News Report
18 November 2020 Local
1. COVID-19 tally of Phl cases
The Philippine Star, 17 November 2020, p. 1
New COVID-19 cases: 1,148 Active cases: 28,313
Death toll: 7,862 (+23) Recoveries: 374,543 (+186) Total number of confirmed cases: 410,718
2. Rody set to sign EO on typhoon task force The Philippine Star, 18 November 2020, p. 1
Palace spokesman Harry Roque stated that the President is set to sign an executive order (EO) this week, which will establish the task force who will expedite rebuilding and rehabilitation in the wake of destructive weather. The EO is said to create the
“Build Back Better” task force.
3. P603.49-M damage to agriculture, infrastructure reported in Cordillera Manila Bulletin, 18 November 2020, p. 5
The Department of Public Works and Highways reported damage, caused by
Typhoon Ulysses, to the infrastructure sector worth P529.95 million. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture reported P73.54-million worth of damage in the
agricultural sector.
4. Cebu lawmaker Del Mar, 79
The Philippine Star, 18 November 2020, p. 8
Representative of the 1st district of Cebu City, Raul del Mar, died on Monday. He was 79 years old. He represented the 1st district of Cebu City for 27 years since the 8th Congress in 1987.
Korea
5. SoKor warns of new COVID crisis
The Philippine Star, 18 November 2020, p. 12
South Korea will tighten its restrictions as the daily COVID-19 case tally hovered above 200 for consecutive days. Starting Thursday, large gatherings of 100 people or more will be banned and broadened social distancing will be observed.
Economic
6. Australia provides funding for Filipina entrepreneurs The Manila Times, 18 November 2020, p. 3
The Australian Embassy in Manila, together with the Macquarie Group Foundation, implements an investment program amounting to P43 million to help Filipina entrepreneurs recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
7. ADB to help developing member nations access COVID-19 vaccines Manila Bulletin, 18 November 2020, p. B1
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) designates $20.3 million in technical assistance to help developing member nations, such as the Philippines, to secure access to COVID-19 vaccines and for its distribution.
8. Govt sees no need to borrow more The Manila Times, 18 November 2020, p. B1
According to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, the government sees no need to get new loans as he believes that the country’s economy will bounce back in 2021 with the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine.
9. Recession imperils PHL banks’ stability – S&P Business Mirror, 18 November 2020, p. B1
The S&P Global Rating expects the Philippine’s economy to shrink by 9.5% this year due to the strict lockdown measures and subdued consumer spending. The S&P added that the largest threat to the Philippine financial sector is the longer economic disruption from COVID-19.
