Marcos vows to revive glory

days of ‘Bicol Express’

Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. admitted that there is a need to improve the transportation system in the Bicol Region and it is going to be one of his priority projects when he wins the upcoming May 9 elections.

“Madalas nating marinig noon ang salitang ‘Bicol Express’ patungkol sa mga tren na bumibyahe sa rehiyon. Sa paglipas ng panahon ay naging palasak na lang ang katagang ito na tumutukoy sa pangunahing sistema ng transportasyon na ngayon ay bilang isang masarap na pagkain ng mga Bicolano (We used to hear the word ‘Bicol Express’ in reference to trains traveling in the region. Over time this term has become commonplace referring to the main transportation system that is now as a delicacy of the Bicolanos,” Marcos said in a news release on Tuesday.

Marcos assured that he will bring back “Bicol Express” which is more organized and effective if he emerges victorious in the presidential race.

The Philippine National Railways (PNR), a government-owned company, was established in 1875 as the Ferrocaril de Manila-Dagupan and plied its initial route to Pangasinan.

Seven years later, the railroad linking Dagupan and Legazpi was created and it became popular to travelers because it was cheaper than an airplane but way much faster than a car.

In 1931, the Manila-to-Bicol route, which was popularly known as Bicol Express, started.

The Bicol Express, however, slowly deteriorated in the 70s due to security issues, the proliferation of air-conditioned buses, calamities, and finally the Mayon Volcano explosion in 1993.

In 2006, the railways were badly damaged after the onslaught of Typhoons Milenyo and Reming, which finally led to the suspension of the Bicol-Manila route.

After a massive rehabilitation, the Bicol Express came back to life in 2011, but the endearing title has now become synonymous with the region’s popular dish.

“Hindi naman siguro tayo nakakalimot na ang tren na biyaheng Bicol ay hindi lang nagbigay ng malaking kaginhawaan kundi nagdulot din ito ng malalim na kasiyahan sa ating mga kababayang Bikolano. Ibalik natin ito pero mas pagandahin pa natin at pabilisin upang magsilbing pangunahing transportasyon ng mga Bicolano at mga dayuhang turista na naaakit sa ganda ng bayang ito (We should not forget that the Bicol train trip not only provided great convenience but also brought deep satisfaction to Bicolanos. Let’s bring it back but let’s make even more beautiful and speed it up to serve as the main transportation for Bicolanos and foreign tourists who are attracted to the beauty of the region),” Marcos said.

He added that the improvement of the railway system will be aligned with his continuity of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” program but he will also be open to talks with big companies who are willing to finance its rehabilitation via the Public-Private Partnership program.

“Ang kailangan natin ay maging agresibo sa pagsusulong ng mga proyektong makakapaghatid ng maayos na serbisyo sa ating mga mamamayan. Isa lamang ito sa mga layunin natin upang iangat ang Bicolandia matapos ang mapamuksang pandemya (What we need is to be aggressive in advancing projects that will deliver good service to our people. This is just one of our goals to lift Bicolandia after the devastating pandemic),” Marcos said. (PR)

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 Duterte issues EO

protecting refugees

in the Philippines

 

 

 President Rodrigo Duterte has issued an executive order (EO) institutionalizing access to protection services for refugees, stateless persons, and asylum seekers.

Duterte signed EO No. 163 on February 28 to ensure the full protection of persons of concern’s (POCs) rights to liberty, security, and freedom of movement.

“These shall include the provision of access to socioeconomic services, social security benefits, gainful employment and humane working conditions, education, participation in judicial and administrative citizenship proceedings, legal assistance and access to courts, and freedom of religion," the order read.

The EO is in accordance with the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, the 1954 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Person, and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

The POCs have the "concomitant obligation to abide by the laws and regulations of the country, including measures relating to the protection of public health, and maintenance of public order and national security.”

Under the EO, the Inter-Agency Committee on the Protection of Refugees, Stateless Persons and Asylum Seekers is established to provide services and assistance to POCs.

The local government units (LGUs) are encouraged to support the integration of the POCs within their communities, conduct information and awareness campaigns, and make available the necessary programs and services to facilitate such integration in local development frameworks, including development programming and emergency response and recovery frameworks.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has limited the ability of refugees, stateless persons and asylum seekers to cross borders to seek protection, bringing to fore the need to integrate and institutionalize relevant policies and programs of government agencies and ensure that these communities of people are properly protected and accorded the widest possible exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms,” the EO read.

The Philippines is one of the few countries in the region to have acceded to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 protocol, according to the website of the UN refugee agency.

The country also has a long history of accepting refugees long before it became a State party to the 1951 Convention. It was among the first to offer asylum to waves of refugees since the end of World War I. 

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 Allow sari-sari stores to sell over

-the-counter meds: Senate bet

 

 Partido Reporma senatorial candidate and health advocate Dr. Minguita Padilla said "sari-sari" or small retail stores should be allowed to sell over-the-counter (OTC) medicines.

“Hindi dapat ipagbawal ang mga sari-sari store na magbenta ng mga OTC na gamot (Sari-sari stores should not be prevented from selling OTC medicines),” Padilla said during a campaign sortie in Lucena City, Quezon on Tuesday when asked about the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) plan to ban sales of paracetamol, dextromethorphan, and other basic drugs in neighborhood outlets.

This came amid reports of "sari-sari" stores selling fake drugs to combat coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), which the government warned is dangerous as they are unregulated and unlicensed and could have possible fatal side effects.

Padilla, who visited Quezon with Partido Reporma presidential candidate Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, vice presidential bet Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, and her fellow senatorial bets, said OTC medicines are usually bought at a local “botika” (pharmacies) and even large grocery stores, and do not require a prescription.

Padilla said it would only make it harder for Filipinos to buy drugs for common ailments if they have to go beyond their neighborhoods to acquire them if the FDA pushes through with the plan.

“Ito ay labis na pagpapahirap sa mga ordinaryong mamamayan sa mga baryo. Siguro kung laging may supply ang barangay health center ng mga ganitong gamot, then OK. Pero wala naman. Kawawa naman ang mga taga-baryo o malayo ang mga bahay sa pinakamalapit na botika (This is too much for the ordinary folk in the barrios. Perhaps if barangay health centers always have a supply of these (OTC) medicines, then OK. But there isn’t. Pity the barrio folk or those who live far from the nearest pharmacy)," she added.

Padilla reiterated that what should be banned is the sale of drugs that need a doctor’s prescription, and must be dispensed by a pharmacist.

She also said the government should go after manufacturers of fake OTC drugs.

The agency should publish on their website and on newspapers, radio, and television the brands of these fake medicines and their distributors to warn the public.

"Kaunting imbestigasyon at political will, matitigil ang ganitong illegal na aktibidad. 'Yan ang tamang solusyon, hindi ang pagpapahirap sa taumbayan (A little investigation and political will can stop this illegal activity. This is the correct solution, not to make the people suffer even more)," Padilla added.

Meanwhile, Lacson guaranteed that no corruption and other government abuses will happen under the newly-created Department of Migrant Workers should he and Sotto win the May 9 elections.

Lacson made this remark in an interview with Bombo Radyo on Tuesday, where he was asked about his plans for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) once he emerges as the country’s 17th President.

The Lacson-Sotto tandem believes that corruption and the greed of some government officials are at the root of the problems of many Filipinos, including OFWs who are hailed as the country’s modern heroes. (with Lloyd Caliwan

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 Warm, fair weather

 seen across PH

 

 

Fair weather will continue to prevail across Luzon and most parts of the country on Wednesday, the weather bureau said.

"Warm weather will be experienced over most areas due to the easterlies affecting (the) eastern section," Aldczar Aurelio of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

Aurelio said no weather disturbance was seen inside and outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

In its 4 a.m. weather bulletin, PAGASA said the temperature in Metro Manila will rise to 33°C; Tuguegarao, Puerto Princesa, and the Kalayaan Islands up to 32°C; and Tagaytay up to 30°C.

Aurelio said Eastern Visayas and Caraga will experience scattered rains and thunderstorms due to the easterlies.

"Take precautions against light to moderate, to at times heavy rains that may cause flooding or landslides," he said.

PAGASA forecast fair weather with localized thunderstorms for the rest of the Visayas and Mindanao.

Moderate winds and moderate seas will prevail over extreme northern Luzon.

Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate with slight to moderate seas. 

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 736K kids aged 5-11 years

Old  now vaccinated: DOH

 

A total of 736,880 children aged 5 to 11 years old have been inoculated against Covid-19 since the pediatric vaccination started on February 7, a health official said Tuesday.

“Inaasahan po natin na tataas pa ito sa darating na mga linggo kaya po ang lahat ng mga magulang at legal guardian ay amin pong hinihikayat na magparehistro na para sa kanila pong mga anak para sa karagdagang proteksiyon para sa lalong madaling panahon (We expect the numbers to rise in the coming weeks so we encourage parents and legal guardians to register their children for additional protection immediately),” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during an online media forum.

Meantime, about 9.5 million adolescents have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The Department of Health (DOH) also said almost 10 million Filipinos have received so far received booster shots.

It assured the public that all vaccines administered as booster shots are of good quality and can provide additional protection against hospitalization or even death due to Covid-19.

“Those who were vaccinated with AstraZeneca, Gamaleya Sputnik V and light, Moderna and Pfizer, Sinopharm and Sinovac can now receive their booster shots after three months and two months if you were vaccinated with Jansen,” Vergeire said.

She added the fully vaccinated can receive a different brand of Covid-19 as booster shot from their primary doses.

She also reminded the public that adults who are 18 years old and above are eligible to receive their booster shots while children aged 5 to 11 years old may receive their primary series of Covid-19 jabs.

63 million fully vaccinated

As the Resbakuna Program marked its first year anniversary, the DOH said the fully vaccinated Filipinos against Covid-19 reached 63 million.

During its initial phase, the program prioritized inoculating the sectors who are at high risk of Covid-19 infection- the medical frontliners, senior citizens, and people with comorbidities.

To date, data from the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) show that 93 percent of healthcare workers, 62.82 percent of senior citizens, and 92 percent of people with comorbidities have been fully vaccinated, respectively.

“Coming from a peak in the number of cases in January, we now observe a decline as we realize a wider and extensive national vaccination coverage in addition to minimum public health standards. This provides a clearer picture of what the World Health Organization (WHO) had previously envisioned in countries with high vaccination rates, as transmissions of the virus do not automatically lead to pressuring the health system and its capacity,” the DOH said in a news release on Tuesday.

National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) Chair and Undersecretary of Health of the Field Implementation and Coordination Team (NCR and Luzon) Myrna C. Cabotaje said with the ongoing efforts of the national government, “we are confident that we will be able to reach our target population as we make the vaccination coverage wider and more accessible for everyone.”

The DOH continues to work towards population protection through programs such as the National Vaccination Days, Resbakuna sa Botika, and vaccination in pharmacies, primary care and occupational health clinics, as well as air, sea, and transportation terminals for the elderly and vulnerable populations.

As Metro Manila and 38 areas are placed under Alert Level 1, the DOH encouraged the public to recognize the importance of staying protected through vaccination and adherence to minimum health standard protocols with the easing of restrictions.

“As the country marks the milestones of the Resbakuna program, I would like to sincerely thank the over 63 million Filipinos who have believed and trusted in our Covid-19 vaccines. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the national government agencies, local government units, civil society organizations, and development partners who took part in making all these possible. To our friends in the private sector, volunteers, and the media, the DOH truly appreciates the magnanimous efforts you have put in to make the program all the more successful. All of these further prove that vaccines and booster shots are still our best long-term solution in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said. 

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 Tech giant helps Comelec

fight misinformation

 

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will have tech giant Google Philippines as one of its partners in guiding voters to fact-check information regarding the May 9 polls.

Google’s video-sharing platform, YouTube, will include election information panels that will show up on top of search results when users look for the names of candidates.

It will include information on the candidates, their political parties, the position they’re running for, and the like.

There will be a “how to vote” information panel and links to the Comelec website.

"Part of Comelec's mission is to empower voters with accurate, relevant, and timely information. We laud Google for taking the important steps in helping Filipinos access authoritative information that is essential for an informed electorate," Comelec Education and Information Department head and spokesperson, Director James Jimenez, said in a virtual press briefing on Tuesday.

Emily Moxley, vice president for product management at YouTube, said they added the features knowing that politics can be subject to misinformation and the availability of authoritative information sources is crucial.

"Over the last few years, we’ve made deep investments to make YouTube a more reliable source for news while also maintaining the openness of the platform. Our work is ongoing and we are committed to making YouTube a vibrant and safe community for a healthy political discourse as well as help protect the integrity of elections," she said in the same briefing.

Google also informed that from February 2021 to January 2022, over 400,000 videos uploaded from the Philippines were removed from YouTube for violating community guidelines.

“Fighting misinformation is important to Google and it takes the whole of society working together to address it. We will continue to forge meaningful partnerships with the media and community groups to help people access the right information so they can make an informed vote in the upcoming elections,” Google Asia Pacific News Lab lead Irene Jay Liu said. 

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 Election, campus reopening reasons

to get booster shots: solon

 

 

A party-list lawmaker on Tuesday appealed to all Metro Manila mayors to set bold targets on vaccinating those who have not yet completed their primary doses or have not received their booster shots against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

BHW Party-list Representative Angelica Natasha Co said the gradual reopening of college campuses is “another strong reason” to get "vaccinated and boosted", as she suggested school clinics to be used as vaccination venues, not just drugstores.

Co said messaging to the public “must be clear and urgent" on why they need to get fully vaccinated and boosted despite the lower Covid-19 Omicron threat to public health.

“I am for reopening all campuses from June to September only when all their students, teachers, and personnel are 100 percent fully vaxxed and boosted. There is enough time to make this happen. If NCR and some other places are able to achieve 100 percent vaxx and boosting then they can go ahead with face-to-face classes but with face masks on while indoors,” she said.

Aside from the return of face-to-face classes, she said another reason for inoculation is the upcoming May 9 polls.

“We can reduce the risk of Covid spread on May 9 with primary dosing and boosters,” Co said.

She said the local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region (NCR) must make it their working target to have all priority sectors get inoculated and boosted from March 1 to April 30.

“So that before the May 9 Election Day they are adequately protected for the mass gathering event of voting at the precincts," she said.

“The LGUs of NCR must find and jab every NCR resident who has not yet been vaxxed and boosted. There could be a million or so of them still evading or hesitant because they do not believe in science or fear possible but rare side effects instead of fearing getting Covid, hospitalized, and death,” she added. 

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 PH logs 1,067 new Covid

cases, 1,652  recoveries

 

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday recorded 1,067 new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and 1,652 more recoveries.

Of 51,592 active cases, 46,609 are mild, 2,779 are moderate, 489 are asymptomatic, 1,417 are severe, and 298 are critical.

The figures pushed the overall tally of confirmed infections to 3,663,059 and recovered cases to 3,555,016.

Tuesday's cases mark a slight uptick from Monday's 951 new infections, the lowest number of daily cases so far this year.

“Of the 1,067 reported cases today, 652 (61 percent) occurred within the recent 14 days, February 16 to March 1, 2022,” the DOH reported.

The regions with the most cases in the recent two weeks were the National Capital Region (NCR) with 144 or 22 percent, Calabarzon with 92 (14 percent), and Central Luzon with 72 (11 percent).

The death toll stood at 56,451 as no fatalities were reported, representing 1.54 percent of overall cases.

According to the February 27 data, about 4.3 percent of 18,766 who were tested turned out positive for the coronavirus.

About five duplicates were removed from the total case count as three of those were recoveries.

All laboratories were operational on February 27 but nine were unable to submit their data to the Covid-19 Document Repository System.

The DOH said the laboratory contributed, on average, 1.4 percent of samples tested, and 1.4 percent among positive individuals based on data in the past 14 days.

“Please note that lower reported numbers and positivity rate today are because these are Sunday laboratory outputs, which traditionally have the lowest outputs per week,” it added.

To date, 26 percent of 3,700 intensive care unit (ICU) beds, 22 percent of 20,500 isolation beds, 15 percent of 14,300 ward beds, and 13 percent of 3,200 ventilators nationwide are in use by patients with Covid-19.

In the NCR, 26 percent of 1,300 ICU beds, 23 percent of 4,500 isolation beds, 24 percent of 4,000 ward beds, and 16 percent of 1,000 ventilators dedicated to patients with Covid-19 are in use. 

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BOC logs P8.7-B collection

surplus in February

 

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday reported that it has exceeded its target collection for February by over 17 percent.

Citing the latest preliminary report from its Financial Service, the BOC said it has collected a total of PHP59.036 billion, an increase of over PHP8.7 billion from its target collection of PHP50.302 billion.

It also reported that 14 of the 17 collection districts exceeded their target for the month -- the ports of San Fernando, Port of Manila, Manila International Container Port, Batangas, Iloilo, Cebu, Tacloban, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Davao, Subic, Clark, Aparri, and Limay.

The positive performance continues to highlight the bureau's consistent and positive monthly collection for consecutive months and is attributed to the improved valuation and intensified collection efforts of all the ports.

“Since 2020 we have been posting a surplus in our collection. This is a strong indication of the reforms implemented by the Bureau of Customs is working. It is also a testament to the gallant effort of the men and women of the BOC to perform their mandate despite various challenges,” Assistant Commissioner Vincent Philip Maronilla said in a Viber message.

To date. the bureau has collected PHP117.524 billion since January, reflecting 17.3 percent of the 2022 annual target collection.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero acknowledged the efforts of the District Collectors and the men and women of the BOC who, despite the risk to their health and safety, showed their unwavering commitment and dedication to service.

Aside from the positive performance, the Bureau maintained its border security measures against undervaluation, misdeclaration and other forms of technical smuggling, and collect lawful revenues. (PNA)

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Sorry, i canot post so much these days.. I have been blocked by one social media group who incidentally was also blocked by Russia hours ago. Tit for tat..

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