COMELEC DIVISION JUNKS DISQUALIFICATION SUITS VS MARCOS
MANILA — A division of the Commission on Elections dismissed the disqualification petitions against presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., clearing the former senator of two more suits blocking his bid to the Malacañang.
The Comelec’s First Division on Thursday promulgated its resolution denying the consolidated petitions for disqualification filed by Akbayan Citizens’ Action Party and the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses (CARMMA) and Martial Law survivor Bonifacio Ilagan.
"The consolidated petitions of Ilagan v. Marcos Jr., Akbayan v. Marcos Jr., and Mangelen v. Marcos Jr. have been dismissed for lack of merit, by the COMELEC's 1st Division," commission spokesperson James Jimenez announced in a tweet.
Citing Marcos’ conviction for failure to file Income Tax Returns for four years, petitioners questioned whether the late dictator's son is perpetually disqualified from holding public office, whether he was convicted of a crime of moral turpitude, and whether he is perpetually disqualified because of his conviction that carried penalty of more than 18 months.
The presidential bet’s camp raised only one issue: Whether or not Marcos is qualified to run as president.
In a statement, the Marcos campaign commended the Comelec division for the decision in their favor, saying the commissioners are "upholding the law by dismissing cases that we have long described as nuisance petitions."
Petitioners can still appeal this case, all the way to the Supreme Court.
"We will appeal to the Comelec en banc and pursue this case to the very end," said Perci Cendaña, nominee of petitioner Akbayan party-list, in a statement.
The consolidated cases before the poll body's Second Division are still pending.
PETITIONERS TO FILE APPEAL WITH COMELEC EN BANC
Bonifacio Ilagan, one of the petitioners and a survivor of martial law under the late dictator President Ferdinand Marcos, said the 4 years that Marcos Jr. failed to pay his income tax was "immoral."
He insisted that Marcos' failure should be considered moral turpitude, and added that the Comelec's decision has "heavy ramifications."
Ilagan said they would file an appeal with the Comelec en banc and with the Supreme Court if they lose again.
"Gusto namin makita yung dokumento para mapag-aralan namin at masagot namin punto por punto yung desisyon ng 1st Division. Sa amin, immoral, di kami sumasang-ayon na ang hindi pagbabayad ng buwis, especially kung ganoong sinadya, ay hindi moral turpitude," Ilagan explained on Teleradyo.
In a statement, Akbayan said the Comelec's decision is a "major setback" to the country's electoral democracy.
The decision of the Comelec First Division is "merely a bend in the road," according to Akbayan party-list first nominee Perci Cendaña.
The party-list cannot allow "an electoral swindle to happen," Cendaña added.
PRESIDENTIAL BETS UNFAZED AS MARCOS HURDLES 3 MORE BLOCKS TO CANDIDACY
MANILA — Fellow presidential aspirants of Ferdinand “Bongbong" Marcos Jr., current survey frontrunner, said they are unfazed that he has leared three more legal challenges in his bid for Malacañang.
The campaign of his archrival Vice President Leni Robredo has repeatedly said they would rather beat Marcos in the elections.
"The disqualification was never a consideration. From the time she announced her candidacy, she always intended to achieve victory in the elections," Robredo spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said.
Sen. Manny Pacquiao said he was not surprised by the Comelec’s vote to junk the petitions.
He maintained that this "has no effect in our campaign to convince our people that the Philippines needs a leader who will not cheat and steal and one who truly loves our people."
"Whether he gets disqualified or not, nothing will change in our plan to fight for the poor," Pacquiao added in Filipino.
Petitioners seeking Marcos’ disqualification vowed that they will file a motion for reconsideration on the ruling.
PALACE DENIES MARCOS CAMP CLAIM DUTERTE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
MANILA — Malacanang on Thursday belied a claim from the camp of presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. that President Rodrigo Duterte tested positive for COVID-19 after being exposed to an infected staff member.
“(He got) tested and all his COVID RT-PCR tests are negative. In fact, ang nakalagay dun is 'not detected',” acting Palace spokesman and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said during the Laging Handa briefing.
Vic Rodriguez, the spokesman of Marcos, claimed that Duterte tested positive for COVID-19 that was why the President was not invited to attend the UniTeam's proclamation rally on Tuesday.
Duterte's daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, is running for vice-president with Marcos. Both were present at the kick off of their campaign held at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
“Hindi kami nakapag-reach out pa kay (Duterte) dahil alam naman ninyo na kaka-positive lang (niya). I think hindi naman tama na obligahin natin ang Pangulo na unang una ma-involve sa political exercise tulad nito. At the same time, mindful din kami sa health and safety of the President sapagkat ilang araw lamang nakakalipas siya ay nagpositibo sa COVID-19,” Rodriguez had told reporters.
Malacañang earlier said that Duterte had to undergo quarantine for a few days after being in close contact with a COVID-positive household staff on Jan. 28.
He ended his quarantine on Feb. 3, shortly after he tested negative for the virus, upon the advice of his personal physician.
3RD NATIONAL COVID-19 VACCINATION PUSH EXTENDED UNTIL FEBRUARY 18
MANILA — The third leg of the government’s massive COVID-19 vaccination drive will be extended until February 18, the Department of Health said Friday.
The third “Bayanihan Bakunahan” push was initially scheduled on February 10 and 11.
The DOH urged the unvaccinated, children, senior citizens, and those eligible to get booster shots to get jabbed during the extended inoculation campaign.
Walk-ins are allowed during the vaccination activity, National Task Force adviser Ted Herbosa said.
DILG ISSUES 59,139 SAFETY SEALS
MANILA — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has issued almost 60,000 safety seal certificates to public establishments that are compliant with health standards.
Latest data showed that a total of 59,139 safety seal certifications have been issued by the DILG and local government units (LGUs) nationwide.
Almost 100,000 applications for safety seals have been received by the DILG and LGUs. Many remain pending and some 8,107 applications were denied.
DILG spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said the department, which certifies compliance of national and local government agencies, has denied 7,653 applications.
Malaya said that government offices must be the first to strictly comply with its own regulations to protect the public.
“We make sure all requirements are followed and documents submitted by agencies are complete to prevent comments that the safety seal is not being followed,” he said in a virtual briefing yesterday.
ONLY 10% OF TARGET POPULATION HAS RECEIVED BOOSTERS
MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday reported that only about 10 percent of the target population has received boosters against COVID-19.
“On boosters, I admit we are still low. Nationally, we are about 10 percent only. Close to that. The discrepancy is really because of the time difference between second dose and booster shot. Three months at least,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque explained, as he hoped booster coverage would go up by the end of March.
Duque said increasing the booster coverage nationwide is one of the reasons behind the mounting of another round of National Vaccination Days.
Concerning pediatric vaccination, Duque said about 38,000 children aged five to 11 have already been vaccinated, with only four reporting adverse reactions following vaccination.
“The vaccines are safe, but it can’t be avoided that there could be minor side effects following immunization,” Duque said in a mix of English and Filipino, noting only 0.01 percent of the pediatric population recorded minor adverse events.
GO: DUTERTE ENSURING SMOOTH TRANSITION OF POWER
MANILA — President Duterte will ensure a smooth transition of power for his successor, Sen. Bong Go said.
Until that day comes, Go assured the Filipino people that the President would continue to work until the last day of his term.
“He also wants to ensure a smooth transition to the next administration of whoever the people choose in the election,” Go said in Filipino.
Regarding any endorsement of a presidential candidate by Duterte, Go reiterated that the President alone will make the final decision on whom to endorse, if at all.
“Let’s just wait and trust his decision,” Go said.
He maintained that Duterte did his best in serving the country and would continue to fulfill his duty as president.
PHILIPPINE RANKS 54TH IN GLOBAL DEMOCRACY INDEX
MANILA — The Philippines improved by a notch and ranked 54th out of 167 countries in the 2021 Democracy Index 2020 released yesterday by London-based think tank The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
It ranked 55th in the 2020 index, 54th in 2019, 53rd in 2018 and 51st in 2017.
Based on the report, the Philippines remains a “flawed democracy,” defined as countries that have free and fair elections and basic civil liberties are respected, although there are significant weaknesses in some aspects of democracy, including governance, political culture and participation.
“Flawed democracy” is second among four regime types used by the EIU in its annual index, after “full democracy” and before “hybrid” and “authoritarian” regimes.
According to EIU, the Philippines scored a total of 6.62 out of the highest possible score of 10.
Among the indicators used, the country scored the highest in electoral process and pluralism (9.17), followed by political participation (7.78), civil liberties (6.76), functioning of government (5.0) and political culture (4.38).
The Philippines ranked 10th among countries in Asia and Australasia – from 9th last year – after Indonesia showed significant improvement in its overall score.
Globally, Norway remained on top spot with a score of 9.75, followed by New Zealand (9.37), Finland (9.27), Sweden (9.26), Iceland (9.18), Denmark (9.09), Iceland (9.0), Taiwan (8.99), Australia (8.9) and Switzerland (8.9).
Afghanistan, which ranked 139th in 2020, displaced North Korea at the bottom of the list with a score of 0.32.
700,000 FAMILIES IN MANILA GET FOOD PACKS
MANILA — The Manila city government will distribute food boxes to 700,000 families affected by the pandemic.
Mayor Isko Moreno yesterday presented to media the food packs stored at the San Andres Sports Complex.
Moreno said this is part of the local government’s food security program.
He vowed to replicate the program for the entire country if he wins as president in the upcoming elections.
Moreno vowed to allot P600 billion in pandemic aid to indigent families.
“It’s a matter of priority. If we were able to do it in Manila even with limited resources, we can do it for the whole country,” he said.
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CEBU TO ALLOW UNVAXXED FOREIGN TRAVELERS STARTING MARCH 1
MANILA – Cebu is opening its doors to foreign travelers—even those who are unvaccinated—starting next month.
In Executive Order no. 3, Series of 2022, Governor Gwen Garcia said unvaccinated or partially vaccinated foreign travelers may now enter the province provided that they:
Present a negative RT-PCR test taken with 48 hours from prior to departure from their country of origin;
Undergo another RT-PCR swab test upon arrival in Cebu; and
Be isolated in an quarantine facility until the release of the results of their second RT-PCR taken on their fifth day of isolation
Speaking on TeleRadyo, Dr. Jean Loreche of the Visayas Vaccination Operations Center said the decision to allow unvaccinated foreign travelers to Cebu was made with the tourism industry in mind.
“Dahil naman ito we are really—I believe that the province believes na mas marami naman talaga ang fully vaccinated kaysa yung mga walang bakuna. But then, not to restrict them from entering and enjoying what one Cebu island can offer them,” she said.
15 SCHOOLS JOIN NCR EXPANSION OF IN-PERSON CLASSES —DEPED
MANILA — Fifteen schools in Metro Manila have reopened as part of the expansion phase for in-person classes, an official from the Department of Education said Tuesday.
The 15 schools started their in-person classes on Monday, joining 28 Metro Manila schools that were allowed to hold classroom sessions under the pilot phase last November, said Germa Constantino, information officer at the DepEd's National Capital Region (NCR) office.
Constantino said attendance was at "almost 100 percent" among the students who participated in the expansion phase.
"Generally, it went on smoothly. Almost 100 [percent] attendance na rin iyong ating mga students (Students' attendance was at almost 100 percent)," she told reporters.
Constantino said school programs would be improved with the resumption of in-person learning, which was banned in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Meaning, iyong mga lessons ng teachers sa students, maga-adjust iyon. And then iyong number of students per classroom kasi mayroon din naman iyong hybrid learning," she said, referring to a combination of classroom and remote instruction.
Constantino was also optimistic that more schools would reopen to physical classes in the coming weeks.
In San Juan City, Pedro Cruz Elementary School began in-person learning for students in Grades 4 and 6 under the expansion phase.
MORE OFWS SEEN TO COME HOME FOR VACATION
MANILA — The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) sees more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) coming home for a vacation in the coming weeks as the government increased the daily inbound passenger capacity.
“Once our OFWs hear that quarantine protocols here have eased and we don’t require facility-based quarantine, we predict more of our kababayans will come home, especially since it’s the time for fiestas and graduation of their children,” OWWA chief Hans Cacdac said in Filipino during yesterday’s Laging Handa public briefing.
Since the government lifted the facility quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated returning workers, only 1,582 OFWs remained in 51 hotel quarantine facilities. “That is a drastic reduction from 7,000, two weeks ago,” Cacdac pointed out.
According to Cacdac, about 10 percent of arriving OFWs are unvaccinated.
“So the 10 percent unvaccinated that are coming home will undergo facility-based quarantine,” he said.
Cacdac hoped the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases would no longer reimpose the policy requiring mandatory facility-based quarantine for all returning OFWs.
3 CITIES STILL HIGH RISK FOR COVID-19
MANILA — All highly urbanized cities in Luzon and the Visayas have recorded a decline in new COVID-19 cases, but three are still classified as high risk, a member of the OCTA Research Group said yesterday.
OCTA fellow Guido David said Baguio had a “very high” average daily attack rate (ADAR) of 31.28 daily new infections per 100,000 people and positivity rate of 28 percent.
The ADAR in Puerto Princesa in Palawan was at “moderate” 8.04, but the city still has a “high” reproduction number of 1.37.
It had a “very high” positivity rate of 100 percent, meaning all tests that were conducted yielded positive results.
Iloilo had a very high ADAR of 36.43 and positivity rate of 26 percent.
David said the other cities in Luzon remained at moderate risk in the past week. These are Angeles in Pampanga, Dagupan in Pangasinan, Lucena in Quezon, Naga in Camarines Sur, Olongapo in Zambales and Santiago in Isabela.
In the Visayas, Bacolod, Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Ormoc and Tacloban were downgraded from high to moderate risk.
OCTA has yet to release its report for the COVID-19 situation in cities in Mindanao.
ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE
GARY VALENCIANO REVEALS IT IS HIS FIRST TIME TO VOTE EVER THIS COMING MAY
MANILA — Kapamilya star Gary Valenciano revealed that the upcoming national elections 2022 in May will be his first time to vote ever.
In his video message during the campaign launch of Vice President Leni Robredo in Naga, Gary V said he believes in the capability of the presidential aspirant.
“Alam ko na wala kayong nakikitang mga posts… wala kayong nakikitang iba’t ibang mga linalagay ko sa social media para maipakita ko kung sino ang iboboto ko sa darating na halalan,” he said in the video.
“Pero sa kulay na ganito, sa kulay na ‘to (gestures) ito, alam niyo na kung sino,” he added.
Robredo’s running mate, Francis Pangilinan, is Gary’s brother-in-law through his wife Angeli.
“Ito ang magiging first time ko, first time to vote, ever. And I know I’m going to make the right vote kasi naniniwala talaga ako na si VP Leni Robredo ang dapat maging susunod na presidente ng Pilipinas. At si—bayaw ko—si Francis Kiko Pangilinan, ang dapat maging VP (vice president),” he said.
Apart from Gary, other personalities who appeared in the video at the Robredo-Pangilinan grand rally were Juan Karlos Labajo, Iza Calzado and Jolina Magdangal.
Nikki Valdez, Cherry Pie Picache, Bituin Escalante, Pinky Amador, Red Ollero, Rita Avila, Agot Isidro and The Company were physically present at the event.
SPORTS
NBA SCORES FEB 9
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Spurs20-35 30 18 25 19 92
Cavaliers34-21 29 28 27 21 105
ROCKET MORTGAGE FIELDHOUSE, CLEVELAND, OH
SCORING LEADERS
K. Johnson SA
18 PTS 7 REB 1 AST
D. Garland CLE
27 PTS 5 REB 7 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Bulls34-21 28 30 31 32 121
Hornets28-28 29 16 31 33 109
SPECTRUM CENTER, CHARLOTTE, NC
SCORING LEADERS
D. DeRozan CHI
36 PTS 5 REB 4 AST
L. Ball CHA
33 PTS 9 REB 5 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Raptors30-23 34 25 28 30 117
Thunder17-37 22 29 21 26 98
PAYCOM CENTER, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
SCORING LEADERS
P. Siakam TOR
27 PTS 16 REB 5 AST
A. Pokusevski OKC
18 PTS 4 REB 1 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Warriors41-14 31 18 16 20 85
Jazz34-21 30 25 24 32 111
VIVINT ARENA, SALT LAKE CITY, UT
SCORING LEADERS
J. Poole GS
18 PTS 3 REB 3 AST
B. Bogdanovic UTA
23 PTS 6 REB
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Lakers26-30 18 36 24 27 105
Trail Blazers22-34 18 29 29 31 107
MODA CENTER AT THE ROSE QUARTER, PORTLAND, OR
SCORING LEADERS
L. James LAL
30 PTS 7 REB 7 AST
A. Simons POR
29 PTS 5 AST
FINAL
1 2 3 4 T
Timberwolves29-26 37 27 37 18 119
Kings21-36 29 42 28 33 132
GOLDEN 1 CENTER, SACRAMENTO, CA
SCORING LEADERS
D. Russell MIN
29 PTS 4 REB 10 AST
H. Barnes SAC
30 PTS 8 REB 3 AST
INDICATORS
FOREX $1 = P 51.23
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Who of us is mature enough for offspring before the offspring themselves arrive? The value of marriage is not that adults produce children but that children produce adults. – Peter De Vries
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