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Cebu Pacific on Monday announced its first five-day P1 fare promo for all its domestic and international destinations.


In an advisory, Cebu Pacific said the P1 fare started on October 10 and will be available until Thursday, October 14, 2021, covering flights from June 1, 2022 to August 31, 2022.
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“As we enter the last quarter of the year, we are happy to have seen some positive developments in the travel industry,” Cebu Pacific Vice President for Marketing and Customer Experience Candice Iyog said.
“More and more people are gaining confidence to travel again, and we are happy to keep supporting our sector’s recovery through our trademark low fares,” she added.

The flights will cover local destinations such as Boracay, Bohol, Coron, Siargao, and other international destinations such as Tokyo and Osaka.

The carrier said passengers can use their existing travel funds to book new flights or use their credit and debit cards or book via payment centers.


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Cebu Pacific is a Philippine low-cost airline based on the grounds of Mactan–Cebu International Airport, Lapu-Lapu City, Metro Cebu, Philippines.



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Cebu Pacific's Piso Fare is back!

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp went offline for users across the globe, the social media giant said on Monday, as hours later it scrambled to restore the services after being hit by one of its longest outages.

The outage began around noon Eastern time (1600 GMT) and service had yet to be restored more than four hours later.

On Sunday, a whistleblower accused Facebook of repeatedly prioritizing profit over clamping down on hate speech and misinformation. The firm owns Instagram and WhatsApp.

RELATED: Facebook chooses 'profit over safety,' says whistleblower
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Shares of Facebook (FB.O), which has nearly 2 billion daily active users, opened lower after the weekend whistleblower report and slipped further to trade down 5.3% in afternoon trading on Monday. They were on track for their worst day in nearly a year, amid a broader selloff in technology stocks on Monday.
Facebook was inaccessible because users were not being directed to the correct place by the Domain Name System. Facebook itself controls the relevant settings, suggesting the problem was an internal one.

Security experts said the disruption could be the result of an internal mistake, though sabotage by an insider would be theoretically possible.

DNS allows web addresses to take users to their destinations. A similar outage at cloud company Akamai Technologies Inc (AKAM.O) took down multiple websites in July.

An outside hack was viewed as less likely.

A massive denial-of-service attack that could overwhelm one of the world's most popular sites would require either coordination among powerful criminal groups or a very innovative technique, security experts said.

Facebook acknowledged users were having trouble accessing its apps but did not provide any specifics about the nature of the problem or how many were affected by the outage.

"We're working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience," Facebook tweeted about 30 minutes after the first reports of the outage.
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One Facebook employee told Reuters that all internal tools were down. Facebook's response was made much more difficult because employees lost access to some of their own tools in the shutdown, people tracking the matter said.

Multiple employees said they had not been told what had gone wrong.


The social media giant, which is the second largest digital advertising platform in the world, was losing about $545,000 in U.S. ad revenue per hour during the outage, according to estimates from ad measurement firm Standard Media Index.

The estimates were based on total Facebook and Instagram ad spending from major advertising agencies during January to August this year.

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Downdetector - which only tracks outages by collating status reports from a series of sources, including user-submitted errors on its platform - showed there were more than 50,000 incidents of people reporting issues with Facebook and Instagram. The outage might be affecting a larger number of users.

WhatsApp, the social-media giant's instant messaging platform, was also down for over 35,000 users, while Messenger was down for nearly 9,800 users.

via Reuters

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp down in global outage

The no. 1 pageant in the country is in search for the next Miss Universe Philippines this year and the last hours are ticking for the 28 candidates.


The much-anticipated finals will take place on September 30 at the Henann Resort Convention Center in Panglao, Bohol, the organization said on Friday after getting the government's approval.

Here are the final look of the final candidates on their swimsuit at Henann Resort:
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Christelle Abello, Aklan

Janela Joy Cuaton, Albay

Mirjan Hipolito, Angeles City

Noelyn Rose Mabuhay Campos, Antique

Megan Julia Roa Digal, Bukidnon

Vincy Labadan Vacalares, Cagayan de Oro

Victoria Velasquez Vincent, Cavite

Beatrice Luigi Gomez, Cebu City

Steffi Rose Aberasturi, Cebu Province

Jedidah Hefervez Korinihona, Davao del Sur

Krizzaleen Mae Valencia, Davao Occidental

Kheshapornam Ramachandran, Iloilo City

Jan Louise Abejero, Isabela

Leren Mae Bautista, Laguna

Isabelle De Los Santos, Makati City

Maria Corazon Abalos, Mandaluyong

Izabelle Jasmine Umali, Manila

Kirsten Danielle Delavin, Masbate

Simone Nadine Bornilla, Marinduque

Chella Grace Faconer, Misamis Oriental

Grace Charmaine Banua Vendiola, Negros Oriental

Maureen Christa Wroblewitz, Pangasinan

Maria Ingrid Teresita Santamaria, Paranaque

Princess Kristha Singh, Pasig

Jane Nicole Minano, Romblon

Rousanne Marie Bernos, San Juan City

Michele Angela Navarrao Okol, Siargao Island

Katrina Dimaranan, Taguig City

Henann Resort Alona Beach is the biggest beach resort in Panglao Island, Bohol that sits on a lush 6.5 hectare property on the pristine shores of Alona Beach.
The name Henann was derived from the group chairman's name HENry and wife ANNa. As the biggest home grown resort group in the country today, Henann prides itself on having an all Filipino work force showcasing what Filipino hospitality is all about.

Boracay Regency, now Henann Regency Resort & Spa started out with 43 rooms, a swimming pool, a restaurant and 65 employees trained according to international standards. The resort focused on offering quality accommodations and facilities at a very reasonable rate, thus attracting more and more patrons. Even at this early stage, the resort showed excellence in its performance as it was the first resort at the long beach to receive the highest resort rating from the Department of Tourism.
 
To date, Henann Regency Resort & Spa has 302 rooms, almost seven times bigger than its original 43 rooms. With Boracay becoming a more well-known tourist destination here and abroad, it is not surprising that new resorts were being built in the island while the other resorts started upgrading. 

In 2009, the company joined the bandwagon by acquiring its neighboring Korean-owned Hotel Seraph and named it Henann Garden Resort . Four months after the acquisition, the company opened its third venture in the island, the Henann Lagoon Resort.
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Some of the favorites are Masbate's Kirsten "Kisses" Delavin who was part of the reality television series, Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7, Pangasinan's Maureen Wroblewitz, a model and former co-host of noontime show Eat Bulaga, Taguig City's Katrina Dimaranan who is a model and has been into pageantry for a few years now and Steffi Rose Aberasturi from Cebu.


Last year's crown was awarded to Rabiya Mateo who represented the Philippines for Miss Universe 2020. Who do you think will take home the crown for tonight's coronation?

WHERE TO WATCH MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES 2021?

To watch the pageant unfold in real-time beginning 7PM on Thursday, fans will have to secure a ticket (P499, ~USD9.79) from ABS-CBN’s KTX.ph platform.

The coronation show will be uploaded on 3rd October on ABS-CBN YouTube channel, IwantTFC, and TFC IPTV.

On television, GMA 7 will broadcast the coronation on 3rd October at 9AM. It will come with exclusive interviews from the judges and the new Miss Universe as well, so fans will have more in store for them after the long wait.

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Miss Universe Philippines is a beauty pageant and organization that selects the Philippines' official representative to the Miss Universe pageant.

Miss Universe Philippines 2021 to be held at Henann Resort in Bohol


Malacañang on Monday said the quarantine classification in the National Capital Region (NCR) will be downgraded to general community quarantine (GCQ) from Sept. 8 to 30.


Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said localized or granular lockdowns, however, will be piloted in Metro Manila during the GCQ period with comprehensive details on the guidelines to be issued on Tuesday.
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“During this period, the guidelines for pilot areas shall be observed, supplemented by the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) omnibus guidelines on the implementation of community quarantine in the Philippines amended,” Roque said.

Roque said once the piloted granular lockdowns become effective, placing different community quarantine classifications in various areas may not be observed anymore.

"Ito'y pilot sa Metro Manila. So, tama po kayo baka dumating ang punto na mawawala ng community classifications pero ipa-pilot na po muna natin ito, so hindi pa po yan sigurado (It's only a pilot in Metro Manila. So, you're right, maybe, time will come that community quarantine classifications will not be needed anymore but we are piloting this first so still it's not sure)," he said.

Metro Manila is currently placed under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) after being placed under the most restrictive ECQ from Aug. 6 to 20 amid the threat of highly transmissible Delta coronavirus variant.

QUARANTINE CLASSIFICATIONS

Roque also reported different community quarantine classifications in various areas nationwide from Sept. 8 to 30 as per the IATF-EID omnibus guidelines.

Placed under MECQ from Sept. 8 to 30 are the provinces of Apayao, Bataan, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, and Iloilo, and the cities of Lucena, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro.
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Caraga region; the provinces of Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Pangasinan, Quezon, Batangas, Antique, Capiz, Cebu Negros Oriental, Zamboanga del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Davao Del Norte, Davao de Oro, and Davao Occidental, and the cities of Naga, Lapu-Lapu, Bacolod, Davao, and Butuan will be placed under GCQ with heightened restrictions.

Aside from NCR, areas to be placed under regular GCQ from Sept. 8 to 30 include the provinces of Kalinga, Abra, Quirino, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Tarlac, Occidental Mindoro, Aklan, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao Del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Lanao del Sur, and the cities of Baguio, Dagupan, Santiago, Cebu, Mandaue, Zamboanga, Iligan, General Santos, and Cotabato.

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The rest of the areas nationwide will be under modified GCQ.

Roque said the travel restrictions for international passengers coming from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia “are now lifted effective today.” 

via PNA

NCR to pilot granular lockdown under GCQ until Sept. 30


This is the next big thing in Southeast part of Metro Manila!

Since the C6 Road or the Laguna Lake Highway was built and opened in Taguig, the traffic in the east side of the metro has been eased and the movement of the transportation from Rizal Province has been even faster than before. That's why I am also excited about this new expressway to be built in Taguig and the neighboring cities in Laguna.

ABOUT LAGUNA LAKESHORE EXPRESSWAY

The Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike is a proposed expressway in the Philippines that will start from the coastal area of Laguna de Bay from Taguig in Metro Manila to Calamba and Los Baños in Laguna.


The project will involve the construction of a 47-kilometre-long (29 mi), six-lane dike including bridges, pumping stations and ancillary flood gates.

The project also involve reclamation of 700 hectares west of and abutting the expressway-dike, separated from the shoreline by a 100-150 meter channel in Taguig and Muntinlupa.
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The project aims to provide a high-standard highway that will speed up traffic between the southern part of Metro Manila and Laguna, as well as a dike that would mitigate flooding in the western coastal communities along Laguna Lake.


The expressway will cost an estimated PHP36.74 billion or US$854.42 million. When constructed, it is expected to ease traffic congestion along Muntinlupa and Calamba area, and to serve as flood control measure for communities on the western shore of Laguna de Bay.

PROPOSED ROUTE

The route alignment starts from Bicutan, Taguig connecting to the proposed C-6 Expressway Road Project. It traverses southwards passing the city boundaries of Taguig, Parañaque and Muntinlupa in the southern part of Metro Manila and then continues further south passing the cities of San Pedro, Biñan, Santa Rosa, Cabuyao, Calamba and ends up at Los Baños in Laguna, near its boundary with Bay.

The construction of the expressway dike is proposed to involve two sections:
  • from Bicutan to Calamba; and
  • from Calamba to Los Baños.

The project details for the Expressway Dike as of October 2013 indicated plans for a 41.54-kilometre-long (25.81 mi), four-lane dike,[1] but the official announcement of the approved project in June 2014 indicated that it would be 47-kilometre-long (29 mi), and have six-lanes.

PROPOSED EASTERN SHORE PROJECTS

While the expressway dike hopes to alleviate flooding on the southwestern shore of Laguna de Bay, officials and planners have acknowledged that there is still a need to cope with the excess water volume in the lake itself, with urban planner Felino Palafox describing the situation as "like having a toilet without a flush."

As the expressway dike would alleviate flooding in the more metropolitan western shore of the lake, similar projects have been proposed which would prevent the additional water volume from causing larger-scale flooding on the eastern shore, which includes the coastal towns of Rizal province and of eastern Laguna Province.

These projects include the construction of a "Pacific spillway" from the lake to the east coast of Luzon, which would drain excess water from the eastern part of the lake; and the construction of the revamped Laiban Dam and Kaliwa Low Dams in Tanay, Rizal, which is projected to reduce the water flowing into the northeastern portion of the lake.

However, construction of the Pacific Spillway has been identified by the DPWH as a low priority, while the construction of the Tanay dams has been controversial, such that only the construction of the Kaliwa Low Dam has been approved as of the second quarter of 2014.

RECENT UPDATES

August 2012 Monsoon Floods and Initial Conception

The idea of "a dike around Laguna" to serve as "a flood-control system meant to protect flood-prone areas along Laguna Lake" was first seriously raised in 2012, in reaction to the damage wrought by the 2012 Metro Manila Monsoon Floods. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was tasked to take on the project.

Proposed Project Financing

President Aquino also said in the vernacular that "the best part [of the road dike project] is that it can be self-financing, ", explaining that the dike may be financed through reclamation:

"Ang proposal nung proponent is dahil may mare-reclaim nga ang bayad sa kanila something like a third of the reclaimed area mababayaran na yung combination dike and road that will open up a lot of areas around Laguna leading to development." (The proposal of the propinent is that since there is reclamation to be done, the payment to them could just be something like a third of the reclaimed area. That would pay for the combination dike and road that will open up a lot of areas around Laguna leading to development.)

In an interview the following day, Nereus Acosta announced in another interview that the project fell under Public-Private-Partnership program for the C-6 Extension, while in another interview, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said the dike could be built under a "built-operate-transfer" scheme,[9] meaning that the project would be financed and operated by a private agency for a period not exceeding 50 years, after which it would be taken over by the government.

May 2014 rejection due to environmental impact questions

The Expressway Dike Project was initially slated for approval by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in its May 29, 2014 Board meeting,[28][29] with the inter-agency Investment Coordination Committee of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA-ICC) endorsing the project for final approval by the board.
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It was initially rejected at that meeting, however, when some of the board members had questions about some of the environmental and technical aspects of the project.

The DPWH later announced that it would make the "necessary clarification" regarding the project's environmental impact, specifying that concerns raised in the meeting had included "the height of the dike, the construction of water circulation, the separation between the low-lying communities and the new islands that would be created as part of the reclamation, the establishment of pumping stations, among others." The department indicated that they hoped to get final approval for the project and be able to bid the project out "toward the end of 2014 or in the first quarter of 2015"

June 2014 Approval

In June 2014, the Expressway Dike Project was finally green-lighted for implementation.

The NEDA board deferred on the project again during their June 2, 2014 meeting, requesting the DPWH to prepare and submit materials to be presented at the June 19 meeting, specifying the DPWH's responses to specific questions raised by the NEDA board.

The project was finally approved during the June 19, 2014 board meeting, in which the board also approved the operation and maintenance of the Bohol Airport and of Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental. At P123-billion, this made the Expressway Dike the biggest PPP project under the administration of President Aquino.

Public-Private Partnership Center Cosette Canilao told Reuters that the auction process "will start within the next quarter."

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Construction of the expressway dike was then slated to begin in "late 2015" and to finish in 2021.

On July 28, 2014, President Aquino cited the expressway dike in his 5th State of the Nation Address as one of the infrastructure projects approved by his administration as part of its disaster preparedness efforts.

What is Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike?

calax meaning calax update calax map cavite calax update 2021 calax rfid calax finish calax dpwh calax general trias

Going to Tagaytay has never been easier and faster until this expressway came into reality!

I was able to get to experience driving on CALAX for a few times when I recently had trips to Tagaytay with my friends. It was the real game-changer, easing the traffic flow in the busy Santa Rosa–Tagaytay Road which is usually used by many. 

The Cavite–Laguna Expressway (CALAX or CALAEX) is a partially operational controlled-access toll expressway in the provinces of Cavite and Laguna, Philippines. The construction of the 44.63-kilometer-long (27.73 mi) expressway, which began in July 2019, costs an estimated ₱35.43 billion. 
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Once completed, it will connect the Manila–Cavite Expressway in Kawit to the South Luzon Expressway in Biñan and is expected to ease the traffic congestion in the Cavite–Laguna area, particularly along the Aguinaldo Highway, Governor's Drive, and the Santa Rosa–Tagaytay Road.
CALAX begins at a roundabout at South Luzon Expressway's Greenfield City (Mamplasan) Exit in Biñan, continuing west then making a reverse curve to the southwest through the undeveloped private property owned jointly by Greenfield Development Corporation and Ayala Land, Inc.

It enters the Laguna Boulevard right of way near the boulevard's intersection with Greenfield Parkway. It approaches the first toll plaza near the Verdana Homes gated community, and continues southwest, passing through a mix of developed and undeveloped areas at barangays Loma and Timbao, then turning south into barangay Biñan, where it passes near Laguna Technopark, De La Salle University – Laguna Campus and several gated communities; access for them is provided by service roads that also serve as the southbound lanes of Laguna Boulevard.

The expressway partially runs above grade, utilizing underpass bridges, mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls and a viaduct at this section to pass above major intersections and accesses.

Entering Santa Rosa, CALAX descends into grade level to cross the Silang–Santa Rosa River and clear a power line, then gently curves to the southwest to follow the Nuvali Boulevard right of way, where the expressway ascends above grade again to pass over South Boulevard, served by the Laguna Boulevard Exit.

Past the exit, it leaves the Nuvali Boulevard right of way and crosses the Silang–Santa Rosa River once again, this time the Cavite–Laguna provincial boundary into Silang. It makes another reverse curve through cornfields and ends at the Santa Rosa City Exit, a trumpet interchange which leads to Santa Rosa–Tagaytay Road. A stub section is built west of the interchange, which will connect to the Cavite segment of the expressway.

The expressway continues southwest and makes a few turns before traversing a bridge and enters a cut section, passing near the Ayala Westgrove Heights. It turns northwest and passes under Tibig Road before ending at Silang East Exit, a diamond interchange which leads to Tibig-Kaong Road. A future road will be built west of the Silang East interchange that will connect to the Cavite segment of the expressway.
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CONSTRUCTION

The first 8.9 kilometers (5.5 mi) of the expressway has been made accessible on October 30, 2019, in time for All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. The entry and exit points at Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna and Santa Rosa–Tagaytay Road were opened to serve an estimated 10,000 cars. According to DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, this will cut travel time from 45 minutes to just 10 minutes. However, the segment was supposed to be operational back in December 2018 or by February 2019.

The expressway was closed from January 28 to 31 and February 4 to 7, 2020 at 1:00 AM to 4:00 AM (PST) to give way for construction and clearing operations due to ashfalls brought by the 2020 Taal Volcano eruption.

On August 18, 2020, the Laguna Technopark and Laguna Boulevard Exits in Biñan and Santa Rosa, respectively, were opened to the public.

On August 24, 2021, the 6-kilometer (3.7 mi) section leading to the Silang East interchange in Silang, Cavite was opened to the public. However, this segment was supposed to be operational back in June 2021. Meanwhile, the section leading to the Silang interchange is expected to be completed in 2022.

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TOLL FEES

Cavite–Laguna Expressway is a closed road system, where motorists pay a toll rate based on the vehicle class and distance travelled. In 2020, motorists pay a fixed toll rate at their respective exit points when there were initially two operational toll barriers on the first 8.9-kilometer (5.5 mi) segment of the expressway:


Mamplasan and Santa Rosa City. The electronic toll collection (ETC) system on the expressway is operated by Easytrip Services Corporation and collections are done on mixed lanes at the toll barriers.

  • Class 1 (Cars, Motorcycles, SUVs, Jeepneys) - ₱64.00
  • Class 2 (Buses, Light Trucks) - ₱128.00
  • Class 3 (Heavy Trucks) - ₱192.00

In accordance with law, all toll rates include a 12% value-added tax.

Cavite–Laguna Expressway

Address: MPT South Hub - Alapan II-B, Imus, 4104 Cavite
Hotline: (02) 1-35000
Facebook Page: CALAX
Twitter Account: @OfficialCALAX

calax meaning calax update calax map cavite calax update 2021 calax rfid calax finish calax dpwh calax general trias

Here are the latest news and updates from CALAX:

All you should know about Cavite–Laguna Expressway (CALAX)


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), Malacañang announced Thursday.

This, after President Rodrigo Duterte, upon the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EUD), approved the latest quarantine status in Metro Manila, Laguna, and Bataan, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.


“These latest classifications are without prejudice to the strict implementation of granular lockdowns,” said Roque, also acting as IATF-EID spokesperson, in a press statement.
Roque said Metro Manila will be placed under MECQ from Aug. 21 to 31.

Bataan, on the other hand, will be under MECQ from Aug. 23 to 31, he added.

Metro Manila, Laguna, and Bataan were initially placed under ECQ, the strictest form of community quarantine, due to the spike in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections.

Roque stressed that despite the deescalation of quarantine level, religious gatherings should remain “virtual” in Metro Manila, Laguna, and Bataan.
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He added that indoor and al-fresco dine-in services, as well as personal care services such as beauty salons, beauty parlors, barbershops and nail spas should remain prohibited.

Roque said local government units in Metro Manila, Laguna, and Bataan are likewise directed to improve the vaccination rates within their localities, as well as intensify the “Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) strategies to control the spread of Covid-19.

He said minimum public health standards must also be observed in the three areas.

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“These protocols shall be observed in the aforesaid areas under the inclusive dates they are under MECQ,” Roque said.

via PNA

NCR, Laguna shift to MECQ until end-August

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