Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter and heir apparent has declared that she will not run for the presidency in May 2022 but many remain sceptical after the months of meetings she has held with the country’s major political blocs over the past few months.Sara Duterte-Carpio, who is currently mayor of Davao, said on Thursday that with her father’s decision to run for vice president, she would not run for the top job.“I am not running for a national position as we both agreed only on

The Philippines will lift a stay-at-home order in the capital Manila this week as it trials "granular lockdowns", an official said Monday, in a bid to rein in coronavirus cases and revive the economy.More than 13 million people in the national capital region – the country's economic heartland – have been in lockdown since 6 August amid record infections fuelled by the hyper-contagious Delta variant.The move to ease restrictions from Wednesday comes after nationwide daily cases

Allegations of misuse of COVID-19 funds have emerged in the Philippines, prompting anger among healthcare workers, who protested in the Philippine capital to demand the release of unpaid benefits as they battle another surge in cases due to the Delta variant.Protesters wearing protective medical gear gathered on Wednesday at the Department of Health (DOH) and held placards demanding their risk allowances, hazard pay and the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque. Duque has r

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will run for vice president in next year's elections, his party said Tuesday, after months of speculation about whether he would seek to stay in power.Duterte, who was elected to the top job in 2016 and is barred under the constitution from seeking another term, has previously flagged the possibility of contesting the country's second-highest office. "President Rodrigo Roa Duterte agreed to make the sacrifice and heed the clamour of

Philippine politics has been predominantly characterised as an “elite democracy” dominated by elite political parties, personalities, and political clans who are not only “gurus” of political “clientelism,” but are more often than not co-opted and under the tutelage of oligarchs, in which power brokers deliver votes to politicians in exchange for the granting of favours and “special privileges.” Philippine politics is also very much dictated by personality-based politics and is large

The Philippines’s already stretched healthcare system is under more strain as the country reports its second-largest daily increase in COVID-19 infections since the pandemic, providing more evidence of how the virulent Delta variant may be spreading.Hundreds of hospitals in the country were again nearing full capacity as of Saturday, with some facilities reporting they had run out of intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients, leaving healthcare workers, who are forced to work longer hour

Philippine tricycle driver Jesus Gomez struggled to make a living even before the capital Manila went back into a coronavirus lockdown last week that forced most of his customers to stay home and halved his meagre income. Six months behind in rent and unable to afford cooking gas, the 77-year-old joined hundreds of others on Wednesday at a covered basketball court to receive PHP1,000 (US$20) government handout. About 80 percent of the more than 13

The Philippine economy grew in the second quarter at its fastest pace in more than three decades, but an official warned Tuesday of "speed bumps" as coronavirus restrictions were tightened to combat surging infections.Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 11.8 percent on-year, the statistics agency said, after five straight quarters of contraction. The increase – the best since the last three months of 1988 – was driven by a rebound in construction activity and consumer spe

The Philippine capital Manila returned to lockdown Friday as authorities sought to slow the spread of the hyper-contagious Delta variant and ease pressure on hospitals while trying to avoid crushing economic activity.Police checkpoints across the National Capital Region (NCR), where more than 13 million people live, caused long queues as officers in camouflage uniforms inspected vehicles to ensure only essential workers were on the road.Experts warned that an explosion in Delta cases could ov

The Philippines will send more than 13 million people in the national capital region back into lockdown next week, the government said Friday, as it tries to head off a surge in cases of a hyper-contagious coronavirus strain.Experts have warned of an explosion in infections fuelled by the Delta variant that could overwhelm hospitals in the coming weeks if restrictions are not drastically tightened in the crowded capital."We had to make this difficult decision in order to save more lives,