President Rodrigo Duterte has allowed face-to-face classes for medical and allied programs in some universities so that the Philippines not to run out of doctors and other medical personnel, Malacanang said on Tuesday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the physical classes were allowed in higher educational institutions in some areas under modified general community quarantine and general community quarantine with hospitals catering to patients with coronavirus disease.

"We will run out of doctors if we're not going to continue with the face-to-face (classes) for doctors and allied profession," he said.

Roque noted that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases previously allowed to resume face-to-face clinical internship program at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital. Celerina Monte/DMS