PH may lift travel ban on countries with new COVID-19 variant if no local surge in cases seen

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said there's a chance for the temporary ban on travelers entering from 27 jurisdictions to be lifted soon if there are signs that local healthcare facilities are not overwhelmed.

PH imposes travel restrictions to six additional countries with new COVID-19 variant

Effective January 8 until January 15, 2021, travelers from Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, and Brazil or those with travel history to these countries 14 days prior to their arrival, will be subject to travel restrictions and/or quarantine and testing protocols upon arrival in the Philippines, in light of the new COVID-19 variant.

BSP grants new P540-B loan to gov’t
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has granted a fresh P540-billion loan to the National Government to boost pandemic relief funds.

Nearly half of Pinoys opt to skip COVID-19 vaccine: Pulse Asia
Nearly half or 47 percent of Filipinos said they would not get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19, an independent Pulse Asia survey revealed Thursday.

Tracing underway for contacts of Hong Kong-based OFW, Officials to check for UK Variant

The Department of Health on Wednesday confirmed the COVID-19 case detected with the new variant in Hong Kong is a 30-year-old Filipino domestic helper from Cagayan Valley who traveled to Metro Manila before boarding her flight. It assured that tracing efforts are ongoing to track if her close contacts were also infected.

PH can see 15-fold increase in infections if new COVID-19 variant takes over – expert
Experts heaved a sigh of relief following the announcement that the more contagious coronavirus variant has not been detected in the Philippines, warning it could result in a 15-fold increase in infections in just a month if it becomes the dominant variant in the country.

Duterte signs law granting him powers vs red tape during national emergencies

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte now has the power to fast-track the issuance of government permits and licenses and even waive certain requirements for them during times of national crises after signing a new law. Duterte signed into law Republic Act No 11517 on December 23. The signed law was sent to media on Tuesday, January 5.

Duterte extends validity of Bayanihan 2, 2020 budget

Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11519 last Dec. 29 which allows appropriations under the Bayanihan 2 available for release, obligation and disbursement until June 30, 2021. The President also signed Republic Act No. 11520, extending the availability bof appropriations under the 2020 General Appropriations Act until December 31, 2021. Duterte earlier certified both measures as urgent.

Vergeire heads team of doctors assigned to study new COVID-19 variants

In a statement, Malacañang said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on Tuesday created the Technical Working Group (TWG) on COVID-19 Variants upon the order of President Rodrigo Duterte. Vergeire heads the body while Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, will serve as co-chair.

PhilHealth suspends contribution hike
in response to the directive of President Duterte, The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will not proceed with the scheduled increase of contribution rate for members and will opt to collect premiums from direct contributors using the current rate of 3 percent instead of the 3.5 percent contributions rate; and the P60,000 instead of the P70,000 ceiling in CY 2020 while awaiting for the result of the filed bills on the deferment of the scheduled increase.

Safeguard duties seen to hinder auto sector recovery

Local automakers yesterday warned that the government’s decision to impose provisional safeguard duties on vehicle imports would hinder the industry’s recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lead to further decline in sales as the measure exposes the country to various risks.

Finance Dept. launches anti-corruption page on website

The Department of Finance has launched a page on its website wherein the public can report erring employees or officials of the department and its attached agencies like the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs (BOC).

LGUs ordered to set up business one-stop shops

The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is urging all local government units (LGUs) to fully implement the business one-stop shop (BOSS) for business registration and license renewal or they face formal investigation for non-compliance.

Farm output seen to shrink in Q1 2021

The country's agriculture production could possibly contract by 1.21% in the first three months of 2021, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture has projected.