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(BusinessWorld) THE GOVERNMENT will soon start vaccinating poor Filipinos against the coronavirus depending on available supplies, health authorities said on Monday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said the World Health Organization had also allowed the use of vaccines obtained under a global initiative for equal access for the country’s poor population.

“This will be allowed depending on the supply,” she told an online news briefing in mixed English and Filipino.

Local governments with excess vaccine supply may vaccinate this group as early as now, Ms. Vergeire said.

Vaccines under the global initiative were originally allotted for health workers, senior citizens and seriously ill people.

Under the guidelines, local government units will coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and Development for the list of poor Filipinos.

Additional poor populations identified and validated by local governments will be eligible for vaccination.

The government is vaccinating health frontliners, senior citizens, seriously ill people and economic frontliners.

About 6.8 million coronavirus vaccines had been given out as of June 13, according to the presidential palace.

Of the total, more than five million were first doses, while the rest were second doses, presidential spokesman Herminio “Harry” L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing on Monday.

Mr. Roque said about 964,781 health workers and 471,425 senior citizens had been fully vaccinated.

About 412,246 seriously ill people and 7,020 essential workers had also completed their coronavirus shots.

Mr. Roque said the country has received about 12.7 million coronavirus vaccines.

The government last week took delivery of about 100,000 doses of Sputnik V shots from Russia and about 2.2 million doses of the vaccine made by Pfizer, Inc.

The country seeks to inoculate as many as 70 million Filipinos before the end of the year to attain herd immunity. It seeks to inoculate nine million people in the National Capital Region by late November.

Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson pushed for a vaccine passport system that would allow easier entry of vaccinated people, especially returning migrant Filipino workers and foreign investors.

The senator said many returning migrants and foreign investors were reluctant to come here because of tight protocols. Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFW) might be required to be tested and then stay at home for 10 days, he said.

“Most of the time, OFWs return to the country because of an emergency. But if you are an OFW and you are required to be quarantined for 10 days, how many days of your leave will go to waste? I don’t think that makes sense,” he told the ABS-CBN News Channel.

“Our tourism sector and investment will suffer,” Mr. Lacson said. “If a potential investor who would like to come here learns of the requirements that include a swab test and staying at a quarantine facility not of his or her choice, would he or she still come?”

He asked an inter-agency task force to fine-tune protocols and ensure that these are in sync with other countries.

The government earlier cut the quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated foreign travelers to seven days.

This applies to foreigners who got vaccinated in the Philippines. Returning Filipinos who got vaccinated overseas must still undergo a 10-day quarantine at a facility and four days at home, Mr. Roque said earlier.

A person is considered fully vaccinated two or more weeks after completing his dose… Read More

(BusinessWorld) THE GOVERNMENT would probably ease the lockdown in Manila, the capital and nearby cities and provinces this week on decreasing coronavirus infections, according to the presidential palace.

Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite would likely revert to a general community quarantine, presidential spokesman Herminio “Harry” L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing on Monday.

These areas have experienced a drop in coronavirus cases in the past weeks, he said, adding that the healthcare system use rates have eased to below critical levels at less than 50%.

“It’s possible to have a lower classification,” Mr. Roque said of the lockdown level. The lockdown in Metro Manila is unlikely to be eased to the most relaxed level, he added.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte is set to announce this week the new quarantine classifications for the next half of the month.

“An ordinary general community quarantine will result in higher percentage capacity, particularly for indoor dining and facilities,” Mr. Roque said. “It may not be the same general community quarantine as before but certainly, there is a bit of opening.”

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 6,426 coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the total to 1.32 million.

The death toll rose by 57 to 22,845, while recoveries increased by 7,145 to 1.24 million, it said in a bulletin.

There were 59,096 active cases, 1.3% of which were critical, 91.8% were mild, 3.9% did not show symptoms, 1.8% were severe and 1.28% were moderate.

The agency said 12 duplicates had been removed from the tally, nine of which were tagged as recoveries and 10 recoveries were reclassified as deaths. Ten laboratories failed to submit data on June 12.

The coronavirus has sickened about 176.7 million and killed 3.8 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 160.8 million people have recovered, it said… Read More

(PhilStar) MANILA, Philippines — More processed meat products are allowed to be exported to Japan as the Philippines passed certain certifications on hygiene management protocols.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the Philippines was recently included by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) in its list of certified countries that passed the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point-based (HACCP) hygiene management protocols.

“This is definitely a big boost for our livestock producers, and food manufacturers, meat processors and exporters, as we continue to look for market opportunities to jumpstart the country’s economic recovery amid the pandemic,” Dar said.

HACCP is a science-based, systematic protocol that identifies hazards and measures for their control to ensure food safety.

With the certification, the Philippines can start exporting beef, carabeef, pork, chevon, mutton and their by-products to Japan.

Under Article 11 of Japan’s Food Sanitation Law, only meat products using HACCP management systems may be imported into the country.

“It is also a testament to our commitment in providing safe, healthy and world-class quality food for both domestic and export markets, and Japan is a discriminating market. Thus, we look forward to penetrating more export markets,” Dar said.

“We are pleased that we have successfully hurdled Japan’s stringent food safety and hygiene management standards,” he said.

The DA through its National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) has been implementing the mandatory application of the HACCP program in all licensed triple A (AAA) meat establishments since 2003.

DA-NMIS director Jocelyn Salvador said prior to its inclusion in the list of HACCP-certified countries, the Philippines was only allowed to export chicken meat to Japan, mainly used for grilling as yakitori.

Yakitori is a Japanese menu where bite-sized chicken, beef, pork and other meat or fish are put on skewers, which are then grilled and served.

“The HACCP certification implies that the systems of certification of the Philippines are at par with global standards,” Salvador said.

“The significance of this move by Tokyo is that they rely upon and trust our systems of certification. This means that if the Philippines certifies certain establishments and meat products, Japan will automatically accept this certification without question,” she added.

To date, there are at least 70 Philippine meat establishments – including slaughterhouses, meat-cutting plants, poultry dressing plants and cold storage facilities – in the country that have “AAA” certification from the DA-NMIS, the list of which has been furnished to the Japan’s MHLW, Salvador said… Read More

(GMA News) The Philippine National Police on Sunday reported 64 new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among its personnel, raising the total tally to 25,714.

The PNP said total recoveries also rose to 23,853 after 112 more policemen recovered from the respiratory illness.

The death toll, meanwhile, remained at 70.

So far, there are 1,791 active COVID-19 cases within the police organization.

The Philippines has so far reported 1,315,639 COVID-19 cases, of which 1,232,986 have recovered and 22,788 have died. .. Read More

(BusinessWorld) A GROUP of researchers from the country’s premier university on Sunday backed a plan to ease the lockdown in Metro Manila as coronavirus infections continue to fall.

“We support that because the situation in the National Capital Region is improving,” Guido David, a research fellow at the OCTA Research Group, told ABS-CBN News TeleRadyo in Filipino. “We can take some risks in opening up businesses.”

The presidential palace earlier said the capital region and nearby provinces including Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal could be placed under a looser general community quarantine this week.

The share of daily coronavirus cases in Metro Manila have gone down to 27% of the national tally from 94% during the peak on March 29 to April 4, Mr. David said.

The virus reproduction rate — the number of people infected by a virus patient — in Metro Manila stood at 0.72, while the infection rate was down to 8%, he added.

Metro Manila and nearby provinces will be under a general quarantine, with additional restrictions until June 15.

Mr. David said Davao City had been logging the highest daily tally though it is on a downtrend.

He said the government should consider easing the lockdown in more areas as more people get vaccinated against the coronavirus, he added. More foreign tourists who have been vaccinated might be allowed to get in.

Vaccine czar Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. earlier said the government seeks to vaccinate half-a-million Filipinos daily in Metro Manila and eight other key economic hubs to protect the population by Nov. 27.

About 6.31 million Filipinos have been vaccinated as of June 8, about 1.7 million of whom had taken their second shot.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported 7,302 coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the total to 1.32 million.

The death toll rose by 137 to 22,788, while recoveries increased by 7,701 to 1.23 million, it said in a bulletin… Read More

(CNNPhilippines) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) — A group of Filipino medical technologists in the US urged the Philippine government to ease the healthcare worker deployment cap amid strong job prospects in America, the Department of Labor said Sunday.

Labor Attache Angela Librado Trinidad of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Washington D.C. said concerns about the 5,000 quota per year were raised during a meeting with the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists (PAMET).

“We recently met with PAMET, which has chapters all over the US, to discuss their concern as their profession is included in the deployment cap,” she was quoted as saying in a statement.

“They want to know if the limit can be relaxed because they are interested in providing opportunities to their fellow medical technologists,” Trinidad added.

Quoting the PAMET, she said there was an estimated demand for 110,000 medical technologists in the US.

According to Trinidad, “most of the job orders” that they receive are in the healthcare sector. They also expect that about 2.5 million nurses would be needed in the next few years.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration earlier this month temporarily suspended the deployment of healthcare workers overseas after hitting the 5,000 cap.

Late last year, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases said the move was needed given the “national demand” for healthcare workers amid the coronavirus pandemic… Read More

(CNNPhilippines) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 12)— Opposition coalition 1Sambayan on Saturday released a list of nominees for president and vice president for the 2022 general election.

The six nominees are:
— Vice President Leni Robredo
— Former Senator Antonio Trillanes
— Senator Grace Poe
— CIBAC party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva
— Atty. Chel Diokno
— Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto

1Sambayan lead convenor and retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio said the nominees were chosen as individuals who will give “the good governance that we deserve.”

“It’s not only the so-called winnability that’s under consideration,” he said in the announcement video. “Character, capability, and track record are also well considered.”

Carpio added that the coalition held consultations with various sectors – including the youth, women, farmers, overseas Filipino workers, and health experts.

In the video, Robredo and Villanueva each offered a message emphasizing the importance of unity.

“Nakikiisa ako sa panawagang magkaisa,” Robredo said. “Kung hindi natin kikilalanin na magkakahanay ang adhikain ng bawat Pilipino, mananatiling mailap ang mga adhikaing ito.”

[Translation: I am one with the call to unite. If we do not acknowledge that the goal of each Filipino is parallel to each other, then these goals will remain hard to attain.]

Villanueva said there should be unity in pushing for the right candidates.

“May malaking pag-asa ang bayang Pilipinas kung tayo’y magkakaisa at itataguyod natin ang pamumunong nakabatay sa integridad at moralidad, kakayahan at karanasan, wasto at may prinsipyong pamumuno sa ating Inang Bayan,” he said.

[Translation: The Philippines has a big chance if we unite and push for governance based on integrity and morality, capability and experience, as well as governance that is right and principled.]

Meanwhile, Trillanes vouched for 1Sambayan’s selection process.

“Kami ay naniniwala sa wisdom ng 1Sambayan na sila ay makakabuo ng slate ng mga kandidato na karapat-dapat mamuno sa ating bansa,” he said.

[Translation: We believe in the wisdom of 1Sambyan to form a slate of candidates that deserves to govern our country]

Some nominees decline
Some nominees, however, have rejected the nomination. Senator Poe said while she appreciates the trust of 1Sambayan, she maintained she has no plans to run for President in the upcoming elections.

“Sa abot ng aking makakaya bilang senador, nais kong pagtuunan ng atensyon ang pag-ahon ng ating mga kababayan mula sa pandemyang ito,” Poe said in a statement.

[Translation: As a senator, I will do everything I can to focus on the recovery of our people from this pandemic.]

Poe previously ran for President in 2016 but lost to Rodrigo Duterte.

Rep. Santos-Recto also said she is not running in the 2022 polls.

“I want to focus [on] vaccinating my people in Lipa and provide families the assistance they need,” the lawmaker said. “Also I want to continue to do my legislative work in Congress.”

Diokno did not categorically say if he’s accepting or rejecting 1Sambayan’s nomination.

“I am very honored by the nomination, although I never aspired for those positions. Right now, I am focused on my Free Legal Helpdesk, and I hope to serve our country in any way I can, especially the youth and the ordinary Filipino, who are crying out for justice, accountability, and relief from the pandemic,” Diokno said in a statement.

Rep. Villanueva also did not yet directly accept or reject the nomination, but his son Senator Joel Villanueva said they are not interested in the presidency “after the tragedy that the family has gone through the past year.” The senator lost both his mother and younger sister in 2020.

Earlier, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson announced he has rejected 1Sambayan’s nomination due to his “personal and political convictions.” He cited being the author of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, which was challenged by several of the coalition’s convenors before the Supreme Court.

Formed in March, 1Sambayan said it aims to field a slate of candidates that would challenge administration bets.

The coalition was launched by Carpio, former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario… Read More

(GMA News) West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. said Saturday it is targeting to replace a total of 173 kilometers of old, leaky pipes this year despite COVID-19 quarantine restrictions as part of its program to upgrade the distribution system and reduce water losses.

In a statement, Maynilad said it is investing P1.8 billion in 2021 for pipe replacement projects in various portions of its concession area.

“Once completed, this will bring the total length of pipes replaced to 2,869 kilometers, or 72% of the distribution system that the company inherited over 13 years ago following the 2007 re-privatization,” the company said.

“These pipe replacement activities will also allow Maynilad to recover around 33 MLD (million liters per day) of water, which is enough to supply the needs of around 33,000 households,” it said.

As of end-March, pipe replacements were completed in Valenzuela, Caloocan, Quezon City, Las Pinas and other locations, according to Maynilad.

The replacements include pipelines that Maynilad had to realign to give way for various government projects such as the construction of Metro Rail Transit 7, among others.

“Our pipe installation activities have lately become more challenging because of quarantine-related mobility restrictions. Nevertheless, we persist in implementing these network upgrades, as it will help to reduce water losses and increase water pressure for our customers,” said Maynilad chief operation officer Randolph Estrellado.

Maynilad is the concessionaire of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System for the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area, which is composed of the cities of Manila (certain portions), Quezon City (certain portions), Makati (certain portions), Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon all in Metro Manila; Cavite City, and the towns of Bacoor, Imus, Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario, all in Cavite Province… Read More