BI sees more visitors to PH as boosted travelers no longer need RT-PCR test
MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday lauded the decision to ditch COVID-19 pre-departure tests for inbound travelers who are fully vaccinated and had received at least a booster dose. BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said in a statement they are expecting more visitors to the Philippines amid the latest policy. The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) has advised that effective May 30, fully vaccinated foreign nationals with booster shots are exempted from the negative RT-PCR test requirement. READ: PH scraps pre-departure RT-PCR test for fully vaxxed, boostered touristsAlso exempted from the negative RT-PCR test requirement are fully vaccinated minors aged 12-17, and kids below 12 years old, regardless of vaccination status. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyFor more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 30, 2022 12:55 UTC
Nepal authorities recover bodies of 14 persons who were on board crashed plane
KATHMANDU — Rescue workers in Nepal have so far recovered 14 bodies from the crash site of a small plane carrying 22 people that went down in a remote region, an airport official said on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT“The search for others is continuing,” said Tek Raj Sitaula, a spokesman for the Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu. RELATED STORY:At least 14 dead in Nepal plane crash, rescue operations continueEDVSubscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyRead Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 30, 2022 11:59 UTC
Tagbilaran bishop warns public about fake Instagram account – INQUIRER.net
AdsBishop Alberto Uy of the Diocese of Tagbilaran (Contributed)TAGBILARAN CITY — Bishop Alberto Uy of the Diocese of Tagbilaran on Sunday, May 29, warned the public against a fake Instagram account that uses his name and the diocese. “We have been notified about someone pretending to be Bishop Abet/Diocese of Tagbilaran on Instagram and have been sending messages to random people,” said the 55-year-old prelate. ADVERTISEMENT var displayOnDevices = [‘Desktop’,’Tablet’,’Mobile’];if(displayOnDevices.indexOf(deviceName) >= 0) {googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-mrec1’);});}He said he and the Diocese of Tagbilaran do not have an official Instagram account. He asked the people not to patronize this microblogging site and to send complaints to Instagram to close the account. “It is very important for us that you only get correct information, especially that scammers are rampant on social media nowadays,” said Uy.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 30, 2022 10:27 UTC
China ships forcing PH to drop Ayungin
MANILA, Philippines — Chinese coast guard and militia vessels harassed Philippine ships in back-to-back incidents in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea in April, according to a US think tank. ADVERTISEMENT“China is creating risks of collision on purpose to coerce the Philippines,” Amti director and Southeast Asia expert Gregory Poling told the Inquirer over the weekend. Chinese militia vessels pose as fishing boats but are usually deployed with the CCG to enforce China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. China claims the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines, China, Brunei, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Malaysia have overlapping maritime claims in these waters.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 30, 2022 09:01 UTC
More than 60 pc youths see fake news as serious problem
About 67 percent of young people agree that the problem of disinformation in the city is serious, but they are divided on whether legislation is needed. The results found that some 67 percent of respondents believed the problem of disinformation is serious, with the most saying low public trust in the government was to blame, followed by serious social confrontation and political purposes. The survey also found that the proportions of youths supporting and opposing legislation to regulate fake news were similar, as they both stood at about 39 percent. Regarding the legislation against misinformation, respondents were most concerned about freedom of speech and press, as well as the abuse of power. Youth IDEAS suggested that the government should launch a consultation on legislation against fake news to regulate harmful or illegal public factual statements.
Source:The Standard
May 30, 2022 08:26 UTC
Village chief, 2 others survive ambush in Cagayan province
TUGUEGARAO CITY––A village chief and his two companions survived an ambush Sunday, May 29, in Baggao town, Cagayan province. Isabelita Gano, Cagayan police spokesperson, identified the victims as Nanguilattan village chief Bonifacio Cuarteros, Henry Bulliig and Edmundo Sambo, all of Peñablanca town, in Cagayan. ADVERTISEMENTThe unidentified motorcycle-riding armed men, who sped off after the attack, reportedly wore black jackets and bonnets. An initial investigation showed that Cuarteros and his companions had just left the Baggao Cockpit Arena aboard a car when attacked. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyRead Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 30, 2022 07:54 UTC
31 rescued, 11 still missing after Indonesia ferry sinks
JAKARTA, Indonesia – Thirty-one people have been rescued and 11 are still missing after a ferry ran out of fuel and sank in bad weather off the coast of Indonesia, an official said Monday. ADVERTISEMENT“Until now 31 people have been rescued alive and we are still looking for 11 more people who are still missing,” head of local search and rescue team Djunaidi, who like some Indonesians goes by only one name, told AFP on Monday. Rescuers have deployed a helicopter and extended the search area to 20 nautical miles from where the boat sank in the search for the missing, Djunaidi said. Marine accidents are common in the Southeast Asian archipelago of around 17,000 islands, where safety standards are often lax. In 2018 more than 150 people drowned when a ferry sank in one of the world’s deepest lakes on Sumatra island.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 30, 2022 06:50 UTC
Death toll in Brazilian floods rises to 57, thousands displaced
In a Twitter post, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he would arrive in Recife, the hard-hit capital of Pernambuco, on Monday morning. In late December and early January, dozens were killed and tens of thousands displaced when rains hammered Bahia state, also located in northeastern Brazil. At least 18 died in flooding in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo later in January. In February, torrential downpours in Rio de Janeiro state killed over 230.gsgSubscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyRead Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 30, 2022 04:47 UTC
PH digitalization uneven – experts
MORE Filipinos are embracing digitalization but its adoption is still fairly uneven, top officials of Voyager Innovations Inc. and Philippine Development Foundation said. Baidwan, however, said that while digital availability has started in the country, "adoption is still fairly uneven" and more needs to be done to improve connectivity. He explained that in the case of the Philippines, the time spent on average on social media is up to four hours. Sandejas said those who do not have access to the internet were also not able to work during the pandemic. Sandejas said that to lessen the digital divide, the government and the internet service providers could work together and explore providing subsidies for essential services related to accessing social media.
Source:Manila Times
May 29, 2022 22:22 UTC
Long queues at jab centers as next phase of vaccine pass starts on Tue
Citizens rushed to get Covid-19 jabs as the third phase of the vaccine pass arrangement set to kick in by the end of the month. The community vaccination center at Boundary Street Sports Centre in Mong Kok has seen queues lining up for receiving the BioNTech vaccine in the past two days. Under the third phase of the vaccine pass, residents aged 12 and above would need to receive their third jab if six months had passed since they had received their second dose. The number of people who have received the booster jab in Hong Kong had reached 3.79 million, accounting for 55.9 percent of the population aged 12 or above. He stressed that those people concerned could receive the vaccine one month after recovery, and need to get jabbed to meet the requirements of the vaccine pass.
Source:The Standard
May 29, 2022 15:36 UTC
Blacklist Ultimate, Omega Esports arrange UB finals clash in Garena Masters S2
Blacklist Ultimate has inched closer to its sixth straight title but fellow Filipino powerhouse squad Omega Esports is standing on its way in the CODM Garena Masters Season 2 upper bracket finals. Omega swept its group stage with a neat 6-0 record, only dropping two maps along the way before dominating Malaysian crew 21 Huntsmen, 3-0, in the upper bracket first round. Blacklist also put up a resounding performance in the group stage after topping its pool with a perfect 6-0 record, only dropping a map in the process. It then stomped Filipino team Tyrant Esports before making quick work of another compatriot in M420 Low Kings in the upper bracket semis to set up the titanic all-Filipino clash against Omega. Should Blacklist wins, it will be its sixth straight Finals appearance across six tournaments it participated in since December last year.
Source:Manila Times
May 29, 2022 13:07 UTC
Omega Esports lets go of Outplayed, Allidap
The season isn’t over yet for Omega Esports as it will still defend its MSC crown but the MPL S9 runner-up is already making some tweaks to its lineup in preparation for the tournaments ahead. Photo from Omega EsportsOmega had let go some of its supporting cast with the release of Jhonville “Outplayed” Villar and Romiere “Allidap” Padilla, the esports team announced on Saturday, May 28. “The whole Smart Omega Esports org is full of gratitude for your contribution to the team and to our family. Outplayed joined Omega at the start of Season 9 but played sparingly as he served as backup to star gold laner Duane “Kelra” Pillas. Allidap, on the other hand, was acquired by Omega the same time when the core players of Execration signed for the team at the start of Season 8.
Source:Manila Times
May 29, 2022 13:01 UTC
Gov’t urged to cancel recently-suspended Masungi quarrying agreements
MANILA, Philippines — The Masungi Georeserve Foundation (MGF) is urging the government to cancel “once and for all” recently suspended agreements for quarrying in the Masungi Georeserve and the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape (UMRBPL). “We echo the continued call of experts, communities, and leaders to once and for all cancel the quarrying agreements in Masungi and the watershed, which will show a full and long-term commitment to their conservation,” the MGF said in a statement on Friday. “Non-operation or even a suspension is not a guarantee that quarry operations will not commence in the future. The foundation added that it believes the said quarrying companies “miserably failed” to justify the breaches in their contracts. “The logical and necessary next step is to cancel the MPSAs,” said the foundation.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 29, 2022 12:04 UTC
Nepal flight missing with 22 on board
KATHMANDU, Nepal — A passenger plane went missing in Nepal on Sunday with 22 people on board, its airline said. ADVERTISEMENT“A domestic flight bound for Jomsom from Pokhara has lost contact,” Sudarshan Bartaula, spokesman for Tara Air, told AFP. But the impoverished Himalayan nation has a poor air safety record due to insufficient training and maintenance. This month Nepal’s second international airport opened at Bhairahawa, aiming to give Buddhist pilgrims from across Asia access to the Buddha’s birthplace at nearby Lumbini. The $76 million project will ease pressure on the overburdened Kathmandu international airport.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 29, 2022 11:07 UTC
Lone opposition winner braces for ‘most exciting part’
When the dust settled, Risa Hontiveros got what she campaigned for: a fresh six-year mandate as a senator, albeit the sole winner from the opposition. “I thank God for my campaign team and the whole people’s campaign. I am proud of my campaign team and the way we held everything together,” she says, adding: “Of course, we had to do all this while strengthening our core supporters. The opposition’s dismal performance prompted Hontiveros’ campaign team to make changes, including an overhaul of its communications panel. RELATED STORIESHontiveros reaching out to other senators to form Senate minority bloc‘We have to survive,’ says Hontiveros of Senate opposition bloc‘I am not alone,’ Hontiveros says of winRead Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 29, 2022 07:04 UTC