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PHILSTAR SENATORS said Thursday that the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) needs a “real, concrete” strategy to deal with workers displaced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva and Imelda Josefa R. Marcos said DoLE should draft a plan that goes beyond its emergency …

ACTING Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua has ordered an accelerated process of digitization to ensure faster delivery of economic data to the public. “In the services sector, effective ICT (information and communications technology) applications accelerate productivity by trimming down lengthy manual processes, which results in cost effectiveness, faster …

COURTESY OF DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION THE Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is pushing for the mandatory inclusion of government agencies regulating trade to a platform run by the Department of Finance (DoF) by the end of the year. “By the end of 2020, ARTA seeks the mandatory on-boarding of trade regulatory …

PHILSTAR FITCH SOLUTIONS Country Risk & Industry Research projected the national government’s budget deficit to average 7.7% of gross domestic product (GDP) as the economy slows down due to the pandemic, but noted that its fiscal position will remain intact. In a note Thursday, Fitch Solutions said it revised its …

PHILSTAR A GROUP of economists and former public officials said they will support a veto of legislation granting tax breaks for San Miguel Aerocity, Inc.’s P740-billion Bulacan airport project if Congress passes the measure. Action for Economic Reforms (AER) said in a statement Thursday that legislators reject Senate Bill 1823, …

PHILSTAR Solon dares colleagues to declare Speaker’s seat vacant A LAWMAKER supporting Speaker Alan Peter S. Cayetano dared his colleagues to declare the House of Representatives’ top post vacant and hold an election. Anakalusugan Partylist Rep. Michael T. Defensor made the call following Wednesday’s vote rejecting Mr. Cayetano’s announcement of …

Transport chief wants private firms to give contactless cards for free to commuters TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Arthur P. Tugade wants the reloadable card for fare payments at Metro Manila’s busway and railway systems be given for free to commuters in consideration of the coronavirus-prompted crisis, a department official said. Transportation Assistant …

PHILSTAR PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte urged congressmen to prioritize the 2021 national budget amid a squabble over a term-sharing deal for the speakership. The President, who brokered the term-sharing between Speaker Alan Peter S. Cayetano and Marinduque Representative Lord Alan Q. Velasco last year, met with the two on Tuesday. …

PHILSTAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) reported 2,415 coronavirus infections on Thursday, bringing the total to 314,079. The death toll rose by 59 to 5,562, while recoveries increased by 771 to 254,223, it said in a bulletin. There were 54,294 active cases, 86.6% of which were mild, 9% …

PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS MORE than a hundred congressmen have signed a resolution asking the government to lift the ban on public utility jeepneys amid a coronavirus pandemic. The lawmakers signed House Resolution 1254, which cited the “need to address the worsening economic plight of jeepney drivers and operators who have …