HOUSE INCREASES DOH PANDEMIC RESPONSE BUDGET

MANILA — The House of Representatives has increased the budget of the Department of Health (DOH) for pandemic response programs next year by P29.5 billion.

The committee tasked by the House plenary to consider amendments in the 2022 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) has decided to realign funds for government’s health programs with insufficient budget in the National Expenditure Program submitted by the Department of Budget and Management to Congress.

With this, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has committed the timely transmission to the Senate of the P5.024-trillion budget bill that he said is a “more responsive and balanced national budget” for 2022.

“We are very proud of this budget and what it will do to help our country recover from the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe the House delivered a budget that directly responds to the greatest needs of the Filipino people amid this unprecedented global health crisis,” Velasco said in a statement.

The Marinduque congressman said the printed copy of the House-approved GAB would be transmitted to the Senate on or before Oct. 27 to give senators ample time to examine the government’s spending plan for next year.

DOH: 1,013 TEENS VACCINATED VS COVID-19 IN PILOT INOCULATIONS IN METRO MANILA

DOH eyes expanding pediatric vaccinations to areas outside NCR after 2 weeks

MANILA— A total of 1,013 teens with health risks were vaccinated against COVID-19 on Friday, the health department said, as the government expanded its inoculation program to the sector.

The Department of Health (DOH) said the bulk of newly-immunized children were vaccinated at the Philippine Heart Center, Makati Medical Center, St. Luke's Medical Center - Global City, and the Pasig City Children's Hospital.

The pilot vaccination of individuals with comorbidities aged 12 to 17 also commenced at the Philippine General Hospital, Philippines Children's Medical Center, National Children's Hospital, and the Fe Del Mundo Medical Center.

Each hospital has an allocation of 1,170 doses, Dr. Gloria Balboa, Director of the NCR Center for Health Development earlier said.

In a statement, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said they would continue monitoring vaccinations for the said sector.

“Sa ating pagbibigay proteksyon sa mga kabataang ito, atin ring mapoproteksyonan ang kanilang mga mahal sa buhay. Sa ating mga magulang at mga kabataan, kayo ay aming hinihikayat na makilahok sa pagbabakunang ito," Duque said.

"Katuwang ng ating mga eksperto, doktor, at mga pediatricians, makakaasa kayong patuloy naming babantayan ang pagbabakunang ito,” he added.

The DOH estimated that some 1.2 million teens have comorbidities in the country and are eligible for vaccination.

NO SIDE EFFECTS REPORTED AS PEDIATRIC COVID-19 VACCINATIONS START IN PH

MANILA— The first day of COVID-19 vaccinations of children with comorbidities in Metro Manila went smoothly with no reported side effects, the Department of Health said Saturday.

“Smooth naman ang naging proseso at pinakamaganda wala pong nagkaroon ng side effect kasi nakahanda naman po kasi nasa ospital naman sila kung magkaroon ng untoward incident,” said DOH National Capital Region Director Dr. Gloria Balboa.

The Philippines on Friday began vaccinating children aged 12 to 17 with health risks in eight hospitals namely the Philippine General Hospital, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, Philippine Heart Center, Pasig City Children’s Hospital, Fe Del Mundo Medical Center, St. Luke’s Medical Center and Makati Medical Center.

A total of 1,151 children were vaccinated and none had side effects, said Balboa.

In an interview with TeleRadyo, Balboa said the children received the COVID-19 vaccine developed by US drugmaker Pfizer which, along with Moderna are the two COVID-19 vaccine brands approved for use in minors in the Philippines.

Vaccinated children were monitored for 15 to 30 minutes to check for immediate side effects, said Balboa.

Balboa said they will roll out the second week of the inoculation program in local government unit hospitals, and on the third week in vaccination sites in Metro Manila and other regions that have inoculated 50 percent or more of their senior citizens.

“Kailangang mabalanse na, itong more vulnerable sila muna 'yung mabigyan ng sapat na coverage para makampante tayo bago pumunta sa mga bata,” she said.

Children with any of the 11 comorbidities that the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines cite are eligible for vaccination: autoimmune disorders, neurologic conditions, metabolic and endocrine conditions, cardiovascular disease, obesity, HIV infection, tuberculosis, chronic respiratory disease, renal disorders, and hepatobiliary conditions.

Children must first get clearance from their doctors and consent from their parents, the DOH said.

‘DOESN’T MAKE SENSE’: ROBREDO BRUSHES OFF LACSON’S PERCEIVED ‘INSULT’ DURING UNITY TALKS

MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday brushed off presidential aspirant Senator Panfilo Lacson’s claim he was insulted by a supposed hand gesture that Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon made during unity talks between the two presidential contenders.

Lacson said Drilon supposedly made a hand gesture suggesting that Robredo should run with Lacson’s runningmate, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, in the May 2022 polls.

“I first heard about that particular comment yesterday. So ang tinanong kong una kay Senator Drilon, ‘Marunong ka pala mag-hand gestures? Hindi ko alam’,” she said during a presser announcing her senatorial slate, eliciting chuckles from Drilon.

“Seriously speaking, I was very open about the unity talks na ginagawa namin. Nangyari ‘yun for a period of about two months… Ako ang nag-seek out sa kanila. Bakit ako mag-aaksaya ng panahon kung hindi ako seryoso doon sa ninanais ko sanang objective that will come out of the talks?,” she explained.

Robredo denied seeing Drilon make any hand gesture.

“Hindi ko nakita si Senator Drilon na nag-hand signals pero para sa akin lang, wala namang any need for that,” she said.

“So sa akin, wala akong nakikitang logic…We could have easily just requested to talk to Senator Sotto if that was the intent…So kung ang sadya lang namin si Senator Sotto, bakit kami mag-aarrange kay Senator Ping so it doesn’t make sense,” she added.

Drilon, for his part, said he could not recall making any gestures at all.

“I honestly, I do not recall the hand signals. I do not know. You ask me today what the hand signal was, I do not know because I never communicate that way,” he said.

“Kaya hindi ko po alam kung ano ito and that is why I was surprised by this,” he added.

Drilon said Robredo requested him to arrange for the meeting with Lacson and Sotto in the hope of coming up with a unity ticket.

“It was a sincere effort to seek unity,” Drilon said.

Robredo announced her 11-member senatorial slate on Friday, crediting Drilon for helping forge a broad alliance among different groups.

PHILIPPINES DROPS TO 102ND OF 139 IN RULE OF LAW INDEX

MANILA — Adherence to the rule of law in the Philippines remains one of the weakest in the region, with the country placing 102nd out of 139 countries included in the Rule of Law Index of the World Justice Project (WJP).

The Philippines dropped from 91st out of 128 countries in the index last year and remained at 13th place out of 15 countries in East Asia and the Pacific region, ahead of Myanmar and Cambodia.

The index measures adherence to the rule of law based on eight indicators: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.

Countries get a score of 0 to 1, with 1 indicating strongest adherence to the rule of law.

In the latest index, the Philippines scored 0.46, lower by 0.01 compared to last year. The country’s scores also declined in all indicators except in regulatory enforcement and criminal justice, which stayed at 0.48 and 0.31, respectively.

The index also noted a statistically significant change in the country’s score in order and security, which dropped by 0.02 to 0.63.

The country has continuously slipped in the index since 2015, when it placed 51st out of 103 countries with a score of 0.53.

On the first year of the Duterte administration in 2016, the Philippines scored 0.51 and ranked 70th out of 113. It further dropped to 88th out of 113 with a score of 0.47 in the 2017/2018 index and 90th out of 126 with a score of 0.47 in 2019.

According to the WJP, more countries declined than improved in overall rule of law performance for the fourth consecutive year.

“In a year dominated by the global COVID-19 pandemic, 74.2 percent of surveyed countries experienced declines in rule of law performance, while only 25.8 percent improved. The declines were widespread and seen in all corners of the world. For the second year in a row, in every region, a majority of countries slipped backward or remained unchanged in their overall rule of law performance,” the WJP added.

ELEAZAR: STEP UP ANTI-CRIME OPS WITH REOPENING OF ECONOMY

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar has ordered police commanders to step up anti-crime operations, as the economy starts to reopen with the easing of restrictions under Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila.

With more economic activity now allowed, Eleazar said they expect criminals to also intensify their activities in Metro Manila.

“I have ordered all of our unit commanders, particularly in urban areas, to further strengthen (their) anti-criminality drive and preemptive security measures to deny these criminal elements the opportunity to strike,” he said in a statement in a mix of Filipino and English.

US TO REOPEN BORDERS TO VACCINATED TRAVELERS ON NOV 8

WASHINGTON— The United States will reopen its land and air borders on November 8 to foreign visitors fully vaccinated against COVID-19, ending a more than 18-month ban on travel from much of the globe that separated families, hobbled tourism and strained diplomatic ties.

The decision to ease restrictions was "guided by public health, stringent and consistent," said White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz in a tweet on Friday announcing the new policy.

He said the "announcement and date applies to both international air travel and land travel."

The new policy was quickly hailed by the European Union's ambassador in the US, Stavros Lambrinidis, who called it "important and very welcome news" and said in a Twitter post that more details were expected to follow.

THE REST

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PH'S TOTAL COVID-19 CASES BREACH 2.7 MILLION AFTER 7,625 MORE INFECTIONS LOGGED

MANILA— The Philippines on Friday logged 7,625 more COVID-19 cases, pushing the country's total reported cases to over 2.7 million, data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed.

This is the 3rd straight day that new cases fell below the 8,000-mark, data showed.

"Prior to this week, the last time that the number of fresh cases fell below 8,000 was more than two months ago, or on Aug, 4 when DOH announced 7,342 cases," the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group said.

The country's total reported COVID-19 cases stood at 2,705,792, of which 78,999 remain active infections.

Positivity rate is at 14.9 percent, based on results of 49,655 individuals who got screened for the virus on Wednesday. This means more than 1 in 10 people screened for COVID-19 tested positive for the virus.

ABS-CBN Data Analytics head Edson Guido said the positivity rate was at below 15 percent for the 3rd straight day.

Meanwhile, 203 more fatalities were recorded, pushing the death toll to 40,424.

COMELEC EXTENDS VOTER REGISTRATION HOURS, ADDS SATURDAYS IN SELECT AREAS

MANILA — The Commission on Elections has extended hours and opened Saturdays for voter registration in select areas including Metro Manila.

The Comelec announced that beginning October 16, voter registration in some areas during weekdays will be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., while voter registration will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

DOH WON’T CONSULT MAYORS ON ALERT LEVEL

MANILA — Following complaints by some mayors that they were not consulted when the National Capital Region (NCR) was downgraded to Alert Level 3, the Department of Health (DOH) said that it is not about to do so.

In an interview with “The Chiefs” on OneNews on Thursday night, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they “do not consult anybody” with regards to the alert level system.

“This is a metric system coming from the DOH wherein we classify areas according to risk,” she said.

Vergeire maintained that the DOH does consult local government units on “interventions and actions” they have to take concerning their alert level status.

In a press briefing yesterday, she said the alert level system is “not appealable.”

“The alert level is not subject to discussions or debate. This is not even subject to appeals… They are in Alert Level 3 because their metrics already warranted a de-escalation,” she added.

BOC PERSONNEL TO WEAR BODY CAMERAS

MANILA — Officials and employees of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) are now required to wear body cameras when conducting operations, in compliance with the Supreme Court (SC)’s rules on the use of body-worn cameras when executing warrants.

In a 10-page memorandum order, the BOC said the rules on the use of body-worn cameras or other alternative recording devices took effect on Oct. 1, requiring officials and employees to wear them when “in the exercise of police authority” and “in the conduct of other customs operations.”

The BOC said that body cameras should be worn during approved controlled delivery operations, boarding formalities, conduct of auction sales, destruction or condemnation and transport of goods to designated facilities and on e-tracking-related operations.

Customs officials and employees are also required to wear body cameras during fuel marking operations, guarding duty at customs import exit gates for containers or cargo, hot pursuit operations, inspection of consignees’ offices and non-intrusive examination of goods.

Body-worn cameras are also required during the physical examination of goods within or outside customs zones; serving a letter of authority; and conducting a search of travelers arriving from foreign countries as well as of vehicles, persons, animals, vessels and aircraft, among others.

Under the guidelines set by the memorandum, customs officials and employees are to ensure that body-worn cameras are functional, visible to the public and start recording as soon as operations commence.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

'MAGICAL MOMENT': OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST HIDILYN DIAZ NOW ENGAGED TO BOYFRIEND, COACH JULIUS NARANJO

MANILA— From an Olympic gold to a golden ring.

Olympic weightlifting gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz revealed Saturday that she just got engaged with her boyfriend and coach Julius Naranjo.

Photos released by Resorts World Manila showed Diaz, clad in a pink dress, with Naranjo during their dinner on Friday.

At the end of the dinner, Naranjo knelt on one knee and proposed to a giddy diaz, who said "of course, yes."

In an Instagram post, Diaz called it "a magical moment."

"I'm grateful to God that He sent Julius into my life, he make my life easy, alam ng iba kung ano mga sinasakripisyo niya para maabot namin ang pangarap na Ginto sa Olympics together with #TeamHD, nun laro kinilig at masaya ako kasi siya mismo nagsabi God is the center of our relationship, kaya walang duda magYeYES ako dahil swerte ako may isang Julius nagmamahal, nagintindi, at sumoporta sakin," she said.

Diaz's life milestone came just months after she made history as the first Filipino to win an Olympic Gold in July. Naranjo was by her side in her victory.

Days after Diaz won, she said she was ready to get married should Naranjo propose to her.

Diaz met Julius, a Filipino-Japanese weightlifter, at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in 2017.

Julius represented Guam in the 62kg weight category.

The Guamenian athlete told Sports U two years ago that he was immediately drawn to Diaz, though he was not exactly aware of how big a deal she was in Philippine sports.

“When I watched her first competition at that meet we were at, I was inspired to see her willpower,” he said.

“Her way of really fighting towards the top, working hard, it’s such an inspiration.”

SPORTS

SAN MIGUEL DEF. TNT, 103-90 (PBA) SEMIS GAME 6

San Miguel Beermen defeated TNT Tropang GIGA, 103-90 to force a do-or-die game 7 in the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup semifinal on Friday at the Don Honorio Ventura State University (DHVSU) Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.

Moala Tautuaa led the Beermen in scoring with game-high 24 points (10/14 FG, 4/4 FT), 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 28 minutes of play. Marcio Lassiter with a solid game of 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting including 5 three-pointers along with 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists while Terrence Romeo added 16 points (6/17 FG, 1/6 3PT, 3/5 FT), 6 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.

June Mar Fajardo with a double-double of 11 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Arwind Santos had his own double-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists.

The Beermen and Tropang GIGA will play a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday, October 17 at 4:35pm for the PBA Finals slot.

The Scores:

SAN MIGUEL 103 - Tautuaa 24, Lassiter 19, Romeo 16, Santos 13, Fajardo 11, Cabagnot 9, Perez 8, Ross 3, Gamalinda 0.

TNT 90 - Reyes 16, Castro 16, Erram 11, Rosario 10, M. Williams 9, Heruela 9, Montalbo 6, Pogoy 6, K. Williams 5, Khobuntin 2, Exciminiano 0, Alejandro 0, Marcelo 0.

Quarters: 27-21, 53-38, 86-62, 103-90.

MAGNOLIA ELIMINATES MERALCO, 93-85, ADVANCES TO FINALS (PBA) SEMIS GAME 6

Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots eliminates Meralco Bolts, 93-85 in their best-of-7 semifinal series to the advance to the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup Finals on Friday at the Don Honorio Ventura State University (DHVSU) Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.

Ian Sangalang led the Hotshots with a double-double performance of 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting along with 14 rebounds, 6assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Rome Dela Rosa with a solid game of 16 points (5/8 FG, 4/5 3PT), 5 rebounds and 1 assist while Mark Barroca added 16 points (6/17 FG, 4/6 FT), 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

Magnolia now awaits the winner of the do-or-die game between the Beermen and Tropang GIGA on Sunday.

The Scores:

MAGNOLIA 93 - Sangalang 19, Barroca 16, Dela Rosa 16, Abueva 11, Jalalon 11, Melton 6, Reavis 6, Corpuz 4, Lee 4, Ahanmisi 0, Dionisio 0.

MERALCO 85 - Almazan 16, Newsome 14, Maliksi 13, Pinto 10, Hodge 9, Caram 7, Quinto 7, Hugnatan 6, Belo 3, Black 0, Pasaol 0, Jamito 0.

Quarters: 20-27, 44-40, 72-68, 93-85.

INDICATORS

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

I can accept failure; everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying. - Michael Jordan