Every week, we put together a list of major stories from the Philippines. Here are the top headlines from this fifth week of October 2020.
PH forms task group for distributing COVID-19 vaccines
The Philippine government's COVID-19 task force stepped up preparations for the distribution of a vaccine, putting the Department of Health in charge of a group of agencies that would lead the immunisation drive.
In a meeting last October 29, the Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases created a "COVID-19 Immunization Program Management Organizational Structure."
Rolly poised to strike over Central Luzon, Quezon
Typhoon Rolly is expected to make landfall between Central Luzon and Quezon province on Sunday evening (November 1) or Monday morning (November 2), with a potential to bring disastrous conditions, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration revealed.
The typhoon, with international name Goni, is currently packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center, with gusts of up to 170 kph.
South China Sea: Beijing in 'grey arms race' as Philippines PUSH BACK in deadly conflict
The Philippines is building up a greater sea-based military force, known as the Cafgu Active Auxiliary Service, to defend waters it believes are within its control, analysts say. It follows similar moves by China in the region, in which small boats are increasingly used to ‘intrude’ into waters claimed by the Philippines, according to Asia Times.
It's final: Metro Manila, several areas under GCQ in November
Metro Manila's 12 million people will be under general community quarantine in November, along with several other areas, the Philippine government said, despite the appeal of some local governments.
Some local officials had appealed against the initial lockdown classifications that President Rodrigo Duterte announced earlier during the week, said the interior department. The inter-agency task force leading the pandemic response met on this last October 29.
Magnitude 5 quake hits Batangas, tremors felt in Metro Manila, parts of Luzon — Phivolcs
A magnitude 5 earthquake hit Batangas on the afternoon of October 29, with tremors also felt in other parts of Luzon and in Metro Manila.
The tectonic quake recorded at 1:25 p.m. struck 8 kilometers northwest of Mabini town with a depth of focus of 2 km, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in its latest bulletin. Phivolcs earlier reported an initial magnitude of 4.5.