After some of its members noted that an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) appeared to be no longer applicable in the local setting, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infection Diseases voted in favor of lowering restrictions in Metro Manila, Laguna, and Bataan to modified ECQ (MECQ) until the end of the month.
This developed as the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) also announced that it was targeting the launch of digital coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine certificates in September.
These are among the top stories this Friday morning, August 20, 2021.

Recovered patients carry their belongings after ending their isolation at the Manila Mega COVID-19 Field Hospital in front of the Quirino Grandstand at the Rizal Park in Manila on Thursday, August 19, 2021. (Ali Vicoy)
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- Proposed 2022 national budget
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- Education Corner
- Science Corner
- Business Corner
- Metro Roundup
- Provincial Roundup