DUTERTE SAYS TO BARE ‘WHAT’S WRONG’ WITH PRESIDENTIAL BETS, NAME ‘MOST CORRUPT’
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to reveal “what’s wrong” with presidential aspirants and name who among them is allegedly “most corrupt.”
Duterte said he would talk about the elections “in due time.”
“I will personally name the candidates and maybe what’s wrong with them na kailangan malaman ng tao because you are electing a president, sino ‘yong pinaka-corrupt na kandidato,” he said in a taped speech that aired on Tuesday.
Duterte said his information came “from everybody” and from “personal experience.”
“Meron d’yan who has a—talagang hindi puwede maging presidente,” he said.
“Meron naman d’yan na presidente, pero masyadong korap. Akala lang kasi ng tao malinis, pero iyong mga nag-transact sa business sa kaniya, official business pati iyong mga Chinese, nagreklamo na na masyadong korap daw,” continued Duterte.
He said of another contender, “Medyo kulang talaga, kulang na kulang. Everyday may sasabihin siya na mali o maski the fundamentals of what a person na gustong mag-Presidente dapat.”
Duterte denied he was politicking.
“I’m talking to you as your President. Kailangan ilalabas ko kasi (I must reveal this because) we are talking of elections, we are talking of our country and the next rulers, so to say, so to speak,” Duterte said.
He added, “Walang personalan ‘to… [There is] nothing at stake for me, wala talaga akong rason ba’t maghanap pa ako ng kalaban."
DUTERTE WANTS COVID-19 VACCINES OFFERED IN ODETTE EVACUATION SITES
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered authorities to offer COVID-19 vaccines in evacuation sites where thousands who survived typhoon Odette were still staying.
Some 339,000 people remain in evacuation centers or are staying with relatives about a month after typhoon Odette left a trail of destruction across the southern and central Philippines, the disaster agency reported to Duterte in a taped meeting that aired on Tuesday.
Duterte said vaccines could be sent to evacuation sites on board the coast guard's fast crafts.
"I’d like to go there personally and again to ask the health workers to give vaccination to everyone there. Mas madali kasi na-ano na sila, we were able to gather them in one place, in several places for each barangay," he said.
DUTERTE ALLOWS NPA REBELS TO GET COVID-19 JABS 'ONLY IF THERE'S EXCESS SUPPLY'
President Rodrigo Duterte has allowed excess COVID-19 shots to be given to fighters of the New People's Army.
"Tingnan lang ninyo at kung may sobra, edi ano—pero tawagan ninyo muna ako na kung may sobra ibigay ninyo sa NPA para hindi ma-COVID-19," he told officials in a taped meeting that aired on Tuesday.
"Kung may sobra lang, hindi kayo puwedeng unahin, kalaban kayo sa gobyerno," he added.
Duterte in his latest speech also renewed his call for NPA fighters to surrender. He said he could offer them housing, work, and skills training.
The President told soldiers to "give them (NPA) the chance to surrender properly, and surrender the firearms."
"Tapusin na natin ito. Tutal sinubukan naman natin na barilan, wala naman nangyari," he added.
DOH: PHILIPPINES, METRO MANILA DOWN TO 'HIGH RISK' FOR COVID-19
MANILA — The risk classifications of the Philippines and Metro Manila for COVID-19 have been downgraded to high from critical, the Department of Health said.
In a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte aired late Monday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the growth rate of cases nationwide from January 11 to 24 went down to 176% from 3,361%.
However, the country registered an average daily attack rate of 28.46 per 100,000 individuals.
Meanwhile, the two week growth rate in Metro Manila, the epicenter of the surge driven by the Omicron variant, declined to 65% from 7,225. But the average daily attack rate was still high at 84.56 per 100,000 people.
According to Duque, COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces have been decreasing, while the remaining areas in Luzon are showing signs of plateauing.
The health chief earlier said that the surge in Metro Manila has already reached its peak.
The government’s pandemic task force will meet on Thursday to discuss the possible de-escalation of the alert level in the capital region. Metro Manila is currently under Alert Level 3.
Aside from Metro Manila, Soccsksargen, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, and Mimaropa were also deemed at high risk from COVID-19.
DOH: OMICRON SUB-VARIANT NOT YET SEEN IN PHILIPPINES
MANILA — Health authorities in the Philippines have yet to detect a sub-lineage of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which has been seen in other countries, the Department of Health said Monday.
“Until now, we have not yet detected any BA.2 sub-variant here in the country,” DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
According to Vergeire, the World Health Organization and other experts are still studying the latest version of Omicron, dubbed as BA.2.
“Based on initial findings and based on observing patients who have this kind of sub-variant, there is not much difference with Omicron as to the severity of illness,” she said, adding the WHO has yet to determine if the sub-lineage is a variant of interest or concern.
The sub-variant of the hyper-contagious Omicron has been detected in 40 countries, accounting for a majority of most recent cases in some nations including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, and India.
The UK Health Security Agency designated the BA.2 sub-lineage as a variant under investigation as cases of it were rising. The authority underlined that “there is still uncertainty around the significance of the changes to the viral genome.”
MARCOS JR. ASKS WHY POLITICAL DYNASTIES SHOULD BE MADE ILLEGAL
MANILA - Presidential aspirant and former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. asked on Monday why political dynasties should be made illegal.
On an interview with ONE PH, Marcos said if the people wanted to make political dynasties illegal, then it is possible. But he added that the country's dominant political families are not necessarily bad.
"But hanggang ngayon, the assumption, the premise has always been dominant political families are necessarily bad, and that's not necessarily the case. So, why will you make them illegal?" he said.
Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution prohibits political dynasties. It states: "The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law."
However, several bills proposing an Anti-Dynasty Law remain pending in Congress.
Marcos Jr. claimed that a law against political dynasties would target a "very, very specific" group of people in society.
The former senator added that the "best" anti-dynasty provision in the country is an election.
"Ilan ang nakita natin na mga malalaking pamilya na ilang taon nang nakaupo, hanggang third generation nang nakaupo bilang mayor, bilang gov, whatever, na biglang natanggal?" he said. "Dahil ayaw na ng tao eh. Basta sinabi ayaw ng mga tao eh tapos na kase siguro hindi na maganda ang kanilang performance. Ang pulitika naman is all about performance."
"If you're worried about dynasties, then take everybody to an election, labanan mo yung dynasty."
AFTER EARLIER HESITATION, MARCOS SAYS 'PERFECTLY WILLING TO RELEASE' SALNS
MANILA — Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Monday evening that he is "perfectly willing" to release his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth to the puiblic but said that it would be better to have authorities investigate questionable wealth.
Speaking to a panel of journalists earlier in the day, he said that he would rather not release it since wealth declarations can be used by political opponents.
"Pag gagamitin lang sa pulitika, wag na lang. (If they will use it for politics, never mind) ‘Ganun na lang, let’s keep it simple," he told the panel moderated by suspended lawyer Trixie Cruz- Angeles, a social media personality supportive of him and President Rodrigo Duterte.
Speaking on "Sa Totoo Lang" on One PH, he said, though that he is "perfectly willing to release it."
"I based (the comment) on the experience of the impeachment trial of [Chief Justice Renato] Corona where the SALN was used for politics," he said in Filipino.
"So, I said, if I am your poltiical rival and you give me your SALN, I will look for issues against you," he also said. "So what I'm saying is if there is a case, then let's go to the proper authorities."
FDA OKS 2 BRANDS OF COVID-19 ANTIGEN SELF-TEST KITS
MANILA — The country’s Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of two self-administered COVID-19 test kits, its head said Monday.
In a televised briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte, FDA officer-in-charge Oscar Gutierrez said that the Abott Panbio and Labnovation Technologies antigen self-test kits have been issued special certification by the drug regulator.
Gutierrez urged the public to buy FDA-certified at-home test kits from licensed drugstores.
“The handling of test kits is important here. Good storage and good distribution practices must be observed,” he said in Filipino.
He added that consumers should check the expiration date of the test kit and read the instructions carefully.
The FDA has so far approved the use of 116 COVID-19 test kits, including RT-PCR, antigen and antibody.
The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine is evaluating 31 more self-test kits.
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DOTR PLANS VACCINATION SITES AT TRAIN STATIONS, PORTS AMID 'NO VACCINE, NO RIDE' POLICY
MANILA — The Department of Transportation wants vaccination sites at transport hubs like ports after more than 100 Tausug travelers were starnded at Manila's North Harbor because of the "no vaccine, no travel" policy while President Rodrigo Duterte said there may be cultural resistance to vaccination in Muslim communities.
The officials, speaking at Duterte's weekly recorded briefing, were commenting on reports that dozens of Tausug families who were kept from boarding ferries for Zamboanga City because they had not been vaccinated yet when the government imposed its "no vaccine, no travel" policy on public transportation, including airplanes and ships.
The policy has been criticized as impractical and unfair and the government has since clarified that people going to work are not covered by it.
Transport Secretary Art Tugade said that the stranded passengers had already been allowed to board but said in Filipino that the government must put up vaccination facilities at transportation hubs like North Harbor "so passengers who did not want to be vaccinated or have not been vaccinated can quickly be given an opportunity to be vaccinated."
Aside from North Harbor, the department plans to put up a vaccination site at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 4."I am happy to report to you that this morning, we began a mobile vaccination drive at Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange," he said in Filipino. "We hope to vaccinate 500 a day with this."
On-site vaccination is also planned at the Cubao, Shaw Boulevard, Boni and Ayala stations of the Metro Rail Transit, he said.
ILOILO CITY OFFERS FREE RT-PCR TESTS FOR RETURNING RESIDENTS
MANILA - Returning residents in Iloilo City may undergo confirmatory swab tests for free, its mayor said Tuesday as the city's healthcare utilization nears moderate risk.
RT-PCR tests are also free for symptomatic patients and close contacts of COVID-19 cases, Mayor Jerry Treñas said.
"We did away with the requirement of a negative RT-PCR for residents coming in...We found out to get an RT-PCR test in NCR (National Capital Region) costs a lot, and sometimes the results come out more than 72 hours after you were swabbed. So many passengers resorted to fake RT-PCR tests," he told ANC's Headstart.
"We only require passengers coming in to have swab tests here in Iloilo City for free... We're the cheapest in the country. We’re only charging P800 for RT-PCR test."
The city's COVID-19 bed occupancy is currently at 65.79 percent, down from more than 70 percent, and its intensive care unit utilization rate was at 61.45 percent, the mayor said.
"Iloilo City is a regional center. Most of the provinces send their severe and moderate cases here in the city so much so that 50 percent of our beds and ICU were coming from the provinces," he said.
Treñas said he has signed an ordinance limiting the movement of unvaccinated individuals to acquiring essential goods and services, which will be enforced if the city was under Alert Level 3 and 4.
MORENO SAYS HE'LL GO AFTER SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES ALLOWING SPREAD OF FAKE NEWS
MANILA — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso wants social media companies to be held accountable for allowing their platforms as vehicles for the proliferation of false information and fake news that victimize both public figures and ordinary citizens.
According to Moreno, charges should be filed against these social media outlets who he said "have done so little to police digital media posts that are malicious and damaging to users, and at times sow confusion because of misinformation and disinformation that threaten the welfare of the general public."
“I'll make the owners of social media companies answer for it,” Moreno, who claimed to be the target of election-related digital disinformation himself, said in a statement sent to reporters Tuesday.
“No one is trying to go after them. They allow their system to become an outlet for misinformation...Even the owners of those big companies must be held accountable by the state,” Moreno said.
Moreno pointed to Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, signed by then President Benigno Aquino III addressing crimes committed against and through computer systems, as well as penal substantive rules, procedural rules and rules on international cooperation.
RISING FLOUR, SUGAR COSTS TO RAISE BREAD PRICES
MANILA — The Philippine Baking Industry Group (PhilBaking) is planning to raise bread prices by February due to rising prices of flour and sugar.
PhilBaking president Johnlu Koa said in a telephone interview yesterday the group intends to increase the price of Pinoy Tasty to P38.50 by Feb.1 from the current P35.
Meanwhile, the 10-piece Pinoy Pandesal’s price will increase to P23.50 from P21.50.
“For the bakers’ side, it is to cover the cost of flour,” Koa said.
He said the 25-kilo bag of flour is now at P995 from P690 previously.
This, as he said there has been increased demand from China and a slowdown in exports from countries like Russia as they are focusing on food security.
Apart from flour, he said prices of sugar and liquefied petroleum gas likewise increased.
ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE
‘GOOD NIGHT, NOT GOODBYE: KRIS AQUINO NOT IN CRITICAL CONDITION, CONTRARY TO RUMORS
MANILA—Actress-host Kris Aquino on Monday denied rumors she was under critical care, amid her years-long bout with her autoimmune conditions.
On Instagram, Aquino shared a photo taken by her son, Bimby, the day prior on Sunday, showing a virtual novena mass for Aquino’s cousin Marla, who passed away on January 21.
Aquino is seen with Bimby and Josh in one panel of the Zoom gathering.
In the photo’s caption, Aquino addressed speculation about her health, writing: “It’s been disturbing that since Friday so many have been spreading fake news about me being either in St Luke’s BGC or the States but always with the same theme, that I’m in the ICU and in critical condition. None of that is true.”
“Ayaw akong tigilan ng #fakenews and parang sobrang excited yung mga trolls na within 1 year both Noy & me would pass away,” she said.
Aquino was referring to her only brother, the late former President Benigno Aquino III, who died in June 2021.
“Sorry to disappoint pero buhay at ilalaban pa na mapahaba ang oras ko because Kuya Josh & Bimb still need me,” Aquino wrote.
She then expressed gratitude to “real friends who have gone out of their way to reach out, send me food, fruits, flowers, balloons and just so much na nahihiya na ako.”
“They want to make me feel their love & affection. You have my lifelong loyalty and gratitude,” she said.
Aquino added that she has “a lot more to say,” without mentioning whether it would pertain to her failed engagement with Mel Sarmiento, or politics.
She, however, said that would have to wait as it was time for her medication. “Good night but definitely it’s not yet goodbye,” Aquino wrote.
SPORTS
NBA SCORES JAN 23
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Clippers23-25 31 30 20 21 102
Knicks23-24 39 27 25 19 110
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK, NY
SCORING LEADERS
R. Jackson LAC
26 PTS 2 REB 5 AST
R. Barrett NY
28 PTS 14 REB 6 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Celtics24-24 31 29 31 25 116
Wizards23-24 25 20 24 18 87
CAPITAL ONE ARENA, WASHINGTON, DC
SCORING LEADERS
J. Tatum BOS
51 PTS 10 REB 7 AST
B. Beal WAS
19 PTS 5 REB 7 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Bulls28-17 19 18 37 21 95
Magic9-39 23 30 32 29 114
AMWAY CENTER, ORLANDO, FL
SCORING LEADERS
D. DeRozan CHI
41 PTS 5 REB 3 AST
M. Wagner ORL
23 PTS 2 REB 4 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Lakers23-24 25 27 18 37 107
Heat30-17 39 30 20 24 113
FTX ARENA, MIAMI, FL
SCORING LEADERS
L. James LAL
33 PTS 11 REB 4 AST
D. Robinson MIA
25 PTS 5 REB 3 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Trail Blazers20-26 33 31 22 28 114
Raptors22-22 15 19 33 38 105
SCOTIABANK ARENA, TORONTO, ON
SCORING LEADERS
N. Little POR
19 PTS 7 REB 3 AST
P. Siakam TOR
28 PTS 8 REB 5 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Hawks21-25 30 25 30 28 113
Hornets26-21 22 22 22 25 91
SPECTRUM CENTER, CHARLOTTE, NC
SCORING LEADERS
T. Young ATL
30 PTS 4 REB 4 AST
L. Ball CHA
19 PTS 6 REB 4 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
76ers27-19 29 30 27 29 115
Spurs17-30 23 24 30 32 109
AT&T CENTER, SAN ANTONIO, TX
SCORING LEADERS
J. Embiid PHI
38 PTS 12 REB 6 AST
J. Poeltl SA
25 PTS 10 REB 2 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Grizzlies32-17 16 18 27 30 91
Mavericks27-20 24 24 29 27 104
AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER, DALLAS, TX
SCORING LEADERS
J. Morant MEM
35 PTS 13 REB 6 AST
L. Doncic DAL
37 PTS 11 REB 9 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Nets29-17 36 26 33 30 125
Timberwolves23-23 37 35 30 34 136
TARGET CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS, MN
SCORING LEADERS
K. Irving BKN
30 PTS 6 REB 5 AST
A. Edwards MIN
25 PTS 1 REB 4 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Pistons11-35 30 30 16 35 111
Nuggets24-21 29 31 32 25 117
BALL ARENA, DENVER, CO
SCORING LEADERS
C. Cunningham DET
18 PTS 5 REB 8 AST
N. Jokic DEN
34 PTS 9 REB 8 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Jazz30-17 29 25 21 17 92
Warriors34-13 33 22 28 11 94
CHASE CENTER, SAN FRANCISCO, CA
SCORING LEADERS
B. Bogdanovic UTA
21 PTS 8 REB 1 AST
J. Poole GS
20 PTS 3 REB 2 AST
INDICATORS
FOREX $1 = P 51.29
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Besides learning to see, there is another art to be learned - not to see what is not. - Maria Mitchell
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