The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that over 1 million Filipino workers have been displaced due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis.

The Labor Department on Sunday (April 12) reported that 1,048,649 workers in the formal sector were affected after several establishments had to temporarily close down while others implement flexible work arrangements due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

DOLE reported that Metro Manila has the highest displacement numbers with 246,810 affected workers. Central Luzon followed with 179,875 workers, and Calabarzon listed third with 99,178 affected workers.

The government already allotted P1.6 billion financial assistance through DOLE. However, it will only be enough for over 300,000 workers.

Due to this, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III is calling on big time private companies to assist their employees who are unable to work due to the ECQ.

Based on the latest DOLE report, only around 200,000 workers have received the financial assistance from the special amelioration program. AAC (with reports from Joan Nano)

MANILA, Philippines – Two Filipino workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), said the Department of Health (DOH) citing reports from the Philippine Embassy in the Arab country.

Based on the report, the 34-year-old male patient is in good condition but the other 43-year-old male patient’s health remains unstable.

“Pumunta siya sa hospital kasi nahirapan siyang huminga (He went to the hospital because he had trouble breathing) and when he was admitted, he was already intubated,” explained Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

“Naka-respirator na siya. So ngayon ang report ng ating Embassy doon, unstable ang condition niya (He is attached to a respirator. Based on our Embassy’s report, his condition is unstable),” the official added.

Meanwhile, the Filipino coronavirus patient in Singapore is doing fine though he remains in isolation.

Currently, a total of 63 Filipinos overseas are reported positive of COVID-19 – 59 in Japan, two in UAE, one each in Hong Kong and Singapore.

The DOH clarified on Monday (February 24) that there are no plans to impose a travel ban on Singapore and South Korea despite the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and the speed of community transmission.

The Department stressed that considerations have to be noted before the government declares a travel ban on passengers from and to the virus-hit countries.

Back in the Philippines, the DOH reported a total of 609 patients under investigation (PUI) for coronavirus disease infection.

To date, the Philippines has recorded only three positive cases of COVID-19 — all Chinese nationals. One of the three died from the disease. – MNP (with reports from Aiko Miguel)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday (February 7) temporarily banned the entry of poultry and wild birds from the Czech Republic in a step to keep the Philippines free of the highly pathogenic H5N8.

DA Memorandum Order 13, Series of 2020, banned the importation of domestic and wild birds and their products from the Central European country after it declared an outbreak of the said highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) specifically in Stepanov nad Svratkou, Zdar nad Sazavou, Vysocina.

The ban covers poultry products such as poultry meat, avian semen, day-old chicks, wild and domestic chicks.

Likewise, the DA also suspended all applications and evaluations of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance to the banned products from Czech Republic.

All DA veterinary quarantine officers were ordered to stop all shipments of the said banned products at all major ports in the country.

Prior to the ban, the DA had ordered a temporary ban on the entry of wild birds and other poultry products from Poland also because of the H5N8 outbreak.