NO MORE S-PASS. Returning residents of Antique arrive at the Antique Airport in San Jose de Buenavista in this October 2020 photo. The Antique Inter-Agency Task Force for Covid-19 (IATF Covid-19) during their meeting on Tuesday (March 1, 2022) decided to lift the S-PaSS for tourists, Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APORs), and returning residents who are fully vaccinated.(Photo courtesy of Antique PIO) SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique - The province of Antique has lifted the Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage Travel Management System (S-PaSS) requirement for fully vaccinated tourists and returning residents. Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao lifted the S-PaSS requirement to further open the economy of the province and also in response to the request of the Antique Association of Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Owners (AAHRRO) through its vice president for external affairs Neil Huele during the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force for Covid-19 (IATF Covid-19) meeting on Tuesday. "Let there b
EXPANSION. The Iloilo City government is eyeing to expand the services of its molecular laboratory based in Barangay San Pedro in Molo district to already include genome sequencing. Currently, it can perform up to 800 tests a day with a 24-hour turnaround time.(PNA photo courtesy of Arnold Almacen/City Mayor's Office) ILOILO CITY - The city government here is eyeing to expand the services of its molecular laboratory to already include the conduct of genome sequencing. Chiqui Blancaflor, head of the Uswag Iloilo City Molecular Laboratory based in Barangay San Pedro in Molo district, said that they still have to capacitate the laboratory for genome sequencing that will take some time, undergo training, and purchase the needed equipment. "It will take some time but we are hoping to have it done before the end of the year," she said in an interview Wednesday. Currently, tests for genome sequencing are being sent to the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) in Manila. The city govern