The Social Weather Stations (SWS) National Mobile Phone Survey showing a big majority of Filipinos indicated that their quality of life got worse this year compared to a year ago is a cause of concern.

The Palace welcomes Russia’s gesture of considering the Philippines in developing and producing safe and accessible COVID-19 vaccines. This underscores the deepening cooperation between our two countries after President Rodrigo Roa Duterte charted an independent foreign policy course for our nation.

The Palace confirms that 50% of public school classrooms in the National Capital Region (NCR) will be used as temporary quarantine facilities as negotiated and agreed by both the Department of Education and the Department of Health.

We find nothing irregular in the PhilHealth Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) allocation of Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).

We understand that the effects of the recent implementation of modified enhanced quarantine (MECQ) measures in the National capital Region (NCR) and nearby areas would be felt two to three weeks after its enforcement. The incubation period for COVID-19, according to health experts, is fourteen (14) days so we just have to wait for that time to ascertain the health impact of the MECQ classification.

We leave it to the Senate, a separate co-equal branch, to comment on reports that officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) may skip their hearing, scheduled on August 11, for medical / health reasons.

We express our deep condolences to the family, loved ones, friends and supporters of former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim who passed away today, August 8, at the age of 90.

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) released its National Mobile Phone Survey showing half of adult Filipinos agreeing with the statement, “It is dangerous to print or broadcast anything critical of the administration, even if it is the truth.”

While we understand that the decrease in our gross domestic product growth rate is a result of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ)/modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), we are concerned by the steep drop which is much worse than what our government economists had expected.

The return to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan, where the transmission of the virus is high, forms part of the government’s recalibrated plans against COVID-19.