Monday's new cases pushed the Philippines total to 2,248,071.

Yang's lawyer said his blood pressure "shot up" earlier Monday morning. Sen. Gordon noted that alleged health concerns often come into play when investigations heat up.

“This is a very important trip for me to visit leaders of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in person,” Berger said in a statement.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said it recorded more than 23,000 people or 2,315 families affected by Typhoon Kiko that dumped rains in the northern part of Luzon in the past days.

The Free Legal Assistance Group has raised opposition to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s nomination to be part of a United Nations expert panel that develops and codifies international law.

Thousands of disassembled parts of firearms and ammunition recently recovered in a warehouse in Bulacan were reportedly being reassembled to be sold to private armed groups via online platforms.

Two million more doses of Sinovac arrived in the Philippines on Monday, bringing the total number of vaccines in the country to 56.7 million.

Classes in the Philippines resumed on Monday under a virtual learning setup with no approval yet for limited in-person classes.

(Updated) "The shift will lead to an expected increase in the sequencing capacity and detection of COVID-19 variant cases in the country in the succeeding months," the Department of Health said. 

The Philippines was the third most dangerous nation in the world for protectors of the Earth.