MICP employee gets COVID; port shut down

MANILA, Philippines — An employee of the Manila International Container Port has tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, prompting the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to stop its operations at the MICP.

Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero said the entire MICP building was closed for disinfection.

Guerrero said they conducted contact tracing to identify individuals who had direct contact with the COVID infected employee.

“They were advised to undergo self-quarantine,” he said.

According to Guerrero, unaffected units of the MICP, including those that facilitate vessel boarding, checking of goods and X-ray examination would still function.

He said MICP importations would still be processed while the port is being disinfected.

Stakeholders were advised to use the Customer Care Portal to submit their documents.

“Importers can utilize the Goods Declaration and Verification System to monitor the status of their shipments,” the BOC said.

Guerrero said transactions at the MICP would be processed at the Port of Manila.

He ordered the MICP district collector to draft a workflow to provide unhampered service to importers.

13 QC barangays under EECQ

Thirteen barangays in Quezon City have been placed under extreme enhanced community quarantine (EECQ) as cases of COVID-19 climbed to 72.

These are Barangays Lourdes, Tandang Sora, Kalusugan, Ramon Magsaysay, Maharlika, Tatalon, Batasan Hills, Pasong Tamo, Central, San Roque, Paligsahan, Bagong Lipunan ng Crame and South Triangle.

Quezon City Police District director Brig. Gen. Ronnie Montejo said checkpoints were set up in these barangays to implement the local government’s “hot and warm zones” policy.

Montejo said they would intensify the crackdown on quarantine violators.

Ten more residents have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 72 with 10 deaths.

Seven of the patients have recovered from the viral respiratory disease, based on the bulletin issued by the local government.

Forty-six of 142 barangays in the city have confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Disinfection was conducted at Quezon City University, which will be used as a quarantine facility apart from the Quezon Memorial Circle covered court.

The city government has distributed 379,000 of the target 400,000 food packs for residents affected by the EECQ.

Doctor selling overpriced thermal scanners nabbed

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday arrested a doctor for allegedly selling overpriced thermal scanners in Quezon City.

Ced de Castro reportedly sold 150 thermal scanners for P9,800 each, Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said.

Perete said the standard retail price of thermal scanner is P800.

NBI special action unit chief Emeterio Dongallo Jr. said the thermal scanners were reportedly donated to De Castro being the president of Lions Club International in New Manila, Quezon City.

In Binondo, Manila, three Chinese were nabbed for allegedly selling overpriced thermal scanners.

Li Chunyang, Zhang Zhibin and Lu Youjun are being held by police on profiteering charges.

In Pasig, vendors at the city’s wet public market were allowed to sell food items without paying rent until next month, Mayor Vico Sotto said.