FEATURED REPORTS

Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases

• Resolution No. 107, Series of 2021. Click here to download.

• Resolution No. 107-A, Series of 2021. Click here to download.

Securities and Exchange Commission

Implementing Rules and Regulations of Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer Act (Republic Act No. 11523) Click here to download

Department of Labor and Employment

Labor Advisory No. 04 on Payment of Wages for the Regular Holidays on April 1, 2 and 9, 2021 and Special (Non-Working) Day on April 3, 2021 Click here to download

Department of Interior and Local Government

Memorandum Circular No. 2021-035 on Compliance to IATF Resolution Nos. 98-A and 101 on Uniform Travel Protocols for Government Officials/Personnel and Other Travelers, and on the Strict Enforcement of Minimum Health Protocols Click here to download

FEATURED NEWS ARTICLES

Tripartite deal the only option for businesses to buy vaccines – Concepcion

Private firms looking to get their hands on COVID-19 vaccines still need to approach the national government for negotiations with foreign drug makers, Malacañang’s economic adviser said. “Nothing really changes. Maybe what will change it the tripartite agreements can be done within maybe in a day,” Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.

Biz groups may support lockdown

Several business groups on Tuesday said they are likely to support an extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) should the government deem it as necessary to curb the further spread of Covid-19. An ECQ, the strictest form of lockdown, is in place in Metro Manila and its fringe provinces after new cases of the coronavirus disease spiked to as high as 10,000 in a day.

Virus hits poverty reduction progress in Asia-Pacific: UN

The Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2021, released by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), suggested that the Asia-Pacific region needs large, yet attainable, investments in resilience to protect development gains amid a fragile and inequitable post-Covid-19 economic recovery. The survey forecasts that the Asia-Pacific economies are expected to grow by 5.9 percent in 2021 and 5 percent in 2022 after having experienced an estimated contraction of 1 percent in 2020.

Gov’t targets 90,000 daily COVID-19 testing — Dizon

Testing czar Vince Dizon said experts and the COVID-19 task force recommended 90,000 daily tests from the current 45,000 in the coming weeks. He said the government plans to use antigen tests — certified by the World Health Organization and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine — which provide faster results than the RT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction), considered the gold standard.

Galvez sees 'slight delay' in delivery of vaccines from COVAX

There will be a "slight delay" in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to be supplied by the COVAX facility to the Philippines due to logistical issues, Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said. The pronouncement comes after the COVAX facility had announced deliveries of vaccines from the Serum Institute of India will be delayed this March and April due to the South Asian country's battle against a new wave of virus infections.

Talks on draft guidelines on MAV allocations halted

Talks on the draft guidelines were suspended after the majority of the body voted not to discuss the draft, since President Duterte’s MAV plus proposal to the Congress is not yet approved. MAV-AC members last week voted 5-2 in favor of suspending talks on the draft dialogue until the MAV plus proposal has a resolution.

PhilHealth membership not required for vaccination: DOH

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday clarified that a PhilHealth Identification Number (PIN) is not a requirement to register for and to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. DOH issued the statement to correct an earlier announcement of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) that a PIN is required for Covid-19 vaccination.

Galvez assures private sector of tax-free COVID-19 vaccine purchase 

COVID-19 vaccines that will be purchased by the private sector will be tax-free, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said. President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday ordered Galvez to approve documents allowing the private sector to import vaccines in a bid to reopen the economy. His spokesperson Harry Roque clarified that a tripartite agreement with the national government is still required for the purchase as supply is still under emergency use authorization.

Extending ECQ in NCR Plus a ‘last resort,’ says Palace

In his media briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force is thoroughly studying whether to extend or lift the ECQ in the greater Manila area. However, he stressed that a longer implementation of the protocol is not their first option. Roque said the IATF will be meeting on Saturday, April 3, to finalize their quarantine recommendations.

D.O.H., NEDA assess 1-week more of ECQ in NCR Plus

The Department of Health (DOH) is currently in discussion with the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) on a proposal to extend by one week the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). “One of the things that we need to do right now is undertaking with the National Economic and Development Authority…[a] cost-benefit analysis on this [possible] extension of ECQ. How it can impact in the economy, and most importantly, its impact on the health of the people,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a television interview on Tuesday.

Banks seen to offload P152 billion in bad assets under FIST law

Banks are expected to dispose about P152 billion worth of non-performing assets (NPAs) under a new law allowing the industry to offload soured loans, even at substantial discount, to ensure a sound and safe financial system amid the global health crisis, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said in his weekly virtual press conference that the amount to be disposed under Republic Act 11523 or the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act is equivalent to about 30 percent of the industry’s NPAs that stood at P508 billion as of end-December.

Tripartite deal the only option for businesses to buy vaccines – Concepcion

Private firms looking to get their hands on COVID-19 vaccines still need to approach the national government for negotiations with foreign drug makers, Malacañang’s economic adviser said.  President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night said he’s allowing businessmen to import COVID-19 vaccines “at will,” telling vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. to give them a free rein in the brands and amounts of doses they want to bring into the country.