HOSPITALS are hanging on as coronavirus surges come and go, but their long-term health will ultimately depend on finding adequate numbers of staff and collecting on their receivables from the national health insurer, among others.

Just before the August wave, hospitals had a brief respite from the frantic days of the March-April surge, allowing some industry associations to reflect on bigger-picture issues ailing their member-companies instead of being preoccupied with dealing with day-to-day crises.

First, a snapshot of where things stood before the Delta surge hit last month: In Metro Manila, the majority of cases was judged to be mild, not requiring hospitalization but merely isolation. But the August surge, thought to be caused by the more easily-spread Delta variant of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), threatened to overwhelm hospital capacity once again.

Speaking at a Zoom meeting in June, before the Delta surge, Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPi) President Jose Rene D. de Grano said: 鈥淭he moderate and severe cases are the ones that are placed in the hospital beds in Metro Manila. More or less, right now it鈥檚 around 5% or less than 5% of the total active cases so there is not much.鈥�

At the time, cases in the Visayas and Mindanao were increasing. 鈥淭hey were having the problem that NCR had (in March and April).鈥�

Despite operating under pandemic conditions for over a year, hospitals were still having a problem with manpower, according to Philippine Hospital Association (PHA) President Jaime A. Almora.

Financial problems have also been exacerbated by the nonpayment of coronavirus claims by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), he said.

鈥淏ut we are coping,鈥� Mr. Almora said in a phone interview, noting at the time that the pause in the coronavirus surge was allowing regular patients to come in for treatment.

This category of patient had largely been shut out by the pandemic because hospitals were swamped dealing with emergency respiratory cases, which required extra care in handling as well as expenses. Staff were also rotated to minimize their exposure, and had to be taken off duty if they tested positive.

Health department epidemiology bureau director Alethea de Guzman said in an online briefing in July that before the Delta surge in August, Philippine infection rates fell by 9% in the two weeks ending on June 26 while the average daily attack rate (ADAR) 鈥� new cases divided by population 鈥� was at 5.24.

Metro Manila at the time was also classified as low-risk with coronavirus infections declining by 26% in the same period while the ADAR was at 5.01.

Coronavirus cases in Luzon had been falling except for the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos and Mimaropa, the Health department said.

Cases in Eastern and Western Visayas were rising, while Central Visayas plateaued after a sharp decline, according to Ms. De Guzman. Cases in Mindanao had been falling except for the Davao region, where the trend was inconsistent.

However, the Health department flagged the Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas, Davao region and Soccsksargen as 鈥渉igh-risk鈥� at the time. Davao region had a high healthcare utilization rate and critical-risk intensive care utilization rate, while Western Visayas and Cagayan Valley had high-risk ICU usage rates.

Nationally, bed occupancy was at 46.1% out of the total 35,143 beds in 1,272 facilities as of June 30. A total of 870 facilities were at safe levels or less than 60% occupied, 88 were at moderate or 60-69% occupied, 110 were classified as high-risk or 70% to 84% occupied and 148 were critical, according to the DoH鈥檚 tracker website.

A total of 55.98% of 3,421 intensive care unit beds were occupied. Around 46.15% of 19,524 isolation beds were occupied, and around 43.3% of 12,198 ward beds were used.

The National Capital Region (NCR) reported a 37.7% occupancy rate during the pause between surges. Of the 159 facilities, 132 were at safe levels, six moderate, 11 high-risk and eight critical.

PROBLEMS, RECOVERY
Mr. Almora said the number of available nursing staff is falling due to migration and a preference for working in government hospitals.

Mr. De Grano said the number of nurses in private hospitals even before the pandemic had decreased by around 30% to 40%. 鈥淭here are no available nurses right now because nurses went to the government facilities because they are offering higher salaries.鈥�

Some were afraid of contracting coronavirus and expressed a preference for work in parts of hospitals that were less exposed, he said.

鈥淲e are used to working under stress under pressure, but the situation is far from normal,鈥� according to Mr. Almora of the PHA.

Mr. Almora said hospitals will recover as long as problems do not pile up to the point that they are overwhelmed. He added that much depends on the national insurance agency, which has 鈥渁bsolute and total control鈥� over hospital claims for treating COVID patients.

鈥淲e hope to recover (with the admission of) non-COVID cases. But the hospitals that have admitted COVID cases have used a lot of resources. So hopefully, babayaran ng PhilHealth ng tama (PhilHealth needs to do right by them with prompt payments),鈥� he said.

Mr. De Grano of the private hospitals鈥� association also cited the cash crunch caused by the payment delays and the drying up of non-COVID cases.

鈥淧rivate hospitals do not have subsidies like government facilities. So, they rely mainly on patients coming into the hospitals, from the admission of patients and their payments and for the services that they are using in the hospital.鈥�

He said that some hospitals have availed of a debit-credit payment method (DCPM) scheme for their PhilHealth beneficiaries, but the reimbursement rate is 鈥渘ot enough,鈥� claiming a yield of only around 35-36% instead of the 60% promised.

Some preferred to go through the normal process of filing claims which he estimated takes at least 60 days. Mr. De Grano added that payments for 2021 are being released but some hospitals are still complaining that they have not received payment for coronavirus claims for 2020, saying about P20 billion has yet to be reimbursed.

Senator Maria Josefa Imelda R. Marcos in a statement in late June said her office received complaints of at least P26 billion in claims that remain unpaid to private hospitals. She added that the DCPM did not cover unpaid claims from last year and the 60% target amount was not fully settled, citing one private hospital, which received only P430 million out of P1.2 billion in claims, a recovery rate of 36%.

鈥淐omplaints reaching our office show that at least P26 billion remains unpaid to private hospitals, while government hospitals are still owed hundreds of millions. Let鈥檚 not wait for them to shut down nor leave them ill-prepared to deal with the possible spread of the dreaded Delta variant,鈥� she said.

Ms. Marcos added that hospitals also raised concerns over an online ledger known as the Reconciliation Summary Module, to which hospitals and PhilHealth subscribe. The system allegedly shows that PhilHealth has paid even when the amounts have not yet been deposited to hospital accounts.

PhilHealth on April 8 issued a circular concerning the DCPM, in which it committed to paying 60% of healthcare facility receivables, subject to a 2% expanded withholding tax for eligible private entities.

It was to pay the remaining 40%, also subject to 2% expanded withholding tax for private facilities, 鈥渇ollowing full compliance with existing claims processing requirements and procedures and full reconciliation of the 60%鈥� initially paid.

This followed an order from President Rodrigo R. Duterte to the state insurer to fast-track the payment of hospital claims.

Initially, the payment method only applied to hospitals in Metro Manila, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga and Rizal. This was then expanded to high and critical-risk areas.

In a Facebook post on June 9, PhilHealth said P6.2 billion had been disbursed to 203 public and private healthcare facilities under the DCPM, 114 of which were from the capital region. The payment method is applicable to claims from between March 8, 2020 and April 7, 2021.

The DCPM does not include claims that are tagged as returned to hospitals, denied, endorsed to the Legal Department for further investigation and those paid as of April 7, according to the post.

PhilHealth recognizes the importance of paying the claims to the ability of hospitals to operate, PhilHealth Vice-President for Corporate Affairs and spokesperson Shirley B. Domingo said.

鈥淧hilHealth reimbursements are important… Malaki na ang nako-contribute ng Philhealth sa mga cash flow鈥� ng hospitals (PhilHealth accounts for a major part of their cash flow),鈥� she said in a phone interview.

Ms. Domingo said there are many reasons for delayed payment releases, citing issues in claims processing, which sometimes result in 鈥渞eturned to hospital鈥� claims due to deficient documentation.

The lockdown has also affected operations.

鈥�Naapektuhan din kami sa pandemic on our part because marami rin nagkasakit sa amin ng pandemic, na-quarantine because of exposure and all that (We were also affected by the pandemic. Many of us got sick or were quarantined). Right now, many are still鈥� working from home, but they continue processing the claims,鈥� she said.

Ms. Domingo also questioned the claim that the DCPM is not yielding sufficient payments, saying that the regional offices have to reconcile the amounts with hospitals to account for claims that are returned to hospitals or denied.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why our regions are doing reconciliation with the hospitals on the actual amounts payable,鈥� she said.

She said PhilHealth is monitoring the turnaround time of the regions and has found that some meet the 60 days鈥� deadline for regular processing.

鈥�Iba-iba ang turnaround time kasi per region, lalo na smaller regions, mabilis mag-process ng claims, so depende 鈥檡un sa region (Processing times vary, especially with smaller regions, which are faster)鈥� she said.

OVERWHELMED
Mr. De Grano said that everyone should be prepared for some kind of epidemic, but the situation with the coronavirus 鈥渨ent to a magnitude that we cannot really handle.鈥�

鈥淭hey (hospitals) were overwhelmed by the magnitude of this pandemic,鈥� he said.

鈥淟essons learned here is for the hospitals to really save… you cannot rely on PhilHealth or the government to pay you,鈥� he said, noting that it takes 60 to 120 days for PhilHealth to pay up in general, with further delays for coronavirus cases.

He said that a year鈥檚 delay in the release of claims is not survivable for small hospitals. Some hospitals had to downsize or reduce working hours to avoid layoffs, while others took out bank loans to survive.

Mr. De Grano said the government is trying to balance its priorities between reviving the economy and dealing with the public health emergency.

He said a sense of complacency has set in when it comes to following the minimum health protocols.

鈥淚 think if鈥� we are able to vaccinate a majority of our people, then we will no longer get into a situation where the hospitals are overwhelmed,鈥� Mr. De Grano said.

VACCINATION
Mr. De Grano said the speedy rollout of vaccines will be key in heading off surges.

鈥淚f are able to do that, and then if we attain what herd immunity, even for 40% of our population, I think that will be a big, big help to our healthcare system. Eventually, we will be able to overcome this pandemic,鈥� he said.

As of Aug. 5, around 23.2 million vaccine doses had been administered, with 10.7 million fully vaccinated.

Mr. Almora also said broader vaccination will help hospitals recover.

鈥淭hat is the only solution,鈥� noting that prevention is the best approach.

鈥淪eeing so many of my friends getting sick from the coronavirus was scary,鈥� he said in an e-mail. 鈥淭he lockdown made me feel tired and anxious about what鈥檚 going to happen to me. I鈥檓 now taking medication to control my condition.鈥�

At least 3.6 million Filipinos suffer from one kind of mental, neurological and substance use disorder, the Health department has said, citing a study by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The mental health impact of the pandemic will be 鈥渓ong-term and far-reaching,鈥� the WHO said in a statement last month, as experts and leaders sought action on pandemic-linked anxiety and stress. 鈥淓veryone is affected in one way or another.鈥�

Patients with mental health disorders are two times as likely to die from COVID-19, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry last month.

Bernard B. Argamosa, program director at the National Center for Mental Health, said they have been receiving more distressed calls at their hotline during the pandemic that has infected 1.65 million and killed almost 30,000 people in the Philippines.

When the hotline started in May 2019, the average callers in the first six months hit as many as 400. During the first few months of the lockdown that started in March last year, the number of callers doubled to as many as 700 a month, he said.

This further increased by five times in the third quarter of last year, with about 1,400 calls a month, Mr. Argamosa said. It peaked at 1,600 calls in March.

鈥淒uring the third quarter of 2020, we noticed that the primary reasons for calling were anxiety and depression, which were exacerbated by the pandemic,鈥� he said in a Zoom Cloud Meetings interview.

鈥淭he uncertainty of it, the job losses, the lockdown 鈥� those are the primary reasons why they鈥檙e calling,鈥� he added.

Suicide-related calls also accounted for a third of the calls this year, up from 10% when the hotline started.

A study by mental health firm MindNation released in June found that 53% of Filipino workers had experienced mental health challenges during the global health crisis.

These include fears about getting infected with the coronavirus, financial pressures, personal problems, work pressure, and trying to juggle work and family matters.

鈥淣ow that the boundaries between personal life and work are blurred with people working from home, employees are working more than they did pre-pandemic when they were onsite with colleagues,鈥� according to the report. It added that almost half of employees feel they have too much workload.

MindNation, which conducted the study in September 2020 to April 2021, found that workers were lacking focus and concentration and felt they no longer enjoyed things that made them happy in the past. They also had low self-confidence and had a hard time sleeping.

The study also found that 13% of workers took a leave of absence due to mental health problems, while 35% had productivity issues, losing an average of two hours daily. A quarter of those polled said they were thinking about quitting their jobs.

It also said these mental health and well-being challenges cost companies P7 million a year for 10,000 employees.

鈥楢BNORMAL CONDITIONS鈥�
Cornelio G. Banaag, vice-president of the Mental Health Association of the Philippines, Inc., said the requests for appointments during the lockdown increased, mostly concerns about depression, anxiety, suicidal behavior, difficulties in school, lack of motivation and parents getting upset.

鈥淚t鈥檚 increasing, it鈥檚 not getting less,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very difficult to adjust. We鈥檙e trying to be normal under very abnormal conditions. These conditions are very abnormal for all human beings, especially for Filipinos who love connections.鈥�

Mr. Banaag traced most mental health problems to uncertainty and social isolation. Many Filipinos have had to endure being away from their families, relatives and friends once they get infected with the virus.

鈥淯ncertainty has removed our sense of control over our lives,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know when this is going to end.鈥�

Mr. Argamosa said people should not forget to go back to the basics, including following health protocols and cultivating relationships with family and friends. 鈥淲e can be physically distant, but it is important to maintain our social connectedness.鈥�

He said Filipinos are known to be resilient, and hope would help them cope during the health crisis. Spirituality could also help them survive the pandemic.

The speedy rollout of vaccines could ease the anxiety of people, he said. 鈥淲hat is distressing for all of us is the uncertainty and the fear that this might continue for years. If we start to believe that things will get better, it will be a big help.鈥�

To cope with the pandemic, people should take care of their physical well-being, which is the foundation of good mental health. Aside from getting at least six hours of sleep and eating healthy food, creating new routines 鈥� which were taken away from them during the lockdown 鈥� would help them deal with stress.

鈥淚t helps us predict that at a certain time this is what we will do, which restores some amount of predictability and control in our lives,鈥� Mr. Banaag said.

He also said 鈥渢he mind is our best ally, but it can also be our worst enemy.鈥� People should avoid negative thoughts and feed the mind with positive thinking.

鈥淟et鈥檚 not be too hard on ourselves. We have to accept that these times have imposed limitations on the things that we can do. We are trying our best to live as normal as we can under abnormal circumstances and therefore, there will be mistakes,鈥� he said.

Mr. Santos, mentioned at the outset, said he tries to deal with the anxiety by getting behind the wheel and taking a time off. He also practices breathing exercises, avoids overthinking, and takes things 鈥渙ne step at a time.鈥�

But when help is needed, one should seek help, professional or otherwise, he said.

鈥淒on鈥檛 be worried about the stigma of consulting a shrink,鈥� he said. 鈥淵our mental health and well-being should always be the priority. You should seek help from people around you.鈥� 鈥� VMMV

Taal continues to emit smoke, which is caused by gas and water vapor moving up toward its crater, said Renato Solidum, chief of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

鈥淲e hope there won鈥檛 be stronger eruptions but that鈥檚 the threat from Taal because it continues to emit gases,鈥� he told a televised news briefing in Filipino.

Taal has been belching sulphur dioxide for days, creating a thick haze over Metro Manila and surrounding provinces.

The Department of Health (DoH) advised people to take precautionary measures against toxic gas emissions from Taal Volcano鈥檚 eruption.

In an advisory issued late Thursday, the agency said short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide, a colorless toxic gas emitted by the volcano, could harm the respiratory system and make breathing difficult.

鈥淧eople with asthma, particularly children are sensitive to these effects,鈥� DoH said. 鈥淧rolonged exposure or high concentrations of this gas can cause inflammation and irritation of the respiratory system.鈥�

Other symptoms of exposure to sulfur dioxide include skin and eye irritation, mucus secretion, coughing and asthma. It may also aggravate bronchitis and increase the risk of respiratory tract infection.

DoH said people should stay indoors, close the doors and windows especially if they are near the volcano and wear face masks.

Volcanologists on Thursday raised the alert status of Taal from Alert Level 2 or increasing unrest to Alert Level 3 or magmatic unrest.

鈥淭his means that there is magmatic intrusion at the main crater that may further drive succeeding eruptions,鈥� it said in a bulletin. It said people living in Agoncillo and Laurel in Batangas province should be evacuated.

Presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. on Friday said the palace was monitoring the situation in Taal, adding evacuation of people there were ongoing.

鈥淲e ask residents in the areas surrounding the volcano lake to remain vigilant, take precautionary measures, cooperate with their local authorities should the need for evacuation arise,鈥� he said in a statement.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Calabarzon has stockpiles of relief support including food packs worth P1.4 million and nonfood items worth P11 million.

Meanwhile, the National Electrification Administration ordered electric cooperatives in Luzon especially in the Calabarzon region to take contingency measures to mitigate the effects of the Taal volcano eruption on their power distribution systems. 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas

The death toll rose by 177 to 24,973, while recoveries increased by 2,212 to 1.34 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 55,482 active cases, 1.4% of which were critical, 91.5% were mild, 3.8% did not show symptoms, 2% were severe and 1.44% were moderate.

The agency said 11 duplicates had been removed from the tally, eight of which were tagged as recoveries and one as death.

Twelve recoveries were reclassified as active cases, while 102 cases tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Four laboratories failed to submit data on June 30, the agency said.

About 14.1 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 30, according to DoH鈥檚 tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 183.4 million and killed around four million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 167.9 million people have recovered, it said.

Meanwhile, Luzon International Premier Airport Development (LIPAD), which operates Clark International Airport, said it had agreed to let four medical groups use its old terminal building for mass vaccination.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Medical Center, Philippine Airport Diagnostic Laboratory, PRI Medical Center and the Medical City Clark will provide staff who will give the vaccines and dispose of medical waste, the airport operator said in an e-mailed statement.

The company is set to open this month a new terminal building built by Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Infrastructure Ltd. for domestic commercial flights.

The building can hold 8 million passengers annually. Clark Airport operates with an annual passenger capacity of 4.2 million. 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas and Arjay L. Balinbin

Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara filed Senate Bill 2297 or the proposed Free Annual Medical Check-Up Act.

In a statement, Mr. Angara said many Filipinos do not seek medical care in their lifetime or only do so when they are already at a critical stage. Many of them resort to traditional healing because they are poor, he added.

鈥淯ndergoing annual medical check-ups are considered as essential especially at this time when we are facing a pandemic that has already resulted in the deaths of over 20,000 individuals and the infection of close to 1.4 million in our country,鈥� he said.

鈥淓arly detection of potentially deadly ailments such as heart diseases or diabetes can save lives,鈥� he added.

Under the bill, Filipinos will be entitled to free annual medical check-ups that will be provided by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. under the Universal Health Care law.

Filipinos can avail themselves of free check-ups for the entire year and the state-insurer should have a system to secure that everyone will be accommodated. 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas

HEALTH authorities on Thursday said the Philippines was at low risk from the coronavirus after declining infections in the past two weeks.

Infection rates fell by 9% in the two weeks that ended on June 26, Health Director Alethea de Guzman told an online news briefing.

People should still adhere to health protocols, she added, noting that the situation is 鈥渧ery prone to a sudden, possible increase.鈥� 鈥淲e need to widen the decline.鈥�

The average national daily attack rate 鈥� new cases divided by the population 鈥� stood at 5.42, within the moderate risk classification. An average of more than seven is considered high risk.

Ms. de Guzman said 46.5% of health care facilities had been used as of June 29, while 55.2% of intensive care unit beds had been occupied. She added that 24% of isolation beds had been used.

The daily infection tally increased slightly to 5,772 from June 24 to 30, from 5,638 from June 17 and 23, she said.

She flagged the Davao region, Western Visayas, Soccsksargen and Eastern Visayas for rising coronavirus infections.

The infection rate in the Davao region had more than doubled in the past two weeks, while the rate in Western Visayas was 63%, 67% in Soccsksargen and 118% in Eastern Visayas, Ms. de Guzman said.

The daily attack rate in the Davao region was 9.14, 8.12 in Western Visayas, 7.1 in Soccsksargen and 7.05 in Eastern Visayas, she said.

Coronavirus cases in Metro Manila fell by 26% from June 13 to 26, while its average daily attack rate was at 5.01, which is considered low risk.

Infections in the capital region have plateaued after a slow decline in the past weeks. The average daily tally in the seven days ended June 30 stood at 694, from 686 a week earlier.

鈥淲e often describe the trend in the National Capital Region (NCR) as fragile,鈥� Ms. de Guzman said. 鈥淭his is a crucial time for NCR because we don鈥檛 want it going up again.鈥�

Coronavirus infections in Luzon have fallen except for the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos and Mimaropa, the Health department said.

Cases in Eastern and Western Visayas were rising, while Central Visayas has experienced a plateau after a sharp decline, Ms. de Guzman said. Infections in Mindanao have been falling except for the Davao region, where the trend is inconsistent.

DAILY TALLY
The Department of Health (DoH) reported 5,795 coronavirus infections on Thursday, bringing the total to 1.4 million. The death toll rose by 135 to 24,797, while recoveries increased by 2,859 to 1.34 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 51,567 active cases, 1.5% of which were critical, 91% were mild, 3.8% did not show symptoms, 2.1% were severe and 1.56% were moderate.

The agency said 17 duplicates had been removed from the tally, 14 of which were tagged as recoveries. Twenty-seven recoveries were reclassified as active cases, while 93 cases tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Five laboratories failed to submit data on June 29.

About 14 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 29, according to DoH鈥檚 tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 183 million and killed almost four million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 167.6 million people have recovered, it said.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said a Bloomberg report ranking the Philippines second to the last of 53 countries in terms of pandemic response was unfair. He said the report favored rich countries with a high vaccination rate.

He said the country does not have enough vaccines to inoculate at least half of the population, adding that rich countries have already gotten 80% of the global vaccine supply.

鈥淭hat leaves us among the middle-income countries scrambling and almost begging for vaccines, and they are already talking about the luxury of a third booster dose,鈥� he told the ABS-CBN News Channel.

The Philippines ranked 52^nd out of 53 countries in terms of pandemic response, according to Bloomberg鈥檚 COVID-19 resilience ranking, where the government scored poorly in vaccine rollout, among other things.

The country got a score of 45.3, ahead of Argentina, which ranked last on the list with a score of 37.

Meanwhile, The World Health Organization and National Commission of Senior Citizens urged local government units (LGUs) to speed up the vaccination for priority groups, including senior citizens.

They said only 28.3% or about 8.2 million senior citizens had received their first coronavirus vaccine dose as of June 28.

WHO Representative to the Philippine Rabindra Abeyasinghe said the vaccines are important especially with the risk of more contagious variants.

鈥淲e strongly urge our LGUs to ramp up efforts to improve access of the elderly to vaccines, along with improving convenience at vaccination sites,鈥� he said in a statement. 鈥淟et us give our elderly the protection they need and the best quality of life they deserve without delay.鈥�

Also on Thursday, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. apologized for the vaccine shortage after some local governments complained.

鈥淲e apologize. That鈥檚 the reality and we can鈥檛 do anything about it,鈥� he told a televised news briefing in Filipino.

Mr. Roque said the National Government is prioritizing coronavirus-hit areas for vaccination. Metro Manila and nearby provinces are being prioritized 鈥渘ot only because of the higher cases there but also because of the higher population.鈥�

The Philippines aims to inoculate at least 500,000 people daily in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao to achieve herd immunity by Nov. 27.

鈥�Lahat po itong mga report na ito pinadala ko na kagabi kay (I have sent all these reports last night to) Senator Manny Pacquiao,鈥� Mr. Duque told ABS-CBN News Channel.

Mr. Pacquiao, acting president of the ruling party PDP-Laban, has been in a squabble with a faction of their political group supported by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, the party chair.

The senator last week made allegations of corruption in government.

Mr. Duterte on Monday said he would campaign against Mr. Pacquiao in next year鈥檚 elections if he fails to identify the alleged corrupt officials.

The senator on Tuesday accepted the challenged and cited anomalies in the government鈥檚 purchase of rapid test kits, masks and other materials for the coronavirus pandemic. He also asked the Health department to account for expenditures.

Mr. Duque, in a statement on Tuesday, said the department was disheartened by the accusations and they are open to inquiries from legislators.

In Thursday鈥檚 interview, he said the procurement arm under the Budget department purchased the test kits, face masks and other supplies for the pandemic.

The Health chief also said that he talked on Wednesday to Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher A. Lao, who said they are ready to show the budget utilization and transactions.

The funds for the vaccines coming from multilateral funding agencies go directly to the vaccine manufacturers, Mr. Duque added.

鈥淚f there is any hearing, we鈥檒l be very glad to be there and show a full accounting of all the funds and budget that have been allocated to the DoH (Department of Health),鈥� he said.

Palace Spokesperson Herminio L. Roque, Jr., meanwhile, said the administration complied with the reporting requirements provided under the Bayanihan laws.

鈥淭here was a regular reporting required by the law by itself which Malaca帽ang complied with,鈥� he told a news briefing Thursday. 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas and Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

The country got a score of 45.3, ahead of Argentina, which ranked last on the list with a score of 37.

The Philippines, India and some Latin American countries ranked lowest 鈥渁mid a perfect storm of variant-driven outbreaks, slow vaccination and global isolation,鈥� according to the report.

The Philippines was behind Malaysia (46.6), India (47.7), Indonesia (48.2), Colombia (48.6), Pakistan (50.7), Bangladesh (51.3), Peru (51.4), and Taiwan (52.1).

The 10 countries that received highest scores were the United States (76), New Zealand (73.7), Switzerland (72.9), Israel (72.9), France (72.8), Spain (72), Australia (70.1), Mainland China (69.9), the United Kingdom (68.7) and South Korea (68.6).

The study was based on several indicators, including the percentage of people who have been vaccinated, lockdown severity, flight capacity, vaccinated travel routes, monthly cases per 100,000 population, infection and death rates.

Mobility, 2021 economic growth forecast, universal healthcare coverage and human development index were also used as indicators.

The US ranking 鈥渞eflects a best-case scenario of high vaccinations, a waning outbreak, flight capacity nearing full recovery and few travel curbs on vaccinated people, it said.

Mr. Duterte earlier ordered state media to report that the country had been performing better than other countries in its coronavirus pandemic response.

His spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. said the country was slowly recovering from the virus. 鈥淥ur economic team is confident that we are slowly recovering and will recover fully,鈥� he told a televised news briefing in Filipino on Wednesday.

The government had given out more than 10 million coronavirus vaccine doses as of June 27, 7.5 million of which were first shots.

More than 1.1 million health workers, 672,602 seniors, 710,846 seriously ill people and 12,340 essential workers have been fully vaccinated.

The Philippines aims to inoculate at least 500,000 people daily in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao to achieve herd immunity by Nov. 27.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 4,509 coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the total to 1.4 million.

The death toll rose by 105 to 24,662, while recoveries increased by 5,839 to 1.3 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 48,649 active cases, 1.5% of which were critical, 90.6% were mild, 4.1% did not show symptoms, 2.2% were severe and 1.63% were moderate.

The agency said seven duplicates had been removed from the tally, five of which were tagged as recoveries. A patient tagged as recovered was removed from the tally after he was found to be negative.

Forty-nine cases tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Six laboratories failed to submit data on June 28, the agency said.

About 14 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 28, according to DoH鈥檚 tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 182.6 million and killed almost four million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 167.2 million people have recovered, it said. 鈥� Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

鈥淭his development will have, to me, serious implications in the 2022 election, the ruling party will be split,鈥�听 Mr. Drilon, vice chairman of the Liberal Party, said at a forum on Wednesday.

He said he expects Senator Emmanuel 鈥淢anny鈥� D. Pacquiao to be removed as acting president of the ruling party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino鈥揕akas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) following his rift with President Rodrigo R. Duterte, the party chairman.

鈥淚 expect Manny Pacquiao to be removed as party president of PDP-Laban and the signal is the President told Secretary (Alfonso G.) Cusi go ahead and convene that committee [meeting] in Cebu last month, so, that gives an indication of what will happen in the next several weeks,鈥� he said.

The senator, however, said it will take 鈥渁 lot of work for us (Liberal Party) to take advantage of it.鈥�

鈥淚t will not harm the opposition to have the split, it will certainly help pag nahati ang (if there鈥檚 a split in the) administration given all the resources given all the troll farms, given the social media expense and resources that they have, certainly a split will help the opposition,鈥� he added.

The Liberal Party has yet to take any 鈥渃oncrete step鈥� on the political development, said Mr. Drilon, and they are still concentrating on the possibility of Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo, the party chair, running for a higher position.

If not, the party is open to alliances, he said.

Mr. Duterte on Monday night said he would campaign against Mr. Pacquiao if he fails to identify the alleged corrupt government officials.

Mr. Pacquiao, in a statement on Tuesday, accepted the challenge of the President.

The senator cited anomalies in the government鈥檚 purchase of rapid test kits, masks and other materials for the coronavirus pandemic. He also asked the Health department to account for expenditures.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said the department was 鈥渄isheartened鈥� by the accusations.

鈥淲hile we are disheartened by these baseless accusations from our government officials, we submit ourselves to inquiries from legislators as this is a part of the checks and balances in our government,鈥� Mr. Duque said.

Presidential Spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. on Wednesday slammed the statement of Mr. Pacquiao, who remains an active professional boxer.

Mr. Roque, in an online briefing, said the senator might have been absent when the report was presented to the Senate or he 鈥渕ay have been preoccupied with something else.鈥� 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas

MANILA, the capital and nearby cities and provinces will remain under a general lockdown with fewer restrictions until July 15, according to the presidential palace, as it extended the travel ban on India and its neighbors until mid-July.

Also covered by the travel ban are Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing on Tuesday.

Coronavirus infections in the National Capital Region were decreasing, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo J. Vega told the same briefing. The Bicol region, Western Visayas, Caraga, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao and Davao region were experiencing surge, he added.

Aside from Metro Manila, the provinces of Bulacan and Rizal were also placed under a general community quarantine with some restrictions. Laguna and Cavite will remain under a general lockdown with tightened restrictions.

Fitness studios were allowed to operate at 40% of their capacity in areas under a general lockdown with some restrictions, Mr. Roque said. Indoor dining was also allowed at 40% capacity, while outdoor dining was allowed at 50% capacity.

The provinces of Ifugao, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and the cities of Baguio and Santiago in northern Philippines were placed under a general lockdown.

Also under a general quarantine are the provinces of Batangas and Quezon and several areas in central Philippines such as Guimaras, Aklan, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Antique and Capiz, Mr. Roque said.

General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Cotabato, South Cotabato, Cotabato City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte and Agusan del Sur in southern Philippines would also be under a general quarantine.

Cagayan, Apayao, Bataan, Lucena City, Puerto Princesa and Naga City were placed under a modified enhanced community quarantine, Mr. Roque said. Twelve areas in coronavirus-hit Mindanao were also put under same lockdown level.

The rest of the country were placed under a modified general lockdown.

About 45% of intensive care unit (ICU) beds in the capital region had been used as of June 27. About 39% of isolation beds and about 23% of ward beds in the region were occupied.

About 57% of ICU beds in the country have been used, while about 47% of isolation beds and 44% of ward beds were occupied.

DAILY TALLY
The Department of Health (DoH) reported 4,479 coronavirus infections on Tuesday, bringing the total to 1.4 million.听 The death toll rose by 101 to 24,557, while recoveries increase by 6,471 to 1.3 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 50,037 active cases, 1.5% of which were critical, 90.4% were mild, 4.4% did not show symptoms, 2.1% were severe and 1.54% were moderate.

The agency said nine duplicates had been removed from the tally, seven of which were tagged as recoveries.

Twenty-eight recoveries were reclassified as active cases, while 75 cases tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Fourteen laboratories failed to submit data on June 27, the agency said.

About 13.9 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 27, according to DoH鈥檚 tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 182.2 million and killed 3.9 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 166.8 million people have recovered, it said.

Meanwhile, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire reminded the public to remain vigilant and not to be complacent in following the health protocols.

The situation in Metro Manila 鈥渋s still very fragile,鈥� she told a separate online news briefing. The daily infection average in the capital region was 666, still higher than the pre-surge level in January and February of about 300 cases, she pointed out.

The agency last week flagged increasing coronavirus infections in four regions in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The regions of Western Visayas, Caraga, Davao and Soccsksargen were at high risk, Health Director Alethea de Guzman told an onlne news briefing. Metro Manila and nearby provinces were now at low risk, she added.

Meanwhile, state insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corp. on said it would provide a compensation package to people who may get sick from vaccination.

Shirley B. Domingo, PhilHealth spokesperson and vice president for corporate affairs, said the benefits would cover hospitalization, permanent disability or death.

Under a PhilHealth circular, patients who get hospitalized are eligible to as much as P100,000 in benefits.

People who became permanently disabled or die will get a lump sum of P100,000. In case of death or permanent injury, their beneficiaries can claim the benefits on their behalf.

Ms. Vergeire said there had been no deaths due to coronavirus vaccines. No person who had been fully vaccinated has died of the coronavirus, she added.

About 10 million vaccine doses had been given out as of June 27, according to the Health department, more than 2.5 million of which were second doses.

The government targets to inoculate at least 500,000 people daily in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao to reach herd immunity by Nov. 27.

In a Senate hearing, Mr. Concepcion said the lockdown 鈥渉as caused a lot of pain鈥� for many micro enterprises.

鈥淭he only solution really here is to solve the health problem,鈥� he said in a Senate trade committee hearing on the effects of the pandemic on business.

He said the private sector is working with the government on a plan to improve the economy鈥檚 performance by Christmas and in 2022, which will hinge on inoculating more of the population.

鈥淲hat we鈥檙e trying to do is how do we get to open the economy with 50% of the population already vaccinated. In September, October that should happen,鈥� adding that it should be done as quickly as possible.

However, Mr. Concepcion flagged the possible spread of the more transmissible Delta variant which was first detected in India.

鈥淲hat we have to look at is the issue on Delta variant this is the most serious variant that I think can really draw a curve ball and destroy our entire plan. We have to be careful in opening up especially our borders,鈥� he said.

鈥淚n countries that have high level of Delta variant, because if that penetrates the Philippines then we will not be able to achieve a merry Christmas,鈥� he added.

He said that hopefully, they can come up with recommendations when there is no Delta variant and 50% of the population vaccinated to the government for various industries.

Mr. Concepcion added that the banking community 鈥渨ill not lend if they don鈥檛 see the light at the end of the tunnel,鈥� noting that the performance of service businesses such as restaurants, gyms, spas and retail is going to turn on any government decisions regarding capacity limits.

They will also be asking the government to allow greater mobility for the vaccinated 鈥渢o spur the economy鈥� and also allow establishment to create safe spaces to ensure the protection of both vaccinated and non-vaccinated customers.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a total plan, it hinges basically on the ability of both the private sector and the public sector, the LGUs especially to inoculate as fast as possible and achieve population protection; the ultimate goal is herd immunity for NCR plus. This we have to win in this year,鈥� he said.

Mr. Concepcion also said that they are creating a roadmap detailing which industries can be opened assuming the arrival of a more transmissible variant.

He said there is a 鈥済ood chance鈥� of reviving the economy and opening up more by the end of this year.

Around 10 million doses have been administered as of June 27, according to the Health department, with over 2.5 million fully vaccinated individuals.

The government hopes to inoculate at least 500,000 people daily in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao to achieve herd immunity by Nov. 27. 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas

THE PHILIPPINES on Monday took delivery of a million more doses of CoronaVac from China, according to the presidential palace, bringing the total vaccines that have arrived to 17.4 million.

On Sunday, the government received its first shipment of Moderna, Inc.鈥檚 coronavirus vaccine containing 249,600 shots.

Of the total, about 150,000 doses would go to the government, while 99,600 doses would be given to International Container Terminal Services, Inc., according to the National Task Force Against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The government has given out more than 10 million doses of as of June 27, 7.5 million of which were first doses, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing.

He said 236,867 vaccine shots were given out in the past seven days, adding that the government would probably hit its goal of 500,000 daily vaccinations.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 5,604 coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the total to 1.4 million.

The death toll rose by 84 to 24,456, while recoveries increased by 6,154 to 1.3 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 52,029 active cases, 1.4% of which were critical, 90.1% were mild, 5% did not show symptoms, 2.1% were severe and 1.49% were moderate.

The agency said eight duplicates had been removed from the tally, six of which were tagged as recoveries.

Fifty-seven recoveries were reclassified as active cases, while 38 cases tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Six laboratories failed to submit data on June 26, the agency said.

About 13.9 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 26, according to DoH鈥檚 tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 181.9 million and killed 3.9 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 166.4 million people have recovered, it said.

More than 1.1 million health workers have been fully vaccinated, according to the Health department鈥檚 vaccine statistics.

It said 672,602 seniors and 710,846 seriously ill people had also been fully vaccinated. About 12,340 essential workers have received their second dose.

The Philippines aims to inoculate at least 500,000 people daily in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao to achieve herd immunity by Nov. 27.

But more cities outside the capital region, such as Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Baguio, Zamboanga, Dumaguete, Tuguegarao, General Santos, Naga and Legaspi, were earlier included in the government鈥檚 priority list after local officials complained.鈥�

Meanwhile, Mr. Roque said the general lockdown enforced in Metro Manila was unlikely to be eased next month.

The recommendations of an inter-agency task force, which was set to meet on Monday afternoon to finalize the quarantine classifications for next month, may be appealed by local government units, he said.

The OCTA Research Group on Sunday said the government should brace itself for a potential surge in coronavirus infections because of the Delta variant from India.听

It noted that based on experience, cases multiply when new variants of the coronavirus arrive.

People should protect themselves from the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus from India after dealing with the Alpha and Gamma variants from the United Kingdom and Brazil, respectively, said molecular biologist Nicanor Austriaco, a member of the research group.

The variants from India and Brazil are swiftly overthrowing the variant from the UK, which used to be the most-dreaded, in the United States. Health experts are worried that outbreaks would continue in the US because of these variants, unless vaccination efforts could be boosted further.

More parts of Australia were locked down as authorities tried to locate workers from a remote gold mine linked to five coronavirus cases thought to be of the highly infectious Delta variant.

The city of Darwin and two nearby areas were locked down for 48 hours on Sunday after officials failed to locate 15 of 211 workers who flew into the city from the Granites Mine in central Australia.

The Northern Territory, which covers 548,000 square miles of mostly desert, reported four new coronavirus cases on Sunday, all linked to a worker who had tested positive.

The UK variant, which is 50% more transmissible than the version from Wuhan, China swept the US at the start of the year. It was also linked to a surge in infections in the UK last fall, accounting for more than 90% of cases there.

In the US, the UK variant became the predominant strain in a matter of months and accounted for about 70% of cases by end-April.

The Indian coronavirus variant is considered the most concerning because it is said to be 50% to 60% more infectious and may cause a more severe disease.

When the Indian variant first appeared in the UK at the start of April, it rapidly overcame the Alpha variant and now accounts for 90% of new cases.

The variant from Brazil is said to be not as transmissible but may slightly affect the effectiveness of vaccines. 鈥� with Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Mr. Duterte made the recommendation last week during the launch of a civilian anti-crime coalition, which is composed of organizations that would partner with the police in promoting peace and order.

Presidential Spokesperson Herminio L. Roque, Jr., in a televised news briefing on Monday, clarified that the recommendation is not yet final and would probably be subject to full staff work.

鈥淚f that becomes policy,鈥� he said in Filipino, 鈥淚鈥檓 sure there will be corresponding training.鈥�

The Palace official echoed Police chief Guillermo T. Eleazar鈥檚 statement that the civilian volunteers should be armed to protect themselves against criminals.

Mr. Eleazar earlier said the idea is meant to encourage volunteerism, not vigilantism.

The Philippine Commission on Human Rights earlier said 鈥渁rming civilians without proper training, qualification, and clear lines of accountabilities may lead to lawlessness and proliferation of arms,鈥� which could worsen the country鈥檚 human rights situation. 鈥淭he Philippine National Police is more than enough,鈥� it said.

Senators on Monday also expressed opposition to the proposal, citing the potential for abuse of powers.

In a statement, Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel called on the police chief to review the plan of the administration, nothing that crime rate during the previous administration was low without the need for more police powers.

Instead of arming citizens, communities should be helped. Police should not 鈥渙utsource鈥� their duty to maintain peace and should be involved with the citizens to understand their needs, she said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, in a separate statement, said more guns will not make a country safe and will not help address other issues such as poverty, hunger and unemployment.

鈥淢ore guns will not bring back investor鈥檚 confidence,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat the government needs to do is to bring back good governance to address the causes of criminality which are poverty, hunger and joblessness. These are the main factors that drive people to commit crimes.鈥� 鈥� Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Senator Francis N. Pangilinan filed Senate Bill No. 2249 or the Cooperative Depositors Act of 2021.

Mr. Pangilinan said while cooperative banks are included in the membership of the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp., other savings and credit cooperatives are not.

鈥淚n the 2019 data of the Cooperative Development Authority, it is estimated that more or less 40% of the total number of cooperatives are engaged in the business of savings and credit,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.鈥�

Under the bill, the proposed Philippine Cooperative Deposit Insurance Corp. will be a tax-exempt government corporation attached to the Finance department.

It will provide deposit insurance for cooperatives and can also receive, liquidate and wind up any cooperative in case of insolvency.

The Cooperative Development Authority can appoint it as a receiver of a closed cooperative. As a receiver, it 鈥渟hall control, manage and administer the affairs of the closed cooperative.鈥�

An insured deposit, under the bill, is the 鈥渁mount due to any bona fide depositor for legitimate deposits in an insured cooperative net of any obligation of the depositor to the insured cooperative as of the date of closure, but not to exceed P300,000.鈥�

The permanent insurance fund of the deposit insurer shall be P500 million, according to the bill.

When an insured cooperative is closed by the Cooperative Development Authority, the payment of the insured deposits with the closed cooperative shall be made either through cash or via the transfer of their original deposit to another insured cooperative.

The cooperative deposit insurer shall also report annually to the Congress on its operations and its financial transactions, which will be audited by the Commission on Audit. 鈥� VMMV

The Octa Research Group on Sunday noted that based on experience, cases multiply when new variants of the coronavirus arrive.

鈥淥ver the past year and a half, we had a surge when there was a new variant,鈥� molecular biologist Nicanor Austriaco, a member of the research group, told the ABS-CBN News TeleRadyo. 鈥淚t鈥檚 now coming down after the arrival of Alpha and Gamma variants. Now we have to protect ourselves against Delta,鈥� he said.

The Alpha coronavirus variant was first detected in the United Kingdom, while the Gamma variant came from Brazil and Japan. The Delta variant is considered to be the most concerning variant seen yet.

OCTA was set to recommend lockdown levels for Metro Manila for July later on Sunday or early Monday.

The variants from India and Brazil are swiftly overthrowing the variant from the UK, which used to be the most-dreaded, in the United States. Health experts are worried that continued outbreaks would continue in the US because of these variants, unless vaccination efforts could be boosted further.

The UK variant, which is 50% more transmissible than the version from Wuhan China swept the US at the start of the year. It was also linked to a surge in infections in the UK last fall, accounting for more than 90% of cases there.

In the US, the UK variant became the predominant strain in a matter of months and accounted for about 70% of cases by end-April.

The Indian coronavirus variant is considered the most concerning because it is said to be 50% to 60% more infectious and may cause a more severe disease.

When the Indian variant first appeared in the UK at the start of April, it rapidly overcame the Alpha variant and now accounts for 90% of new cases.

The variant from Brazil is said to be not as transmissible but may slightly affect the effectiveness of vaccines.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 6,096 coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the total to 1.4 million.

The death toll rose by 128 to 24,372, while recoveries increased by 6,912 to 1.3 million, it said.

There were 52,570 active cases, 1.4% of which were critical, 89.5% were mild, 5.6% did not show symptoms, 2% were severe and 1.48% were moderate.

The agency said 15 duplicates had been removed from the tally, 13 of which were tagged as recoveries.

Sixty-nine cases tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Three laboratories failed to submit data on June 25, the agency said.

About 13.8 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 25, according to DoH鈥檚 tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 181.6 million and killed 3.9 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 166.1 million people have recovered, it said.

Mr. Austriaco said Metro Manila and eight other major economic hubs could reach herd immunity by year-end if the Indian variant is contained.

鈥淕iven the numbers, our hope that we will reach herd immunity in the National Capital Region Plus 8 by Christmas is reasonable,鈥� he said, referring to the provinces of Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga and Rizal, as well as Metro Cebu and Metro Davao. 鈥淭his does not take into account the Delta variant.鈥�

DoH earlier said it was seeking to vaccinate at least 108,000 people daily in these areas as more vaccines arrive.

The Philippines has reported 17 cases of the Delta variant, including one death. There had been no community transmission of the variant, Health authorities said earlier.

The government had given out 8.9 million coronavirus vaccines as of June 22. About 2.25 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated out of a 58-million target.

It identified 10 more areas that are experiencing rise in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, namely, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Baguio, Zamboanga, Dumaguete, Tuguegarao, General Santos, Naga, Legazpi, and Iloilo City, that will be included in the COVID-19 vaccination priority. 鈥� Norman P. Aquino and VMMV

Senator Emmanuel 鈥淢anny鈥� D. Pacquiao filed Senate Bill No. 2262, which aims to control the production, importation, sale distribution and use of single-use plastic and styrofoam products.

He noted that the Philippines produces 2.7 million tons of plastic waste each year, 20% of which end up in the ocean, citing a statement from the United States Agency for International Development last year.

This has placed the Philippines as the third largest contributor to plastic in the ocean.

The senator also cited a 2015 report indicating that almost half or 48% of solid waste in the country are produced in the capital region.听 听

鈥淭he biggest contributor to this problem is our excessive use of single-use plastics. Single use plastics are designed to be used just once and are often thoughtlessly discarded,鈥� he said in the explanatory note of the bill.

鈥淲ithout decisive and effective action on this problem, we could end up with 12 billion tons of plastic litter in landfills and the environment and with more plastics than fish in the sea by 2050,鈥� he said, citing the United Nations Environment Programme report in 2018.

The measure also calls for the formulation of a phase-out plan, which includes a reduction and recovery among consumers, responsibility schemes for producers, identifying alternative products, and establishing fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.

Under the bill, single-use plastic products such as plates and saucers, cups, bowls and lids, cutlery, food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene and sachets, among others, must be phased out within four years.

Drinking straws, stirrers, sticks for candy, balloon and cotton bud, buntings, confetti and packaging or bags of less than 10 microns shall be phased out within a year.

Production, importation, sale distribution, provision or use of the plastic or styrofoam product shall be prohibited.

On the other hand, properly labeled flexible disposable plastic straws for people with medical conditions shall be allowed when no reusable or compostable alternatives are available.

This provision on prohibition shall not apply to the use by hospitals, nursing homes or other medical facilities for medical treatment, according to the measure.

The proposal 鈥� similar to the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 鈥� also spells out the responsibilities of various departments as well as the National Solid Waste Management Commission in identifying plastic products that must be banned.

The bill also tasks government agencies to develop and implement programs that will assist local manufacturers in acquiring sustainable resources of raw materials and technology for recyclable materials as alternatives.

Producers and importers will also be required to establish responsibility programs to prevent plastic wastes from leaking into the environment within the first two years of the law.

Companies that fail to meet the recovery or offsetting of plastic product footprint target shall pay an amount equivalent to 5% of the cost if the single-use product 鈥渟et in the market to the producers and importers鈥� responsibility corporation鈥� net of whatever amount already spent for recovery for the period.鈥�

Commercial establishments, meanwhile, will be mandated to promote the use of reusable and recyclable products. They shall also charge take-out food or delivery services for every use of single-use plastic product whether they are disposable or compostable.

The proposed law will also allow any citizen to file civil, criminal or administrative action against those who violate the provisions of the bill, government agencies with orders inconsistent with the measure and any negligent public officer.

Implementing rules and regulations of the law shall be crafted within six months from its effectivity. 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas

PHILIPPINE deaths from the coronavirus breached 24,000 on Thursday, as Health authorities reported 6,043 more infections to 1.38 million.

The death toll rose by 108 to 24,036, while recoveries increased by 4,486 to 1.3 million, the Department of Health (DoH) said in a bulletin.

There were 51,410 active cases, 1.4% of which were critical, 90.6% were mild, 4.5% did not show symptoms, 2% were severe and 1.44% were moderate.

Fifteen duplicates had been removed from the tally, nine of which were tagged as recoveries, the agency said.

A total of 44 recoveries were reclassified as active cases, while 61 cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. One laboratory failed to submit data on June 22, it added.

About 13.7 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 22, according to DoH鈥檚 tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 180.4 million and killed 3.9 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 165.1 million people have recovered, it said.

Meanwhile, the government on Thursday took delivery of about two million more CoronaVac doses from China, according to the presidential palace.

Of the total, about 1.6 million doses were bought by the National Government, while the rest were ordered by Ip Biotech, Inc. for the local government of Manila, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing

More than 8.9 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been given out as of June 22, 6.6 million of which were first doses, he said.

More than a million health workers were already fully vaccinated, Mr. Roque said.

Mr. Roque said more than 589,000 seniors and about 565,000 seriously ill people had also been fully vaccinated. More than 8,600 essential workers have received their second dose.

Meanwhile, the cities of Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Baguio, Zamboanga, Dumaguete, Tuguegarao, General Santos, Naga and Legaspi would be prioritized for vaccines, he said.

The decision came due to rising infections there, their being highly urbanized and their contribution to economic output, he added. Mr. Roque said the government would hire more contact tracers amid the threat of a more contagious coronavirus variant first detected in India.

Mr. Roque said President Rodrigo R. Duterte might discuss the hiring at a meeting with key lawmakers regarding the country鈥檚 second stimulus law.

He earlier said contact-tracing had been the weakest point in the government鈥檚 pandemic response.

Meanwhile, the salary increase of nurses would probably be financed by the government鈥檚 second stimulus fund or by a pandemic measure that is yet to be legislated, Mr. Roque said.

A group of Filipino nurses earlier asked the government to use unspent funds under the second stimulus package for their wage increase.

Under the law the minimum base pay of nurses working in government hospitals and health institutions should start at P31,545 a month.

The government would likely heed the call of the nurses, Mr. Roque said, citing Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea鈥檚 June 1 memo.

鈥淚t could be a supplemental budget under Bayanihan III or through further realignment of Bayanihan II,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is up to Congress since they have plenary power of legislation.鈥�

The palace official earlier said more than P18 billion from Bayanihan II had not been used, more than nine months since the second stimulus package was signed. The law expires on June 30.

Mr. Roque on June 8 said there might not be enough money to fund the salary increase of nurses.

Mr. Duterte was set to meet with key legislators on Thursday to discuss a proposal to extend the validity the second stimulus law. A proposal for a third stimulus package would also be discussed, he said.

The House of Representatives on June 1 approved the proposed P401-billion Bayanihan III law, which seeks to boost the country鈥檚 pandemic response. 鈥� with Vann Marlo M. Villegas

In an online briefing, Ms. Baraquel said she will make a bid for another term as legislator when asked by reporters.

鈥淏ut there will be time to share more about that with you kasi nga may iniintay tayong anunsyo ng isang kapwa pamilya natin (because we are still waiting for announcements from our fellow political family),鈥� she said.

Ms. Baraquel, national chairperson of Akbayan party, said the party is also preparing for possible alliances.

鈥淔or now, it鈥檚 early stages also, like most, there are a lot of discussions on alliances,鈥� she said in a mix of Filipino and English.

She added that her party supports the call to form unity among Filipinos. 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas

In a statement on Thursday, Ms. Villar, chair of the committee on environment and natural resources, said Mount Arayat is a 鈥渒ey biodiversity area鈥� with endemic tree species like Arayat Pitogo and other rare flora such as tibig, molave and tumbang.

Hinakpam Mystical Hills Natural Monument, meanwhile, has unique biological features like geologic formation of karstic conical hills, caves, sinkholes and valleys.

There are currently 107 declared protected areas under Republic Act No. 7586 or the Expanded NIPAS Act of 2018, the senator said.

The law mandates the protection of 鈥渆cologically rich, unique and biologically important areas that are habitats of threatened species of plants and animals, biographic zones and related ecosystem, whether terrestrial, wetland or marine.鈥�

Ms. Villar earlier filed five other bills to include more protected areas under the system. 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas

THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) on Wednesday flagged increasing coronavirus infections in four regions in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The regions of Western Visayas, Caraga, Davao and Soccsksargen were at high risk, Health Director Alethea de Guzman told an onlne news briefing. Metro Manila and nearby provinces were now at low risk, she added.

鈥淭hese places have reported more cases in the past two weeks,鈥� she said in Filipino.

Coronavirus cases have increased by 27%, Western Visayas by 41%, the Davao region by 53% and Soccsksargen by 33%, she said.

The average daily attack in the Caraga region from June 6 to 19 was 9.95 for 100,000 people. The ratio was 8.83 in the Western Visayas, 8.16 in the Davao region and 7.01 in Soccsksargen.

The average daily attack rate refers to the number of new cases in the area for two weeks divided by the population. An average of more than seven is considered high risk.

In contrast, the infection rate in Metro Manila in the past two weeks declined by 23% and its average daily attack rate was at 5.7.

Ms. de Guzman said the average daily tally in the capital region from June 16-22 was听 685, down from 825 a week earlier..

鈥淲e are of course equally glad to see this change,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he goal now is to push it down even further so that we reach our pre-enhanced community quarantine levels of less than 500.鈥�

Ms. de Guzman said coronavirus infections nationwide have been declining, with the average daily tally in the past seven days at 5,790, lower than the 6,678 a week earlier. Cases peaked from April 9 to 15 at 10,845 infections.

Metro Manila is under a general community quarantine, with some restrictions鈥痷ntil June 30.

DAILY TALLY
DoH reported 4,353 coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the total to 1.37 million.

The death toll rose by 119 to 23,928, while recoveries increased by 7,139 to 1.3 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 49,862 active cases, 1.5% of which were critical, 90.4% were mild, 4.5% did not show symptoms, 2.1% were severe and 1.49% were moderate.

The agency said 15 duplicates had been removed from the tally, 12 of which were tagged as recoveries.

A total of 74 cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Six laboratories failed to submit data on June 21, the agency said.

About 13.6 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 21, according to DoH鈥檚 tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 179.9 million and killed 3.9 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 164.7 million people have recovered, it said.

Meanwhile, Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo said she might expand her mobile 鈥渧accine express鈥� program to the Visayas and Mindanao, which has been experiencing a fresh surge in coronavirus infections.

鈥淲e are very much willing,鈥� she told Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez in a tweet. 鈥淲e will ask our team to coordinate with yours.鈥�

She made the tweet after the congressman asked her office to expand the initiative to coronavirus-hit areas in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Rodriguez said the Vice President should include areas in Mindanao and Visayas, such as Cagayan de Oro and Iloilo, where coronavirus cases were increasing, instead of Manila 鈥渨hich has already given so many vaccines to its residents.鈥�

鈥淟et us not forget that Metro Manila is not safe as long as there are people in areas outside the capital region getting the virus,鈥� he said.

Ms. Robredo and Manila City on Tuesday started drive-thru coronavirus vaccination program for transport workers in the country鈥檚 capital. Ms. Robredo provided buses that served as inoculation sites, while the local government provided vaccines. The two-day program seeks to vaccinate 5,000 pedicab drivers and delivery riders. More than 2,000 had been vaccinated as of Tuesday night.

Ms. Robredo, who launched the project together with Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso, said drivers and riders had been given P500 gas cards as an incentive.

Given that her office did not get access to vaccines, Ms. Robredo said the initiative would depend on local government willing to partner with her office. 鈥淥ur biggest problem is that in our office, we didn鈥檛 have access to supply,鈥� she told reporters this week. The National Government has been prioritizing Metro Manila, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao in its vaccination drive. It seeks to听 vaccinate at least 50% of the people in these key economic hubs by yearend.

Vaccine czar Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. in mid-June said half of the country鈥檚 vaccines arriving this month would be deployed to the Visayas and Mindanao.

鈥淲e firmly reject attempts to undermine it, nay, even erase it from law, history and our collective memories,鈥� Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. said in a statement on the fifth anniversary of the ruling.

The arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines in the sea dispute is鈥痜inal, he added..

Mr. Locsin said the arbitral award 鈥渨as given to a set of maritime circumstances that would be as true in our waters as in others.鈥�

The Philippines has filed several diplomatic protests against China due to its continued presence in the South China Sea within the country鈥檚 exclusive economic zone.

Mr. Locsin said that the arbitral award 鈥渂ecame and continues to be a milestone in the corpus of international law.鈥�

鈥淚t is available to other countries with the same problematic maritime features as ours,鈥� he said.鈥�淚t puts one issue out of the way of conflict; because there is nothing there taken by force that results in any gain in law.鈥�

The jurisprudence a Philippine gift to other countries and 鈥渂enefits the world across the board.鈥�

鈥淲e do not see it as directed at any other country, near or far.鈥�疻e see it as it should be seen, as favoring all which are similarly situated by clarifying definitively a legal situation beyond the reach of arms to change.鈥疘t puts this aspect of international law beyond the limit of prescription,鈥� he said.

Mr. Locsin said the country is committed to having a peaceful South China Sea.

鈥淔or as long as nations abide by the rule of law and not of military might, the award is the North Star that will keep us on course in the present, and that will point us back to the right direction in the future should we, in a moment of weakness or inaction, lose our way,鈥� he said. 听

Foreign ministers in Southeast Asia want to resume talks with China on a code of conduct in the South China Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on June 9.

DFA said the ministers had met to discuss peace prospects in the region.

Mr. Locsin called for 鈥渇ull support and sincere cooperation to achieve our collective aspiration for the South China Sea to be a sea of peace, security, stability and prosperity.鈥�

The sea should not be 鈥渁 moat between the members of the family of Southeast Asian nations but a wide watery highway for trade and connection,鈥� he said.

The foreign ministers had also reiterated their commitment for the full implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, DFA said. 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas

鈥淎s a lawyer, he (Mr. Duterte) knows that not getting vaccinated is a legal choice; there is no law as yet that compels vaccination against COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), much less criminalizes it, as presently available vaccines are still in their trial phases,鈥� Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra told reporters on Tuesday via Viber.

鈥淚 believe that the President merely used strong words to drive home the need for us to get vaccinated and reach herd immunity as soon as possible,鈥� he added.听

He explained that not getting vaccinated and not following health protocols are 鈥渢wo entirely different things.鈥�

鈥淕etting vaccinated is not mandatory but complying with health protocols is mandatory,鈥� he said.

Presidential Spokesperson Herminio L. Roque, Jr., however, insists that the state has the power to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory.

Mr. Duterte, during his public address on Monday night, said he will order the arrest of those who refuse to take part in the vaccination program. He also threatened to require village officials to prepare a list of those who decline to be vaccinated.

The President also said those who do not want to be vaccinated may leave the country. 鈥淔or as long as you are here and you are a human being who can carry the virus, magpa-bakuna ka (get vaccinated),鈥� he said.

The President鈥檚 statement 鈥渆mphasized what the state can do,鈥� Mr. Roque told a televised news briefing on Tuesday.

鈥淭his is part of what we call the police power of the state,鈥� Mr. Roque said, reiterating that the government can use police power to deter potential threats to public health.

He did acknowledge that implementing compulsory vaccination would require legal basis, either under a national law or a local government ordinance.

The spokesman said it would be easy for the executive branch to ask Congress to pass a law that would make vaccination mandatory.

LAWMAKERS
Several lawmakers, on the other hand, questioned the President鈥檚 threat.

Senator Francis N. Pangilinan said the solution to encourage Filipinos to get vaccinated is through 鈥渟cience-based鈥� interventions, not by intimidation.

鈥淭hreatening or arresting are not the solutions. The solution is science-based interventions, contact tracing, testing information dissemination and an effective vaccine rollout,鈥� he said, partly in Filipino, in an online briefing Tuesday.

Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, in a statement in Filipino, said there is no need to threaten Filipinos.

鈥淭here is no need to threaten the public if there is a sufficient and continuous supply of vaccines that are safe, effective, and appropriate to their conditions; credible health information and education in the communities; and an organized vaccination system,鈥� she said.

Meanwhile, Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay noted that vaccine hesitancy is not the problem.

鈥淰accine supply is the biggest problem, so we need to arrest that. But at the same time, vaccine hesitancy is there, but for me, the urgent need right now is you need to have more supply of the vaccine,鈥� she said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

A Social Weather Station survey released on May 20, conducted among 1,200 respondents from April 28 to May 2, found that 32% of Filipinos were willing to get vaccinated, 35% were uncertain, and 33% were unwilling to get their shots.

Around 8.4 million coronavirus vaccines doses were administered as of June 20, with around 2.15 million people who were fully vaccinated, according to the Health department.

Philippine authorities and medical experts have been urging the public to get vaccinated to reduce the number of critical cases and achieve herd immunity by the end of the year. 鈥� Bianca Angelica D. A帽ago, Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

The 800,000 to one million doses are part of the 18 million vaccine vials that the US will give to various countries, Ambassador Jose Manuel D. Romualdez said at a televised interview with Palace spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr.

The vaccines would be either from Moderna, Inc. or AstraZeneca Plc, Mr. Romualdez said. The vaccines would probably arrive next month.

Mr. Romualdez said Manila would also get 鈥渁 substantial amount of doses鈥� from the 500 million vaccine vials donated by America 鈥渢o the world.鈥�

The US government would donate about 80 million vaccine vials globally, according to a White House statement on June 3. Of the total, at least 75% will be shared through a global initiative for equal access, which will allocate roughly seven million doses to Asian countries, including the Philippines.

The Philippines earlier negotiated for the purchase of about 20 million doses of Moderna vaccines. The first batch of which will arrive before the end of the month, Mr. Romualdez said.

The Philippines has so far received about 10.8 million doses of coronavirus vaccines. About 8.4 million doses have been administered as of June 20.

On Tuesday, the Department of Health reported 3,666 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country鈥檚 total to 1.37 million.

The death toll rose by 60 to 23,809, while recoveries increased by 6,810 to 1.29 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 52,696 active cases, 1.4% of which were critical, 91% were mild, 4.2% did not show symptoms, 2% were severe and 1.40% were moderate.

The agency said 11 duplicates had been removed from the tally, eight of which were tagged as recoveries.

A total of 56 cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Twelve laboratories failed to submit data on June 20, the agency said.

About 13.6 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 19, according to DoH鈥檚 tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 179.6 million and killed 3.9 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization. 鈥� Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

The delivery, which aims to boost the military鈥檚 counterterrorism and maritime security capabilities, was paid for by the Philippine government with grant assistance from the US, the American Embassy in the Philippines said in a statement on Tuesday.

The shipment included nine M3P .50 caliber heavy machine guns, 10 mortar tubes and other equipment.

Col. Stephen C. Ma, JUSMAG-Philippines chief and senior defense official, said the US will continue supporting the Philippine military鈥檚 capacity-building efforts through training and key military training equipment transfers.

鈥淥ur mutual security collaboration remains a cornerstone of a free and open Indo-Pacific,鈥� he said in the statement.

The Philippines is the largest recipient of military assistance from the US in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the US Embassy. Since 2015, the country has received more than P48.6 billion in US security assistance.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte last week extended, for the third time, for another six months the suspension of the termination of the country鈥檚 visiting forces agreement with the US, a pact that allows the entry of foreign military troops in the country for joint drills.

In February last year, he said he would terminate the agreement after the US Embassy cancelled the visa of his ally Senator Ronald M. dela Rosa.

Mr. Duterte suspended the termination for six months in June 2020, citing the heightened tensions in the region and that it was a distraction to the countries鈥� anti-coronavirus efforts. He suspended it again for another six months in December. 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Senator Francis N. Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party, said there were 鈥渆fforts to reach out鈥� to Senators Panfilo M. Lacson, Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay, and Emmanuel Joel M. Villanueva, and Manila Mayor Francisco 鈥淚sko鈥� M. Domagoso.

鈥�Nandiyan si (There is) Senator Lacson, Senator Villanueva, nandiyan si Senator Binay, di ba. Nandiyan si Isko Moreno, of course si vice president (Maria Leonor G. Robredo),鈥� he told an online briefing.

The vice president is the current Liberal Party chair.

鈥淐an you imagine if everyone of those would be united in saying we want a better direction for our country,鈥� he said in Filipino.

The party leader said there is a need for 鈥渂roader unity鈥� in the upcoming elections, noting that differences should be set aside to build the 鈥渂roadest coalition possible.鈥�

鈥淲e are working towards a broader unity which is critical,鈥� he said.

There is nothing set though, he said, as they only had informal discussions. 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. said deliveries are expected 鈥渁fter eight weeks starting August.鈥�

鈥淲e are very happy to report that the government and the management of Pfizer have finally concluded our negotiations. (Health) Secretary (Francisco T.) Duque and I signed yesterday the supply agreement for the biggest and most decisive deal we had for 2021,鈥� Mr. Galvez said in a press release by the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019).

The procurement of the 40 million Pfizer doses will be financed through a multilateral arrangement with the Asian Development Bank, Mr. Galvez said.

The loan 鈥渇ollows a direct disbursement scheme wherein payments are paid directly by the fund manager to the vaccine manufacturer,鈥� he said.

Mr. Galvez said a global facility for equal vaccine access has also committed to deliver about 44 million vaccine doses to the country this year.

With the latest supply commitments, Mr. Galvez said the country has now secured 157 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, including 26 million from Sinovac Biotech Ltd., 10 million from Russia鈥檚 Gamaleya, 20 million from Moderna, Inc., and 17 million from AstraZeneca, Plc.

鈥淭he vaccines from Pfizer will significantly boost our national immunization program and will enable us to realize our goal of achieving herd immunity by yearend,鈥� Mr. Galvez said.

The Philippines aims to vaccinate 70 million Filipinos this year to achieve herd immunity.

As of June 18, data from the National Vaccination Operations Center show more than eight million doses have been given out. Of the total, more than 5.9 million were given as first doses, while more two million were administered as second doses, the task force said in a press release.

CASE COUNT
The Department of Health reported 5,803 coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the total to 1.36 million.

The death toll rose by 84 to 23,621, while recoveries increased by 7,652 to 1.28 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 57,679 active cases, 1.3% of which were critical, 91.9% were mild, 3.7% did not show symptoms, 1.8% were severe and 1.29% were moderate.

The agency said eight duplicates had been removed from the tally, six of which were tagged as recoveries and one was tagged as death.

A total of 115 recoveries were reclassified as active cases, while 59 cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Two laboratories failed to submit data on June 18, the agency said.

About 13.5 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 18, according to the Health department鈥檚 tracker website.

PROTOCOLS
Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson on Sunday urged the government to fast-track the implementation of standard quarantine protocols for vaccinated Filipinos.

In a statement, Mr. Lacson said he fully supports the national task force鈥檚 move to have a standard quarantine protocol for Filipinos vaccinated here and abroad, noting the 鈥渆conomic recovery cannot afford to wait.鈥�

鈥淧lease make it sooner, not later. Mind the economy for a change,鈥� Mr. Lacson said in a social media post.

The senator previously pushed for a vaccine passport system that will make travelling to the country easier for vaccinated people, especially returning migrants and foreign investors.

He also urged the inter-agency task force to 鈥渇ine-tune鈥� protocols to address these problems and ensure that they are in line with those of other countries.

Presidential Spokesperson Herminio L. Roque, Jr. early this month said the task force has approved the shortening of quarantine protocols for returning Filipinos who received their shots in the country. The policy takes effect June 22.

The returning migrants will only be subjected to a swab test if they show symptoms within seven days, he said.

On the other hand, those who got vaccinated overseas must quarantine for 10 days at a facility and continue isolation for another four days at home.

He said this is in consideration of the full rollout of the validation process of vaccine certificates. 鈥� Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. announced last week that the President suspended for another six months the termination the visiting forces agreement (VFA) between the US and Philippines, which allows the entry of American troops in the country for joint drills.

Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco, research fellow at the Ateneo Policy Center, said Mr. Duterte may choose not to make a final decision on whether the VFA should be terminated.

鈥淚 am not particularly confident that President Duterte will make a firm decision on the fate of the VFA before his term ends. I think more than likely, he will just let the next President take on this matter in his term,鈥� he told 大象传媒 via email.听

鈥淚 think delaying the abrogation of the VFA, while at the same time insisting on his personal appeasement policy stand with regards to our troubles in the West Philippine Sea, is a delicate balancing act which he has been successful at doing. So why change tactics so close to the elections, right?鈥� he added.

Renato C. de Castro, international studies professor at the De La Salle University, said there are chances that Mr. Duterte would again extend the suspension by another six months in November.

鈥淚t will be up to his successor to determine whether we will sign or of course do away with the visiting forces agreement. So, he鈥檚 leaving it to his successor,鈥� he said in a phone interview.

鈥楶ERSONAL DISLIKE鈥�
Mr. De Castro said the President may have a 鈥減ersonal dislike鈥� of the US, and he may be afraid the country would be dragged in a conflict between China and the US, but other factors come into play in making such policy decisions.

鈥淥n the other hand, he cannot simply terminate the agreement because the military and the foreign affairs department want to maintain the agreement,鈥� he told 大象传媒 in a phone interview. 鈥淏ecause the military and of course the foreign affairs department are still wary of China.鈥�

Mr. Yusingco cited other factors such as the need to strengthen diplomatic and trade relations with Asian neighbors as well as the pressure on the part of the government to assert national sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.听

鈥淚t is pretty clear that the foreign relations cluster of the administration is struggling with the evolving geopolitics in our region,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd the fact that it is being delayed indicates that our government does not have a coherent and firm foreign policy plan yet in light of the changing geopolitics in Asia.鈥�

Meanwhile, Marlon M. Villarin, political science professor at the University of Santo Tomas, said the government is still studying the risk and opportunities of the pact.

He said the extensions on the suspension order 鈥渋s a politically and diplomatically calibrated stance to bargain鈥� their issues and concerns on the benefits from the VFA.听

Mr. Villarin also said that the extension would allow the executive and legislative branches to collaborate before the government decides on the VFA鈥檚 fate. 鈥淚 think the President is playing a queen鈥檚 gambit to strategically ensure that should he decide to extend VFA, the Philippine government will practically benefit and that transparency and accountability issues that cloud VFA is addressed at the same time,鈥� he said in a Viber message.

Mr. Duterte in February last year said he would terminate the agreement after the US Embassy canceled the visa of Senator Ronald M. de la Rosa, one of his closest allies.听

He suspended the abrogation for six months in June 2020, noting the heightened tensions in the region and the global coronavirus pandemic. It was suspended again for another six months in December.听 听

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel G. Romualdez said in a briefing early this month that the two countries have discussed how to improve the pact and the agreement is 鈥渒ind of a bigger picture of our relationship, especially in our Mutual Defense Treaty.鈥� 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas

In a statement, the President’s spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. said the interagency task force on the pandemic approved the new quota Thursday for health workers with “mission-critical skills.” The previous quota had been 5,000.

Mr. Roque said health workers with perfected contracts as of May 31 will be eligible to deploy subject to the quota.

鈥淗ealthcare workers under government-to-government labor agreements shall, however, be exempted from this adjusted ceiling,鈥� he said.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) in December issued an advisory lifting the suspension on the deployment of nurses, nursing aides and nursing assistants starting Jan. 1, after deployments were frozen at the hight of the pandemic.

On June 1, the POEA announced the suspension of processing documents of new-hire health workers after the 5,000 quota was filled.

The original suspension on deployments had been imposed in April 2020 by the POEA Board, via a resolution imposing a moratorium on the deployment of mission-critical health workers. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

In a statement Thursday, SWS said adult joblessness fell by 1.5 percentage points to 25.8% compared to the fourth quarter of 2020. This latest level is still much higher than the pre-pandemic level of 17.5% from December 2019.

The estimated number of jobless adults was 12.2 million, against 12.7 million in its Fourth Quarter Survey conducted in November 2020.

鈥淭he jobless consist of those who (a) voluntarily left their old jobs, (b) are seeking jobs for the first time, or (c) lost their jobs due to economic circumstances beyond their control,鈥� it said.

The survey was conducted on 1,200 adults between April 28 and May 2, according to SWS. The sampling error margins for national percentages was at 卤3% and 卤6% for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

The survey also found that the labor force participation rate, or the proportion of adults in the labor force, is at 67% or an estimated 47.5 million. This was up from 66.7% or about 46.3 million in the fourth quarter survey.

The 1.5-point decline in joblessness was driven by decreases of 7 points in Metro Manila and 9 points in the rest of Luzon. However, this was offset by a 10-point increase in the Visayas, and a six-point increase in Mindanao.

Joblessness in the rest of Luzon fell to 24.2% from 32.7%; in Metro Manila, it declined to 30.8% from 37.8%.

It rose to 28.7% from 19.1% in the Visayas and increased to 23% from 17% in Mindanao.

The joblessness rate fell among 25- to 24-year-olds to 24.6% from 33.6% and among 18- to 24-year-olds to 55.5% from 57.2%.

It was little changed for those 45 years and above to 18.2% from 18% and also rose slightly in the 35- to 44-year cohort to 25.6% from 23.9%.

The joblessness rate among men increased to 23.6% from 22.2% and fell among women to 29% from 34.1%. The five-point gap between women and men is the lowest since 2004, when the joblessness gap was only three points.

In rural areas, the rate fell to 23.3% from 24.9%. It also declined in urban areas to 28% from 29.8%.

By educational attainment, the joblessness rate fell among non-elementary graduates to 11.7% from 16.4%, and among elementary graduates to 21.6% from 24.2%.

The rate was little changed among junior high school graduates at 30% from 30.8% and among college graduates at 29.7% to 30%.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that unemployment rate in April rose to 8.7% or 4.138 million Filipinos from听7.1% or 3.441 million in March due to the imposition of another lockdown because of the surge in infections. 鈥� Vann Marlo M. Villegas

THE PHILIPPINES on Thursday took delivery of about 1.5 million more doses of CoronaVac from China, according to the presidential palace, in a further boost to the government鈥檚 vaccination drive.

Of the total, about 500,000 doses were paid for by the private sector under a deal with the National Government, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing.

The shots were bought by the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc., Jusan Vincent Arcena, assistant secretary at the Presidential Communications Operations Office, told reporters in a Viber group message.

Mr. Roque said the latest shipment is the third batch of CoronaVac shots received by the government this month. About 24 million more CoronaVac doses are set to arrive on June 24.

He said the country had received about 14.2 million doses of coronavirus vaccines as of June 17.

Mr. Roque said about 7.5 million doses of vaccines have been given out as of June 16. Of the total, more than 5.5 million were initial doses while the rest were second doses, he said.

About a million health workers have received their second and final vaccine doses, he said.

Almost 514,000 seniors and about 470,000 seriously ill people have also completed their vaccination, he added. Mr. Roque said 7,165 economic frontliners have also received their second doses

The government will take delivery of about 250,000 doses of the vaccine made by Moderna, Inc. on June 25. It will also receive more than two million doses of the vaccine made by AstraZeneca Plc and about 150,000 doses Sputnik V from Russia this month.

DAILY TALLY
The Department of Health (DoH) reported 6,637 coronavirus infections on Thursday, bringing the total to 1.34 million.

The death toll rose by 155 to 23,276, while recoveries increased by 4,585 to 1.26 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 58,407 active cases, 1.3% of which were critical, 91.8% were mild, 3.8% did not show symptoms, 1.8% were severe and 1.3% were moderate.

The agency said 12 duplicates had been removed from the tally, 10 of which were tagged as recoveries.鈥�

A total of 235 recoveries were reclassified as active cases, while 107 cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Five laboratories failed to submit data on June 14, it added.

About 13.4 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of June 15, according to DoH鈥檚 tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 177.8 million and killed 3.8 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 162.3 million people have recovered, it said.

Meanwhile, the presidential palace confirmed that President Rodrigo R. Duterte thinks face shields should only be worn inside health facilities.

Earlier in the day, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto tweeted that the President 鈥渁greed that face shields should only be used in hospitals.鈥� Senator Joel J. Villanueva also made a similar claim.

The two senators met with the President on Wednesday during the ceremonial reenactment of the signing of several bills in Malaca帽ang.

鈥淚 can only confirm what Senate President Tito Sotto and what Senator Joel Villanueva said earlier, that the President did say that the wearing of face shields should only be in hospitals,鈥� Mr. Roque told a televised news briefing.

鈥淲hat the President says becomes a presidential policy,鈥� Mr. Roque said when asked whether an inter-agency task force (IATF) would reconsider the mandatory use of face shields.

鈥淭he IATF is recommendatory to the President and when the President has decided, then that鈥檚 the policy,鈥� Mr. Roque said. 鈥淭his is without prejudice to IATF appealing possibly.鈥�

鈥淚 think the possible move of IATF now is to appeal to what the President said and what was repeated to the public by the Senate President and Senator Villanueva,鈥� he added.

Mr. Roque said he would raise at a meeting of the pandemic task force this week the proposal of Mr. Sotto and other policymakers to do away with face shields when outside.

Health Undersecretary Leopoldo J. Vega on Wednesday said people could remove their face shields when outdoors.

Manila Mayor Francisco M. Domagoso earlier urged the National Government to scientifically explain why face shields are required outdoors.

The Interior and Local Government department last month said more than 900 people were arrested in the second week of May for failing to wear a face mask. 鈥� with Vann Marlo M. Villegas