Philippines

Global credit watcher Fitch Ratings upgraded its outlook on two Philippine state-owned banks on Thursday as it noted a “positive macroeconomic policy.” Advertisement Fitch revised its outlook on both the Philippine Land Bank (LBP) and the Philippine Development Bank (DBP) to “Positive” from “Stable,” suggesting a rating-scale upward trend. The sovereign rating outlook review reflects ongoing adherence to a sound …

According to Yonhap news agency, a presidential flight carried six South Koreans home, and a Japanese spouse from a quarantined cruise ship docked off Japan on Wednesday. Advertisement Evacuees shall be transferred to Incheon International Airport Quarantine and isolated for at least two weeks in order to rule out any symptoms. Health authorities said there were 14 South Koreans on …

Senator Nancy Binay on the Philippine National Police on Wednesday to end all kinds of profiling targeting particular individuals or groups based on appearance, political beliefs, religion, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation. She said police profiling was very widespread in that even innocent law-abiding citizens were wrongly arrested or charged with crimes. Former Vice President Jejomar Binay’s daughter then …

Tycoon Lucio Tan Sr. took over the leadership of PAL Holdings Inc., the parent company of Philippine Airlines— a position vacated by his son and namesake who died last November. Advertising In an announcement to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Wednesday, PAL Holdings stated that Tan was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors at a meeting on 18 February …

The head of a leading hospital in central China’s Wuhan area, the epicenter of an outbreak of coronavirus, died of the disease on Tuesday, state television reported, becoming the second prominent Chinese doctor to succumb to the pathogen. Advertisement Liu Zhiming, the Wuhan Wuchang Hospital manager, died at 10:30 a.m., it said. Earlier this month, the death of Li Wenliang, …

According to the Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, the new price ceilings that will be imposed on certain medicines in the country in accordance with the Maximum Drug Retail Price (MDRP) have gone through complex review since 2017. The goal, according to Guerrero, is to lower the country’s medicine prices and make them equal to developed countries ‘ prices. …

The Cagayan de Oro City Second District Representative and House Constitutional Amendments panel Chair Rufus Rodriguez said Tuesday, the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments was set to vote on several recommendations for amendments to the Charter. Rodriguez noted that his panel should give weight to the interagency panel’s recommendations on constitutional amendments which included: Electing senators for each of the …

According to data from the Department of Health (DOH), only around a quarter of the 527 people under investigation (PUIs) for suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines are still admitted to hospitals. Announcement By 12 p.m. 387 PUIs, or 73 per cent, were discharged from medical facilities on Tuesday. In the Philippines the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases …

The Philippine Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association (PHAP) on Tuesday cautioned that pharmaceutical companies will reduce their labor force as a result of potential loss of competitiveness due to the high retail price recently levied on certain medicines. PHAP’s opposition to price control has been consistent since global experience showed that artificial measures lead to market inefficiencies and lack of supply …

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday, the number of Filipinos onboard a quarantined cruise ship in Japan that tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has more than doubled to 27 over the weekend. Through the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, the Department of Foreign Affairs estimates that as of 16 February 2020, the number of Filipinos …