Philippines

MANILA, Jan 29 (NNN-PNA) – The Philippines will relax its ban on travellers, starting next month, from over 30 countries and regions, that have confirmed cases of more transmissible COVID-19 variants, presidential spokesman, Harry Roque, said today.

The ban on foreign travellers from 36 countries and regions, including Britain, China and the United States, ends on Jan 31. “The restriction remains until Jan 31, 2021, and would lapse after the date.”

MANILA, Jan 28 (NNN-PNA) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB), announced today, it priced a 4.5-billion-U.S. dollar five-year global bond, proceeds of which will be part of ADB’s ordinary capital resources.

The Manila-based bank said, the five-year bond, with a coupon rate of 0.5 percent per annum, payable semi-annually and a maturity date of Feb 4, 2026, was priced at 99.759 percent, to yield 14.43 basis points over the 0.375 percent U.S. Treasury notes, due Jan, 2026.

MANILA, Jan 27 (NNN-PNA) – Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte, named Army chief, Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, as the new chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), presidential spokesperson, Harry Roque, said today.

Roque expressed confidence that Sobejana “will continue to modernise our military and undertake reform initiatives, to make the AFP truly professional in its mandate as protector of the people and state.”

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines will maintain “close and friendly” relations with the United States under President-elect Joe Biden, a top Philippine official said on Wednesday, amid a period of strain in their decades-old alliance.

“We congratulate again the incoming president and we look forward to having close and friendly relations with the Biden administration,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque told CNN Philippines ahead of Biden’s inauguration.

MANILA (Reuters) - Foreign ministers of China and the Philippines on Saturday committed to prioritising post-pandemic recovery efforts as senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi wrapped up a week-long visit to four Southeast Asian countries.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte in March imposed one of the world’s longest and strictest lockdowns to contain the virus, grounding to a halt what was one of Asia’s fastest growing economies before the pandemic.

MANILA, Jan 7 (NNN-PNA) – The Philippines will block foreign travellers from six more countries, starting tomorrow, following the detection of the new and more infectious virus variant in these places, presidential spokesperson, Harry Roque, said yesterday.

Foreign travellers from Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, and Brazil, and who have been in any of these countries within 14 days before arrival in the Philippines, are prohibited to enter from Jan 8 to 15.

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines will prohibit the entry of foreign travellers from the United States from Sunday after the more infectious new variant of the coronavirus was detected in Florida.

The travel ban, lasting until Jan. 15, covers those who have been to the United States within 14 days preceding arrival in the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman said in a statement.

MANILA (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser Robert O’Brien on Monday assured the Philippines and Vietnam, countries both locked in maritime rows with China, that Washington has their backs and would fight to keep the Indo-Pacific region free and open.

“Our message is we’re going to be here, we’ve got your back, and we’re not leaving,” said O’Brien, on a visit to the Philippines after concluding a trip to Vietnam on Sunday.

MANILA, Nov 16 (NNN-PNA) – An earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.0, shook Surigao Del Sur province, in the southern Philippines today (Monday), the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology (Phivolcs), said.

The institute said, the offshore quake, which struck at 6:37 a.m. local time, hit at a depth of 33 km, 29 km south-east of the town of San Agustin, Surigao Del Sur.

The institute said, the quake, which was tectonic in origin, will trigger aftershocks and that damages are expected.

MANILA, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday ordered the creation of an inter-agency task force to streamline the government's response to regions ravaged by Typhoon Vamco which has left at least 53 dead.

"I directed them to streamline, to speed up the rehabilitation efforts for those affected by the typhoon," Duterte said in a televised public address amid efforts to rescue people stranded on rooftops in the northern Luzon provinces of Cagayan and Isabela.