HOUSE PASSES BILL REGULATING E-COMMERCE
MANILA The House of Representatives has passed the bill providing stronger
regulation of the P350-billion e-commerce industry in the country.
Congressmen voted 232-6 in plenary session earlier this week to pass on
third and final reading House Bill 7805, the substitute bill to the proposed
Internet Transactions Act, which seeks to ensure safety in the online trade
industry that has become popular during the lockdown in the past months as
the nation faced the coronavirus pandemic.
House trade and industry committee chairman Wes Gatchalian, principal author
of the bill that he also sponsored during plenary deliberations, cited the
need for the measure to protect both consumers and merchants in online
transactions.
The Valenzuela congressman explained that the existing E-Commerce Act of
2000 only provided a general framework and does not suffice to regulate
online trade.
The passage of this bill is very timely as we foresee that online
transactions will be the new normal even after the coronavirus pandemic.
Right now, a lot of platforms accept sellers without conducting background
checks. Now, with a new regulation that covers transactions using the
internet, online platforms must exercise due diligence in the onboarding of
sellers or otherwise these platforms will be held liable with their
merchants, Gatchalian stressed.
He pointed out that the bill seeks to regulate all business-to-business and
business-to-consumer commercial transactions conducted over the internet
(and) ensures that competition between online and offline commercial
activities is respected.
Nothing in this law shall give any benefit that is more favorable nor place
online activities at a disadvantage, he added.
PHILIPPINES, PRIVATE FIRMS SIGN VACCINE SUPPLY DEAL WITH ASTRAZENECA
AstraZeneca says vaccine needs further research
MANILA The Philippines and private firms inked Friday a supply agreement
for British drug group AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine, the first
such deal in a country aiming to further reopen its economy that has been
ravaged by the pandemic.
The private firms will pay for the vaccine and donate half of the supply to
the government, with the other half to be used to cover employees in the
private sector, said Joey Concepcion, a government business adviser.
The deal secures 2.6 million doses of the vaccine, set to arrive in the
Philippines in May or June 2021. This will inoculate over 1 million
Filipinos as the vaccine requires 2 doses, Concepcion said in a livestream
of the ceremonial signing.
The move "will give our people the confidence that we now finally have the
chance to beat the virus and win back the lives we lost," said Secretary
Carlito Galvez, chief implementer of the National Task Force Against
COVID-19.
"Through this partnership we are thinking and acting ahead of the virus," he
said. "Through this show of unity and selflessness, which we refer to as the
bayanihan spirit, we are demonstrating to the world that although the
pandemic knocked us down, we will rise up and come together as one."
The Philippines aims to inoculate around two-thirds of its 108 million
population. It is negotiating for a 1 million more doses of the AstraZeneca
vaccine.
The deal is another boost for AstraZeneca, which has already signed supply
deals for more than 3 billion doses of its experimental vaccine developed
with the University of Oxford.
GALVEZ: ASTRAZENECA'S COVID-19 VACCINE TO GO THROUGH STRINGENT TESTING
BEFORE PH USE
MANILA - The Philippines' COVID-19 vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
on Saturday allayed fears on potential local use of British drug group
AstraZenecas coronavirus vaccine amid questions on its efficacy, saying it
would still undergo stringent clinical trial in the country.
Galvez, chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, said
science is a revolving process and issues about the vaccine could still be
corrected.
Ang gagawin po natin, hindi natin gagamitin ang isang vaccine kapag hindi
nag rollout sa kaniyang pinanggalingan. 'Wag po silang mabahala, kasi may
proseso po tayo. Mataas po ang ating regulatory process, ayon kay Galvez.
AstraZeneca and its partner, the University of Oxford, announced on Monday
that it was seeking regulatory approval for the vaccine after it showed an
average 70 percent effectiveness.
That rate jumped to 90 percent when an initial half-dose then a full dose
was given, similar to that in rival vaccines in development by
Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
But US scientists have said the higher rate of effectiveness came during
tests in people aged 55 and under, and was discovered by accident during the
clinical trials, suggesting the regimen's efficacy in crucial older age
groups is unproven in this interim data.
The Philippines has sought AstraZeneca's responses on questions about its
efficacy as the private sector prepared to sign a deal to buy doses of its
COVID-19 vaccine.
In an interview on TeleRadyo, Galvez explained that the money which will be
used to purchase COVID-19 vaccines would come from the World Bank and the
Asian Development Bank.
MAGAT DAM NAGPAKAWALA NG TUBIG, MGA RESIDENTE BINALAAN SA POSIBLENG PAGBAHA
Pinag-iingat ang mga residente sa ilang lugar sa hilagang Luzon sa posibleng
pagbaha matapos na magpakawala ng tubig ang Magat Dam, na matatandaang isa
sa mga dahilan ng matinding baha sa Cagayan at Isabela kamakailan.
Ayon sa National Irrigation Administration-Magat River Integrated Irrigation
System (NIA-MARIIS), posible ang pagtaas ng tubig o pagbaha, partikular na
sa mga bayan ng Gamu at Aurora sa Isabela, matapos magkasunod na magbukas ng
2 spillway gate ang dam.
Nitong Biyernes nang magbukas ang unang spillway gate ng Magat Dam kung saan
pinakawalan ang nasa 393 cms ng sobrang tubig.
Isang gate naman ang binuksan alas-8 ng umaga ng Sabado para magpakawala ng
nasa 179 cubic meters per second o katumbas sa 895 drums ng tubig.
Sa Notice of Dam Discharge Warning Operation ng NIA-MARIIS na ipinalabas
alas-5 ng umaga ng Sabado, ang spillway radial gate number 3 ay nakabukas ng
1 metro.
Itinaas ito sa 2 metro alas-9 ng umaga para makapagpakalawa ng 393 cms o
katumbas ng 1,965 drum ng tubig.
Sa kabuuan, aabot sa 786 cms o katumbas ng 3,930 drum ng tubig ang water
discharge sa dam mula sa dalawang bukas na gate.
Hakbang ito ng NIA-MARIIS para maiwasang umabot sa peligro ang dam lalo't
patuloy ang pagbaba ng tubig mula sa watershed areas na nakakaranas ng
pag-ulan.
Alas-6 ng umaga ng Sabado nang maitalang nasa 189.2 meters above sea level
ang tubig sa Magat Dam, halos apat na metro na lang ang agwat sa spilling
level na 193 meters.
Base sa Hydrological forecast ng PAGASA Sabado ng umaga, nasa above alert
level ang Upper Cagayan basin area, kasama ang tributaries ng Ganano at
Magat, kung saan posible ang pagbaha.
DOH PROBES TEXT BLAST ON OUTDOOR CHRISTMAS PARTIES, WARNS VS COVID-19 SPREAD
MANILA The Department of Health on Friday said it did not approve a text
blast advising people to have outdoor Christmas parties instead as
restrictions against COVID-19 continue.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said she also received the text
from a telecommunications network, which advises people to open windows and
fans if gathering for Christmas.
Government earlier discouraged Christmas gatherings, warning against the
persistent threat of the coronavirus.
But when we verified with the office in charge of this, hindi pa kami
nagpapalabas (we have not released it yet), she said.
Netizens reported receiving different variations of the text stating that
the DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology), DOH and
HPAAC (Health Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19) are recommending
people to open windows and use electric fans if they have a Christmas party.
It also said having an outdoor venue is a better option.
The public advisory was sent via the telecoms firm's official SMS line and
the text line of the National Telecommunications Commission.
We always want to emphasize, we are recommending alternative activities
during this holiday season so that we can prevent further infection,
Vergeire said.
PNP TO PUNISH UNDERWEIGHT, OVERWEIGHT COPS
MANILA The Philippine National Police will sanction its members who will
not be able to meet the PNPs body mass index (BMI) requirements, an
official said yesterday.
If some police personnel are defiant, there are corresponding sanctions,
PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana said in Filipino during a Laging
Handa briefing.
BMI is computed by dividing a persons weight in kilos by the height in
meters squared.
Usana clarified that the directive covers both overweight and underweight
police officers, whose progress will be checked every month.
Those who would not be able to comply could have problems in their promotion
and placement in unit assignments.
The acceptable range for those age 29 and below is 18.5 to 24.9 while for
those age 51 and above, the range is from 18.5 to 27.
PNP chief Gen. Debold Sinas has introduced a four-minute exercise that
police officers should perform twice a day.
Sinas said he has shed 17 kilos so far this year despite community
quarantine restrictions.
According to Sinas, his ideal weight is 210 pounds or about 95.25 kilos but
he admitted it would be difficult given his age. He is 55 and will retire
from the service in May next year.
Im happy to have 230 to 240 para medyo may laman naman (so Id have a
little bulk), he earlier told reporters in an interview.
ROBREDO SAYS FAKE FB ACCOUNT IMPERSONATING DAUGHTER TRICIA
MANILA - Vice President Leni Robredo late Friday evening said a fake
Facebook account is masquerading maliciously as her daughter Tricia.
Robredo said in a Facebook post that the account was sending hate messages,
and even imitated the profile picture and entries of the Tricia's real
account, while garnering a lot of followers.
"Tricia only has one Facebook account and hers is verified. May blue check
siya sa katabi ng name (see left picture)," the Vice President said in her
post.
"Yung fake account, siya yung nasa right picture, obviously being promoted
by sick minds. If you followed the fake account or received a friend invite
from the fake account, please unfriend."
The Vice President said all of the conversations and comments linked to the
fake account seemed "scripted" and called on the public to report "the
players and all those involved as well."
"They are fake news peddlers who do not deserve any space online," Robredo
said.
"Again, this is now the culture being promoted in our midst - a culture of
hate and lies. Let us not succumb to this. Hindi ganito tayong mga Filipino.
We are so much better than this," she said.
Tricia, a newly-minted doctor, was earlier criticized along with her sister
Aika by Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque for their tweets allegedly
pertaining to and critical of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Robredo defended her daughters for being outspoken.
THE REST
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PH REPORTS 1,631 NEW COVID-19 CASES; TOTAL NEARS 426,000
MANILA The Department of Health logged 1,631 additional COVID-19 cases on
Friday, bringing the total number to 425,918, with the daily tally remaining
below 2,000 for over half a month now.
This does not include data from 10 laboratories that failed to submit their
results on time.
Of the new cases, 116 came from Quezon City, 101 from Rizal, 95 from Davao
City, 89 from Laguna and 65 from Manila.
Davao City is among the areas being monitored by the government due to the
continued increase in COVID-19 cases and high hospital occupancy.
The DOH also logged 46 additional coronavirus-related deaths or a total of
8,255 fatalities. There were also 370 additional recovered patients or a
total of 387,616 recoveries.
TIAMZONS SENTENCED TO UP TO 40 YRS IN PRISON FOR SOLDIER'S ABDUCTION
A Quezon City court has convicted Benito Tiamzon and his wife, Wilma of
kidnapping and serious illegal detention over the abduction of a soldier in
1988.
The Tiamzon couple is believed to top officials of the National Democratic
Front (NDF), an allied organization of the Communist Party of the
Philippines (CPP).
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 216 found the couple guilty of
kidnapping and serious illegal detention. They were sentenced to reclusion
perpetua or up to 40 years of imprisonment.
The Tiamzons were also ordered to pay damages and civil indemnity to the
complainant amounting to P225,000.
The cases stemmed from the abduction of Army Lt. Abraham Claro Casis with
three other soldiers in Candelaria, Quezon Province. The group was allegedly
held captive by members of the New Peoples Army for 75 days.
The case was filed in court in 1990 while the Tiamzons were arrested in
2014.
The couple were released from detention in 2016 to participate as
consultants in the peace negotiations between the NDF and the government.
They were ordered re-arrested in August 2018 after the peace talks were
subsequently canceled.
DEPED EYES LIMITED FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES
MANILA The Department of Education (DepEd) has told a Senate committee
that although face-to-face classes are not likely until yearend, a
recommendation will be made to President Duterte to allow selected and
limited classroom teaching with strict health protocols.
Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan yesterday told the Senate
committee on education, chaired by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, that Duterte
will have the final say on the matter even as he recalled that Education
Secretary Leonor Briones had made similar recommendations before.
The question being answered is where and when and how can this be made,
Malaluan told the hearing via video conference after giving an extensive
briefing on the progress of the blended learning system since the start of
the pandemic-delayed school year last month.
The DepEd knows the resumption of face-to-face learning under certain
conditions will be crucial to the learning process of our students The
social aspect of learning, together with face-to-face interaction with
teachers and classmates, is still very important in this highly social
activity, he said.
The blended learning system is a combination of paper self-learning modules
(SLMs) sent to homes of students and are retrieved after a period of time,
and online teaching.
He said the provision of instructional guidance and formative assessment of
students by their teachers cannot be replaced by distance learning methods,
especially for young children.
Malaluan also said something must be immediately done to the regulation or
monitoring of time students devote to their lessons being done at home or
within communities, something difficult to do outside a face-to-face
setting.
PAGASA SEES 1 OR 2 MORE CYCLONES FOR 2020
MANILA The state weather bureau said at least one or two more tropical
cyclones could enter the country before the end of the year, with La Niña
likely to persist until May 2021.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (PAGASA) in its climate outlook said that moderate to strong
La Niña has further strengthened.
The weather phenomenon is already at its peak through January and will
likely continue until March-May 2021.
La Niña means that there is an increased likelihood of above normal rainfall
conditions that could lead to potential adverse impacts such as heavy
rainfall, floods or landslides over highly vulnerable areas.
There could be at least one tropical cyclone to enter in the months of
January to March. Without the La Niña phenomenon, there would be zero or a
slim chance for a tropical cyclone.
Most of the country will see above normal rainfall conditions, except for
some areas in Mindanao where it is forecast to see near normal conditions.
The country could see back-to-back La Niña events, as there have been six
such weather events since 2007.
ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE
MAHAL NA MAHAL KA NI TUTOY: VICE GANDA PENS SWEET BIRTHDAY MESSAGE FOR ION
PEREZ
MANILA Vice Ganda opted for a simple birthday greeting for his boyfriend
and fellow Its Showtime mainstay Ion Perez on Friday, noting the
simplicity and sincerity of their relationship.
On Instagram, the comedy superstar shared a selfie of Perez, captioned with
his message of well wishes and a public declaration of his love for the
showbiz newcomer.
Di ko alam kung anung caption ang ilalagay ko. Gusto kong mag isip ng
bonggang mga salita. Pero hindi eh. Nung dumating ka naging pinakamaganda
kung ano ung pinakasimple. Kung ano ung totoo yun ang maganda. Kung ano yung
sinsero yun ang maganda. Kaya di ko na aartehan, Vice Ganda wrote.
Happy Birthday Benigno!!! Araw araw magdadasal ako kay Lord na alagaan at
ingatan ka nya. Na ipahintulot nyang maging matiwasay ka sa lahat ng oras.
At sana bigyan nya pa tayo ng mahabang panahong magkasama.
Kasi gusto kong makapiling ka pa. Gusto kong mapasaya pa kita. Gusto kong
mahalin mo pa. Gusto kong mahalin ka pa. Dahil tuwing mahal kita doon ako
masigla at masaya. At hanggat mahal kita yung mundo ko mananatiling maganda!
Happy Birthday Noy!!!!!
Mahal na mahal ka ni Tutoy!
Vice Ganda was referring to his childhood nickname, which has also become
Perezs term of endearment for him.
Vice Ganda and Perez, whose love story unfolded on Its Showtime, have
been a couple for two years. They celebrated their anniversary in October.
SPORTS
PBA SCORES NOV 27
FRI, NOV 27, 2020 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 T
Barangay Ginebra 17 16 22 28 83
Meralco Bolts 14 17 28 21 80
TNT Tropang Giga 25 15 22 29 91
Phoenix Fuel Masters 20 14 19 28 81
GILAS CLOBBERS PRO-LADEN THAIS IN FIBA ASIA CUP QUALIFIERS 2ND WINDOW
MANILA A young and inexperienced Gilas Pilipinas squad saw little
resistance against an all-pro Thailand team in the last two quarters,
pulling away with 93-61 rout, in their first game of the second window of
the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in Manama, Bahrain on Friday.
After a slow start that saw the Filipinos only up 21-19 after the first
quarter, an offensive onslaught in the second period powered by Dwight Ramos
and Juan Gomez de Liano blew the game wide open.
The young Gilas guns outscored the Thais 32-10 in the second, to end the
first half with a commanding 53-29 lead.
Though up big, the Filipinos did not hesitate in continuing on the attack,
Gilas' advantage ballooned to as big as 36, 71-35 after a Mike Nieto triple
in the third quarter.
Ramos finished the game with 20 points on a perfect 7/7 shooting, to go with
seven rebounds and three assists.
Justine Baltazar and Juan Gomez de Liano contributed with 12 points apiece.
All 12 Gilas players in the lineup scored in the win.
They will face off with Thailand again on Monday, November 30.
INDICATORS
FOREX $1 = P 48.06
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of
the environment in which you first find yourself. - Mark Caine
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