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MANILA, Philippines --- Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson on Saturday gave a response to Manila Mayor Isko Moreno's recent address, correcting him that senators had worked tirelessly just so it could pass Republic Act 11469, or the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act. https://twitter.com/iampinglacson/status/1246239567717392389 "Yorme, kaya po namamahagi ngayon ang gobyerno ng tulong pinansyal kasama na ang lungsod ng Maynila ay dahil nagpagod at nagpuyat ang mga senador kahit may banta ng COVID-19 para ipasa ang Bayanihan Act," Lacson answered Moreno on Twitter. (Mayor, the reason why the government is giving financial assistance to the people, including those in Manila, is because we sen...

Keep on reading: Lacson to Isko Moreno: ‘Mali ang paratang niyo na wala kaming ginagawa’

LUCENA CITY, Philippines -- After days without any changes on record, the number of validated "patients under investigation" (PUIs) in Quezon province again soared with the addition of 19 cases, local health authorities disclosed on Friday. In a 5:30 p.m. bulletin, the Quezon Public Information Office, reported that the total number of PUIs has soared to 264. On Wednesday and Thursday, the PUIs list remained at 245, the first 24-hour static record of the provincial health authorities since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The PUIs are those who recently have traveled to foreign countries or to areas in the Philippines with confirmed COVID-19 cases and those who have consulted ...

Keep on reading: Quezon coronavirus PUIs now at 264 with addition of 19 new cases

  DIY projects and simple crafty endeavors can provide a catharsis for difficult emotions, giving you a chance to reduce stress while expressing your creative side.   If you're not artistically inclined, you can still benefit from a creative exercise. The results of a study in Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, entitled "Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants' Responses Following Art Making,"found that 45 minutes of creative activity significantly lessens stress in the body, regardless of artistic experience or talent.   If you're looking for some "me" time and a great way to relieve stress, here are some easy DIY projects -...

Keep on reading: Easy DIY home projects from experts — for good (and chic) vibes

  BAGUIO CITY, Philippines --- The number of patients afflicted with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Cordillera has soared to 18 this week, but doctors also highlighted the recovery of many of these patients including a 6-year-old girl in Benguet's capital town of La Trinidad.   Benguet has two other cases: a 34-year-old woman who recently flew abroad and a 40-year-old man who traveled recently to Central Luzon.   Baguio City has 13 COVID cases on record, but as of April 3, four of the patients have recovered --- a married couple in their 50s who are now in Metro Manila, a 61-year-old woman, and a 70-year-old woman.   Five of the city's...

Keep on reading: Cordillera COVID-19 cases soar to 18 but recoveries are high

NEW YORK --- The Trump administration urged Americans to cover their faces in public and limited exports of medical supplies Friday as New York's governor took his own dramatic step to fight the coronavirus --- vowing to seize unused ventilators from private hospitals and companies. President Donald Trump announced new guidelines that call for everyone to wear makeshift face coverings such as T-shirts and bandannas when leaving the house, especially in areas hit hard by the pandemic, like New York. But the president said he had no intention of following the advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It's a recommendation, they recommend it," Trump said. "I jus...

Keep on reading: US urges masks as dramatic steps to combat virus roll out

MANILA, Philippines --- Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno on Saturday said that while it is okay for him to be the subject of President Rodrigo Duterte's insults, the Chief Executive should also focus on the needs of the people as well. "Okay lang na pag-initan n'yo ako, pero tutukan n'yo rin ang pangangailangan ng mga tao," Diokno said in his retort to Duterte on Twitter. (It's okay that you'll criticize me, but you should focus on the needs of the people as well.) https://twitter.com/ChelDiokno/status/1246226644475367424 https://twitter.com/ChelDiokno/status/1246226646262149120   During his unannounced late-night address on Friday, Duterte accused Diokno and member...

Keep on reading: Diokno to Duterte: OK to make fun of buck tooth, but focus on people’s needs first

One of Asia's biggest slums has confirmed its first coronavirus death as top Indian doctors warn that the country must prepare to face an "onslaught" of cases that could cripple the health system to levels far beyond what Europe and the United States are experiencing.

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines --- Two suspected drug pushers were arrested in a buy-bust operation in Naga City in Camarines Sur on Friday night. Master Sergeant Tobias Bongon, spokesperson of the Naga City police, said in a report that Karl Jeff Macalla, 34, and Princess Mae Mirasol, 22, were arrested at around 8:40 p.m. in Sabang village. Authorities recovered 10 grams of suspected shabu (crystal meth) worth P68,000 from the arrested suspects. Bongon said Macalla had been arrested three times in the past for alleged drug peddling. Ma. April Mier-Manjares, @MaAprilMierINQ, Inquirer Southern Luzon ...

Keep on reading: 2 nabbed in Naga City drug bust

LUCENA CITY, Philippines -- Police arrested four alleged shabu (crystal meth) dealers in two separate buy-bust operations in this city on Friday. Lucena police chief Lieutenant Colonel Romulo Albacea identified the arrested suspects as Joey de Chavez, Ronandrew Peras, John Joseph Dalumpines, and Daven Aranas. Report said Peras, Dalumpines and Aranas were nabbed by anti-illegal drug operatives after they sold shabu to an undercover police officer in a transaction in Barangay (village) Cotta around 2 p.m. Authorities seized 13 plastic sachets of shabu worth P32,640 in the streets. Earlier, policemen also busted De Chaves in Dalahican village. He yielded P9,000 worth of shabu in...

Keep on reading: 4 drug pushers fall in Lucena bust

When the novel coronavirus pandemic hit Asia, people across the region were quick to wear masks, with some places like Taiwan and the Philippines even making them mandatory in certain scenarios.

A family with two young kids, a young woman who'd escaped a tiny expensive flat in Barcelona, and a group of young friends who adored traveling. After weeks of bouncing around, this group of nomads had finally managed to find a place to live.

Each day seems to bring more bad news for Tokyo.

The Grand Princess cruise ship floated for days off the coast of San Francisco in early March like an omen to a coming disaster.

      FORT LAUDERDALE, United States -- Passengers from a virus-hit cruise ship and its sister vessel, also struck with a handful of cases, started heading home Friday from Florida, after being stranded at sea for days. The Zaandam, operated by Holland America Line, began its stranger-than-fiction journey on March 7 in Buenos Aires -- before international restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus were in full force. It was meant to dock two weeks later in Chile, but when passengers aboard fell ill, several countries refused to let the ship dock. The Rotterdam came to its aid at sea, and the two vessels finally docked at Port Everglades in For...

Keep on reading: Passengers from virus-hit ships start leaving Florida

CNN's Jim Acosta asks President Donald Trump who in his administration dropped the ball on preparing for a possible pandemic, citing the lack of masks and other medical equipment.

    SANTIAGO, Chile -- Latin America is heading into "a deep recession" in 2020, with an expected drop in the region's GDP of 1.8 to 4.0 percent due to the coronavirus pandemic, the UN economic commission for the region said Friday. "We are at the beginning of a profound recession. We're faced with the largest fall in growth that the region has had," said Alicia Barcena, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL). Latin America was already struggling economically, with feeble growth of just 0.1 percent in 2019. As with other parts of the world, the region's main stock markets have suffered drastic losses as t...

Keep on reading: UN predicts ‘deep recession’ in Latin America due to virus

Not so long ago, I believed social media was my nemesis.