COVID-19

Cases

PH logs 1,395 new infections; DOH notes ‘improvements’ in Cebu City
The Philippines continues to respond to the growing number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases as the Department of Health (DOH) logged 1,395 additional infections on Thursday.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Coronavirus cases in PNP surpass 1,000 mark
The total count of coronavirus disease cases in the Philippine National Police (PNP) reached 1,006 on Thursday with 25 new infections recorded.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

More regions abroad report Filipinos with COVID-19
Alongside the upward trend in the number of confirmed COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) cases among overseas Filipinos, the number of countries/regions with COVID-positive Filipinos has also increased to 64.    
Manila Bulletin

203 MRT personnel positive for COVID-19 after testing all 3,304 workers —DOTr exec
A total of 203 Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT3) workers were found positive for COVID-19 after testing all of its 3,304 personnel, Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Libiran said Thursday.
GMA News

Department of Health

8 provinces log 100% to 4,000% spike in COVID-19 cases -DOH
Eight provinces recorded a 100 to 4,000-percent spike in new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in recent weeks, data from the Department of Health (DOH) show.
GMA News

DOH monitors 488 clustering of COVID-19 cases nationwide
The Department of Health (DOH) said there were 488 clustering of COVID-cases across the country as of Wednesday.
GMA News

COVID-19 ‘growth change’ in Manila down by 17 percent — DOH
 The “growth change” of coronavirus disease cases in Manila was down by 17 percent, which means the number of new cases is decreasing in the capital city, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
Philippine Daily Inquirer

2 local manufacturers 'willing' to produce COVID-19 vaccine: DOH
Two local vaccine manufacturers have expressed willingness to produce inoculation against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an official from the Department of Health said Thursday.
ABS-CBN News

Philippines eyes wider coronavirus asymptomatic testing
The health department aims to expand its coronavirus testing to cover more asymptomatic individuals to contain the pandemic as the Philippines relaxes its lockdown measures, an official said Thursday. 
ABS-CBN News

DOH urged to allocate budget for COVID-19 vaccine in proposed 2021 national budget
Cagayan de Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez on Thursday urged the Department of Health (DOH) to allocate funding for the procurement of a vaccine against COVID-19 under its proposed budget for 2021.
GMA News

PGH aware coronavirus could be airborne during procedures —exec
The Philippine General Hospital assumes that COVID-19 virus may probably become airborne during clinical procedures, the health facility’s spokesperson said on Thursday.
GMA News

Half of COVID-19 patients administered with plasma treatment recover fast, PGH spox says
Around 50% of COVID-19 patients who received convalescent plasma showed speedy recovery, the spokesperson of Philippine General Hospital said on Thursday.
GMA News

COVID-19 patients starting to exceed bed capacity at UP-PGH
The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) on Thursday said the number of its COVID-19 patients has already exceeded its 130-bed allocation for coronavirus cases.
Manila Bulletin

P8.5-M medical masks turned over to DOH
The United Nations Development Programme has turned over 500,000 pieces of medical masks valued at about P8.5 million to the Department of Health to support the country’s ongoing efforts to protect frontline healthcare workers as the Philippines continues to battle the COVID-19 outbreak.
Manila Bulletin

IATF

'Back-riding' allowed for couples beginning July 10, DILG chief says
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Thursday said back-riding on motorcycles will be allowed  beginning Friday, July 10, but only among couples.
GMA News

LOOK: Prototype design adopted by gov’t allowing back-riding on motorcycles
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday released photos of the prototype design submitted by Bohol Governor Arthur Yap that was adopted by the National Task Force for COVID-19, allowing back-riding on motorcycles among couples.
GMA News

JTF COVID Shield to prepare guidelines on backriding
The Joint Task Force COVID Shield will prepare the guidelines that would be observed in allowing motorcycle backriders to pass the police and military checkpoints across the country.
Manila Bulletin

MMDA on pillion riding: Show proof you live in same household
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Thursday advised couples who will be riding pillion to bring documents and other valid identification cards to prove that they live in the same household.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Cops told to make sure only couples living together may ride pillion
Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, Joint Task Force COVID Shield chief, has ordered policemen manning quarantine checkpoints to make sure that only couples who live under one roof riding pillion or back-riding on motorcycles are allowed only for couples who live together, even as the government’s task force against COVID-19 has yet to create a final policy on pillion rides.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Revilla rejects divider for backriding couples, calls it ‘fundamentally unsafe’
Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. on Thursday appealed to the government to reconsider its guidelines in allowing backriding for couples.
Manila Bulletin

Locsin says he will tell IATF to put people arrested without masks in big open spaces
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. on Thursday said he will ask the government's COVID-19 task force to keep arresting people who do not wear masks but to place them in open spaces.
GMA News

Quarantine checkpoint cops warned against rude behavior
General Archie Francisco Gamboa, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday warned policemen manning  Quarantine Control Points (QCP) to behave amid complaints of alleged rude behavior some of them displayed in dealing with people. 
Manila Bulletin

Regions

Cebu City now has more than 7,000 cases of COVID-19
The number of confirmed cases in Cebu City breached the 7,000-mark on Tuesday, according to Ian Cruz’s report on “24 Oras" on Wednesday.
GMA News

Bicol’s COVID-19 cases double in just 12 days
The number of COVID-19 cases in Bicol region has doubled in only 12 days, as it crossed the 200 mark on Thursday (July 9).
Philippine Daily Inquirer

13 Army soldiers in Negros Oriental test positive for COVID-19
At least 13 more soldiers of the Philippine Army in Negros Oriental tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Palawan breaks 4-day zero COVID-19 case streak after returning LSI tests positive
The town of Brooke’s Point in Palawan province recorded its first new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case after a male locally stranded individual (LSI), who returned to the southern municipality, tested positive for the disease.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

SSS office in Bulacan remains shut after 8 staff test positive for COVID-19
The office of the Social Security Services (SSS) here remained closed after eight of its employees tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Woman’s recovery brings back zero COVID-19 tally to Olongapo
The last COVID-19 case here has been erased from the city’s coronavirus count, making it zero. Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr. said the latest to recover is a 23-year-old woman who tested positive for the virus on July 2.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

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Duterte’s remark that Cebuanos are hard-headed has been a total challenge — Vice Mayor Rama
President Rodrigo Duterte's remark that Cebuanos are supposedly hard-headed in following quarantine protocols has been a challenge for Cebu City residents, Vice Mayor Michael Rama said on Thursday.
GMA News, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Año says fate of Cebu City's lockdown depends on data, notes 'remarkable change'
The fate of Cebu City's lockdown status would depend on data analytics, but Interior Secretary Eduardo Año believes that its quarantine status may ease as government has focused attention on it. 
ABS-CBN News

DOH prepares Cebu City for reopening of businesses, official says
The Department of Health is preparing Cebu City, which is currently under the enhanced community quarantine, for a possible reopening of businesses, Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said.
GMA News

‘Effective’ so far, Health official says of ECQ in Cebu
The implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Cebu City is so far “effective” following the drop in case positivity and mortality rates, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega announced Thursday.
Manila Bulletin

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Quarantine restrictions still tight in Davao – Roque
The city has remained strict in implementing restrictions to prevent more transmissions of COVID-19 even after the shift from general community quarantine to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), Presidential spokesperson Harry S. Roque said Thursday.
Mindanews

Ano pushes localized lockdowns in Metro Manila
Department of Interior and Local Government  Secretary Eduardo Año on Thursday insisted that localized lockdowns should be imposed in areas of Metro Manila even with single cases of positive coronavirus disease-2019 patients.
Manila Bulletin

Moreno ready to make room for COVID-19 patients in Manila City hospitals
Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso on Thursday said they will provide immediate assistance to COVID-19 patients who can no longer be accommodated in some hospitals due to full capacity.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Access to parts of Iligan village cut off to stem local coronavirus transmission
Parts of a village here were locked down after local coronavirus transmission had been confirmed there.
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mindanews

Diplomatic, Development and Private Sector 

Lopez Group donates shower vans, tents for stranded passengers at NAIA
The Lopez Group on Thursday donated 2 container vans with shower facilities for stranded passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in City.
ABS-CBN News

NZ donates PPEs to NKTI in QC
Moved by a letter from two Grade 11 students, New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Kell on Thursday turned over P800,000 to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City to help them procure additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and frontliners.
Manila Bulletin

Incidents and Violations

4 cops wounded as armed men attack quarantine checkpoint in Misamis town
Four police officers were wounded as armed men attacked a quarantine control checkpoint in Concepcion town in Misamis Occidental province on Thursday morning.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Military says gunmen in attack on Misamis Occidental cops linked to unidentified politician
The armed men who attacked policemen at a quarantine checkpoint in Concepcion town, Misamis Occidental province are being linked to a former politician, who has not been named.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Authorities held 874 alleged face mask violators in Quezon City
More than 800 alleged violators of the face mask policy were arrested in Quezon City during a “one-time big-time” operation by the local government and city police officials on Wednesday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Editorial, Analysis, Opinion and Features

The real challenge of COVID-19
Just what is up with these people wasting time harping on the Anti-Terrorism Act in the middle of a worsening public health crisis? Isn’t that what they were criticizing the Congress for, pushing the anti-terrorism bill instead of focusing on the coronavirus pandemic and the ABS-CBN franchise issue?
Manila Standard

Harsh Realities
The challenge of accepting that the old normal is gone and that a new normal is emerging is in not understanding what the old normal was and why it is no more. 
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sagada says no
As of the latest count, Mountain Province is the lone province in the Cordillera Administrative Region with no active COVID-19 case, with one recovery and no death.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Future-proofing the Philippines
A picture making the rounds in the internet shows a diver about to be devoured from below by a shark, jaws wide open, labeled “COVID-19.” Directly under it is a bigger shark labeled “The Upcoming Economic Crisis,” poised to eat the first shark and its prey. 
Philippine Daily Inquirer

A different response to COVID-19: Comprehensive, effective, humane, participatory
Despite having the longest lockdown period in the world, and the effectivity of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act having lapsed, we have yet to see a clear decline in the number of COVID-19 infections.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

World

No Pinoys infected with COVID in Australia
The Philippine Embassy in Canberra on Thursday said there are no Filipinos infected with COVID-19 in Australia, even as Melbourne implements a six-week lockdown due to an increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the State of Victoria.
Manila Bulletin

WHO chief taps ex-leaders to head COVID-19 response panel
The head of the World Health Organization said Thursday that former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark will head a new panel tasked with giving “an honest assessment” of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

India reports nearly 25,000 new virus infections
India has reported nearly 25,000 new coronavirus infections and 487 new deaths. The new infections announced by the Health Ministry on Thursday bring the nationwide total to 767,296, the third most reported by any country.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Indonesian Army School Emerges as COVID-19 Hotspot
Indonesia reported more than 2,600 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the second consecutive day with a record total, as an army candidate officer school emerged as the country’s largest cluster of infections, the national COVID-19 task force said.
Benarnews

China executes man in coronavirus-rage killing case
A Chinese man who stabbed to death two people at a coronavirus travel checkpoint was executed Thursday, the Supreme People’s Court said.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Germany’s Merkel: Pandemic highlights limits of populism
The coronavirus pandemic is showing the limits of “fact-denying populism,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday, as she urged European Union countries to quickly agree on a major economic recovery package and deprive nationalists of any opportunity to take advantage of the crisis.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Tokyo sees most new virus infections since April
The Japanese capital has confirmed more than 220 new coronavirus infections, exceeding its previous record. The number reported Thursday exceeds 206 daily cases recorded on April 17 when Tokyo’s infections were at their peak.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Burial traditions clash with coronavirus safety in Indonesia
The mob of over 150 people who forcefully took Muhammad Yunus’ cadaver from a hospital in eastern Indonesia thought it was impossible that the 49-year-old Islamic preacher could have died from the coronavirus.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Duterte leads BRP Jose Rizal commissioning
President Duterte will have a virtual presence in the handover and commissioning of the Philippine Navy’s first ever multi-capable frigate, the BRP Jose Rizal, in Zambales on Friday, July 10.
Manila Bulletin

Duterte says he can’t be bribed with a truckload of cold cash
What would do you if you are given a truckload of money? For President Duterte, that pile of money or bribe is useless since he cannot be bought and has really no need for it.
Manila Bulletin

Duterte SONA at Batasan?
President Duterte could deliver his fifth State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
Manila Bulletin

‘Plan A’: Only 50 persons to attend Duterte’s SONA in Batasan — Zubiri
Only 50 people would be allowed inside the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City should President Rodrigo Duterte decide to deliver his fifth State of Nation Address (SONA) there, a lawmaker said Thursday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

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Roque explains why Duterte’s taped message was aired at 1 AM
If he had his way, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque prefers to delay the airing of President Duterte’s taped weekly public address the following morning.
Manila Bulletin

Duterte’s diatribe against Ressa part of his job –Roque
The executive branch has a duty to enforce the law, the presidential spokesman said following President Duterte’s recent pronouncement that he was gathering information to expose veteran journalist Maria Ressa as a fraud, Malacañang said Thursday. 
Manila Bulletin

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Roque explains ‘hammer and dance’ strategy against COVID-19
Don’t take it literally. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque issued the message after he was bashed and ridiculed  online over his “sasayawan po natin” comment in confronting the coronavirus pandemic.
Manila Bulletin

Palace apologizes for delayed distribution of subsidy’s 2nd tranche
Malacañang has apologized for the delay in the distribution of the second tranche of subsidy for low income families and promised to hasten the process.
Manila Bulletin

Local COVID plasma study gets P4.99-M annual budget
Malacañang on Thursday said P4.99 million has been allotted to the Department of Science and Technology for the study on convalescent blood plasma as a therapy for COVID-19.
Manila Bulletin

‘Don’t worry about bubonic plague,’ Palace assures public
Malacañang told the public that there was nothing to worry about the case of bubonic plague in China’s northern inner Mongolia region as the country’s borders are still closed due to the present COVID-19 pandemic.
Manila Bulletin

Palace on wearing face mask: Enforce rule based on ‘human experience’
Malacañang said the mandatory wearing of face masks should be implemented based on “human experience” especially if the face mask was removed to drink water.
Manila Bulletin

Palace justifies approval of motorcycle back-riding for couples
Malacañang said only couples are allowed to ride on motorcycles at the same time because the initial clamor for pillion riding or back-riding was for couples only.
Manila Bulletin

Palace has ‘second thoughts’ on special session, says Roque
Malacañang is apparently having second thoughts about calling for a special session to facilitate the passage of the proposed Bayanihan 2 law. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque admitted that the Palace is studying if a special session would still be needed since lawmakers are expected to return to session within this month anyway.
Manila Bulletin

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Palace: Dela Rosa getting his visa back doesn’t change Duterte’s decision abrogating VFA
Malacañang said on Thursday that President Duterte’s stand on the abrogation of the country’s Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States remains unchanged despite Sen.  Ronald dela Rosa getting a new US visa.
Manila Bulletin

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

Leni claims Cebuanos frustrated by gaps in State response on COVID-19
Vice President Leni Robredo said Cebuanos are frustrated with the gaps in the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic during the quarantine period.
Manila Bulletin

OVP provides free ferry service for Cebu frontliners
The Office of the Vice President (OVP) and its private partners on Thursday, July 9, started the operations of its free ferry service for frontliners in Cebu.
Manila Bulletin

ELECTION RELATED

DISASTER

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

JUDICIARY

LEGISLATIVE

Senate of the Philippines

Four more Senate employees test positive for COVID-19
Four more Senate employees have tested positive for COVID-19, Senate officials said on Thursday, July 9. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri made the announcement in an online interview explaining his reservation in opening the Upper Chamber to the public and the media.
Manila Bulletin

Palace backed separate facility for heinous crime convicts —Sotto
Malacañang and some senators expressed support for the proposal to transfer heinous crime convicts to regional penitentiaries in a bid to decongest the New Bilibid Prison, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Wednesday.
GMA News

Angara files bill to create data base of all Informal workers
Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara has sought the creation of a database that will contain information of all informal workers in the country in order to help facilitate easy distribution of government aid in times of emergencies.
Manila Bulletin

K-to-12 graduates as contact tracers proposed
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian proposed on Thursday that the government hire K-to-12 graduates to help in its COVID-19 contact tracing efforts.
Manila Bulletin

Bato dela Rosa: I can live without US visa
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is happy over the news that he will be granted a US visa anew, but he maintains he can live without it.
GMA News, Manila Bulletin

Hontiveros sees need to hire ‘an army of health professionals’ vs COVID-19
Senator Risa Hontiveros urged the government to rethink its current strategy in battling the novel coronavirus disease or COVID-19 pandemic.
Manila Bulletin

House of Representatives

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)

LGUs told to ensure that dentists comply with health protocols
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday urged local government units (LGUs) to ensure that dentists in their areas wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when attending to their patients.
Manila Bulletin

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

BI installing more spy cams at PH airports
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it is installing more closed circuit television cameras in international airports to enhance passenger monitoring capability and prevent corruption among port personnel.
Manila Bulletin

NBI suspects organized group of hitmen behind prosecutor’s slay
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) believes a highly organized group of hitmen could be behind the murder of Manila Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Jovencio Senados.
Manila Bulletin

Senados’ ambush-slay may be work-related — Guevarra
The recent killing of Manila Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Jovencio Senados may have something to do with one of the cases he handled, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Thursday, July 9.
Manila Bulletin

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

Armed Forces of the Philippines

Philippine National Police

PNP deploys all available vehicles to assist stranded commuters
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has deployed all its available vehicles to ferry more stranded passengers as commuting in Metro Manila and nearby areas remains a challenge amid the threat of the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19).
Manila Bulletin

Be wary of hired criminals, solon tells PNP
Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Barbers said the Philippine National Police (PNP) should be wary of crimes that potentially involve hired perpetrators, especially given the current economic hardship.
Manila Bulletin

BUDGET, FINANCE, and TAXATION

VAT refund for vendors of diabetes, cholesterol drugs
Sellers of prescription drugs and medicines for diabetes, high cholesterol, and other serious illnesses may claim Value-Added Tax (VAT) refund.
Manila Bulletin

BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND INVESTMENTS

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD and PUBLIC WORKS

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

AUDIT, GRAFT, AND CORRUPTION

FOREIGN RELATIONS  

West Philippine Sea

Leveraging asymmetric warfare
Almost four years after the Philippines’ arbitral victory, the Duterte administration continues its overt inaction in asserting the country’s claims over the West Philippine Sea.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

LABOR

First batch of deceased OFWs from Saudi Arabia to arrive Friday
All is set for the July 10 arrival of the first batch of 274 deceased overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Saudi Arabia.
Manila Bulletin

DOLE yet to get DBM nod on extra fund request for OFW subsidy
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has yet to approve the request of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for additional funds to assist overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

TRANSPORTATION

NAIA anti-trafficking offices placed on lockdown after 4 staff test positive for COVID-19
The government's anti-human-trafficking offices at 3 Manila airport terminals were placed under a 2-week lockdown Wednesday after 4 people working there tested positive for COVID-19. 
ABS-CBN News, GMA News

Airport ops unaffected by quarantined personnel
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal announced airport operations remain unaffected despite some employees testing positive for COVID-19.
Manila Bulletin

HEALTH

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

NIA confirms seven employees with COVID-19
A total of seven employees of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) main office in Quezon City tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Manila Bulletin

South Cotabato veggie farmers feed harvests to animals due to lack of buyers
Due to low farm gate prices and scarce market demand, some farmers in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato have opted to feed their vegetables to animals such as pigs than left them to rot.
Mindanews

EDUCATION

DepEd to provide mental, psychosocial support service to learners, teachers before classes start
The Department of Education (DepEd) will provide mental health and psychosocial support services for learners, teachers and other personnel before classes formally start on August 24.
Manila Bulletin

DepEd cites World Vision fund drive for blended learning
The Department of Education has cited a fund drive launched by the World Vision Philippines to assist the agency in responding to the needs of learners and teachers in public schools as it implements blended and distance learning this upcoming school year.
Manila Bulletin

89 higher education institutions apply for tuition hike –CHED
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, around  89 private higher education institutions (HEIs) nationwide have applied for tuition increase for this coming school year, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said on Thursday, July 9.      
Manila Bulletin

Universities to offer free online training to faculties from other schools
Six universities will be offering free online training on flexible learning to faculty members of other schools to help them prepare for the “new normal” in the country’s higher education sector, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced on Thursday.
Manila Bulletin

Allow face-to-face classes in areas with low COVID-19 cases, gov’t urged
A federation of private schools on Thursday appealed to the government to allow the conduct of face-to-face classes in areas with low or no cases of COVID-19 to help private education survive during this pandemic.
Manila Bulletin

Solon from COVID-free Batanes favors face-to-face classes
Batanes lone district Rep. Ciriaco Gato Jr. is eyeing a House resolution asking the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to consider allowing face-to-face classes in areas where it is deemed feasible.  
Manila Bulletin

6 universities offer flexible learning training for teachers
Six universities are offering free training on flexible learning to faculty members from other higher education institutions, the Commission on Higher Education said Thursday, as in-person classes remain suspended due to the continued threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
ABS-CBN News

Knowledge Channel offers ready-to-share video lessons as PH shifts to distance learning
The Knowledge Channel has offered the government ready-to-share video lessons to students, as the Philippines is set to shift to distance learning amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

ENERGY

World Bank to act on $300-M loan for Agus-Pulangi rehab next year
THE World Bank said the estimated approval date of the $300-million (around P15 billion) loan to support the Agus-Pulangi Hydropower Complex Rehabilitation Project is Sept. 29, 2021. The rehabilitation is expected to restore Agus-Pulangi’s deteriorating generating capacity, thereby raising the share of clean energy in Mindanao.
Business World Online

POVERTY

SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

SAP 2 distribution now in full swing — DSWD
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Thursday, July 9, that the distribution of the second tranche of emergency cash aid under the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP) is now in “full swing.”
Manila Bulletin

HOUSING and SETTLEMENT

TOURISM

Palawan reclaims distinction as ‘Best Island in the World’
The island province of Palawan has reclaimed its top spot as the Best Island in the World for this year. The newest distinction was cited by the world-renowned travel publication Travel + Leisure, which now makes Palawan as a four-time winner of the said award.
Manila Bulletin

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Illegal excavation of sand embankment reported in Northern Samar
While Northern Samar was at the height of the community quarantine to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease, environment officials received a report on the illegal excavation of sand embankment along a beach area in Bonbon, Northern Samar.
Manila Bulletin

Permits to develop Laguna Lake shoreland areas suspended
The Laguna Lake Development Authority has suspended the issuance of clearances to develop the Laguna de Bay’s shoreland areas pending the review of policies on the management of these portions of the lake.
Manila Bulletin

INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY