EMONG'S JOURNALS

Visa contactless payments are now live at MRT-3 stations, giving over 350,000 daily commuters a faster, more secure, and cashless way to pay for their fares. Starting today, passengers can simply tap their Visa credit, debit, or prepaid card, or any Visa-enabled mobile device, directly at the turnstiles. This rollout is part of Visa’s continued support for open-loop transit systems in the Philippines, in partnership with GCash and the Department of Transportation. “We’re proud to bring Visa contactless payments to MRT-3 and help modernize everyday commuting for millions of Filipinos. This marks a significant step in building a more connected, cashless future for public transport in the Philippines. Through our partnership with the Department of Transportation and GCash, we’re enabling faster, safer, and more seamless journeys for commuters across Metro Manila.” Jeff Navarro, Country Manager, Visa Philippines. The open-loop, contac...

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on Sunday approved the amendments to the guidelines on the nationwide implementation of the Alert Level System for Covid-19 response.  This, after the IATF also approved on Sunday placing the National Capital Region and 38 other areas under Alert Level 1 from March 1 to 15.  Under Alert Level 1, the IATF said there are no restrictions in terms of indoor and outdoor capacities. Everyone can undertake intrazonal and interzonal travel without regard to age and even comorbidities.  All establishments, persons, or activities are likewise allowed to operate, work, or be undertaken at total on-site or venue seating capacity, provided these are consistent with minimum public health standards.  Meanwhile, face-to-face classes for primary education shall be subject to prior approval of the Office of the President.  Below are some ...

Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated workers in industries and establishments allowed to operate in the National Capital Region (NCR) under the existing COVID-19 Alert Level 3 status will only be given 30 days from 26 January 2022 to continue riding public transportation and public utility vehicles (PUVs) in entering, exiting, and going around the metropolis.     This, after Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año, and Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Art Tugade, discussed in an interagency meeting on Friday, January 21, and concurred to come up with the decision after looking into the country’s vaccination data.     DOTr Undersecretary for Administrative Service and official representative to the IATF Artemio Tuazon Jr. said that the decision intends to protect unvaccinated and ...

The Metro Manila Council (MMC), composed of Metro Manila mayors, have agreed to impose enhanced restrictions on individuals who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 amid rising coronavirus cases in the National Capital Region.  Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos said the MMDA Resolution No. 22-01 urges the Metro Manila local government units to enact their respective ordinances on the enhanced restrictions of the unvaccinated individuals to regulate their mobility in the NCR.  “The advances in public health and the economic gains that have been achieved in the recent months under Alert Level 2 must be sustained and pre-emptive measures must be adopted in order to forestall and immediately address the perceived adverse impact of COVID-19, particularly the highly-transmissible Omicron variant, upon the NCR under said Alert Level 3,” said in the approved resolution.  “Despite the availability of vaccin...

Local chief executives in Metro Manila (MM) are set to review the guidelines allowing children to go outdoors and enter malls as the region is currently under Alert Level 2, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said Friday. “The MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority), mayors are also reviewing the age restrictions to be allowed (in going) to the mall. While we have low Covid-19 cases, (the) pandemic is still not over. It is within the authority (of) LGUs to put restrictions as the situation may call for,” Año said. His remarks came in response to a report on a two-year-old boy who was diagnosed with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) a few days after going to the mall. “That's very unfortunate. That's why we are still reminding everyone to follow the public health protocols and for the parents to discern in bringing their kids to the mall to be careful and only if it is ne...

Following the reopening of more establishments under IATF’s Alert Level 3 status, the Quezon City government releases a new set of guidelines for business owners and administrators to strictly implement. Under the Quezon City Guidelines for Alert Level 3, the city government will ensure that businesses and facilities, especially indoor venues, are compliant with the Safety Seal standards set by the national and local government. “As we start opening more establishments, the city will ensure that they also comply with the Safety Seal standards set by the national government. We’ll do spot inspections through our Department of Building Official (DBO) and Business Permits and Licensing Department (BPLD),” Mayor Joy Belmonte said. Sa Sine, Safe Ka program DBO Head Atty. Dale Perral and BPLD Chief Ma. Margarita Santos met with mall and cinema owners and administrators to discuss the provisions of the guidelines. Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Phi...

The National Capital Region (NCR) will be placed under Alert Level 4 at the start of the implementation of granular lockdowns with alert levels in the region on Sept. 16, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said on Tuesday. "Alert level 4 ang ipapatupad sa NCR (Alert Level 4 will be implemented in the NCR)," Año said in an interview with the morning show "Unang Hirit". Under Alert Level 4, persons below 18 years old and above 65 years old, those with immunodeficiencies, comorbidities, or other health risks, and pregnant women are not allowed to leave their homes except for obtaining essential goods and services and working in permitted industries and offices. Indoor visitor or tourist attractions, libraries, archives, museums, galleries, and cultural shows and exhibits; indoor venues for meetings, incentives, conferences, events (MICE); indoor entertainment venues such as cinemas, and venues with live performers such as karaoke bar...

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has “provisionally” approved the guidelines on the pilot implementation of granular lockdowns in Metro Manila, Malacañang announced on Friday. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, also acting as IATF-EID spokesperson, said the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) policy shift would only impose either the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or the general community quarantine (GCQ) with four alert levels in Metro Manila. “Sang-ayon po dito sa policy shift na gagawin natin, dalawa na lang ang quarantine classifications. Ito po ang ECQ na ipapataw ng IATF o 'di naman kaya ay GCQ (Based on the policy shift that we will carry out, there will only be two quarantine classifications. These are the ECQ that will be imposed by the IATF or the GCQ),” Roque said in a virtual presser. He said the localized lockdown that would be pilot-tested in Metro M...

Metro Manila or the National Capital Region (NCR) will now be under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) starting September 8 to September 30, and will be under the pilot implementation of a new classification framework that would focus on the imposition of granular lockdown measures. The granular lockdown set to be pilot-tested starting Wednesday in several areas in Metro Manila will have four levels that determine the activities allowed. In an interview Sunday, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año said the pilot testing would be carried out until Sept. 30 and assessed every two weeks. "Titingnan natin kung gaano ito ka-effective. Ia-assess natin ito then pagka nakita natin (We will assess how effective this is), then it would be recommended for adoption, for approval by the President by end of the month," Año said. Only certain areas such as barangays, streets or subdivisions identified as high risk for the co...

The Quezon City Council has approved on second reading the amended QC Traffic Management Code of 2018 which includes the implementation of the 'no-contact' apprehension program on city roads. Amendments to Article 25 of the QC Traffic Management Code include penalties and fines for violations under the No Contact Apprehension Program. The No Contact Apprehension Program involves the development, installation, operation and maintenance of a road rules enforcement program that will use the latest and most widely used and accepted traffic enforcement cameras, software and tools. Through this system, violators caught on camera shall be sent a Notice of Violation to their home address or registered email address within 14 working days, and will be given 30 days to pay their fines accordingly. Belmonte stressed that the NCAP ensures the safety of both the motorist and the traffic enforcer as physical interaction is eliminated, an...

The Quezon City local government has inoculated more than 1.7 million individuals with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. As of August 31, the QCProtekTodo Vaccination Program has inoculated 1,701,211 individuals exceeding its target of 1.7 million individuals or 80% of its adult population to achieve population protection. Meanwhile, 750,419 individuals (46.72%) were vaccinated with their second doses which brings the total number of fully vaccinated individuals, including Janssen-vaccinated individuals, to 844,149. In total, the city government has administered 2,451,630 vaccine doses from March to August 2021. Mayor Joy Belmonte appreciates the active participation of QC residents and workers in the city’s inoculation program. “I am proud that our QC residents and workers are one with us to achieve population protection. We thank them for their patience and cooperation throughout the entire vaccination process,” Mayo...

Metro Manila will remain under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), the second strictest quarantine classification level, until September 7, Malacañang announced on Saturday. “The Inter-Agency Task Force (for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases or IATF-EID) retained the modified enhanced community quarantine status of the National Capital Region,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press statement. Apart from Metro Manila, the nearby provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal will also stay under MECQ, said Roque, who concurrently serves as IATF-EID spokesperson. The MECQ implementation will also be continued in Bataan, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Lucena City, and Aklan, he said, adding that Iloilo province and its highly-urbanized city, as well as the cities of Lapu-Lapu, Cebu, Mandaue, and Cagayan de Oro, would also remain under MECQ. Roque said “added restrictions” on dining, personal care services, an...

Starting August 21, Metro Manila residents will no longer be required to carry around quarantine passes whenever they leave their houses, according to the Metro Manila Council. This after the quarantine classification in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the provinces of Laguna and Bataan has been downgraded from enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to modified ECQ (MECQ), as announced by Malacañang Thursday. “Hindi na natin i-implement po yung ating quarantine pass,” said Parañaque City mayor and Metro Manila Council chairperson Edwin Olivarez in a TeleRadyo interview. The unified curfew in Metro Manila from 8pm to 4am and the current liquor ban, however, will stay in effect until further notice. Meanwhile, residents living in barangays under granular lockdowns will still undergo strict implementation of quarantine protocols. MECQ Guidelines Metro Manila will be placed under MECQ from Aug. 21 to 31. Indoor and...

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has updated the list of persons allowed to travel in areas under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from Aug. 6 to 20. Under IATF-EID omnibus guidelines with amendments as of Aug. 5, the movement of all persons shall be limited to essential transactions such as buying food, traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons, and those going to vaccinations sites with proof of schedule. Hospital workers, medical professionals, and drug manufacturer industry and essential good services workers are allowed to go out. Those below 18 years old and who are above 65 years old including those with immunodeficiency, comorbidity, or other health risks, and pregnant women are advised to stay at home, except for obtaining essential services and heading to their workplaces. Public or private priority construction projects including contractors, subcontractors, and...

Jail time and fines await people behind the fraudulent sale, distribution or administration of COVID-19 vaccines or vaccine slots, the falsification of COVID-19 vaccination cards and other illegal acts in relation to COVID-19 vaccinations in Quezon City. This after Mayor Joy Belmonte received reports that some individuals are showing up at vaccination sites with fake notification texts from the city government. The supposed text or email messages were purportedly sent to them, but their names were not on the list of confirmed vaccinees for the day when verified. The mayor recently approved Ordinance No. SP-3032, S-2021, which was introduced by Majority Floor Leader Franz Pumaren and Councilors Dorothy Delarmente, and Diorella Maria Sotto-Antonio to thwart any illegal attempt to capitalize on the COVID-19 vaccination program. “This should serve as a warning to those who want to take advantage of the city’s vaccination program through ...