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https://www.nationthailand.com/ann/30403674

Việt Nam seeks ways for climate-resilient, sustainable development of Mekong Delta

Mar 14. 2021Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc speaks at the third conference on climate-resilient and sustainable development of the Mekong Delta in Cần Thơ City on Saturday. VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

By Vietnam News/ANN

CẦN THƠ — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has stressed the strategic importance of the Mekong Delta as it accounts for 20 per cent of the world’s rice exports but is facing critical challenges posed by climate change.

At a conference on climate-resilient and sustainable development of the delta in Cần Thơ City on Saturday, the Prime Minister urged attendees to continue identifying challenges caused by climate change, and to implement top-priority projects in a timely manner. 

Forty per cent of the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta region will be under water by 2100 due to the impact of climate change unless serious measures are taken immediately, experts have warned.

Caitlin Wiesen, country director of UNDP Việt Nam, said the delta, home to 17 million people, is Việt Nam’s most important agricultural region. Producing 55 per cent of the country’s rice, the region feeds more than 245 million people around the world.

“The area is vital for food security in Việt Nam and neighbouring countries within the region and beyond as well,” she said.

The delta is also the country’s third largest industrial region after the metropolitan areas of HCM City and Hà Nội. 

However, the delta is facing existential threats, including rising sea levels, coastal erosion, landslides, and drought. 

According to studies, 40 per cent of the Mekong Delta could be underwater by 2100, with half of its population affected. Some areas of the coast are already eroding at a rate of more than 30 metres a year. 

In 2016, the region suffered the worst drought in 90 years, which, together with rising sea levels, led to a heavy intrusion of saltwater into rice-growing areas.

The mangrove forests along the coast, which protect the hinterland from floods and storms, are also in dramatic decline.

All of these problems have threatened the region’s ability to provide essential ecosystem services on which the communities of the delta and millions of people around the world depend.

She said that integrated planning and governance were needed.

“It is important to look at resources not from one area within the region but how they are engaged together,” she said. “Community engagement is extremely important as they are on the frontlines.”

The UNDP is working with local communities and government to strengthen regional governance to ensure that people affected by climate change will benefit in the future as part of the new master plan for the Mekong Delta from 2021 to 2030. 

Resolution 120 

Speaking at the conference in Cần Thơ, Trương Hòa Bình, permanent Deputy Prime Minister, said that Government Resolution 120 issued in 2017 set out a long-term strategy for sustainable development, focusing on strengthening linkages between localities to combat climate change.

After more than three years of implementation, the resolution has helped to attract investment in “green” agriculture, improve value chains, and create a foothold for agricultural products in the world market.

Large-scale concentrated agriculture production areas have been formed with key agricultural products such as shrimp, pangasius, rice and fruit. Processing technology has also been improved, helping to create value chains for agricultural products.

Rice cultivation, including world-famous brands, covers 4.19 million hectares in the delta, accounting for 54.3 per cent of the country’s total rice growing area.

The region has more than 335,400 hectares of fruit trees, accounting for 36.3 per cent of the country’s fruit area, including major crops such as dragon fruit, mango, orange, pomelo, rambutan, longan, durian and pineapple.

Carolyn Turk, World Bank country director in Việt Nam, said that Resolution 120 was a big step forward in setting the basis for coordinated action for sustainable development in the Mekong Delta.

During the 2015-2020 period, the World Bank in Việt Nam mobilised US$2.2 billion for research and investment activities in the region.

She said the Mekong Delta was a testament to the Vietnamese government’s new ways of thinking and approach to sustainable development.

“Mitigation and adaptation-solutions are needed for stronger prevention of the impacts of climate change,” she added.

She pledged to continue to work with the Government through a strong partnership for a sustainable, prosperous and climate-resilient Mekong Delta.

Also speaking at the event, Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thể said in the 2016-2021 period, the ministry invested in 31 transportation projects worth VNĐ88.963 trillion in the region.

The ministry has also prepared financing for 37 new projects (road, maritime, inland waterways and aviation) with total investment of VNĐ182.7 trillion in the coming time.

Concluding the conference, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc emphasised that the quality of the workforce and the actions of each ministry and locality will be decisive factors for the sustainable and climate-resilient development of the region.

Mentioning the “8G” viewpoint on the Mekong Delta’s development to be given more attention in the revised Resolution 120, the Vietnamese Government leader said the first “G” is “Giao thông” (traffic), elaborating that resources must be prioritised for developing the traffic system to facilitate travel and economic activities.

The second “G” is “Giáo dục” (education), which he described as the “golden key” to sustainable development.

Meanwhile, the third is “Giang” (rivers), he noted, adding that development strategies should make use of local rivers to promote agriculture and aquaculture as well as waterway traffic and logistics, and that there should be a study of river-based economic activities.

PM Phúc also pointed out the necessity of “Gắn” (connecting), which means connecting central agencies with localities, people with businesses, domestic parties with international organisations, and especially, intra-regional connectivity between the 13 provincial-level localities in the Mekong Delta itself.

In his remarks, the Government leader also recommended the localities attract “Gìau” (rich) and “Giỏi” (talented) people and businesses who will contribute to local development.

Besides, “già” (ageing) is now a challenge to the Mekong Delta, where the speed of population ageing is faster than the national average, PM Phúc added, asking for proactive policies on this issue, especially in terms of social welfare for the elderly and the disadvantaged.

The last “G” is “Giới” (gender), PM Phúc went on, underlining the importance of enhancing gender equality, boosting women’s access to job opportunities, and bringing into play their role. — VNS  

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https://www.nationthailand.com/ann/30403673

India to be vaccine making hub for Quad

Mar 14. 2021

By The Statesman, Ashok Tuteja/ANN

Four nations call for open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region

The four ‘Quad’ nations today announced their decision to launch a historic initiative to pool their financial resources, manufacturing capabilities and capacities and logistics to ramp up the manufacture and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region.

At their first-ever summit, the four nations ~ the US, India, Australia and Japan ~ also called for an open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region with freedom of navigation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Indian delegation at the virtual summit which was also attended by US President Joe Biden, Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

“India welcomes this (vaccine) initiative as it recognises our own manufacturing capacities and capabilities. We look forward to whole-hearted participation in this endeavour. This vaccine supply chain is built by trust,” foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said while briefing the media on the outcomes of the summit.

He said the initiative would help mitigate the sufferings of the people due to the pandemic. Under the initiative, vaccines would be manufactured in India and financed by the USA and Japan while the last mile delivery would be ensured by Australia.

The aim was to produce a billion doses by 2022 to cover the people in the entire Indo-Pacific region. Shringla said the four leaders agreed to set up three working groups, including a vaccine experts’ working group. In his remarks, Mr Modi said the four ‘Quad’ nations were united by their democratic values, and their commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

He said the agenda of the summit covered areas like vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies, which indeed made the ‘Quad’ a force for global good. “I see this positive vision as an extension of India’s ancient philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, which regards the world as one family.”

The ‘Quad’, Mr Modi said, has come of age and would be important pillar of stability in the region. Mr Biden, who was attending his first plurilateral summit since his inauguration in January, said the US was committed to working with the other three ‘Quad’ countries and with its other allies in the Indo-Pacific region to achieve stability.

“This group is particularly important because it is dedicated to the practical solutions and concrete results,” he added. The Australian Prime Minister said, “It’s the IndoPacific that would now shape the destiny of the world in the 21st Century. As four leaders of great democracies in the IndoPacific, let our partnership be an enabler of peace, stability and prosperity in the region.”

The Indian foreign secretary said the four ‘Quad’ leaders decided that they would hold an in-person summit on the margins of multilateral summits later this year. Mr Biden, Mr Morrison and Mr Suga appreciated India for its role in providing Covid vaccines to nearly 70 countries under the ‘Maitri’ (friendship) initiative.

Government sources said the vaccine initiative would allow new manufacturing capacities to be added in India for exports to the Indo-Pacific region. It would not impinge on India’s existing manufacturing capacities.

“In today’s context, it is one of the most important initiatives. We are talking about huge investments in creating additional vaccine capacities in India for exports to countries in the Indo-Pacific region for their betterment. We are talking about producing a billion doses of vaccines by the end of 2022,” Mr Shringla said.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/ann/30403646

[Vietnam] Government to go digital by 2025

Mar 13. 2021Smart traffic monitoring and operation centre in HCM City. Việt Nam targets to form digital Government by 2025. — Photo hanoimoi.com.vn

By Viet Nam News/ANN

HÀ NỘI — Minister of Information and Communications Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng said on Wednesday that the Government within the first quarter or early in the second quarter of this year would approve a strategy to develop e-government as part of efforts to form a digital Government by 2025.

The building and deployment of the e-government architecture and government services platforms achieved significant results in recent years, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyễn Huy Dũng said.

For example, 100 per cent of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, provinces and cities under the central Government deployed the local/national government service platforms(LGSP) by the end of 2020, from just 3.2 per cent or three ministries and localities in 2018.

Dũng added that the national database about business registration also created significant reforms, which helped save time and costs. With around 700,000 firms operating in Việt Nam with millions of administrative procedures handled per day, the system helped save significant sums.

By the end of 2020, all ministries and localities had portals to provide online public services. More than 55 per cent of public services were provided online at level 3 or level 4 which allowed citizens to submit documents online and pay online, respectively.

The percentage of public services at level 4 increased from 1.42 per cent in 2016 to 30.86 in 2020.

Most ministries and localities implemented the electronic single-window system to computerise the administrative procedure handling process, which also helped improve efficiency and transparency.

According to Hùng, to build e-government, it was important to apply the latest technologies to accelerate the progress. Hùng added that Việt Nam needed breakthrough solutions to move faster.

He added that a stable budget was needed for the development of e-government which could be about 1 per cent of the annual budget of ministries and localities – the average level of the world.

Under the strategy of e-government towards digital Government which was expected to be approved within this quarter of in early the second quarter, digital Government would be formed by 2025.

This meant all administrative management agencies would operate in the digital environment for more efficiency, adding that the digital Government would lead the process of the national digital transformation and also promote the development of digital technology companies, Hùng said.

Accordingly, e-government would be basically completed in 2021 with the goal all public services would be provided at level 4 then digital Government would be formed in 2025 which would allow the automatic provision of Government services around the clock.

Hùng said the strategy would focus on completing the legal framework for digital transformation, developing the national digital infrastructure and platforms, developing national databases and ensuring national network security.

Big tech firms ready

Big tech firms said that they were willing to contribute to the development of e-government and accelerate the national digital transformation.

According to Phạm Đức Long, chairman of the Việt Nam Posts and Telecommunications Group, Vietnamese firms were capable of solving problems in national digital transformation, resources and technologies.

Long said tech firms should not only provide what they have but must pay attention to solving problems that localities were facing.

Nguyễn Đình Chiến, deputy director of military-run telecommunications group Viettel said it was important to hasten the development of the legal framework for digital Government, digital economy and digital society and develop mechanisms for capable firms to deploy the digital database to create new values.

Trương Gia Bình, chairman of FPT Group, said a clean financial mechanism should be raised to acclerate the development of digital Government. — VNS

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https://www.nationthailand.com/ann/30403643

China’s FDI inflow surges in Jan-Feb

Mar 13. 2021This undated photo shows a view of Nansha Port in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province. (GUANGZHOU PORT AUTHORITY / XINHUA)

By China Daily/ANN

BEIJING – Foreign direct investment (FDI) into China, in actual use, expanded 31.5 percent year on year to 176.76 billion yuan (US$27.17 billion) in the first two months of the year, the Ministry of Commerce said Friday.

The inflow went up 34.2 percent year on year to US$26.07 billion.

Foreign investment in the service industry came in at 141.74 billion yuan during the period, up 48.7 percent year on year.

China’s eastern, central and western regions attracted 32.3 percent, 11.1 percent and 50.9 percent, respectively, of the FDI.

FDI into China, in actual use, expanded 6.2 percent year on year to a record high of 999.98 billion yuan in 2020, earlier data showed. 

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https://www.nationthailand.com/ann/30403641

[Singapore] Travel corridors for vaccinated passengers could open in 2nd half of 2021

Mar 13. 2021Mr Ong noted that the passenger volume at Changi Airport is only at 2.6 per cent of the levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

By Kok Yufeng
The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE – Bilateral travel corridors for vaccinated passengers from places with low to moderate infection rates may well happen in the second half of this year, said Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung on Friday (March 12) as Singapore continues to explore ways to open up its borders and revive air travel.

In an interview with Money FM 89.3, Mr Ong said stay-home notices and other quarantine measures will kill travel. Singapore, he added, needs to find ways to get rid of such requirements, a point he also made last week during the debate on his ministry’s budget.

“Nobody is going to come to Singapore and stay for 14 days,” he told radio DJ Elliott Danker.

While vaccinations are changing the game, this needs to work in tandem with other measures such as testing, movement restrictions and identifying countries that are “safe” and have successfully controlled the virus, Mr Ong said.

For example, Singapore could open up to travellers from places with moderate Covid-19 infection rates but have ongoing vaccination programmes.

“(Combine that) with testing, and you can possibly open up a safe travel corridor,” he added.

On air travel bubbles, Mr Ong said such arrangements require reciprocity, noting that Singapore has already opened its borders unilaterally to travellers from countries and territories that have a handle on the virus, such as Australia, New Zealand and China, and this has not led to community infections here.

“Unfortunately, we are the only safe place in the world that is opening up to others like that,” Mr Ong said.

“If only others start to do it, then we’ll have a bubble, you have reciprocity, you can start to travel. And I hope some time this year we can do that.”

Singapore’s air travel bubble with Hong Kong, which was supposed to begin last November, remains on ice, as the city saw yet another flare-up in cases this week.

Mr Ong said Singapore is still in a “crisis situation”, noting that the passenger volume at Changi Airport is only at 2.6 per cent of the levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said he shared the same view as International Air Transport Association (Iata) director Alexandre de Juniac, who told The Straits Times this week that personal and leisure travel will return from the second half of this year.

However, Mr Ong cautioned that this was neither an estimate nor a prediction but “a guess”, and reiterated that it was unrealistic to expect the aviation sector here to have a “V-shaped” recovery.

He said the virus “wants to dominate the world”.

“It will mutate, it transmits without symptoms, and you don’t know what curveballs (it) will throw us next.

“(But) many countries and places have a handle on the issue, not just solely based on vaccination, but also testing, social distancing, masks, and different methods… I think all these different measures, plus vaccination, are going to have an impact.

“We’ll get better at it. So I think this is the basis from which we feel there should be some recovery.”

When asked if there is sufficient manpower in the aviation sector to bounce back, following several retrenchment exercises last year, Mr Ong said these retrenchments made up “a single-digit percentage” of the entire workforce and were mostly shouldered by foreign workers.

“It takes years, a decade even, to train a pilot, and even the air crew. The air traffic controllers, for example, take years of training. So you don’t even want to get into that position where you lose talent, you lose your core capability, and when things recover, you can’t get them back,” he said.

Mr Ong added: “What we have done is to hold on to the manpower as much as we can, with the belief that one day this will recover… The problem you mentioned, it would be because the sector has expanded, things are reviving.

“Then we can attract people. But the key thing is don’t lose your core capabilities. Your core staff, you must stay intact.”

The Jobs Support Scheme, which has been extended by another six months for the aviation sector, has helped with this.

In his interview with ST earlier this week, Mr de Juniac said Iata is already working with various states to design and plan protocols and road maps for the reopening of borders.

Key among these protocols is Iata’s Travel Pass, a mobile health verification app which electronically captures a traveller’s vaccination history and Covid-19 test results for cross-border safety checks.

Singapore Airlines has been the first airline to officially announce that it will begin testing the Iata Travel Pass on flights from Singapore to London.

Meanwhile, China also just announced the roll-out of its vaccine passport, while Germany and the United States are poised to introduce their own soon.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/ann/30403611

S. Korea to extend current social distancing measures for 2 weeks: PM

Mar 12. 2021Tests for all villagers are under way at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing station in Jinbu of Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, on Wednesday, as scores of Jinbu villagers tested positive for the virus, in this photo provided by Pyeongchang County. (Pyeongchang County)

By The Korea Herald/ANN

South Korea will extend its current social distancing measures for another two weeks, the prime minister said Friday, as sporadic COVID-19 cluster infections continue to pop up across the country.

“The government will extend the current distancing levels, which end March 14, for another two weeks,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a regular COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul.

The greater Seoul area, home to around half of the nation’s 52-million population, will remain under Level 2 distancing and the rest of the country will be subject to Level 1.5 distancing for an additional two weeks starting next week.

Bans on gatherings of five or more people and restrictions on small businesses, such as restaurants and cafes, will also remain in place for another two weeks, Chung said. (Yonhap)

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https://www.nationthailand.com/ann/30403610

Most economies won’t return to pre-pandemic levels until 2022: Moody’s

Mar 12. 2021While asset prices and debt issuers’ market access have largely recovered from the shock, leverage metrics have shifted more permanently. (Photo: Getty)

By The Statesman/ANN

Although businesses and economic activities around the world have resumed post the pandemic-related lockdowns, most countries are unlikely to return to their pre-pandemic activity levels until 2022, a report by Moody’s Investors Service said.

As per the report, a slow and bumpy global recovery is expected. It, however, added that despite the relative stability of its forecasts since last April, uncertainty around the macroeconomic outlook remains much higher than usual.

It also said that after a year in which the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the global economy and triggered a credit downturn, rating actions will be much more subdued in 2021 unless there is another major shock to global economic activity.

Although the crisis has created substantial credit challenges, the credit downturn is expected to be relatively short-lived, with risks slanted towards the sectors most vulnerable to restrictions on their normal activities.

“We don’t expect rating actions this year to match the pandemic-driven activity in 2020,” said Colin Ellis, Moody’s Chief Credit Officer for EMEA.

“Our current ratings and outlooks already incorporate the effects of the pandemic and associated support from policymakers. We continue to expect a slow and bumpy recovery, but volatility around the gradual recovery path is unlikely to be enough to materially affect creditworthiness by itself,” he said.

While asset prices and debt issuers’ market access have largely recovered from the shock, leverage metrics have shifted more permanently, as per the Moody’s report.

This is particularly evident for sovereigns, some of which have spent unprecedented sums to fight the pandemic and shore up economic activity, it noted, adding that debt affordability generally remains strong.

Issuers’ management of their debt dynamics as Covid-19 fades as a public health threat will be a critical determinant of their creditworthiness. Yet while these higher leverage levels pose significant medium-term risks, Moody’s does not expect defaults to jump again over the near-term.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/ann/30403609

Chinese auto sales up 364.8% in February

Mar 12. 2021In this undated photo, a visitor checks out a BYD new energy vehicle during an auto exhibition in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

By China Daily/ANN

BEIJING – China’s auto sales rose 364.8 percent year-on-year to 1.455 million units in February, data from an industry association showed on Thursday.

The huge growth was due to the sharp drop of sales during the same period last year and the country’s recovering market demand this year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

In the first two months of 2021, auto sales totaled 3.958 million units, up 76.2 percent year-on-year.

The country will encourage steady increases in spending on home appliances, automobiles, and other big-ticket items, and abolish excessive restrictions on sales of second-hand vehicles, according to a government work report submitted to the national legislature for deliberation.

The Ministry of Commerce has introduced fresh measures to boost auto sales, encouraging cities to optimize their restrictions on auto consumption and incentivize rural consumption of cars.

With the stable recovery of the Chinese economy and positive effects brought by policies, the automobile industry will maintain steady growth momentum in the future, the CAAM predicted.

The data also showed China produced more than 1.5 million motor vehicles in February, up 418.9 percent year-on-year.

NEV sales surge

Sales of new energy vehicles (NEV) in China increased by 3.2 times year-on-year in the first two months amid the steady recovery of market demand, data from the CAAM showed Wednesday.

In January and February, NEV sales amounted to 289,000 units. In February alone, NEV sales surged 5.8 times year-on-year to reach 110,000 units, the data showed.

The association, though attributing the surge to the low base last year due to the impact of COVID-19, said the NEV sector maintained its large scale by setting new records in production, sales and exports for the month of February.

China will further promote NEVs’ high-quality development by advancing the integration of technologies such as electrification and intelligent networking, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

In recent years, China has issued more than 60 supportive policies and measures for the development of the NEV industry and has achieved positive results and breakthroughs, said Xiao Yaqing, minister of the MIIT.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/ann/30403608

Japan to let in professional athletes from overseas after state of emergency is lifted

Mar 12. 2021

By The Japan News/ANN

Final arrangements are being made to allow professional athletes from overseas to enter Japan after the state of emergency is lifted, government sources said.

Due to the spread of the coronavirus, all foreign nationals have been banned from entering, in principle, since mid-January. As a result, about 40 foreign members of professional baseball teams and about 40 such members of J.League soccer teams have been unable to come to Japan, according to sources.

One J.League team started the season without its coach because he is a foreign national.

The Nippon Professional Baseball Organization and the J.League asked the government earlier this month to allow the entry of foreign players after the state of emergency is lifted.

Even if the state of emergency ends on March 21 as scheduled, the ban on the entry of foreign nationals is likely to continue. However, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan has made exceptions when it recognized “special circumstances.”

The government is considering applying this to professional sports players, the sources said.

According to the agency, “special circumstances” include such cases as having a Japanese spouse, contributing to the public interest, and needing humanitarian consideration. Professional sports players are likely to be deemed as contributing to the public interest.

Even if professional athletes are allowed to enter Japan, they will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. The government is discussing details regarding the self-quarantine, such as the location and measures to confirm their movements.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/ann/30403607

Duterte bent on reopening economy soon even as Covid-19 cases rise

Mar 12. 2021

By Daphne Galvez
INQUIRER.net/ANN

‘WE CANNOT FOREVER BE IN THE STRICT PROTOCOLS’

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the ever-rising number of COVID-19 infections in the country, President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said that he has to reopen the economy in “a timetable of just weeks” because “we cannot forever be in the strict protocols.”

This comes even as the Philippines recorded on Thursday its highest daily new COVID-19 cases since September at 3,749, and nationwide active cases also hit a record 47, 769.

Duterte also admitted that he is in a “quandary” on what to do because the government is only in the early stages of vaccinating Filipinos against the potentially deadly respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

“I have to reopen the economy. I’ve given a timetable of just weeks. We cannot forever be in the strict protocols because we have to open the economy. People are hungry, people have to work, to eat, to survive,” he said in a speech during the inauguration of the Port Operations Building in Dumaguete City.

“Hindi ko malaman kung saan ako pumunta but I said the economy must be opened in a short while. Kaya paspasan ‘yang bakuna tutal umabot na,” he added.

(I don’t know what to do, but I said we must open the economy in a short while. That’s why the vaccination is being expedited.)

“Kung makita ko na umabot na ng milyon ang vaccinated, probably, especially around towns and big cities, okay na. But hanggang ngayon I am in a quandary of what to do,” he continued.

(When I see that millions have been vaccinated, especially in towns and big cities, it’s okay. But until now, I am in a quandary of what to do.)

As of March 10, the Philippines inoculated more than 114,500 individuals against COVID-19.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has also reported that some 4.5 million Filipinos became jobless in 2020 due to the pandemic as the government imposed stringent lockdown to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

In January this year alone, four million Filipinos were jobless as the nation’s unemployment rate reached a 16-year-high.

Earlier this month, Duterte has rejected proposals to place the whole country in a less stringent quarantine classification – modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).

But he said he was reconsidering placing Metro Manila under MGCQ after the arrival of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines in the country last week.

The Department of Health earlier acknowledged there is a significant surge in the number of new coronavirus cases, but claimed this is “not solely” because of the presence of new variants.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire noted that an “underlying cause” of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country could also be attributed to the public’s failure to follow the minimum public health standards.