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By: Tony S. Bergonia, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10 May 2020 The Philippines, along with much of the rest of the world, is experiencing unprecedented levels of heat and humidity that came decades earlier than scientists predicted these to be the new normal at the end of the century yet, according to a new science report.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1102406 MANILA – Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez commended the 12-member National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR), which he leads, for the Philippines’ seven-year exclusion from the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) counterfeiting and piracy watchlist, a positive positioning that helps ensure the country’s continued enjoyment of the US’ preferential…

by Bernice Beltran, 10 May 2020 After seeing her brother locked up in a city jail despite being a minor for charges that were withdrawn, Michelle (not her real name) discovered how poor families like hers are not treated fairly.

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#PHGDP declined by 0.2% in Q1 2020, compared to the 5.7% growth recorded in the same period last year.#NEDAsays policies need to be adaptive and responsive to evolving realities as the country recovers after facing socioeconomic shocks during the first quarter of 2020. pic.twitter.com/l0QROO8qRO — NEDA (@NEDAhq) May 9, 2020

By: Roy Stephen C. Canivel, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 9 May 2020 Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises are in need of money to make ends meet during the crisis and many might not survive another extended lockdown without going back to work, a business group said.

By Catherine S. Valente, TMT, Manila Times, 9 May 2020 Filipinos are “satisfied “with President Rodrigo Duterte’s leadership in the country’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, according to a foreign online survey.

The Philippine Star, 9 May 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Pag-IBIG Fund has made available two programs aimed to provide members relief on loans with its automatic grace period on loan payments in accordance with the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act and its three-month moratorium program on all loans.

The program aims to increase availability of credit from the banking sector and encourage more banks to lend to MSMEs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.#COVID19PH#LagingHandaPH#WeHealAsOne pic.twitter.com/11exHG6bDL — Phil News Agency (@pnagovph) May 8, 2020

By: Ben O. de Vera, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8 May 2020 The Philippine economy contracted for the first time in more than two decades during the first quarter, but economists warned on Thursday that the worst was likely yet to come as the country reeled from the coronavirus pandemic.

By Rey Elbo, Business World, 8 May 2020 It appears to me that the authorities have not issued any specific guidelines for companies that may be affected by the pandemic after the lifting of the lockdown. No, we are not talking about financial assistance, but how do we ensure that our workers and managers are…

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1102274 MANILA – Cash grants totaling PHP10.1 billion have been credited to more than 1.2 million employees of small businesses so far under the Small Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) program as part of the Duterte administration’s efforts to provide relief to poor and low-middle-income families along with other vulnerable sectors hardest-hit by the economic fallout…

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https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1102239 MANILA – The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has made available multiple alternative work arrangements (AWA) that government agencies can adopt while the country is placed under a state of public health emergency due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

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By Gerardo Maximo Francisco, Manila Times, 7 May 2020 At some point, the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) still in effect in many areas in the Philippines will be downgraded by the government to the level of a general community quarantine (GCQ). Hopefully, this vital decision to shift to a GCQ will be made circumspectly and…

by Elfren S. Cruz (The Philippine Star), 7 May 2020 A universal basic income (UBI) is a guaranteed income sufficient to meet a person’s basic needs. While there may be different versions, the basic features would be that it is unconditional, automatic, non-withdrawable, individual, and is a right.

by Mayen Jaymalin, Rudy Santos, Michael Punongbayan, Jose Rodel Clapano (The Philippine Star), 7 May 2020 MANILA, Philippines — The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) reported yesterday that over 40,000 more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) displaced by the lockdown abroad due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are expected to return home.

by Janvic Mateo, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Edith Regalado (The Philippine Star), 7 May 2020 MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday said it would implement adjustments in the basic education curriculum to take into account the current situation brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

By: Antonio T. Carpio, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 7 May 2020 There are invisible hands in the Philippines and China orchestrating the activities of Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos). Pogos run transnational gambling operations through online video. Smartly dressed young Chinese female dealers preside over casino tables located in condominium offices in the Philippines while their…

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By: Ben O. de Vera, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 7 May 2020 The COVID-19 lockdown imposed in Luzon and other parts of the country since mid-March already cost the Philippines forgone output worth 5.8 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP)—the highest in Asean-5, estimates of UK-based Oxford Economics provided to the Inquirer showed.

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By Melissa Luz Lopez, CNN Philippines, 7 May 2020 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 7) – Nearly half of workers in the private sector lost their sources of income during the enhanced community quarantine that was imposed by the government to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus.