by Lawrence Agcaoili (The Philippine Star), 24 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines —Only 20 percent of the 7.6 million senior citizens in the country are covered by either the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) or Social Security System (SSS), the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

by Lawrence Agcaoili (The Philippine Star), 24 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Foreign borrowings by the national government surged by 44.2 percent to $13.14 billion in the nine months to September as the country turned to the offshore debt market for more funds to bankroll key infrastructure projects and to control the COVID-19 pandemic.

(The Philippine Star), 24 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines — The Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital has suspended admissions and laboratory services after eight of its medical staff tested positive for COVID-19, an official said yesterday.

by Roy Stephen C. Canivel, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 24 Oct 2020 The government is encouraging businesses to adopt staggered work shifts to help decongest roads, but the manner by which this will be done will be left entirely on the shoulders of the private sector.

by Roy Stephen C. Canivel, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 24 Oct 2020 A Japanese company is investing P230 million in the Philippines for an automotive wiring harness and components manufacturing facility, the Board of Investments (BOI) said.

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by Rosette Adel (Philstar.com), 23 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines— The Board of Trustees of the Philippine Retirement Agency, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism, on Friday announced the suspension of issuance of the Special Retirees Residence Visa (SRRV) pending a review and possible amendments.

by Dona Z. Pazzibugan, Nestor Corrales, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 23 Oct 2020 More than half million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were displaced by the pandemic abroad while an estimated 1.1 million more were unable to resume or start working overseas since January, official figures showed.

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By Sharon Singleton, 23 Oct 2020 With much of the noise this week coming from the shenanigans downunder at the Crown Resorts inquiry, it would have been easy to miss more signs of trouble for Philippines Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs.)

by Iris Gonzales, 23 Oct 2020 Indeed, thousands of square meters of office space are now vacant with no hope of being filled up in the near future due to COVID-19 fears and tax policies viewed as unfavorable by most POGO operators and their service providers.

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by Tony Lopez, Manila Standard, 23 Oct 2020 “You cannot possibly get a better economic team than these two whiz kids of management and economics.” During the world’s worst crisis of the last 100 years, President Duterte has been blessed to have in his economic team the tandem of Finance Secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez and…

by Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star), 23 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Requests for the release of P46 billion for various projects aimed at cushioning the impact of the raging pandemic have been submitted to President Duterte’s office for approval, the budget department said yesterday.

by Louella Desiderio (The Philippine Star), 23 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Control measures enforced at malls and shopping centers were relaxed beginning yesterday to allow more patrons to enjoy their visit, encourage spending and spur economic activity, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.

30 Aug 2020 – What does it matter – the ‘low’ inflation rate – when, in COVID-19,  households are buying different commodities from what were in the CPI basket in 2018. True, nominally, minimum wage earners have lost buying power (about P15 in Metro Manila), but little consolation for those millions who have lost their…

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By: DJ Yap, Marlon Ramos, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 22 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines — After exposing a multibillion-peso scam involving immigration officers taking bribes from Chinese nationals arriving at the airport, the Senate panel headed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros will investigate reports of human trafficking as a third “revenue stream” of corruption in the Bureau…

by Catherine Talavera (The Philippine Star), 22 Oct 2020 In GCQ, MGCQ areas, with DOT OK MANILA, Philippines — Hotels in areas classified under general community quarantine and modified GCQ may now be allowed to operate at full capacity, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat announced yesterday.

Manila still looking to flatten curve while others already well By: Ben O. de Vera, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 22 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Although it imposed the longest and most stringent COVID-19 lockdown in the Asia-Pacific region, the delay in mass testing and dodgy contact tracing failed to contain the spread of the deadly…

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by Iris Gonzales (The Philippine Star), 22 Oct 2020 One of my favorite pastimes before COVID-19 struck was visiting the friendly neighborhood seamstress. I would often ask her to alter clothes to perfection or turn fabric patches into ornamental coverings, kitchen towels or what-have-you.

by Catherine Talavera (The Philippine Star), 22 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA), an attached agency of the Department of Tourism (DOT), is set to re-assess the age requirement for foreigners seeking retirement in the country after senators raised job sufficiency and national security issues last Tuesday.

by Jose Rodel Clapano (The Philippine Star), 22 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines — The completion of the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge, also known as the Rockwell Bridge, is right on schedule, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways.

by Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star), 22 Oct 2020 MANILA, Philippines — China should have the flexibility to hire personnel for the projects it is financing, Malacañang said yesterday, after some senators questioned the high percentage of Chinese workers involved in the construction of some bridges in Metro Manila.

By Ferdinand Patinio, 22 Oct 2020 MANILA – Around 900 informal sector workers who were displaced due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic are set to benefit from the initial rollout of the “free bicycles project” of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

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