Dr. Ted Herbosa (Screengrab from RTVM/PCOO) MANILA - The government would resort to localized lockdowns should there be an increase in Covid-19 cases after the May 9 elections, an adviser of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF) said Wednesday. In a televised Laging Handa public briefing, Dr. Ted Herbosa said the country already knew how to respond to the threats of Covid-19 and this can be gleaned from the past two years. "Ibig sabihin nun ay maliit na lugar lamang, kung talagang napakataas ng antas ng new cases sa isang barangay, yun lang ang ating ila-lockdown (That means the lockdown would cover certain areas only, we'll lockdown a barangay if its cases are really high)," he added. The NTF considers lockdowns only when the healthcare system collapses. In case of Covid-19 surge, hospitals are ready to expand their capacities allocating more beds for Covid-19 patients. Herbosa said hospitals are saving their personal protective equipment and other resources f
MANILA- The use of digital platforms enabled the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) to significantly cut its clearing time in settling a total of 19,184 deposit insurance claims and in resolving over 30,000 loan accounts in closed banks in 2021. In a report to Finance Secretary and PDIC Board chairman Carlos Dominguez III, PDIC president and chief executive officer Roberto Tan said deposit insurance claims filed last year involving 10 banks with no more than 3,000 accounts each were settled in 17 to 22 working days, significantly faster than its target of 27 working days. Meanwhile, all deposit insurance claims filed in two larger banks with over 3,000 to 10,000 accounts each were settled in 37 to 40 working days, an improvement over its target of 41 working days. Tan also reported that insured deposits paid in closed banks grew from PHP219.68 million in 2020 to PHP471.15 million in 2021. In cleaning up its non-cash portfolio, Tan disclosed that the 30,384 loan accounts resolved
Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (PNA photo by Avito Dalan) MANILA - The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is ready to double its passenger arrival cap from 5,000 to 10,000 now that the National Capital Region (NCR) and several other regions are under Alert Level 1, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said Thursday. In a Facebook post, Tugade said the DOTr's Aviation Sector has prepared for the "gradual" increase through "structural and procedural approaches." "Two days ago, we hit 7,500 for inbound passengers at the NAIA. And we are expecting in the next couple of days it will be 10,000 passengers," Tugade said. Since the shift to the least strict Alert Level 1 last March 1, all public transportation, including by air, are allowed to operate at 100 percent capacity. However, Tugade said that all "universal and mandatory safety measures" from departure, in flight, and arrival will remain in effect in all airports and a
BACK TO THE WILD. The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Nasipit, Agusan del Norte spearheads the release of a rescued Philippine tarsier on Monday (Feb. 28, 2022) in Barangay Bokbokon, Las Nieves town. The tarsier, found in good physical condition, was rescued last Feb. 22, 2022, by a resident in the area. (Photo courtesy of CENRO-Nasipit) BUTUAN CITY - The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Nasipit has released a Philippine tarsier (Carlito syrichta) found and rescued by a concerned citizen in the municipality of Las Nieves in Agusan del Norte province back to its natural habitat. In a statement Wednesday, the CENRO-Nasipit said the released tarsier has a length of 36.5 centimeters. "Mr. Edward M. Ruiz, a resident from Barangay Matabao, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte turned over the tarsier to this office. He rescued the wildlife last February 22, 2022 in Purok 22, Sitio New Cana-an, Barangay Lawan-lawan in Las Nieves town,&quo
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS. The municipal hall of Pototan, Iloilo was adorned with colorful lights during the 2010 Iwag Festival. The annual celebration will again take a pause this year now but the local government hoped to have it revived once the health pandemic is over.(PNA photo by PGLena) ILOILO CITY - The Municipality of Pototan home of the "Iwag" Festival of Lights on Friday quashed reports circulating in social media that the attraction is back this year. The festival used to be a byword come December of every year and even earned the town the moniker "Christmas Capital of Western Visayas". Restrictions imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) due to the health pandemic, however, resulted in the attraction to take a pause, said Pototan tourism officer Kathy Provido in an interview. Provido said that on December 19 there was reportedly a Facebook post announcing the opening of the festival on the following day. The local government has yet to pinpoint the sourc