PHILIPPINES EYES VACCINE 3RD DOSES, BOOSTER SHOTS BY NOVEMBER, DECEMBER
MANILA—The Philippines is looking into providing an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine to priority groups by November or December should the state regulators amend the emergency use authorization to existing jabs, a health official said Monday.
"Ito pong gagawin nating third doses and booster shots, it’s going to be this baka last quarter po," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told TeleRadyo.
"Ito pong parating na Nobyembre at Disyembre magawa natin kung lalabas po 'yung emergency use authority na manggagaling sa Food and Drug Administration."
Health Secretary Francisco Duque has approved a recommendation by the Health Technology Assessment Council to give additional anti-virus shot to health-care workers and other priority groups.
According to the website of the Department of Health, HTAC is an independent advisory body created under Universal Health Care Act, "with the overall role of providing guidance to the DOH and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation on the coverage of health interventions and technologies to be funded by the government."
Vergeire said the FDA must amend the emergency use approval of existing COVID-19 vaccines to allow a booster dose or additional shot.
She said booster doses are given if the protection offered by the vaccine drops over time.
Meanwhile, third doses are provided if jab recipients such as those considered immunocompromised have not mounted appropriate immunity against COVID-19.
As of Oct. 21, there are more than 25 million fully vaccinated individuals in the country. This is 32.54 percent of the government's target of 77 million population.
Meanwhile, some 9,928 children with comorbidities in Metro Manila have received the anti-virus jab in the government's pilot pediatric vaccination.
The inoculation program will be rolled out nationwide starting Oct. 29, Vergeire said.
PHILIPPINES REVEALS MIX IN COVID MIX-AND-MATCH TRIAL
MANILA - The Philippines will be mixing Sinovac jabs with other vaccines for the mix-and-match trial of COVID-19 vaccines, an official said Monday.
Science and Technology Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said the dry run for the mixing of different brands of COVID-19 vaccines will start this week.
“So may dry run tayo ngayong linggo sa Muntinlupa tsaka Davao. Pag okay na yung dry run, saka talaga tayo mag-uumpisa,” she said in an interview on TeleRadyo.
The actual mix-and-match trial of vaccines will start towards the end of October or early November, she added.
COVID-19 vaccine brands that will be mixed are those that have already been used in the country's immunization program.
“So ang mga imi-mix and match natin, yung mga locally available na ginagamit, dito sa ating National Immunization Program.”
“So pwedeng Sinovac, followed by Pfizer, Sinovac followed by Moderna and so on. So yun yung two-dose. Tapos merong version na three-dose na Sinovac-Sinovac tapos Pfizer, Sinovac-Sinovac tapos Moderna and so on.”
Guevara said only those who have not yet received any shot of the COVID-19 vaccine may participate in the trial.
“Dahil kailangan nating i-work up yung mga participants bago mag-umpisa. Kailangan hindi pa nababakunahan itong mga ito,” she said.
PH WELCOMES 3 MILLION MORE SINOVAC COVID-19 VACCINE DOSES
MANILA—Philippine authorities on Sunday afternoon received 3 million more COVID-19 jabs manufactured by Sinovac.
The Sinovac shots arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 via Philippine Airlines flight PR359.
Of the latest deliveries, 2 million doses were procured by the government, while the Chinese government donated another 1 million doses.
The latest batch raises the country's total received vaccine doses to more than 96 million, more than a half of which are jabs from China's Sinovac.
SENATOR SEEKS TO BAN CANDIDACY WITHDRAWAL, EXTEND COC FILING DEADLINE
MANILA - The Commission on Elections should make November 15 its deadline for filing of certificate of candidacies, a senator said Monday as he pushed for the prohibition of candidacy withdrawal for substitutions.
The Comelec this year set COC filing from Oct. 1 to 8, with candidates allowed to withdraw or file for substitution until Nov. 15.
The poll body should just set the deadline on Nov. 15, according to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.
"My view here is there should only be one...Kung kaya ng Nov. 15, gawing Nov. 15. The logic why Comelec allowed Oct 1 to 8 is because they said they will start printing the ballots already but they cannot print ballots until Nov. 15 after which substitution is completely over," he told ANC's Headstart.
"So let's just make it Nov. 15 and not prolong the agony of guessing who's gonna file, who’s not gonna file."
Gatchalian said he and "a few other senators" would file this week a measure that will remove the withdrawal criteria from the substitution rule.
"We will file a bill to remove that so that there’s only disqualification and probably death that will be allowed for substitution," he said.
"The reason for that is--not only at the national level, all the way in the local level--that’s not the spirit of the law. Once you’ve filed, you’ve filed. You don’t place placeholders in order to prolong the deadline."
At least 2 bills have been filed at the House of Representatives seeking the abolishment of the substitution rule.
VOLUNTEERS NOT PAID FOR SUPPORT, ROBREDO CAMP SAYS OF SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIMS
MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo's office and her supporters on Sunday dismissed allegations on social media of people getting "incentives" to show up at activities to express support for her and Sen. Francis Pangilinan, her running mate.
In separate statements, both the Office of the Vice President and Team Leni Robredo said it checked on the allegations and found them untrue.
"After a thorough investigation with all the team leads in the areas that participated in the caravan, we found that no such activity took place," the statement read in Filipino.
"Because we were super solid yesterday, we received these pictures this morning. Fake news again. Let us expect these kinds of defamation as we grow stronger in numbers," Robredo's spokesperson Barry Guttierez also said in a tweet.
One of the first viral images making the allegations were shared by Facebook page Wer2GoPH, which describes itself as an "infotainment vlog." The page claimed that some Filipinos were given P100 bills to participate in the caravan.
A similar claim was made by Manuel Mejorada, who identifies as a freelance investigative journalist. Mejorada, who also describes himself on his Twitter profile as the "Number one enemy of Senator Franklin Drilon", was convicted for libel in 2017.
The Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction in 2018 and the Supreme Court did the same in 2019. Mejorada initially posted a photo of the supposed "incentive" of P100, a Fudgee Bar, a face mask and what was supposedly a sticker in support of Robredo. In a subsequent tweet, he labeled the photo as "CTTO", or online shorthand for "Credits to the Owner".
TEAM LENI ROBREDO: WE CONDEMN ANY FORM OF BUYING PUBLIC SUPPORT
In a statement, Team Leni Robredo said it "strongly condemns any type of support purchase and we call on the public to be more critical in sharing these types of information on social media."
"As the volunteer arm of the Leni Robredo presidential campaign, TLR believes in the principles held by our constituents."
Speaking earlier Sunday on her weekly radio show aired over dzXL, the vice president said she was not expecting the numbers that came out in support of her bid for the highest post in the land.
"We were so shocked yesterday. I did not expect that it would be that big because before yesterday, many people from different areas were conducting caravans which were also successful. But, we were shocked because from north to south, people participated," she said in mixed Filipino and English.
"What's good about this is that it shows that it is becoming a people’s movement. This is not traditional campaigning."
JULIAN ONGPIN ASKS COURT TO DISMISS DRUG CASE
MANILA — The son of billionaire and former trade minister Roberto Ongpin has asked the La Union Regional Trial Court (RTC) to dismiss the complaint for illegal possession of drugs filed against him by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with the death of visual artist Bree Jonson last month.
In a 16-page motion dated Oct. 21, Julian Ongpin, 29, through his legal counsel, asked Executive Judge Romeo Agacita of the La Union RTC Branch 27 to dismiss the drug case for lack of evidence.
Ongpin’s camp also urged the court to defer the issuance of a warrant for his arrest to give him an opportunity to avail himself of other legal remedies.
His lawyers opposed the DOJ resolution, which recommended the filing of drug charges against Ongpin.
Ongpin was linked to the death of Jonson after police reportedly recovered more than 12 grams of cocaine in the resort room where she was found unconscious on Sept. 18.
Authorities said both Ongpin and Jonson tested positive for cocaine use.
“The DOJ failed to establish probable cause that Ongpin was in possession of the subject drugs. First, the drugs were not found in his possession. The DOJ resolution only proved that the pouch where the cocaine was recovered was placed in the bed,” Ongpin’s lawyers said.
“The DOJ jumped to the conclusion that he owned the drugs. The DOJ was unable to present evidence that he was the owner, custodian or possessor of the cocaine,” they added.
In his counter-affidavit, Ongpin denied that he owned the drugs.
1,417 OFWS RETURN HOME FROM DUBAI
MANILA — Budget carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) brought home 1,417 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the travel restrictions in Dubai in the past two weeks.
The airline mounted special commercial flights from Dubai in support of the government’s repatriation program for stranded OFWs.
Aside from meal upgrades, each passenger on these flights received an additional 25-kilo baggage allowance.
The passengers were required to comply with health protocols upon arrival, including a mandatory facility-based quarantine and swab tests both for the fully vaccinated and non-vaccinated.
CEB coordinated with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to accommodate returning OFWs and their dependents in quarantine hotels.
The costs of quarantine accommodation and swab test for land-based OFWs were shouldered by the OWWA. The Philippine Ports Authority covered the cost for seafarers.
Returning overseas Filipinos are required to undergo quarantine for six days.
“The Bayanihan flights were mounted so we can bring more Filipinos home. We will continue to work with the government to provide ways to help our countrymen as we enter the holiday season,” Alex Reyes, CEB chief strategy officer, said.
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PHILIPPINES RECORDS OVER 5K NEW COVID CASES, OVER 200 NEW DEATHS
MANILA - The Philippines confirmed 5,279 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the country’s total to 2,756,923.
The Department of Health also reported 7,312 new recoveries, pushing the total number of Filipinos who recovered from the disease to 2,654,173.
This means that the country has a total of 60,957 active cases as of 4 p.m. Sunday--this is the lowest since July 31 this year.
Two hundred eight new deaths were also reported, bringing the country’s death toll from the disease to 41,793.
CALLS FOR HELP TO ONE HOSPITAL COMMAND CENTER DIP
MANILA—The Philippine COVID-19 referral system is receiving fewer calls for help in securing hospital admission as coronavirus cases in the country have fallen in the past week.
Dr. Bernadett Velasco, operations manager of One Hospital Command Center, said they were receiving between 150 to 200 calls for help daily. The system was receiving 600 to 700 calls daily amid surging infections in August.
"Sa ngayon, medyo bumababa 'yung number of calls natin na natatanggap on a daily basis," she told Teleradyo Monday.
Velasco said many calls remain requests for hospital admission, meaning patients are suffering from moderate to critical symptoms of COVID-19.
According to the Department of Health's COVID-19 Tracker as of Oct. 23, the bed occupancy rate in Metro Manila was at 36 percent.
This means 3,770 beds dedicated for COVID-19 patients were occupied while 6,709 others remain vacant.
Most hospitals or 131 were considered "safe" or less than 60 percent occupied, 13 were "moderate" or 60 to 70 percent occupied, 5 were "high risk" or 70 to 85 percent occupied and 7 were "critical" or more than 85 percent occupied.
Launched in August last year, the OHCC is a health-care referral network linked with service providers such as hospitals, quarantine facilities and medical transportation for COVID-19 cases.
LPA TO DUMP RAIN OVER LUZON, VISAYAS
MANILA — A low-pressure area spotted 205 kilometers west-northwest of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan may develop into a tropical depression and bring moderate to heavy rain in some parts of Luzon and the Visayas, state weather forecasters said yesterday.
The weather disturbance was expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility last night or this morning, but could still dump moderate to heavy, to at times intense rain over Aurora, Camarines provinces, Catanduanes, Quezon and Palawan, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
Light to moderate, to at times heavy rain will prevail over Metro Manila as well as in Bicol region, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Caraga, Central Luzon, Eastern Visayas and Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Quezon).
The weather disturbance may develop into a tropical depression within the next 36 hours as it moves westward away from the country, PAGASA weather forecasters said.
The public has been advised to take precautionary measures as floods and landslides are possible.
ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE
ANNE CURTIS SAYS SHE'S LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING WITH 'IT'S SHOWTIME' AGAIN
MANILA – It’s been a while since Anne Curtis last appeared on “It’s Showtime” but the hit noontime show and its hosts still hold a very special place in her heart.
Curtis remembered on Sunday to mark the show’s 12th anniversary through a series of throwback photos she shared on Instagram.
“Happy 12th anniversary my showtime family. A lot of things have changed, but I know these things still remain - the love we have for one another, our madlang people and the goal to continue to make them happy,” she wrote.
Curtis said she is looking forward to the day she comes back to host the show again and have belly-aching laughs.
“I miss you all sooooooo much! I’d also like to take this opportunity to commend my brothers, sisters, of course Inay and the whole showtime family behind the camera who continue to work hard to put on an amazing show despite the challenges of the last few years. Thank you and I Love you guys!!!! Happy Anniversary @itsshowtimena,” she said.
Curtis was last seen on “It’s Showtime” in December 2019, when she started her maternity leave six months into her pregnancy.
In an interview with Boy Abunda in September, Curtis reiterated that she is returning to “It’s Showtime” very soon although she did not give any specific date.
“Siyempre malapit na. I am just being very cautious din kasi minsan akala ko na nga na babalik na ako, tapos biglang aakyat 'yung [COVID-19] cases tapos napapraning ako,” she said.
“Dahlia is still quite young pa. I am just being very cautious muna. But soon. Babalik ako, for sure 'yun. Babalik talaga ako for sure,” she added.
Curtis has been with ABS-CBN since 2004, calling her move to the Kapamilya network as “life-changing.” In those 17 years, she’s been part of “It’s Showtime” as a host since 2009.
'MR. AND MRS. MOTT': CARLA ABELLANA, TOM RODRIGUEZ GET MARRIED IN STYLE
MANILA — Kapuso sweethearts Tom Rodriguez and Carla Abellana tied the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony in San Juan, Batangas last Saturday.
“Mr. and Mrs. Mott,” Carla posted on Instagram.
“Flex ko lang na ikinasal ako kagabi sa isang napakagandang binibini. Officially, nabakuran ko na sa wakas!” Tom added on Instagram.
“WOOOOOOOOOOOT KASAL NA KAMI!!!!!!”
Carla was stunning in a pristine white lace embroidered dress by New York-based, Filipino-American designer Monique Lhuillier, while Tom was dapper in an all-black suit by internationally-acclaimed Filipino designer Francis Libiran.
The star-studded wedding included their celebrity friends Christian Bautista, Valeen Montenegro, Iya Villania, Rafael Rosell, and of course, Carla’s dad Rey “PJ” Abellana, among others.
Early this week, the pair shared a nostalgic prenup video and photos that went viral.
The two dated for seven years and got engaged last October 2020.
Born in Subic Naval Base in Zambales to a Filipina mom and an American serviceman dad, Tom, whose real name is Bartolome Alberto Mott, migrated to the US with his family when he was 12. He lived in Arizona, then to San Francisco, where he took up Digital Animation.
Carla Angeline Reyes Abellana, meanwhile, was born in Manila by dad, actor Rey "PJ," and mom, Rea Reyes. She was the grandchild of veteran actress Delia Razon. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from De La Salle University.
SPORTS
NBA SCORES OCT 23
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Hawks1-1 27 28 17 23 95
Cavaliers1-2 24 28 31 18 101
ROCKET MORTGAGE FIELDHOUSE, CLEVELAND, OH
SCORING LEADERS
T. Young ATL
24 PTS 1 REB 7 AST
R. Rubio CLE
23 PTS 6 REB 8 AST
FINAL/OT
1 2 3 4 OT T
Heat1-1 24 22 17 23 5 91
Pacers1-2 28 28 8 22 16 102
GAINBRIDGE FIELDHOUSE, INDIANAPOLIS, IN
SCORING LEADERS
T. Herro MIA
30 PTS 10 REB
C. Duarte IND
19 PTS 5 REB 1 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Mavericks1-1 18 27 29 29 103
Raptors1-2 25 26 21 23 95
SCOTIABANK ARENA, TORONTO, ON
SCORING LEADERS
L. Doncic DAL
27 PTS 9 REB 12 AST
O. Anunoby TOR
23 PTS 4 REB
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Pistons0-2 28 15 11 28 82
Bulls3-0 31 23 25 18 97
UNITED CENTER, CHICAGO, IL
SCORING LEADERS
S. Bey DET
20 PTS 16 REB 1 AST
D. DeRozan CHI
21 PTS 6 REB 6 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Pelicans0-3 27 14 26 22 89
Timberwolves2-0 28 26 15 27 96
TARGET CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS, MN
SCORING LEADERS
B. Ingram NO
30 PTS 6 REB 4 AST
K. Towns MIN
25 PTS 4 REB 2 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Bucks2-1 32 24 29 36 121
Spurs1-2 32 20 29 30 111
AT&T CENTER, SAN ANTONIO, TX
SCORING LEADERS
K. Middleton MIL
28 PTS 2 REB 3 AST
D. McDermott SA
25 PTS 4 REB 2 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Suns1-2 24 23 34 24 105
Trail Blazers1-1 30 37 39 28 134
MODA CENTER AT THE ROSE QUARTER, PORTLAND, OR
SCORING LEADERS
D. Booker PHO
21 PTS 4 REB 4 AST
C. McCollum POR
28 PTS 3 REB 1 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Grizzlies2-0 25 34 38 23 120
Clippers0-2 34 28 27 25 114
STAPLES CENTER, LOS ANGELES, CA
SCORING LEADERS
J. Morant MEM
28 PTS 2 REB 8 AST
P. George LAC
41 PTS 10 REB 4 AST
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
It is not a lack of love but a lack o
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