Mabalacat City logs 2 new Covid-19 cases

MABALACAT CITY -The city government has recorded two new cases of COVID 19.

The patients are from Sitio San Isidro in Barangay Dau and Mawaque Resettlement

Center in Barangay Sapang Biabas.

These bring the total number of corona virus in the city hto 872 as of December 18, 2020.

Mayor Cris Garbo said that 720 out of the 872 total patients had recovered from the virus.

The City Health Office (CHO) reported 23 deaths related to COVID 19.

There are l29 active cases confined in different hospitals and quarantine facilities.

The mayor said he instructed the CHO to conduct contact tracing to identify the patients' close cont act s.

Garbo urged the city residents to avoid crowded places and mass gatherings to prevent the spread of virus.

CLARK FREEPORT -- The Bureau of Immigration (BI) welcomed President Duterte's executive order mandating the implementation of an advanced passenger information (API) system to strengthen border control and thwart the entry of terrorists and undesirable aliens in the country.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the API project will boost the country’s ability to police its borders as it will add a layer of protection from foreigners with criminal records.

“This EO will surely secure our country from fugitives, terrorists, transnational criminals as well as other undesirable aliens attempting to slip into our country,” Morente said. “We are thankful to President Duterte for his continuous support, as this is a big step in improving the Bureau’s systems."

Under EO 122, the API is the electronic transmission of information by the captain, master or agent, or owner of a commercial carrier to the BI prior to a traveler’s arrival or departure in a Philippine port of entry.

Such information includes flight details, name, date of birth, gender, citizenship and travel document data of the individual passenger or crew/ noncrew members.

"The API will enable the BI to conduct in advance security vetting of international travelers to effectively facilitate and expedite the arrival and departure process of legitimate travelers during primary inspection,” the EO stated.

Morente said the scheme will also help decongest the airports and ease the conduct of immigration formalities for travelers because the derogatory checking of inbound passengers will already be done at the ports of origin.