PHILIPPINES HITS COERCIVE USE OF MILITIAS, COAST GUARD IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

MANILA — The Philippines and Australia have expressed serious concern over the “dangerous and coercive” use of coast guard vessels and maritime militias in the South China Sea and the continuing militarization of disputed features.

In a joint statement at the end of the 5th Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting on Monday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez and his counterpart Trade Minister Dan Tehan cited the significance of the ministerial meeting as a strategic dialogue to chart the direction and vision of bilateral relations under the framework of the 2015 Joint Declaration on the Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries.

“The ministers and secretaries expressed serious concern about the continuing militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea, the dangerous and coercive use of coast guard vessels and maritime militias and efforts to disrupt other countries’ resource exploitation activities,” the statement read.

“They emphasized that the actions of a state’s coast guard, and its associated legal frameworks, must be consistent with international law,” it read.

The ministers and secretaries reiterated the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight and that all disputes should be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United National Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They noted the fifth anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award and reaffirmed that it is final and legally binding on the parties to the dispute.

PHILIPPINES GETS 362,700 MORE PFIZER DOSES

MANILA — The Philippines has received 362,700 more doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine as part of its procured supply.

The Air Hongkong flight LD456 landed at the NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay on Wednesday night.

Some 262,080 doses of the shipment will go to Metro Manila, while Cebu got its 50,310 also yesterday. This Thursday, the government said Davao would also get 50,310 doses.

This delivery brought the country's total supply of Pfizer vaccine to 4.95 million to date, according to Philstar.com's research.

RELATIVES OF DRUG WAR VICTIMS ALARMED BY DUTERTE’S TALK OF STAYING ON

Activists and the families of victims in a drug war that has killed thousands view with dread the possibility of President Rodrigo Duterte staying on as vice-president for six more years afer his time in the top job ends next year.

The constitution bars a re-election bid by Duterte, 76, but he said on Tuesday he would run for vice president in 2022 in order to keep up his crusade on insurgency, criminal activities and drug dealers.

“For four years, we have been waiting for justice,” said Randy Delos Santos, who believes that if Duterte succeeds it would make justice even more elusive for families such as his that have lost a member to the anti-drug campaign.

“For four years, we have been living in fear,” added Delos Santos, who worries about the prospect of reprisals after the August 2017 killing of his nephew, high school student Kian, led to the first convictions of police officers in the drug war.

Since Duterte unleashed the drugs crackdown in 2016, Philippine security forces say they have killed 6,165 suspected drug dealers because they fought back violently, but rights groups say authorities have summarily executed them.

The possibility that Duterte could stay in an executive post beyond 2022 shows that “domestic mechanisms for accountability will not work for obtaining justice,” said Cristina Palabay of human rights group Karapatan.

While Duterte is legally allowed to run for vice president, doing so “violates the spirit of the law” which set a term limit to prevent abuse of power, said law professor Antonio La Viña of the capital’s Ateneo de Manila university.

Duterte‘s critics believe the prospect of losing immunity after the end of his term makes him keen to run for vice-president as a shield against any legal action.

“This is driven by fear of accountability, both from the ICC and from our own justice system,” said 1Sambayan, a grouping of opposition figures that includes a staunch Duterte critic, former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio.

Lawyer Kristina Conti, who represents some victims’ families, fears the killings will continue if Duterte stays on.

BUILD BUILD BUILD GETS P1 TRILLION IN DUTERTE’S FINAL YEAR

MANILA — The Duterte administration continues to prioritize its flagship Build Build Build program in its final year, pouring yet another trillion pesos into infrastructure projects for 2022.

In the 2022 National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted to Congress last Monday, the executive branch has sought a total appropriation of P1.18 trillion for public works and transport programs or about a quarter of the proposed P5-trillion national budget for next year.

This is the second time the budget for infrastructure projects reached the P1-trillion mark. For this year, P1.1 trillion is allocated for the program.

This proposed budget for the program represents 5.4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

In the 2022 NEP, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR, at least P335.6 billion in infrastructure projects are given to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and at least P127 billion to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

SARA DUTERTE-BBM TANDEM 'MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN,' SAYS IMEE MARCOS

MANILA - A Sara Duterte-Bongbong Marcos tandem in the 2022 elections would be a "marriage made in heaven," a senator said Thursday.

Marcos would be "honored" to be the vice president of President Rodrigo Duterte's daughter, his sister Senator Imee Marcos said.

"Everything's possible but I supposed the most obvious thing is if the Dutertes have the solid south, we’re assumed to have the solid north. Parang marriage made in heaven yan (It's like a marriage made in heaven)," she told ANC's Headstart.

"Political wisdom says if look at the numbers, it looks good, looks like a really solid tandem."

Bongbong will run in next year's polls but has yet to decide for which post, Imee added. The former senator had lost the vice presidential race to Leni Robredo in 2016.

"He’s also perfectly happy to run in the Senate. We just keep joking him he needs to do something," she said.

Imee said the country "needs the Dutertes" as it continues to struggle amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I think many of the President’s men will be bad for the country. But I personally feel that we need the Dutertes. It’s their kind of warrior spirit that will get us through this war against COVID."

"She’ll carry on with her father’s determination and his fearlessness," she said.

LUNG CENTER PART OF PHASE 3 CLINICAL TRIAL FOR MOLNUPIRAVIR VS COVID-19

MANILA - Two government hospitals in the Philippines, including the Lung Center of the Philippines, are currently involved in the phase 3 global trials of an oral antiviral pill that shows promising results to treat mild and moderate COVID-19 cases.

Dr. Randy Castillo, division head and also head of the COVID-19 Triage Task Force of the LCP, said Thursday the Philippines is among other countries around the world, including the US, Canada and Japan, that are participating in the clinical trial of Molnupiravir among 1,800 individuals.

Speaking to ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo, Castillo said they started with the clinical trial last May, with a target population of 30. He said they already requested for an additional medicine last week as this really prevents the disease from progressing to severe or critical.

“Ito ay kapsula na kasalukuyan ay nakitaan ng magandang epekto upang makatulong sa pagsugpo ng COVID-19, na sanhi nitong COVID-19 infection. Ito ay gumagana sa pamamagitan ng paghinto ng pagreplika o pagdami ng virus sa ating katawan. At usually, ibinibigay namin ito sa mga pasyenteng may mild to moderate disease. Iiwasan natin na lumala pa at maging severe to critical,” Castillo said.

Aside from the LCP, also engaged in the trial is the Quirino Memorial Medical Center. He said recruitment for both hospitals will be until September.

PRIVACY BODY ORDERS ONLINE LENDING APPS SHUT DOWN

MANILA — The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has ordered the immediate takedown of the mobile apps of four online lenders for the unauthorized use of the personal data of their borrowers.

Privacy commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro said the takedown of the online lending apps of JuanHand, Pesopop, CashJeep and Lemon Loan is necessary “to prevent serious privacy risks and protect and preserve the privacy rights of data subjects.”

In four separate orders, the NPC directed Wefund Lending Corp., Joywin Lending Investor Inc., Cash8 Lending Corp. and Populus Lending Corp. – operators of JuanHand, Lemon Loan, CashJeep and Pesopop, respectively – to halt the processing of their borrowers’ personal data.

The NPC has furnished copies of the orders to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to take down the four apps from the internet, and to Google to remove them from Google Play Store.

The four online lending apps have been the subject of various complaints of unauthorized use of personal data that resulted in harassment and shaming of borrowers and are currently being investigated for violations of the Data Privacy Act and other NPC issuances.

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PH RECORDS 13,573 NEW COVID-19 CASES, 228 MORE DEATHS

MANILA — The Philippines on Wednesday registered 13,573 new COVID-19 cases, while active cases counted over 125,000, data from the health department showed.

The ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group (IRG) noted that the day's fresh infections is the 10th highest since the pandemic began in the Philippines.

This is also the 15th straight day that new cases were more than 10,000, according to the research unit.

The country now has a total 1,883,088 confirmed coronavirus infections, of which 125,378 or 6.7 percent are active, according to the Department of Health's (DOH) latest bulletin.

The DOH attributed the day's relatively fewer number of new infections to the "lower laboratory output" on Monday.

The ABS-CBN IRG said Wednesday’s number of active cases is the lowest in 4 days or since Aug. 21 when the country registered 123,685 active cases.

HEALTH WORKERS SET DEADLINE FOR BENEFITS PAYMENT TO FRIDAY

MANILA - A group of health workers on Thursday said it would give the Department of Health until Friday to give them their due benefits.

The Alliance of Health Workers earlier set its deadline to August 31 before its members go on strike, the group’s president Robert Mendoza said.

"Nagusap na kami kahapon together with our leaders. Ang ating binigay na deadline hanggang Friday na lang...'Yung ginawa naming September 1 dapat sa Friday na kasi wala kaming inaantay na magandang balita para sa mga health workers," Robert Mendoza told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

Health workers were not happy with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing into the DOH's spending of its pandemic funds on Wednesday, Mendoza said.

"Hindi sila masaya sa kinahinatnan sa hearing kahapon kasi nakafocus lang talaga sa SRA (special risk allowance) ang DOH na ibibigay na benepisyo. Parang pinagdadamot nga ng gobyerno ang mga benepisyong ito," he said.

"Posible magsasanib ang public and private health workers para ipakita sa gobyerno ang pagkadismaya."

DEPED SAYS TO DISTRIBUTE 40,000 LAPTOPS TO TEACHERS, PERSONNEL FOR NEW SCHOOL YEAR

MANILA — The Department of Education on Thursday announced it would begin distributing some 40,000 laptops to teachers and other personnel for the upcoming school year in September.

Officials said the procurement was made from funds under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.

In May this year, DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Anne Sevilla said 68,500 personnel of the agency would get laptops with a total funding of P2.4 billion.

"This would go a long way in our continued implementation of our Basic Education – Learning Continuity Plan and in providing technical support to our field offices nationwide,” said Education Secretary Leonor Briones in a release.

DepEd said those prioritized to get the new equipment would be its implementing units, public schools district supervisors, alternative learning system mobile teachers, as well as regional and division coordinators.

But it added its regional supply officer would still have to come up with a final list of recipients, and take charge in releasing the laptops.

“Our direction is to provide laptops for each teacher and our DepEd offices," said Undersecretary for Administration Alain Pascua. "It is still the responsibility of the state to provide government-issued laptops."

DepEd said its regional and schools division offices may conduct training of laptop use through online seminars or in-person sessions, provided COVID-19 health protocols are followed.

ROBREDO, BINAY UNDERGO QUARANTINE

MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo is on quarantine after an employee in her office tested positive for COVID-19.

“While we have been religiously following health protocols, I was a very close contact. I started my quarantine on Tuesday after my staff developed symptoms. Because of this, I need to continue with my quarantine,” Robredo said in a Facebook post yesterday.

Robredo said she would undergo RT-PCR test on Monday, which is the seventh day of her last exposure to COVID-19.

“Even if I test negative, I need to continue my quarantine until the 14th day from my last exposure,” she said.

Robredo said she would have to excuse herself from some activities that she had committed to.

PANGASINAN IATF SEEKS LOCKDOWN OF 7 TOWNS, CITY

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — The Pangasinan inter-agency task force on COVID-19 (IATF) has recommended the lockdown of seven towns and a city in the province for two weeks.

Calasiao, Lingayen, Bugallon, Sison, Villasis, Pozorrubio, Aguilar and Urdaneta City “have crossed the critical zone” of COVID-19 cases, provincial health officer Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman told The STAR yesterday.

As ordered by Gov. Amado Espino III, De Guzman said he talked with concerned municipal and city health offices regarding barangays where there is clustering of cases and urged them to discuss the imposition of lockdowns with their mayors.

“Based on the omnibus guidelines of the National IATF, if you have 25 percent of your barangays under critical zone due to clustered cases... you should implement more stringent community quarantine measures,” De Guzman said.

She cited Pozorrubio, where 14 of the 34 barangays have clustered cases.

“It means its critical zone is at 41 percent, which is beyond the 25 percent allowed by the national IATF,” De Guzman said.

US MILITARY DONATES ICU BEDS TO CAGAYAN HOSPITAL

MANILA — The US Indo-Pacific Command donated intensive care unit (ICU) beds to the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC) in Tuguegarao City, which is now operating at full capacity due to rising COVID cases.

The donation valued at P83,000 is part of a larger assistance for ICU beds and essential protective equipment to the Department of Health, to be distributed to medical facilities in areas considered at high risk for the virus.

CVMC is the primary center for severe COVID cases in Cagayan Valley.

“This generous donation came at a very critical time in our fight against COVID-19,” hospital chief Glenn Matthew Baggao said.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

NADINE LUSTRE SPOTTED WITH RUMORED NEW BOYFRIEND IN SIARGAO

MANILA — Actress Nadine Lustre spent some of her pandemic time on the beach of Siargao with rumored new boyfriend Christopher Bariou.

Social media users uploaded photos of Nadine with her rumored new French lover on Twitter.

Fans of the actress said that Christopher is the owner and co-founder of an online magazine, BE Siargao.

He is also the founder and managing director of a luxury resort in Siargao called Maison Bukana.

Nadine, however, remained mum on the real status of their alleged relationship.

Nadine's ex-boyfriend, James Reid, meanwhile, said in his recent interview with Boy Abunda that he wishes Nadine to be happy.

“I don’t think anyone in that situation is excited to see their ex with someone else, but you know, that’s not my choice. It can’t be my choice but if magically I had to decide whether or not she’d be with someone, of course, I wish her the best, I want her to be happy,” James said.

“I’m not her husband, neither am I her father, so she can do whatever makes her happiest."

SPORTS

PACQUIAO SAYS OPEN TO REMATCH WITH UGAS — ‘I CAN COME BACK IN JANUARY’

Manny Pacquiao has refused to rule out a rematch with WBA champion Yordenis Ugas following his upset defeat to the Cuban last weekend, which nudged the Filipino boxing star ever closer to retirement.

Pacquiao, 42, told The Athletic website that he may consider fighting Ugas again in January following his unanimous decision loss to the 35-year-old in Las Vegas on Saturday.

"Yes, I can come back in January. I will see about it," Pacquiao told the website. "I know I can rematch him if I want. I'll just need to tell (promoter) Al Haymon. That would be no problem."

Ugas said in the aftermath of his win on Saturday, where he clinically picked off Pacquiao from long range to score a deserved victory, that he would be willing to offer the eight-division world champion a rematch.

Pacquiao — who is mulling a bid for the presidency of the Philippines — said on Saturday he might not fight again after the eighth loss of his glittering 26-year professional career.

However, he told The Athletic he could be tempted by a second Ugas fight, admitting he was still baffled by the nature of last weekend's loss.

"I will think about it because I can't believe that one of the easiest opponents I ever faced did that," said Pacquiao, who has blamed cramping in his legs for his leaden-footed performance.

"He shouldn't have touched me. When I moved here (to the right), I had nothing. You know how I move. You've seen it so many times.

"(Ugas) only had one style, and I should've been able to easily move away — you've seen how I have moved in my fights before. I couldn't move in this fight. My legs just stopped."

BEJINO MISSES ON FINAL IN FIRST EVENT IN TOKYO PARALYMPICS

MANILA — Para swimmer Gary Bejino failed to qualify for the final in his first Tokyo Paralympics event, finishing last in his heat of the 200-meter individual medley SM6 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on hursday.

Bejino finished last among 17 swimmers with a 3:17.19 finish, more than 20 seconds slower than China's Jingang Wang who was the 8th swimmer to qualify with 2:50.23.

The Filipino para swimmer was up against Rio Paralympics medalists Jia Hongguang and Talisson Glock in his heat.

Hongguang finished in silver while Glock took the bronze.

Bejino competes in another event on Monday, August 30, in the Men's 50-meter butterfly.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 49.85

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Information's pretty thin stuff unless mixed with experience. - Clarence Day