COVID-19

DOH: 552 confirmed cases, 35 deaths, 20 recoveries
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Philippines has exceeded 500, the Department of Health (DOH) reported.
Manila Bulletin

Covid positive Filipinos abroad reach 169: DFA
The number of Filipinos who contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) abroad has reached 169 as of March 24, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.
Philippine News Agency

Manila cop tests positive for Covid-19
A police officer assigned at the Manila Police District (MPD) tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), an official said on Tuesday. 
Philippine News Agency

--------------------------------------

No change in COVID-19 test protocol — DOH
The Department of Health (DOH) said it will not yet change its protocol on who should be tested for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) despite the increase in the number of testing kits.
Manila Bulletin

Makati Medical Center now at full capacity for suspected COVID-19 cases
Makati Medical Center on Tuesday said it would no longer accept coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients for confinement as they have already reached maximum capacity.
GMA News

St. Luke’s no longer accepts COVID-19 patients; 592 health workers in quarantine
The management of St. Luke’s Medical Center said Tuesday that it is no longer accepting COVID-19 patients in its two branches.
Manila Bulletin

UPD-College of Science deploys faculty, students, personnel to COVID-19 testing centers
Indeed, “Serve the People.” The University of the Philippines-Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) announced Monday that they will be deploying their students, faculty, researchers, and staff to testing centers to work alongside other frontline workers to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease in the country.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

Sister-in-law of PH39 dies in Dumaguete hospital
The sister-in-law of the first confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patient in Negros Oriental, known as PH39, died Tuesday at a private hospital here, three days after she was admitted for exhibiting flu-like symptoms.
Philippine News Agency

3 more test positive for Covid-19 in Davao Region
Three more patients under investigation (PUIs) tested positive for the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19). In a statement on Monday, the Department of Health in Davao Region (DOH-11) said this brings a total of six positive cases in Region 11, one of whom has fully recovered and was discharged
Philippine News Agency, Mindanews

2 more persons under investigation for coronavirus die in Cagayan de Oro
Two more persons under investigation (PUIs) for the novel coronavirus died in a Cagayan de Oro hospital as the region confirmed 3 new confirmed cases, authorities revealed on Tuesday, March 24.
Rappler

Iligan has a new confirmed COVID-19 case
A 46-year-old male from Masiu, Lanao del Sur confined in one of the hospitals here was confirmed to be positive of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), health officials said during a press briefing here Tuesday afternoon.
Mindanews

10 more villages in QC placed on 'extreme lockdown'
The Quezon City government on Tuesday placed an additional 10 villages under extreme enhanced community quarantine, bringing to 12 the total areas under watch for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Manila Standard

DOH confirms 3rd Covid-19 case in Bataan
The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday night confirmed a third patient in the province found positive for the new coronavirus disease (Covid–19), prompting this town, where he is from, to institute stricter measures to prevent its spread.
Philippine News Agency

Iligan residents alarmed COVID-19 fatality buried in their brgy
Residents of Barangay Bonbonon here were alarmed when a suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient, who died at the emergency isolation area of the Adventist Medical Center last March 22, was buried in their barangay March 23, Monday.
Manila Bulletin

PUIs, PUMs up in Region 2, provinces
Numerous cases of persons under monitoring (PUMs) and persons under investigation (PUIs) are on the rise in Lanao del Norte, Cagayan Valley and Bataan amid the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
The Manila Times

Zamboanga City records first COVID-19 patient
Zamboanga Mayor Beng Climaco has announced on Tuesday evening that the city has recorded its first coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient.
GMA News

Pampanga health officer, former doc to the barrios, succumbs to COVID-19
The provincial health officer of Pampanga succumbed to COVID-19 on Tuesday night, his daughter announced in a Facebook post. Dr. Marcelo Jauchico, a former community doctor, passed away at 6:37 p.m.
GMA News

Naic, Cavite mayor tests positive for COVID-19
The mayor of Naic, Cavite announced on Tuesday that he tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
GMA News

Cavite nurse becomes PUI after being exposed to COVID-19 due to PPE shortage
A nurse in Cavite was put under home quarantine after she was exposed to a patient who tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
GMA News

Health worker in Cagayan de Oro says public vehicles won't give her rides amid COVID-19 fears
Despite what healthcare workers have been sacrificing to fight off the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country, they have started to experience discrimination from the public.
GMA News

Biñan, Laguna confirms 2nd COVID-19 case
Biñan City in Laguna on Tuesday confirmed its second of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case. In a Facebook post, the city's information office said the city health office reported a 42-year-old female resident of Barangay Canlalay who tested positive for COVID-19.
GMA News

DOH-12: Region has 4 PUI deaths
The Department of Health in the Soccsksargen region today reported that another Person Under Investigation of possible Covid-19 infection has died, raising the death toll of PUI in Region 12 to four.
NDBC News

Davao ready for limited coronavirus tests but Mindanao mass checking sought
The Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City on Tuesday, March 24, said it is now capable of local testing of samples for the novel coronavirus disease. Anabelle Yumang, head of Department of Health (DOH) Region 11, said there are limited supply of test kits, however.
Rappler

Bacolod City to buy 3K Covid-19 test kits
The city government here has set aside PHP5 million for the purchase of 3,000 coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) diagnostic test kits.
Philippine News Agency

'Frustrated' Marikina mayor to DOH: Operate our COVID-19 lab and we'll handle funding
The mayor of Marikina said he is willing to cede over the city’s COVID-19 Testing Center to the Department of Health (DOH) so that the laboratory can become operational at the soonest possible time.
GMA News

More Davao inns to offer free accommodation to frontliners, BPO workers
More accommodation facilities in Davao City have offered to accommodate for free the nurses of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) and workers of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) here after many of them were evicted from their dormitories amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) threat, Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) president John Carlo Tria said on Tuesday.
Mindanews

‘Wuhan’ battle cry against COVID-19 gains ground in South Cotabato
Health officials in South Cotabato are now employing the Chinese city of Wuhan, ground zero of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic, to fight the deadly and highly contagious virus.
Mindanews

Repatriation of stranded French nationals in PH underway
The repatriation of stranded French nationals in the Philippines is ongoing, the Embassy of France in the Philippines confirmed Tuesday.
Philippine News Agency

--------------------------------------

Surge in prices of basic goods, tricycle fare reported in Kidapawan City
An upsurge in the prices of basic commodities, and even on tricycle fare, has been reported in North Cotabato despite calls by the government for local traders to exercise restraint amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis the country is going through.
Manila Bulletin

NBI arrests 4 suspects for selling overpriced thermal scanners
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday arrested four suspects for allegedly selling overpriced thermal scanners.
GMA News

--------------------------------------

Fellow doc sings 'Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan' in honor of cardiologist who died from COVID-19
A fellow doctor has dedicated a touching song tribute to his colleague Dr. Raul Diaz Jara, a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) frontliner who passed away on Tuesday.
GMA News

Where is the Church?
NEXT to the state (including its essential police and military apparatus) and excluding the anarchic, each-to-his-own corporate sector, the Roman Catholic Church has been the most powerful institution in the Philippines, even arguably in many Christian nations.
The Manila Times

Grocery workers are brave frontliners, too, in the time of COVID-19
When almost all economic activities have come to a halt because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), supermarkets and convenience stores, are among the few that have been allowed to operate to sell food and supplies to the people.
GMA News

At the frontlines
Spare a thought for the fallen. They fought the good fight, but ultimately lost to this modern-day plague now just beginning to ravage this unhappy archipelago.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Test, test, test
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus issued a simple call of “test, test, test” last week, amid reports of more and more COVID-19 infections.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

A crisis for all
With the COVID-19 wave about to engulf us, our response needs to be nuanced to the huge disparities in this country. The enhanced community quarantine, while certainly warranted, has markedly different impacts depending on where we sit on the income ladder.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Good data heals, bad data kills
In this health emergency, I gratefully cede my column space to Norman Dennis Marquez, MD, associate director of the health sciences program at Ateneo de Manila University and coordinator of the Learning Experience in Communities program at Ateneo de Manila School of Medicine and Public Health. 
Philippine Daily Inquirer

--------------------------------------

Italy death toll rises by 743 : Live coronavirus updates
The death toll in Italy from the coronavirus pandemic rose by 743 in one day to 6,820, reversing a declining trend in fatalities observed over the last two days.
Aljazeera

Live updates: Trump says he wants ‘country opened’ by Easter; Terrence McNally dies from coronavirus complications
President Trump said Tuesday that he wants the country “opened up” by Easter — April 12 — and continued to play down the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic even as experts warned of a worsening crisis.
The Washington Post, The New York Times

Thai leader to invoke emergency powers as virus infections climb
Thailand’s leader said on Tuesday he would invoke sweeping emergency powers in the face of surging coronavirus infections, and in a sign of toughening official action a man was arrested over allegations of creating panic on social media.
Reuters

--------------------------------------

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

PRRD thanks Congress for ‘special powers’ vs. Covid-19
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday night thanked Congress for granting the executive department with “special powers” to address the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in the country.
Philippine News Agency, GMA News, Manila Bulletin

Duterte wants speedy delivery of medical supplies in war vs. COVID-19
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday night called for the speedy delivery of medical supplies amid the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
GMA News

Key points of measure granting additional powers to Duterte to address COVID-19
Congress on Monday night approved the urgent bill seeking to give additional powers to President Rodrigo Duterte as the Philippine government tries to strengthen its defenses against the health, economic, and social consequences that may be caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
GMA News

Duterte: DND-led nat'l action plan to reinforce efforts vs. COVID-19
Agencies of the government led by the departments of national defense and of the interior and local governments are "ramping up" the implementation of a national action plan meant to reinforce efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Tuesday night.
GMA News

PRRD: ‘Gov’t is ‘on top of this situation at all times, no one will be left behind’
No one will be left behind as the government is determined to ensure the safety of all Filipinos and provide assistance to vulnerable groups in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, President Duterte declared Tuesday.
Manila Bulletin

PRRD uses teleconferencing to meet with top gov’t officials
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted President Duterte to embrace the modern tool of video conferencing to contact government officials. On Tuesday, the President met with only a handful of Cabinet members to discuss government’s efforts against the coronavirus spread while video conferencing with other top government officials.
Manila Bulletin

--------------------------------------

Duterte calls doctors who died in war vs. COVID-19 heroes
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday night praised the doctors  who succumbed to COVID-19 in the line of duty .
GMA News, Manila Bulletin

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

OVP adds new bus route for health workers
Routes of free shuttle service for health workers and frontliners provided by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) have been expanded.
Manila Bulletin

ELECTION RELATED

DISASTER

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

JUDICIARY

LEGISLATIVE

Hontiveros, Elago say they could not 'blindly trust' government with emergency powers
Lawmakers who voted against Malacañang's bid to grant President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers said they did so because they believe the president does not need them and that the powers could be abused.
Philippine Star

Senate of the Philippines

House of Representatives

‘We’re not playing politics’ – Speaker Cayetano
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said on Tuesday, March 24, that he is willing to hold up again posters reminding people to stay home to protect lives.
Manila Bulletin

Ex-solon says another supplemental budget bill can be passed if needed
Former Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon commented on Tuesday that the Palace-crafted emergency COVID-19 response bill was significantly revised in the Senate.
Manila Bulletin

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

Armed Forces of the Philippines

AFP chief of staff on quarantine after contact with COVID-19-positive soldier
General Felimon Santos, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), disclosed on Tuesday that he has started undergoing quarantine measures after coming into contact with a senior military official who later tested positive for the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Manila Bulletin

Army's CBRN unit activated to combat COVID-19
The Philippine Army's Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) unit has been activated to counter the further spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
GMA News

Philippine National Police

PNP forms anti-fake news task force amid Covid-19
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has formed a task force that will go after fake news peddlers on social media in a bid to prevent disinformation amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) threat in the country.
Philippine News Agency

Only few people allowed in wakes, burials: PNP
The number of people at wakes and funeral rites should be limited in compliance with the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine, a ranking police official said on Tuesday.
Philippine News Agency

Incidence of crime down by 64% in Soccsksargen region
The Police-Regional Office-12 has reported a decline in crime incidents during the period of March amid the implementation of community quarantine to prevent the spread of Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) in the SOCCSKSARGEN Region.
Manila Bulletin

BUDGET, FINANCE, and TAXATION

ECONOMY AND INVESTMENTS

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD and PUBLIC WORKS

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

AUDIT, GRAFT, AND CORRUPTION

FOREIGN RELATIONS  

EU, Canada thank DFA for assisting returning nationals
The European Union (EU) Delegation in the Philippines and the Canadian government on Tuesday thanked Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. for his immediate action to address the plight of many European and Canadian nationals who were stuck in the country following the travel restrictions that were part of the enhanced community quarantine measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Manila Bulletin

West Philippine Sea

LABOR

Issuance, renewal of alien employment permits suspended in NCR
The Department of Labor and Employment-National Capital Region (DOLE-NCR) has suspended the processing of All Alien Employment Permits (AEPs) due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Philippine News Agency

TRANSPORTATION

HEALTH

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

DA to open 66 Kadiwa stores nationwide amid COVID-19
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to open 66 Kadiwa stores nationwide to give local government units (LGUs) and individual consumers direct access to agriculture products from the province during the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.
Manila Bulletin

MinDa initiates self-sustaining food security strategy
The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) is initiating a program called “Self-Sustaining Food Security Strategy (SSFSS) for Mindanao areas to ensure that the local government units (LGU) are able to quantify their current food supply inventory and identify possible sources for food sufficiency.
Manila Bulletin

EDUCATION

ENERGY

POVERTY

SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT

DSWD assures food, accommodation for staff during quarantine
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday said it is providing subsidized meals, transportation, and accommodation arrangements to its skeletal workforce responding to the coronavirus outbreak, as part of efforts to observe safety and health protocols during the community quarantine.
Philippine News Agency

HOUSING

TOURISM

DOT to probe hotels that kicked out stranded foreigners
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat on Tuesday vowed to probe all hotels and inns that reportedly kicked out stranded foreign tourists while Luzon is under enhanced community quarantine and domestic flights are limited.
Philippine News Agency

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY