We search every major news website for major Philippine stories to keep you updated about what’s happening in this corner of the globe.
Here are some of the top headlines from this fourth week of May 2021.
Lenient lockdown in Metro Manila likely
The mayors of Metro Manila proposed the further easing of quarantine restrictions in June 2021, and President Rodrigo Duterte is likely to approve it.
Benjamin Abalos Jr., chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, said that the mayors agreed on May 26 to propose to President Duterte the opening of more businesses and increasing the allowable limit for religious gatherings and establishments in the region.
Palace orders international flights to Cebu diverted to NAIA
From May 29 to June 5, all international flights bound for the Mactan-Cebu International Airport must be diverted to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Duterte administration said on May 27.
The order came after Cebu imposed its own testing protocols on passengers arriving from abroad, mandating the testing of overseas Filipino workers and residents based abroad upon their arrival in the province.
Fair weather seen over most parts of PH
Most of the Philippines, including Metro Manila, will experience fair weather on Friday, state weather bureau PAGASA said.
The intertropical convergence zone is affecting Mindanao while easterlies is affecting Luzon and the Visayas, weather specialist Raymond Ordinario told the TeleRadyo radio station.
Long way to go: Months after rollout, PH reaches 1M full vaccinations
Since launching its mass coronavirus vaccine campaign on March 1, the Philippines tallied over one million people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Latest data from the Department of Health released on May 27, showed that as of May 25, 1,029,061 people have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for nearly 1% of the Philippines’ population.
PH seen unlikely to hit 2021 economic targets
The prolonged COVID-19 quarantine and slow mass vaccination are hurting domestic consumption and production, such that think tank Moody’s Analytics sees the Philippines to underperform in the region en route to economic recovery.
In a report on May 24, Moody’s Analytics economists Katrina Ell and Dave Chia said they expected the country’s gross domestic product to grow by 5.3% this year, below the government’s downscaled 6-7% target.
Magical Manila: This hobbyist takes enchanting shots of the city
Broadsheet newspaper Manila Bulletin highlights the Manila photos captured by Pasay-based photographer Donald Pancho.
Manila ordinance bans sale of coronavirus vaccines
The Manila City Government on May 24 banned the sale of COVID-19 vaccines by issuing an ordinance amid reports of vaccine-for-sale schemes which has prompted the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation to mount an investigation.
Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso signed City Ordinance No. 8740 prohibiting the sale of coronavirus vaccines until such time that the Food and Drug Administration has given the go-signal for vaccine commercialization.
