was among the local government units ordered by the national government's task force on coronavirus to shift from enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to a more relaxed general community quarantine (GCQ) starting Friday, May 1.
Rappler

562 stranded Dabawenyos in Luzon fly home Monday and Wednesday
Five hundred sixty two Dabawenyos stranded in Luzon when travel by land, sea and air was suspended in mid-March to present the spread of COVID-19, will finally come home on board two sweeper flights from Clark, Pampanga and Manila on Monday and Wednesday.
Mindanews

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Antique buys almost P3M worth of produce from farmers to sustain economy
The Antique government has purchased almost P3 million worth of produce from their farmers to be distributed to temporary markets in different barangays, as they sustain their economy amid the general community quarantine (GCQ).
GMA News

Family living in jeepney during ECQ gets aid
Members of a family of five who were forced to make a home out of a jeepney during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) could not believe the outpouring of love and support from strangers after their story was aired on television.
Manila Bulletin

Diplomatic, Development and Private Sector 

Incidents and Violations

Editorial, Analysis, Opinion and Features

Practices that put Pinoy medical frontliners at risk of COVID-19, according to Chinese experts
Medical experts from Wuhan, China have listed down practices in the Philippines that put medical workers at risk of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to a post by "iWitness," the experts said that eight-hour shifts are too long. Instead, medical frontliners should only do four-hour shifts.
GMA News

[OPINION] Taxes and the coronavirus pandemic: An open letter to lawmakers
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world are implementing emergency tax relief to support companies, especially small businesses and their employees.
Rappler

Humanizing the pandemic response
After reading Gideon Lasco’s recent column (“Social sciences and the pandemic”), I’ve been asking myself whether the points Mr. Lasco raised are enough to convince the President and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to include people from the social sciences other than the economists into the group of experts that they have been consulting.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

How a Fil-Am nurse and his family fought coronavirus at home
Drawing from their shared frontline experience, a Filipino-American nurse and his wife helped their family survive the deadly coronavirus disease in the comfort of their own home.
Rappler

Timeout
When a global pandemic shut down sports’ marquee events around the world, it became clear that things would change forever. Athletes. Games. Leagues. Audiences. Fans. Finances. Everything will undergo a metamorphosis in a post-pandemic sporting world.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

[OPINION] Confronting the new normal in seafaring
The maritime industry is not spared by the vicious coronavirus pandemic. Lethargic trade forced shipping companies to reduce operations, while news on cruise ships as environments conducive to infection, of states denying their entry, and lockdown on major cities had tourists postpone, if not cancel, cruise trips. 
Rappler

Old enough to die
Sometimes the simplest things in life seem so complicated that people have to cite statistics to prove a point. For example: That while death and illness can occur at any point in the course of life, the risk of dying from any disease rises with old age.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

[ANALYSIS] Will the lockdown kill more people than COVID-19?
The huge economic cost of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the government’s main response measure to the COVID-19 epidemic, has been widely discussed. 
Rappler

Across the world, dictatorial regimes use Covid-19 to quash press freedom
Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by attacks on press freedoms and journalists around the world amid the Covid-19 pandemic. We've seen this pattern before: A crisis engulfs a nation, and its government moves to curtail, manipulate or shut down news coverage. But just because we've seen this pattern before doesn't mean that we should pay less attention to it now. In fact, now is a time to be especially vigilant.
CNN

World

Communities Secretary's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 2 May 2020
The Communities Secretary on the government’s response to COVID-19 and support for vulnerable people during the pandemic.
UK Government

UK Covid-19 survivors' plasma being trialled to treat critically ill
A trial has begun in the UK to test whether blood plasma from Covid-19 survivors could help treat those critically ill with the disease. Plasma is a clear liquid which makes up about half of people’s blood volume and carries red and white blood cells and platelets around the body.
The Guardian

Malaysia cites Covid-19 for rounding up hundreds of migrants
Malaysian authorities have rounded up and detained hundreds of undocumented migrants, including Rohingya refugees, as part of efforts to contain coronavirus, officials said.
The Guardian

Brazil's Bolsonaro: Turning COVID-19 denial into media spectacle
A president at odds with his advisers and scientists over COVID-19, who has said the virus is no worse than the flu, and whose supporters accuse the media of hyping up the story. Not Donald Trump, but Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro.
Aljazeera

Ireland extends Covid-19 lockdown to 18 May before phased exit
Ireland has extended its lockdown for another two weeks to 18 May, when it will introduce a phased, five-stage exit over three months.
The Guardian

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Palace denies favoring POGOs
Malacañang denied that it was playing favorites among industries after the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases allowed Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) to operate under both the enhanced and general community quarantine (ECQ and GCQ).
Manila Bulletin

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

COVID-19 protocols are there for the protection of citizens –Robredo
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) measures were put in place to protect the public, Vice President Leni Robredo emphasized on Saturday amid reports of police abuse against quarantine violators.
GMA News

VP Robredo says donations for frontliners ‘more than numbers’
The fund drive of Vice President Leni Robredo’s office ended with a bang, raising cash donations of P60 million for frontliners in the battle against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Manila Bulletin

ELECTION RELATED

DISASTER

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

JUDICIARY

SC rules to decongest the jails and prisons to prevent spread of COVID-19
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Saturday welcomed the Supreme Court (SC) administrative circular that was issued to decongest the jails and prisons managed by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) amidst the COVID-19 crisis.
Manila Bulletin

Supreme Court can't think 'far out the box' in releasing prisoners – Leonen
Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said on Saturday, May 2, that the court cannot think "far out the box" in releasing prisoners amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Rappler

DILG welcomes SC move to decongest jails amid virus threat
The Department of the Interior and Local Government on Saturday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to decongest overcrowded the jails and prisons in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
GMA News

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HRET work resumption seen by end of May
The House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) hopes to resume the deliberations of electoral protests by the end of the month.
Manila Bulletin

Leonen: More testing sites in future bar exams
More testing areas could be added in future bar examinations as this move is expected to alleviate the costs of going to Manila to take the tests, said Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Marvice Leonen on Saturday, May 2.
Manila Bulletin

Justice Leonen: Laws ban poor man's gambling, but POGOs allowed?
Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen on Saturday, May 2, pointed out the "discrepancies" in Philippine laws that ban forms of gambling accessible to the poor, but allow Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) patronized by the rich.
Rappler

LEGISLATIVE

Senate of the Philippines

Sonny Angara tests positive again for COVID-19
Senator Sonny Angara on Saturday said he had tested positive again for COVID-19. Angara was about to donate blood plasma for the second time after recovering from COVID-19 when his doctors made him take another swab test following the result of an initial antibody test.
GMA News, Rappler

Koko Pimentel thinks he has recovered from COVID-19
Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Saturday claimed he has recovered from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), more than a month after he announced he tested positive for the virus.
GMA News

Gatchalian seeks additional IRA for LGUs, urges enforcement of CBMS
Senator Win Gatchalian on Saturday urged the national government to grant additional internal revenue allotment shares to local government units remaining under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until May 15 due to the coronavirus disease 2019 threat.
GMA News

Sen. Binay proposes COVID-19 tracker teams
Sen. Maria Lourdes “Nancy” Binay suggested on Saturday the formation of teams of trained coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ‘’trackers’’ that could be the key to curbing the spread of the virus in communities as the country transitions from enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to general community quarantine (GCQ).
Manila Bulletin

Pacquiao wants to set up 20,000-bed COVID-19 hospital
Boxing icon Senator Emmanuel D. Pacquiao has proposed the establishment of an all-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients’ facility with a minimum capacity of 20,000 beds.
Manila Bulletin

Sen. Cayetano bats for more quanrantine stations
Senator Pia S. Cayetano on Saturday proposed the establishment of additional quarantine stations for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients in strategic locations throughout the country.
Manila Bulletin

Sen. Go to schools: prepare for students’ return to provinces
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go emphasized today the need for the education sector to prepare for the expected transfer of students from urban areas as more Filipinos express willingness to relocate to their home provinces after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) health emergency.
Manila Bulletin

House of Representatives

Solons to strengthen government’s pandemic response
Lawmakers cited on Saturday (May 2) the urgency for Congress to enact legislation that would strengthen the government’s response against any pandemic.
Manila Bulletin

Solon calls for amendment to allow virtual legislative process amid COVID-19 crisis
Legal infirmities in the conduct of virtual congressional sessions and committee meetings may still be questioned before judicial authorities and may provide a setback in the passage of legislative measures, especially by the House of Representatives.
Manila Bulletin

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)

Local officials who divide coronavirus cash aid to face charges – DILG
Local government executives who divide cash aid intended for one family in order to distribute the aid to more families will face charges, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) warned on Saturday, May 2.
Rappler

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Nearly 10,000 inmates freed as virus hits Philippine jails
Nearly 10,000 prison inmates have been released in the Philippines as the country races to halt coronavirus infections in its overcrowded jails, a Supreme Court official said Saturday.
GMA News, Channel News Asia

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

More police, army mobile checkpoints in GCQ areas
The police and military joint task force said on Saturday, May 2, that it would set up more mobile checkpoints as the imposition of the eased General Community Quarantine (GCQ) is expected to result in more cars outside.
Rappler

Armed Forces of the Philippines

Philippine National Police

PNP COVID-19 cases climb to 105 with 7 new infections
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Saturday reported seven more coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, bringing the total number of infected police officers to 105.
GMA News, Philippine Daily Inquirer

First day of GCQ enforcement went generally well, PNP says
The first day of the general community quarantine (GCQ) in some parts of the country was generally smooth, Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar said on Saturday.
GMA News

Army Cpl. Ragos v. Police MSgt. Florendo
The Quezon City (QC) Police and the heirs of Army Cpl. Winston Ragos filed homicide charges against Police MSgt. Daniel Florendo Jr. for the fatal shooting of the 34-year-old soldier who was retired due to post-traumatic stress disorder contracted while on military duty.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

BUDGET, FINANCE, and TAXATION

BIR extends anew ITR filing to June 14
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has extended again the deadline in the filing of 2019 income tax returns (ITRs) to June 14. The original ITRs filing deadline was April 15.
Manila Bulletin

ECONOMY AND INVESTMENTS

Among emerging economies: Philippines ranks 6th best in fight vs COVID
The Philippines has been ranked as the sixth strongest among 66 emerging market economies in facing the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 pandemic, according to  London-based publication The Economist.
Philippine Star

How to keep the COVID-19 economy working
As the coronavirus pandemic shuts down the world’s economies, stock markets plummet, and unemployment rises, policymakers will be forced to figure out how to contain the outbreak while preventing financial and economic collapse.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD and PUBLIC WORKS

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

AUDIT, GRAFT, AND CORRUPTION

FOREIGN RELATIONS  

West Philippine Sea

LABOR

Over 60 OFWs complete 14-day quarantine aboard Manila docked ship
More than 60 overseas Filipino workers completed their 14-day quarantine aboard the M/V St. Anthony de Padua which was docked at the Manila South Harbor.
GMA News

DOLE sets protocols for workplaces operating in quarantine
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) released on Friday, May 1, interim guidelines for workplaces still operating either under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) or General Community Quarantine (GCQ).
Rappler

TRANSPORTATION

Tugade suggests reopening airports in GCQ areas
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade has ordered the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), along with other airport authorities, to seriously consider the reopening of airports in areas covered by the general community quarantine (GCQ) to accommodate commercial aviation operations.
Manila Bulletin, Rappler

Old jeepneys can operate in GCQ areas, says DOTr exec
Old jeepneys can operate and serve commuters in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ), an official of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Saturday.
GMA News

HEALTH

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

EDUCATION

DepEd calls for unity in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic
As the country grapples with COVID-19, the Department of Education (DepEd) vowed that it will continue to support all government efforts towards healing the nation by remaining committed to the goal of delivering accessible, quality, liberating, and safe basic education services amid these critical times.
Manila Bulletin

DepEd seeks aid for private school teachers affected by COVID-19 crisis
Recognizing the plight of the private education sector amid the COVID-19 crisis, the Department of Education (DepEd) is seeking support for private school teachers who are affected by the pandemic.
Manila Bulletin

ENERGY

POVERTY

SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

DILG to add five million families in COVID-19 cash aid program
The Department of Interior and Local Government announced on Saturday they will add five million families in the government’s cash subsidy program for those affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
CNN Philippines

Cash aid distribution to 18M families to reach 70% by weekend —Malaya
The distribution of the social amelioration financial assistance to about 18 million poor families, which was supposed to end on April 30,  is expected to be 70% accomplished over the weekend.
GMA News

DSWD starts posting names of SAP beneficiaries on its website
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has started posting the names of the beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) on its website in the spirit of transparency and accountability.
Manila Bulletin

HOUSING

TOURISM

CHEd, DOT organize sweeper flights for students stranded in Boracay
Stranded in Boracay Island since the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was implemented, 45 of 64 students have been accommodated in sweeper flights that brought them to different parts of Luzon, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said Friday.
Manila Bulletin

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY  

How the Apple-Google exposure notification system plans to keep users anonymous
On April 10, Apple and Google announced a coronavirus exposure notification system that will be built into their smartphone operating systems, iOS and Android. The system uses the ubiquitous Bluetooth short-range wireless communication technology.
Rappler