DUTERTE, ROBREDO URGE FILIPINOS TO EMULATE BONIFACIO'S COURAGE IN COVID-19

FIGHT

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday

urged Filipinos to emulate the courage of the father of the Philippine

Revolution Andres Bonifacio, as the country wrestled with the coronavirus

pandemic and a series of destructive storms.

Bonifacio sparked "the fires of the revolution that awakened our national

consciousness and served as the foundation of this republic" during Spanish

colonial rule, said Duterte, on the 157th birth anniversary of the hero.

"Now more than ever, as we overcome the challenge of COVID-19 pandemic, as

we remember his life and deeds, may the values he fought for inspire us all

to become martyrs of the just, progressive, and inclusive society that he

envisioned more than a century ago," he said in a taped message.

"Fueled by extraordinary courage and determination, let us surmount the many

challenges ahead and secure a much better and brighter future for every

Filipino," he added.

Robredo said Bonifacio—a one-time warehouse worker and messenger, the

Supremo of the Katipunan and the Father of the Philippine Revolution—is most

known for being courageous.

Bonifacio's courage is rooted in his love for fellow Filipinos, the

insistence that no one should be abused or neglected, and the belief that

everyone has a right to dream and a capacity to forge a better life in a

freer and more humane country, she said.

"Hindi pakitang-tao ang tapang na ito. Ito ang tapang na hindi basta-basta

tumitiklop dahil mahirap ang landas na hinaharap," the Vice President said

in a statement.

"What Bonifacio exemplifies is not the cosmetic courage of bluster, or

power, or brute strength; it is the courage of compassion," she said.

Filipinos can emulate Bonifacio by helping calamity survivors, following

guidelines to halt the spread of COVID-19, and opposing any negligence or

abuse.

HOMELESS MARCH ON BONIFACIO DAY

Various groups hold demonstrations today, to protest over a wide range of

issues hounding President Rodrigo Duterte's government

Inspired by Andres Bonifacio's activism, groups from various sectors are

staging protests on Bonifacio Day, to speak out on issues surrounding the

Duterte administration, including its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many of the groups will be converging along University Avenue at the

University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman in Quezon City on Monday morning.

Labor groups are among those taking to the streets, as the pandemic has left

millions of Filipinos jobless.

Several groups are also using Bonifacio Day to condemn the Duterte

administration's moves and policies. Anakbayan, Kilusang Mayo Uno, and

Kadamay, for instance, are among those leading protests to call out the

government's attempts to red-tag critics, as well as the controversial

enactment of the anti-terror law.

Youth groups, meanwhile, are denouncing what they call "criminal negligence"

in the handling of recent disasters and the coronavirus crisis.

November 30 marks the 157th birthday of Bonifacio, known as the Father of

the Philippine Revolution, who was executed in 1897.

BAYAN MUNA SOLON CONFIRMS DEATH OF DAUGHTER IN MILITARY ENCOUNTER VS NPA

MANILA - Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Eufemia Cullamat on Sunday confirmed her

daughter was killed in an encounter between the military and members of the

New People's Army.

The Philippine Army earlier reported that Cullamat’s daughter, Jevilyn, was

killed in a clash with the NPA in Barangay San Isidro, Marihatag, Surigao

del Sur Saturday.

Jevilyn served as a medic of the NPA and her identity was confirmed by

former rebels, the military said.

In a statement, Rep. Cullamat, who belongs to the Manobo tribe, said she

understood why her daughter joined the revolutionary movement.

"Di ako nagtataka kung sumapi sa NPA ang aking anak dahil sa patuloy na

nararanasan naming mga katutubo sa mga pagmamalupit at pang-aabuso ng AFP

(Armed Forces of the Philippines) at ng kanilang mga paramilitary groups.

Naranasan mismo ito ng aming pamilya," she said.

Cullamat said her daughter was already of legal age when she decided to join

the NPA. The militant solon also said she understands why her daughter took

up arms.

"Naniniwala ako na makatwiran ang kaniyang ipinaglalaban pero ibang porma

ang kanyang pinili para mapigilan ang pambubusabos sa aming mga lumad at

katutubo at para magkaroon din ng makaturangang lipunan," she added.

Cullamat also said she grieves for her daughter, and knows the military will

use her child's death against Bayan Muna and the Makabayan bloc.

"Alam ko na gagamitin ng militar ang kanilang pagpatay sa aking anak para

lalo pang maglubid ng kasinungalingan sa Bayan Muna at Makabayan bloc pero

naninindigan kami sa katotohanan at di malulutas ng kanilang mga boladas at

kasinungalingan ang ugat ng mga problema ng bansa," she added.

The AFP said they recovered from three AK-47 rifles, one M14 rifle, and one

M653 5.56 caliber rifle, as well as 5 backpacks containing war materials and

subversive documents from the site of the encounter.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Allan Hambala, 401st Infantry Brigade

Commander, condoled with the family of Cullamat and urged indigenous peoples

to condemn the NPA's "exploitation of IPs (indigeous peoples)".

“While there are issues concerning the IPs, violent, armed, and terrorist

struggle will never be the right solution to it,” he said.

SENATORS TO OPPOSE ALLEGED BID TO ALLOW COMELEC TO WAIVE AUTOMATED POLL

EQUIPMENT TESTS

MANILA - Senators on Sunday said they would block attempts to insert a

provision in the 2021 General Appropriations Act that would allow the

Commission on Elections (Comelec) to waive tests and certifications for the

security of equipment that would be used in automated polls.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senate Minority Leader Franklin

Drilon earlier warned that they received information that there will be an

attempt to insert a provision in the spending bill to authorize the Comelec

to waive safeguards in the procurement of equipment and materials guaranteed

under the Automated Election Law, Sen. Sonny Angara told ABS-CBN News in a

text message.

"I was alerted by the Senate President today about this possibility and

instructed to guard against any such provision being inserted before

Congress ratifies the budget," he said.

Angara will head the 12-member Senate panel during bicameral deliberations

on the 2021 national budget next week.

Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms chair Imee Marcos, who will also

participate in the bicameral conference, said she is also against the

inclusion of the said provision.

"I just saw this reported amendment but am completely opposed to waiving

procurement safeguards," Marcos told ABS-CBN News in a separate text

message.

"No, I have no clue who its author might be," she said when asked if her

Committee was informed of a proposal to waive safeguards for the procurement

of election equipment.

Sotto said he is already "looking" into the matter.

"Cannot allow. I’m looking into it already!" he said in a tweet.

RED CROSS TO PHILHEALTH: SETTLE P571 MILLION DEBT

MANILA — The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) yesterday said the Philippine Health

Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) must settle its remaining debt of P571 million,

after the humanitarian organization secured test kits from China for

COVID-19 testing operations in the country.

PRC chairman Sen. Richard Gordon said while PhilHealth was paying them P100

million every 10 days for the COVID-19 tests the PRC was conducting for

Filipinos, the organization was experiencing difficulties in funding.

“Yesterday, our supply of test kits arrived. It reached P200 million, and P2

million alone for delivery from China,” Gordon said in an interview over

ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo.

“We’re hoping that if we can ask (PhilHealth), they should close this gap in

their debt,” he added.

Red Cross earlier halted the testing it was doing for the government due to

the more than P1 billion debt incurred by PhilHealth. The tests resumed in

October after the state insurer paid half of its debt.

GSIS TO RELEASE P3.3 BILLION CASH GIFTS

MANILA — The state-run Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) will

release starting tomorrow a total of P3.3 billion in Christmas cash gifts to

qualified pensioners.

In a statement issued over the weekend, GSIS president and general manager

Rolando Macasaet said there are 330,496 old-age and disability pensioners

who can expect to benefit from the bonus.

“Every year, our pensioners look forward to receiving the cash gift, which

they call their Christmas bonus. Thus, we made sure that the cash gift will

be credited to their electronic card (eCard) before Christmas this year, to

somehow relieve them of the additional financial expenses during the

Christmas season,” Macasaet pointed out.

According to GSIS, qualified pensioners who received a Christmas cash gift

of P10,000 in 2019 will be granted an amount equivalent to their one-month

pension, but not more than P10,000.

As for those who received above P10,000 last year, they will receive a cash

gift equivalent to their one-month pension, up to a maximum of P12,600.

“Pensioners who resumed their regular monthly pension after Dec. 31, 2019

(after the five-year guaranteed period) will be given a one-month pension up

to a maximum of P10,000,” the GSIS said.

BI TOLD: TERMINATE VISA UPON ARRIVALS FOR CHINESE NATIONALS

MANILA — Sen. Risa Hontiveros called on the Bureau of Immigration to suspend

the visa upon arrival scheme for Chinese nationals, citing reports from the

national police suggesting that the VUA scheme boosted kidnappings related

to Chinese casino players and workers of the Philippine Offshore Gaming

Operators industry.

Earlier in January, the justice department opted to shorten the validity of

the VUAs to only 30 days. Later in September, it ordered more than 2,700

Chinese nationals who violated conditions of their visa to leave the

Philippines. However, the VUA scheme remained in place.

In a statement issued Sunday afternoon, Hontiveros cited data from the

PNP-Anti-Kidnapping Group which recorded 24 kidnapping incidents in 2017 and

2018, 35 in 2019, and two in 2020.

“The crime that POGOs bring to the country is endless. We've already proven

at the Senate that many Chinese POGO workers are the customers of

prostituted and trafficked women, and now, the PNP also confirmed that cases

of kidnapping are POGO-related. This is all no thanks to the VUA scheme,”

the senator said in mixed Filipino and English.

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COVID-19 TALLY NEARS 430,000

MANILA — The Philippines’ tally of confirmed coronavirus cases is inching

closer to the 430,000 mark, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

With 2,076 new cases reported by the DOH, the COVID-19 caseload has jumped

to 429,864.

It said 92.7 percent or 398,624 of the total cases have recovered from the

infection, with the latest recoveries at 10,579.

The active cases stand at 22,867, representing 5.3 percent of total cases,

the DOH said. The greater bulk or 90.4 percent of the active cases are mild

and asymptomatic, it added.

The DOH said an additional 40 deaths brought to 8,373 the total

COVID-related fatalities. Mortalities account for 1.95 percent of cases.

DILG BUCKS RESUMING FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES

MANILA — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)

yesterday cautioned against “hasty” decisions to bring students back to

classrooms, amid proposals for limited face-to-face classes that are being

eyed to address learning hurdles besetting students whose parents are not

equipped to teach their children at home.

Bringing students back to school while more than a thousand Filipinos are

still testing positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 daily would be

risky, according to Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, who cautioned

legislators on such calls.

Año, who seemed concerned that the government would draw blame for a

possible spike should students return to classrooms, added that those

pushing for the measure would not be the ones facing calls for

accountability.

“What we’re saying is let’s not rush this, because the question here is,

while there are those calling for this (measure), who would be responsible

for that? You’re quick to recommend it, but it would turn out you don’t have

a responsibility for that,” Año said in a radio interview.

METRO MANILA MAYORS WANT SHORTER CURFEW FOR SIMBANG GABI

MANILA - Metro Manila mayors have recommended to national government to

extend general community quarantine in the region until end of the year and

to shorten curfew hours to make way for Simbang Gabi, their representative

said Monday.

The Metro Manila Council opted to keep the capital region under GCQ as it

saw a rise in virus patients, said its chairman Parañaque mayor Edwin

Olivarez said.

The OCTA Research group earlier warned that the region may tally up to 1,000

daily cases if left unchecked.

"Makikita po natin parang nagluluwag nang konti so di po natin pwede ibaba

ang quarantine at (kailangan) i-maintain ang ating health protocol na

pinatutupad. Meron tayong slight na pagtaas ng cases all over Metro Manila,"

Olivarez told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

"Yan 'yung reason bakit natin nirekomenda ang pagme-maintain ng GCQ, para

maibsan ang gatherings at pagluluwag ng negosyo. Pero kailangan magbukas na

ng mga negosyo. 'Yung protocols kailangan ipatupad ng local government

units."

The mayor added that curfew will now be from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m. to make way

for Simbang Gabi or dawn masses, which begin Dec. 16.

LANAO DEL SUR TOWN GETS FIRST ATM THIS WEEK

LANAO DEL SUR — Malabang town now has an automated teller machine, the first

in the town whose development has been stalled for decades due to security

threats.

Malabang is a large historic town in the second district of Lanao del Sur

that has been troubled by clan feuds and poor governance.

The inaugural activation of the ATM from the Development Bank of the

Philippines is scheduled this week, to be led by Malabang Mayor Tomas

Macapodi, Mindanao Development Authority Chairman Emmanuel Piñol and DBP

president Emmanuel Herboso.

According to its website, the DBP's "primary objective is to provide banking

services principally to cater to the medium and long-term needs of

agricultural and industrial enterprises with emphasis on small and

medium-scale industries."

PAL, CEBU PACIFIC OFFER COVID-19 TEST PROMOS

MANILA — Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific are

offering promotions for coronavirus testing to their passengers before

boarding.

PAL is offering a discount to its passengers who need reverse

transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or swab testing for

COVID-19 for their domestic or international flights.

Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific is introducing its Test Before Boarding (TBB)

feature, so that passengers can undergo antigen testing conveniently at the

airport just before their flight.

In a statement, PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said starting tomorrow, PAL

ticket holders will enjoy a P500 discount from the P4,500 regular rate at

the convenience of its own RT-PCR testing center in Manila, with test

results released within 12 to 24 hours.

The COVID-19 RT-PCR testing site is located at the Philippine Airlines

Learning Center in Ermita, Manila with Detoxicare Molecular Diagnostics

Laboratory as its Department of Health (DOH)-accredited partner.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

‘MMK’ RETURNS WITH TOUCHING PORTRAIT OF PINOY DOCTOR WHO LOST HIS LIFE TO

COVID-19

MANILA — The story of the family of Israel Bactol, a Filipino doctor who

died of the coronavirus, is retold in an episode of “Maalaala Mo Kaya” this

Saturday.

Bactol, who was 34, was an admirable young cardiologist who dedicated his

life to providing healthcare in rural communities.

He was portrayed by Arjo Atayde in the episode —the drama anthology’s first

new offering in months, after the pandemic halted production.

It began with a poignant shot of him being treated in a hospital bed due to

COVID-19, before going through the early chapters of his life, which saw his

brother give up his dreams of becoming a pilot, his parents working hard to

provide for him, and him handing out free medicine to his patients as he

began his career as a doctor —all of which were movingly captured through a

cast led by Atayde and Sylvia Sanchez, as Bactol’s mother.

Bactol was loved, not only for his selflessness but also through his humor.

He was as effective in breaking the ice, as he was convincing when he talked

about the need to do more when it comes to healthcare for the poor and those

in the country’s fringes, and for better salaries for his colleagues in the

medical field.

The only time he lost his emotional coolness as a professional was when his

mother called, worried that he had already missed two Christmases with his

family because of his job.

This was the episode touching on the sacrifices doctors and nurses make,

foreshadowed by Bactol telling his mother that they are like soldiers,

fighting to save lives.

They will later on be referred to as “frontliners” against COVID-19, a

battle that heartbreakingly cost Bactol’s life. This and the other parts of

his story will be told in the second part of the episode, set to air next

week.

As the episode aired, people shared their thoughts on Twitter, saying that

Bactol’s story should serve as reminder that the lives lost to the

coronavirus —including those working to combat it— are more than just

numbers, but actual people with “families, hopes, and dreams.”

SPORTS

PBA SCORES NOV 29

SUN, NOV 29, 2020    Q1    Q2    Q3    Q4    T

TNT Tropang Giga        27    14    30    21    94

Barangay Ginebra        22    19    25    26    100

GIN KINGS OUTLAST TROPANG GIGA IN OT, TAKE GAME 1

MANILA – The Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings drew first blood in their

best-of-seven Finals series against the TNT Tropang Giga in the PBA

Philippine Cup Finals with a 100-94 Game One overtime win on Sunday.

After Arvin Tolentino rose to the occasion with a clutch layup that sent the

game into an extra period, Stanley Pringle and Japeth Aguilar sparked the

Ginebra offense to win the tightly contested affair.

With the Gin Kings only leading by two, 96-94, Aljon Mariano extended their

breathing space with a lay-in with 56 ticks left, and it was enough to keep

the gritty TNT at bay.

The Tropang Giga held the lead, 91-88, with 36 seconds left in regulation

after a Jayson Castro triple, but a missed free throw by Bobby Ray Parks

with 11 ticks left tipped the scales back to Ginebra.

In a game of runs, the Gin Kings and the Tropang Giga led by as much as nine

and seven points, respectively, at different points of the contest.

Aguilar top-scored for the Gin Kings with 25 points while Pringle and

Scottie Thompson finished with 24 and 15 markers, respectively.

Bobby Ray Parks paced the Tropang Giga in the losing effort with 20 points

after fouling out in overtime, while RR Pogoy contributed 19.

Game Two is on Wednesday.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The less satisfaction we derive from being ourselves, the greater is our

desire to be like others. - Eric Hoffer