China opens Olympics with lockdown, boycotts
GRAND OPENING Performers dance as part of the pre-show during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. And while some are staying away from the second pandemic Olympics in six months, many other world leaders attended the opening ceremony. Such measures instantly greeted anyone arriving to compete in or attend the Winter Games. But at this year's Beijing Games, the gulf between performance and reality is shaping up to be particularly jarring. In the runup to the Olympics, China's suppression of dissent was also on display in the controversy surrounding Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai.
Source:Manila Times
February 05, 2022 18:23 UTC
First Pfizer shots for children aged 5-11 arrive in Philippines
First Pfizer shots for children aged 5-11 arrive in PhilippinesCrates containing doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's reformulated vaccine for children aged five to 11 arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on February 4, 2022. MANILA, Philippines — The first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine doses reformulated for children aged five to 11 arrived Friday night in the Philippines after being delayed by a day. Officials earlier announced that the Pfizer shots would arrive Thursday. The “logistical challenges” encountered in the shipment of the jabs prompted authorities to push back the start of the vaccination of children aged five to 11 to Monday. But the start of the vaccination of children aged five to 11 is facing a legal challenge, with two parents asking the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to stop the inoculation of this age group.
Source:Philippine Star
February 05, 2022 15:19 UTC
Yuka shoots 5-over 77, Bianca hits 2-under 70
Filipino-Japanese star Saso uncharacteristically fired a 5-over 77 in the opener, while Pagdanganan played well with a 2-under 70 card. The 20-year-old Saso, who is representing Japan in the tournament, incurred bogeys on the 10th, 14th, and 15th holes. Saso finished the round at joint 115th place and needed to put up an excellent second round to avoid the cut. The last time she exited early was in the Daikin Orchid Ladies leg of the Japan LPGA Tour in March 2021. Leading the tournament are Nasa Hataoka of Japan and Marina Alex of USA with identical 7-under cards.
Source:Manila Times
February 05, 2022 04:09 UTC
FBI releases ‘Wanted’ poster for Quiboloy
MANILA, Philippines — After indicting him and several others for sex trafficking, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Pastor Apollo Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) Church and two other cohorts are now “wanted” individuals in the US. “If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. Aside from Quiboloy, two others were also wanted by the FBI following their indictment by US prosecutors: Teresita Tolibas Dandan and Felina Salinas, two of his key associates at KOJC. Flesh eating bacterias that are immune to any vaccine will come and destroy the inhabitants of the earth,” he added. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyRead Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
February 05, 2022 04:08 UTC
Cusi won’t resign, gets Duterte support in Malampaya issue
Cusi won’t resign, gets Duterte support in Malampaya issue“I would like to assure the public that I remain committed to discharging my duties as secretary of energy to the best of my abilities. MANILA, Philippines — Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said he will not resign amid the accusations hurled against him in connection with the alleged railroaded approval of the sale of shares in the Malampaya gas project. President Duterte yesterday defended Cusi and the Malampaya deal, slamming the “political antics… political intrigues and innuendoes” of some members of the Senate. He reiterated that the Malampaya issue has been politicized by those whose business interests must have been put in jeopardy. The senators are one in saying that the ombudsman must pursue cases against Secretary Cusi and his fellow officials in the DOE,” Gatchalian said, adding that 18 senators signed the resolution while four abstained.
Source:Philippine Star
February 05, 2022 02:36 UTC
New ‘highly virulent’ HIV strain discovered in the Netherlands
ADVERTISEMENTHowever, the study also found that after starting treatment, individuals with the VB variant had similar immune system recovery and survival to individuals with other HIV variants. In total, the team found 109 people infected with the VB variant, with only four living outside the Netherlands, but still in western Europe. ADVERTISEMENT500 mutationsThe HIV virus is constantly evolving, so much so that each person infected has a slightly different version. In addition to its increased impact on the immune system, the team also found the VB variant to be more highly transmissible. “This limits the amount of time HIV can damage an individual’s immune system and jeopardize their health,” added Fraser.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
February 05, 2022 02:32 UTC
First digital, localized Bar exams held
AMID the pandemic, 11,378 or 96.5 percent of aspiring lawyers nationwide took the first digital and localized Bar exams on Friday, Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said. The date for the next Bar exam, he said, would be based on the recommendation of Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa,who will be the chairman of the 2021-2022 Bar exams. He advised examinees to take it easy on the second day and answer the questions carefully. "Second day, after this day they should sleep. As to the date of the release of the results of the 2020-2021 Bar exams, Leonen said that it would be much earlier because this was digital but did not give any schedule.
Source:Manila Times
February 05, 2022 01:49 UTC
San Juan City mounts cartoon characters standees, balloons for upcoming pedia vax
Medical experts at UC Davis are escalating concerns over dangerous long-term impacts of COVID-19 in unvaccinated children. "They can be really scary sick," said Dr. Dean Blumberg, UC Davis' chief of pediatric infectious diseases. COVID-19 cases among children rose in January after the holidays. Pediatric infections now make up the majority of cases at UC Davis Medical Center. "They can have involvement of the brain, heart, kidneys ... any of those can be damaged and result in long-term damage."
Source:Philippine Star
February 04, 2022 22:31 UTC
Marcos-Duterte tandem adopts Honasan on Senate ticket
Marcos-Duterte tandem adopts Honasan on Senate ticketFormer Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan II speaks at the Senate in this undated photo. Honasan is seeking a return to the Senate, where he was a member from 2007 to 2013. In the 2016 elections, he ran for vice president but lost. The faction of the PDP-Laban linked to Duterte has however adopted Duterte-Carpio as their vice presidential bet. As the UniTeam adopts the reelectionist on its senatorial ticket, the Marcos-Duterte tandem also won the endorsement of Honasan’s Reform Party.
Source:Philippine Star
February 04, 2022 21:02 UTC
Lockdown extended for Tuen Mun residents
An overnight lockdown at Hing Ping House of Tai Hing Estate in Tuen Mun will be extended for another day as health officials detected more than 15 new preliminary positive Covid cases. The residential block was locked down on Thursday night after several infections were detected there. According to sources, health officials have detected more than 15 new preliminary positive cases today after testing some 2,700 residents during the overnight operation. All residents will be grounded, with authorities expecting the extended operation to end at 8.30am tomorrow. Health officials earlier said they aimed to finish the operation at 7am this morning.
Source:The Standard
February 04, 2022 20:07 UTC
More facilities, stronger navy: Bets offer solutions to drug trade, jail congestion
More facilities, stronger navy: Bets offer solutions to drug trade, jail congestionThis photo taken on June 27, 2019, shows policemen at the crime scene where the body of a barangay (inner city neighborhood) health worker and former drug surrenderee Michael Oescayno, lies on the ground after unidentified gunmen. More than 70% of those detained at BJMP facilities—jails are for people undergoing investigation or trial—are drug cases, Robredo pointed out. "We need to amend the Dangerous Drugs law so there will be delineation,” she said. Robredo, a lawyer, said there should be different penalties for drug users, drug dependents and drug pushers. "We should strengthen the enforcement of the law and policies in addressing this, and arrest and jail the financers and drug lords.
Source:Philippine Star
February 04, 2022 19:45 UTC
Lacson to waive bank secrecy rights if elected president
Lacson to waive bank secrecy rights if elected presidentIn this Dec. 14, 2021 photo, Sen. Panfilo Lacson expresses his dissatisfaction over the continued smuggling of agricultural products into the country despite existing laws and regulations at the Committee of the Whole's inquiry. MANILA, Philippines — Partido Reporma bet Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said Friday that he will forgo his rights to bank secrecy on his first day as president, but will not force other government officials to follow suit. "On the first day of my office, waiver of my rights under the Bank Secrecy Act," Lacson said during the KBP presidential forum livestreamed Friday. In her book, Arroyo admitted that she was fed false information by whistleblower Antonio Luis Marquez who linked Lacson to various criminal activities, according to the senator. To ex-PGMA’s credit, she has the decency and courage to admit that she publicly and unjustly accused me of various crimes based on false information.
Source:Philippine Star
February 04, 2022 19:38 UTC
Piling PH debt: When is it a cause for worry?
Piling PH debtThe country’s total outstanding debt, based on preliminary data from the Bureau of Treasury (BTr), has reached P11.73 trillion by end of December last year. The huge debt figures have caused concern among the public and raised the question: “Are we borrowing too much?”Should the public worry? To answer the question, it is important to look past the numbers and certain misconceptions about the national debt. To help weigh in on the government’s debt, instead of focusing on the debt figures, Quimbo advised to look first at the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio—which compares a country’s debt to its financial output. “Contrary to popular belief, the public debt is not driven by foreign borrowings, but rather domestic debt,” they said.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
February 04, 2022 18:35 UTC
More people should work from home under Covid, says civil service chief
The city’s private companies were urged to follow the government's lead in implementing work from home arrangements for staff in order to reduce the flow of people in the territory to curb the spread of the coronavirus, said Secretary for Civil Service, Patrick Nip Tak-kuen. Speaking on a radio program on Friday, Nip said the SAR government wanted to send a strong message to the community in light of the worsening Covid situation, calling on people to minimize unnecessary social contacts. The government yesterday asked civil servants to work from home "as far as possible", unless they are involved in anti-epidemic work, or providing essential or emergency services. The civil service chief said the city’s Covid case number is surging with both the Delta and Omicron variants spreading around Hong Kong, resulting in at least one to two hundred transmission chains in the community. He also anticipated that the number will continue its upward trend after the Lunar New Year holidays as citizens participated in cross-family gatherings during the festival.
Source:The Standard
February 04, 2022 06:59 UTC
Boracay scraps COVID test for vaxxed tourists
ILOILO CITY—Foreign and domestic tourists, who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, are now allowed to visit Boracay Island without the need of a negative swab test result. CurfewFully vaccinated tourists will only be required to present their vaccination card or certificate and proof of identification, including passports for foreign tourists. Partially vaccinated or unvaccinated tourists are still required to submit a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours of their travel date. In 2019, the year before the pandemic was declared, 1,037,619 foreign tourists visited Boracay, or 51 percent of the total 2,034,599 tourists for that year. The island was closed to tourists in March 2020 amid quarantine and travel restrictions.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
February 04, 2022 06:43 UTC