by Krissy Aguilar, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 12 Aug 2020 MANILA, Philippines — The government’s COVID-19 task force has designated Cabinet members to Metro Manila cities and other areas with high virus transmission to “provide stronger support” in its pandemic response.

by Gabriel Pabico Lalu, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 12 Aug 2020 MANILA, Philippines — A government organization is calling for more educational drives and legislation against teenage pregnancies, as data points out that 10 percent of Filipinas aged 15 to 19 years old have already given birth at least once.

By Tyrone Jasper C. Piad, Businessmirror, 11 Aug 2020 WITH the Philippines returning to a stricter lockdown, the path to recovery of consumer spending—one of the major economic growth drivers—may be bumpy after quarantine measures ease.

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by Jose Rodel Clapano (The Philippine Star), 7 Aug 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Canteens and smoking areas in workplaces were found to be the hot spots for coronavirus infection, according to National Task Force against COVID-19 response chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. He made the statement yesterday as the National Task Force (NTF) and local…

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by Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News, 11 Aug 2020 The Parents-Teachers Alliance (PTA) wrote a letter to President Rodrigo Duterte asking him to postpone the August 24 class opening to give more time for its preparation.

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by Lawrence Agcaoili (The Philippine Star), 10 Aug 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) may drop by $5 billion this year as emerging markets, including the Philippines, face numerous challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, according to Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank).

by Beatrice M. Laforga, BusinessWorld, 10 Aug 2020 TWO major institutions downgraded their full-year growth forecasts for the Philippines in 2020 in the wake of the 16.5% contraction in second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP), with HSBC Research pricing in what would be a record contraction for the year of 9.6%.

by Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star), 10 Aug 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Almost 5,000 Filipinos who have returned from various countries have tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

by Miguel R. Camus, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10 Aug 2020 MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is eyeing the expansion of a program contracting public transport operators once Metro Manila is lifted from modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

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by Romina Cabrera (The Philippine Star), 9 Aug 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the second tranche of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) cash aid for poor citizens affected by the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic is expected to be fully distributed to over 2.6-million beneficiaries in Metro Manila by the…

by Emmanuel Tupas (The Philippine Star), 9 Aug 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año urged people to observe physical distancing even at home to avoid contracting COVID-19, which has already infected over 122,000 persons in the country.

by Edu Punay (The Philippine Star), 9 Aug 2020 MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has earmarked P300 million in financial assistance to private school teachers and personnel affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

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By: Solita Collas-Monsod, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 8 Aug 2020 Our country has experienced negative growth for two quarters in a row in 2020 and is now technically in recession. In the first quarter of 2020, we contracted by 0.7 percent, and for the second quarter, the Philippine Statistics Authority announced another contraction—a negative 16.5 percent.…

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Monday its officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) recently barred three suspect victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment from leaving the country.

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales, Manila Times, 7 August 2020 The interagency Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) on Thursday further trimmed its economic growth forecast for this year to -5.5 percent from its earlier -2 to -3.4-percent range to take into account the worsening impact of the coronavirus crisis on tourism, trade and remittances.

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by Ben O. de Vera, 7 Aug 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Without a vaccine yet to prevent COVID-19’s spread, President Duterte’s economic managers have tempered growth expectations for next year despite recovery from this year’s recession.

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By Cai Ordinario, Businessmirror, 6 Aug 2020 Thousands of Locally Stranded Individuals (LSI) stay at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate, Manila, as they wait for their batch to be sent back to their home provinces during the “Hatid Tulong Send Off” program of the government over the weekend. Critics noted that social distancing and…

By Antonio Contreras, 6 Aug 2020 THE urge to write something positive and inspiring about President Rodrigo Duterte is strong, after weeks of being so overly critical of him. But it is difficult, particularly when one is confronted with the series of missteps that he, his officials and his government have made recently.

by Neil Arwin Mercado, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 6 Aug 2020 MANILA, Philippines — Nearly 22.7 million students have so far enrolled for this upcoming school year amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Education (DepEd) reported Thursday.