Only 8% of the allocated P22.9 billion in financial help was dispensed in the NCR Plus area which was under an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) for two weeks, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Monday. In a televised Talk to the Nation briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte, DSWD Chief Rolando Bautista said P1,757,281,000 of the P22,915,422,000 social amelioration program fund was disbursed to constituents suffering the most from the lockdown. "As of April 11, based na rin sa data ng DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government), ang actual beneficiaries paid ay 1,757,281 and amount...

  Netizens are seeking for accountability for the quarantine violator who died after being forced to do 300 rounds of exercise. According to Reichelyn Balce, live-in partner of the victim Darren Peñaredondo, the violator was arrested by village watchmen for violating the curfew on April 1, after he was seen buying drinking water past 6 PM. In a Facebook post of Adrian Luceña, the victim’s cousin, 28-year-old Peñaredondo died after being forced to do 300 reps of pumps in Barangay Tejero In a phone interview of Rappler with Peñaredondo’s live-in partner, Reichelyn Balce, she said her partner complained about the...

  Anne Curtis-Heussaff has officially become the first Filipino to reach 14 million followers on Twitter. Anne expressed her gratitude to her fans on Tuesday evening with a tweet saying: “Thank you my Tweethearts!” The Kapamilya star has signed up for on the social media platform in March 2009. Since then, she has used to chat with her fans and fangirl over her favorite Korean stars. She also shares bits and pieces of her personal life from time to time. In additional, Curtis uses her huge following for good, voicing her opinions on social issues like children’s welfare, lowering the...

  Jollibee Foods Corp (JFC) said on Monday, March 22 that all employees of its group of restaurants would be receiving free vaccination against COVID-19. In a statement, the fast-food restaurant chain chairman Tony Tan Caktiong said the free vaccination program for its workers is consistent with the company’s commitment to employee health and safety. “The company is also sourcing vaccines for employees’ dependents and extended family and household members. “Our employees’ safety and well-being has always been paramount,” said Tan Caktiong. Communication efforts like a series of webinars on vaccine education have been started to help employees become more...

  The National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) has revised its earlier memorandum regarding pandemic-related restrictions on international travel, and has now allowed the entry of all Filipino citizens to the Philippines as the country stepped up measures to address the fast-rising coronavirus cases. In Memorandum Circular No. 6 dated March 18, 2021, the NTF clarified that all Filipino citizens, including those that are not overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), will now be allowed to enter the Philippines. The entry of certain foreign nationals to the country, however, is still suspended from March 22 to April 21. The new circular revised...