NATIONWIDE ROUND-UP
Charter airline grounded after medevac plane crash
THE ENTIRE fleet of charter airline Lionair, Inc. has been grounded following Sunday night’s crash of one of its medical evacuation (medevac) planes at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, killing all eight people onboard. “While investigation on the medical evacuation plane RP-C5880, which crashed last night, 29 March, Lionair, Inc.’s entire fleet has been grounded while the investigation is ongoing,” the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said in a statement on Monday. Another Lionair medevac flight crashed in Laguna last September. The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), in a separate statement, said Lionair’s business jet suddenly burst into flames when it was about to take off at 7:57 p.m., killing the eight people onboard, including crew and passengers. MIAA said the aircraft was on a medevac mission bound for Haneda, Japan. Benito P. Atienza, vice president of the Philippine Medical Association, told CNN Philippines on Monday that those onboard included one flight attendant, a nurse, a doctor, two pilots, one crew member, one patient and his assistant. MIAA said two of the passengers were foreign nationals, an American and a Canadian. Mr. Atienza said the patient was not being treated for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Meanwhile, CAAP said the cockpit voice recorder of the 10-seater A 1124A Westwind ll aircraft has been recovered from the scene. Lionair, which is registered and operates in the Philippines, is not affiliated with low-cost airline Lion Air Indonesia. —
Cases vs quarantine violators to be filed through e-inquest
CASES against violators of the enhanced community quarantine provisions in Luzon will be filed through the online platform e-inquest, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo M. Año said. In a radio interview Monday, Mr. Año said they have made arrangements with the Department of Justice on the use of the einquest. Hearings on the cases will be held after the lockdown. In another development, the DILG chief also reminded local government officials that they cannot order the closure of hospitals amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threat. Last
Saturday, Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. ordered the closure of a private hospital in the city designated as a COVID-19 facility after it admitted a patient confirmed to have the disease and three persons under investigation who are all from another city. “Hindi ka pwede magpasara ng ospital, lalo na ngayon, kailangan natin (You cannot order the closure of a hospital, especially now that we need these),” Mr. Año said. —
SSS to open online application for unemployment claims
THE Social Security System (SSS), which covers private sector workers, is launching an online system for the application of unemployment benefit claims, which is expected to increase as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects the economy. SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio, in a media briefing Monday, said the system will be ready within April. SSS members can apply for the benefit within one year from the time of separation from work. The National Economic and Development Authority earlier said job losses arising from COVID-19 could reach up to 60,000 in the Philippines. The Department of Finance said the SSS is ready to release P1.2 billion in unemployment benefits. —
BoC assures continued speedy processing for PPE shipments
THE BUREAU of Customs (BoC) assured the quick processing of cargo containing items crucial to the battle against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as it reported the completion of nearly 3,000 shipments of personal protective equipment (PPE). Customs Assistant Commissioner Vincent Philip C. Maronilla, in a media briefing Monday, said 2,865 shipments have been processed and releasing is ongoing. “Patuloy ang pag-re-release ng mga shipments ng PPEs pati ang pag-prioritize ng essential goods ng mga pagkain, medisina, at kung ano kailangan ng ating gobyerno upang malabanan itong epidemya na `to (Releasing of these PPE shipments is ongoing, also prioritizing essential goods such as food, medicine, and other necessities for our government to fight this epidemic),” Mr. Maronilla said.—