COVID-19

Cases

Philippines' COVID-19 death toll exceeds 700; cases at 10,610
The death toll due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country surpassed the 700 mark on Saturday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported eight fatalities, bringing the total to 704.
GMA News, Philippine News Agency, Rappler

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Recoveries among Covid-afflicted Pinoys abroad now 640: DFA
The number of Filipinos abroad who recovered from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) rose to 640 as 60 more were added, mostly in the Americas, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported Saturday.
Philippine News Agency, Rappler

Coronavirus death toll among Pinoys in UAE rises to 27
The number of Filipinos who died of COVID-19 in the United Arab Emirates has gone up to 27. Philippine Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes said that as of Friday, May 8, a total of 23 Filipinos died of the coronavirus disease in Dubai alone – higher than the 17 deaths in the city reported by Ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana on Wednesday, May 6.
Rappler

Department of Health

86.7% of coronavirus cases in PH are mild–WHO
About 9,070 or 86.7% of all recorded COVID-19 cases in the Philippines are mild, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted in a situation report.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Mathematician refutes DOH claim of 'flattening' coronavirus curve
Is the Philippines already "flattening the curve" in its fight against the novel coronavirus? While the Department of Health (DOH) and some doctors have made this claim, Ateneo de Manila University mathematics associate professor Felix Muga II said data don't back this up.
Rappler

New lab in Pampanga to start COVID-19 mass testing on Sunday
Health Secretary Francisco Duque has ordered local health authorities to start this Sunday, May 10, the operations of a newly installed laboratory for coronavirus mass testing at the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital (JBLMRH) in this Pampanga capital.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

DOH accredits Cavite coronavirus testing facility
The Department of Health (DOH) has certified the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI) in Dasmariñas, Cavite as a coronavirus testing facility.
Rappler

DOH accredits first coronavirus testing lab in Eastern Visayas
The Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City was accredited as a level 5 laboratory on Friday, May 8 Vince Dizon, deputy implementer for coronavirus policy, confirmed this during a press conference on Saturday, May 9.
Rappler

IATF

IATF’s data team shares same view with UP profs on lifting ECQ soon, says Roque
The government’s team in charge of data analysis on the COVID-19 shares the same view as the team of University of the Philippines professors that lifting the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in several areas after May 15 will result in a spike in cases and deaths, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Saturday.
GMA News

IATF to ‘strongly consider’ Metro mayors’ likely proposal to extend lockdown–DILG
The government’s coronavirus task force will “strongly consider” a likely proposal of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) to extend the lockdown until May 30, an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government said Saturday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Galvez: Gov't procures 3 million PPE sets worth P20 billion for June-August
National Task Force COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr on Saturday, May 9, said that the national government is stockpiling on personal protective equipment (PPE) as the coronavirus pandemic is expected to persist until 2021.
Rappler

Types of private construction now allowed under ECQ
Malacañang announced that types of private construction are now allowed even in areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). The types of public construction projects allowed have also been expanded.
Rappler, GMA News

Regions

1 of 270 passengers of sweeper flight tests positive for COVID-19
One of  270 passengers on board the 400-seater sweeper flight of Cebu Pacific Air that arrived in Davao City from Manila on Wednesday tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the city government confirmed on Saturday.
Mindanews, Rappler

5 new Covid-19 cases reported in Samar town
Five more residents in Tarangnan, Samar have tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), bringing its total cases to 14, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Friday evening.
Philippine News Agency

Lone COVID-19 patient from GenSan recovers -DOH-12
The only confirmed coronavirus disease (Covid-19) case in General Santos City has already tested negative for the virus during his fourth test, an official from the Department of Health Center for Health Development in Soccsksargen Region (DOH-CHD 12) said on Saturday.
GMA News

Swab samples taken from 41 newly-arrived OFWs: DOH
The Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) 6 (Western Visayas) said on Saturday the 41 repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the region took the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) test.
Philippine News Agency

Coronavirus Updates: Infections creep into Cebu’s jails
There are hundreds of inmates in at least 3 detention facilities in Cebu who have tested for the coronavirus disease, and the rising number should not come as a surprise.
Rappler

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Whether ECQ or GCQ, Metro Manila mayors want single policy after May 15
The mayors of the 16 cities and one municipality that comprise Metro Manila decided not to recommend whether to lift or extend the enhanced community quarantine, or lockdown, when it lapses on May 15.
Rappler, Manila Bulletin

Lucena ‘hard lockdown’ is fake news, says authorities
The Lucena City police force on Saturday strongly denied reports on social media that the local government is set to enforce a “hard lockdown” as a final measure before the transition after May 15 from an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to a general community quarantine (GCQ).
Philippine Daily Inquirer

QC wants transition period to GCQ, says COVID-19 hurting local economy
The local government of Quezon City is proposing to implement a “transition period” to a less strict general community quarantine (GCQ) after May 15, saying that the coronavirus disease pandemic had adversely affected the city’s economy.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Baguio becomes bike city during lockdown
After World War II, the Baguio City council ordered bicycles (and motorcycles) out of Session Road. After 7 decades, the order still stands. As late as two months ago, the city council denied the move by a bicycle advocacy group to open Session Road to them and provide bike lanes in major city routes.
Rappler

CDO village execs call for unity amid petition for ECQ
A total of 50 barangay chairpersons allied with Mayor Oscar Moreno have shown their support for his stand not to place the city under an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) as they appealed to other village leaders to unite in fighting the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Philippine News Agency

Cebu City opens more Covid-19 isolation centers
The Cebu City Hall has converted 19 school buildings into Barangay Isolation Centers (BIC) for asymptomatic patients as coronavirus disease (Covid-19) here almost hit 1,500 as of Friday.
Philippine News Agency

Eastern Visayas now has own Covid-19 testing lab
The Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) molecular laboratory here can now perform coronavirus testing, the Department of Health (DOH) announced on Saturday.
Philippine News Agency

Zambo bus terminal gears for new normal
The city government-owned Integrated Bus Terminal (IBT) is preparing for the new normal scheme once the city shifts to general community quarantine (GCQ) from the enhanced community quarantine on May 15.
Philippine News Agency

Davao Oriental bars entry of private vehicles from other areas, for now
The provincial government of Davao Oriental will not allow the entry of private vehicles from outside the province, particularly from areas that are still under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ)  while the province is under  general community quarantine (GCQ).
Mindanews

Mayor Cagas wants Digos City back under ECQ
Digos City mayor Josef Cagas wants to place the city under an Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) again for at least 15 days to ensure his constituents’ protection from  the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Mindanews

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Diplomatic, Development and Private Sector 

EU to donate tablets, Covid-19 test kits to PH jails
The European Union (EU) is providing multimedia tablets for the e-Dalaw system of detention centers in the Philippines amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Philippine News Agency

Groups continue helping communities affected by lockdown despite gov't restrictions
Despite the stricter measures imposed by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on the conduct of relief operations, help from different groups continue to pour in.
Rappler

Incidents and Violations

400 quarantine violators nabbed in Quezon
Some four hundred alleged violators in Quezon province of the government’s enhanced community quarantine order meant to stop the transmission of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were held in Quezon by police from May 1 to 7, Colonel Audie Madrideo, Quezon police chief, said in a report.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Cop in Iloilo caught transporting liquor
A police officer assigned at the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 (Western Visayas) Intelligence Division was caught transporting boxes of liquor at a quarantine checkpoint in Cabugao village, Santa Barbara town, Iloilo on Friday night.
Philippine News Agency

Editorial, Analysis, Opinion and Features

[OPINION] In this time of fear, we must remember who the real enemy is
I remember that late summer in 2016. My friend and I were strolling to Loyola House – my place of solace after losing the moral battle in the elections. “I think I’m kind of hopeful,” I said.
Rappler

[OPINION] Balik-Probinsya: Are we learning the wrong lessons from the pandemic?
Urban density is again a villain in this pandemic. With Metro Manila having about two-thirds of the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines, and about the same share for recorded deaths, it is easy to point a finger at the big cities. 
Rappler

World

New York warns of children's illness linked to Covid-19 after three deaths
The deaths of three children in New York of inflammatory complications possibly linked to Covid-19 has prompted Andrew Cuomo, the state’s governor, to warn of “an entirely different chapter” of a disease that had been believed to cause only mild symptoms in children.
The Guardian

Triple anti-viral drug shows COVID-19 promise in Hong Kong study
Drug trio allows patients with milder symptoms to recover quicker than those treated with single drug, new study says.
Aljazeera

Africa in the news: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, COVID-19, and AfCFTA updates
Ethiopia-Eritrea relations continue to thaw, as on Sunday, May 3, Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki, Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, and Presidential Advisor Yemane Ghebreab, visited Ethiopia, where they were received by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. During the two-day diplomatic visit, the leaders discussed bilateral cooperation and regional issues affecting both states, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the desert locust infestation. 
Brookings Institute

On Russia’s Victory Day, veterans defiant amid Covid rampage
Tamara Galashova is 95, but despite her age — which makes her among those most vulnerable to the Covid-19 pandemic currently storming across Russia — she shows no fear of the disease.
Asia Times

Sisi Amends Egypt’s Emergency Law over Coronavirus
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi on Friday approved amendments to the country's state of emergency that grant him and security agencies additional powers, which the government says are needed to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
Asharq Al-Awsat

Virus Forces Persian Gulf States to Reckon With Migrant Labor
The Mideast’s wealthiest countries depend on foreigners to do jobs their citizens won’t. But the virus has hobbled the arrangement and drawn attention to its inequities.
The New York Times

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

IATF to recommend to Duterte next quarantine phase on Monday
With the third extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) lapsing in six days, Malacañang said there was still no final decision whether to lift the lockdown in Metro Manila and other areas.
Manila Bulletin

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The Commander of Ang Pangulo is a woman
The presidential yacht, BRP Ang Pangulo is now docked at the South Harbor in Manila, serving as a hospital ship, with 16 COVID-19 patients aboard. Its commanding officer is a woman—Commander Marissa Arlene Andres-Martinez. She is the first female skipper of the ship and the second highest ranking woman in the Philippine Navy.
ABS-CBN News

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

ELECTION RELATED

DISASTER

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

JUDICIARY

LEGISLATIVE

Senate of the Philippines

Recto: PH needs P1-T to recover from COVID-19 economic impact
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto is looking at an allocation of more or less P1 trillion to help the country recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Manila Bulletin

Angara wants Mental Health Act amended to add provision on immediate benefits
Senator Sonny Angara filed on Monday a bill seeking to amend the Mental Health Act to add a section on giving immediate benefits and/or financial assistance to those sustaining temporary or permanent mental disability while on duty.
GMA News

Human rights advocates back De Lima plea to participate in virtual Senate sessions
Opposition Senator Leila de Lima said Saturday lawmakers and human rights advocates from different corners of the globe have declared support to her plea that she be allowed to fully discharge her mandate as a duly elected senator, including her right to attend Senate sessions via teleconferencing.
Manila Bulletin

Senate sets hearing on public transport resumption
The Senate Committee on Public Services is set to conduct an inquiry on the gradual resumption of public transport under the general community quarantine (GCQ).
Manila Bulletin

Pimentel mulls cyberlibel charges against detractors over COVID-19 issue
Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said on Saturday (May 9) that he is mulling filing cyberlibel charges against those who have maligned him, his family, and employees online when he tested positive for COVID-19.
Manila Bulletin

House of Representatives

Solon opposes proposal to use coco levy funds for Balik Probinsya
House Food and Agriculture Committee chair Wilfrido Mark Enverga stressed on Saturday (May 9) that the coconut levy funds should only be tapped to promote the interest of the country’s coconut industry.
Manila Bulletin

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)

A day before deadline, DILG says SAP distribution about 89 percent complete
The distribution of cash aid under the social amelioration program (SAP) is now 89.49 percent complete a day before the deadline set for local government units (LGUs) to deliver the financial subsidy, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Saturday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

LGUs nationwide urged to comply with May 10 deadline for SAP distribution
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) reiterated on Saturday that the May 10 deadline for the distribution of the cash grants under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) to the most vulnerable sector will no longer be extended.
Manila Bulletin

Bong Go urges gov’t to instill peace and order in provinces to ensure success of ‘Balik Probinsiya’ program
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go urged government on Saturday (May 9) to instill peace and order in the country to ensure the success of the “Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-Asa” (Return to the Province, New Hope) program (BPBP).
Manila Bulletin

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

Phl buying attack choppers from US?
The room is getting stuffy. Let’s change the topic from the controversial ABS-CBN closure and the COVID-19 scourge to the acquisition of more helicopters for the Philippine air force.
Philippine Star

Armed Forces of the Philippines

BRP Ramon Alcaraz returns to India for repairs after catching fire —DND
The BRP Ramon Alcaraz has returned to India for repairs after a fire broke inside its engine room on Thursday, the Department of National Defense said on Saturday.
GMA News, Rappler

Philippine National Police

BUDGET, FINANCE, and TAXATION

DBM released P2.1 billion from 2020 calamity fund for COVID-19 response
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released to three departments helping in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic a total of P2.1 billion from funds included in this year’s national disaster risk reduction and management program (NDRRMP).
Philippine Daily Inquirer

More than 1.5M employees of MSMEs get wage subsidy — DOF
More than 1.5 million employees of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) received the first tranche of wage subsidy to help them cope with the economic effects of the coronavirus quarantine,  the Department of Finance said Saturday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

POGO group commits to settle tax liabilities
In an apparent response to criticisms over the resumption of operations of Philippine online gaming operators (POGOs), the Association of Service Providers of Pagcor (ASPAP) on Saturday reiterated its commitment to settle their appropriate tax liabilities due the government.
Manila Bulletin

ECONOMY AND INVESTMENTS

PH can still be upper-middle income in 2022 despite pandemic – NEDA
Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua said the coronavirus pandemic has not dashed the country's hopes of reaching upper-middle income status in 2022. In a virtual press briefing on Saturday, May 9, he said the pandemic, which has crushed economies worldwide, is only a "setback."
Rappler

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD and PUBLIC WORKS

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

AUDIT, GRAFT, AND CORRUPTION

FOREIGN RELATIONS  

West Philippine Sea

LABOR

TRANSPORTATION

CAAP: Inbound int’l flights at NAIA allowed on assigned days starting May 11
Inbound international flights landing in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila will be allowed but will have to follow assigned days, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said Saturday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Rappler

LRT-1 releases safety guidelines for post-lockdown operations
Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) released safety guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on the LRT-1 line once it resumes operations.
Rappler

LTFRB: No increase in PUV fares despite 50 percent decrease in allowed passengers due to social distancing
Despite a 50 percent reduction in allowable passengers for each trip, there will be no increase in public utility buses and jeepney fares.
Manila Bulletin

LTO warns public about online fixers, says all applications are suspended and all expired licenses are still valid
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) warned the public against paying “online fixers” offering services for application or renewal of driver’s license amid lockdown.
Manila Bulletin

HEALTH

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

DA issues new safety protocols for farmers, fishermen, and other frontliners in food sector
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued a set of guidelines to ensure the health and safety of farmers, fishers, and other frontliners of the country’s food sector during the quarantine period.
Manila Bulletin

EDUCATION

IATF-EID okays private schools‘ class opening in June: Palace
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will allow the resumption of classes in private schools in June so long as there would be no “face-to-face” interactions, Malacañang said on Saturday.
Philippine News Agency

PH to adopt alternative learning options under ‘new normal’
Schools in the country are set to make use of different learning delivery options as the country plans for the so-called “new normal” amid the fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Manila Bulletin

ENERGY

Sen. Gatchalian to DOE: Extend LPG price freeze until June 30
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate energy committee today urged the Department of Energy (DOE) to further extend until June 30 the price freeze on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosene products until the state of national emergency caused by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has been totally lifted to ease the financial burden of the already cash-strapped Filipinos.
Manila Bulletin

POVERTY

SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

DILG: 5M families left out in social amelioration to receive cash aid in 2nd tranche
An additional five million families, who are qualified recipients of the Social Amelioration Program but did not receive cash aid during the first wave of distribution, will receive their state subsidies in the second tranche, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Saturday.
GMA News

DSWD reports aid given to 14.8 M SAP beneficiaries
Over 14.8 million beneficiaries or 82.5 percent of the 18 million low-income families targeted to receive the emergency subsidy under the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP) have received their cash assistance, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Saturday, May 9.
Manila Bulletin

DSWD: Over P8.68-B in SAP funds distributed to 1.08-M families in NCR to date
Over one million low-income families in the National Capital Region (NCR) have received their Social Amelioration Program (SAP) emergency subsidies, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Saturday (May 9).
Manila Bulletin

HOUSING

TOURISM

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Heat index values reach ‘dangerous’ to ‘extremely dangerous’ levels in various parts of PH
Sizzling temperatures continued to grapple parts of the country with heat index values reaching dangerous to extremely dangerous levels in seven Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) monitoring stations on Saturday afternoon (May 9).
Manila Bulletin

Oceans may rise over a meter by 2100, 5 meters by 2300
Oceans are likely to rise as much as 1.3 meters by 2100 if Earth's surface warms another 3.5 degrees Celsius, scientists warned Friday, May 8.
Rappler

DENR asked: Initiate ‘humane’ control of Romblon macaques
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) added its voice to the clamor to protect the Philippine long-tailed macaques on the island-municipality of Banton in Romblon, where the increasing number of the primate is reportedly starting to threaten farming communities.
Business Mirror

INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY