President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, together with Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and other government officials, inspected yesterday, December 19, 2021, the typhoon-affected areas in Cebu and Bohol.

The Palace confirms that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte visited Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands and Maasin City in Southern Leyte yesterday to personally assess the damage caused by typhoon Odette.

The Palace confirms that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed on December 14, 2021, the appointment of Mr. John Henry Du Naga as Privacy Commissioner of the National Privacy Commission (NPC) for a term of three years.

The Palace is pleased to report that we have reached a vaccination milestone as we surpassed the 100-millionth mark of the total doses administered.

Government is assisting round the clock those affected by Typhoon Odette.

All hands are on deck in government’s quick response as Typhoon Odette made landfall this afternoon.

The Palace thanks Congress for working overtime to expeditiously ratify the proposed 2022 National Budget.

The Office of the President has been informed that two cases of the Omicron variant have now been detected in the Philippines. As earlier reported by the Department of Health, the variant was detected among two recent travelers to the Philippines, both of whom are presently in quarantine facilities.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte this afternoon filed his statement of withdrawal at the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and will no longer be running for Senator in the May 2022 national elections.

The government is closely monitoring Tropical Depression Odette which, according to weather forecasters, will likely enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility as a severe tropical storm on the evening of December 14.