(File photo) MANILA - The shift to Alert Level System (ALS) has opened more job opportunities for Filipinos who are bearing the brunt of the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, Malacanang said Thursday. This, after the country's unemployment settled at 6.4 percent in February 2022, according to the data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). However, the number of jobless Filipinos in February reached 3.13 million, higher than the 2.93 million reported in January. Despite this, the PSA noted that the February 2022's unemployment rate was lower than the 8.8 percent or 4.9 million unemployed Filipinos recorded in February 2021. Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, also acting presidential spokesperson, attributed the lower unemployment to the "effective" implementation of ALS. "Unemployed individuals in February 2022 are more than a million lower compared to the same month last year," Andanar said in a press statemen
Malacañang assured the public that the government would uphold the country's interests as it defended the construction of the Chinese-funded Kaliwa Dam anew.
Acting Presidential Spokesman and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar. (Malacañang photo)
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar
MANILA - All stakeholders, including the indigenous peoples (IPs), have been consulted about the construction of Kaliwa Dam, Malacanang said on Wednesday. This, after vice presidential aspirant Senator Francis Pangilinan questioned the signing of the memorandum of agreement for the PHP12.2-billion Kaliwa Dam project despite the alleged opposition from the Dumagat-Remontado tribe occupying portions of the project site. "We assure [the public] that the Kaliwa Dam project undergoes due process, noting that all stakeholders, including the indigenous people and the concerned local government units, are involved in the negotiations," Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, also acting presidential spokesperson, said in an online press conference. Andanar said the Kaliwa Dam project would help augment the water supply in Metro Manila, noting that it is projected to provide an additional 60 million liters a day of water to the country's metropolis and its nearby provinces. "
Travelers entering the Philippines will now be allowed to use rapid antigen tests as an entry requirement instead as long as they are performed by healthcare professionals from the country of origin, Malacañang announced.
PIXABAY / MANILA BULLETIN Communications Secretary Martin Andanar made thi
Malacañang on Tuesday, March 29, reiterated the Philippines' full sovereignty in Scarborough Shoal despite the claim of Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin that it is China's "inherent territory."
A China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel with bow number 3305 sails dangerously close to Philippi