PDP-LABAN EYES BONG GO-DUTERTE TANDEM IN 2022

MANILA — A faction of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) has endorsed Sen. Bong Go and President Duterte as the party’s standard bearers in next year’s elections.

This, however, has to be finalized at a party convention next month before the filing of certificates of candidacy in October.

Go said yesterday that he would run for president only if Duterte agrees to seek the vice presidency.

Go issued the statement after the PDP-Laban executive council nominated him as the ruling party’s standard bearer with Duterte as runningmate for the 2022 national and local elections, ahead of its national convention on Sept. 8.

“As I’ve said before, what will change my mind about the decision to run as president is if Tatay Digong will be my vice president. Because I know that is true continuity,” he said in Filipino. “Maybe the party sees the tandem is necessary to continue the good reforms started by the Duterte administration. This would serve as an inspiration for me to better serve the Filipino.”

He reiterated that he was leaving his fate to God and the Dutertes, including presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who is among those who may seek the presidency.

“The right time will come when we can talk about the elections. But now, let’s first talk about vaccines and combatting COVID-19 before politics. Because, I repeat, if you ask me again, I’ll have the same answer. I am not interested. When the right time comes, consider me last. Whatever’s left, it’s fine by me. Because for me, only destiny can tell,” Go told his partymates.

DUTERTE OKS FUNDS FOR JAB ADVERSE EFFECT INDEMNITY

MANILA — President Duterte has approved the release of a P500-million indemnity fund to compensate anyone who may suffer from severe side effects after receiving COVID-19 vaccines, Sen. Bong Go said yesterday.

“I applaud the President for approving the release of funds to PhilHealth for the COVID-19 National Vaccine Indemnity Fund, which will be used to compensate our kababayans who will have serious adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines,” Go said.

Under Section 10 of RA 11525, a P500-million indemnity fund will be provisioned for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). It will come from the Contingent Fund of the 2021 General Appropriations Act.

Some vaccine producers required the establishment of indemnity and liability frameworks, which include establishing an indemnification fund backed by legislation. Vaccine manufacturers may not be able to supply the vaccine unless indemnity legislation is passed.

ECQ TO COST PHILIPPINE ECONOMY P150 BILLION PER WEEK, SAYS CHUA

MANILA - The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on Friday disclosed its projections on what the Philippine economy could lose for each week that Metro Manila and other areas are under strict lockdown.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said in a statement that the return of enhanced community quarantine in the capital region and other areas will result in a production loss of around P150 billion per week.

Chua said the lockdown will affect "more than 600 thousand workers and will increase the number of the poor by about 250,000."

Last July, the NEDA chief projected that P105 billion will be lost under the hard lockdown.

ECQ limits movements to only authorized individuals and essentials and further reduces operational capacity of transport and businesses, resulting in losses in earnings and jobs.

Metro Manila, home to at least 13 million people, is under ECQ from Aug. 6 to 20.

MORE AREAS COVERED BY MERALCO’S NO DISCONNECTION POLICY

MANILA — Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has expanded the coverage of its no disconnection policy to Cavite, Rizal and Lucena City, which were placed under stricter community quarantine.

Meralco said it suspended disconnection activities in Cavite, Rizal and Lucena City from Aug. 6 to 15 after the government placed the areas under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

The electric company had earlier said it would suspend disconnections in Laguna from Aug. 1 to 15 and in Metro Manila from Aug. 6 to 20, which were placed under MECQ and ECQ, respectively.

The no disconnection policy was implemented to help ease the burden of customers by giving them more time to settle their bills, Meralco first vice president and chief commercial officer Ferdinand Geluz said.

Meralco said it would continue to assist customers in the  rest of its franchise area, which are either under general community quarantine with heightened restrictions or GCQ.

CHINA THANKS PHILIPPINES FOR RESCUING 2 DISTRESSED CHINESE FISHERMEN OFF PALAWAN COAST

MANILA — The Chinese Embassy in Manila on Friday night expressed its "deep appreciation" to Filipino fishermen and authorities for the rescue of two Chinese fishermen in distress off the coast of Palawan.

The Chinese fishermen were caught in bad weather on the night of August 5, Thursday, and were rescued by Filipino fishermen who rushed them to the Bataraza District Hospital, the embassy said in a statement. It added that Philippine authorities immediately alerted them to the case.

"The Chinese Embassy expressed its deep appreciation to the Philippine fishermen and authorities concerned for proving humanitarian assistance to the Chinese fishermen in a timely manner, which fully reflects their goodwill and the valuable friendship between the Chinese and Philippine peoples."

A report from Inquirer cites officials who said four Chinese fishermen were found aboard a rubber boat after being forced to abandon their main vessel due to extreme weather conditions on Sunday.

Two of them, however, were already dead when they were found on Thursday. A fifth crew member failed to make it to the rubber boat.

The report adds that survivors told police they departed from the Chinese island province of Hainan on July 9.

'TROLL FARMS' ATTACKED MANILA'S VACCINATION REGISTRATION WEBSITE: ISKO MORENO

MANILA - Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso on Friday said the city's vaccination registration site was targeted by troll farms a day before chaos ensued in the capital city's inoculation hubs.

The registration site recorded "1.02 million requests" or 133 to 200 request per minute, Domagoso said in a Facebook live video, citing a report collated by the capital city's tech team.

"This is a very unusual scenario/occurrence... It's clearly BOT-triggered," the report read.

"Based on our experience, we highly suspect that whoever is doing this has a troll farm generating machinery," it said.

The requests were traced to 5 IP addresses.

"This individual/s created an automation on their end to loop/spam or to keep refreshing the registration site," according to the report.

"The objective is very obvious: To have the website reach its threshold in order to create downtime error 502," it said.

The Manila mayor said the city is in the process of tracing and investigating the individuals involved in the incident.

"Basta may idea tayo [kung sino] pero mahirap magduda o magturo-turo. Kapag nagsalita na tayo, sigurado na tayo doon," he said.

"For the meantime, ang tantiya ko, kinakabahan na 'yung mga 'yun," he said.

Domagoso warned those involved in the incident, saying lives may be at stake.

"Isipin ninyo din kayo may nanay, may tatay, may anak na puwede din magka-COVID. Pag-isipan ninyo maigi sino man gumagawa niyan," he said.

"Hindi po kayo yayaman diyan. Wala pong pera diyan unless bayad kayo para gawin 'yan," he said.

The Manila mayor, who is rumored to be running for the presidency in the 2022 national elections, earlier said that the hacking attempt may be part of an orchestrated effort against his administration.

A day after the website attack, thousands trooped to a Manila vaccination site after talk that unvaccinated individuals might be arrested while the capital region is under a 2-week lockdown.

NEW SCHOOL YEAR TO END ON JUNE 24 – DEPED

MANILA — The Department of Education (DepEd) has released the official calendar for school year 2021-2022, with classes ending on June 24.

DepEd Order No. 029 outlines school activities for the school year, which will consist of 209 school days, following the formal opening on Sept. 13 as approved by President Duterte.

DepEd said the school calendar and activities are in accordance with its commitment to learning continuity amid the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Face-to-face learning is still prohibited, whether partial or full-scale, unless permitted by the Office of the President.

The conduct of learning activities during Saturdays was authorized under the order, but teachers will not be required to render service during weekends.

Local celebrations, activities and holidays may be observed by schools if beneficial to the learning process as long as the total number of class days will not be compromised.

The Christmas break shall begin on Dec. 20 and end on Jan. 3, 2022.

Private schools and state or local universities and colleges are allowed to follow their own calendars but should not start earlier than the first week of June and not later than Sept. 13.

Alternative Learning System interventions shall formally open on the same date, with the duration depending on the learner’s educational background.

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COVID-19 ICU AT FULL CAPACITY, ADMISSIONS HIT TWO-MONTH HIGH IN PGH

MANILA — The Philippine General Hospital is feeling the pinch of the latest surge in COVID-19 cases, with its intensive care unit for COVID-19 patients reaching full capacity and admissions of coronavirus patients hitting a two-month high.

PGH’s nearly 50 ICU beds for COVID-19 patients are occupied, leaving the hospital unable to admit patients needing intensive care referred to them, hospital spokesperson Jonas del Rosario told ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo on Saturday.

Del Rosario said that they have resorted to setting up makeshift ICU beds in their COVID-19 wards for patients who make the turn for the worse while their ICU is full.

“Napipilitan po kami na i-convert ‘yung kung nasaan man sila, i-convert ‘yun na ICU setup. Lalagyan mo ng ventilator, kung anong kailangan nila, magde-demand ka ng mas maraming tao doon dahil tututukan,” he said.

The PGH spokesperson also reported a “steady” increase in COVID-19 admissions to the hospital, with 169 patients getting admitted Friday night — the highest in two months.

He said the hospital’s 225-bed COVID-19 wards are now 75% occupied, straining the hospital’s manpower and prompting them to shut down non-COVID units.

“Nagiging priority po ‘yung COVID, kaya naapektuhan po minsan ‘yung aming non-COVID patients,” Del Rosario said.

The country logged 10,623 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, the first day that Metro Manila, the province of Laguna and the cities of Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro went into enhanced community quarantine to curb the spread of the more infectious Delta coronavirus variant.

This is the highest daily tally of coronavirus cases in a single day since April 17, when 11,101 cases were recorded.

MAJORITY OF CHILDREN ADMITTED FOR COVID-19 AT PGH CRITICAL, SEVERE— HEALTH EXPERTS

MANILA— The pediatric COVID-19 ward at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) remains at full capacity, with many children admitted with complicated cases, the hospital's spokesperson said Saturday.

“Ang message sanang gusto naming sabihin sa public ay nagkaka-COVID po ang mga bata. Kadalasan po mild lang usually ang manifestation nila. Kaya lang po dahil very transmissible at contagious [ang Delta variant] at sabi nila 'pag nakuha mo 'yan mataas 'yung viral load, may chance po na minsan 'yung mga bata severe disease ang makuha nila,” said PGH spokesman Dr. Jonas del Rosario.

Del Rosario said that their pediatric COVID-19 ward is an 8-bed facility. The ward saw around 7 to 8 patients the past two weeks.

“Napansin din namin medyo complicated kaso nila,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario said they have children admitted with complex underlying diseases but tested positive for COVID-19. Other child patients developed pneumonia and needed to be intubated.

“Meron din kaming 2 bata na nagkaroon ng multisystem inflammatory syndrome in childhood. Ito po ay dahil sa COVID at parang kumplikasyon ng COVID at nangyayari ito after a few weeks ng COVID at naaapektuhan ang iba-ibang organs,” he said.

Del Rosario said this is reflective of the very transmissible and contagious characteristics of the virus.

“It’s not surprising to note na may mga batang ngayon reportedly na-aadmit o nalalaman naming may COVID,” he said.

Pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Anna Ong-Lim also shared the same observations as Del Rosario.

"Ngayon, out of the 8 mas marami d'yan 'yung critical and severe na medyo nakakabahala din. This is actually consistent with the observation nung katangian ng virus na mas mabilis siyang magpakalat at mas marami siya sa katawan ng tao. Kung mas marami kang kalaban mas matindi ang sakit na dadapo sa'yo,” Lim said.

Del Rosario clarified that they do not want to sow fear by sharing the situation at their pediatric COVID ward.

“It's more of to warn our parents, our guardians, mga tao na nag-aalaga sa kanila, mostly sa kanila nanggagaling 'yung transmission. Sila ang nakakahawa sa kanilang mga anak. Mag-ingat po sila at kung pwede sana magpa-vaccinate na 'yung hindi pa nagpapa-vaccinate para lalo pong ma-lessen ang chance na mahawa natin ang ating mga anak,” he said.

Lim said children live with family members who are seniors, people with comorbidities, and essential workers. If these adults are vaccinated, they are not only protecting themselves but also the children in their households.

“Napalibutan na ng bakunado. 'Yun ang tinatawag na cocoon strategy,” she said.

50 FILIPINOS IN SPAIN CAUGHT WITH FAKE VISAS

Fifty Filipinos were caught in Ibiza, Spain using passports with fake Schengen visas.

The news broke out in local and national newspapers after a police press release.

Reports said a travel agency in Manila managed flights of the 50 Filipinos to different European destinations and gave them fraudulent visas for which they paid P75,000 or about 1,300 Euros each.

The agency was said to have earned 100,000 euros from such illicit operations.

Ben Castillo, interpreter and mediator for the 50 Filipinos before the Spanish Ministry of Justice, said they face 2 cases: falsification of public documents and irregular stay in Spain.

“The 50 who were caught, those are with fake visas, but those who were caught without papers number maybe almost 150 now,” added Castillo.

The Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona, whose jurisdiction covers the Balearic Islands where Ibiza belongs, is now in contact with the 50 Filipinos.

Consul General Theresa Lazaro, in an interview, said she has been in contact with the Police Department head but could not disclose any more information as the case is still under investigation.

#HUANINGPH: TROPICAL STORM OFF BATANES ENTERS PH AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

MANILA— The tropical storm off Batanes on Saturday morning entered the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) and will be called "Huaning," PAGASA said.

According to the state weather bureau's 4 a.m. bulletin, Huaning has maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center, with gusts of up to 80 kph.

The weather disturbance entered PAR at 5 a.m. It was last located north northwest of Itbayat, Batanes before the development.

The country's eighth storm is moving east northeast slowly, said PAGASA.

Tropical cyclone bulletins, the weather agency said, will be released starting 11 a.m. on Saturday.

The weather agency added that the southwest monsoon or habagat is currently affecting areas of Luzon and Visayas.

Ilocos Region, Zambales, Benguet, Batanes and Babuyan Islands will experience scattered rains and thunderstorms on Saturday, PAGASA said.

Meanwhile, isolated thunderstorms or rains will prevail over Metro Manila and the rest of the country due to the habagat.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

DANIEL PADILLA, KATHRYN BERNARDO FEATURED ON NEW YORK TIMES SQUARE BILLBOARD

MANILA — Kapamilya couple Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo were the latest Filipino celebrities to be featured on a digital billboard in Times Square, New York City.

In her Instagram account yesterday, Daniel’s mother Karla Estrada proudly shared the photo of the billboard.

“I wish I'm in Times Square right now! At mag sisisigaw ako ng anak ko yan! Anak ko yan!!! Congratulations Kathniel and the entire team!” Karla wrote in the caption.

Apart from Daniel and Kathryn, vlogger Mimiyuuuh and P-pop group SB19 were also featured on the Pepsi digital billboard.

Recently, "Binibini" singer Zack Tabudlo was also featured on a billboard in Times Square for Spotify.

Before Zack, Kapuso singer Julie Anne San Jose and actress-singer Nadine Lustre were also featured on a billboard in one of the busiest streets in the world.

SPORTS

PBA ASKED TO LOOK FOR SAFER GROUND

MANILA — The PBA has gained clearance from the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to continue the shelved Philippine Cup but only in areas under ordinary general community quarantine (GCQ) or modified GCQ (MGCQ).

Batangas loomed as the best alternative after the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City. But Batangas will be under GCQ with heightened restrictions until Aug. 15, forcing the PBA to look elsewhere.

“The IATF has told us that games could only be allowed in GCQ and MGCQ arenas,” commissioner Willie Marcial told The STAR.

The league is now eyeing Pampanga as among the possible venues depending on the local government unit’s permission.

Compared to Batangas, Pampanga is currently under MGCQ but with additional restrictions within the province as mandated by Gov. Dennis Pineda.

Lipa City in Batangas was initially considered by the PBA as its temporary venue outside the metropolis after housing the scrimmage practices of several squads since May.

But Pampanga is also not new to being the PBA’s home either, albeit this time under a closed-circuit set-up, after a successful staging of the 2020 season under a full bubble setting in Clark.

However, the IATF added in its resolution to PBA’s request that the situation would be fluid as the league has to transfer to GCQ or MGCQ areas anew should its chosen venue be upgraded to stricter quarantine status.

“Should the community quarantine classification of their proposed new venue be escalated to a community quarantine classification higher than GCQ, the PBA should look for another venue that is under GCQ or MGCQ,” the IATF said.

The PBA opened shop last month at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City before halting play last Wednesday due to the ECQ that will run until Aug. 20.

Indoor sports venues around the National Capital Region will not be allowed to operate during the said period.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

All that is human must retrograde if it do not advance. - Edward Gibbon