DEATH TOLL FROM TYPHOON ‘ODETTE’ CLIMBS TO 208; 1.8M PEOPLE AFFECTED
MANILA — The number of affected persons due to Typhoon Odette has risen to 1.8 million, the latest report from the Department of Social Welfare and Development showed.
As of Monday morning, the DSWD’s Disaster Response and Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) said it recorded 1,805,005 people or 452,307 families affected by Odette that hammered central Philippines over the weekend.
The affected families are from 3,286 barangays of Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, Mimaropa and Caraga regions, it added.
There are 438,359 persons or 109,914 families staying in 2,481 evacuation centers. While 193,043 people or 58,527 families are seeking temporary shelter with friends or relatives.
Destructive winds and floods due to Odette also partially damage 34,681 houses and totally wrecked 20,102 houses.
The DSWD DROMIC also noted that areas affected by Odette are experiencing power outage and limited internet access, “hence, the challenge in gathering data on affected population and other significant updates.”
“Ongoing assessment and validation are continuously being conducted,” it added.
The tally from the Philippine National Police meanwhile showed 208 fatalities due to Odette, with 239 others injured and 52 reported as missing.
The DSWD, local government units and non-government units have so far provided P14,575,980.31 of assistance to affected families.
LGUs are also continuously requesting help for affected communities. They also appeal for generator sets and fuel supplies, on top of drinking water, food, blankets and hygiene items.
NAVY SHIPS, AIRCRAFT TO ASSIST IN 'ODETTE' RELIEF
MANILA — The BRP Ang Pangulo, the presidential yacht converted into a hospital ship, is sailing for Siargao in Surigao del Norte with relief supplies as the navy deploys its ships to assist areas affected by Typhoon Odette.
Ang Pangulo, now a 10-bed hospital ship, joins more than a dozen navy ships that have been ordered to help with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response operations, the navy said in a release.
Seven sealift vehicles have been tasked with transporting goods as well as people stranded by the typhoon while two patrol ships will provide command and control and eight other vessels will provide general support.
Navy ships Tarlac, Bacolod City, Antonio Luna, Andres Bonifacio, Iwak, Agta and Ivatan are being sent to to augment relief efforts in Cebu, Northern Mindanao and Palawan. They will be joining ships already stationed in those areas.
"BRP Gregorio Velasquez, BRP Hilario Ruiz, and BRP Rafael Paragas are already in Northern Mindanao and have completed several relief sorties," the navy also said.
Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao has also been sorting, repacking and transporting relief goods for distribution to barangays near Littoral Monitoring Station Surigao, it said in a separate release.
TYPHOON-HIT REGIONS TO RECEIVE COVID-19 VACCINES
More than a million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be sent to regions affected by Typhoon Odette in preparation for the second round of the Philippines' nationwide vaccination drive.
The 3-day mass inoculation was postponed last week in Regions 5, 4B, and the whole of Visayas and Mindanao, which were projected to be hit by Typhoon Odette.
A total of 663,400 doses of private sector-procured AstraZeneca vaccines and 535,500 doses of Moderna vaccines arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 Sunday night.
The Moderna vaccines were donated by the European Union and Germany.
National Task Force against COVID-19 medical consultant Dr. Ma. Paz Corrales said these will be allocated to regions affected by the typhoon.
POPE FRANCIS PRAYS FOR ODETTE VICTIMS IN PH
MANILA -- Pope Francis prayed for the victims of Odette in the Philippines as the country reeled from the effects of the typhoon.
"I express my closeness to the population of the Philippines, struck by a strong typhoon that has caused many deaths and destroyed so many homes," the Supreme Pontiff said in a tweet.
"May the 'Santo Niño' bring consolation and hope to the families of those most affected," he added.
The leader of the Catholic Church visited the Philippines in 2015, celebrating Mass with survivors of super typhoon Yolanda -- considered the strongest typhoon to ever hit land.
"When I saw from Rome the catastrophe, I felt that I had to be here," the Pope said in his homily, as he assured the Filipinos that all is not lost despite the tragedy.
DUTERTE DOING BEST TO HELP ODETTE VICTIMS – GO
MANILA — Sen. Bong Go has assured victims of Typhoon Odette that the Duterte administration is doing everything it can to assist them and bring their lives back to normalcy.
Go joined President Duterte in an aerial inspection of the hardest-hit areas in Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands and Southern Leyte last Saturday. Yesterday, the President and his party visited Bohol and Negros.
After surveying the damage at Surigao airport, they conducted an aerial inspection of the Dinagat Islands before proceeding to Maasin City in Southern Leyte, where they extended aid and met with leaders to discuss rescue and recovery efforts.
Upon returning to Surigao City, they distributed relief and met with key national and local officials.
Go gave assurance that the government would provide all assistance needed by communities to help in their recovery. He thanked all government officials, first responders and volunteers who are doing their best to respond to the disaster and save lives.
“We will do everything we can so you can recover from this crisis. The administration cares for you and will not abandon you,” he said in Filipino in a statement.
DAVAO CITY HALL RECEIVES SAFETY SEAL CERTIFICATE
DAVAO CITY — The city government of Davao, particularly the city hall, was recently issued the Safety Seal certificate for following safety and health protocols against COVID.
The Safety Seal is a voluntary certification issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to affirm that an establishment is compliant with the minimum public health standards set by the government, and uses or integrates its contact tracing with StaySafe.ph.
The Safety Seal certification program aims to assure consumers and the public that an establishment is complying with the minimum public health standards set by the government, encouraging the adoption of the StaySafe.ph digital contact tracing application and effectively containing the
spread of the virus.
The Safety Seal was issued to the Davao City hall building after the DILG as well as the city police and the fire department found it compliant with minimum public health standards.
The DILG, city police and fire department inspected the Davao City hall building on Nov. 10 and issued the certificate on the same day.
“The certificate is a testament that the city government is promoting the safety and welfare of every one,” said Sarah Paclibar of the city hall internal audit service division.
‘DEMAND FOR MIGRANT LABOR TRIPLED IN PAST DECADE’
MANILA — As exemplified by the many roles of migrants considered “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new International Organization for Migration (IOM) report highlighted an increase in demand for their labor.
Over the past decade, migrants in the worldwide labor force have tripled, according to the new IOM Global Migration Indicators (GMI) 2021 report released last Thursday.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the key role that migrant workers play in the global economy, as well as the “terrible risks” that they are forced to take to find work.
Citing an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data, the report said foreign doctors account for 33 percent of the United Kingdom’s physicians, and that there is an overall reliance on foreign health care workers in Europe and the United States.
There are nearly 170 million foreign workers globally, according to the latest IMO estimates – more than triple the 53 million registered in 2010.
The report indicated that foreign-born workers play a growing role in the labor force, making up an estimated five percent of today’s global workforce.
“As we celebrate International Migrants Day this week, this report stands as a clear reminder of the role migrants play in the development of their communities worldwide,” IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC) director Frank Laczko said.
“But while the global economy continues to rely heavily on migrant workers, people continue to face terrible risks when they cannot access legal pathways in their search for better opportunities,” he added.
THE REST
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203 CASES RECORDED AS ODETTE DOWNS 41 COVID-19 LABS
MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) recorded 203 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, bringing to 2,837,577 the total number of confirmed cases nationwide since the start of the pandemic in March last year.
The DOH attributed the decline in the number of daily cases to the suspension of operations of four laboratories and the failure of 41 laboratories to submit data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System as a result of the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
The 45 laboratories contribute to 15.4 percent of samples tested and 1.8 percent of positive individuals.
The new daily caseload figure also brought the number of active cases nationwide down to less than 10,000.
Active cases stand at 9,729, while the number of those who recovered from the infection jumped to 2,777,109 with the inclusion of 395 newly recorded recoveries.
Additional 64 deaths pushed to 50,739 the total number of COVID-related fatalities.
Only two of the 64 deaths occurred this month.
PASAY, PARAÑAQUE GRANT TAX AMNESTY
MANILA — Business and real property owners in Pasay can avail themselves of tax amnesty.
The city government has granted amnesty on surcharges, penalties and interests incurred due to non-payment of business and real property taxes as well as regulatory and other fees.
The local government passed Ordinance No. 6176 last November to implement the tax amnesty.
Mayor Emi Rubiano said the tax measure is the city government’s response to help businesses cope with the pandemic.
It covers businesses with delinquent taxes as well as real property owners with or without notice of delinquency.
Violators of traffic, parking and other ordinances need to apply for first violation penalty while succeeding fines will be waived.
The city government of Parañaque also offered tax amnesty to business owners.
Under Ordinance No. 21-175, Mayor Edwin Olivarez said interests, penalties and surcharges on delinquent taxes from March 21, 2020 until the end of the year are condoned.
Olivarez said business owners could avail themselves of tax amnesty only upon payment of the principal amount not later than the deadline for the renewal of business permits for 2022.
TAGUIG POLICE STATION CHIEF AXED OVER P30 MILLION ROBBERY
MANILA — The commander of a police station in Taguig was relieved from his post yesterday after four of his subordinates allegedly robbed a Japanese man of at least P30 million in cash and gadgets in Pasig City on Saturday.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos said he sacked Maj. Nimrod Balgemino Jr., commander of the Taguig police sub-station 1, to prevent “undue influence in the investigation.”
Carlos ordered the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) to probe S/Sgt. Jayson Bartolome, Pat. Kirk Joshua Almojera and Corporals Merick Desoloc and Christian Jerome Reyes.
“I want to get to the bottom of this incident and unmask all persons involved in the crime,” Carlos said.
According to the NCRPO investigation, the police officers and their civilian cohort, John Carlo Atienza, broke into the Japanese’s house in Barangay Kapitolyo and held the victim and his partner at gunpoint.
The suspects opened the victim’s vault and allegedly stole around P30 million in cash and valuables.
The Japanese alerted police officers who were on patrol in the area.
Police said the suspects tossed away at least P1.3 million in cash as they escaped on four motorcycles and reportedly fired at responding officers during the chase.
Atienza died in the shootout while Bartolome was wounded.
CALABARZON, NCR, CENTRAL LUZON MOST VOTE-RICH REGIONS
MANILA — Calabarzon, the National Capital Region (NCR) and Central Luzon remain the top three vote-rich regions in the 2022 general elections.
In the Commission on Elections (Comelec) data tweeted by its spokesman James Jimenez, Region 4-A or Calabarzon, comprising Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, is still the region with the most number of registered voters with 9,193,096.
This is followed by the NCR with 7,322,361 registered voters and Region 3 or Central Luzon with 7,289,791 registered voters.
Combined, the three regions have over 23.8 million out of the country’s 65,745,529 total registered voters. During the 2019 elections, they were also the most vote-rich regions.
Their numbers are followed by Region 7 (Central Visayas) with 5,249,066 registered voters; Region 6 (Western Visayas) with 5,026,482 registered voters; Region 5 (Bicol) with 3,910,261 registered voters; Region 1 (Ilocos) with 3,546,764 registered voters; Region 11 (Davao) with 3,236,251 registered voters; Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) with 3,166,262 registered voters, and Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) with 3,060,485 registered voters.
Following them are Region 12 (Soccsksargen) with 2,606,492 registered voters; Bangsamaro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) with 2,385,359 registered voters; Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) with 2,312,798 registered voters; Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) with 2,298,930 registered voters; Region 4-B (Mimaropa) with 1,991,599 registered voters; Caraga region with 1,868,798 registered voters, and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with 1,077,900 registered voters.
Comelec data showed there would be 37,141 voting centers with 412,876 precincts and 106,174 clustered or group precincts in the 2022 elections.
ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE
KATHRYN, DANIEL IN FIRST TEASER OF '2 GOOD 2 BE TRUE’
MANILA – ABS-CBN’s RGE Unit finally dropped the first teaser of “2 Good 2 Be True” (2G2BT), the much awaited comeback series of screen superstars and real-life couple Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla.
The teaser shows the two as Alisson and Elorde all glammed up when they cross each other’s paths at what appears to be a hotel lobby.
Seemingly caught by Elorde’s charm, Alisson gazes at him before she unexpectedly sneezes and falls into his arms.
The next scene then shows the two in a different setting, with Elorde teasing Alisson not to blame him if she falls in love with him.
“2G2BT” marks the couple’s first romantic-comedy teleserye in eight years, with their last being 2013’s “Got To Believe.” Their two previous series were 2015’s “Pangako Sa ‘Yo,” which was heavy drama; and 2017’s “La Luna Sangre,” which was fantasy and action.
The genre is a personal preference of both Bernardo and Padilla, with the actor explaining that it’s a gift to their loyal fans who have been clamoring for a rom-com comeback for the two.
Joining Bernardo and Padilla in the cast are Ronaldo Valdez, Gloria Diaz, and Irma Adlawan, along with Gelli de Belen, Romnick Sarmenta, Cris Villanueva, and Smokey Manaloto.
Matt Evans, Jenny Miller, Yves Flores, and Pamu Pamorada are also part of the project. Gillian Vicencio, Kristel Fulgar, Bianca de Vera, and Alyssa Muhlach complete the cast.
The series is helmed by Mae Cruz-Alviar, who also directed Bernardo and Padilla in “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “Crazy Beautiful You.”
The premiere date of “2G2BT” has yet to be announced.
SPORTS
NBA SCORES DEC 18
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Rockets10-20 38 24 26 28 116
Pistons4-24 30 19 26 32 107
LITTLE CAESARS ARENA, DETROIT, MI
SCORING LEADERS
C. Wood HOU
21 PTS 8 REB 1 AST
S. Bey DET
23 PTS 4 REB 3 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Knicks13-17 18 29 41 19 107
Celtics15-15 32 30 24 28 114
TD GARDEN , BOSTON, MA
SCORING LEADERS
E. Fournier NY
32 PTS 5 REB 3 AST
J. Richardson BOS
27 PTS 5 REB 4 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Warriors24-6 18 24 27 31 100
Raptors14-15 31 32 33 23 119
SCOTIABANK ARENA, TORONTO, ON
SCORING LEADERS
J. Kuminga GS
26 PTS 1 REB 2 AST
F. VanVleet TOR
27 PTS 7 REB 12 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Magic6-25 26 24 24 26 100
Nets21-9 17 27 22 27 93
BARCLAYS CENTER, BROOKLYN, NY
SCORING LEADERS
R. Lopez ORL
20 PTS 10 REB 4 AST
P. Mills BKN
23 PTS 6 REB 5 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Clippers16-14 19 33 27 24 103
Thunder9-19 24 33 24 23 104
PAYCOM CENTER, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
SCORING LEADERS
L. Kennard LAC
27 PTS 7 REB 3 AST
L. Dort OKC
29 PTS 5 REB 1 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Cavaliers19-12 34 28 31 26 119
Bucks19-13 20 31 18 21 90
FISERV FORUM, MILWAUKEE, WI
SCORING LEADERS
C. Osman CLE
23 PTS 5 REB 4 AST
J. Nwora MIL
28 PTS 11 REB 4 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Wizards16-15 27 29 28 25 109
Jazz20-9 33 20 27 23 103
VIVINT ARENA, SALT LAKE CITY, UT
SCORING LEADERS
B. Beal WAS
37 PTS 5 REB 7 AST
D. Mitchell UTA
32 PTS 3 REB 5 AST
PBA SCORES
MAGNOLIA DEF. RAIN OR SHINE, 109-98
Magnolia Pambansang Manok Hotshots (2-0) defeated Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2-2), 109-98 to claim their second straight win in the 2021 PBA Governors' Cup on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Import Mike Harris led the Hotshots with 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting including two 3-pointers along with 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal in 39 minutes of play. Calvin Abueva with a solid game of 18 points (6/10 FG, 1/2 3PT, 5/6 FT), 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and a block while Jio Jalalon with a double-double performance of 14 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds and 1 steal.
The Scores:
MAGNOLIA 109 - Harris 26, Abueva 18, Jalalon 14, Sangalang 11, Dela Rosa 9, Ahanmisi 8, Corpuz 8, Barroca 6, Dionisio 5, Lee 4, Brill 0, Laput 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 98 - Walker 23, Nambatac 23, Mocon 20, Belga 14, Borboran 4, Torres 4, Norwood 3, Jackson 3, Caracut 2, Ponferada 2, Santillan 0, Wong 0, Asistio 0.
Quarters: 34-31, 55-48, 86-73, 109-98.
GINEBRA DEF. PHOENIX, 125-121 IN OT
Barangay Ginebra defeated Phoenix Super LPG, 125-121 in overtime thriller to claim their third straight win in the 2021 PBA Governors' Cup on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Justin Brownlee led Ginebra in scoring with 31 points on 13-of-22 shooting including three 3-pointers with 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. Christian Standhardinger with a solid game of 30 points (12/19 FG, 6/9 FT), 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. LA Tenorio finished with 15 points (3/8 3PT, 2/4 3PT), including the game-tying 3-pointer that sent the game into OT along with 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 1 steal.
The Scores:
GINEBRA 125 - Brownlee 31, Standhardinger 30, Tolentino 20, Thompson 17, Tenorio 15, J. Aguilar 9, Onwubere 3, Salado 0, Chan 0.
PHOENIX 121 - Harris 26, Wright 20, Perkins 19, Banchero 18, Melecio 15, Muyang 6, Demusis 6, Chua 4, Manganti 3, Garcia 2, Camacho 2, Jazul 0.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. - John F. Kennedy
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