Wednesday, June 1, 2022

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/

Duterte-Carpio warns vs bogus people asking for advance payments for DepEd

Posted: 01 Jun 2022 01:04 AM PDT

THE office of incoming Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio warned the public on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, against people claiming to be its representatives in order to collect advance payments for the projects of the Department of Education (DepEd).Duterte-Carpio was appointed by incoming President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. as the secretary of education."The incoming secretary of Education has not nor will never designate anyone to talk to or negotiate with contractors and suppliers to engage in corrupt activities -- smearing her reputation and tarnishing the image of the entire DepEd and the thousands of people working hard under the organization," Duterte-Carpio's spokesperson, incoming tourism secretary Christina Frasco Frasco, said in a statement."Contractors, suppliers, and the general public are strongly urged to exercise prudence when dealing with individuals and/or groups claiming to represent the Vice President-Elect and incoming DepEd Secretary," she added.Earlier, Duterte-Carpio said she will work on producing skilled learners with the mindset to realize their full potential. (SunStar Philippines)

Incoming PCOO chief to push for vloggers’ accreditation

Posted: 01 Jun 2022 12:58 AM PDT

THE incoming Presidential Communication Operations Office (PCOO) under press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles will be "pushing" for the accreditation of vloggers so they can attend briefings, including those that will be conducted by incoming President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.In a press briefing, Cruz-Angeles said this will be one of her office's priorities.In terms of allowing all journalists to physically cover Palace briefings, she said they are still reviewing policies."We have to review the existing policy first as to how appropriate they are for the current times," she said.Cruz-Angeles said the conduct of Palace press briefings will be once to twice a week but may be more if need arises.She said they are also looking at opening up discourse and increasing efficiency for state-run broadcasting networks PTV-4 and IBC-13."We are looking at opening up discourse, looking at the issue of misinformation because it seems like a hot button nowadays. We are looking at these issues when we prioritize projects for the PCOO," she said."That [migration to digital TV for state networks] is [also] the plan. But we need to find the money first. We want to upgrade but also to be more efficient," she added. (SunStar Philippines)

5 Duterte-appointed officials fail to get CA approval

Posted: 31 May 2022 11:28 PM PDT

FIVE officials who were appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte will have to vacate their posts after failing to get the approval of the Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday, June 1, 2022.The officials were Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson Saidamen Pangarungan and commissioners George Garcia and Aimee Torrefranca Neri; Civil Service Commission (CSC) chairperson Karlo Nograles; and Commission on Audit (COA) chairperson Rizalina Justol.The Comelec officials and Nograles were appointed to their respective posts in March, while Justol was named COA chairperson in February.The CA adjourned the hearing, even without the deliberation of the officials' qualifications, due to lack of quorum.The officials needed the approval of the CA in order to keep their posts for a fixed seven-year term.Senator Aquilino Pimentel III expressed disappointment over the committee's decision, noting that the officials have outstanding qualifications, which should have been reviewed first before the adjournment.The 18th Congress is set to adjourn sine die on June 3.Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri suggested to the panel to just let incoming President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. appoint his own choice of officials for the constitutional commissions. (SunStar Philippines)

All PNP units on full alert following Mindanao explosions

Posted: 31 May 2022 10:32 PM PDT

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has placed all its units under full alert status following the series of explosions in Mindanao, PNP officer-in-charge Lieutenant General Vicente Danao said on Wednesday, June 1, 2022.Danao said this is to prevent the occurrence of "acts of terrorism" especially in Metro Manila.He said they have yet to monitor any imminent threat in the National Capital Region (NCR) but it does not mean that they are going to be complacent.Danao also urged establishments and the security officers of train stations and airports to conduct a stricter inspection on the belongings of the passengers or clients as a preventive measure."Humihingi kami ng pag unawa sa lahat po ng ating mga kababayan lalong lalo na sa medyo paghihigpit po pagsakay ng mga bus, pagsakay ng MRT na from time to time there will be surprise inspections lalong lalo na po sa mga gamit. Eh kung wala naman po tayong dinadalang anything there na bawal, I would request our kababayans to just give in doon po sa inspection para mapadali," he said."Kung meron po tayong nakikita na medyo kahina hinala, kaduda duda na mga tao at lalong lalo na po kapag may mga bags, gamit, karton or anything na medyo kaduda duda na iniwan po somewhere, deliberately iniwan, eh please report it immediately sa ating pinakamalapit na station," he added.On Thursday, May 26, one person was wounded following an explosion inside a bus plying along Koronadal City, South Cotabato.At the same time, another explosion transpired at a vacant lot in Barangay New Carmen, Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat.Danao said based on initial report, there was an extortion attempt from a local terrorist group in which the bus company refused to entertain.He said they are yet to identify if the two attacks were connected or if it were done by the same group.On Monday, May 30, a twin explosion happened in Isabela City, Basilan -- one happened in front of a fast food outlet in Barangay Isabela Proper at 5:45 p.m., while the other occurred at a bus garage around 800 meters away from the first blast in Barangay La Piedad.Two civilians were hurt in the explosions, while four D' Biel transportation vehicles were damaged.Danao said investigation on the incidents is still ongoing but he said investigators are looking at the same motive of extortion. (SunStar Philippines)

2 dead as structure collapse

Posted: 31 May 2022 10:27 PM PDT

TWO persons were killed, while one went missing after part of a building in Meycauayan, Bulacan collapsed, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Central Luzon said on Wednesday, June 1, 2022.The BFP said the building was located along Silver Street, Moralla Industrial Park in Barangay Libtong.Two bodies were found during the search, rescue and retrieval operation, while one has been found alive.It said another person is reportedly still under the collapsed structure. (SunStar Philippines)

Villar abandons Senate presidency race

Posted: 31 May 2022 10:19 PM PDT

SENATOR Cynthia Villar said on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, that she is no longer interested in seeking the Senate presidency in the incoming 19th Congress.In an ambush interview, Villar said: "Wala nang SP (Senate President) race.""Ayaw ko na. I want a simple life," she added.She nodded, however, when asked if she would instead support Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri who reportedly refused term-sharing options.Aside from Zubiri, returning and reelected senators, Francis Escudero and Win Gatchalian, respectively, were also vying for the post.They need 13 votes among their 24 fellow senators in order to get the post.The Senate President is next to the Vice President of the country in the line of succession. (SunStar Philippines)

Sea feud with China flares as Marcos prepares for presidency

Posted: 31 May 2022 05:04 PM PDT

THE Philippine government announced Tuesday, May 31, a new diplomatic protest against China over disputes in the South China Sea, a long-thorny issue that has flared anew as the next Philippine president prepares to take office next month.The Philippines has filed hundreds of diplomatic protests against Beijing in recent years for what it considers acts of aggression in the disputed waters, despite improved ties between Beijing and Manila under outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, whose six-year term ends on June 30.The territorial conflicts are among the key challenges President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will face when he takes office after his landslide electoral victory on May 9. He has said he will use diplomatic means with China over the issue, the same approach adopted by Duterte, who has been criticized for not taking a more aggressive stance against Beijing's increasingly assertive actions in the resource-rich and busy waterway.The Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday it filed a diplomatic protest over China's imposition early this month of an annual fishing ban lasting three and a half months that covers areas in the disputed waters where "the Philippines has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction."It said the ban is not limited to Chinese fishing vessels and violates the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and a 2016 arbitration tribunal's decision that invalidated Beijing's vast historic claims in the strategic waterway and upheld the Philippines' sovereign rights in a stretch of coastal waters called its exclusive economic zone.China does not recognize the arbitration ruling and continues to defy it.The Chinese ban "has no basis in law, and undermines the mutual trust, confidence, and respect that should underpin bilateral relations," the department said in a statement."The Philippines calls on China to comply with its obligations under international law" and "cease and desist from the conduct of illegal actions," including its "annual practice of declaring a fishing ban over areas that extend far beyond China's legitimate maritime entitlements," it said.Separately, Philippine foreign affairs officials said late Monday that the department summoned a Chinese diplomat in early April to protest alleged harassment by the Chinese coast guard of a research vessel in the South China Sea.They said they were reviewing other recent violations of Philippine rights in Second Thomas Shoal and Reed Bank, which lie within Manila's exclusive economic zone but which China also claims, before taking further diplomatic action.The department said it summoned a Chinese Embassy official in Manila to protest the "harassment by the Chinese coast guard" of research vessel R/V Legend, which was undertaking a survey of undersea fault lines along the Manila Trench west of the northern Philippines.Philippine diplomats did not provide other details, but people involved in the scientific research told The Associated Press last month that a Chinese coast guard ship shadowed R/V Legend, which was carrying five Filipino scientists and an unspecified number of Taiwanese counterparts, from March 25 to 30.A Chinese coast guard ship maneuvered about two to three nautical miles (three to five kilometers) from the R/V Legend, causing concern among the scientists because the research vessel was towing a long survey cable in the sea, said Carla Dimalanta of the National Institute of Geological Sciences at the University of the Philippines.The offshore survey, which was scheduled to end April 13, was a joint project of the Philippine institute and the National Central University in Taiwan and aimed to help map offshore faults and other geologic features that could set off earthquakes, tsunamis and other hazards. The research was partly funded by the Philippine Department of Science and Technology, she said.The Filipino scientists reported the incident to the Philippine government, which deployed a coast guard patrol ship, the BRP Capones, to keep watch on the research vessel, the coast guard in Manila said last month.China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei have been locked in a tense territorial standoff in the busy waterway for decades.In past years, the Philippines has protested the Chinese coast guard's blocking of Filipino supply ships en route to Second Thomas Shoal, where Filipino marines stand watch on a long-marooned navy ship. Chinese ships have also disrupted Philippine vessels exploring for undersea oil and gas in Reed Bank, Philippine officials said. (AP)

Moderna can now be used for pediatric vaccination in PH

Posted: 31 May 2022 01:41 AM PDT

THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of Moderna coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine for children aged six to 11.In a press briefing on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, Department of Health (DOH) Promotion and Communication Service Director Dr. Beverly Ho said the FDA granted the amendment of the emergency use authorization (EUA) of Moderna on May 20, 2022.She said the DOH awaits the recommendation of the World Health Organization on the use of Moderna vaccines as primary series for the children six to 11 years old, as this will serve as the guidance of the Health Technology Expert for the crafting of independent evaluation and implementation protocols.The FDA initially approved the use of Pfizer vaccines for children aged five to 11.In March, it also amended the EUA of Sinovac for its use to children six to 11 years old.As of May 30, the government said a total of 2,790,315 children aged five to 11 and 9,393,235 adolescents aged 12 to 17 have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. (SunStar Philippines)

Duterte holds ‘last Cabinet meeting’

Posted: 31 May 2022 01:10 AM PDT

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte held his "last full Cabinet meeting" on Monday evening, May 30, 2022, exactly a month before he steps down from post.Acting Cabinet Secretary Melvin Matibag said also present during the meeting were the spouses of the Cabinet members.He said discussed during the meeting were the accomplishments of the Cabinet cluster under the Duterte administration, as well as their recommendations for the next leadership.Matibag said the transition reports have already been submitted and endorsed to the transition team of incoming President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.Matibag said Duterte was in an upbeat mood as he expressed his gratitude to his Cabinet members, even rendering a song for them with the accompaniment of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.He said the event also served as the celebration of victory for the Duterte administration.He said Duterte is looking forward to his retirement in Davao City and having more time with his family, especially his grandchildren.But Matibag assured that despite the last Cabinet meeting, they will continue working and will meet again in case need arises.Duterte will hand over the presidency to Marcos at 12 noon of June 30, 2022. (SunStar Philippines)

Marcos Jr.'s appointees

Posted: 31 May 2022 12:48 AM PDT

PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has appointed several personalities to key Cabinet posts.As of May 31, he has named 18 personalities whose appointments would take effect only after Marcos assumed office as President at noon of June 30, 2022.Among those named are the following:(With LMY/SunStar Philippines)

DOH detects 5 more BA.2.12.1 cases in Western Visayas

Posted: 31 May 2022 12:22 AM PDT

THE Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday, May 31, 2022, that it has detected five more cases of the highly transmissible Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1.DOH Health Promotion and Communication Service Director Dr. Beverly Ho said the five cases are from Western Visayas, in which three are returning overseas Filipinos, while two are local cases.The five cases are all fully vaccinated individuals, have finished isolation and have already been tagged as recovered.The five new detections brought the total number of BA.2.12.1 cases in the country to 22, in which 18 were local cases.Earlier, the DOH confirmed the local transmission of Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 in the National Capital Region following the detection of two cases, while 12 cases were reported in Puerto Princesa, Palawan and four in Western Visayas. (SunStar Philippines)
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