MALAYSIA BARS PINOYS OVER COVID-19 FEARS

MANILA - Starting today, long-term pass holders from the Philippines, India

and Indonesia will be barred from entering Malaysia due to "serious concerns

over the recent increase in the number of confirmed imported COVID-19 cases

from these countries," the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said

yesterday.

The ban comes in the wake of DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin's announcement

last week of his plan to revive an office in the DFA dedicated to claiming

Sabah after Malaysia issued a note verbale on the claim last week.

Locsin had brought up the revival of the Office of North Borneo Affairs

following a series of tweets in which he alleged that there had been

"repeated offers" to drop the Philippine claim over Sabah.

The new travel restrictions were imposed on Filipino travelers entering

Malaysia as well as those boarding Qatar Airways flights.

Previous information on travel restrictions for other countries and regions

remains the same.

The confirmed "imported COVID-19 cases" were detected at the international

points of entry of Malaysia among travelers proceeding "from the

Philippines, India and Indonesia."

FILIPINOS URGED: BUY PINOY PRODUCTS

MANILA - Buying Filipino goods would help local businesses cope with the

impact of the pandemic and create jobs, a Cabinet official said.?

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles yesterday urged consumers to put Filipino

products in their grocery list, saying it would allow local firms, including

food producers and manufacturers, to stay afloat while the economy is facing

challenges. ??

"Local businesses will need the support of both the government and our

people to overcome the challenges of this pandemic; and at this point food

manufacturing is one of the industries that is poised to contribute

positively to economic recovery efforts, as the demand for food will always

be there," Nograles said in a statement issued recently.?"Let's go local,

let's go all-Filipino," he added. ?

Nograles noted that food accounts for nearly half of the total output of the

Philippines' manufacturing sector. ??"When we support local food producers

and manufacturers by patronizing their products, we help keep them

profitable so they can retain and even expand their workforce," the official

said.

Traders warned vs product mislabeling

Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has warned traders

against capitalizing on the "buy local" campaign, saying those mislabeling

foreign products and passing them off as made in the Philippines would be

penalized.

Some goods being sold and mislabeled as locally made include rice, chicken,

cement and other construction materials, it said.

Businessmen who will be found guilty of mislabeling will face imprisonment

of up to two years and fine or both under Republic Act 7394 or the Consumer

Act of the Philippines, the DTI said.

ANALYST: METRO MANILA CURVE FLATTENING BUT COVID-19 FIGHT NOT YET OVER

The Philippine government is going in the right direction in addressing the

COVID-19 pandemic as all indicators are going down in Metro Manila, the

epicenter of the nation's outbreak, professor David Guido of the UP OCTA

Research group says.

While the curve is "flattening" in the capital region, Guido notes that

there are still areas in the Philippines that need to be concerned about,

such as Iloilo and Tacloban, that may be emerging hotspots.

"The government is on the right track and people are doing their part. But

the fight is not yet over. This is not the time to relax; this is the time

to soldier on," Guido tells ANC's "Headstart" Monday morning.

RETURN P14.8 BILLION IN PHILHEALTH FUNDS - SOTTO

MANILA - The P14.8 billion believed to be illegally disbursed from the

Philippine Health Insurance Corp. to certain hospitals and healthcare

institutions (HCIs) under the controversial Interim Reimbursement Mechanism

or IRM must be fully accounted for and immediately returned to PhilHealth,

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said yesterday.

Sotto issued the statement as the Senate is expected to adopt this week the

report of the chamber's committee of the whole, which investigated alleged

anomalies in PhilHealth, including the IRM, a scheme that advanced money to

hospitals and HCIs to allow them to operate amid the COVID-19 pandemic

without fear of insolvency.

"They must liquidate (IRM funds). Aside from liquidation, the report

recommended that PhilHealth work on having the excess disbursement returned,

if not, they (officials) will have to answer for that. Where did the money

go?" Sotto told dzBB in Filipino.

NOT REHABILITATION: DUMPING 'WHITE SAND' IN MANILA BAY GOES 'AGAINST'

SUPREME COURT ORDER - GROUP

MANILA - The environment department's dumping of synthetic white sand in

Manila Bay goes against the Supreme Court's order to government agencies to

rehabilitate the area, an environmental group said Monday.

The dumping of dolomite or any material that is not natural to the area is

reclamation, according to Rodne Galicha, executive director of Living

Laudato Si Philippines.

"It goes against the order of the Supreme Court. Does the measure, is it in

the plan? Second, it's synthetic, it's absolutely not natural. It's not

rehabilitation. You haven't cleaned it up completely yet. There's a need for

the Supreme Court to look deeply into that," he told ANC.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) must show

transparency and its feasibility plan for the project, Galicha said as he

questioned the agency's move during a pandemic.

The DENR earlier said funds spent for the dumping of synthetic white sand in

the Manila Bay cannot be diverted to pandemic efforts.

DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said he did not know how much of the

P389 million allocated for rehabilitating the body of water was used for the

synthetic sand.

"We are happy DENR is doing their efforts to rehabilitate and nourish Manila

Bay but there's a need for transparency, empathy in this time of crisis," he

said.

"As far as I know, many important projects as well were not pushed thru

because of realignment of funds...We need also to look deeply into the

ethics of pushing through with that project."

Government must first address pollution in Manila Bay before beautifying it,

Galicha said.

"The root cause of the problem is pollution. If the root cause of the

problem is pollution and you just put bandaid or makeup there, it will not

solve the problem, Manila Bay will not be rehabilitated," he said.

MANILA BAY FUNDS COULD HAVE FED POOR FAMILIES - ROBREDO

MANILA - The P349 million allocated by the government to transform a portion

of Manila Bay into a white sand beach could have been used to feed 80,000

hungry families, Vice President Leni Robredo said yesterday.

"It's insensitive that you'll do it at the height of the pandemic when many

people are hungry and suffering," Robredo said.

She said President Duterte has repeatedly said the government had run out of

funds to give cash assistance to Filipinos amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Vice President earlier urged the administration to provide P5,000 in

subsidy to the poorest households severely affected by the health crisis.

"With almost P400 million (budget) at P5,000 for each family, you can help

around 80,000 families in a month," Robredo said.

The government is allowed to realign the 2020 budget due to COVID-19 crisis,

she said.

"While it is true that this was part of the 2020 budget, it was done prior

to COVID-19. Now that we are facing a pandemic, why not reassess the budget

and prioritize assistance to hospitals, salaries of the frontliners, food

for the poor and mass testing," Robredo said.

She disagreed with presidential spokesman Harry Roque's statement that the

white sand beach in Manila Bay could improve the people's mental health amid

the pandemic.

"If we want to ease the mental health problem, we should do our job to end

the pandemic," she said.

MTRCB WARNED OF ABOLITION OVER NETFLIX PLAN

MANILA - Invoking Congress' power of the purse, leaders of the House of

Representatives have declared bold pronouncements against the Movie and

Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) for planning to regulate

video streaming platforms like Netflix.

Deputy Speaker for finance LRay Villafuerte is the latest to join Speaker

Alan Peter Cayetano in opposing the agency's plan, describing it as a

"regulatory overstretch" at a time where internet has "transformed the world

into one humungous IT society."

He called it an "imbecilic mindset" which is another term for stupidity,

warning that with budget deliberations underway, they might as well view

MTRCB as "an anachronism that necessitates urgent downsizing, if not an

outright dissolution by giving it a zero outlay."

"MTRCB's plan to regulate online video streaming platforms such as Netflix,

Hulu, Amazon Prime, iflix, HOOQ and Apple TV is a farcical take on

censorship that is incongruous with the new world order," the Camarines Sur

congressman said.

The agency may suffer "a hefty cut in its 2021 budget," Villafuerte

declared.

Cayetano, congressman from Taguig-Pateros, called the plan in his Facebook

post as "ridiculous" and "mind-boggling."

"Is this what the MTRCB wants to prioritize?" he asked, noting that the

country is suffering from a recession brought about by the COVID pandemic.

"MTRCB is focused on the outdated mindset of information regulation and

censorship. What decade are you in?" the Speaker asked. "Congress will give

them a chance to explain how they came up with this ridiculous idea.

"What makes this even more mind-boggling is that, in the first place, the

MTRCB has no jurisdiction over Netflix and other online content," Cayetano

stressed, as this goes against the government's efforts in pursuing

transparency in all of its affairs.

PNP LACKS MANPOWER TO CHECK VIRAL SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS FOR QUARANTINE

VIOLATIONS

MANILA - The police lack manpower to scour millions of social media accounts

to find violations of pandemic lockdowns, an official said Monday.

Instead, authorities will focus on complaints sent online to the police and

viral posts showing quarantine violations, said Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar,

chief of Joint Task Force COVID-19 Shield.

"Wala po kaming kapabilidad, lalo na ang mga police station natin na

magtiktik sa inyo, sa dami ng aming ginagawa," Eleazar told ABS-CBN's

TeleRadyo.

"What we are after ay itong ipinapadala sa atin through our official

account, at the same time, itong mga nagba-viral na intention naman ng

nag-post nito na malaman ng ating pulis. Iyon po ang ating aaksyunan," he

added.

Police have responded to social media complaints even before the pandemic.

It can also take action on viral posts because these are "openly and

publicly posted," he said.

The Joint Task Force COVID Shield recently ordered all police commanders to

monitor social media for violations of quarantine protocols, including

drinking sessions and other forms of celebrations.

Social media posts won't immediately lead to arrests, as local ordinances

encourage community service and fines for violators, Eleazar said.

"Iyong ikinukulong lang natin iyong mga nagre-resist, or talagang

disobedience," said the official.

"Kinaklaro ko po: 'pag naka-post na iyan, hindi puwede kaming mag-accost o

mag-preso kasi tapos na iyan. What we can do is to validate this sa tulong

ng barangay at ['pag] mayroon tayong na-identify sa kanila, at kung may

interesadong mag-file ng kaso at may nakuha tayong statement at witness,

then we can file cases," he added.

DFA'S LOCSIN REJECTS OPENING OF 11 ARCHIPELAGIC LANES

MANILA - Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. rejected Monday the

Philippine Coast Guard's insistence on opening 11 archipelagic lanes instead

of three.

In a tweet, Locsin equated opening 11 archipelagic lanes with turning over

territorial waters "to the nearest naval power."

"Why I turned down Coast Guard insistence on opening 11 archipelagic lanes

instead of 3 the DA, DND, NSA and other agencies to do with fisheries and

marine conservation. With 11, might as well turn over our territorial waters

to the nearest naval power. Cheaper than patrolling," Locsin said.

The foreign affairs chief was reacting to a news report on the Philippine

Navy's opposition to a plan of the Cavite provincial government to remove

the military service command from Sangley Point in Cavite where a Chinese

company blacklisted by the US for its role in militarizing the South China

Sea is involved in an airport project.

A proposed archipelagic sealanes bill has been pending in Congress.

Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice has called for its passage "so the

President can the designate sea lanes where foreign merchant ships and

warships could pass.

THE REST

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COVID-19 CASES IN PHILIPPINES SURGE TO 237,365, WITH 2,839 NEWLY REPORTED

MANILA - The number of confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the

Philippines surged to 237,365 after the country's Department of Health (DOH)

reported 2,839 new daily cases on Sunday.

The DOH said that the number of recoveries also surged to 184,687 after it

reported 23,074 more patients having survived the disease.

The DOH added that 85 more patients have died from the viral disease,

bringing the death toll to 3,875.

Metro Manila topped the five regions or provinces with the highest number of

daily confirmed cases reported on Sunday with 1,170, followed by Negros

Occidental in the central Philippines, 195; Laguna province, south of

Manila, 190; Cavite province, south of Manila, 182; and Rizal province, east

of Manila, 154.

The DOH said it has tested over 2.6 million people so far.

MAGNITUDE 6.4 QUAKE JOLTS DAVAO OCCIDENTAL

MANILA - A magnitude 6.4 earthquake jolted Davao Occidental on Sunday, the

state seismology bureau said.

The tremor struck 26 kilometers southeast of Don Marcelino town at 11:23

p.m., state seismologists said.

It was tectonic in origin and had a depth of 143 kilometers, according to

Phivolcs.

The earthquake was felt in the following areas:

Intensity V - General Santos City; Mati City

Intensity IV - Magsaysay, Davao del Sur; Koronadal City

Intensity III - Kidapawan City

The following instrumental intensities were also recorded:

Intensity V - Alabel & Malungon, Sarangani; General Santos City

Intensity IV - Koronadal City, & Tupi, South Cotabato; Kiamba, Sarangani

Intensity III - Gingoog City

Intensity II - Bislig City

Intensity I - Cagayan de Oro City

The tremor is not expected to cause damage but aftershocks are expected.

PAL TO CUT JOBS ANEW

MANILA - Lucio Tan-owned Philippine Airlines, the country's flag carrier,

will implement another round of voluntary and involuntary manpower reduction

starting next month.

In a newly unveiled survival program dubbed Project Gamma, recently

presented to employees, PAL management said the company would have to reduce

its manpower by 35 percent starting October.

Just like other carriers, PAL has implemented manpower reductions. Last

March, it let go of 300 people, of which some 200 were retrenched while 100

opted to retire early.

The exact number of employees to be covered by the next round of manpower

reduction was not immediately available.

Management said the company would provide "severance pay that we can

afford." It will also comply with all the requirements of the law and will

ensure a fair process.

4 MILLION FILIPINOS AT RISK OF DEVELOPING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES

MANILA - Without them knowing, about four million Filipinos are at high risk

of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the number one killer illness

in the country.

According to Philippine Heart Association (PHA) president Orly Bugarin,

there are over four million Filipinos suffering from diabetes and thus have

higher chances of developing CVDs.

"Diabetic patients have twice or three times risk of developing CVD, which

based on Department of Health (DOH) data is the leading cause of death among

Filipinos," Bugarin disclosed.

He said the Philippines is among the top five countries in Western Pacific

Region with high diabetes prevalence. Most of those afflicted with diabetes

are working people or in their productive years.

Diabetes, he added, shortens a person's life span by six years and CVD can

further cut it down by 12 more years.

Bugarin said most diabetic patients are unaware of the link between the two

diseases and unable to take the necessary precautions to prevent the deadly

illness.

"One in two diabetic patients dies of CVD. This is very significant, that is

why we are raising this concern," Bugarin stressed.

Although diabetes is hereditary, medical experts said young people whose

parents are diabetic can still avoid having the illness as well as CVD if

they are made aware of it early.

Bugarin said www.foryousweetheart.ph website features an assessment risk

test that allows one to easily determine chances of developing CVD.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

FILM ICON MARICHU VERA-PEREZ MACEDA DIES AT 77

MANILA -- Marichu Vera-Perez Maceda, one of the pillars of the Philippine

movie industry, died on Monday at 6 a.m. due to complications of kidney and

heart disease. She was 77.

Her sisters Gina de Venecia and Lilibeth Betchay Vera-Perez Nakpil told

ABS-CBN News Maceda died at a Quezon City hospital where she had been

regularly confined for treatments since 2018.

Born into the fabled Vera-Perez family that founded Sampaguita Pictures in

the pre-World War 2 era, Maceda parlayed herself as a writer, production

designer and producer of many noteworthy projects in and outside Sampaguita,

including the classic 1981 movie "Batch 81" directed by Mike de Leon.

She is also credited for laying the foundation of the Philippine movie

industry starting with her efforts in the 1970s to make it competitive in

the international market.

Last July 2020, Maceda also expressed her solidarity with ABS-CBN amid its

struggle to renew its media franchise.

"It breaks my heart that the people's voice has been ignored, " she told

ABSCBN News in her statement. " In this time of deep anxiety, we need all

media outlets to keep us informed about the pandemic. Entertainment is also

important while in lockdown. With the closure of ABS CBN, we are left with

one less source of reassurance and diversion. I feel that we have become

second-class citizens in our country!"

SPORTS

NBA SCORES SEP 6

FINAL/OT

    1    2    3    4    OT    T

team logo 1 Bucks 1-3    22    28    35    22    11    118

team logo 5 Heat 3-1    31    17    40    19    8    115

GAME 4: MIA LEADS 3-1

SCORING LEADERS

K. Middleton MIL

36 PTS, 8 REB, 8 AST

B. Adebayo MIA

26 PTS, 12 REB, 8 AST

FINAL

    1    2    3    4    T

team logo 4 Rockets 1-1    20    31    41    17    109

team logo 1 Lakers 1-1    36    31    23    27    117

GAME 2: SERIES TIED 1-1

SCORING LEADERS

    J. Harden HOU

27 PTS, 2 REB, 7 AST

    A. Davis LAL

34 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When you praise someone you call yourself his equal. - JW von Goethe