MANILA - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Friday advised of road works along the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa) and a motorcade along major roads in Quezon City over the weekend. In a traffic advisory, the MMDA said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will undertake reblocking and repairs along Edsa Northbound near Quirino Highway Exit, Edsa - Caloocan Southbound in front of Biglang Awa St. (4th lane from the sidewalk), and the innermost lane of Edsa - Northbound from E. Rodriguez St. to C. Jose St. in Pasay City. "Motorists are advised to take other lanes instead," the MMDA said. The road works, it said, will begin at 11 p.m. Friday and all affected roads will be "fully passable" by 5 a.m. Monday. On the other hand, a motorcade or caravan will take place in Quezon City on Sunday, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. It said the motorcade will pass through Quezon Memorial Circle, East Ave., Edsa, Cubao, Aurora Blvd., Rizal St., Quirino
MANILA - The Philippine Embassy in Poland has sent a consular team to Ukraine to enable "faster coordination" with Filipinos and the local authorities. In a statement on Monday, the Embassy said the team was sent to Lviv, a city in the western part of the country, close to the Polish border on February 17, as it exercises jurisdiction over Ukraine. "The move is also to guarantee immediate assistance to Filipino nationals," the Embassy said. The team, it said, was composed of a consul and an Assistance to Nationals (ATN) officer and was in coordination with the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Kyiv, where they established an emergency contact base. "The two are also directed to monitor the situation in Ukraine as well as connect with the Filipinos in the country who have registered with the Embassy," the Embassy said. During their first day, it said the team has successfully sent off two Filipino nationals from Lviv to Manila and had met with groups
MANILA - Operators of public utility vehicles (PUV) and those providing delivery services are expected to receive another fuel subsidy from the government once the program resumes in April this year. "Handa ang DOTr [Department of Transportation] at LTFRB na ipagpatuloy ang fuel subsidy program na inaasahang sa April 2022 pa muling maipatutupad (The DOTr and LTFRB are ready to continue the fuel subsidy program that is eyed to resume in April 2022)," the LTFRB said in a statement on Friday. While the budget for the program has already been approved under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2022, the LTFRB is still awaiting the release of the funds from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). "Oras na mailabas ito, ibibigay ang nakalaang pera sa programa sa LBP [Land Bank of the Philippines] para mapabilis ang pagbibigay ng subsidiya sa mga benepisaryo (Once released, the allotted funds will be given to the LBP to accelerate the distribution of the subsidy to be
(Infographic courtesy of DOH) MANILA - The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday reported 2,730 new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the lowest number of daily cases so far for this year. This is the first time in over a month that daily Covid-19 cases are below the 3,000-mark, since the 2,961 cases recorded on Dec. 31, 2021. In a report by the DOH based on its 'Feasibility Analysis of Syndromic Surveillance Using Spatio-Temporal Epidemiological Modeler for Early Detection of Diseases' (FASSSTER) online hub, it said the number of daily cases could further drop to 2,100 by mid-March if minimum public health standards (MPHS) are strictly enforced. "If compliance (with) MPHS decreases, cases are expected to go back to an increasing trend," the DOH said. The projected data, it said, assumed that most cases have the Omicron variant and are based on several other assumptions such as mobility, vaccination coverage, and adherence to MPHS. "To keep the case co
PCG Commandant CG Admiral Leopoldo Laroya. (Photo courtesy of PCG) MANILA - Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant Admiral Leopoldo Laroya is set to formally retire from service on Thursday, after more than "38 years of public service." In a Viber message, PCG spokesperson Commodore Armando Balilo said Malacanang will announce Laroya's replacement as chief of the PCG. "The men and women of the PCG express their sincere gratitude to the inspiring leadership of CG Admiral Laroya who significantly contributed to the transformation of the modern PCG," the PCG said in a media bulletin on Thursday. Laroya, it said, has been at the helm of the PCG for five months and led the uniformed service's Covid-19 response, modernization efforts, and through the onslaught of Typhoon Odette. During this period, it said the PCG assisted in the daily operations of 'Task Force Bayanihan for Returning Overseas Filipinos,' the nationwide vaccination drive 'Bayanihan, B