Philippines morning news for April 21

Philippines morning news for April 21
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Philippines morning news

Duterte declares P246.28 billion savings for coronavirus measures
President Rodrigo Duterte has declared P246.28 billion worth of savings, as part of the Philippines’ coronavirus warchest.
— Rappler

Philippines coronavirus cases rise to 6,459, death toll hits 428
The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed 200 new coronavirus cases in the country, raising the total number of cases to 6,459 as of 4 pm on Monday, April 20.
— Rappler

Ex-DFA chief urges govt protest on China’s new districts in South China Sea
FORMER Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario has urged the Philippine government to lodge a diplomatic protest against China after it established two new districts at the disputed South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).
— The Manila Times

Chinese experts say home quarantine for COVID-19 patients not effective
A home quarantine for COVID-19 patients is not effective in containing the spread of the disease, according to the 12-man team of Chinese experts who are in the Philippines to assess the country s response to the pandemic.
— GMA Network

Data revisions raised 2019 GDP expansion to 6%
The overall revision and rebasing of the Philippine System of National Accounts from 2000 to 2018 resulted in higher gross domestic product growth figures over the past two decades.
— Manilastandard.net

Duterte, Trump endorse rapid testing; PH OKs 1st US FDA-sanctioned kits
Despite the initial disapproval of the Department of Health, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte went ahead and advocated the procurement of rapid test kits to boost the country’s COVID-19 screening over the next three months, a strategy many other world leaders have recently implemented to great success.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Death toll in Sulu clash climbs to 12
From 11, the number of soldiers killed in a recent encounter with Abu Sayyaf bandits in Sulu climbed to 12 after a wounded trooper died while being treated in a military hospital in this city yesterday morning.
— Philstar

Malacañang: No Duterte order yet for martial law-like lockdown
After the Armed Forces of the Philippines started preparing for a possible martial law-like lockdown, Malacañang on Monday, April 20, said President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to issue any order of a police and military takeover.
— Rappler

IPOPHL reports surge in IP piracy cases amid lockdown
The government observed a surge in piracy cases, mostly illegal streaming and downloading of films, at the outset of the lockdown in March, as counterfeiters exploit the health crisis that is keeping people in their homes.
— Business Mirror

DOF expects ‘very bad’ tax haul in April
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said Monday he expects a “very bad” tax collection performance this month amid the implementation of enhanced community quarantine in Luzon that was extended until April 30.
— Manilastandard.net

Cebu province earmarks half of monthly IRA as financial aid to local gov’t units
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said over the weekend that half of the province’s monthly Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) will be dedicated to assist its component cities and municipalities as they all continue to implement the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
— Rappler

Manila Mayor Moreno to put Sampaloc district on 48-hour lockdown
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno announced yesterday that he would be putting Sampaloc under lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19 in the district.
— Coconuts Philippines

Returning Filipinos must undergo mandatory quarantine
The government’s coronavirus task force announced on Monday, April 20, that overseas Filipinos (OFs) returning to the Philippines will be made to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine period.
— Rappler

Cauayan City implements number coding scheme for vehicles
The City Government of Cauayan has started implementing the number coding scheme to vehicles entering the city based on City Ordinance No. 2020-300 as a measure to control the influx of people in going to the public market and in the city amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threat.
— Philippine Information Agency

Philippines has tested over 55k persons since COVID-19 Patient No. 1 -DOH
Over 55,000 individuals in the Philippines have been tested for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) since the Philippines recorded its first case in January, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.
— GMA Network

More PPEs expected to arrive soon, says DOH exec
The Department of Health (DOH) expects the delivery of thousands of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the country s hospitals and quarantine facilities within the week, a health official said Monday.
— GMA Network

DOF extends anew deadlines for tax amnesty, returns
The Department of Finance (DOF) has issued Revenue Regulations (RR) No. 10-2020 further extending deadlines to submit or file necessary documents and/or pay taxes required under the Tax Code of 1997 as amended, following President Rodrigo Duterte’s extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period in Luzon until April 30.
— Philippine News Agency

Irrigation plan to be coordinated with expanded rice planting
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is working with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to maximize irrigated land for the next rice planting season to ensure a larger harvest.
— BusinessWorld

Annoyed Cavite Governor Remulla asks military to take over as residents defy quarantine rules
Oh, look who’s pissed. Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla has had it with his stubborn constituents and today asked the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to take over his province and implement social distancing measures.
— Coconuts Philippines

Nationalist People’s Coalition calls for ‘effective, more inclusive’ mass testing
Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), a party composed of 54 national and local politicians, strongly urged the government to hasten mass coronavirus testing in the country.
— Rappler

‘Flattening of curve’ seen for now in NegOr
The province of Negros Oriental continues to see a decline in suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases as health authorities reported that the province no longer has new confirmed ones.
— Philippine News Agency

Government looks into resumption of POGOs
The government is looking into a proposal to let Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) resume operations to generate funds in the fight against the COVID-19 disease, President Duterte’s chief economic manager said on Monday.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

No double standard in implementation of quarantine, says Eleazar
The commander of the police s Joint Task Force against COVID-19 assured on Monday that authorities are implementing the guidelines Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) equally, and do not disitnguish between rich or poor.
— GMA Network

DILG to local governments: Include jails in mass testing
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is appealing to local government units (LGUs) in Central Luzon to include jails in mass testing as part of national government’s efforts to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
— Philippine Information Agency

DOH-10 converts TB lab into Covid-19 testing facility
The Department of Health in Region 10 (DOH-10) said Monday it has begun converting a laboratory for tuberculosis study into a testing facility for the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
— Philippine News Agency

NegOcc eases restrictions in gradual transition to GCQ
The Negros Occidental provincial government has eased restrictions in some of its quarantine measures starting Monday, as the province gradually transitions from enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to the general community quarantine (GQC).
— Philippine News Agency

Energy, Finance dep’ts release implementing rules for Murang Kuryente Act
THE Department of Energy (DoE) and the Department of Finance (DoF) released the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) governing Republic Act No. 11371 or the Murang Kuryente Act. which relieves consumers of the universal charge for stranded contract costs (SCC) and stranded debt incurred by the National Power Corp. (NPC).
— BusinessWorld

Quake rocks Sultan Kudarat
A magnitude-4.3 earthquake rocked the town of Columbio in Sultan Kudarat at dawn yesterday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
— Philstar

BIR suspends Statute of Limitations on tax assessment, collection
In view of the increasing con? rmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, the government has placed the entire country under a state of national emergency.
— Philstar

About 660 schools to be used as COVID quarantine, isolation areas – Duterte
The Department of Education (DepEd) has already approved a list of 660 schools that will be used by local government units as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) quarantine or isolation sites, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday.
— GMA Network

Local, cheaper COVID test kit ready for mass distribution
MANILA Health Tek Lab, the company responsible for producing the locally made COVID-19 test kit, targets to produce 16,000 tests per day by May 1, from its daily production capacity of 6,000 to 8,000 tests.
— Tempo

August opening for next school year
THE Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has recommended that the nation’s private universities and colleges shift to a new academic calendar and move the first day of the first semester for school year 2020-21 to August.
— Tempo

Smart steps up support for RapidPass system
PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. has stepped up its support for the government’s program to decongest quarantine control points.
— Philstar

Ordering military to implement ‘stricter’ ECQ is not martial law
President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to issue any order for the military to implement a “stricter” implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon and some parts of Visayas and Mindanao, Malacañang said on Monday.
— Philippine News Agency

LGUs urged to remove marketing window hours
LOCAL government units are encouraged to implement a rotating schedule for communities in buying food and medicine to avoid overcrowding in essential stores, a Palace official said yesterday.
— Tempo

Marikina market closed after vendor dies of suspected COVID-19
The Marikina government yesterday closed sections of its public market after a vendor believed to be infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 died.
— Philstar

NPC seeks ‘minimal’ data collection for COVID-19 tracker apps
THE National Privacy Commission (NPC) said digital tools designed to help health authorities contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic should avoid over-collecting personal data.
— BusinessWorld

Manila port operations back to normal, says Razon’s ICTSI
Congestion at the Manila port has eased, as companies have successfully pulled out cargo despite the Luzon-wide coronavirus lockdown.
— Rappler

Cash aid flow slow, only P 22B distributed
With only less than 10 days left before the lockdown’s scheduled end, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed less than a quarter of the first tranche of cash aid to poor families across the country who were hit hardest by the enhanced community quarantine.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

64K DavOr families to receive SAP aid
A total of 64,344 families in Davao Oriental is set to receive PHP6,000 cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Social Amelioration Program (SAP).
— Philippine News Agency

DSWD-9 tells SAP beneficiaries to spend money wisely
The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Region 9 (DSWD-9) has advised the beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) to spend wisely the cash aid the government has given them.
— Philippine News Agency

Groupthink to test effectiveness of Duterte’s new economic team
With Ernesto Pernia stepping down, Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua of finance chief Carlos Dominguez III is taking up the reins of NEDA, fueling concerns he may end up not entirely independent.
— Philstar

SC orders urgent release of inmates with lapsed jail time, shelved cases
As coronavirus threatens Philippine jails , the Supreme Court on Monday, April 20, ordered judges to urgently release prisoners who fall under a 2014 guideline on jail decongestion.
— Rappler

300 PH scientists, conservationists call for ‘a culture of care for nature’
In an open letter ahead of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, a group of 300 environmentalists called on present and future leaders to put nature on top of the agenda as Philippine society adjusts to a “new normal” following the COVID-19 crisis.
— Rappler

Palace leaves decision on lifting of liquor ban to LGUs
Malacañang on Monday said it will leave to the local government officials to decide whether to lift the total ban on alcoholic beverages in their respective cities and provinces amid the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon and some parts of Visayas and Mindanao.
— Philippine News Agency

Rate, reserve cuts from last year boost bank lending in February
Bank lending posted a double-digit growth in the second month of the year as cuts on interest rates and bank reserves make their way to the domestic economy, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported Monday.
— Philstar

Philippine Red Cross to open 20 testing labs for COVID-19 nationwide–Gordon
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will open around 20 testing laboratories for the detection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across the country, according to its chairman Senator Richard Gordon on Monday.
— GMA Network

Palace to Reds: Why declare ceasefire you can’t follow?
Malacañang on Monday said atrocities committed by the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), show that they are not sincere in declaring a ceasefire during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
— Philippine News Agency

Military records 33 coronavirus cases among soldiers, families
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said that it has recorded 33 novel coronavirus cases among soldiers and their families since the outbreak was first reported in the country in late January.
— Rappler

Iloilo launches ‘COVID-19 Task Force’
Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Jr. recently led the launching of the “Iloilo COVID-19 Task Force” that aims to further strengthen the collaboration of the public and the private sectors in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). “With this problem that we are facing right now, we need consolidation …
— Philippine Information Agency

COVID-19 testing for learners, teachers part of DepEd’s learning continuity plan –official
The Department of Education (DepEd) is also eyeing to test its stakeholders to ensure that the opening of classes for the upcoming school year will be safe from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
— GMA Network

Some senators favor modified ECQ after April 30
Some senators on Monday said modified confinement measures could be implemented after the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) expires on April 30 to balance health and economic interests as the country grapples with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
— GMA Network

Former senator, activist Heherson Alvarez dies from coronavirus
Former senator Heherson Alvarez lost his battle against the novel coronavirus , his family said on Monday, April 20.
— Rappler

DPWH employee working at PICC facility dies before release of COVID-19 test results
A member of the Department of Public Works and Highways whose post was at a quarantine facility passed away before his novel coronavirus disease 2019 test results could be released.
— Philstar

Dgte pays out P177-M to social amelioration beneficiaries
The Dumaguete City government announced Friday that more than P177 million will be distributed this week to 29,600 grantees of the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP). while the …
— Philippine Information Agency

Soldier wounded in Sulu clash with Abu Sayyaf dies of injuries
One of the 14 soldiers wounded in a clash with the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul, Sulu last Friday has died, bringing the number of troops killed in the firefight to 12.
— Philstar

DepEd eyes e-graduation due to coronavirus pandemic
With the lockdown still in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Education (DepEd) is considering conducting graduation rites online.
— Rappler

Ayala to fully abandon coal investments by 2030
Ayala Corp. is joining other big companies around the globe in shifting away from projects that contribute to climate change.
— Philstar

Barangays ordered to publish names of residents eligible for DSWD cash aid
The national government ordered local government units to publish names of residents authorized to receive emergency cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
— Rappler

Clashing quarantine guidelines cripple Ilocos Sur COVID-19 task force
Police Capt. Omar David, Tagudin police chief, explained that confusion arose because of separate guidelines from the local and national governments.
— Philstar

Trespassing in Taguig? Cops allegedly threaten to arrest expat residents of posh condo
A group of armed cops allegedly barged into a gated condominium in Taguig City yesterday and threatened to arrest its expat residents for supposedly violating the rules of the enhanced community quarantine.
— Coconuts Philippines

Lessons may be delivered via TV, radio for school year 2020-2021 – DepEd
The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday, April 20, said it was eyeing information communication technology (ICT) platforms, television, and radio in delivering lessons during the coronavirus pandemic .
— Rappler

Writer arrested for allegedly spreading fake news about COVID-19 cases in Cebu City
A Cebu City-based writer and entrepreneur named Maria Victoria Beltran was arrested yesterday morning after being accused of spreading fake news by Mayor Edgar Labella.
— Coconuts Philippines

 

 

Feature photo Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines
This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo focuses on World Intellectual Property Day, April 26.

 

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

 

 

About Philippines morning news.

Philippines morning news roundup is the most comprehensive hand-curated selection of Philippines English language news headlines published. Each weekday we scour hundreds of local and international news sites and websites to find the most recent Philippines English language news today.

We filter our the dull, the boring, the repetitive, and the click-bait and package all of the Philippines daily news that you need to know to start your day into an easy to read, time saving format of Philippines news headlines and first paragraphs before 8.15am Manila time.

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Stella-maris Ewudolu

Journalist at AEC News Today

Stella-maris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Education from Ebonyi State University, Nigeria in 2005.

Between November 2010 and February 2012 she was a staff writer at Daylight Online, Nigeria writing on health, fashion, and relationships. From 2010 – 2017 she worked as a freelance screen writer for ‘Nollywood’, Nigeria.

She joined AEC News Today in December 2016.

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