September 8, 2022

The Parliamentary Committee of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) met with Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand during a visit to Thailand as guest of the National Assembly.

On 6 September 2022, the Parliamentary Committee of the European Free Trade Area met with Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, during the Committee’s visit to Thailand as guest of the National Assembly on 5 – 9 September 2022. The visit follows the official relaunch of the Thai – EFTA FTA negotiations on 20 June 2022 in Bornganes, Iceland.

The EFTA Parliamentary Committee, led by Ms. Ingibjörg Ólöf Isaksen, Chair of the Icelandic delegation to the EFTA Parliamentary Committee, comprises parliamentarians from the 4 EFTA member states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and has an important role in promoting relations among the EFTA member states and between EFTA and third countries. During this visit to Thailand, the EFTA Parliamentary Committee aims to work more closely with the National Assembly of Thailand, encourage the Thai – EFTA relations in all dimensions, and reaffirm the Committee’s full support for the Thai – EFTA FTA negotiation process.

The meeting between the EFTA Parliamentary Committee and the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs was conducted in a constructive atmosphere. Both sides recognize the significance of the Thai – EFTA FTA, which aims to be highly comprehensive and conducive to economic growth and employment expansion in Thailand and the 4 EFTA member states. Additionally, the close and longstanding relations between Thailand and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland serve as strong foundations for building economic connectivity among all involved.

The Department of Trade Negotiations, Ministry of Commerce, and EFTA have launched the first round of FTA negotiations in Bangkok on 28 – 30 June 2022 and will hold the second round of negotiations in late October in Geneva, Switzerland. Both sides aim to conclude the FTA negotiations within 2 years.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand

September 8, 2022

Philippines Recorded 43 Percent Increase In Annual Deaths In 2021, Mainly Due To COVID-19

MANILA, Sept 8 (NNN-PNA) – The Philippines recorded the highest number of deaths in a single year in 2021, at 879,429, a 43 percent year-on-year increase, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a government commission said yesterday.

Citing Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, the Commission on Population and Development said, “in normal years,” the rise in deaths is only at around one to five percent.

Before 2021, the Philippines recorded the highest number of annual deaths in 2019, at 620,414, with nearly 1,700 cases daily. In 2021, there were over 2,400 deaths every day.

For 2021, the crude death rate, or the ratio of deaths occurring within a year to the mid-year population expressed per 1,000 population, was estimated at 8.02 per 1,000 Filipinos, a sharp rise from the rate of 5.6 per 1,000 in 2020.

“It took 20 years for the crude death rate to go up by one per thousand from 2000, when it was 4.8, to 2019 when it climbed to 5.8,” said Undersecretary for Population and Development, Juan Antonio Perez, the commission’s executive director.

Perez added that the last time the Philippines had a high crude death rate was in 1958, at 8.4 per 1,000 population.

Besides COVID-19, Perez said, other diseases also claimed more lives, including heart attacks, up by 29.7 percent; cerebrovascular disease or strokes, up by 15.3 percent; diabetes, up by 21 percent; and hypertension, up by 31.5 percent.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

September 8, 2022

Laguesma to employers: Align policies with gov’t rules on COVID-19

Labor Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma reiterated that company policies on COVID-19 prevention, control, and reporting protocols shall be aligned with relevant government issuances amid the safe reopening of the economy.

In Labor Advisory No. 18, Series of 2022, Laguesma particularly reminded private sector employers to report COVID-19 cases in establishments through the Employer’s Work Accident/Illness Report for proper monitoring. The said report is submitted every 30th of the month via the DOLE Establishment Report System, http://reports.dole.gov.ph/.

Further, establishments, through their Safety Officers shall submit the list of COVID-19 cases and close contacts, including investigation details on sources of transmission to the Department of Health and their respective local government units. This is pursuant to the Omnibus Guidelines on the Minimum Public Health Standards for the Safe Reopening of Institutions issued by the DOH.

As proper ventilation is as important as the observance of minimum public health standards, the labor chief also reminded employers to ensure proper ventilation in workplaces and public transportation as spelled out in DOLE Department Order No. 224, Series of 2021.

The set of guidelines include the installation and utilization of exhaust fans in indoor workplaces, restrooms and water closets; ventilation in air, rail, land, and sea transport; and other measures to improve and maintain the quality of air in the workplace and public transportation.

In the same Labor Advisory, Laguesma likewise reminded private sector employers to comply with the latest guidelines on the Nationwide Implementation of Alert Level System for COVID-19 Response; and relevant DOH issuances, including DOH Memorandum No. 2022-0013 or the Updated Guidelines on the Quarantine, Isolation, and Testing for COVID-19 Response and Case Management for the Omicron Variant, and DOH Administrative Order No. 2021-0043 or the Omnibus Guidelines on the Minimum Public Health Standards for the Safe Reopening of Institutions.

Source: Department Of Labor and Employment Republic of Philippines