With coronavirus disease (COVID-19) incidence and positivity rates breaching critical levels in Metro Manila, mayors in the metropolis have left it to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on COVID-19 whether to extend or not the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) which is set to expire on Friday, August 20, 2021.
This developed even as it was also reported that the Philippines is set to launch its biggest satellite yet, and that there are less than 100 Filipinos awaiting repatriation from Afghanistan.
These are among the top stories on this busy mid-week, August 18, 2021.

Manila Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna waves from her room on Wednesday, August 18, 2021, at the Sta. Ana Hospital in Manila where she is under quarantine after contracting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) 10 days ago. She is set to be released on Thursday, August 19, 2021. (Ali Vicoy)
- PH COVID-19 Update: 11,085 new cases, 11,628 recoveries, 161 fatalities
- President’s time
- Remembering Jesse Robredo
- PH Space Agency’s ‘MULA’
- Afghans conflict
- COA findings on DOH
- COA findings on OWWA
- Proposed legalization of divorce in PH
- PH-Aussie relations
- Abuse may have started when victim was still 12 to 13 years old
- They are considered self-employed individuals
- Expanded national nutritional survey
- Preparations for 2022 polls
- Education Corner
- Judiciary Corner
- Political Corner
- Religious Corner
- Science Corner
- Business Corner
- Metro Roundup
- Provincial Roundup