Going through tests
People rest under a tent in the early morning to queue for the free COVID-19 testing at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Friday. Some people arrived the night before, hoping to get tested in one of two drive-thru testing centers in Manila with a combined capacity of almost a thousand per day. Czar Dancel, ABS-CBN News
Stranded seafarers finally arrive home
Department of Foreign Affairs personnel (below) process 101 stranded Filipino seafarers who arrived home from Fujian, China months after their ships were forced to anchor in the high seas in this picture released on July 24, 2020. The DFA said the stranded Filipinos came from nine different Chinese fishing vessels and were not allowed to dock in any port, including China, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions imposed by countries around the world. Courtesy of DFA
Priests, nuns petition against anti-terror law
Members of One Voice, consisting of priests, nuns and other religious and peace advocates, file the 17th petition against the Anti-Terror Act at the Supreme Court on Friday. Some sectors fear the law, signed by President Duterte on July 3, 2020, may be used wantonly by law enforcers and violate certain civil rights. Mores Heramis, ABS-CBN News
PITX section reopens after disinfection
A security guard reminds passengers to observe physical distancing at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) as a previously closed section of the terminal reopens on Friday. A part of PITX, exclusive for the use of OFWs going back to their home provinces, was closed on Thursday for disinfection after some Philippine Coast Guard personnel assisting the repatriates tested positive for COVID-19. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News
Disinfecting visitors
A misting facility disinfects passing vehicles at the entrance of the House of Representatives on Friday as preparations are underway for President Rodrigo Duterte's fifth State of the Nation Address on July 27. The President is set to physically deliver the address at Batasang Pambansa but with a limited audience due to the threat of COVID-19. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News
Stranded individuals wait at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex
Stranded individuals, beneficiaries of the government’s Hatid Tulong program, wait at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila on Friday where they will spend the night before going home to their provinces. The individuals, stranded in the metro due to the pandemic, are mostly from Vizayas and Mindanao. Mores Heramis, ABS-CBN News
Defending press freedom
ABS-CBN supporters and employees light candles in front of the network’s compound in Quezon City on Friday, as they continue to call for its resumption of broadcast operations. The international organization World Broadcasting Unions urged the Philippine government on Wednesday in a statement to give ABS-CBN a franchise to "restore the free flow of information to Filipinos", especially as the country battles the COVID-19 pandemic. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News