The Philippines logged 2,747 new COVID-19 cases on September 26, bringing the national count to 301,256, according to the country’s Department of Health.
A health worker in Indonesia takes patient's sample for COVID-19 testing (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippineslogged 2,747 new COVID-19 cases on September 26, bringing the national count to301,256, according to th🎉e country’s Department of Health.
The Philippines has the largest number ofinfections across Southeast Asia, with a death toll of 5,284 and 232,906recoveries. Metro Manila is the worst-hit region with an additional 1,115 casesbeing reported on the day. More than 3.37 million people have to date beentested for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Philippine Health Undersecretary MariaRosario Vergeire said there is an "improvement" in the country'scritical care utilisation rate in the last two weeks, adding that there hasbeen a "slow decongestion" in hospitals, including in Metro Manila. The rate in Metro Manila has gone down toabout 60 percent from a high of up to 81 percent in August, meaning hospitalshave the capacity to take in more COVID-19 patients, she said. The transmission rate has dropped to lessthan one and the country health department is closely monitoring 1,963 virusclusters in hospitals, jails, and densely populated communities. Despite the improvement, Vergeire said thegovernment needs to continue to strengthen the health system in its efforts toslow the spread of the the virus. The Philippines continues to recruit morehealth workers, including doctors, nurses and medical technologists, to helpcombat the COVID-19 pandemic. The health department said a total of 9,133health workers contracted the virus, including 60 deaths. Metro Manila remains under generalcommunity quarantine until September 30. The government will announce whetherto ease or retain the lockdown status for the following weeks before the end ofthe month. Meanwhile, Indonesia had 4,494 newinfections and 90 deaths to report on September 26, lifting the total to 271,339and 10,308, respectively. The country records the highest number of fatalitiesacross the region./.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has recently decided to ease an overseas travel ban on the country’s nurses and other medical workers to allow more to take jobs abroad.
The Philippine military said on September 23 that it will review the social media accounts of service members after Facebook took down a network linked to state security forces it accused of "coordinated inauthentic behaviour".
The COVID-19 pandemic showed little sign of abating in some Southeast Asian countries, such as Indonesia which confirmed a record daily number of infections on September 24.
A participant in the Malaysia Economic Forum 2025 said despite challenges, there are significant opportunities in AI, digital transformation, and green technologies, requiring the country to balance both risk and potential thoughtfully.
Themed “emerging trends in terrorism and violent extremism”, the event drew over 200 participants from domestic and international agencies, discussing the rapid evolution of terrorism and the need for stronger regional and global cooperation.
Indonesia aims to start nuclear power generation by 2034, with a government roadmap already in place to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) with capacities ranging from 300 to 500 megawatts.
The package, endorsed on June 24, comprises 481 projects designed to boost GDP by an additional 0.4% and generate temporary employment for about 7.4 million people nationwide.
An Indonesian official emphasised that energy security is extremely essential amid global geopolitical and economic fragmentation, highlighting the need for the energy industry to strengthen resilience and responsiveness in the face of fluctuating oil prices and the shift to clean energy.
ASEAN must deepen collaboration through platforms such as the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) to ensure regional responses keep pace with the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape.
Speaking at the launch of the Indonesia Economic Prospects June 2025 edition on June 23 in Jakarta, Turk noted that Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 4.9% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
Anti-dumping duties will continue to be imposed on producers from China and Japan while those on relevant exporters from the RoK and Vietnam will be terminated, starting from June 23.
A specialist police unit has acquired a fleet of off-road vehicles to help officers navigate rough, unpaved terrain – and flood waters – to respond more quickly to public security incidents.
The pact covers goods, services, investments, intellectual property rights, customs facilitation, competition policy, sanitary and phytosanitary, trade and sustainable development, government procurement and economic cooperation.
The talent programmes mark another milestone in the technical partnership between PETRONAS and the Energy Institute, which focuses on three pillars: promoting decarbonisation and operational excellence through innovative solutions, enabling informed decision-making with expert advice, and nurturing the next generation of energy professionals.
The firefighters found an active blaze at the lorry depot located in the city of Pasir Gudang near the state capital of Johor Bahru, with flames spreading quickly due to strong winds and igniting a neighboring disused oil storage area.
Investigators believe the operation is part of a broader scam network involving romance scams, where victims are lured into fake relationships and persuaded to transfer money.
Ambassadors, Consuls General, along with staff and their families, joined traditional sports and cultural activities of Southeast Asia and performances bearing regional identity, thus contributing to strengthening unity and the ASEAN community spirit in New York.
In his post on social media the same day, Hun Manet said energy companies would be able to import sufficiently from other sources to meet domestic fuel and gas demands in the country.
A health worker in Indonesia takes patient's sample for COVID-19 testing (Photo: VNA) 
