Philippines morning news for May 13, 2020

Philippine president to extend COVID-19 lockdown beyond nine weeks
The Philippines will extend its lockdown beyond nine weeks in some areas this weekend, according to its president, stretching one of the world’s strictest and longest community quarantines to try to contain coronavirus outbreaks.
— CNA

UP experts spot ‘alarming errors’ in DOH’s COVID-19 patient data
The University of the Philippines COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team in their policy note released Tuesday pointed out errors and discrepancies in the Department of Health’s data on COVID-19 patients.
— Philippine Star

Philippines to hire contact-tracers ‘en masse,’ restart ‘Build Build Build’
The Philippines will “restart and accelerate” its P8 trillion infrastructure program, hire contact-tracers “en masse” and push food production as part of efforts to reboot the economy from the COVID-19 pandemic, the head of President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic team said Tuesday.
— ABS-CBN News

Local airlines seen to lose P250 billion this year
Losses of local carriers Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia Philippines have hit P5 billion in the first quarter, and could potentially reach as much as P250 billion this year.
— Philippine Star

What airline passengers arriving in Philippines need to know amid COVID-19 pandemic
The Philippine Embassy in the US on Monday said the Philippine government has updated its measures for passengers arriving in Manila amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
— ABS-CBN News

COVID-19 recoveries now over 2,000 as country’s number of cases rises to 11,350
The number of patients who have survived COVID-19 has now surpassed 2,000 as the Department of Health recorded 107 new recoveries on Tuesday.
— CNN Philippines

Duterte: Philippines can’t afford second, third wave of COVID-19 pandemic
The Philippines cannot afford a second or third wave of coronavirus pandemic, President Rodrigo Duterte said, as he warned the public that being complacent could cost lives even in areas where quarantine measures have been eased.
— Philippine Star

Signal No. 1 up in parts of Eastern, Northern Samar due to Ambo
Signal No. 1 was raised in parts of Eastern Samar and Northern Samar before dawn on Wednesday, May 13, as Tropical Storm Ambo (Vongfong) further intensified over the Philippine Sea.
— Rappler

For some senators, airlines’ P 8.6-B bailout bid won’t fly
Some senators on Tuesday said they were not inclined to support the request of the country’s three largest airlines for a P8.6-billion monthly bailout from the government, with one of them, Grace Poe, arguing that the most vulnerable members of the transport sector should be given priority in the grant of state subsidies.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Domestic flights still banned, may resume May 16
Domestic commercial flights are still prohibited until May 15 owing to the coronavirus pandemic, Malacañang said Tuesday.
— Manilastandard.net

House leaders push P1.5-trillion infra spending bill for post-pandemic PH
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and 8 other ranking legislators filed a bill proposing a P1.5-trillion stimulus program that would fund key infrastructure projects in rural areas for 3 years to help cushion the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
— Rappler

UK think tank: PH economic recovery to lag behind due to slow COVID-19 containment
The Philippines and Malaysia are expected to lag behind their Asia-Pacific peers in bouncing back from the socioeconomic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic due to the slow containment of the disease, a United Kingdom-based think tank said.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

DOH: Current testing capacity for COVID-19 at 8,000
The Department of Health is eyeing at least 28,000 daily testing capacity to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by June, or right after the modified enhanced community quarantine is lifted in Metro Manila and other virus-affected areas, Secretary Francisco Duque III said.
— Philippine Star

DOLE: 2.5 million workers displaced by COVID pandemic
An estimated 2.5 million workers nationwide have been displaced due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment said yesterday.
— Philippine Star

PhilRice warns farmers vs. rice plant viruses
Farmers should watch out for certain types of viruses that may infect rice plants, as there is no known treatment as yet to some of these viruses, according to an expert of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
— Manila Bulletin

Medical frontliners still lack PPEs, says nursing association exec
The lack of personal protective equipment is still a challenge faced by the country s medical frontliners in their fight against COVID-19, according to an official of the Philippine Nurses Association on Tuesday.
— GMA Network

Coalition proposes P110 billion for ‘secure’ post-lockdown public transport
Public transport at a time of pandemic is a “ticking time-bomb” and the government would do well to prioritize the welfare of commuters to diffuse it once movement restrictions are eased and people troop back to typically congested trains and buses, a coalition said.
— Philippine Star

Eased lockdown till May 31 in Metro Manila, Cebu City, Laguna
Lockdown measures will be eased in much of the country beginning Saturday, but Filipinos cannot return to their old ways because the new coronavirus remains a threat to public health, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

With 25 new COVID-19 deaths overnight, the Philippines inches closer to the world fatality rate
We’re back to the rollercoaster ride of data. This can be attributed to the higher number of people getting tested lately.
— ABS-CBN News

Pandemic-stricken hospitals seek government relief
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is pushing some hospitals into the brink of financial collapse, prompting operators to seek government tax relief and complicating further the Philippines’ struggling outbreak response.
— Philippine Star

Quezon City places 20 areas under ‘special concern lockdown’
Quezon City has placed 20 areas inside 5 barangays with high numbers of active coronavirus cases under a special form of lockdown.
— Rappler

PHL gov’t’s plan on “gradual” easing of restriction “in phases” incorporated WHO guidelines – Galvez
The Philippine government is implementing “gradual” easing of restrictions in a “phased manner” which takes in consideration the precautionary measures given by the World Health Organization.
— Eagle News

PHL e-commerce market projected at $5-6 billion in five years — EY
THE E-COMMERCE MARKET is projected to grow to $5-6 billion within five years from the $1 billion in 2019, after having gained momentum during the current pandemic, a partner with Ernst & Young (EY) Singapore said.
— BusinessWorld

Year-end rice supply projected at nearly 18 million MT, exceeding demand
THE end-of-year rice inventory has been projected at about 3.326 million MT based on supply estimates of 17.994 million MT, sufficient to cover demand of 14.668 million MT, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
— BusinessWorld

No hearings on ABS-CBN just yet as Cayetano stresses more important bills take priority
The House of Representatives will not tackle ABS-CBN franchise bills just yet, as House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said it will “put the interest of the Filipino people first.”
— Philippine Star

Moody’s keeps Philippines’ credit rating, outlook as it flags virus risk
Moody’s Investor Service said Tuesday it kept its credit rating and outlook on the Philippines, as it highlighted the economic risk of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns.
— ABS-CBN News

A ‘slaughter them’ policy that targets the Philippines poor
The Philippines’s war on drugs presses on despite the coronavirus lockdown.
— Aljazeera

Mass testing pushed even for people without symptoms
The House minority bloc on Tuesday pushed for mass testing for the coronavirus with focus on health-care workers and others in the front lines, including those in media, to prevent a second wave of the contagion as the country moved to the “new normal” and relaxed quarantine protocols by mid-May.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

Finance chief seeks new tax reforms
The Department of Finance (DOF) is pushing for the passage of the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (Citira) to attract foreign investors and revive the pandemic-battered economy.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

‘Drastic’ cut in corporate income tax rate to rescue MSMEs pushed
The government will be treading the right path in rescuing private firms, especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), if it trims the corporate income tax (CIT) rate to 25 percent the soonest, industry leaders said on Tuesday.
— Business Mirror

1 million Metro Manila residents seen to join ‘Balik Probinsya’
Some 1 million residents of Metro Manila are expected to move to other regions in the next six months under the government’s Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa program that aims to decongest the National Capital Region.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

OFWs arrive in droves at Naia onboard 3 separate flights from Japan, Singapore
A total of 373 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Singapore and Japan touched down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on Tuesday onboard three separate commercial flights.
— Business Mirror

PH sees pork shortage by year-end – Duterte
While supplies of rice, corn, chicken and fish are enough for the rest of 2020, the country may face a shortage in the supply of pork toward the end of the year.
— Philippine Daily Inquirer

PHL and US partner to support fisherfolk amid virus pandemic
THE US government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has developed an online platform to enable Filipino fisherfolk to sell their produce to consumers amid the ongoing Covid-19 community quarantine.
— Business Mirror

PH’s COVID-19 laboratories now at 30 with new GeneXpert labs
The Department of Health announced on Tuesday that it has added four new facilities to the country’s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) laboratories.
— ABS-CBN News

Food industry sees minimal impact on food supply amid ECQ
The country’s food industry such as Aboitiz food business unit Pilmico Foods Corporation echoed the government’s assertion on sufficient food supply amid uncertainties brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
— Philippine News Agency

National Broadband Program positioned as telco competitor
THE Department of Communications and Technology’s (DICT) National Broadband Program (NBP) is expected to compete with private telecommunication service providers in offering fast, accessible and affordable WiFi service to all provinces and cities.
— BusinessWorld

Albay placed under alert status as ‘Ambo’ nears
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) of Albay placed the province under an alert status on Tuesday afternoon as Tropical Depression Ambo approaches.
— Philippine News Agency

DAR allots P300 million to aid agrarian reform beneficiaries
THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has set aside P300 million to aid thousands of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.
— BusinessWorld

Overseas Filipinos with coronavirus climb to 2,233
The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, May 12, said an additional 38 Filipinos abroad have contracted the coronavirus , raising to 2,233 the total number of confirmed cases overseas.
— Rappler

PH health workers with coronavirus breach 2,000 mark
The number of health workers with COVID-19 surpassed the 2,000 mark on Tuesday, May 12.
— Rappler

Riding-in-tandem suspects killed more people last year than COVID-19 –Gordon
Riding-in-tandem suspects have killed more people last year than the COVID-19 in the Philippines today, according to Senator Richard Gordon on Tuesday as he pressed for the implementation of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Law.
— GMA Network

4.2-magnitude quake hits Zambales
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck Zambales on Tuesday, May 12.
— Eagle News

DA reassures rice supply enough for entire 2020
The Department of Agriculture on Tuesday reassured the public that the Philippines’ rice supply is adequate for the entire year with a comfortable level of inventory.
— GMA Network

Cancel ‘Wow China’ immediately, says Senator Risa Hontiveros
Remember how the airing of “cultural” program Wow China on state-owned station Radyo Pilipinas riled up a number of Pinoy netizens?
— Coconuts Philippines

NBI arrests social media user offering P50-million for Duterte’s killing
The National Bureau of Investigation arrested a teacher over his post offering reward for killing President Rodrigo Duterte.
— Philstar

Filipinos urged to invest in equities market amid lower prices
Officials of Pru Life UK are optimistic for the success of their latest unit investment trust funds (UITF) products despite market volatility, and encouraged investors to take advantage of drop in share prices to purchase equity shares.
— Philippine News Agency

SEC warns of more easy money groups, penalties during pandemic
THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is warning the public against more groups operating investment schemes without authorization from the government.
— BusinessWorld

Less than 20% of startups have cash to sustain operations amid COVID — survey
Less than 20 percent of startups in the country have enough cash to sustain their business operations for more than a year amid the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, highlighting the need for government support, according to a survey from PwC Philippines.
— Philippine Star

Only 40% of registered nurses work in the Philippines; org calls for mass hiring
Only around 40 percent of the over 500,000 registered nurses in the Philippines actually work in the country, said the Philippine Nurses Association.
— GMA Network (video)

COVID patient who escaped from PUI facility identified
Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has identified formally the person who escaped from government custody while undergoing COVID-19 treatment in one of the PUI facilities in the city last Saturday.
— Philippine Information Agency

Agri-based firms go digital, diversify amid Covid-19 crisis
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the initiative of its Regional Operations Group (ROG), is assisting the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to adapt new business concepts and get past the so-called old brick and mortar mindset in order to survive the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
— Philippine News Agency

Rollout of Kadiwa on Wheels in Region 12 earns P4.3M in April
After going around Region 12 for a month, the mobile market set up by the Department of Agriculture (DA) 12 has grossed more than PhP4.3-million for April.
— Philippine Information Agency

Business group urges banks to extend loan maturities
The country’s largest business organization is calling on banks and non-bank financial institutions to give at least one year extension on loan maturities due from March 16 until Dec. 31 to help firms struggling to survive amid the government imposed lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.
— Philippine Star

Mayor Sara asks help to find missing Covid-19 positive patient
Mayor Sara Z. Duterte is calling on residents to help the local government locate coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patient Arani Hajiba, who fled from a government-run patient care center on Saturday (May 9).
— Philippine News Agency

Crisis-hit micro, small firms in NegOcc seek DTI financing
At least 119 micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Negros Occidental affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis have sought assistance from the Enterprise Rehabilitation Financing (ERF) Program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
— Philippine News Agency

U.P. experts say ‘open data’ is part of fight vs COVID-19
Aside from the battle being waged at the front lines, access to relevant and accurate data about COVID-19 are also key elements in the country’s fight against the dreaded disease.
— Rappler

Abante threatens to propose P1 budget for NTC next year
House Minority Leader Benny Abante Jr. on Tuesday threatened to propose only a one-peso budget for the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for next year if it does not get abolished sooner.
— GMA Network

Gov’t platforms being used to attack, red-tag media
Official Facebook pages of the Duterte government shared content that targeted local media just a week after the celebration of 2020 World Press Freedom Day. But this is not the first time verified government pages have done this.
— Rappler

Palace: Additional 5 million low-income families to receive cash aid from gov’t
President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the inclusion of five million low-income families as beneficiaries of the government’s Social Amelioration Program.
— Eagle News

Social Amelioration Program cut in GCQ areas, where not everyone can go back to work
Only areas that remain under enhanced community quarantine or ECQ would benefit from the second tranche of the government’s aid program for sectors sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic, Malacañang said yesterday.
— Philippine Star

Nat l budget should allow Pinoys to learn new skill sets for new normal after COVID-19 –Pimentel
Learning new skill sets for a post-pandemic society must be factored in the crafting of the national budget, according to Senator Aquilino Koko Pimentel III on Tuesday.
— GMA Network

DOH: Preventive health measures effective to slow down COVID-19 as quarantine measures lifted
The Department of Health (DOH) is confident that preventive health measures put in place to contain COVID-19 will be effective to slow the spread of the disease, as quarantine measures are gradually lifted in various areas in the country.
— Eagle News

Palace: ‘Wow China’ show on government radio is ‘part of marketplace of ideas’
A program about Chinese culture produced and aired by government radio station Radyo Pilipinas has sparked outrage for allegedly spreading pro-China propaganda.
— Philippine Star

Davao police releases sketch of woman who sneaked out of isolation facility
The Davao City Police Office on Tuesday, May 12, released a computer-assisted sketch of a woman who sneaked out of a coronavirus isolation facility after she tested positive for the disease.
— Rappler

Government work allowed in areas under modified ECQ — Palace
Malacañang on Tuesday said government work will be allowed in areas under modified enhanced community quarantine.
— GMA Network

BSP’s easing moves save bank lending from lockdown’s impact
Bank lending grew in March as easing moves by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to stimulate demand and soften the impact of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on the economy make their way through the country’s financial system.
— Philippine Star

N. Samar, other areas under thunderstorm advisory
A thunderstorm advisory has been hoisted over Northern Samar and other areas.
— Eagle News

PH gov’t puts Metro Manila, Cebu City, Laguna under ‘modified’ enhanced community quarantine
Metro Manila, Cebu City, and Laguna province will be placed under the “modified” version of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) after May 15, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque announced today in a virtual presser.
— Coconuts Philippines

Cavite province to be placed under general community quarantine on May 16
The entire province of Cavite will place under general community quarantine (GCQ) starting May 16, Governor Jonvic Remulla today said in a Facebook post.
— Coconuts Philippines

Bill shock disrupts Filipino consumer recovery as lockdown eases
The Duterte administration is relying on resilient Filipino consumers for an economic bounce-back. Staggering bills are getting in the way.
— Philippine Star

Bill authors ask Cayetano: ‘Put an end to confusion,’ resume ABS-CBN hearings
Fourteen House members who co-authored bills that would have renewed ABS-CBN’s now-expired franchise appealed to Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano to allow the resumption of hearings on the issue.
— Rappler

Investment trusts welcome regulatory relief amid volatility
UNIT investment trust funds (UITF) are expecting volatile conditions as a result of the pandemic, and will be greatly aided by relief measures offered by regulators, an official with Pru Life UK Investments said.
— BusinessWorld

Philippines best workplaces 2020 revealed
After months of painstaking employee surveys, culture audit assessments, analysis, reporting, and deliberations among participating companies, interrupted by a global pandemic that upended all workplace values and cultures, Great Place to Work® Philippines finally reveals its inaugural Philippines Best Workplaces 2020 list.
— Manilastandard.net

NDRRMC to LGUs: Social distancing must be observed in evacuation centers
The NDRRMC on Tuesday reminded local government units that social distancing measures must be observed in evacuation centers, should they become necessary due to Tropical Depression Ambo.
— GMA Network

Newly-declared low-risk areas will continue to see quarantine checkpoints — PNP
With some areas graduating to general community quarantine and others off lockdown altogether, the national police on Tuesday reminded the public that quarantine checkpoints aren’t going anywhere, with some of them even being designated randomly in the coming days.
— Philippine Star

DOH-10 recalibrates detect, isolate, treat, recover action plan
With the advent of local transmission in the city, the Department of Health (DOH) – 10 further beefs up its detect, isolate, treat and recover action plan to curb the spread of the virus.
— Philippine Information Agency

Dianne, where art thou? Senator Villar seeks answers from missing staff member
Senator Cynthia Villar has often become the butt of netizens’ jokes (and insults) for saying some of the most shocking things in public.
— Coconuts Philippines

Duterte offers PHP2 million reward for capture of communist rebels
Instead of announcing the end of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), President Rodrigo Duterte said in a televised public speech today that he is offering a PHP2 million (US$39,700) reward to anyone who could help in the capture of leading communist rebels.
— Coconuts Philippines

Till their last breath, Fil-Am health care workers give all vs COVID-19
Even in pain and imminent death, Filipino-American (Fil-Am) health care workers – among the frontliners in the US’ fight against the novel coronavirus – refused to stop serving and caring for their patients.
— Rappler

PCOO limits cross-posting content on its social media platforms
Malacañang’s communication arm is limiting cross-posting content on its social media platforms after getting flak for sharing posts that media groups and academics described as part of a black propaganda offensive against broadcast giant ABS-CBN and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa.
— Rappler

Feature photo Seed Quest
This week’s Philippines morning news feature photo focuses on World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, May 17.

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).

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Philippines morning news for May 13 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on May 13, 2020
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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.