DOH, WHO: Have kids vaccinated vs polio, other preventable diseases
MANILA, Philippines — Parents must have their children immunized against preventable diseases, the Department of Health (DOH), World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Rotary International stresse during World Polio Day on Sunday. ‘Life-saving vaccines’WHO country representative Dr. Rabindra Abeyasignhe said that vaccines save lives. This shows the power of vaccines to save lives and protect people from diseases such as polio,” Abeyasinghe said. UNICEF representative Oyunsaikjan Dendevnorov, meanwhile, called on “the whole of society to intensify polio immunization to sustain our gains and prevent the further decline of polio immunization coverage.”“We still need to intensify our campaign to raise awareness and raise funds for polio. By doing these together, we can END POLIO NOW,” Rotary International Zone 10A End Polio Now Coordinator Mary Anne Alcordo Solomon said.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 24, 2021 06:23 UTC
Government opens up agricultural insurance
Government opens up agricultural insuranceUnder the Insurance Commission (IC)’s Circular Letter 2021-60, non-life insurers can file proposals on how they can extend insurance services to agricultural stakeholders. MANILA, Philippines — The government has started opening up agricultural insurance to the private sector by inviting non-life insurers to explore opportunities in the farm sector. Under the Insurance Commission (IC)’s Circular Letter 2021-60, non-life insurers can file proposals on how they can extend insurance services to agricultural stakeholders. Non-life insurers interested in taking part in the regulatory sandbox piloting agricultural insurance should submit a formal proposal to the IC. The filing should contain full details of the partner firm and its experience in agricultural insurance.
Source:Philippine Star
October 24, 2021 03:51 UTC
‘No room for neutrality’: Bishop urges Catholics to protest vs misuse of public funds
MANILA, Philippines — Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villages urged Catholics on Friday to protest corruption in the use of public funds in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Villegas made the call amid the ongoing investigation of the Senate’s blue ribbon committee to the alleged misuse of pandemic funds involving Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corp.ADVERTISEMENT“In the name of God, I admonish all Catholics to protest these acts of perfidy as vocally and persistently as possible,” Villegas said in a pastoral admonition published on Friday. Villegas also said that Catholics should not be neutral on the issue, saying those who would not condemn the “thief” would become “complicit.”“There can be no room for neutrality,” Villegas added. “Between good and evil, there is no middle ground, and whoever is unwilling to condemn blatant injustice becomes its enabler.”Villegas also called on the priests and lay leaders to engage their flock in the process of “conscientization” — or the process of “bringing to their awareness the wrongs done to them and recognizing them as wrong.”The archbishop added: “For indeed, one of the saddest things that have befallen us is a dreadful national familiarization with graft and corruption that they no longer shock and disturb us!”RELATED STORYSenate panel: Pharmally, gov’t execs in ‘grand conspiracy’ATMSubscribe 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
October 24, 2021 03:26 UTC
Afghanistan hurtling towards collapse, Sweden and Pakistan say
DUBAI — Afghanistan will shortly collapse into chaos unless the international community acts rapidly, Swedish and Pakistani ministers warned on Saturday. ADVERTISEMENT“The country is on the brink of collapse and that collapse is coming faster than we thought,” Swedish development minister Per Olsson Fridh told Reuters in Dubai. Many countries and multilateral institutions have halted development assistance but increased humanitarian aid since August, reluctant to legitimize the new Taliban rulers. “Are we going to push Afghanistan into chaos or are we going to try and stabilize the country?” he said in Dubai. Engagement would also encourage the protection of human rights and the establishment of an inclusive, constitutional government, he said.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 24, 2021 03:23 UTC
EDITORIAL - Dirty money gray list
EDITORIAL - Dirty money gray listSome progress has been made, but “strategic deficiencies” have kept the Philippines in a “gray list” of just 23 countries that are not doing enough to fight money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing. The FATF returned the country to the gray list on June 25 this year. While the FATF noted some improvements, it cited several strategic deficiencies in the country’s AML/CFT efforts. Inclusion in the FATF gray list makes financial transactions more difficult. The Anti-Money Laundering Council has promised to address the strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes, and has expressed confidence that the country will be out of the gray list by January 2023.
Source:Philippine Star
October 24, 2021 00:54 UTC
Church leaders denounce attacks on migrant landowners in Kalinga
TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Philippines — Clergymen from various denominations have denounced the attacks on migrant landowners in Kalinga province that left at least two of them dead. He said one of the first two cases this year involved a Kalinga migrant who was shot dead days after a court decided a land case in his favor. Kalinga, a province in the Cordillera Administrative Region, has a population of 229,570 (based on 2020 census) composed mainly of about 17 tribal communities. ‘Speak up’According to Aoas, “fear and silence” gripped the migrant community “whenever one of them is murdered, deprived of his land or forced to pay exorbitant “multa” (fees). ADVERTISEMENTIf migrants rally around victims or targeted landowners and speak out, the situation would change, he said.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 24, 2021 00:18 UTC
Britain reports highest weekly COVID-19 cases since July
LONDON – Britain recorded the highest number of new cases of COVID-19 since July over the past week, government figures showed on Saturday, a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson played down the prospect of a return to lockdown. Some 333,465 people in Britain tested positive for COVID-19 over the past seven days, up 15% on the previous week and the highest total since the seven days to July 21. ADVERTISEMENTDaily figures showed there were 44,985 new cases on Saturday, down from 49,298 on Friday. Daily death figures were only available for England, and showed 135 fatalities within 28 days of a positive test. Deaths have risen by 12% over the past week, and the total since the start of the pandemic now stands at 139,461, the second highest in Europe after Russia.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 23, 2021 23:58 UTC
We were able to defeat Delta – Galvez
Ngayon nakita natin we were able to defeat Delta (Now, we have seen that we were able to defeat Delta)," said Galvez during the arrival of 698,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine procured by the private sector in Pasay City on Friday. 'Delta plus' variant primerWhat is the "Delta plus" variant? It's a relative of the Delta variant, identified by British scientists last month. In the US, the Delta variant accounts for nearly all Covid-19 cases. The newer "Delta plus" variant has been spotted "on occasion," but it's not yet a concern, health officials said.
Source:Manila Times
October 23, 2021 22:14 UTC
Chinese General Hospital decries fake Covid-19 test
THE Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center (CGHMC) issued a disclaimer on Saturday, warning the public of unscrupulous individuals using the name of the hospital to peddle fake reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) negative test results. The RT-PCR test is a standard procedure for detecting Covid-19. "It has come to our attention that certain individuals are offering fake RT-PCR negative test results from Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center. This scheme is made by using an RT-PCR test result and altering the name and personal details of the patient who underwent the Covid testing. The public can report the manufacture, sale, and use of fake CGHMC RT-PCR test results to 87114141 locals 369 or 370, or by contacting the DoH or the Philippine National Police.
Source:Manila Times
October 23, 2021 22:10 UTC
Rescue crew search for camper who went missing since Tuesday
Rescue crew are now searching for a 30-year-old man who had gone missing since Tuesday, after he went hiking and camping alone at Pak Fu Shan in Ta Kwu Ling. The man surnamed Ip left his home at Cheung Wah Estate in Fanling on Tuesday evening and headed to Pak Fu Shan alone. They also found Ip had searched for information about Pak Fu Shan on his computer. Netizens on the other hand spread the news and called on people who had spotted Ip to provide information. Police and firemen after analysis predicted that Ip went hiking at Lin Ma Hang in Sha Tau Kok, and further expend the perimeter to nearby areas at Pak Fu Shan.
Source:The Standard
October 23, 2021 21:56 UTC
COVID-19 reproduction number in PH down to 0.52 – OCTA Research
MANILA, Philippines — The country’s COVID-19 reproduction number has dropped to 0.52 and the seven-day average is down to 5,451, Dr. Guido David, a fellow at the independent pandemic monitor OCTA Research, said in a Twitter post on Saturday. Previously, the reproduction rate in the country was at 0.68, with a seven-day average at 9,648, according to OCTA Research data released on Oct. 13. ADVERTISEMENTEarlier on Saturday, David said the average number of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila was at 996, compared to 1,762 a week earlier. The reproduction number of the new coronavirus in Metro Manila also decreased to 0.45. On Saturday, the Philippines recorded a total of 2,751,667 COVID-19 cases, including 63,051 active cases, 2,647,031 active cases, and 41,585 deaths, according to the Department of Health.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 23, 2021 20:35 UTC
Philippine’s vaccine mix-and-match study awaits FDA nod
Philippine’s vaccine mix-and-match study awaits FDA nodFrontliners get inoculated with Aztrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine during the continuation of vaccination for health workers and frontliners at Marikina Sports Complex on March 24, 2021. MANILA, Philippines — Filipino scientists are raring to begin a state-funded initiative to study the “mix-and-match” of a variety of vaccines being administered in the country’s mass immunization against COVID-19. Earlier, DOST said the study presupposes China-made Sinovac as the first dose since it is the vaccine which the country has the most stable supply in storage. For Group B, the vaccines to be combined after the first Sinovac dose are the other vaccines that have already been given an emergency use authorization (EUA) by the FDA. The vaccine mix-and-match trial will not include people under 17 years old.
Source:Philippine Star
October 23, 2021 19:19 UTC
PNP warns vs passport, COVID-19 test scammers
PNP warns vs passport, COVID-19 test scammersPNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar yesterday directed the Anti-Cybercrime Group to look into the matter after the Department of Foreign Affairs sought the ACG’s help in unmasking the people behind some Facebook pages offering passport appointments to overseas Filipino workers. MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) urged people to take extra precautions and shun individuals offering passport appointments on social media sites and COVID-19 swab results without actual tests. People who fell victim to this scam can file their complaints through the various complaint platforms of the PNP, he said. Fake papersMeanwhile, Eleazar also warned against patronizing those who offer forged RT-PCR test results after three persons were arrested in Quezon City last Wednesday. The test results had the logo of the Philippine Red Cross.
Source:Philippine Star
October 23, 2021 18:59 UTC
‘Evading Senate makes Pharmally execs look guilty’
‘Evading Senate makes Pharmally execs look guilty’“For us lawyers, there is a principle that says flight is evidence of guilt. If you flee, there is basis to believe you have committed something wrong,” Drilon told radio dwIZ in Filipino. If you flee, there is basis to believe you have committed something wrong,” Drilon told radio dwIZ in Filipino. He said Pharmally also claimed making donations worth P33 million, but with no supporting documents provided to the committee. He said there should be no issue in providing the source documents, like receipts, as the financial statements are already of public record.
Source:Philippine Star
October 23, 2021 18:09 UTC
Oil prices to go up again
Oil prices to go up againDiesel prices will be increased by P0.40 to P0.50 per liter and gasoline by P1.10 to P1.20 per liter, Unioil Philippines said in its forecast. MANILA, Philippines — Oil prices will be increased for the ninth straight week as global prices continue to soar. Diesel prices will be increased by P0.40 to P0.50 per liter and gasoline by P1.10 to P1.20 per liter, Unioil Philippines said in its forecast. In the past trading week, global oil prices ended higher on bullish sentiment about low supplies tamped by concerns from world leaders over persisting demand disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reported. Prior to the upcoming price changes, year-to-date adjustments stand at a net increase of P19.65 per liter for gasoline, P18.00 per liter for diesel and P15.49 per liter for kerosene.
Source:Philippine Star
October 23, 2021 17:29 UTC