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(CNN Philippines) — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said the government will launch a large-scale booster campaign in preparation for the resumption of in-person classes.

“Sa tulong ng Department of Health, ng Department of Interior and Local Government, ng Department of Education, isusulong ang malawakang kampanya muli para sa pagbabakuna sa booster shot. Preparasyon na rin ito sa pagbabalik ng face-to-face classes at pagluwag ng iba pang mga safety protocols,” Marcos said in a video uploaded to his social media accounts on Saturday.

“Kung magiging matagumpay ang kampanyang nito, tuloy na tuloy na ‘yan,” he added.

[Translation: With the help of the Department of Health, the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of Education, we will launch a large-scale booster campaign. It is also in preparation for the resumption of face-to-face classes and the relaxation of other safety protocols. If the campaign is successful, it will be continuous.]

The President has yet to disclose a specific date for the launch of the campaign.

Marcos also said while a law mandating booster vaccination is not necessary, the public should still take booster shots to increase the protection against COVID-19, which will help in reopening the economy… Read More

(SunStar) FILIPINO-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, Lil’ Eddie, is back with his latest single titled “Save A Little Love” via ONErpm records, available now on all streaming platforms.

The new offering serves as the follow up to his recent and very successful release “6 Feet Away” which landed earlier this year.

The single from the 12-time Grammy-nominated and two-time Grammy Award-winning artist is a revisited version of the original which landed back in 2004. Back then, the song was accompanied by American singer-songwriter and record producer Mario Winans, and was also performed on the long-standing American TV show “Soul Train.”

“Save A Little Love” speaks on yearning for love from someone who doesn’t reciprocate the same energy, and Lil’ Eddie’s sultry and well-known vocals tap into the emotions that come with experiencing that. The production features a beautiful bed of guitars that give enough space for Lil’ Eddie to showcase his talents and even blend some Spanish into the mix.

Earlier this year, Lil’ Eddie gained some notable attention from media within The Philippines and around Asia, having been featured on Magic 89.9, Asia Pop 40, and Edge TV for his last single “6 Feet Away.” His fan base in the region also saw exponential growth after K-Pop boy group BTS showed love for his viral hit “Statue,” which now has been used over 113.6K times on TikTok… Read More

(Journal Online) Toxics and wastes watchdog group BAN Toxics spotlights their partner organization, the National Coalition of Small-Scale Miners in the Philippines, in time for the coalition’s incoming third national assembly on July 28 to 30, 2022.

The National Coalition of Small-Scale Miners in the Philippines is an alliance of small-scale mining associations nationwide that promotes responsible mining through the formalization of the artisanal and small-scale mining sector in the country.

The national coalition was formed to respond to various issues plaguing the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector in the Philippines, such as poverty, human rights, legalization and formalization, amendment of mining laws, occupational health and safety, and environmental impact.

Established in April 2016, the coalition was formed during the Fourth National Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Summit in Davao City. It was organized with the help of its secretariat organization, BAN Toxics, and several partner organizations, including United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United States Department of State (USDOS), Dialogos, and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC)… Read More

(Daily Tribune) Trade Secretary Fred Pascual has big plans for the domestic electric vehicle (EV) industry, calling on local suppliers to manufacture EV parts and components and investors to invest in EV in the country.

“I want Philippine manufacturers and small and medium enterprises to become suppliers of parts and components and to be part of the global value chain. We will come to a stage where we will assemble the vehicles here. However, we are not yet there because there are so many preconditions to bringing in vehicles here,” Pascual told reporters at Thursday’s Management Association of the Philippines membership meeting

More importantly, the trade chief added that setting up charging stations in strategic areas across the country would play a crucial role in the development of the local EV sector, “otherwise, there will be no buyers as users cannot bring their EV outside Metro Manila.”

He said the government had laid the groundwork to simplify the process of setting up manufacturing plants, including the passage of the Ease of Doing Business and Republic Act No. 11697 or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) in May 2022.

The said law provides for a national policy framework to develop the electric vehicle industry in the Philippines, particularly for the shift to EV and for further attracting investments and creating high-value jobs… Read More

(SunStar) CORONAVIRUS disease (Covid-19) cases in the Philippines continued to increase with over 1,700 new infections recorded on a daily basis.

Based on the latest Covid-19 national situationer, the Department of Health (DOH) said the average daily cases for July 8 to 14 was at 1,751, which is higher by 40 percent than the 1,247 daily cases recorded on July 1 to 7.

“National case trend shows continuous increase (and is) now averaging more than 1,700 cases per day in the recent week,” said the DOH.

“Most areas show sharp increase in Covid-19 cases,” it added.

This has resulted in a national weekly positivity rate increasing to 10.6 percent.

Ten of the 17 regions in the country also registered positivity rates of above the five percent threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

These regions are the National Capital Region (NCR), Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Northern Mindanao.

The NCR, in particular, has a weekly positivity rate of 13.0 percent.

This corresponds to the continued increase in the average daily reported cases in Metro Manila, which were at 748 for July 8 to 14. This is 29 percent higher than the 582 cases recorded on July 1 to 7.

“The NCR is showing the steepest increase and is now showing almost at 750 cases per day,” said the DOH… Read More

(Voice Of America) BEIJING —
The U.S. Navy on Wednesday sailed a destroyer close to China-controlled islands in the South China Sea in what Washington said was a patrol aimed at asserting freedom of navigation through the strategic seaway.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold sailed past the Paracel Islands and continued thereafter with operations in the South China Sea.

The operation “upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release.

Such operations are considered key to the U.S. Navy maintaining its presence in the Indo-Pacific, where China has grown its presence through a massive ship building campaign.

Beijing has also alarmed the U.S., Australia and New Zealand with the signing of a mutual defense agreement with the Solomon Islands, under which it could receive Chinese troops in emergencies and possibly establish a permanent Chinese military presence.

In response to the Benfold’s passage, China’s Southern Theater Command tracked the vessel’s movements and ordered it to leave the area, Air Force Col. Tian Junli was quoted as saying on the Defense Ministry’s website… Read More

(Journal Online) MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines, whose portfolio has been trusted over the years for its premium health care, home care, beauty, and grooming products, continues to be a great place to work as it prioritizes employees’ wellbeing for a smooth transition to return to the office safely

As our country recovers from the ongoing pandemic, government alert levels have been reduced to lessen remaining economic restrictions and allow recovery in economic growth. This prompted some companies to return to their offices.

Working in a physical office has benefits for both employees and companies: it allows for better coaching or mentoring, especially for the new hires, and more focused productivity and optimized collaboration in creating innovative ideas. However, there are also benefits from giving employees more flexibility to manage their time between work and personal lives which is something that P&G recognizes. P&G pioneered flexible working arrangements and working from home since the early 2000s and now since the pandemic, has established stricter safety protocols and procedures in their offices to safeguard everyone’s wellbeing towards a better normal… Read More

(Radio Free Asia) Filipino nationalists and activists pressed new President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to actively assert their country’s territorial rights, as the Philippines marked the sixth anniversary on Tuesday of an arbitration court’s ruling that invalidated Beijing’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea.

About 50 activists assembled outside China’s consulate in Makati, the financial district of the Philippine capital, where they carried signs demanding that Chinese ships and boats stay out of the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s name for its South China Sea territories.

“The issue of the territorial dispute is not just an abstract question of sovereignty, of access to resources,” Benjamin Miguel Alvero, a spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Coalition, the group that led the protest, told BenarNews.

Last month, officials reported that 100 Chinese ships were seen swarming in the Julian Filipe Reef alone – one of the areas inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) – but they did not update those figures on Tuesday… Read More