BIDEN CLOSE TO WINNING AFTER FLIPPING KEY STATES

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Friday took crucial leads

over Donald Trump in the key battleground states of Georgia (16) and

Pennsylvania (20), bringing him on the cusp of a historic victory over the

incumbent Republican United States President in the closely-fought election.

In Georgia, after the latest round of counting results, Biden edged past

Trump with a slender lead of over 4,300 votes, a remarkable achievement for

the 77-year-old former vice president who until Wednesday night was trailing

his rival by more than 50,000 votes.

In Pennsylvania, Biden overtook Trump and is currently leading by over

28,000 votes. This is significant given that the 74-year-old US president

was leading in the swing state till Wednesday night with more than 700,00

votes.

As per the latest projections, Biden has 253 electoral college votes and

Trump trails behind with 213.

In Arizona (11), Biden's lead has reduced to about 29,000 votes.

In Nevada (6), Biden currently leads by about 22,000 votes.

President Trump at a White House news conference again accused the Democrats

of massive ballot fraud and alleged that the election was being stolen. He

did not offer any evidence to back his claim. His campaign has filed

multiple lawsuits in the States of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, and

Nevada and has demanded a recount of votes in Wisconsin. "If you count the

legal votes, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to

steal the election from us. If you count the votes that came in late --

we're looking at them very strongly. But a lot of votes came in late," Trump

said.

The Biden campaign has denied the allegations.

Several American news channels on Thursday evening cut off the live telecast

of Trump's White House news conference as they believed that his allegations

of voter fraud were without any evidence.

"In America, the vote is sacred. It's how the people of this nation express

their will. And it is the will of the voters, no one and not anything else

that chooses the President of the United States. So, each ballot must be

counted and that's what is going on now. And that's how it should be," Biden

said in his address to the media in Delaware on Thursday. "Democracy is

sometimes messy, so sometimes it requires a little patience. But that

patience has been rewarded now for more than 240 years with a system of

governance that has been the envy of the world. We continue to feel very

good about where things stand," he said.

The number of total votes increased 7 per cent from 2016, with 9 million

more votes counted so far. But Biden has 12.1 per cent more votes than

Hillary Clinton received when she beat Trump in the popular vote by 2.9

million ballots. Trump has 10.7 per cent more than he got in 2016, in part

because fewer votes went to third-party candidates this year.

‘DUTERTE TO HAVE GOOD, CORDIAL TIES WITH BIDEN’

MANILA — They may not end up being the best of friends, but President

Duterte will have a “good cordial relationship” with former vice president

Joe Biden should the latter win the hotly contested presidential race in the

US, Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said yesterday.

“We’ve had good relations with this country (under) any administration –

Democrat or Republican,” Romualdez said in an interview with CNN

Philippines.

“Quite honestly, there won’t be much difference in a sense that we have had

very good relations with the United States all these years, whoever is

sitting in the White House,” he added.

Romualdez said Duterte will not have a problem forging a relationship with

Biden if the latter unseats Trump.

BIGGER CALAMITY BUDGET FOR 2021 SOUGHT

MANILA — Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte yesterday called for an

increase in calamity funds in the proposed P4.506-trillion national budget

for 2021, following the devastation caused by recent typhoons in Southern

Luzon.

He urged the leadership of the House and the Senate to realign funds from

less urgent programs in the bicameral conference committee meeting on the

General Appropriations Bill (GAB) “with an eye to augmenting calamity funds

for the hardest hit areas of Super Typhoon Rolly, which is regarded as the

strongest land-falling tropical depression ever to hit the Philippines.”

“I am appealing to my fellow lawmakers to look into possibly realigning for

calamity funds a portion of proposed GAB allocations for programs and

projects other than those intended for COVID-19 response given the great

damage wrought by super typhoon Rolly on infrastructure, agriculture and

business in CamSur and other provinces in Bicol and Southern Luzon,”

Villafuerte, whose province and other ares in Bicol were severely affected

by Rolly, pointed out.

He said that local government units (LGUs) badly hit by the typhoon are most

likely in need of calamity funds this early as their allocations for such

purpose have probably been depleted because of pandemic-related initiatives

in their respective localities.

Villafuerte cited his province as an example, saying it “needs all the aid

and other resources it can get from both the government and the private

sector as it is reeling from the triple whammy of Super Typhoons Rolly and

Quinta, which struck the province in the previous weekend, and the COVID-19

pandemic.”

DUTERTE NAMES OFFICIALS HE SAYS HAVE BEEN DISMISSED FOR CORRUPTION

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday night bared the names of

customs officials and personnel who have either been dismissed or suspended

as part of what the chief executive has characterized as an effort to purge

the entire government of corruption.

The government has intensified its campaign against corruption in its ranks,

with Duterte designating Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra to head a 'mega

task force' to look into graft allegations in the bureaucracy.

"Now, let me — allow me a few minutes to do what I have promised to people

that every meeting here in our talks with the public...I will read the

persons who are now under quasi judicial or judicial scrutiny," Duterte said

partially in Filipino during his weekly televised address.

The chief executive named 21 Bureau of Customs officials and personnel who

have either been dismissed, suspended, or are under probe at the Office of

the Ombudsman.

A Department of Justice-led task force against corruption is currently

investigating government-wide corruption, with a focus on the BOC, the

Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the

Bureau of Immigration, and the Land Registration Authority.

DPWH BLACKLISTS 25 ERRING CONTRACTORS

MANILA — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has blacklisted

at least 25 “non-performing or scheming” contractors since 2016.

In a report, the DPWH said the blacklisted contractors have been barred from

participating in any government project for one year, as stated under the

implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Government Procurement

Reform Act.

In a statement, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said that blacklisting of

erring contractors only showed his department’s seriousness in addressing

corruption, as he vowed “not to tolerate those who bag a big amount of civil

works contract, but deliberately violate the law for personal gains.”

“This is a testament that collusion between contractors and DPWH officials

is not being tolerated. If any of our implementing offices are tolerating

erring contractors by letting them continue with their projects without

sanctioning them, the department will not hesitate in imposing disciplinary

action against them,” he said.

Villar also said he has already initiated several measures to tackle “ghost

projects,” including using drones and geographic-based status reports

through satellite photography or geo-tagging and through the “DPWH

Infratrack application.”

IATF ORDERS 14-DAY QUARANTINE FOR COVID-19 CLOSE CONTACTS

MANILA — Close contacts of persons believed to have contracted COVID-19 are

mandated to complete their 14-day quarantine in isolation facilities, the

Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases

(IATF) said yesterday.

The government also mandates the 10-day isolation for suspected, probable

and confirmed cases, under the guidelines for COVID-19 strategy adopted by

the IATF in Resolution No. 83 signed on Thursday.

These rules form part of the Department of Health (DOH)’s Revised Omnibus

Interim Guidelines on prevention, detection, isolation, treatment and

reintegration strategies for COVID-19.

The IATF also pushed for the strict implementation of minimum public health

standards, rational assessment based on symptoms and exposure and

facility-based quarantine and isolation.

Under the present rules, Filipinos and foreigners who arrive in the country

are mandated to undergo quarantine while waiting for the results of their

swab tests.

For local residents, those who are classified as close contacts of confirmed

COVID-19 carriers are also advised to undergo isolation. Those who travel

from one province or region to another are subjected to IATF regulations on

inter-modal movements.

DOTR: CASHLESS TOLL SYSTEM TO PUSH THROUGH DECEMBER 1

MANILA — Implementing contactless toll payments along expressways is “a

matter of extreme importance” in the midst of the pandemic and cannot be

deferred beyond Dec. 1, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the

other day.

In a statement, the DOTr said the primary purpose of its order requiring

cashless transactions for all vehicles traveling along tollways is to

prevent transmission of the coronavirus disease.

“Any delay in its implementation amid the COVID-19 pandemic will only make

motorists, as well as the personnel manning the toll plazas, vulnerable to

unwanted and unnecessary physical contact and hence, exposure to the deadly

coronavirus,” the agency said.

“Amid a raging pandemic, public health and safety cannot take the back seat

in favor of convenience,” it added.

‘DISASTER DEVELOPMENT FOR BETTER COORDINATION DURING CALAMITY

MANILA — The proposed Department of Disaster Resilience could address

current issues on coordination between national agencies during calamities,

according to the head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Council (NDRRMC).

Ricardo Jalad, NDRRMC executive director, said if the proposed department

pushes through, this could have an advantage in ensuring better coordination

in times of disaster.

Under the current structure, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), to which the

NDRRMC is attached, is only headed by an undersecretary of the Department of

National Defense, a setup that would be changed if the bill pushes through.

“The Department of Resilience is more powerful and has more advantage. It

will be ranked among the departments it will mobilize. In other words, a

Cabinet secretary will order other Cabinet secretaries,” Jalad said

yesterday at a Laging Handa press briefing.

CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE TO TACKLE PROPOSED BAN ON CHRISTMAS CAROLING

MANILA — The inter-agency task force leading the country's pandemic response

will discuss a proposal to ban the traditional Christmas caroling to contain

the novel coronavirus, Malacañang said Friday.

The IATF did not discuss the proposal when it met late Thursday, said

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

"Pero I am sure maaagenda 'yan sa mga susunod na meeting ng IATF," he said

in a public briefing.

Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba earlier said he wanted the traditional

house-to-house caroling banned because children who usually join the

Christmas tradition are vulnerable to exposure to those infected with

COVID-19.

The Philippines has Southeast Asia's second highest number of COVID-19 cases

and deaths after Indonesia.

The health department on Thursday reported 1,594 novel coronavirus

infections and 42 additional deaths. The agency said total confirmed cases

increased to 389,725 while deaths reached 7,409.

THE REST

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PH LOGS 2,092 NEW COVID-19 CASES, TOTAL INFECTIONS TOP 391,000

MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday reported 2,092 additional

COVID-19 cases, raising Philippines' total number of confirmed infections to

391,809.

The additional cases for the day do not include data from 15 accredited

laboratories that failed to submit results on time, according to DOH’s

November 6 bulletin.

Davao City led areas in the country that recorded the highest daily

additional cases with 129, followed by Quezon City with 100, the province of

Quezon with 83, Northern Samar with 82, and the province of Cavite with 80

confirmed infections.

Cases of recoveries jumped by 462 over the previous day. The total number of

recovered patients stood at 349,974, which accounts for 89.3 percent of the

total recorded cases.

The country also recorded 52 new fatalities from the respiratory illness,

taking the death toll to 7,461.

To date, the Philippines has 34,374 active infections, accounting for 8.8

percent of the cumulative total cases. The DOH said 93.4 percent of patients

currently ill are asymptomatic or exhibiting mild symptoms.

LTFRB LAUNCHES PUV DRIVER SUBSIDY

MANILA — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)

officially rolled out yesterday its new subsidy program to aid an estimated

60,000 public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers affected by the COVID-19

pandemic.

The service contracting program is seen as a new business model that will

help address both mobility and feasibility problems now being faced by the

sector, according to the LTFRB.

The program will provide subsidies to around 60,000 drivers in Metro Manila,

Metro Cebu and Metro Davao initially.

“The program is being undertaken in light of the Bayanihan to Recover As One

Act to ensure safe, efficient and financially viable operations of public

transportation under these unusual circumstances,” LTFRB-Region 4 director

Renwick Rutaquio said during the launch.

AFP, FACEBOOK TEAM UP VS TERROR

MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) expressed yesterday its

resolve to exert “all-out effort” in combating terrorist activities and

insurgent propaganda on social media now that it is working in partnership

with Facebook.

“The AFP shall ensure that terrorists will not be able to use social media

as means to advance the ends of terrorism, recruit new members and generate

financial support,” Gen. Gilbert Gapay, AFP chief of staff, said.

Gapay revealed that the AFP is teaming up with Facebook and other social

networking sites to empower the public to reject terrorist organizations and

also gain support for the military to defend the state against peace and

security threats.

Last September, the AFP found itself linked to a controversial network of

social media accounts that were taken down by Facebook for what it tagged as

“coordinated inauthentic behavior.”

The AFP assured the public it was not involved in any fake network, but

underscored its support for advocacy groups denouncing insurgency and

recruitment of the youth.

BONG GO AIDS BATANGAS TYPHOON VICTIMS

MANILA — While exerting efforts to address the public health crisis caused

by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Bong Go continues to reach out and extend

much needed relief to Filipinos in crisis situations.

Last Thursday, Go visited Batangas province to provide aid to 2,973 families

affected by Super Typhoon Rolly in Lobo town and Batangas City. In both

events, Go and his team made sure that necessary health and safety protocols

were strictly observed to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

“Patuloy po akong umiikot para makapagbigay ng konting tulong at mag-iwan ng

ngiti sa oras ng inyong pagdadalamhati. Nais po naming iparamdam sa inyo na

nandito ang inyong gobyerno na nagmamalasakit sa bawat Pilipino at handang

maglingkod sa inyong lahat,” he said.

Go led the distribution of packed meals, food packs, face masks, face

shields and vitamins to 1,199 families from three barangays at the Batangas

City Coliseum.

Similar assistance was given to 1,774 families from 17 barangays at the Lobo

municipal gymnasium.

SIONY EXITS; TONYO BREWING

MANILA — Another low-pressure area east of Mindanao entered the Philippine

area of responsibility yesterday even as severe Tropical Storm Siony was

forecast to exit the country last night after passing near Batanes province,

according to the weather bureau.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services

Administration (PAGASA) reported that the latest weather system entered at 2

p.m. and two hours later was estimated at 955 kilometers east of the

Visayas.

This weather disturbance may develop into Tropical Depression Tonyo within

the next 36 hours.

It is forecast to move generally west-northwestward or northwestward towards

Eastern Visayas and may likely reach the area tomorrow afternoon.

The trough of the low-pressure area will bring scattered light to moderate

with at times heavy rains over Mindanao, Eastern and Central Visayas and the

Bicol region.

PAGASA said Siony was expected to bring moderate and at times heavy rains as

it passed Batanes and Babuyan Islands.

Rough seas will prevail over the coastal waters of these areas, with strong

breeze and near gale conditions.

Light to moderate with at times heavy rains over Batanes and Babuyan Islands

could induce flooding and landslides during prolonged rainfall.

It is expected to significantly weaken over the West Philippine Sea and

downgrade into a low pressure area by tomorrow afternoon.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

‘ALONE/TOGETHER’ BECOMES NO. 1 NETFLIX TITLE IN PHILIPPINES

MANILA — On its second day of release on Netflix, the ABS-CBN drama film

“Alone/Together” zoomed atop the most watched titles on the streaming

platform on Friday.

The Liza Soberano-Enrique Gil starrer debuted on Netflix on November 5,

Thursday.

On Friday, it ranked first in the streaming site’s list of top 10 titles in

the Philippines, according to producer Black Sheep.

Directed and written by Antoinette Jadaone, “Alone/Together” was originally

released in 2019. It follows the story of college sweethearts Tin (Soberano)

and Raf (Gil), who reconnect five years after their breakup while now in

respective relationships.

“Alone/Together” is one of several ABS-CBN titles that recently became

accessible on Netflix, alongside the likes of “Exes Baggage” and “The Hows

of Us.”

More Kapamilya films will be released on the platform until December.

SPORTS

PBA SCORES NOV 6

FRI, NOV 6, 2020        Q1    Q2    Q3    Q4    T

Barangay Ginebra        20    16    28    21    85

TNT Tropang Giga        11    21    25    22    79

NLEX Road Warriors        36    31    24    33    124

San Miguel Beermen        25    22    18    25    90

Alaska Aces        27    18    24    33    102

Batang Pier        18    22    25    29    94

Blackwater Elite        20    25    36    20    101

Terrafirma Dyip        27    27    26    30    110

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 48.22

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.

Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. - Elie Wiesel