Media groups condemn slaying of Philippine journalist
Dinoy was a reporter for Davao City-based online media outlet Newsline Philippines and a volunteer anchor for Energy FM in Digos City. On Sunday, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar directed the Davao region police director, Brig Gen. Filmore Escobal, to lead the investigation into the killing. Edith Caduaya of Newsline Philippines condemned the killing and vowed never to stop until justice was served. Eleazar said the PNP would closely coordinate with the Presidential Task Force on Media Security on the killing of Dinoy and other cases regarding the murder or harassment of media practitioners. Radio commentator and local paper writer Maganes and freelance journalist Villamor were killed within days of each other in November 2020.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
November 01, 2021 03:07 UTC
G20 leaders offer little new on climate, UN chief’s hopes ‘unfulfilled’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who warned on Friday that the world was rushing headlong towards climate disaster, said the Rome summit neither fulfilled his hopes nor buried them. “While I welcome the #G20’s recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled — but at least they are not buried,” he said in a tweet. The G20 bloc, which includes Brazil, China, India, Germany, and the United States, accounts for an estimated 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The final statement merely recognizes that reducing methane emissions is “one of the quickest, most feasible and most cost-effective ways to limit climate change”. World leaders will kick start COP26 on Monday with two days of speeches that could include some new emissions-cutting pledges before technical negotiators lock horns over the rules of the 2015 Paris climate accord.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
November 01, 2021 02:17 UTC
Vote sparks job shuffle
The government has appointed 36,000 civil servants to help in the Legislative Council election on December 19 to ensure there will be sufficient manpower, Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen said. In the past, helpers for elections were recruited via voluntary engagement from civil servants. The appointed civil servants will have to attend briefings and training. Nip said yesterday that those who have to undergo training can go during their office hours and will not have to ask for leave. Separately, Nip said on a radio program that some of the directorate posts in the civil service could be filled through open recruitment to the public.
Source:The Standard
November 01, 2021 01:12 UTC
Marijuana cookies seized in operation ahead of Halloween
A 19-year-old female driver was arrested after suspected marijuana cookies were found in her vehicle in an operation ahead of Halloween. At around 7pm on Saturday, officers stopped and searched a suspicious vehicle outside Kam Tai shopping centre in Ma On Shan as part of an anti-drug operation code named Sproutwatch. Officers seized 89.1 grams of suspected marijuana in her car, and 672.9 grams of suspected marijuana cookies and oil, with a total market value of HK$144,000. Shatin anti-triad police also searched party rooms in the district and arrested six operators for breaching social distancing measures. More than HK$700,000 cash was confiscated, while four local bank accounts and a payment platform with a total of HK$1.4 million were frozen.
Source:The Standard
October 31, 2021 23:45 UTC
Journalist slain in Davao Sur
Journalist slain in Davao SurKIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines — A radio reporter was killed by a still unidentified gunman inside his rented house in Bansalan town, Davao del Sur early Saturday night, police said. Quoting the initial investigation, Ipong said the gunman casually entered Dinoy’s apartment at 6 p.m. last Saturday, approached him and opened fire. Yesterday in Manila, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra announced the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) would be leading the investigation into Dinoy’s murder. “The Presidential Task Force on Media Security will lead and coordinate the investigation,” said Guevarra, co-chairman of the PTFoMS. Guevarra also called on all members of media who think their lives may be under threat to coordinate with the task force.
Source:Philippine Star
October 31, 2021 22:56 UTC
No work, no pay today
No work, no pay todayIn an advisory, it said the principle of “no work no pay” would apply for Nov. 1, which has been declared a special non-working holiday, “unless there is a company policy, practice, or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) granting payment on a special day.”MANILA, Philippines — Workers who will opt to enjoy the holiday and not report for work today are not getting any pay, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Under the law, employees who shall report for work today are entitled to an additional 30 percent of their basic pay on the first eight hours of work. Work on a special day that also falls on the employee’s rest day, shall be paid an additional 50 percent of basic wage on the first eight hours of work. Overtime work on a special day falling on worker’s rest day shall be paid an additional 30 percent of the hourly rate on the said day. On Nov. 2, a declared special working holiday, a worker is entitled to receive only the daily wage.
Source:Philippine Star
October 31, 2021 22:04 UTC
Shift to alert level 2 in Metro Manil by Nov. 15 urged
MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion is urging the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to downgrade Metro Manila to alert level 2 by Nov. 15. ADVERTISEMENT“We are slowly and gradually easing the alert level system to avoid sudden surge of COVID-19 cases,” said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. But according to Concepcion, the country’s capital region should be placed in the lower alert level 2 status following the increased vaccination rate and decline of new cases in the Metro. The Go Negosyo founder said that beginning Nov. 15 until the end of the year, “we have to be on alert level 2 or we stand to lose a lot.”“The Christmas and election spending will act as a stimulus to many businesses. “With hope, we can look forward to an alert level 1 status by the start of the year.” INQRead Next
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 31, 2021 21:52 UTC
Senators warn vs complacency amid COVID-19 case decline
Senators warn vs complacency amid COVID-19 case declineSenators Panfilo Lacson and Sonny Angara, in separate statements, called for continued vigilance against the virus as the Department of Health (DOH) and OCTA Research reported declining positivity rate of infections. MANILA, Philippines — Senators yesterday cautioned authorities and the general public against complacency in observing health protocols as the number of COVID-19 cases in the country continues to decline. “It is encouraging to see a steady decline in the number of people getting infected with COVID-19 in the country. The research group noted the World Health Organization considers a positivity rate of five percent or below as acceptable. Lacson said until the number of COVID-19 cases drops to zero, the government cannot claim success in its efforts to address the threat.
Source:Philippine Star
October 31, 2021 20:26 UTC
Trading US stocks not fine with Beijing
Without much warning, Beijing suddenly put cross-border online brokerages in the crosshairs to make them the latest targets of an intensifying campaign that has already eliminated an entire industry in private tutoring and seriously crippled real estate agents offering intermediary services. The rout hitting online brokerages including, market leaders Futu Holdings and Up Fintech, began with damning commentaries from a central banker and state media. Why is Beijing aiming the gun at cross-border online brokerages this time around? However, what state media or the central bank official did not mention was Beijing's probable mounting concern over the loss of capital to the outside as the central government tightens its grip at home and in Hong Kong. The brokerages may plead not guilty as the transactions technically happen outside the mainland and involve external trading platforms and offshore bank accounts opened by their mainland clients.
Source:The Standard
October 31, 2021 19:31 UTC
Philippine news industry seeks tax break amid pandemic
Reduced income taxPrint media players are also asking for a reduced income tax and tax assistance package, especially in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It proposed that the current regular Corporate Income Tax of 25 percent be reduced to 15 percent for the print media industry, noting that under the CREATE law, the non-profit proprietary educational institutions and hospitals – another crucial sector of the country – enjoy a one percent corporate income tax. “Shouldn’t the print media industry, an industry devoted to bringing news and information, of spreading the truth, of forming a nation composed of informed citizenry, be entitled to the same benefit of lowered income tax? The US Congress aims to help through the Local Journalism Sustainability Act, a bill that would provide tax credits for news consumers, print media publishers and advertisers. And even if our own employees get infected with COVID-19, life in print media goes on.”“We in the print media industry risk our lives for every news that we publish.
Source:Philippine Star
October 31, 2021 17:29 UTC
Cyber crimes
This is how he explained it:“The criminals already had her credit card information (credit card number, expiry date and CVV). Did someone with access to her account tip off the cyber criminals? The cyber criminals went to a branch of the phone company and requested to suspend the victim’s line. Because the victim did, it gave the cyber criminals time to electronically capture her SIM. We need protection from cyber criminals and only the banking and phone industries, with the BSP and NTC, can make that happen.
Source:Philippine Star
October 31, 2021 16:49 UTC
No needles: Scientists use pain-free 'patch' to administer vaccines
SYDNEY: Scientists from the University of Queensland (UQ) successfully developed a method that can deliver vaccines using a pain-free "patch" without needles. It also neutralizes multiple variants, including the variants first detected in Britain and South Africa, said Muller. "We've shown this vaccine, when dry-coated on a patch, is stable for at least 30 days at 25 degrees Celsius and one week at 40 degrees. He said beyond vaccinations for coronavirus, the patch technology could also be applied to vaccines for polio, dengue fever and influenza. "So, basically, the patch is a platform technology, which you can pair with the vaccine you want to work on," Muller told Xinhua.
Source:Manila Times
October 31, 2021 16:24 UTC
Shanghai Disneyland suspends entry to cooperate with China's Covid probes
Shanghai Disneyland said on Sunday that it has suspended entry to cooperate with Covid-19 investigations linked to other Chinese provinces and cities. Guests currently in the park are required to undergo Covid-19 tests at the exit when they leave, Shanghai Disneyland said on its Chinese social media account. Entry to the nearby Disneytown has also been halted, Shanghai Disneyland said. Those who visited Shanghai Disneyland and Disneytown from October 30 to 31 have to undergo four Covid-19 tests in the coming two weeks. They are advised to stay home, not to go out for school or work on the first two days.
Source:The Standard
October 31, 2021 15:24 UTC
Unvaccinated children traveling to US do not need to quarantine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Saturday that unvaccinated foreign nationals under the age of 18 traveling to the United States by air do not have to self-quarantine upon arrival. A CDC order issued on Monday had raised alarm among some foreign travelers that their children would need to quarantine for that long after arriving. Airlines and others had pressed for the changes for foreign children, saying it would harm international tourism if children had to self-quarantine upon arrival. Those receiving an exemption will generally need to be vaccinated within 60 days after arriving in the United States. The United States has barred non-essential travelers crossing land borders from Mexico and Canada since March 2020.
Source:The Standard
October 31, 2021 14:33 UTC
Lacson: Even PH babies now owe P120,000
44% in 6 yearsThe Philippine government’s borrowings jumped 27.2 percent from P9.37 trillion a year ago, with the COVID-19 pandemic pushing higher government spending. Second, because of the pandemic, our national debt has ballooned,” Lacson said. Empower local governmentsHe reiterated his call to empower local governments around the country with enough funds for development projects as they take on more responsibilities as mandated by the Supreme Court. Lacson has been pushing for more support to local governments through his Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment proposal. “No one else knows the needs and priorities of [local governments] better than the local officials,” he said.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 31, 2021 09:33 UTC