US TRAVEL ADVISORY VS PH PART OF COVID-19 BORDER CONTROL: ENVOY
MANILA - The United States' travel advisory against the Philippines is part of its border control to prevent the entry of new COVID-19 variants, Manila's ambassador to Washington said Monday.
The US State Department last week issued an advisory telling its citizens to avoid traveling to the Philippines due to a "very high level of COVID-19."
"This is very normal for them to do so. I think they have already issued this in the past when there was a big problem in the UK...The fact is they're still trying to control their borders by not having any American infected with a new variant," Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez told ANC's Headstart.
"It depends on how we manage it. The latest report we've had is we've been able to bring down the level of infection rate. That’s a good sign. If we continue along that path, most likely there will be no ban for Filipinos coming to the US."
Meantime, the delivery of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is still set in June, Romualdez said.
PHILIPPINES MUST TAKE LEAD IN SEA DISPUTE VS CHINA, US WILL SUPPORT: ENVOY
MANILA - The Philippines must take the lead in protecting the West Philippine Sea from China and the US will support it, the country's ambassador to Washington said Monday.
The Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources over the weekend conducted maritime drills in the country's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. Beijing is expected to deploy its amphibious assault ship to the disputed waters.
"The Philippines [has] to take the lead. Any moves that are being made will have to come from the Philippines and the US will support it, for instance the joint patrolling of the area," Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez told ANC's Headstart.
"If anything were to happen to the Philippines, the United States is also very much obligated and they have clearly stated that they will but it will take the Philippines to take the lead. In other words they will not make any move unless the Philippines says so."
The United States has several times said it would uphold its Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines and support Southeast Asian countries resisting Beijing's pressure in the South China Sea.
PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD HOLDS DRILLS IN WEST PHILIPPINE SEA
MANILA — The Philippine coast guard is conducting drills in the South China Sea which an official said Sunday were part of efforts to secure "our maritime jurisdiction" over the disputed waters.
The exercises near the Philippine-occupied Pag-asa (Thitu) Island and China-controlled Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc come amid heightened tensions over the resource-rich sea.
The latest diplomatic wrangle between the two countries was triggered by the detection last month of hundreds of Chinese vessels in the Spratly Islands.
The coast guard drills began last week.
"We are supporting the whole-of-nation approach in securing our maritime jurisdiction," coast guard spokesman Commodore Armando Balilo said.
The exercises involve training in navigation, small boat operations, maintenance and logistical operations.
PHILIPPINES SEES ‘ACCELERATED’ VACCINE DELIVERIES
MANILA — The country is expecting the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to be supplied by the COVAX Facility as early as next month, composed mostly of what the government said were delayed batches, the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 said yesterday.
NTF chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said about seven million to eight million doses could be delivered in May.
“We will be having what we call accelerated deliveries this coming May and June. This coming May, maybe we can have about seven to eight million. We are just waiting because there were delays with COVAX,” Galvez said in an interview aired over Teleradyo.
VP ROBREDO BLASTS OFFICIALS RED-TAGGING COMMUNITY PANTRY ORGANIZERS
MANILA - Finding fault in organizers of community pantries and linking them to the communist movement are misplaced and irresponsible, especially during this pandemic, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Sunday.
“Napaka-misplaced. Instead na maging thankful na merong isang bata pa na nakaisip ng napakahusay na activity, hinahanapan pa ng diperensiya,” Robredo said in her weekly radio program.
“Napaka-misplaced, napaka-irresponsible yung ginagawa ng ibang mga opsiyal ng pamahalaan, na sa pahanong gaya nito, eh ‘yan ang iniisp nila,” she added.
“May lugar at panahon para sa lahat. Ngayon na maraming nagugutom, maraming nawalan ng hanapbuhay, malaki yung pangangailanan, dapat nga, ‘pag may mga ganitong activities ay sinusuportahan. ‘Di ba dapat nga, gayahin na lang nila, kaysa nag-aaksya sila ng panahaon na maghanap ng diperensiya?” Robredo said.
Robredo said beyond the immediate help the community pantries provide, the people’s “sense of community” was revived.
“May obligation, responsibility tayo para siguraduhin natin na ang mga kasamahan natin ay ‘di nagugutom; o maging mapagbigay, maging maalaga. Ito sana yung sine-celebrate,” she said.
The vice president noted that despite the red-tagging, many were actually inspired to put up pantries in their respective communities to give help.
“Ito yung pinaka-value ng community pantry - na napukaw yung kabutihan, yung compassion, sa puso ng maraming mga Pilipino. And ito yung mahalaga,” she said.
PH DEVELOPING COVID-19 HOME CARE PACKAGES TO DECONGEST HOSPITALS
MANILA - The national government is developing a COVID-19 home care package for Filipinos to help decongest hospitals, especially in the capital region, a Health official said Monday.
The Office of the President has instructed the Department of Health (DOH) to craft a home care package immediately, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told ANC's Headstart.
"Itong home care package na immediate na utos sa atin, it will include the basics: mga vitamins, mga paracetamol," she said.
"Para 'yung mga kababayan natin, if they are asked to stay home, they are confident kasi they have this kit for example kung saan nandiyan na yung mga iinumin mo and may mga guidance na sa ating mga doctor through telemedicine," she said.
Health officials are still discussing whether or not antibiotics should be included in these home care packages, Vergeire said.
"It's going to be contentious especially to our clinicians if we are going to put antibiotics already inside that kit," she said.
"Nire-regulate natin dito 'yung pag gamit ng antibiotics because we are seeing resistance kasi gumagamit tayo maya't maya," she said.
While the DOH can easily procure the kits, the agency is still finalizing details on how the public can pay for teleconsultation fees, the Undersecretary said.
METRO MANILA TOLD: CONTACT TRACING SHOULD BE DONE IN 24 HOURS, NOT 5.5 DAYS
MANILA - The Department of Health wants local governments in Metro Manila to ramp up their contact tracing to 24 hours as part of the criteria of easing the region's quarantine classification, an official said Monday.
The capital region, home to a tenth of the country's population, is under modified enhanced community quarantine until April 30 following a surge in virus cases.
Metro Manila mayors might decide later Monday on the quarantine classification of the region following government's economic impact assessment, according to Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro.
Teodoro said the Metro Manila Council had met with the Department of Health on Sunday to discuss possible scenarios of quarantine restrictions, including easing the region to general community quarantine, extending MECQ for 2 weeks, and MECQ extension for a month.
"Bumaba ang kaso pero at critical level pa rin ang dami ng COVID cases natin kaya kailangan ipagpatuloy ang contact tracing natin," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.
"Sa ngayon 5.5 days ang contact tracing natin, ibig sabihin sa loob ng 5 araw, nakukuha o nakikita natin ang close contact ng isang kaso. Gusto maipababa ng DOH up to 24 hours. Sinabi nila ito ang ideal condition para makapagbago tayo ng quarantine condition."
The DOH and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) will meet at 2 p.m. Monday to discuss the economic impact of the quarantine classifications, Teodoro said.
NAME RECALL BOOSTS SARA DUTERTE, OTHER POTENTIAL BETS IN 2022 POLLS: PULSE ASIA
MANILA - Name recall is helping some politicians get good standing in the list of preferred presidential candidates for the 2022 general elections, a private pollster said Monday.
"I think what's driving most of the voting pre-election preference at this point has really been name recall. It's not so much their record because they are not in any way disseminated," Pulse Asia president Ronald Holmes told ANC.
In a pre-election survey conducted by the pollster from February 22 to March 3, 2021 among 2,400 respondents, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is the early frontrunner for the top post, garnering 27 percent voter preference.
Other candidates in the survey are former senator Bongbong Marcos (13 percent), Sen. Grace Poe and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno (12 percent), Sen. Manny Pacquiao (11 percent), Vice President Leni Robredo (7 percent), Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go (5 percent), former Vice President Jejomar Binay (3 percent), Sen. Panfilo Lacson (2 percent) and Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano (2 percent).
Holmes said some politicians were included in the respondents' political preferences due to popularity.
"There are a number of people who are really more nationally prominent or we can say that the public is much more familiar with these individuals relative to all the other individuals," he said.
As to Duterte's case, Holmes said her father's popularity boosted her standing in the survey.
"You can say that there is a level of support for Sara that comes largely from people who support the President," he said.
"Sara is only getting 1 out of 4 that means that some people who may be approving and trusting of the President are expressing preference for other individuals rather than the daughter herself," he said.
The pollster, however, stressed "it's still quite early" to say on what would happen for next year's polls.
DOH WARNS VS MIXING VACCINE BRANDS
MANILA — The country’s treatment czar yesterday expressed caution over the possibility of inoculating with two different brands of COVID-19 vaccines for the first and second doses.
Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said that at this time, there is no scientific data on the safety of injecting different vaccine brands as protection for an individual against COVID.
“It’s uncertain. It didn’t go through a study. There is no scientific basis,” Vega said in a radio interview, noting that vaccines have different platforms and, thus, using two brands may not be a good idea.
AstraZeneca, Gamaleya and Janssen vaccines use viral vector while Sinovac and Bharat use inactivated virus. Pfizer-BioNTech uses messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA).
Philippine Foundation for Vaccination executive director Lulu Bravo backed Vega’s position that there is still no scientific basis to mix COVID-19 vaccines.
“No company has done a study on mixing vaccines with others. It remains to be investigated,” Bravo said in a public briefing.
DUQUE: MECQ EXTENSION FOR 1-2 WEEKS
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III suggests extending the modified enhanced community quarantine in "NCR Plus" for another week or two.
In an interview with radio dzMM, Duque says there are still cities in the capital region with critical risk classification in their intensive care unit capacity.
“Kung titingnan natin ang datos, tingin ko talagang kinakailangan ipagpatuloy ang MECQ for another week or two dahil nga ‘yung ating health system capacity, hindi masyadong nag-iimprove pa sa ngayon," he says.
LAWMAKER WANTS MANDATORY COVID-19 VACCINATION
A lawmaker files House Bill 9252 or the "Mandatory COVID-19 Immunization Act of 2021," seeking to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for persons as determined by the Department of Health.
Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. (Dasmariñas City, Cavite) proposes that the vaccination should be free at any government hospital or health center.
PHILIPPINES MUST ENFORCE NEW COVID-19 MEASURES VS AIRBORNE CORONAVIRUS: NEUROSURGEON
MANILA - The Philippine government must implement new guidelines in preventing COVID-19 transmission amid more evidence that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is airborne, a neurosurgeon said Monday.
A team of American, British and Canadian scientists said they have found new evidence of how the COVID-19 virus can infect people by remaining airborne, according to a study published in scientific journal The Lancet.
"Superspreading events account for substantial SARS-CoV-2 transmission; indeed, such events may be the pandemic's primary drivers," the report said.
It added that long-range transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between people in adjacent rooms but never in each other's presence has been documented in quarantine hotels.
The Department of Health, however, said current safety protocols are sufficient to deal with the spread of more infectious variants of the virus.
"Kailangan i-emphasize na natin itong mga bagong findings. Kaya tayo nandito ngayon, kailangan ipaalam sa bawat isa na nasa hangin ang COVID," Dr. Ronnie Baticulon told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.
THE REST
========
PHILIPPINES' COVID-19 TALLY NEARS 1 MILLION WITH OVER 8,000 NEW CASES
MANILA - The Philippines’ COVID-19 tally neared 1 million as it confirmed 8,162 new cases of the disease on Sunday bringing the country’s total to 997,523.
The country is expected to breach the 1-million mark in terms of total COVID-19 cases on Monday, according to the ABS-CBN Data Analytics Group.
The Department of Health meanwhile also reported 20,509 new recoveries, pushing the total number of Filipinos who recovered from the disease to 903,665.
This means that the country has a total of 77,075 active cases as of 4 p.m. Sunday.
The number of active cases is the lowest since March 21. The DOH has reported nearly 200,000 recoveries in the past 8 days.
One hundred nine more deaths were reported from the illness, bringing COVID-19’s death toll in the Philippines to 16,783.
DILG ASKS COMMUNITY PANTRIES: LET BARANGAYS REACH SENIORS IN THEIR HOMES
MANILA — The Department of the Interior and Local Government wants community pantries to course their operations through the barangays to find ways to reach senior citizens in their homes, it said Sunday.
Speaking in an interview aired over Unang Hirit, Interior Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya suggested that pantry organizers turn over their aid to barangay who can take charge of the distribution.
This comes after a 67-year-old died after he fainted while waiting for his turn at a community pantry set up by actress Angel Locsin. Locsin has apologized for the incident and got in touch with the family shortly after the incident.
"We're asking community pantry organizers, let's look for a way to not force our senior citizens to line up. Let's look for a way to let the barangay do house-to-house and give the aid through a safer and more effective way," Malaya said in Filipino.
"If we invite people from other towns, then we'll have problems there... It's better if we'd limit the operations to our neighbors and community," he also said, citing directives from Interior Secretary Eduardo Año.
MANILA POLICE NAMIGAY NG LUGAW, BIGAS SA QUIAPO
MAYNILA - Namigay ng lugaw, bigas, face masks at face shields ang Manila Police sa Plaza Miranda sa Quiapo nitong Lunes.
Nasa 30 indibidwal ang nakatanggap nito mula sa pansamantalang community pantry na itinayo ng Plaza Miranda Police Precinct at Barangay 306.
Plano ng pulisya na magtayo ng community pantry sa iba pang lugar sa Sta. Cruz, Maynila bawat araw.
ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE
KEY WINNERS AT THE 2021 ACADEMY AWARDS
The Academy Awards, or Oscars, were handed out at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday and broadcast live on ABC television. Following is a list of winners in key categories:
Best picture - “Nomadland”
Best actor - Anthony Hopkins – “The Father”
Best actress - Frances McDormand – “Nomadland”
Best director - Chloe Zhao – “Nomadland”
Best supporting actor - Daniel Kaluuya – “Judas and the Black Messiah”
Best supporting actress - Youn Yuh-jung – “Minari”
Best original screenplay - “Promising Young Woman”
Best adapted screenplay - “The Father”
Best animated feature film - “Soul”
Best Documentary Film - “My Octopus Teacher”
Best international feature film - “Another Round” (Denmark)
Best original song - “Fight for You” – “Judas and the Black Messiah”
The winners were chosen in a secret ballot by the 9,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
DANIEL PADILLA NAGDIWANG NA IKA-26 NA KAARAWAN SA 'ASAP'
Maagang ipinagdiwang ng heartthrob na si Daniel Padilla ang kaniyang ika-26 na kaarawan sa "ASAP Natin 'To" sa pamamagitan ng isang song number.
Para sa kaniyang birthday number, inawit ni Padilla ang kantang "I Melt With You" ng bandang Modern English.
Ayon kay Padilla, hiling lang niya para sa kaarawan na bumuti na ang situwasyon para sa lahat.
"Ang wish ko na lang, sana maging maayos na ang situwasyon nating lahat. Para sa ating lahat, matapos na ang pagdurusa," ani Padilla.
Sa Lunes, Abril 26, ang kaarawan ni Padilla.
SPORTS
NBA SCORES APRIL 24
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Raptors 25-35 26 33 24 20 103
Knicks 34-27 30 34 24 32 120
SCORING LEADERS
O. Anunoby TOR
27 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST
J. Randle NY
31 PTS, 10 REB, 1 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
76ers 39-21 17 23 23 31 94
Bucks 37-22 26 24 36 46 132
SCORING LEADERS
T. Maxey PHI
15 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST
G. Antetokounmpo MIL
24 PTS, 14 REB, 7 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Pistons 18-43 25 36 21 27 109
Pacers 28-31 35 23 26 31 115
SCORING LEADERS
J. Grant DET
25 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST
M. Brogdon IND
26 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Spurs 30-29 31 30 24 25 110
Pelicans 26-34 24 28 32 24 108
SCORING LEADERS
D. DeRozan SA
32 PTS, 7 REB, 8 AST
Z. Williamson NO
33 PTS, 14 REB, 2 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Bulls 25-35 18 23 22 38 101
Heat 32-29 33 28 19 26 106
SCORING LEADERS
C. White CHI
31 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST
D. Robinson MIA
23 PTS, 6 REB, 0 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Lakers 35-25 26 32 21 14 93
Mavericks 33-26 23 23 33 29 108
SCORING LEADERS
B. McLemore LAL
20 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST
D. Powell DAL
25 PTS, 9 REB, 1 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Timberwolves 17-44 26 26 30 19 101
Jazz 44-16 40 18 16 22 96
SCORING LEADERS
K. Towns MIN
24 PTS, 12 REB, 3 AST
B. Bogdanovic UTA
30 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Rockets 15-46 26 24 32 34 116
Nuggets 39-21 36 36 30 27 129
SCORING LEADERS
D. Wilson HOU
25 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST
M. Porter Jr. DEN
39 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them. - John C. Maxwell
Comments (0)