Clash between government supporters and protesters in economic crisis-hit Sri Lanka (Anadolu) MANILA - Malacanang on Friday advised overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are seeking repatriation from Sri Lanka to get in touch with either the Philippine embassy in Dhaka or the Honorary Consulate in Colombo. Acting Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, Communication Undersecretary Michel Kristian Ablan, said in an online press conference that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is "on top of the situation" in the wake of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. There are at least 581 Filipinos in Sri Lanka, according to the latest DFA data, and most continue to work despite the ongoing economic crisis in the South Asian nation. "Kapag nagkaroon po ng problema, tawagan lang po nila ang embahada o ang ating consulate para ma-repatriate na po sila (If they encounter problems, just contact the embassy or our consulate for their repatriation)," Ablan said. In an interview with a n
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar (File photo) MANILA - Communications Secretary Martin Andanar ordered the transition team of his office to ensure the proper turnover of power to the incoming press secretary Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles, Malacanang said Friday. Acting Deputy Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Undersecretary Michel Kristian Ablan said he and other members of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) transition team are set to meet with Cruz-Angeles in the coming days to discuss the smooth transition of power. "Insofar as PCOO is concerned, Secretary Martin has activated the transition team. I am included in that. And we have sent fillers to incoming PCOO Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles. And we hope to meet them soon so that there is a proper turnover between outgoing Secretary Andanar and incoming Secretary Cruz-Angeles," he said in a virtual presser. Cruz-Angeles, who has been named as the press secretary of Presi
MEDICAL INSURANCE REQUIREMENT LIFTED.Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, Undersecretary Michel Kristian Ablan, says during a Palace press briefing on Friday (May 27, 2022) that the Inter-Agency Task Force has approved the lifting of medical insurance requirements for college students. The Commission on Higher Education has earlier recommended repealing the requirement for students.(Screengrab) MANILA -College students will no longer be required to secure medical insurance for their in-person class attendance as the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) repealed the order on Friday. In a Palace press briefing, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, Undersecretary Michel Kristian Ablan, said the IATF has just approved the lifting of the requirement for higher education institutions (HEIs). "Inaprubahan na rin ng IATF, base po sa rekomendasyon ng Commission on Higher Education (CHED), ang pag-repeal sa medical insurance ng mga estudyante (The
BUSTED. An anti-illegal drug operative inspects the PHP16.9 million worth of illegal drugs seized in Quezon City on Nov. 5, 2021. From July 2016 to March 2022, authorities have confiscated PHP88.83 billion worth of illegal drugs nationwide. (Photo courtesy of PNP) MANILA - Malacanang on Friday welcomed the possibility that President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will designate President Rodrigo Duterte as his drug czar. Acting Deputy Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Undersecretary Michel Kristian Ablan said the Palace sees no hindrance in Duterte leading the Marcos administration's anti-narcotics campaign. "There is no legal impediment for a former president to assume an executive position in the executive branch," Ablan said in a virtual press conference. "Welcome po iyang balita na iyan dahil si President na mismo ang nagsabi na kailangan pa ring tuluy-tuloy po ang laban sa droga (We welcome that news because the President said the fig
(File photo) MANILA - Fully-vaccinated Filipinos and foreigners who will enter the Philippines beginning May 30 are no longer required to present a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test upon arrival in the Philippines. In an online press briefing, acting Deputy Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Undersecretary Michel Kristian Ablan said the new protocol was contained in the resolution approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on Thursday. Under IATF-EID Resolution 168, inbound passengers need not present an RT-PCR test, on conditions that they are 18 years old and above, and have at least one booster shot against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Also exempted from the pre-departure RT-PCR requirement are those aged 12 to 17 who have received two Covid-19 vaccine shots, as well as those aged below 12 who are accompanied by fully vaccinated or boosted parents or guardians. Trave