7.8 MILLION FILIPINOS FULLY VACCINATED VS COVID-19: PALACE

MANILA — At least 7.8 million Filipinos are now fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, Malacañang said on Friday, as authorities raced to curb the spread of the highly infectious Delta COVID-19 variant.

Authorities in the last 3 days exceeded the daily target of administering 500,000 COVID-19 shots, with a total of 646,390 jabs given on Thursday, said Palace spokesman Harry Roque.

This has raised the total jabs administered to 19,359,927, he said on the government's television network.

A total of 7,835,715 have been fully vaccinated so far, added the official, while 11,524,212 have received one dose.

"Inaasahan natin na maaabot na 20 million doses bago po matapos ang buwan ng Hulyo," Roque said.

DOH: STILL NO COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION OF COVID-19 DELTA VARIANT DETECTED IN PH

MANILA— The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said there is still no community transmission of the COVID-19 Delta variant in the Philippines despite an increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the country.

Community transmission happens when several people who have no known contact with an infected person contracts the disease.

"Sa ngayon nakikita pa rin natin ang pagkaka-link ng mga kasong ito sa isa't isa," DOH spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online press conference

"Hindi po natin puwede i-conclude na (we cannot conclude that) the surge is being driven by a specific variant because we are only doing purposive sampling," she said.

The DOH earlier said that the Philippines could only sequence around 750 samples of COVID-19 positive cases every week due to the limited capacity of the Philippine Genome Center and the National Institute of Health.

Genome sequencing is a step that determines the virus variant in a case.

"We have not determined the extent still sa mga lugar natin para masabi na ang main driver talaga ay Delta variant," Vergeire said.

On Thursday, the DOH reported 97 new cases of the Delta variant, pushing the total number of recorded carriers of the more virulent strain to 216.

PNP MAGHIHIGPIT SA PAGBABANTAY SA MGA LALABAG SA ECQ— ELEAZAR

MAYNILA - Hindi na bago ang maisailalim sa enhanced community quarantine ang Metro Manila at dapat ay alam na din ng publiko kung ano ang dapat asahan tulad ng mga industriya at taong papayagan lamang magbukas sa loob ng panahong nasa pinakamahigpit na lockdown level, ayon kay Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar.

Ayon kay Eleazar, nakalagay sa Omnibus Guidelines na ipinalabas na dati ng Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 ang mga paghihigpit o restriksiyon sa bawat quarantine status.

“Ang dapat tandaan ng ating kababayan na ang ECQ ito ang pinakamahigpit kung saan only essential establishments, industries ang magkakaroon ng operation. Basically, based on this, doon natin pagbabasehan kung sino ba 'yung mga tinatawag nating mga authorized persons outside of residence o APOR. Ito 'yung mga taong part ng workforce na siyang authorized na nasa labas at pangalawa, ito namang mga taong maga-avail ng goods and services nitong permitted establishments,” pahayag ni Eleazar.

Sa panayam sa TeleRadyo Sabado ng umaga, sinabi ni Eleazar na babantayan ng mga pulis ang galaw ng mga tinatawag na non-essentials na dapat ay nasa bahay lamang sa loob ng panahon ng ECQ mula Agosto 6 hanggang 20.

Tanging papayagang lumabas lamang ang mga taong kailangan ng essential goods o services pero dapat ay sa loob lamang din ng kanilang siyudad at 'yung mga essential workers o APOR.

Sa ilalim din ng ECQ magkakaroon ng paghihigpit ang mga pulis sa interzonal travel tulad ng paglalagay ng mga checkpoint para sa border control ng bawat siyudad at bayan sa Metro Manila.

“Ito ay mga alituntunin na dati na rin naman dapat alam na natin ano ba 'yung mga permitted industries doon sa mga quarantine status na yun,” sabi ni Eleazar.

FORMER ARMY CHIEF HEADS AFP

MANILA — President Duterte has named former Army acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Faustino Jr. as the new chief of the armed forces.

Faustino, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1988, will succeed Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, who will retire from service today.

“We confirm that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved and signed the designation of Lt. Gen. Jose C. Faustino Jr. as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) effective July 31, 2021,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.

“We are confident that General Faustino will continue the peace and development efforts of his predecessors while aggressively building up our defense capability. We pray for General Faustino’s success as he embarks in his new role as AFP chief,” he added.

The Armed Forces welcomed the appointment, with its public affairs office chief Capt. Jonathan Zata saying Faustino’s “wealth of experience and passion for service as a commander and staff officer gives him the mettle to lead the AFP in accomplishing its mission, especially as we turn up a notch our operations in achieving lasting peace and development in the country.”

BIR SUSPENDS TAX RATE HIKE ON PRIVATE SCHOOLS

MANILA — The Bureau of Internal Revenue has put on hold a tax rate hike on private schools following warnings it could lead to more business closures and loss of jobs in the education sector amid the pandemic.

Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez on July 26 signed Revenue Regulations (RR) 14-2021, which suspended three provisions in the old RR 5-2021 that imposed a 15% increase in private schools’ income tax rate despite a new corporate tax reform law slashing the rate to just 1% in the next three years.

Dominguez said the move was meant "to ease the burden of taxation among proprietary education institutions, especially during this time of COVID-19 pandemic", as well as “take into account” two pending bills in Congress that would clarify income taxation on schools.

Both bills seek to amend the national revenue code so that both non-profit and proprietary schools can qualify to avail of the hefty tax cuts under Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act or CREATE law, which has been touted as a stimulus package for pandemic-hit businesses by economic managers. Senators in June urged the Department of Finance to suspend the BIR policy as they tackle the proposed measures.

ECQ IN METRO MANILA MEANT TO DELAY VIRUS SPREAD: VERGEIRE

MANILA— Placing Metro Manila under the strictest of the four community quarantine classifications is meant to delay the spread of COVID-19 and its virulent strain, the Delta variant, a health official said Saturday.

“We can delay the spread and we can be able to better prepare,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

Vergeire said that the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 made its decision to impose the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila based on projections on possible scenarios in the coming weeks.

But Vergeire said the rise in COVID-19 cases in the capital region is not yet considered a surge.

“Hindi pa natin nakikita ang large increase sa ngayon pero nakikita natin unti-unti nang tumataas ang mga kaso. It’s kind of anticipatory because of the projections na in a couple of weeks may ganitong numero na ipinakita ang ating eksperto na maaring mangyari kaya ating gusto nang isara to delay the spread,” she said.

Vergeire said the spread of the virus is not only due to the Delta variant as other strains of COVID-19 like the Alpha and Beta are also present in the country.

“Andyan na rin factors ng mobility saka compliance sa safety protocols both sa community at workplaces,” she said.

NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN VACCINATED, UNVAXXED INDIVIDUALS – DOH

MANILA — Since the supply of COVID-19 jabs in the country is still not enough, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday that both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals will be treated similarly.

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that according to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), “there will be no distinction between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.”

“Their point is that the supply of vaccines is still not enough to say that only vaccinated (ones) can go out and the unvaccinated cannot go out. So for now, there is no differentiation,” she added.

Vergeire also explained that according to experts, “there might be legal implications” if the movement of unvaccinated individuals will be restricted.

Earlier, President Duterte warned unvaccinated individuals to “just stay at home” and instructed police and barangay officials to escort them back home.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the President’s remark is just his way of “strongly urging the public” to get inoculated.

“We understand the sentiments of the President and we know that this is his way of encouraging our countrymen that are still doubtful on the efficacy of vaccines,” Eleazar said in Filipino.

DOH MAKIKIPAGPULONG SA COMELEC PARA SA HEALTH PROTOCOLS SA HALALAN 2022

MAYNILA— Pinaplano na ng Department of Health (DOH) ang pakikipagpulong sa Commission on Elections (Comelec) para ayusin ang mga ipatutupad na health and safety protocols sa pagdaraos ng ligtas na halalan sa susunod na taon sa gitna ng pandemya.

Ayon kay Health Secretary Francisco Duque III nitong Biyernes, may direktiba sa kanila si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte nitong linggo na kailangang tiyakin ang ligtas na halalan lalo’t hindi pa humuhupa ang COVID-19 pandemic.

Lumabas kasi sa ilang mga pag-aaral na 46 porsyento lamang ng mga botante ang nagpahayag ng kahandaang bumoto kung patuloy na magiging mataas ang mga naitatalang novel coronavirus cases sa bansa.

“I don’t have the crystal ball to tell you how the COVID situation is gonna be come election year, but we will do our best to really mitigate the impact of the pandemic," ani Duque sa virtual press briefing ng Presidential Communications Operations Office.

"We will meet with the Comelec en banc... and we have to meet with them and help them come up with safety protocols in the conduct of the campaign and the election proper itself," dagdag niya.

Hindi nabanggit ni Duque kung kailan sila makikipagpulong sa Comelec.

THE REST

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PH RECORDS 8,562 NEW COVID-19 CASES, HIGHEST IN OVER 2 MONTHS

MANILA — The Philippines on Friday reported 8,562 additional COVID-19 infections, the highest in more than 2 months, as the government imposed preventive measures to halt the spread of the more transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant.

This is the highest daily tally since May 28, when the country logged 8,735 new infections, data collated by the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group (IRG) showed.

It is also the first time in nearly 2 months that daily cases counted over 8,000. The last time was on June 12, when the DOH posted 8,027 new cases, the group added.

Based on the health department's latest bulletin, the country now has a total of 1,580,824 confirmed novel coronavirus cases, of which 61,920 or 3.9 percent are still active.

The ABS-CBN research unit also pointed out that the day's active infections is the highest in over a month or since June 18, when the country had 61,611 cases.

MANILA TO OPEN 3RD DIALYSIS CENTER

MANILA — The Manila City government is set to open its third dialysis center at the Sta. Ana Hospital.

In anticipation of its opening, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Tuesday inspected the new Sta. Ana Hospital Dialysis Center.

The center boasts of 11 seats with six fresinus hemodialysis machines, high-end HD machines, two machines with portable reverse osmosis, a HEFA filter and portable reverse osmosis, 11 TV sets with wireless Bluetooth headsets, an ECG machine, a defibrillator and suction machines. It also has a negative pressure room for COVID-19 patients.

The dialysis center shall operate from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday will be reserved for those in need of emergency dialysis. The nurses stationed in this unit will work in two shifts.

DRIVE-THRU COVID-19 VACCINATION SA MAYNILA, BUKAS NA

MAYNILA - Binuksan na ang COVID-19 drive thru vaccination site sa Quirino Grandstand sa lungsod ng Maynila, Sabado ng umaga.

ito ang pinakabagong vaccination site sa lungsod na makatutulong para mabawasan ang mga taong nakapila sa ibang vaccination sites.

Ayon kay Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, maaari ito sa mga gustong magpabakuna na may sasakyan gaya ng jeep o kotse. Hindi pa pwede ang nakamotorsiklo o bike sa ngayon.

Kailangan din mag-register online at magpa-schedule sa kanilang website. May matatanggap na text message na nagsasabi kung pasok sa drive thru vaccination.

Dahil nasa loob naman ng sasakyan, hindi lang isang tao ang pwedeng magpabakuna. Pwedeng apat na tao ang magpabakuna dito sakay ng isang sasakyan basta naka-register lang din sa website at kahit isa lang ang naka-schedule.

Kahit hindi taga Maynila ay pwede din mag-register at sumama sa drive-thru vaccination.

CAGAYAN DE ORO MAYOR REACHES OUT TO COMMUNITY TO HELP FIGHT COVID-19

MANILA - Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno on Saturday called on the support of residents in preventing further spread of COVID-19, with the surge attributed to the presence of the more contagious Delta variant.

In an interview on TeleRadyo, Moreno said they are already assuming the presence of variants in the city due to the surge that they experienced in the past weeks.

“Kalabanin natin itong virus vigorously and decisively defeat it. Ang solusyon is in the hands of the people. The people need to cooperate and ang vaccination pinapalakas din natin intensively kahit weekends,” he said.

Moreno said COVID-19 cases continue to rise in their city, which he said has a daily average of about 100 cases a day.

“Ang tingin ko pinakagrabe nung Saturday, Sunday, nung dalawang araw na 'yan we had a total of 300 cases and then Monday 100 plus din. Siguro ang average namin ngayon 100 a day since July 26,” he said.

QUEZON CITY STILL HIGHEST REVENUE GENERATOR IN METRO MANILA

QUEZON CITY — Quezon City remained the leading revenue generator in Metro Manila last year with more than P22 billion, besting financial districts Makati, Taguig, Pasig as well as Manila.

Based on a report from the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), revenue generated by Quezon City jumped by over 14 percent to P22.04 billion in 2020, from P19.33 billion in 2019.

Makati’s income went up by about two percent to P15.24 billion from P14.95 billion, followed by Manila which saw its revenue fall by roughly 10 percent to P11.07 billion from P12.29 billion.

The BLGF also reported that Taguig’s income improved by nearly one percent to P10.46 billion from P10.36 billion. Pasig, another business district, saw a nine percent drop in income to P9.85 billion from P10.85 billion.

Breaking down Quezon City’s revenues, taxes accounted for at least 94 percent at P20.79 billion. In 2020 it received P15.24 billion in business taxes, P4.78 billion in real property taxes and P753.78 million in other taxes.

Further, it generated P1.25 billion in non-tax revenues, the third highest in Metro Manila, behind Pasig’s P1.75 billion and Manila’s P1.36 billion.

Overall, Metro Manila improved its revenue by more than one percent to P103.56 billion in 2020, from P101.96 billion in 2019, according to BLGF data.

SPORTS

OLYMPICS: EJ OBIENA ADVANCES TO POLE VAULT FINAL

EJ Obiena came up in the clutch in Olympic men’s pole vault on Saturday to advance to the final round.

With his campaign in the balance, Obiena cleared 5.75 meters in his third and final try at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium to stay in contention for a medal.

The final round is slated on August 3, Tuesday, 6:20 p.m. (Manila time), as Obiena bids to become the first track and field athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic medal in 85 years.

Germany’s Bo Kanda Lita Baehre and Christopher Nilsen of the USA submitted the only flawless showing, hitting 5.50, 5.65 and 5.75 without a foul in the elimination phase that was missing his American Sam Kendricks, who tested positive for coronavirus.

Two-time world champion Kendricks was withdrawn from the Games after his positive test, a fate that also befell Argentina's German Chiaraviglio.

World record holder and gold favorite Mondo Duplantis of Sweden placed third behind Lita Baehre and Nilsen in Group B.

Duplantis is the only man to have gone over six metres this year, but there are four through who have reached that milestone outdoors at some stage in their careers.

Brazil’s Thiago Braz, the reigning Olympic champion who was Obiena’s training partner in the leadup to the Games, needed 2 tries to clear 5.75.

Obiena had trained for years years at the World Athletics elite training camp in Formia, Italy, under coach Vitaly Petrov, a former mentor of world and Olympic world champion Sergey Bubka.

OLYMPICS: CARLO PAALAM BEATS ALGERIAN FOE TO ENTER FLYWEIGHT QUARTERFINALS

Pinoy boxer Carlo Paalam is just a win away from an assured medal as he qualified for the quarterfinals of the men’s flyweight category at the Tokyo Olympics Saturday.

Paalam advanced to the next round, bidding goodbye to Mohamed Flissi of Algeria in the round of 16.

The Pinoy pugilist surprised the three-time Olympian Flissi right at the start of the match with his well-calculated shots, which gained him the nods of all the judges/

The fourth-seeded Algerian tried to catch up in the second and third round but Paalam held on, connecting his own shots. He eventually closed the match via unanimous decision, 5-0.

Paalam will be facing Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, August 3.

PETECIO TARGETS SHOT AT ANOTHER OLYMPIC GOLD FOR PHILIPPINES

TOKYO – One win to a sure silver; two to a gold.

On the brink of matching the highest Philippine achievement in Olympic boxing, Nesthy Petecio is calm, cool and focused, simply promising to give it her all in her big day atop the ring Saturday.

She’s the main feature in the first session starting at 11 a.m. (10 p.m. in Manila) at the Kokugigan Arena, clashing with former AIBA world junior champ Irma Testa of Italy in the first women’s featherweight semifinal bout.

The other semis face-off, pitting Great Britain’s Karriss Artingstall and Japan’s Sena Irie, is the main showcase in the evening session starting at 5 p.m.

Assured of a bronze, Petecio eyes a fourth win that will guarantee her of matching the silver feats of Anthony Villanueva in 1964 in Tokyo and Onyok Velasco in 1996 in Atlanta.

But as it is, the Davao City native is already sure of going down in history as the first Philippine female pug to win an Olympic medal.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Every fool knows you can’t touch the stars but it doesn’t stop a wise man from trying – Harry Anderson