PHILIPPINES TO GET UP TO 10M OF MOSTLY ASTRAZENECA JABS FROM COVAX FACILITY
UK ENVOY
MANILA Filipinos will be among the first to receive coronavirus vaccines
from the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility, the British embassy
said Friday.
British Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce on social media said the
country "could receive an indicative distribution of up to nearly 10
[million] doses of vaccines."
Most of these doses, he said, would be United-Kingdom produced
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.
"The Facility expects doses will be available for delivery starting in the
Q1 of 2021, perhaps as early as February, pending the Emergency Use Listing
from the WHO," Pruce also said.
Aside from AstraZeneca, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. on Sunday said the
Philippines is also expecting Pfizer vaccines from COVAX facility. At the
time, he said the Philippines was expecting some 5.5 million AstraZeneca
doses and 117,000 doses of Pfizer from the facility, pending global supply.
This amount seems to have increased, given the British embassy's
announcement.
BEIJING WARNS OFF US WARSHIP FROM SOUTH CHINA SEA ISLANDS
BEIJING, China China on Friday warned off a US warship sailing near
contested islands in the South China Sea, Beijing said, the first such
encounter made public since the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
The USS John S. McCain "broke into China's Xisha territorial waters without
the permission of the Chinese government," Beijing's military said in a
statement, using its name for the disputed Paracel Islands.
The People's Liberation Army "organized naval and air forces to track,
monitor and warn off" the warship, the Chinese military said, blasting the
US for "seriously violating China's sovereignty" and "harming regional
peace."
The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer on Thursday also conducted
a routine transit through the waterway separating the Chinese mainland and
Taiwan, which Beijing says constitutes part of its territory.
Washington has argued that such exercises are in line with international law
and help defend right of passage through the region amid competing claims by
China and other governments.
PHILIPPINES REPORTS 8 MORE CASES OF NEW CORONAVIRUS VARIANT
MANILA Health authorities said Friday they detected eight more cases of
the new coronavirus variant first identified in the United Kingdom called
B.1.1.7, bringing the total number of cases of the more infectious variant
to 25.
The Department of Health said that three of the new cases are from Bontoc,
Mountain Province where health authorities detected three weeks ago 12 cases
of the B.1.1.7 variant.
Of the three, two women aged 25 and 54 were close contacts of a patient who
is part of the cluster of B.1.1.7 cases in Bontoc. The third patient is a
31-year-old man whose link to the Bontoc cluster is still being verified,
the DOH said.
The health department added that the 54-year-old woman has already
recovered, while the 25-year-old woman and the 31-year-old man are still
being treated for COVID-19.
The DOH previously reported that 71 of the 410 contacts of the first 12
B.1.1.7 cases in Bontoc have tested positive for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, two more B.1.1.7 cases were reported in La Trinidad, Benguet,
where health officials detected three weeks ago one case of the new variant.
'TAKE PART IN DEMOCRACY': COMELEC URGES MORE VOTERS TO REGISTER
MANILA The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) on Saturday called on more
Filipinos of voting age to register, extending its registration days to
Saturdays starting Feb. 20 as it seeks to enlist 4 million more voters ahead
of the 2022 Presidential elections.
Ang registration simula Feb. 20 ay hanggang Sabado na. Pwede na kayong
magparehistro ng Sabado mula alas-8 hanggang alas-5 at huwag natin
sasayangin ang pagkakataon maging parte ng demokarasya, said COMELEC
spokesperson James Jimenez.
In an interview on TeleRadyo, Jimenez said the voter registration turnout is
still very low.
Since September 1, kulang-kulang na 1.3 million pa lang ang narerehistro
natin at mahigit kumulang 4 million pa ang hahabulin natin, said Jimenez.
Eligible voters planning to register may go to Comelec offices in their
respective muncipalities or cities.
'Yung satellite registration hopefully by the end of this month meron na
tayong ma-announce na schedule para diyan pero for now extended muna sa
weekends pero sa Comelec office pa rin, he said.
Jimenez said the commission en banc has approved overtime pay for its
personnel to accommodate voters registration on weekends.
Palagi nating sinasabi na talagang kakailanganin ng ganitong klaseng
sakripisyo on all sides kasi nga napakalayo ng expectation natin versus what
we actually have right now, he said.
JANET NAPOLES, EX-REP. JARAULA FOUND GUILTY OF GRAFT LINKED TO PORK BARREL
SCAM
MANILA The Sandiganbayan First Division on Friday said it found
businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, former Congressman Constantino Jaraula, and
3 others guilty of graft and malversation of public funds in relation to the
pork barrel scam.
Besides Napoles and Jaraula, Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana, Belina Concepcion
and Mylene Encarnacion were also found guilty.
All were charged with three counts of violation of the Anti-Graft and
Corrupt Practices Act, and another three counts of malversation of public
funds.
For the charges of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, they
were sentenced with imprisonment from 6 years to 10 years, while they were
sentenced with imprisonment from 12 years to 18 years for the crime of
malversation of public funds.
Napoles and the others have also been ordered to indemnify the national
government and return P28.8 million. They were likewise disqualified from
holding any public office.
They were also asked to pay another P28.8 million in fines for malversation
of public funds.
Francis Figura, Marivic Jover and Maurine Dimaranan, who were also employees
of the Technology Resource Center, were acquitted of graft charges, but were
asked to return P28.8 million.
Besides graft and malversation charges, Jaraula was also found guilty of
three counts of direct bribery, and was sentenced to imprisonment of between
4 to 9 years.
He was ordered to pay P6 million in fines.
Meanwhile, Rosalinda Salamida Nunez, Lalain Narag Paule and Marilou Dialino
Bare, former employees of the Deparment of Budget and Management, were
acquitted of all charges.
All cases were related to the alleged misuse of the Priority Development
Assistance Fund (PDAF) by lawmakers and public officials, who allegedly
pocketed around P9.6 million in public funds.
Jaraula was the representative of Cagayan de Oro City, while Concepcion and
Encarnacion were officers of the Technology Resource Center.
Both Napoles and Encarnacion are private individuals and are presidents of
JLN Corp. and Countrywide Agri and Rural Economic Development Foundation,
respectively.
COURT JUNKS CASE VS JOURNALIST, TRADE UNIONIST; CALLS SEARCH WARRANTS
'FISHING EXPEDITION'
MANILA A Mandaluyong court has junked the illegal possession of firearms
and explosives case against journalist Lady Ann Salem and trade unionist
Rodrigo Esparago, who were arrested in a dawn raid on December 10, 2020,
incidentally Human Rights Day.
In an order released Friday, the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court Branch 209
dismissed the charges against Salem and Esparago, declaring the search
warrants issued against them void, based on a copy of the order emailed to
their lawyers from the Public Interest Law Center (PILC).
The same order excluded and expunged from the records the grenades, pistols
and ammunitions supposedly recovered from the two, and declared inadmissible
as evidence laptops, cellphones and other devices taken from their
condominium unit during their arrest.
Police had accused Salem and Esparago of gun-running, supposedly based on
surveillance by police operatives, but both denied the allegations, claiming
the evidence against them were planted.
The two were arrested on the strength of search warrants issued by Quezon
City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert, the same
judge who previously issued search warrants in 2019 which led to the arrest
of around 60 individuals in Manila and Bacolod.
On the basis of Burgos-Villaverts search warrants, five other unionists
were arrested on Human Rights Day last year Dennise Velasco, Jaymie
Gregorio, Jr., Romina Astudillo, Mark Ryan Cruz and Joel Demate all
claiming that the search warrants were served at dawn, with authorities
spending time inside their houses to allegedly plant evidence before
declaring the start of the actual search.
Collectively, they were dubbed the Human Rights Day 7.
'WHAT STAGFLATION?': DIOKNO DOWNPLAYS FEARED COMBO OF RECESSION, INFLATION
MANILA Is the Philippines currently experiencing a bad combo of economic
meltdown, massive joblessness and spiking inflation at the same time? The
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) does not think so.
Fears that the economy is suffering from a phenomenon called stagflation
surfaced on Friday after state statisticians reported that price increases
soared past expectations in January. But for the central bank, which since
November had maintained that bouts of inflation would be temporary, the
anxieties are misplaced.
What stagflation? BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said in a text message to
reporters on Friday. Were within our inflation target.
In economics, stagflation, a merge of the words stagnation and
inflation, describes a combination of a contracting economy and surging
prices. It is an unfortunate situation where efforts to revive the economy
such as increasing money supply and more spending may inadvertently
exacerbate inflation which in effect, can only derail growth further.
This puts policymakers on a dilemma whether to address expensive prices or
lagging productivity and Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, an economist,
warned the Philippines may be looking at stagflation right at its face.
This could be our situation if we dont act fast, she said.
THE REST
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ZAMBOANGA CITY ON HIGH ALERT VS REPORTED ABU SAYYAF BOMBING PLOT
ZAMBOANGA CITY The city government heightened its alert over a plot by the
Islamic-State-linked terror group plot to set of bombs in retaliation and as
a distraction, according to officials.
Mayor Maria Isabelle-Climaco Salazar issued an urgent warning of a terror
plot following the neutralization of two Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf
henchmen and a sub-leader during police operations early this week in this
city.
Salazar said the arrest was a clear indication of the rampant terror threat
as a result of the continued operations against the terror group in Sulu,
Basilan and Lanao del Sur.
This could be diversionary tactics which the terrorists want to stage by
conducting bombings, Salazar said.
Our appeal to our residents and our 98 barangays is to stay alert and
remain vigilant against unidentified persons and suspicious vehicles. We
should not allow to carry the unidentified items just to help the
terrorists, Salazar said
Salazar appealed to residents to help secure vital installations, such as
government facilities, places of worship, and security installations.
This is our advisory and appeal for our people to cooperate especially
there is threat of terrorism, bombings and other atrocities which serves as
diversionary tactics, Salazar added.
DOH CONFIRMS 1,894 NEW COVID-19 CASES; DEATHS BREACH 11,000
MANILA The Philippines on Friday logged 1,894 newly-reported COVID-19
cases, pushing the number of total infections to 533,587, while deaths due
to the disease breached the 11,000-mark.
This is the 5th straight day that the daily tally did not exceed 2,000 but
it does not include data from 6 laboratories that failed to submit results
to the COVID-19 Data Repository System on Thursday.
The day's cases were also the highest daily tally since Sunday or Jan. 31,
when the country recorded 2,103 cases, according to the ABS-CBN
Investigative and Research Group (IRG).
Active infections reached 34,255, according to the Department of Health
(DOH). Some 95 percent of patients are asymptomatic or are experiencing mild
symptoms.
The disease claimed 61 more lives, bringing the countrys death toll to
11,058, a year after its presence was detected locally. This is also the 7th
straight day that the daily recorded deaths exceeded 50, ABS-CBN News Data
Analytics Head Edson Guido said.
PARAÑAQUE COLD-STORAGE FACILITY CAN TAKE IN 2M VACCINE DOSES THIS MONTH,
SAYS EXEC
MANILACoronavirus mitigation officials on Friday visited storage facilities
of Royal Cargo Inc. in Parañaque City, as part of government preparations
for the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines.
Officials of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging
Infectious Diseases and the National Task Force against COVID-19 are eyeing
more cold storage firms as depots for the vaccines expected to arrive in the
country soon.
Royal Cargo chairman and group CEO Michael Kurt Raeuber said the company's
cold chain facilities can store up to 2 million doses by February, and
another 8 million doses from March to April.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Royal Cargo has enough facilities
to cover all the temperature requirements of the different vaccine brands.
CHR TO PROBE SILAY CITY POLICE FOR PARADING ALLEGED QUARANTINE VIOLATORS
MANILA The Commission on Human Rights said Saturday that its office in
Western Visayas will be conducting an investigation on Silay City police for
parading alleged quarantine violators.
The CHR said this is to hear the side of Silay City police who posted Friday
a now-deleted video on social media showing a procession of people
apprehended for allegedly not wearing masks.
The rights commission reminded law enforcers yet again to respect every
persons dignity as it said that parading alleged quarantine violators on
the streets may amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or
punishment punishable under the Anti-Torture Act.
Human rights must always rest at the core of law enforcement. We urge law
enforcement officers to also coordinate with public health experts on how to
better explain and ensure compliance to health safety protocols amidst the
pandemic, the CHR said.
The Duterte administration has been criticized over its militaristic
handling of the pandemic and its apparent double standards when it comes to
enforcing quarantine protocols where ordinary folk get severely punished
while prominent personalities get a slap on the wrist.
UNLESS ALONE, ALL VEHICLE OCCUPANTS MUST WEAR FACE MASKS
MANILA Drivers and their passengers, even from the same household, are
required to wear face masks inside private vehicles, the Departments of
Transportation (DOTr) and of Health (DOH) said yesterday.
In a joint statement, the DOTr and DOH said only when drivers are alone in
their vehicles may they be allowed to remove their face mask.
However, when they are with one or more passengers, it is mandatory for all
individuals inside the vehicle to properly wear a face mask, regardless of
whether or not they are from the same household, the statement said.
This puts an end to questions on whether families or those living in the
same household are exempted from the guideline issued by the Inter-Agency
Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on
wearing of face masks inside vehicles.
ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE
SAMANTHA BERNARDO TO REPRESENT PHILIPPINES AT MISS GRAND INTERNATIONAL 2020
MANILA Samantha Bernardo is representing the Philippines at the Miss Grand
International 2020 pageant on March 27 in Thailand.
The announcement was made on the Miss Grand International Facebook account
on Friday.
"Isang karangalan, mahal kong Pilipinas," Bernardo wrote on her Instagram
hours after the confirmation.
She is a seasoned pageant contestant who placed 2nd runner-up at the 2018
and 2019 editions of Binibining Pilipinas. She was set to compete again at
the 2020 edition slated for April.
The official confirmation described her as "an empowered woman from the
Philippines Last Frontier, Palawan."
A graduate of Hospitality Management, Bernardo was a competitive rhythmic
gymnast and the former president of Sining Palawan Dance Troupe.
Bernardo is the spokesperson for the Philippine Movement Against Malaria, a
movement that aims for a malaria-free Philippines by 2030.
Miss Grand International was founded in 2013. Nicole Cordoves placed 1st
runner-up in 2016, the highest placement for the Philippines in the
pageant's history.
SPORTS
TOKYO-BOUND OBIENA RULES BERLIN MEET, SHATTERS PHILIPPINE RECORD ANEW
MANILA Tokyo-bound EJ Obiena soared to a gold medal finish at the ISTAF
Indoor Athletics Meet in Berlin Germany on Friday (Early Saturday, Manila
time).
This after he hurdled a personal best 5.80 meter mark in the competition,
which also shattered the Philippine indoor pole vault record.
Obiena obliterated the record he himself set just a week ago at the
Karlrushe World Indoor Tour Meeting where he cleared 5.62m.
He only finished fifth in that competition.
In Berlin, the 25-year-old made easy work of the 5.42m while needing two
attempts to clear the 5.52, 5.62, and 5.72m marks.
He clashed with Germany's Torben Blech for top honors in the 5.80 mark.
Obiena clinched the gold after clearing the mark with only one try, while
Blech needed two attempts to settle for silver.
Fellow German Oleg Zernikel finished third for the bronze medal.
Obiena is one of four Filipino athletes who are bound for the Tokyo Olympics
set in Japan later this year.
Gymnast Carlos Yulo, and pugs Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno round up the
official delegation so far.
NBA SCORES FEB 4
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Jazz 17-5 20 25 35 32 112
Hawks 10-12 16 21 26 28 91
SCORING LEADERS
J. Clarkson UTA
23 PTS, 7 REB, 0 AST
J. Collins ATL
17 PTS, 7 REB, 1 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Warriors 12-10 36 38 36 37 147
Mavericks 9-14 34 42 20 20 116
SCORING LEADERS
K. Oubre Jr. GS
40 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST
L. Doncic DAL
27 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Trail Blazers 12-9 28 29 40 24 121
76ers 16-7 28 29 19 29 105
SCORING LEADERS
G. Trent Jr. POR
24 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST
J. Embiid PHI
37 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Rockets 11-10 27 33 27 28 115
Grizzlies 9-8 27 20 23 33 103
SCORING LEADERS
J. Wall HOU
22 PTS, 1 REB, 8 AST
D. Bane MEM
16 PTS, 1 REB, 3 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Nuggets 12-9 30 28 17 18 93
Lakers 17-6 27 19 37 31 114
SCORING LEADERS
J. Murray DEN
20 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST
L. James LAL
27 PTS, 10 REB, 10 AST
INDICATORS
FOREX $1 = P 48.07
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them. - Michael
Jordan
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