COVID-19 RESPONSE FUNDING

Congress to pass bill allowing Duterte to realign budget – Sotto

Congress will be holding a special session on Monday to pass a bill that would allow President
Rodrigo Duterte to realign available funds to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
situation,  Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Saturday.

It will be held at 10 a.m. on March 23, Sotto told reporters in a message while a meeting of senators
with counterparts in the House of Representatives and the Executive branch was ongoing at
Malacanang.

Sotto clarified that the bill is not seeking for an "emergency power" for the President.

The leaders are also discussing how much would be needed to directly help those hardest-hit by
enhanced community quarantine due to the health emergency crisis.

The specific amount will not be indicated on the bill but it will generally come from available funds of
government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), according to Sotto.

"Projection is around P200 billion for two months," he added, noting that this would come in the
form of food and cash for 16.5 million affected families nationwide.

Asked if the leaders were anticipating that the community quarantine measures will be extended
until May, he said: "Not really but better to be prepared."

Sotto said he will send other lawmakers a copy of the proposed measure later in the day.

The Philippines currently has 307 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 19 of whom have died and 13 have
recovered. — DVM, GMA News

Google launches educational coronavirus website

Keilar presses Fauci on Trump's Google claim 02:22

(CNN)Google launched an educational coronavirus website on Saturday that contains safety tips and
authoritative information about the pandemic.

The move comes a week after President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence announced
that Google was building a nationwide testing website, where Americans could answer a
questionnaire and be directed to their nearest testing locations. But Google never affirmed the
administration's claims, and the website that launched Saturday does not include a testing screener.

The website, google.com/covid19, is "focused on education, prevention and local resources. People

can find state-based information, safety and prevention tips, search trends related to COVID-19, and
further resources for individuals, educators and businesses," Google said in a blog post.

Google's plans were delayed earlier this week, when it said that it hoped to link out to a screening
tool developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That tool appears not to be ready
yet, and it is unclear when it may be completed.

The search giant also said Saturday that it will begin surfacing trustworthy information about the
coronavirus directly in search results and Google Maps as Americans search for medical services.

Verily, a sister company to Google that is owned by the same parent, Alphabet, launched its version
of a testing website on Monday. Its features hew more closely to what the Trump administration has
envisioned. But that website is not built or operated by Google.

Expect fair, hot Thursday weather – Pagasa

MANILA, Philippines — The easterlies, or warm winds coming from the Pacific Ocean, continues to
affect the eastern part of the country and will bring hot and humid weather in the next 24 hours, the
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.

In a weather update on Thursday, Pagasa weather specialist Ariel Rojas said no weather disturbance
is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility in the next two to three days.

Pagasa said only a few areas in Luzon, such as Metro Manila and the Bicol region, will have isolated
rain showers.

The rest of Luzon will have generally fair weather and only a slight chance of rain.

Temperature in Metro Manila will range from a low of 23 degrees Celsius to a high 34 degrees
Celsius later in the afternoon, according to Pagasa.

The state weather bureau did not raise any gale warning but advised that going out to sea may not
be allowed in  areas under an enhanced community quarantine.

The whole archipelago, according to Pagasa, will have light to moderate east winds with slight to
moderate (0.6 to 2.1 meters) coastal waters.