Philippine Headlines This Week – Nov 23 to 27, 2020

Every week, we gather a rundown of major Philippine stories. Here are some of the most important headlines from this fourth week of November 2020.

PH to sign deal for 2M doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine

The Philippines will sign a deal to purchase 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said during a Thursday briefing.

He added that the initial deal is brokered with the help of the private sector.

AstraZeneca requires two doses per person. The vaccine is said to be 70% effective in preventing infections.

Unioil to aid typhoon Ulysses victims

The wrath of typhoon Ulysses has displaced over 100,000 families in the Philippines’ Cagayan and Isabela provinces. It has also left millions of damage in their livelihood and infrastructure.

With this, Unioil launches its Liter of Hope campaign to help typhoon victims recover from the damages. Proceeds of the campaign will be given to the affected people of Catanduanes.

90% of typhoon evacuees in Marikina now back in their homes

According to Mayor Marcelino Teodoro, 90% of families in Marikina City who have evacuated due to Typhoon Ulysses have already returned to their homes.

Teodoro also said that around 10,500 families in Marikina evacuated their houses on November 12 due to the typhoon, which triggered severe flooding in the city.

House OKs ‘Eddie Garcia law’ on safe workspaces in entertainment industry

On Tuesday, 235 legislators voted yes to House Bill No. 7762 or the proposed “Eddie Garcia Act,” named after the late actor who went comatose and later died after a tragic incident on the set of a GMA-7 television show last year.

The proposed law sets occupational safety and health standards to protect the rights of workers in the film, television, and radio entertainment industries.