CHINA DENIES ‘THREATENING PRESENCE’ OF ITS VESSELS IN PHILIPPINE WATERS
The Philippines complained to China on Monday about what it described as the “swarming and threatening presence” of Chinese vessels in disputed waters in the South China Sea and demanded they be withdrawn from the area.
Philippine officials on Sunday reported about 220 vessels, believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel, were seen anchored at the Whitsun Reef, which Manila calls the Julian Felipe Reef, on March 7.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila said on Monday the boats spotted in Whitsun Reef were fishing vessels and were taking shelter due to rough sea conditions.
“The continued deployment, lingering presence and activities of Chinese vessels infringe upon Philippine sovereignty,” the Philippine foreign ministry said in a diplomatic protest.
“Their swarming and threatening presence creates an atmosphere of instability and is a blatant disregard of the commitment of China to promote peace and stability in the region,” it said.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila rejected the accusations.
“There is no Chinese maritime militia as alleged. Any speculation as such helps nothing but causes unnecessary irritation,” it said in a statement.
Philippines Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Sunday the presence of militia boats in Whitsun Reef was a “clear provocative action of militarising the area” and urged China to recall the vessels violating the country’s maritime rights.
SECOND BATCH OF CHINA-DONATED VACCINES THIS WEEK
At least 400,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines donated by the Chinese government are expected to arrive in the Philippines later this week.
"This will be China's second donation to the Philippines after airlifting the 600,000 Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines three weeks ago, which will bring the total amount of donation to one million doses," Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian says.
GOV'T CAN'T ASSUME LIABILITY FOR COVID-19 JABS BOUGHT BY PRIVATE SECTOR, DUTERTE SAYS
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte said the government must not be held responsible for adverse events that may arise from COVID-19 vaccines procured by the private sector even after he signed a law that gives indemnity to vaccine manufacturers.
“One that is the government cannot guarantee much less give you an immune status that you are freed of any and all liability… I think we cannot even do that even if we wanted to, the assumption of liability for the stocks that are bought from the private sector,” Duterte said in a televised meeting Monday evening.
“Ang gusto ng manufacturers ang private sector magbili, ang gobyerno ang mag-assume ng liability. Hindi ho pwede ang ganoon,” he added.
DUTERTE-DUTERTE IN 2022? THERE'S AN ALTERNATIVE, SAYS 1SAMBAYAN
MANILA - Opposition coalition 1Sambayan on Tuesday called on the Philippine electorate there is an "alternative" choice for the 2022 elections rather than allowing the same administration to stay in power for another 6 years.
"People who keep saying that we need a continuity of the same administration, we want to show them that there's an alternative. There must be an alternative," 1Sambayan convenor Bro. Armin Luistro told ANC.
He bared that part of the reason why the 1Sambayan coalition was created was because of the possible tandem of President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Davao City mayor Sara-Duterte Carpio, in next year's polls."We kind of take that as part of the territory and part of the main reason why we have come together," said Luistro, a former education secretary and president of De La Salle University.
Luistro said they grew frustrated over the present administration's seeming failure in addressing the country's problems.
"It's 5 years of the Duterte administration and it doesn't look like leadership is doing their share in addressing the critical problems of the country," he said.
LGUS, PRIVATE SECTOR SHOULD ONLY BUY COVID-19 VACCINES UNDER TRIPARTITE AGREEMENT WITH NAT'L GOV'T: GALVEZ
MANILA - The Philippines' vaccine czar on Monday said local government units and the private sector should only purchase COVID-19 vaccines through a tripartite agreement with the national government.
National COVID-19 Task Force chief implementer Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. said that as the pandemic rages on, vaccines can't be commercialized and that they're still under emergency use authorization.
"Meaning 'yung adverse effect atsaka indemnification at talagang sa gobyerno po ang mananagot po," Galvez Jr. said in an aired public briefing.
"Ang maganda din po dito sa tripartite agreement ay makaka-create po tayo ng malaking volume at napababa po natin 'yung presyo. Ito po ay advantage ng private sector atsaka ng LGU dahil kasi po meron na po tayong nangyari na tatlong company, because of the big volume that we had, naibaba po natin nang napakababa po," he said.
DOMINGUEZ: GOVERNMENT LOANS WEREN'T JUST FOR COVID-19 VACCINES
Philippines to borrow around P3 trillion in 2021, finance chief says
MANILA - Finance Sec. Carlos "Sonny" Domínguez III said Monday the loans that the Philippines took since 2020 were not only used for acquiring COVID-19 vaccines but also for other expenditures, such as paying other loans and government projects.
His statement came after Senators Panfilo Lacson and Risa Hontiveros questioned the Philippines' supply of COVID-19 vaccines and the pace of the vaccine drive, respectively, amid a renewed surge of coronavirus infections in the country.
Lacson tweeted a list of Philippine loans from various organizations and asked where the vaccines are, while Hontiveros noted that the number of vaccinated health workers is still low, given that the vaccine drive started on March 1.
Dominguez explained in a public briefing that aside from the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines, the Philippines paid for its loans before the pandemic. He said that in 2019, the country spent P3.8 trillion on various projects while collecting only P3.1 trillion in taxes. The country only had a deficit of P666 billion.
But due to the COVID-19 crisis which began in 2020, the deficit rose to P1.37 trillion in the same year after the Philippines spent P4.23 trillion, of which "almost P250 billion" were spent on financial aid for Filipinos who lost their jobs or were not able to generate income due to the coronavirus lockdown, Dominguez said.
According to the finance chief said that in the same year, only P2.86 trillion in taxes were collected by government, and the Philippines had to borrow P2.74 trillion to cover the shortfall.
"We borrowed more because ... we have more projects that we were still funding like the Build, Build, Build [infrastructure program], the different bridges we were starting, so we borrowed more. Plus, bumaba ho 'yung interest rate in 2020, so humiram tayo para bayaran 'yung old debt kasi mas mura na ang interest.
"Now, P82.5 billion pesos, will buy us enough doses to inoculate 100% of our adult population, kasi according to the Department of Health, 'di pa pwede i-inoculate 'yung mga bata (minors can't be inoculated)," he said.
"So that money … plus the private sector and another P10 billion from the LGUs, we'll be able to vaccinate all the adults in the Philippines this year," he added.
PALACE: NO ‘AYUDA’ DURING GCQ BUBBLE
MANILA, Philippines — The government does not need to provide aid or ayuda similar to the multibillion-peso package given during last year’s lockdown because people can still work despite the stricter measures currently in place to address the surge in COVID-19 cases, Malacañang said yesterday.
Some sectors are worried that the tighter safety measures the Duterte administration has imposed would disrupt the income of some businesses and workers, and urged the government to provide assistance to affected groups.
Labor groups Associated Labor Union (ALU), Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) and Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) yesterday sought cash assistance for workers as the government suspended the operations of some non-essential industries and imposed movement restrictions in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal as a response to the soaring number of COVID-19 infections.
ALU spokesman Alan Tanjusay said workers need financial aid to cope with the ban on non-essential travel.
PM chair Renato Magtubo called on Congress to immediately pass the proposed Bayanihan 3 in order to provide cash assistance to workers as KMU chair Elmer Labog said the government has the responsibility to provide workers with cash assistance.
But presidential spokesman Harry Roque said agencies are continuously helping displaced workers, citing the labor department’s emergency employment program Tupad and the loans provided by state-run Small Business Corp. to small and medium enterprises.
“In terms of the assistance similar to the one we provided during ECQ (enhanced community quarantine), since we did not stop our countrymen from working, we do not have to extend such an aid because everybody can work,” he said at a press briefing.
GOV’T URGED: TIGHTEN CUSTOMS CHECKS ON PAINT IMPORTS
MANILA, Philippines — A toxics watchdog group urged customs authorities Tuesday to tighten controls to bar the entry of paint products that do not conform with the country‘s strict lead paint regulation.
In an earlier statement sent to reporters, the EcoWaste Coalition disclosed that it found some 13 aerosol paints from abroad that tested positive for dangerously high concentrations of lead with a lead content up to 56,100 parts per million.
According to the group, the products were found being "sold to uninformed consumers" by offline and online retailers despite the country’s regulations banning lead above 90 ppm in paints.
“The authorities need to act with dispatch to ensure that these dangerous products are removed from the market and returned to their suppliers for environmentally sound disposal,” Thony Dizon, chemical safety campaigner for the coalition said in a separate statement Tuesday.
“The Bureau of Customs, with guidance from concerned health and trade regulators, can stop the entry of non-compliant paint products by strengthening import controls," the group also said, warning that the continued sale of such products could only present a serious health hazard over time.
THE REST
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MARCH 22: RECORD-HIGH 8,019 NEW COVID-19 CASES
The Department of Health reports a new record high of 8,019 coronavirus cases, pushing the national caseload to 671,792.
Recoveries: 103, pushing total to 577,850
Deaths: 4, bringing total to 12,972
Active cases: 80,970 or 12.1% of the total
METRO MANILA HOSPITALS REACHING FULL CAPACITY FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS
MANILA, Philippines — With coronavirus cases steadily on the rise in Metro Manila, the capital region's hospitals are starting to feel the crunch as total bed and intensive care units for COVID-19 patients near full capacity.
Health officials recorded 8,019 additional COVID-19 infections earlier Monday afternoon, bringing the national caseload to 671,792. The number set a record high in daily coronavirus additions in the country, which has been on lockdown for 370 days—the longest quarantine in the world.
In separate advisories issued Monday, the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa and The Medical City in Pasig reported being at full capacity status for coronavirus patients.
"We are advising all suspect, probable, and confirmed COVID-19 patients to seek urgent care in other institutions in the meantime," the former said in a statement.
MARIKINA POSTS 200% HIKE IN COVID-19 CASES
MANILA, Philippines — Hospitals in Marikina have reached full capacity as the city recorded an alarming increase of 200 percent in COVID-19 infections in the past days, Mayor Marcelino Teodoro announced yesterday.
This prompted the city government to refer both infected and non-infected patients to hospitals in neighboring areas.
“In an earlier interview, I was saying we are operating at full capacity. But I was informed again that hospitals in Marikina are now operating beyond their capacity,” Teodoro said in an interview on ANC. “Several patients are lined up outside hospitals to be admitted.”
Teodoro said there are 890 active cases of COVID-19 in the city.
“This is around 200-percent increase from the last cases that we had last week,” he said.
NAVOTAS LOGS 11 NEW VIRUS STRAINS
MANILA, Philippines — Navotas registered 11 cases of the new variants of COVID-19, Mayor Toby Tiangco reported yesterday.
Tiangco said there are 10 cases of the B117 or the UK variant and another case of B1351 or the South African strain in the city.
The following barangays reported having the new strains: Bagumbayan South, Daanghari, Navotas East, Navotas West, NBBS Kaunlaran, San Jose and Sipac Almacen.
Tiangco urged his constituents to keep safe from the more infectious COVID-19 variants by strictly following health protocols.
There were 939 active cases in Navotas as of Sunday.
METRO MANILA WATER SUPPLY SUFFICIENT – PAGASA
MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila will have adequate water supply during the dry season, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said yesterday.
PAGASA hydrologist Richard Orendain said as of 6 a.m. yesterday, the water level at Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan was 207.57 meters. The dam’s normal high water level is 212 meters.
Angat Dam is Metro Manila’s main source of potable water.
“The dam’s current elevation is higher than its rule curve, meaning its supply for domestic use, water irrigation and power generation is normal,” Orendain said at a virtual climate forum.
With Angat’s current level, he said it is unlikely to reach the critical level of 180 meters.
“If this is the scenario, it is possible that we will not run out of water supply until June or July, which is usually the start of the rainy season,” Orendain said.
Meanwhile, PAGASA climate monitoring and prediction section chief Ana Liza Solis said the dry season is approaching.
WOUNDED SAYYAF LEADER DIES FROM BLOOD LOSS
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — A leader of the Abu Sayyaf bandit group, who was wounded and captured following an encounter in Tawi-Tawi on Saturday, has died due to loss of blood, the military confirmed yesterday.
Majan Sahijuan, alias Apo Mike, suffered multiple gunshot wounds when troopers from the Marine Battalion Landing Team-6 (MBLT) and the Navy cornered him and his two followers on Kalupag Island, Languyan town.
“Apo Mike died due to loss of blood while he was being transported. There was no clinic on the island and in nearby areas,” Col. Alaric Avelino de los Santos, spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, said.
The encounter resulted in the rescue of the last Indonesian captive Khairuldin bin Yai Kii on Sunday morning.
Sahijuan’s two followers escaped.
ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE
'THIS IS IT, PILIPINAS': UP SCIENTIST STARTS HISTORIC DESCENT TO 3RD DEEPEST SPOT ON EARTH
A Filipino scientist from the University of the Philippines has started his historic descent as one of the first humans to reach the third deepest spot on earth.
Dr. Deo Florence L. Onda, a microbial oceanographer of The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, is set to make history as he joins American explorer Victor Vescovo in diving the approximately 34,100 feet deep Emden Deep in the Philippine Trench.
"So we are about to go out to the sub...Ito na 'yun, (This is it) Pilipinas. Good luck," Onda said in a Facebook video.
A photo posted by the UP Marine Science Institute showed Onda boarding the submersible Tuesday morning.
Onda was invited by private organization Caladan Oceanic in the expedition set to happen from March 22 to 28. Joining him is undersea explorer Victor Vescovo, who holds the record for the deepest manned descent in the Mariana Trench in 2019.
They will explore Emden Deep onboard the DSSV (deep submersible support vessel) Pressure Drop. The travel would take at least 10 hours, said Onda.
To prepare for the historic attempt, Onda said he watched previous ocean explorations, accustomed himself being enclosed in a deep-sea submersible and "not to be surprised when things could go wrong."
"It will be a privilege that when I come back, I will be teaching something that is not just from the textbooks," he said.
"It's something that I have seen myself, I have experienced myself that not all people were able to experience. It is the Filipino people who will actually benefit from that and that's what I'm hoping for," Onda added.
The UP Marine Science Institute earlier touted the activity as a "major record-setting scientific and historic achievement."
“The Philippine Trench is a unique feature found within the EEZ of the Philippines, and it is only appropriate that a Filipino scientist be one of the first to hold this record in the Emden Deep,” it added.
SPORTS
NBA SCORES MARCH 21
FINAL/OT
1 2 3 4 OT T
Pacers 19-22 32 25 22 19 11 109
Heat 22-21 26 23 21 28 8 106
SCORING LEADERS
D. Sabonis IND
17 PTS, 11 REB, 1 AST
B. Adebayo MIA
29 PTS, 10 REB, 2 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Thunder 18-24 31 35 24 24 114
Rockets 11-30 22 40 23 27 112
SCORING LEADERS
L. Dort OKC
23 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST
C. Wood HOU
27 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Pelicans 18-24 22 36 25 30 113
Nuggets 25-17 30 21 29 28 108
SCORING LEADERS
Z. Williamson NO
30 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST
N. Jokic DEN
29 PTS, 10 REB, 10 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Magic 14-28 31 17 25 23 96
Celtics 21-21 27 29 33 23 112
SCORING LEADERS
N. Vucevic ORL
22 PTS, 13 REB, 3 AST
J. Brown BOS
34 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Bulls 19-22 20 26 29 25 100
Pistons 12-30 25 20 20 21 86
SCORING LEADERS
Z. LaVine CHI
18 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST
J. Grant DET
26 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Wizards 15-26 30 26 27 23 106
Nets 29-14 25 38 25 25 113
SCORING LEADERS
R. Westbrook WAS
29 PTS, 13 REB, 13 AST
K. Irving BKN
28 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Raptors 17-25 28 29 18 30 105
Cavaliers 16-26 23 36 32 25 116
SCORING LEADERS
F. VanVleet TOR
23 PTS, 1 REB, 7 AST
C. Sexton CLE
36 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST
FINAL/OT
1 2 3 4 OT T
76ers 30-13 23 20 21 24 13 101
Knicks 21-22 15 27 22 24 12 100
SCORING LEADERS
S. Milton PHI
21 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST
J. Randle NY
24 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Lakers 28-15 26 18 32 18 94
Suns 28-13 31 28 29 23 111
SCORING LEADERS
M. Harrell LAL
23 PTS, 10 REB, 0 AST
D. Ayton PHO
26 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Mavericks 22-19 27 38 38 29 132
Trail Blazers 25-17 30 24 15 23 92
SCORING LEADERS
L. Doncic DAL
37 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST
D. Lillard POR
19 PTS, 1 REB, 4 AST
INDICATORS
FOREX $1 = P 48.58
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A goal is created three times. First as a mental picture. Second, when written down to add clarity and dimension. And third, when you take action towards its achievement. -Gary Ryan
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