MANILA - Grab Philippines said Thursday it would suspend its GrabShare service to facilitate "social distancing" and to protect passengers from the COVID-19 threat.

GrabShare in Metro Manila and Cebu will be suspended staring 12 p.m. on March 13 until "the public health situation de-escalates," the ride-hailing firm said in a statement.

As the name implies, GrabShare pools riders on similar routes into one vehicle compared to the regular Grab Car service, where the entire vehicle is reserved for one user.

"To aid in the social distancing prescribed by the Philippine health officials with regards to the public health situation on COVID-19, Grab will be suspending its GrabShare services in Metro Manila and Cebu starting March 13, 12NN," Grab said.

Other services will remain operational, it said.

The Philippines has 49 confirmed COVID-19 cases, which the World Health Organization now calls a pandemic.