PROPOSED P5 TRILLION NATIONAL BUDGET SUBMITTED TO CONGRESS

MANILA — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) submitted yesterday to both chambers of Congress the proposed P5.024-trillion national budget for 2022 that lawmakers vowed to pass before the end of the year.

DBM Undersecretary Janet Abuel turned over to Senate President Vicente Sotto III the three-volume National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2022 that needs to be approved by Congress and enacted into law before yearend to avert the possibility of the government running on a reenacted budget next year.

A reenacted budget is prone to corruption especially in an election year, according to critics.

“We’ll discuss with our colleagues but usually early September, we already start our budget briefings,” Sen. Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate finance committee, said when asked by reporters when the hearings on the NEP will start.

The budget bill has to emanate from the House of Representatives but the Senate – to save time – starts its own hearings on the NEP but holds off coming out with its version until after the other chamber formally submits the money measure.

Sen. Grace Poe said, “We assure a thorough scrutiny of the proposed budget when it reaches the Senate. Underspending, delayed and wasteful spending of COVID-19 response fund must have no room in the 2022 budget,” she said.

“Rebooting an economy dampened by the virus calls for vibrant spending up to the last peso authorized by the law,” she said.

PALACE TO PHILHEALTH: REIMBURSE HOSPITALS ASAP

MANILA — Malacañang yesterday admonished the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) for refusing to pay private hospital claims, saying it could “derail” the implementation of the Universal Health Care Law.

“Pay what you have to pay as soon as possible because the intent of the law is that the government, through PhilHealth, will become the sole purchaser of all (medical) goods and services,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said, referring to the Universal Health Care Law that he authored during the 17th Congress.

“PhilHealth needs to cooperate and pay the hospitals. This is not about the lack of funds. I will be the first to tell you PhilHealth funds will not run out,” Roque said.

“It is not possible to implement universal health care when only public hospitals provide services, especially during a pandemic,” Roque said, amid warnings from hospitals and physicians’ organizations that they will cut ties with the state health insurer due to nonpayment of claims.

Senators yesterday asked PhilHealth to reconsider its move to halt payments for claims under investigation, even as they appealed to both sides to resolve their disagreements.

Sen. Grace Poe said PhilHealth and hospital groups should reach a middle ground to straighten out disagreements on the payment of claims.

SINOPHARM VACCINE GETS EUA FROM FDA

MANILA — Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccines donated to the Philippines have been granted emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to Science and Technology Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara.

“Sinopharm was issued EUA for the donated doses. It was issued by the FDA on June 7. Then another EUA was issued Aug. 19 for the recent batch of Sinopharm doses donated,” said Guevara, chair of the Task Group on Vaccine Evaluation and Selection (TG-VES).

“For donations, the applicant for EUA is DOH (Department of Health). Each donation, even for the same vaccine, may come from a different manufacturing plant, and requires a different EUA for each manufacturing plant,” she added.

Other COVID-19 vaccines that had been granted EUA are Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca (Chadoz1-S Recombinant), Sinovac’s Coronavac, Gamaleya Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac), Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine AD26.Cov2-s (Recombinant), Bharat Biotech Covaxin with a conditional grant and Moderna’s mRNA vaccine.

FDA director general Eric Domingo said the agency has granted an EUA to Sputnik Light, a single-dose vaccine made by the Gamaleya Research Institute for adults 18 years old and up.

Domingo, however, said the single-dose Sputnik Light cannot be given as second dose to recipients of the first dose of Sputnik V vaccines administered earlier.

VP LENI LAUNCHES PODCAST TO REACH OUT TO YOUNGER AGE GROUP

MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo has launched a podcast to be able to extend her reach to younger audience amid calls by some groups for her to seek the presidency in next year's elections.

"For so long, so many people have been asking me to do a podcast of my own, lalo dito sa office because a lot of our staff are very young people and sinasabi nila, 'Para naman makausap mo iyong mga age group namin' (They're saying, 'So you can talk to our age group')," Robredo said Monday in the first episode of her podcast with television host Bianca Gonzalez as guest.

The Vice President, who has yet to announce her plans in 2022, said that her podcast titled “The Leni Robredo Podcast,” would complement her weekly radio program where she mainly talks about the livelihood programs of the Office of the Vice President, as well as current projects to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

“Kasi siyempre, limited din iyong reach ng aking (Because I only have a limited reach in my) radio program. So hopefully, hopefully with this podcast, I will be able to reach the generation of my daughters,” Robredo said.

During the podcast, the Vice President and Gonzalez found similarities in their lives as they were both thrust into careers they have not dreamed of.

“So I think, gusto ko lang iyon (I just want that) i-emphasize for our listeners, especially the younger people who are listening to us na it’s okay, eh. It’s okay not to follow the playbook. It’s okay to chart your own course kasi ano naman, eh, ‘di ba, parang you don’t have to parang allow yourself to be pressured into doing things that you’re not comfortable with, or you’re not sure na doon ka talaga papunta (if you're heading there),” Robredo said.

NTF-ELCAC GETS HIGHER PROPOSED FUNDS IN 2022 DESPITE CALLS FOR ITS ABOLITION

MANILA -- The government's anti-communist task force is getting a budget boost in an election year, based on the proposed 2022 national budget, despite allegations it merely engages in red tagging and harassment of government critics since its inception.

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is getting a P28.1 billion proposed budget in 2022, up from the P19 billion it got this year.

In his 2022 budget message, President Rodrigo Duterte, who chairs the NTF-ELCAC, said that the government will continue to address problems arising from the continuing “communist terrorist” activities in the countryside.

“We have done so much more than any other previous administration to end this 52-year-old conflict and our latest achievement is the designation, by the Anti-terrorism Council, of the National Democratic front as a terrorist group,” Duterte said.

He said the NTF-ELCAC's success now paves the way for the smooth implementation of the Barangay Development Program, which will rehabilitate 1,406 barangays in conflict-affected areas.

Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite said Monday that it is high time that the NTF-ELCAC be abolished, amid allegations that it mishandled funds.

"As it is, the NTF-ELCAC is essentally like a civilian-military junta manipulating taxpayer's money for their ill intents," said the progressive lawmaker.

"Mas mabuti pa ay i-abolish na talaga ang NTF-ELCAC na ito at ilaan na lang ang bilyong-bilyong pondo dito sa direktang Covid response ng pamahalaan tulad ng bakuna, ayuda, libreng mass testing at dagdag na contact tracers," he added.

The Department of Budget and Management submitted the 2022 National Expenditure Program to the House of Representatives Monday.

Lawmakers will start tackling the proposed budget on Thursday.

DOH EYES SHORTENING ISOLATION FOR FULLY VACCINATED HEALTH WORKERS

MANILA - The Department of Health is consulting experts on shortening the quarantine period of fully vaccinated medical workers exposed to COVID-19, its spokesperson said Tuesday.

If recommended by experts, health workers will be quarantined for 7 days and will be tested on the fifth day.

“Magpapalabas din po tayo ng isang polisiya kung saan we will be shortening the quarantine period of those close contacts who are fully vaccinated na healthcare workers para naman po hindi 14 na araw nawawala sa ating ospital,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.

"Ito po ay fina-finalize pa (It's still being finalized). We need to vet with our experts, but if in case they agree we are going to issue this policy po."

The agency is continuously hiring additional health workers, has prepositioned medical supplies in hospitals, and is helping them convert more beds for virus patients, Vergeire said.

The DOH expects the country's daily new cases to keep climbing over the "coming days or maybe weeks," she added.

The Philippines on Monday tallied a record-high 18,332 new infections, bringing its total cases to 1,857,646. Of this figure, 130,350 or 7 percent were active infections.

MMDA CHAIR SAYS VACCINATION ID FOR NCR MAY BE READY BY SEPTEMBER 1

MANILA — Digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates or IDs for the National Capital Region may be issued on September 1, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairperson Benhur Abalos said.

In an interview with Dobol B TV on Tuesday, Abalos said they are coordinating with Department of Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary Emmanuel Rey Caintic on the matter.

“All who have been vaccinated in the whole of Metro Manila are being uploaded. They are collating data in Metro Manila so that, they told us, by September 1, the I.D., the vaccination I.D. can be created,” Abalos said in Filipino.

The MMDA chair also said they asked the DICT if the I.D. can feature where local government units can also check whether a person received his COVID-19 jabs in a different locality.

This will help prevent those who are seeking a third dose or booster shots that are still not yet authorized in the Philippines.

TEACHERS NEED BETTER INTERNET ACCESS, HEALTH INSURANCE: STUDY

MANILA – Internet connectivity remains the biggest problem of teachers amid the implementation of distance learning in the country, the National Research Council of the Philippines said Tuesday.

Dr. Celina Sarmiento said most teachers in rural areas had to rely on mobile data to do their jobs online.

“You have your wired connection, which is more stable, and you have like your mobile data which is actually more expensive and less stable compared to the wired one because the wired connection are usually not available in the provinces,” she told ANC’s “Rundown.”

Sarmiento also noted that most of their respondents reported spending for internet connectivity out of their own pockets.

“One of the things our teachers had to spend on, and unfortunately sometimes using personal funds despite their meager salary, is internet connectivity.”

She suggested that government lay down a concrete plan for cheaper, more stable internet connection in all parts of the country.

Sarmiento also called on telecommunication companies to consider offering discounts to teachers.

“The cellphone networks or the communication networks could provide support for teachers like discounts probably for internet connection because it’s difficult to build or establish the infrastructure needed to have the faster internet connection at the moment, but at least somehow we can lessen the expenses of our teachers,” she said.

She also called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to give their teachers the proper support.

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PHILIPPINES LOGS 18,332 NEW COVID-19 CASES, HIGHEST SINCE PANDEMIC BEGAN

MANILA - The Philippines on Monday listed 18,332 new COVID-19 patients, its highest number of fresh cases in a single day since the coronavirus was first detected in the country in January last year.

The additional cases bring the country's total to 1,857,646, data from the Department of Health's (DOH) daily bulletin showed.

Of those, 130,350 or 7.0 percent are active.

The DOH bulletin showed that the day's positivity rate is at 24.9 percent. It is above 24 percent for the 5th straight day, said ABS-CBN Data Analytics head Edson Guido.

According to the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group, the day's reported new cases surpassed the 17,231 announced last Aug. 20, while the number of active infections is the highest since April 19 when the DOH logged 139,079.

Meanwhile, the country's COVID-19 death toll rose by 151 to 31,961, while 13,794 patients recently recuperated from the disease, pushing the total recoveries to 1,695,335, the DOH said.

METRO MANILA SLIPS 8 NOTCHES IN SAFE CITIES INDEX

MANILA — Metro Manila tumbled eight notches in a global safe cities index as its ranking slid in almost all indicators, especially on personal and health security.

Based on the Safe Cities Index 2021 of UK-based The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the metropolis ranked 51st out of 60 cities, slipping eight notches from its 43rd ranking in 2019. The index is produced biennially.

From a perfect score of 100, Metro Manila scored 52.5 this year, a deterioration from the 59.2 two years ago. It also fell below the average of 66.1.

Denmark’s Copenhagen ranked first with a score of 82.4 followed by Toronto with 82.2. Singapore made it to third spot at 80.7. Completing the top five are Sydney and Tokyo.

EIU’s index ranks 60 cities across 76 indicators related to various aspects of urban safety covering digital, health, infrastructure, personal and environmental security, which was the latest addition to the categories.

Unfortunately, Metro Manila saw its ranking decline across the four original pillars.

It slipped the most in personal security, down 15 notches, to 55th with a score of 46.4 from the high of 74.7 in 2019.

This pillar considers how citizens are at risk from crime, violence, terrorist threats, natural disasters and economic vulnerabilities.

Metro Manila also saw its health security pillar down six notches to 54th with a score of 49.9. In 2019, it was at 48th place with 56.6.

This measures how cities fare on the level and quality of health care services and infrastructure in the city. It was also based on the availability, access and quality of health care service, as well as life expectancy and infant mortality, among others.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

NY ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL AWARDEE JANINE GUTIERREZ ON WHY SHE IDOLIZES NORA AUNOR

Until August 27, the Filipino film 'Dito at Doon' can be seen virtually at the New York Asian Film Festival. Janine Gutierrez, who stars in the movie alongside JC Santos, was honored with the festival's Rising Star award this year.

"That's my dream po talaga. I look up to like tita Jane -- Jaclyn Jose -- and all the filmmakers who were able to compete and represent our country in different festivals abroad. That's always been my dream and my goal. So to be recognized in this way, for the films I have done, it's really so meaningful to me," Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez added that her extended showbiz family gives her plenty to aspire for as an actress. "Especially my lola, Nora Aunor. When you say her name, it's connected to her eyes. Even if she doesn't have lines, you can feel her emotions just by the way she looks at you."

Gutierrez continued, "Gusto kong maging ganun -- kahit wala kang sinasabi, walang dialogue, ang lakas ng dating mo. So that's really something that I really tried to copy from her, although she is on another level (I want to be like that -- even though you are not saying anything, no dialogue, you have an appeal)."

Dito at Doon, which comes out on Netflix this September, tells the story of two people who found connection during the pandemic lockdown. Gutierrez said that the movie mirrors the realities and challenges Filipinos are facing amid the health crisis. "When you're in lockdown, how will you earn, and if you can't earn, how will you eat? So in a situation like this, where do you place your need for love and for a relationship? Where can you place it in such a difficult situation. How can you prioritize love, when you need food and you need work?"

Gutierrez hopes "that this film reminds people that they're not alone. It's happening to all of us. It's a different situation for everyone, but we're all in this together."

Gutierrez is also excited for her upcoming ABS-CBN series 'Marry Me, Marry You.'

SPORTS

TOKYO PARALYMPICS TO OPEN AS JAPAN BATTLES VIRUS SURGE

TOKYO, Japan -- Tokyo's Paralympic Games open on Tuesday, with athletes hoping to shatter stereotypes and world records despite a year-long pandemic delay and as Japan battles a surge in virus cases.

The Games will officially be declared open on Tuesday evening by Japan's Emperor Naruhito but virus rules mean most of the stadium's 68,000 seats will be empty.

Still, the excitement is clear among the 4,400 athletes from 162 teams taking part this year.

Among them are Germany's world record-setting long-jumper Markus Rehm, dubbed the 'Blade Jumper', and Japan's wheelchair tennis legend Shingo Kunieda.

China is expected to continue its gold medal dominance and top the table as it has done at every Paralympics since Athens 2004, but host Japan will be hoping its record 254-strong team can repeat the country's Olympic gold rush.

Hanging over the sport however will be the ever-present shadow of the pandemic, which forced a year-long delay and at times appeared to threaten the event with cancellation.

After months of negative polls, Japanese public opinion on the Olympics shifted once the Games got under way.

The opening ceremony will come with Tokyo and 12 other regions under a virus state of emergency that largely limits the opening hours of bars and restaurants and bans them from selling alcohol.

Experts have warned that the measures do not seem to be working and tougher restrictions are needed, with some arguing that going ahead with the Games has undermined government messaging on the virus.

Paralympic athletes will be subject to the same rules as their Olympic counterparts, including daily testing, mandatory mask-wearing and limits on their movement.

Almost all spectators will be barred from venues, though a school programme bringing children to some events is going ahead.

He has insisted the Games will be held safely, but added that participants "must remain vigilant... We must not be complacent."

Olympic organizers have reported 547 cases linked to the Games, mostly among Japan-based employees or contractors, and even before the Paralympic opening ceremony, 151 cases have been detected among participants.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

All things that are, Are with more spirit chased than enjoy'd. - William Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice