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(GMA News) A father cannot help but lament the loss of his daughter who was a substitute passenger in the C-130 flight that crashed in Sulu.

According to a report on “24 Oras” on Tuesday, retired Colonel Wilfredo Tato said his daughter Lieutenant Alexandria Tato boarded the C-130 flight on Sunday as a substitute passenger, taking the place of a nurse who decided at the last minute not to go.

“Anak, sa pagpanaw mo, ‘wag mong kalimutan na mahal na mahal ka namin. Ang hindi ko lang maintindihan, bakit sa ganitong paraan ka kinuha ng Panginoon? ‘Yan ang hindi ko maintindihan, bakit sa ganitong paraan?” Wilfredo said.

(Child, with your passing, don’t forget that we love you very, very much. What I can’t understand is why God would take you this way? That’s what I don’t understand, why in this way?)

“Sinabi naman niya sa akin na, ‘Pa, may kasama ako dito na ilalagay sa Jolo may sakit ‘yong anak kaya ako na lang ang ipinalit.’ Tapos, ‘Pa, okay lang at least gusto ko rin dahil doon Pa, makakapag-aral ako through online gamit ang bagong laptop,'” he added.

(She had told me that someone else was supposed to be sent to Jolo, but that someone’s kid got sick. So my daughter was sent instead. She told me that she liked being sent there as she could keep studying online using her new laptop.)

On July 3, Wilfredo said his daughter told him the flight had a slight problem. He told his daughter not to take the flight. A day after, Alexandria boarded the C-130 aircraft.

“Panay hagulgol ni misis, pati ako. Para akong sira ulo na nakaupo sa tabi tapos bigla akong sisigaw,” he said.

Alexandria was among the over 50 people killed in the crash in Sulu’s Patikul town.

Alexandria’s remains will be brought to the Villamor Airbase for military honors. Afterward, her remains will be brought to her family.

“Me, as a father, deep inside of my heart, ‘pag nailibing na ‘yong anak ko, at tsaka ko ipa-follow up pagpa-DNA dahil mahal na mahal ko ‘yong anak ko na gusto kong matiyak na ‘yong anak ko na nailibing, ‘yon ba si Rhea? So I need confirmation through DNA,” Wilfredo said.

(After I bury my daughter, that’s when I’ll see to the DNA test. I love my daughter very much and I want to be sure that it was my daughter that I buried.)

President Rodrigo Duterte said he wants to give more financial benefits to the Armed Forces of the Philippines as he condoled with the military on Monday… Read More

(BusinessWorld) THE GOVERNMENT will take delivery of a million more doses of coronavirus vaccines this week care of Japan, according to the presidential palace, in a boost to its vaccination drive.

About a million AstraZeneca doses donated by the Japanese government and 170,000 Sputnik V vaccines ordered from Russia would arrive this week, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing on Monday.

He said 11.7 million doses of coronavirus vaccines had been given out as of July 2, 8.8 million of which were first doses.

About 1.1 million health workers, 897,719 seniors and 788,630 seriously ill people have received their second doses. Mr. Roque said 26,109 essential workers and 227 indigent Filipinos have also been fully vaccinated.

About 57% of intensive care unit beds (ICU) in the country had been used as of July 4, while 46% of isolation beds and 44% of wards were occupied, he added

In the capital region, 46% of ICU beds were occupied, while 38% of isolation beds and 33% of ward beds were used.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 5,392 coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the total to 1,441,746.

The death toll rose to 25,192 after 43 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 6,477 to 1,364,960, it said in a bulletin.

There were 51,594 active cases, 91.1% of which were mild, 3.8% did not show symptoms, 1.5% were critical, 2.1% were severe and 1.57% were moderate.

The agency said 15 duplicates had been removed from the tally, nine of which were tagged as recoveries. Twenty recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Ten laboratories failed to submit data.

The government expects the Metro Manila to attain so-called population protection by November, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told a separate news briefing.

“Aside from having this certain percentage of vaccinated individuals, we need to ensure that enough seniors and people with comorbidities are vaccinated,” she said in mixed English and Filipino… Read More

(PhilStar Global) MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines may lose nearly $21 billion by 2030 if the services provided by nature collapse and if no smart policies will be implemented to protect the country’s biodiversity.

In a report, Washington-based World Bank estimated that the collapse of select ecosystem services provided by nature may result in the decline of the global economy by $2.7 trillion annually by 2030.

The World Bank maintained that low and middle income countries that are reliant on nature — specifically agriculture, livestock, forestry production and fisheries — are likely to lose more over the next few years amid worsening climate crisis.

The Philippines, a lower-middle income economy, is among the countries that rely directly on ecosystem services and may suffer an 18 percent decline in output worth $12.2 billion.

Across the world, significant losses will come from China ($194 billion), India ($46 billion), and the US ($41 billion).

In terms of crop output, global decline is estimated to contract by nine percent or $400 billion in the next nine years. China is still seen to suffer the worst at $142 billion.

For an agricultural country like the Philippines, potential losses may reach $5 billion or a 17 percent drop. Other countries with significant declines in crop output are Brazil at $31 billion, and Argentina and Turkey at $7 billion each.

The country’s fisheries sector could also lose some $3.5 billion over the next few years as global output may contract by 15 percent to $94 billion under a partial ecosystem collapse scenario.

China is expected to be the biggest loser with $42 billion. Significant declines are also seen in Bangladesh ($5.4 billion) and India ($4.9 billion).

The World Bank said the global decline of biodiversity and ecosystem services is a development issue considering that economies, particularly low-income countries, cannot afford the risk of collapse in the services provided by nature.

World Bank president David Malpass said preserving nature and maintaining its services are critical for economic growth especially as the world is just slowly recovering from the pandemic.

“Nature-smart policies and reforms, including agricultural subsidy reform and investments in agricultural innovation enhance biodiversity and economic outcomes. As countries seek to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important that economic development improves outcomes for nature,” Malpass said.

The multilateral development bank argued that a combination of carefully crafted and coordinated policies, particularly those supporting innovation, can simultaneously benefit biodiversity and development.

It added that investments in ecosystem services must be made in a way that exploits synergies with climate change mitigation and adaptation, as this strengthens the case for action.

For one, when forest carbon payment schemes are implemented, either at the domestic or global level, other domestic policies like agriculture subsidy reform become more effective at protecting nature while enhancing economic gains… Read More

(BusinessWorld) State volcanologists on Friday said Taal Volcano’s next eruption could be stronger after it spewed steam and rocks hundreds of meters into the sky the day earlier, prompting thousands to flee.

Taal continues to emit smoke, which is caused by gas and water vapor moving up toward its crater, said Renato Solidum, chief of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

“We hope there won’t be stronger eruptions but that’s the threat from Taal because it continues to emit gases,” he told a televised news briefing in Filipino.

Taal has been belching sulphur dioxide for days, creating a thick haze over Metro Manila and surrounding provinces.

The Department of Health (DoH) advised people to take precautionary measures against toxic gas emissions from Taal Volcano’s eruption.

In an advisory issued late Thursday, the agency said short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide, a colorless toxic gas emitted by the volcano, could harm the respiratory system and make breathing difficult.

“People with asthma, particularly children are sensitive to these effects,” DoH said. “Prolonged exposure or high concentrations of this gas can cause inflammation and irritation of the respiratory system.”

Other symptoms of exposure to sulfur dioxide include skin and eye irritation, mucus secretion, coughing and asthma. It may also aggravate bronchitis and increase the risk of respiratory tract infection… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — Senator Manny Pacquiao on Saturday called out more government agencies allegedly engaged in anomalous transactions, this time putting the spotlight on the Department of Social Welfare and Development over what he claimed are missing pandemic funds worth ₱10.4 billion.

In a media briefing, Pacquiao questioned the DSWD’s deal with e-wallet application Starpay in the distribution of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP). The boxer-turned-senator claimed that out of the 1.8 million SAP beneficiaries, only 500,000 were able to download the app.

“Ang tanong ko po, anong nangyari sa 1.3 million katao na hindi naka-download ng Starpay app? Ngunit sa record po, nakatanggap na po sila ng ayuda?” Pacquiao told reporters.

“Iyan po ang gusto kong itanong sa DSWD, ang nawawala pong salapi ay ₱10.4 billion po, nasaan po napunta ang limpak limpak na ayuda?” he added.

[Translation: My question is, what happened to the 1.3 million people who were not able to download the Starpay app? But on record, they were able to receive the aid? That’s what I want to ask the DSWD. The missing ₱10.4 billion…where did the money go?]

The DSWD said it is “willing to face any investigating body” to present necessary evidence and answer the allegations raised by Pacquiao.

Expiring medicines?
Pacquiao again flagged the Department of Health, this time for the supposed purchase of near-expiry medicines.

.. Read More

(GoodNewsPilipinas) Filipino swimmers Luke Michael Gebbie and Remedy Alexis Rule have both sealed their places in the Tokyo Olympics, bringing the Philippine national delegation to a total of 19 representatives to the prestigious quadrennial meet.

The national tankers officially qualified for the Summer Games in Japan under the universality rule, as confirmed by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) on July 1, 2021.

Gebbie and Rule earned the universality spots after emerging the highest-ranked male and female athlete among Filipinos in the Olympic qualifying events for swimming.

Filipino-Aussie Gebbie, who accumulated 828 FINA points​, will be competing in the men’s 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events.

Filipino-American Rule will see action in the women’s 200-meter freestyle and butterfly races after she tallied 830 FINA points.

Southeast Asian Games medalists Gebbie and Rule will compete in the Summer Olympic Games scheduled in Tokyo, Japan from July 24 to August 1, 2021.

Swimmers Luke Michael Gebbie and Remedy Alexis Rule join 17 Filipino athletes who have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics including pole vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Carlos Yulo, boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, Irish Magno and Eumir Felix Marcial, skateboarder Margielyn Didal, taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa, rower Cris Nievarez, weightlifters Hidilyn Diaz and Elreen Ando, shooter Jayson Valdez, Judo champion Kiyomi Watanabe, golfer Juvic Pagunsan, sprinter Kristina Knott, and golfers Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan… Read More

(The Manila Times) President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said the public can consider him as a candidate for vice president in the 2022 elections. However, in the same breath, the President said he will run only if there is space for him. He will beg off if House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez decides to run for the vice presidency, he said. Duterte recounted that he promised to back Romualdez if he runs for vice president in 2022.

President Rodrigo Duterte is still waiting for Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao to submit his list of corrupt government agencies. Duterte had challenged the senator to name the graft-tainted state agencies after Pacquiao accused the Duterte administration of being more corrupt than its predecessor. The President’s spokesman, Harry Roque Jr., said on Thursday he hopes the senator could provide the list before he leaves the country to train for his coming boxing match with Errol Spence.

Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Wednesday said it should be the Filipino people who should judge the legacy of President Rodrigo Duterte after he delivers his final State of the Nation Address or SONA on July 26. Go, a long-time aide of the President, shared some of the policies and accomplishments of the Duterte administration that improved the country’s efforts toward providing a more comfortable life for all Filipinos… Read More

(SunStar) MORE than 1,000 individuals have evacuated due to the increase unrest of Taal Volcano, the National Disaster Risk and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Friday, July 2, 2021.

The NDRRMC said 13 barangays in the towns of San Nicolas, Laurel, Agoncillo, Taal, Tanauan and Balete are affected.

A total of 345 families or 1,392 individuals were affected. Of the total, 317 families or 1,282 individuals are being housed in evacuation centers. The rest are staying with relatives.

Eleven facilities, including a covered court and public schools in the towns of Agoncillo, Balete, Laurel and Nasugbu, serve as evacuation centers.

The agency said the number of evacuees may increase to 3,523 families or 14,495 individuals.

This is the total number of people living in high-risk barangays in the towns of Agoncillo and Laurel in Batangas.

Calabarzon Police Regional Office Director Eliseo Cruz said he has ordered the Batangas Provincial Police Office to activate its Provincial Disaster Management Task Group and Special Task Groups on security, peace and order, emergency response and quick reaction teams.

These groups will assist the police in affected localities, ensure security and order in evacuation centers, and strictly enforce health protocols against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Cruz directed the Laguna and Cavite Provincial Police Offices to activate their disaster management control points to discourage non-residents, especially tourists, from going to Tagaytay and other affected areas… Read More