THE House of Representatives ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed measure authorizing the President to suspend increases in the contribution rates of the Social Security System (SSS). During the session on Thursday, legislators approved the bicameral report on the disagreeing provisions of House Bill 8512 and Senate Bill 2027, in an effort […]

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said that the country has yet to purchase coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines. Duterte made the statement late Wednesday night amid criticisms by some lawmakers about the low vaccine supply of the country despite billions of allocation for the vaccines. In his public address, Duterte again pointed out that the country was […]

THE Philippines’ current supply of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines can only be allotted for 30 percent of the 1.7 million health workers in the country, Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said on Wednesday. Duque made the statement as he once again appealed to the public to follow the prioritization list for the country’s Covid-19 […]

VATICAN CITY: Trying to save jobs as the pandemic pummels Vatican revenues, Pope Francis has ordered pay cuts for cardinals and other clerics, as well as nuns, who work at the Holy See. In a decree published online Wednesday by the Vatican’s official newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, Francis said that starting in April cardinals’ salaries will […]

BRUSSELS: The European Union moved Wednesday toward stricter export controls for coronavirus vaccines, seeking to make sure its 27 nations have more Covid-19 shots to boost the bloc’s flagging vaccine campaign amid a surge in new infections. The EU’s executive body said on the eve of a summit of the EU’s leaders that it has […]

  Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, March 25, 2021. READ: MECQ proposed if ‘bubble’ fails OCTA Research, the academe-based group that tracks the country’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases, said a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) should be imposed if the “bubble” system in the National Capital Region […]

EIGHT communist rebels were killed in a three-hour clash with soldiers and police on Tuesday afternoon in Negros Oriental, the military said on Wednesday. Authorities recovered the unidentified bodies and several firearms from the encounter site, which include six M16 rifles, two M14 rifles, an M4 rifle, an M60 rifle and a KG9 rifle, as […]

THE Philippines has recorded 6,666 new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on Wednesday, pushing the total to 684, 311 infections since the pandemic started last year. The active cases reached its highest count at 91,754, from which 98 percent are mild, moderate and asymptomatic, while the rest remain severe or critical. The country […]

DUBAI: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, deputy ruler of Dubai and the finance minister of the United Arab Emirates, has died, his brother said on Wednesday. He was 75. Sheikh Hamdan served as deputy leader of Dubai under his brother, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the hereditary ruler of the city-state who also […]

MALACAÑANG on Wednesday stood pat on the government’s decision not to allow religious gatherings during the Holy Week and warned that it would use its “police powers” and have the churches closed if found violating any of the health protocols enforced against the spread the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). The Inter-Agency Task Force for the […]

AN “elevated” unrest at Taal Volcano in Batangas province has been observed as 259 volcanic earthquakes, including 236 tremors, were recorded in the past 24 hours, increasing the possibility of eruption, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said on Wednesday. Through its Taal Volcano Network (TVN), Phivolcs has monitored a total of 2, […]

TACLOBAN CITY,LEYTE: Calbayog City Mayor Ronald P. Aquino was laid to rest today, Wednesday, at the Calbayog City Memorial Park, with hundreds of his friends, supporters and city hall and Samar  officials and employees paying their last respects. Calbayog Bishop Isabelo T. Abarquez, in his homily during the funeral mass at the Sts. Peter and […]

A bill seeking to protect the right of the public to freedom of religion in the country has received the green light from lawmakers. The House of Representatives’ Committee on Human Rights approved the substitute bill on Freedom of Religion or Belief, to be known as the “Magna Carta of Religious Freedom.” “The so-called freedom […]

The House of Representatives’ concurrent resolutions supporting amnesty to insurgents have hurdled the committee level. On Wednesday, the Committees on Justice and on National Defense and Security approved House Concurrent Resolution 12, 13, 14, and 15. These resolutions concur with proclamations wherein President Rodrigo Duterte granted amnesty to members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, […]

As coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) wards in Metro Manila continue to fill up, the government had started moving mild and asymptomatic patients out of hospitals and into temporary treatment and monitoring facilities, the Department of Health (DoH) said. Next month, patients with moderate and severe cases will be treated at a modular hospital being set […]

The Philippine economy is losing $790 to $890 million a year in terms of potential material value of recycled plastics, according to a new World Bank paper. Released on Tuesday, the Washington-based multilateral lender’s paper titled “Market Study for the Philippines: Plastics Circularity Opportunities And Barriers” said that of the 1.1 million tons per year […]

Good Day! Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, March 24, 2021. READ: Covid patients treated in temporary facilities As coronavirus disease 2019 or Covid-19 wards in Metro Manila continue to fill up, the government had started moving mild and asymptomatic patients out of hospitals and into temporary treatment and monitoring […]

BUREAU of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Jaime Morente informed the Senate that the BI has rolled out a full investigation on the departure of 44 women trafficked in Syria. The update was revealed during Tuesday’s hearing of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, headed by Senator Risa Hontiveros. “We received information […]

CATHOLIC Church services during the Holy Week in parishes under the Archdiocese of Manila will be observed although no religious activities would be allowed and worship would be “within 10 percent of our maximum capacity” in compliance with government-imposed health standards as the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces experience a surge in coronavirus […]

THE Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Tuesday condemned the attack of rebel forces, which led to the killing of at least five police officers in Camarines Norte. “[We] strongly denounce the killing by alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA),” said lawyer Jacqueline De Guia, spokesman of the CHR. “The right to life […]

Elton John opens his Oscar night party to all this year The Elton John AIDS Foundation — one of the leading independent AIDS organizations in the world — is inviting everyone to a virtual pre-show Oscar party special hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and with a performance by Dua Lipa. Proceeds from tickets of the […]

FOR the first time in four days, the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the country dropped slightly on Tuesday, the Department of Health (DoH) said. The DoH said from a high of 8,109 on Monday, infections in a single day dropped to 5,867 on Tuesday . The country has recorded from 7,000 […]

MALABON City Mayor Antolin “Lenlen” Oreta 3rd on Tuesday tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) after he underwent a swab test as part of contact tracing. “The swab test result just came out today (Tuesday) and it showed I am positive for Covid-19,” said the mayor on his Facebook page. Saying he was […]

Good Day! Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Tuesday, March 23, 2021. READ: Variant-driven surge seen in Metro Manila The Department of Health or DoH is convinced that potent variants of the coronavirus disease 2019 or Covid-19 is behind the explosive rise in infections in the National Capital Region. READ: Hospitals […]

The government on Monday disallowed domestic leisure travel to limit public movement amid the virus surge triggered by new Covid-19 variants. Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) executive director Carmelo Arcilla said airlines are only allowed to carry passengers traveling for non-leisure purposes. Earlier, the CAB reduced the number of passengers to 1,500 per day at the […]

The local bourse extended its slump on Monday as the government tightened restrictions in some areas anew amid the rising coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the country. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) declined by 0.64 percent or 40.93 points to 6,395.17, while the wider All Shares slipped by 0.56 percent or 21.70 […]

The Philippine peso is expected to remain weak in the next three to six months, Fitch Solutions said. “We at Fitch Solutions forecast the Philippine peso to remain on a weak footing over the short term as volatility picks up but fundamentals prove supportive. As such, we have revised our exchange rate forecast for 2021 […]

After posting a dramatic 25-minute “tell-all” video Sunday night to address controversies surrounding her sons, love life and alleged political plans, multi-platform celebrity Kris Aquino is drawing mixed reactions on social media. Among her close showbiz friends, it seems like only Angel Locsin took to the comments section to publicly show support with a simple, […]

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) nominated three associate justices of the Supreme Court as candidates for chief justice. The council submitted its shortlist of candidates to President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday. They are Associate Justices Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Alexander Gesmundo and Ramon Paul Hernando. Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta will step down on March 27, 2021. President Duterte has 90 days […]

The Department of Health reported 8,019 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, a new record, higher than the 7,999 reported on Saturday, March 20. This puts the total number of infections to 671,792, in which 80,970 are active cases. The positivity rate remained high at 14 percent. 103 more patients recovered for a total of 577,850 recoveries, while four were […]

Oil companies will reduce the pump prices of diesel and kerosene by 35 centavos per liter and 45 centavos per liter, respectively, on Tuesday. The price of gasoline will remain unchanged. Cleanfuel, Metro Oil, Petro Gazz, Pilipinas Shell, Seaoil announced the price adjustment on Monday. Last week, oil companies raised the cost of gasoline by […]

Long-time celebrity couple Carla Abellana and Tom Rodriguez shared happy news over Instagram on Sunday as they announced they are engaged to be married. The 34-year-old actress shared a photo zoomed in on her no-longer-empty ring finger with the caption, “A million times, YES.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by […]