President Rodrigo Duterte will “definitely” extend the state of calamity declaration in the Philippines, Malacañang said on Thursday.
Duterte placed the country under a six-month state of calamity on March 16 through Proclamation No. 929.
It expired yesterday, Sept. 16.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte was set to sign the order.
“It’s on the desk of the President, probably signed by now, on its way down to the Office of the Executive Secretary,” he said.
The state of calamity declaration last March preluded the enactment of the Bayanihan 1 and Bayanihan 2 laws, which allowed the government to boost its pandemic response through budget realignment.
As of Thursday, the country has recorded 276,289 Covid-19 cases with 4,785 deaths. John Ezekiel J. Hirro