PH EYES DISTRIBUTION OF ALL 600,000 SINOVAC VACCINES WITHIN FIRST WEEK OF MARCH

MANILA - The government is planning to deploy all 600,000 Sinovac vaccine doses to different hospitals across the country within the first week of March, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., said Wednesday.

The country began rolling out its vaccination program on Monday using shots from Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech, which arrived on Sunday. The 11 hospitals where the vaccines were deployed so far were able to inoculate 2,793 as of Tuesday evening, said Galvez.

"Ang target namin end of the week, ma-deploy na namin 'yung almost 600 (thousand)...Ang target namin ngayong linggo, ma-dispatch na namin, ma-distribute na namin lahat ng mga doses sa different regions," he told ANC's Headstart.

PHILIPPINES CALLS FOR RELEASE OF MYANMAR'S AUNG SAN SUU KYI

MANILA - The Philippine government has called for the release of Myanmar's detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi and a "complete return to the previously existing state of affairs” in the country.

The Philippine statement was delivered by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. during the virtual informal meeting held by ASEAN foreign ministers on Myanmar following the coup d’etat that turned the country upside down.

Locsin cited the “unifying role of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in her country’s history and in its destiny” while recognizing the role of Myanmar’s Army’s “in preserving Myanmar’s territorial integrity and national security.”

"We have always stood by Myanmar’s side as it tried to fix its ethnic challenges; the worst ones clear legacies of reckless and opportunistic Western imperialism. We have stood by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in particular; and defended her against calumnies from hypocrites in the West. We have hit back hard at her pro-democracy and human rights critics— not a single one of whom has done anything at all for democracy and human rights; let alone as much as she has at great risk to her life and with great loss in her life. We worked hard to give Myanmar back the respect due a responsible member of the community of nations moving, in the face of great challenges, towards fuller democracy. This should not stop now," Locsin said.

"Indeed, more than ever we should help all the more. Our appeal is not from the outside but from inside what we claim is one family: a family first of peoples and not of governments; feeling the hurt in one of its members," he added.

Locsin reiterated that the appeal was made not from the outside but from inside what we claim is one family,” saying that it is “a family first of peoples and not of governments; feeling the hurt in one of its members.”

"In the Philippines, we have a saying: the hurt of the small finger is felt by the whole body. Myanmar is not a small finger but a big part of the two hands that together make up the family of ASEAN 10," he said.

The ASEAN foreign ministers called Tuesday for de-escalation of the post-coup political crisis in Myanmar and for dialogue among all parties concerned in search of a peaceful solution, while suggesting a bigger role for ASEAN.

PHILIPPINES TO RESUME DEPLOYMENT OF DOMESTIC WORKERS TO UAE

MANILA - After 7 years of negotiations, the Philippines will resume its deployment of domestic workers to the United Arab Emirates on March 31, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Wednesday.

Some 100,000 household service workers await their deployment to the Gulf nation, according to Bello.

"Finally they agreed that the contract will be signed not only by the employer and household worker but also the foreign recruitment agency as well as the Philippine recruitment agency," he told ANC's Headstart.

Filipino migrant workers must also have their cellphones and passports at all times and be given paid vacation, he added.

The labor chief also proposed to UAE officials that the domestic workers be vaccinated prior to their deployment.

"Very positive ang reaction nila (Their reaction is very positive), they said they will come up with their response anytime now after they go back to their country," Bello said.

"Hindi namin ginawang condition. For our protection and their protection, mas maganda bago pumunta ang household worker na-vaccinate na sila."

'HINDI NAMAN PO TALAGA BAKASYON': ROQUE CLARIFIES '1-YEAR VACATION' REMARK

MANILA — Palace spokesman Harry Roque on Wednesday clarified his recent remark that Filipinos have been on a nearly year-long "vacation" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Roque made the statement in connection to President Rodrigo Duterte's recent move to classify canceling traditional holidays on Nov. 2, Dec. 24, and Dec. 31 in a bid to support economic recovery.

"Napakatagal na po nating nakabakasyon, halos isang taon na tayong nagbakasyon dahil sa COVID-19," he said in an online briefing on Tuesday.

"Siguro naman po, ngayong andito na ang bakuna, hayaan naman nating maka-recover tayo for lost time."

Following public criticism of his statement online, Roque said the context for his statement was the unemployment that the pandemic caused.

"Ang konteksto lang nito, talagang maraming tao ang hindi nakapaghanapbuhay dahil dito sa pandemiyang ito. Kaya nga ninanais ng economic team na makahabol naman tayo, at iyon po ang konteksto na aking sinabi," he said in a media interview.

"Hindi naman po talaga bakasyon 'yan, kung hindi, hindi nakapagtatrabaho. Kaya ngayon na pupuwede na po tayong makapagtrabaho sana dahil nagbubukas na tayo ng ekonomiya, hayaan naman nating kumita at makapagtrabaho ang ating mga kababayan," he said in a media interview.

With All Souls’ Day, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve classified as special working days, workers will no longer get additional holiday pay equal to 30 percent of their daily basic wage, Sen. Risa Hontiveros had said in urging the Palace to reconsider its decision.

"Tingnan po natin kung ano’ng mangyayari. Nothing is etched in stone naman po," Roque said on Tuesday. "Tingnan natin, baka naman dahil may bakuna na, makabalik na tayo sa dati at baka hindi na natin kailangan maghabol pa."

TRILLANES WINS AT COURT OF APPEALS: RULING REVIVING REBELLION CASE REVERSED

MANILA — The Court of Appeals (CA) on Monday overturned an order by a Makati City regional trial court (RTC) to revive the rebellion case against former senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

In a 59-page decision, the CA’s 6th Division ruled that Judge Elmo Alameda of RTC Branch 150 “acted with grave abuse of discretion” when he issued the orders in 2018 without considering whether his courtroom still had jurisdiction on a case “it has long ago dismissed.”

The CA granted Trillanes’ petition for review and a temporary restraining order as well as a preliminary injunction against Alameda, the Makati prosecutor’s office and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The decision was penned by CA Sixth Division chair Associate Justice Apolinario Bruselas Jr., with Associate Justices Maria Christine Azcarraga-Jacob and Angelene Mary Quimpo-Sale concurring.

DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he has not yet read the CA’s decision.

“But I know that the issues are exclusively jurisdictional in character. I will leave it to the Office of the Solicitor General, as counsel for the government, to determine the appropriate legal remedy, which may include a motion for reconsideration with the (CA) or a petition for review with the Supreme Court,” Guevarra said.

The CA said in its decision that Proclamation 75, a conditional amnesty decree issued during the time of former president Benigno Aquino III, was not revoked or repealed by Proclamation 572 of President Duterte since only the individualized grant to Trillanes was revoked.

The CA also dismissed the argument that there is a violation of the double jeopardy rule, saying since the dismissal of the case was because he filed a motion to dismiss, “he is deemed to have expressly given his consent to such dismissal.”

“Considering that the first jeopardy did not attach when… the rebellion case was previously dismissed, any consequent action against the petitioner for the same crime of rebellion will not expose him to double jeopardy,” the CA said.

It also said Proclamation 572, which authorized Trillanes’ arrest without a warrant, violated neither the due process clause of the Constitution nor the equal protection clause.

But while the CA affirmed the constitutionality of Proclamation 572, it pointed out that the DOJ failed to comply with the procedural rules in assailing the validity of the Makati court’s dismissal of the rebellion case in 2011.

SENATOR URGES FACEBOOK, TWITTER TO CRACK DOWN ON EXPLOITATION ACTIVITIES

MANILA — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday called on Facebook and Twitter to take action against the criminal activities perpetrated on their platforms, citing in specific the online exploitation of women and children.

"It's not just fake news that easily spreads on social media but also the abuse of our youth and women," Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, said in Filipino.

"Social media platforms that still are not able to address this growing problem should be made accountable."

The panel chaired by Hontiveros on Tuesday held a hearing on proposed measures against the abuse and exploitation of women and children online. Senate Bill 2068 or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) Law, among the measures tackled, imposes duties on social media platforms.

But Facebook snubbed the committee's invitation to the inquiry, earning the ire of three senators.

"These abuses are happening in plain sight for lack of a better term in these social media accounts. They're making money out of these activities and they could have at least sent a representative during our hearing," Sen. Francis Pangilinan said partially in Filipino.

Sen. Pia Cayetano echoed Pangilinan, saying she found it "extremely disturbing" that Facebook skipped the hearing.

At the urging of Pangilinan and Cayetano, Hontiveros said she would consider holding Facebook in contempt.

Facebook to attend next hearing

In a separate statement released later Wednesday, Hontiveros announced that Facebook would be attending the next installment of the hearing, which will center on the role of social media platforms in online abuse and exploitation in the Philippines.

"We have heard their explanation that their policy team did not receive the invitation that was sent, and we will call a next hearing to provide a platform for Facebook and other social media outfits to explain their side and open themselves to questions from legislators," she said.

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DUTERTE URGED TO MAKE UPPER MARIKINA WATERSHED QUARRY-FREE

MANILA — Environmental groups called on President Rodrigo Duterte to cancel mining agreements inside the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL) in Rizal province to protect threatened flora and fauna and mitigate the impacts of climate crisis.

In a statement released on World Wildlife Day Wednesday, the Upper Marikina Watershed Coalition asked Duterte to urgently rescind all existing Mineral Production Sharing Agreements (MPSAs) inside the 26,126-hectare UMRBPL and nearby protected and conserved areas before his term ends next year.

MPSAs, which are issued by the government, give contractors the right to mine within a contract area. The coalition said these pose threats to the integrity of the watershed and all life forms within it.

It said there are at least six MPSAs existing or overlapping with the UMRBPL, covering about 1,500 hectares of protected forestland. Another 658 hectares appear to be under MPSAs in adjacent protected and conserved sites.

The Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018 prohibits mineral exploration or extraction within protected areas.

“Quarrying will permanently destroy sensitive habitats of threatened flora and fauna,” the coalition said.

NO VACCINATION, NO WORK POLICY OPPOSED

MANILA — Organized labor groups yesterday opposed the reported efforts of some companies to adopt a “no vaccination, no work” policy.

The Associated Labor Unions (ALU) said it received complaints from workers that they are being required to avail themselves of company-sponsored vaccination activities or be barred from the workplace.

“Other business owners instructed their supervisors and managers to deem reluctant employees as unfit for work,” ALU said in a statement.

It said some employees were told they would be asked to present a certification as proof they have been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccine before they would be allowed to work.

Other employees, the ALU said, are being threatened with reassignment and relocation to other branches should they not participate in the company-sponsored immunization program.

“There were employees who were told that they would be put on furlough or floating status until they are injected with the vaccine,” ALU noted.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said employees should be given the option to decide and not be required by employers to get vaccinated against COVID.

“Anyway if an employee is not vaccinated, he or she is the one at risk of getting COVID-19,” Lopez said.

The labor group said the government should immediately act to prevent the discriminatory and coercive mandatory vaccination in some workplaces.

DEPED DROPS PLAN TO SHORTEN VACATION TO 2 WEEKS

MANILA — A Department of Education official said Wednesday he is withdrawing a proposal to shorten the summer break to 2 weeks after drawing fierce criticism online.

“It was among the many options we were considering but noting the objections from our stakeholders, we will no longer propose a two-week break,” Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio told reporters in a Viber message.

Last month, San Antonio, in a TV news report, said the department was considering extending the school year and shortening the 2-month summer break into 2 weeks.

The statement outraged social media users, and was met with criticism by teachers and youth groups.

On Tuesday, the DepEd adjusted the current school calendar to address learning gaps among students, moving the last day of classes to July 10 from June 11.

But officials could not say if changes in the school calendar would shorten the summer break.

“The opening of classes in the next school year is still under deliberation,” said Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan, asked whether School Year 2021 to 2022 would start in September.

The DepEd moved the start of School Year 2020 to 2021 from June to October so schools could prepare for distance learning, which was implemented after in-person classes were banned due to COVID-19.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

DISNEY HISTORY: KZ SINGS ‘GABAY,’ THE FIRST-EVER FILIPINO-LANGUAGE SONG FROM ANIMATION STUDIO

MANILA — Kapamilya singer KZ Tandingan made history on Tuesday as she was introduced as the voice of the first-ever Filipino-language song from Disney, for its latest animation feature, the Southeast Asia-themed “Raya and the Last Dragon.”

Dubbed “Asia’s Soul Supreme,” Tandingan was handpicked by Disney Philippines to perform “Gabay,” according to its studio marketing head Allie Benedicto.

Noting that the film is “inspired by various Southeast Asian cultures,” Benedicto said the group “found it fitting to launch ‘Gabay’ as a way for us to celebrate the film and connect with our Filipino fans.”

The track, the first official Disney song to be sung in Filipino, “demonstrates our commitment to work with local creative talents to tell our stories in a locally relevant manner,” she added.

“Gabay” will be released on March 5, coinciding with the Disney+ premiere of “Raya and the Last Dragon” in the United States. A Philippine cinema release will follow “soon,” according to Disney Philippines.

Tandingan, the Philippines’ only “X Factor” winner who then made waves internationally through China’s “Singer 2018,” said she is “very grateful" and "feel very proud to be singing in my language, and show off its beauty to the rest of the world.”

“I am proud to be part of history,” Tandingan said.

“I grew up watching Disney movies. Finally, there is a Disney Princess who I can feel a very strong connection to, and that is Raya as the first one inspired by Southeast Asia,” she said.

Set in the fantasy world Kumandra — which blends cultures of Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines — “Raya and the Last Dragon” follows the title character (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran) as she embarks on a mission to “restore peace” by finding the last dragon, Sisu (voiced by Awkwafina).

Fittingly, “Gabay” is a song about trust, strength, and unity, according to Tandingan.

“I love that the song reminds us that sometimes we feel we are weak, especially when we are alone, but if we just learn to trust each other, to come together, and to unite, only then are we able to change the world,” she said.

Tandingan follows the likes of Janella Salvador (“How Far I’ll Go” for “Moana”), Moira Dela Torre (“Reflection” for “Mulan”), and Darren Espanto and Morissette Amon (“A Whole New World” for “Aladdin”) as Filipinos who have been tapped to officially record a local version of a Disney theme song.

Tandingan, however, has the distinction of performing the first, and so far, only Filipino-language version of a song from a Disney title.

SPORTS

NBA SCORES MARCH 1

FINAL

           1          2          3          4          T

Mavericks  17-16           29        32        34        35        130

Magic  13-22     33        25        28        38        124

SCORING LEADERS

            L. Doncic DAL

33 PTS, 10 REB, 9 AST

            N. Vucevic ORL

29 PTS, 15 REB, 8 AST

FINAL

           1          2          3          4          T

Pacers  15-18   32        23        22        37        114

76ers  23-12     33        39        33        25        130

SCORING LEADERS

            M. Brogdon IND

20 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST

            S. Milton PHI

26 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST

FINAL

           1          2          3          4          T

Jazz  27-8         23        41        24        36        124

Pelicans  15-19 26        33        40        30        129

SCORING LEADERS

            B. Bogdanovic UTA

31 PTS, 7 REB, 1 AST

            Z. Williamson NO

26 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST

FINAL

           1          2          3          4          T

Nuggets  19-15 37        25        27        29        118

Bulls  15-18       25        30        32        25        112

SCORING LEADERS

            N. Jokic DEN

39 PTS, 14 REB, 9 AST

            Z. LaVine CHI

23 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST

FINAL/OT

           1          2          3          4          OT       T

Nets  23-13       27        30        24        27        16        124

Spurs  17-13     21        33        27        27        5          113

SCORING LEADERS

            J. Harden BKN

30 PTS, 14 REB, 15 AST

            D. DeRozan SA

22 PTS, 6 REB, 11 AST

FINAL

           1          2          3          4          T

Cavaliers  14-21            34        17        23        27        101

Rockets  11-22  29        21        20        20        90

SCORING LEADERS

            C. Sexton CLE

39 PTS, 3 REB, 8 AST

            J. Wall HOU

32 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST

FINAL

           1          2          3          4          T

Hornets  16-18  33        26        24        28        111

Trail Blazers  19-14       27        32        33        31        123

SCORING LEADERS

            L. Ball CHA

30 PTS, 6 REB, 8 AST

            C. Anthony POR

29 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 48.56

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike. – Oscar Wilde