A government task force on Thursday approved the proposal of the provincial government of Aklan and business groups to use saliva instead of nasal and throat swabs in coronavirus testing for tourists bound for Boracay Island.

In an online press conference following a meeting of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF), Gov. Florencio Miraflores said testing would be administered by Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and other testing centers accredited by the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.

Miraflores said the new testing method would take effect upon issuance of an advisory to airlines. He did not cite a date on when the advisory would be issued.

Less invasive

Business groups in Western Visayas region and Malay town, which has jurisdiction over Boracay, have asked the national government to consider the use of the cheaper and faster COVID-19 saliva test for tourists to help hasten the economic recovery of the resort island.

The saliva test is considered less invasive than the nasopharyngeal swab used in the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test because it does not require the insertion of a sterile swab into the nostril and nasopharynx (upper part of the throat).

It is also at least 50-percent cheaper than the RT-PCR test, which costs between P2,800 and P5,000.

In a joint resolution, the Malay Inter-Agency Task Force on the Novel Coronavirus and municipal incident management team also asked the BIATF to approve the use of the saliva RT-PCR test provided it would be administered by PRC.

Tourists bound for Boracay Island are required to provide a negative RT-PCR test result valid within 72 hours before their trip.

But authorities have arrested at least 100 tourists since December last year for submitting falsified RT-PCR test results.

Three of the tourists turned out to be positive of the coronavirus.

Criminal complaints have been filed against those who submitted falsified test results. —NESTOR P. BURGOS JR.

For more news about the novel coronavirus click here. What you need to know about Coronavirus.

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HOUSTON — Rice looked ready to stage a late-inning comeback on Sunday, but Southern relief pitcher Enrique Ozoa made sure it didn’t happen.

A sophomore right-hander from Puerto Rico, Ozoa held Rice scoreless over the last three innings allowing Southern to take a 6-4 win, its first in the three-game series at Reckling Park.

For his work, Ozoa earned his second save of the season.

Southern (6-12) built a 6-1 lead before Rice battled back in the bottom of the sixth, when the Owls scored three runs on four hits.

John Guienze relieved starter Joe Battaglia and retired the next two batters to end the inning. Ozoa came on to start the seventh and was in control the rest of the way.

Ozoa retired Rice in order in the seventh and stranded a one-out single in the eighth. In the ninth, Rice used a single and a hit batter to put two runners on base but got no further.

Ozoa got Bradley Gneiting to ground out to shortstop to end the game.

Four Jaguars had two hits, including Jaylen Armstrong and O’Neill Burgos, who each had two RBIs.

Rice (10-9) took a 1-0 lead in the first on Braden Comeaux’s RBI double. Southern answered with four runs in the third inning, all with two outs.

Quincy Smith appeared to start the Southern rally with a one-out double to left, but he was thrown out trying to steal third base. The next two batters drew walks leading to Tremaine Spears’ RBI single. Burgos followed with a two-run double to right-center, and Southern had the lead for good.

Zavier Moore singled to drive in Burgos as Southern led 4-1.

Southern added single runs in the fourth and sixth innings, both on RBI groundouts by Armstrong.

Battaglia (2-1) allowed four runs on eight hits in 5-1/3 innings.

Southern returns to action on Wednesday when it plays at South Alabama at 6:30 p.m. at home. The Jaguars return to Southwestern Athletic Conference play next weekend when they face Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a three-game series in Frisco, Texas, as part of the Lone Star Diamond Classic.

MANILA, Philippines — Quezon province has started feeling the furor of Typhoon Ulysses (international name: Vamco), as it approaches Polilio Islands, the state weather bureau said.

Strong winds and torrential rains carried by Ulysses’ eyewall and inner bands now prevail in some areas of Quezon, according to the latest severe weather bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) released on Wednesday night.

Pagasa also said that a similar situation is now seen over the northern portion of Camarines Norte, but Aurora and Quezon will endure such conditions until Thursday morning.

Heavy to intense rains with at times torrential rainfall will also affect other areas of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Aurora, Bulacan, Pampanga, and Bataan from Wednesday night to Thursday morning, it added.

Moderate to heavy with at times intense rains may likewise dominate the Cordillera Administrative Region, mainland Cagayan Valley, Catanduanes, Marinduque, the northern portion of Mindoro Provinces, and the rest of Central Luzon during the same period.

As of late Wednesday night, Ulysses packs maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 195 kph as it was last seen 65 kilometers north of Daet, Camarines Norte, moving at a speed of 15 kph, according to Pagasa.

It is still expected to make landfall over the Polillo Islands between 10:00 p.m. Wednesday and 12:00 a.m. Thursday and then proceed over the northern portion of mainland Quezon between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. Thursday.

Here are the areas under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3:

• southern portion of Quirino (Maddela, Nagtipunan)
• southern portion of Nueva Vizcaya (Alfonso Castaneda, Dupax Del Norte, Dupax Del Sur)
• Pangasinan
• Central Luzon (Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Tarlac, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan)
• Metro Manila
• Calabarzon except some parts of Quezon province (Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas)
• northern and central portions of Quezon (General Nakar, Infanta, Real, Mauban, Sampaloc, Lucban, Tayabas City, Sariaya, Candelaria, Dolores, Tiaong, San Antonio, Lucena City, Pagbilao, Atimonan, Padre Burgos, Unisan, Agdangan, Gumaca, Plaridel, Pitogo, Macalelon, Lopez, General Luna, Catanauan, Buenavista, Guinayangan, Tagkawayan, Calauag, Quezon, Alabat, Perez) including Polillo Islands
• Catanduanes
• Camarines Norte
• northern portion of Camarines Sur (Del Gallego, Ragay, Lupi, Sipocot, Cabusao, Bombon, Calabanga, Tinambac, Siruma, Goa, Lagonoy, San Jose, Garchitorena, Presentacion, Caramoan)

Signal No. 2:

• the rest of Quirino
• the rest of Nueva Vizcaya
• southern portion of Benguet (Bokod, Itogon, Tublay, La Trinidad, Sablan, Baguio City, Tuba)
• southern portion of La Union (Burgos, Naguilian, Bauang, Caba, Aringay, Tubao, Pugo, Santo Tomas, Rosario, Agoo)
• the rest of Quezon
• Marinduque
• northern portion of Occidental Mindoro (Paluan, Abra de Ilog) including Lubang Island
• northern portion of Oriental Mindoro (Pola, Victoria, Naujan, Baco, Calapan City, San Teodoro, Puerto Galera)
• the rest of Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, and Burias and Ticao Islands

Signal No. 1

• Isabela
• Kalinga
• Mountain Province
• Ifugao
• the rest of Benguet
• Abra
• Ilocos Sur
• the rest of La Union
• the rest of Occidental Mindoro
• the rest of Oriental Mindoro
• Romblon
• the rest of Masbate
• Northern Samar
• northern portion of Samar (Santo Nino, Almagro, Tagapul-An, Tarangnan, Calbayog City, Santa Margarita, Gandara, Pagsanghan, San Jorge, San Jose de Buan, Matuguinao)
• northern portion of Eastern Samar (Maslog, Dolores, Oras, San Policarpo, Arteche, Jipapad)

Pagasa said areas under Signal No. 3 may sustain heavy damage especially for high-risk structures, old and dilapidated houses, and those made of light materials.

Widespread disruption of electrical power and communication services may also be expected in these areas, it added.

KGA

Bicol and Eastern Visayas took the brunt of a powerful typhoon that barreled into the country on Monday night, killing a construction worker and sending tens of thousands of people into evacuation centers, damaging homes and infrastructure, and disrupting plans for Southeast Asian Games events in and near Manila.

Local governments evacuated some 225,000 people in the two regions and in Calabarzon, Mimaropa and flood-prone parts of Metro Manila ahead of the arrival overnight of Typhoon “Tisoy” (international name: Kammuri), which weakened slightly after slamming into land then picked up speed as it moved across central Philippines.

Tisoy first hit land in Gubat town in Sorsogon province around 11 p.m. on Monday. It then blew westward, making landfalls on Burias Island and in Marinduque on Tuesday, according to the weather bureau.

Out by Thursday

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the typhoon weakened as it repeatedly hit land but still packed winds of up to 130 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 200 kph by 4 p.m.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the storm’s center was 110 km northwest of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro province, and was moving west at 25 kph.

Pagasa said Tisoy was expected to bring heavy rain in provinces across Luzon on Wednesday and leave Philippine territory by Thursday.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3 was raised in Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro, including Lubang Island, and Batangas.

Signal No. 2 was up in Metro Manila, Romblon, Camarines Norte, Bulacan, Bataan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Rizal, Quezon (including Polillo Islands), Zambales, Marinduque, Cavite and Laguna, northern portion of Camarines Sur, southern Nueva Ecija, southern Aurora and Calamian Islands.

The southern portion of Quirino, rest of Aurora, northern portion of Palawan, rest of Camarines Sur, Cuyo Island, Pangasinan, southern portion of Nueva Vizcaya, Burias Island, rest of Nueva Ecija, northern Aklan and northern Antique were under signal No. 1.

School, work called off

Local governments in provinces in the path of the typhoon called off school and work in public offices.

Tisoy, the 20th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, halted commercial sea and air travel and shuttered schools and government offices in Metro Manila.

Authorities warned of storm surges of up to 3 meters and floods and landslides from heavy winds and rain.

Some 500 flights were canceled and 100,000 travelers impacted by a rare precautionary closure of all four terminals at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila for 12 hours until 11 p.m. on Tuesday. (See related story on Page A5.)

Air travel continued in unaffected parts of the country.

In Ormoc City, Leyte province, a 38-year-old construction worker died after being hit by branches that fell from a tree due to strong winds as Tisoy roared toward land on Monday afternoon.

Maybe 5 more

As of 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the regional disaster office was checking out reports of five other fatalities in Mimaropa.

Early reports said one resident of Marinduque and two from Baco and Pinamalayan towns in Oriental Mindoro were killed after being struck by falling trees.

Authorities were also verifying reports that two others, also from Pinamalayan, died of heart attack at the height of the typhoon.

Massive evacuations that began on Sunday had reduced the typhoon’s human impact so far.

“We’ve seen great improvement in local government management of preparations for disasters,” Mark Timbal, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Managerment Council, said in a television interview on Tuesday.

“The prepositioning of supplies was executed well before the arrival of the storm,” he said.

SEA Games events disrupted

Tisoy struck as the Philippines was hosting the 30th Southeast Asian Games, forcing organizers to postpone several events until later in the competition, among them surfing, kayak, windsurfing, polo, sailing, skateboarding and canoeing. (See story on this page.)

In Bicol, worst hit was the airport in Legazpi City, Albay, where TV footage showed structural damage and cables, lighting and panels hanging from the ceiling over departure areas.

Gov. Al Francis Bichara said it was lucky that a mandatory evacuation of tens of thousands of residents had taken place before the typhoon came ashore.

“The wind was so terrible,” Bichara said. “Some of their houses were badly damaged.”

The provincial board declared a state of calamity on Tuesday with much of Bicol without power.

Power was down in Albay, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes and Masbate, and on the islands of Ticao and Burias, and in some parts of Camarines Sur.

Telecommunication was also cut in many parts of the region.

Some cities and towns in the region reported having no water.

Damage still unknown

The cost of damage to infrastructure and agriculture in Bicol was not immediately known as assessment was still going on late on Tuesday.

More than 2,000 travelers have been stranded at the ports in Sorsogon and Masbate since the Coast Guard halted sea travel late Sunday as Tisoy bore down on the region.

In Eastern Visayas, all 14,000 residents of the town of Mapanas in Northern Samar province, which faces the Pacific Ocean, fled their homes in coastal villages as Tisoy churned toward land on Monday.

“We have suffered major damage though I cannot give you exact data on this as of this time,” said Joe Louis Gajutos, the local disaster officer. “But [on Wednesday] I will convene the [disaster] council and recommend a state of calamity.”

The towns of Gamay, Mondragon, San Roque and Laoang in Northern Samar reported floods.

Police reported that 16,465 people fled Tisoy in the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Biliran.

Power down

Strong winds toppled power lines late on Monday, plunging swaths of the region into darkness.

Communication lines in the entire province of Samar was down on Tuesday.

Tourists were stranded on Boracay Island and the mainland town of Malay in Aklan as Tisoy blew across Western Visayas on Tuesday. No casualties were reported.

Flooding was reported in some parts of Calabarzon, including Pagbilao in Quezon province, and Bucal and Pansol in Laguna’s Calamba City, but authorities said they expected the floodwaters to subside fast as the weather improved in the afternoon.

Storm surges were reported in some coastal villages in Batangas and Quezon.

In Mimaropa, the number of evacuees in the shelters grew quickly. Oriental Mindoro had the most number of evacuees—9,307. No casualties had been reported so far.

Boy scouts flee storm

In Luzon, some 25,000 boy scouts participating in the 17th National Scout Jamboree in Botolan, Zambales province, sought shelter in schools as intense rain battered the area.

Evacuations were reported in the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan. Some parts of Pampanga reported a power outage.

School was called off in Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya and Metro Manila.

Tisoy also shuttered goverment offices in the National Capital Region.

As the typhoon blew away on Tuesday, the Department of Public Works and Highways began clearing roads in Bicol and Calabarzon.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development assured evacuees that it was ready to provide them assistance in the shelters. —REPORTS FROM JHESSET O. ENANO, REY ANTHONY OSTRIA, MA. APRIL MIER-MANJARES, MAR S. ARGUELLES, MARICAR CINCO, KIMMY BARAOIDAN, DELFIN T. MALLARI JR., MADONNA VIROLA, JOEY A. GABIETA, NESTOR P. BURGOS JR., LEO UDTOHAN, ROBERT DEJON, TONETTE OREJAS, JOANNA ROSE AGLIBOT, GREG REFRACCION, ARMAND GALANG, CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE, YOLANDA SOTELO, VILLAMOR VISAYA JR., JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE, JOVIC YEE, PATRICIA DENISE M. CHIU AND AFP INQ

Following the success of Spanish projects including Money Heist , Netflix has unveiled a slate of seven upcoming originals from Spain.

The projects range from series to features and short-form works. Scroll down for the full list.

“We are fortunate to work with creators such as Nadia de Santiago, Carlos Montero or Elísabet Benavent and producers such as Cristina López Ferraz, Sandra Hermida or César Benítez,” said Diego Ávalos, Vice President of Original Contents of Netflix Spain. “Collaborating with them, and with many others, has uncovered unique perspectives for us, for which we will continue to invest firmly at a key moment for the industry. Our goal continues to be to move the world with the charisma, diversity and creativity of stories made in Spain and to contribute to position Spanish fiction as a global reference”.

Related Story

Netflix Sets Release Date For ‘The Kominsky Method’s Third And Final Season — First Look Photos

El tiempo que te doy: This 10×10 minute series is created by Nadia de Santiago, Inés Pintor and Pablo Fernández and starring Nadia de Santiago (Lina) and Álvaro Cervantes (Nico). It follows Lina as she tries to make the time she spends thinking about Nico a minute less so that she can move on with her life. The series is currently shooting in Madrid and Andalusia.

Ídolo: Also told in 10-minute chapters, this series is created by Daniel López Sánchez, Federico Maniá Sibona and Yago de Torres and directed by Roger Gual. It tells the story of Quimera, Spain’s greatest musical idol who dies in front of his fans during a concert. Lazaro, an unconditional fan, sees the opportunity to escape from his monotonous and precarious life and becomes overnight what he has long admired: his own idol.

Feria: This 8×50 minute series follows what happens when two teenage sisters discover that their parents are monsters. It was created by Carlos Montero and Agustín Martínez and directed by Jorge Dorado and Carles Torrens

800 meters. This three-episode documentary miniseries chronicles events on August 17, 2017, when a van drove at full speed into a crowd of people in Barcelona. A few hours later, a separate attack took place in Cambrils. These terrorist attacks were perpetrated by young people who were completely integrated into Spanish society, the series asks how this could happen. It is being developed together with Bambú Producciones, will be produced by Ramón Campos and directed by Elías León (El caso Asunta, El caso Alcàsser), who will work together again as scriptwriters, in addition to an editorial committee made up of renowned investigative journalists such as Anna Teixidor, author of the book Los silencios del 17-A, Nacho Carretero and Jesús García.

The Wanninkhof Case: This documentary features addresses, 20 years on, the review of the titular murder case, when a teenage girl was murdered in Mijas, a town in Spain’s Costa del Sol. Tània Balló is helming the project.

The Beast: This fiction feature tells the story of a family that lives isolated from the rest of society and whose tranquillity is disturbed by the presence of a terrifying creature that will test the bonds that bind them. David Casademunt is directing.

Odio: This 60-minute special created by Dani Rovira is a monologue in which the comedian puts forward his take on today’s human beings.