𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭-𝐀-𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦

 

Rhealyn, a 4-year-old little girl sat beside her mother. Her eyes in awe wandered around, puzzled by what was happening around her. Excitement was evident as she looked at her mom, all she wanted that day were the colorful balloon decorations on stage, not knowing her life will change after 120 days.

Rhealyn is among the thirty-three (33) children identified by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Davao de Oro as the beneficiary of the Adopt-A-Child Program of the provincial government. Anchored on the “People Agenda” of Governor Tyron Uy’s 4Ps Plus blueprint in governance, the program is among the people-centered, end hunger chain programs which focus on the welfare of the people, especially children.

The Adopt-A-Child Program officially launched way back in 2008, during the time of former governor, now Senior Board Member Arturo “Chiongkee” Uy and continues in the present. The program targets children beneficiaries, who are wasted, severely wasted, and severely underweight who will undergo rehabilitation for a period of one-hundred twenty (120) days.

For the whole duration of the program, employees of the provincial government will sponsor the need of every child beneficiary through the provision of goods, services, and other nutrition interventions. Through the program, the existing nutrition programs of the government will be amplified, ending hunger and malnutrition one step at a time.

This year, the municipality of Laak is the chosen beneficiary of the program after having a great impact in Mabini, Montevista, Mawab, and Maco in the past few years.

On April 27, 2022, employees of PLGU-Davao de Oro converged at Laak Central Elementary school to officially start the quest to bring significant changes in the life of Rhealyn and the other thirty-two (32) children. A free-medical check-up is also conducted on the same day.

Hunger and malnutrition are silent killers, it impairs children, and lessen their school productivity, grabbing their future away from them. Plenty of ways exist to counter this great, yet solvable problem, but in Davao de Oro, it's innovative governance and Bayanihan ways will make the job done.

  (JA PAO-IPRD, photos by G. Mativo)

FISH AND OCEAN

Religion and music belong together like fishes and the ocean - like light and life, like a voice and ears... .

In the entire universe, we humans  are probably the only beings capable of creating and listening to music. The ability to hear is one of the specific gifts that our Creator gave us. Our fragile blue planet is surrounded by a thin layer of gases only a few kilometers high. Only this atmosphere is the reason why sound waves can spread through the air. Everything behind this atmosphere is ruled by the sheer endless vacuum of outer space, where galaxies and stars explode and implode in impenetrable silence.

According to the biblical narrative, the world began when God broke through this deadly quiet: "And God said: Let there be light!" (Genesis 1:1). God spoke - and light and life resulted from his audible voice. Because life was created by the word. That is why it is in the nature of every person to listen. Like a parabolic mirror, our souls are created to listen to the eternal space of the hereafter, to try and sense whether a word, a sound or a voice is trying to reach us from there, in order to fill us with a meaning.

It's nothing new that I love music. And, I know that Filipinos also love big tunes with great words and beautiful melodies, especially when it comes to classical music.

Omicron sub-variant detected in Baguio

US. This undated, colorized electron microscope image made available by the US National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the novel coronavirus Sars-CoV-2, indicated in yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, indicated in blue/pink, cultured in the lab. (AP)

By THIRD ANNE PERALTA-MALONZO, SunStar Philippines

HEALTH authorities detected the first case of Omicron sub-variant BA 2.12 in Baguio City.

Karen Lonogan from the Department of Health-Cordillera said the variant was detected from a 52-year-old foreign visitor from Finland.

The person’s purpose of visit in the country was to conduct lecture on digital loom weaving.

She was already tagged as recovered and had already traveled back to her home country.

The BA 2.12 caused resurgence of Covid-19 cases in South Korea and United States.

Lonogan said, however, that Covid-19 cases in Baguio City remained low. (SunStar Philippines)

Stocks fall on concerns over slowing economy

by James A. Loyola, Manila Bulletin

Local share prices fell on continuing concerns over China’s economy and risks posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The main index dropped 116.11 points or 1.66 percent to close at 6,863.91 as the Mining and Oil counter led all sectors in the retreat. Volume jumped to 816 million shares worth P8.78 billion due to a block sale of ALI shares as losers swept gainers 138 to 49 with 43 unchanged.

“Philippine shares again closed in the red on global economic slowdown concerns brought by surging COVID19 cases in China, a high inflationary environment, and a statement from a top Russian official that the threat of nuclear war is real,” said Regina Capital Development Corporation Managing Director Luis Limlingan.

He added that sentiment also suffered after “Moody’s Analytics trimmed its Philippine GDP forecast this year to 6.1 percent (versus 6.4 percent March projection) due to the impact of slower global demand and faster inflation on the economy.”

Philstocks Financial Senior Supervisor for Research Japhet Tantiangco said “The local market declined further on the back of the negative spillovers from Wall Street.“

He explained that “This comes amid global economic slowdown worries as China’s economy continues to deal with its worsening COVID-19 situation, while the Russia – Ukraine war poses risks of further escalation.“

“Wednesday’s decline is also attributed to investors’ reaction over the earlier rate hike signals from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas” Tantiangco added.

The role of gastrodiplomacy and tourism in preserving culinary traditions

Image by Nhick Ramiro Pacis from Pixabay.

by Vina Medenilla, Manila Bulletin

The Philippines has a rich culinary heritage that deserves to be preserved and recognized in the international scene.

However, today, many aspects of Filipino cuisine and culture are disappearing and are no longer practiced or consumed.

In order to keep them, identifying and understanding food and culture is vital. How can we accomplish this? One is to communicate with the culture bearers or those who practice and pass down cultural values, traits, and knowledge within their communities.

More important than simply knowing Filipino cuisine and the food culture of various regions is promoting it both in and out of the country.

Gastrodiplomacy and tourism are two powerful tools that can help protect and promote Filipino food and culinary traditions.

This is what Clang Garcia, a Philippine culinary heritage explorer and TV host, spoke about in the second episode of the KainCon webinar series, which is part of the Filipino Food Month (FFM) festivities.

Initiatives of neighboring countries

During the webinar, Garcia shared an example of how Thailand launched a gastronomy branding for their food industry called “Thailand: Kitchen of the World.”

“It’s meant to put the cuisines of Thailand to the world, but more than that, they pushed gastronomy branding to create a demand for their agricultural produce,” Garcia said.

A part of Thailand’s efforts in promoting the Thai food industry is allocating a budget for international ventures.

“If you are an entrepreneur and you want to put up a Thai restaurant in different parts of the world, they will finance you, provided that you conform to the uniformity of the ingredients, hygiene, precautions, look, and branding,” says Garcia. 

These restaurants become an avenue for foreign entrepreneurs and customers to be more familiar with Thai cuisine without having to travel to its origin.

In some ways, it piques the diners’ interest to explore not just Thai food, but also the country’s destinations and culture.

This is where tourism promotion comes in.

Thailand has millions of international travelers, and according to Garcia, most of them go there for food and culture. Traveling is not complete without keepsakes, so the Thai government also made beautifully-packaged products available for tourists. 

“That‘s the beauty of gastronomy, diplomacy, and tourism. If you have the government with you, working side by side with you, then it becomes a very powerful and organized campaign.”

Budget, government alignment, and private sectors are three necessities for the implementation of such gastrodiplomacy campaigns.

Following Thailand’s lead, South Korea also launched the “Kimchi Diplomacy” campaign to promote their cuisine and culture. They began producing and publicizing Korean movies, stars, music, and more.

“They just have to follow the same example. Suddenly, Korean restaurants are dominating different parts of the world.” 

Seeing the efforts of these two countries, Garcia explained, “If you present the traditions [to the world], there will be a sense of appreciation. If you start sponsoring international food and travel shows above it, then it will create curiosity among viewers. They would want to go where you’ve featured kimchi and learn the process, and meet the people they see on the screen.”

Embracing Filipino culinary heritage 

In our case, events like Filipino Food Month give every region in the Philippines a reason to celebrate our culinary heritage, which is expected to develop in time, says Garcia.

When it comes to preserving and promoting Filipino cuisine and culture through gastronomy and tourism, Garcia remains optimistic, adding, “We can do so much more collectively.” 

Traveling locally and supporting local businesses is one way we can help, especially in the midst of the epidemic.

As a local tourism champion, Garcia says, “Sustainability has never been more relevant than now. We have to take care of our environment [and of our heritage] because it defines us as a people and as a destination. If we lose that, who are we going to be? Who are you as a Filipino?”

The KainCon or Kain Conference webinar series covers a variety of themes and features local food industry champions. It goes live online every Tuesday and Thursday from April 7-28, 2022. 

KainCon also includes cookfest and culinary films that aim to raise awareness of preserving Filipino heritage and traditions. This event is led by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement (PCHM), and Slow Food Youth Network Philippines (SFYN).

Preaching the gospel to the whole world

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

THE feast of St. Mark, the Evangelist, on April 25, reminds us that we have the duty to preach the Good News about Christ to the whole world. Christ said it very clearly: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mk 16,15-16)

And that mandate was accompanied by some privileges and benefits: “In my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk 16,17-18)

We should take this mandate from Christ seriously and do whatever we can to carry it out. We have to realize that preaching the living Word of God is a task entrusted to his apostles and shared by all of us in different ways. The clergy, of course, takes a leading role in this affair, but this task is incumbent on everyone. It’s a serious business that involves our whole being, and not just our talents and powers.

First, we need to examine our understanding and attitude toward God’s word, especially the Gospel. This basic understanding would depend on what we do with the Gospel and how we handle it.

Do we really know the true nature of the Gospel? Or do we take it as just one more book, perhaps with certain importance, but definitely not as the living word of God, in spite of its human dimensions?

The Gospel is actually the proclamation of Christ as the Emmanuel, that is, God with us. This is an on-going affair that did not stop with the death of Christ. Christ lives with us up to now, and continues to do things with us.

All these affirmations are captured in the last lines of the Gospel of St. Matthew where our Lord said:

“Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them…. And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” (28,19-20)

Our Catechism tells us that “We must continue to accomplish in ourselves the stages of Jesus’ life and his mysteries and often to beg him to perfect and realize them in us and in his whole Church” (521)

Obviously, to carry out this mission, we need to know our Lord and his teachings. We have to go to him and read the Gospel. Reading and meditating on it should be a regular practice for us, a habit meant to keep us in touch with him.

Thus, every time we read the Gospel, we have to understand by our faith that we are engaging with our Lord in an actual and living way. We are listening to him, and somehow seeing him. We can use our imagination to make ourselves as one more character in any scene depicted by the Gospel.

For this, we need to look for the appropriate time and place. We have to be wary of our tendency to be dominated by a lifestyle of activism and pragmatism that would blunt our need for recollection and immersion in the life of Christ.

The drama of Christ’s life here on earth has to continue in our own life. Thus, we need to continually conform our mind and heart to the Gospel, an affair that demands everything from us.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Actress, pageant veterans among 40 official candidates of Binibining Pilipinas 2022

 Part of the 40 official candidates of Binibining Pilipinas 2022 presented at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao, Quezon City on Friday, April 22. Actress Nicole ‘Hipon Girl’ Budol is candidate No. 67.

by Robert Requintina, Manila Bulletin

An actress, models, and pageant veterans were among the 40 official candidates of Binibining Pilipinas 2022 who were presented at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao, Quezon City on Friday, April 22.

Actress Nicole “Hipon Girl” Budol, and models and pageant veterans Francesca Taruc, Roberta Tamondong, Cyrille Payumo, Diana Mackey, Gabrielle Basiano, Jasmine Omay, etc. were among the hopefuls who will vie for the prestigious Binibining Pilipinas crowns.

This year’s 40 official candidates:

ANNA VALENCIA

LAKRINIANNE DE MESA

CHELSEA FERNANDEZ

CHRISTINE JULIANE OPIAZA

CYRILLE D. PAYUMO

DIANA MACKEY

DIANA PINTO

EIFFEL ROSALITA

ELDA LOUISE AZNAR

ESEL MAE P. PABILARAN

ETHEL ABELLANOSA

FATIMA KATE BISAN

GABRIELLE BASIANO

GRACIA ELIZABETH MENDOZA

GRACIELLA LEHMAN

GWENDOLINE MELIZ F. SORIANO

IMAN FRANCHESCA M. CRISTALINA

PATRCIA MALALUAN

JANE DARREN GENOBISA

JANINE NAVARRO

JASHMIN DIMACULANGAN

JASMINE OMAY

JERIZA B. UY

JESSICA ROSE MCEWEN

JOANNA DAY

JOANNA RICCI ALAJAR

KAREN LAURRIE MENDOZA

KRIZZIA LYNN O. MORENO

LESLIE B. AVILAMA

FRANCESCA TARUC

MARIELLA V. ESGUERRA

MARY JUSTINNE PUNSALANG

NATASHA ELLEMA JUNG

NICOLE BORROMEO

NICOLE BUDOL

NYCA MAE O. BERNARDO

PATRICIA GO

ROBERTA TAMONDONG

STACEY DANIELLA B. GABRIEL

YLLANA MARIE S. ADUANA

One of the official activities of the Binibining Pilipinas 2022 is the Santacruzan which will be held on Saturday, May 14. Other activities will be announced soon.

Europe lashed by extreme weather as climate crisis grows

PARIS, France – Europe endured record extreme weather in 2021, from the hottest day and the warmest summer to deadly wildfires and flooding, the European Union’s climate monitoring service reported Friday.

While Earth’s surface was nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels last year, Europe saw an average increase of more than two degrees, a threshold beyond which dangerous extreme weather events become more likely and intense, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said.

The warmest summer on record featured a heatwave along the Mediterranean rim lasting weeks and the hottest day ever registered in Europe, a blistering 48.8C (120 degrees Fahrenheit) in Italy’s Sicily.

In Greece, high temperatures fuelled deadly wildfires described by the prime minister as the country’s “greatest ecological disaster in decades”.

Forests and homes across more than 8,000 square kilometres (3,000 square miles) were burned to the ground.

A slow-moving, low-pressure system over Germany, meanwhile, broke the record in mid-July for the most rain dumped in a single day.

The downpour was nourished by another unprecedented weather extreme, surface water temperatures over part of the Baltic Sea more than 5C above average.

Flooding in Germany and Belgium caused by the heavy rain — made far more likely by climate change, according to peer-reviewed studies — killed scores and caused billions of euros in damage.

As the climate continues to warm, flooding on this scale will become more frequent, the EU climate monitor has warned.

“2021 was a year of extremes including the hottest summer in Europe, heatwaves in the Mediterranean, flooding and wind droughts in western Europe,” C3S director Carlo Buontempo said in a statement.

“This shows that the understanding of weather and climate extremes is becoming increasingly relevant for key sectors of society.”

– ‘Running out of time’ –

The annual report, in its fifth edition, also detailed weather extremes in the Arctic, which has warmed 3C above the 19th-century benchmark — nearly three times the global average.

Carbon emissions from Arctic wildfires, mostly in eastern Siberia, topped 16 million tonnes of CO2, roughly equivalent to the total annual carbon pollution of Bolivia.

Greenland’s ice sheet — which along with the West Antarctic ice sheet has become the main driver of sea level rise — shed some 400 billion tonnes in mass in 2021.

The pace at which the world’s ice sheets are disintegrating has accelerated more than three-fold in the last 30 years.

“Scientific experts like the IPCC have warned us we are running out of time to limit global warming to 1.5C,” said Mauro Facchini, head of Earth observation at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, referring to the UN’s science advisory panel.

“This report stresses the urgent necessity to act as climate-related extreme events are already occurring.”

Philippinen: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise (Teilreisewarnung)

Das Auswärtige Amt gibt bekannt:

 

Letzte Änderung:

Aktuelles – Wahlen

Natur und Klima (Tropenstürme und Überschwemmungen)


Lagen können sich schnell verändern und entwickeln. Insbesondere die COVID-19-Bestimmungen unterliegen laufenden Änderungen.
Wir empfehlen Ihnen:

- Verfolgen Sie Nachrichten und Wetterberichte.
- Achten Sie auf einen ausreichenden Reisekrankenversicherungsschutz. https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/reise-gesundheit/-/350944
- Abonnieren Sie unseren Newsletter https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/newsroom/newsletter/bestellen-node oder nutzen Sie unsere App „Sicher Reisen". https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/app-sicher-reisen/350382
- Folgen Sie uns auf Twitter: AA_SicherReisen https://twitter.com/AA_SicherReisen
- Registrieren Sie sich in unserer Krisenvorsorgeliste. https://krisenvorsorgeliste.diplo.de
- Erkundigen Sie sich vorab bei den Behörden/Botschaften Ihres Reiselandes https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/vertretungen-anderer-staaten zu den aktuell geltenden, verbindlichen Einreisebestimmungen sowie bei Flug- und Bahngesellschaften nach den geltenden Beförderungsbestimmungen.
- Beachten Sie unseren Haftungsausschluss https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/haftungsausschluss/2500954 und den Hinweis zu Inhalten anderweitiger Anbieter. https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/inhalte-anderweitiger-anbieter/2500956

Aktuelles


Wahlen

In den Philippinen werden am 9. Mai 2022 Präsidentschaftswahlen abgehalten. Artikel 10 des philippinischen "Omnibus Election Codes" verbietet Ausländern sämtliche Beteiligung am bzw. Einmischung in den Wahlkampf. Erfahrungsgemäß kann es im Zusammenhang mit dem Wahlkampf und am Wahltag an sogenannten Hotspots auch zu gewalttätigen Auseinandersetzungen kommen.

• Bleiben Sie Wahlkampfveranstaltungen prinzipiell fern und vermeiden Sie Handlungen und Äußerungen, die als Wahlwerbung für oder gegen eine(n) bestimmte(n) Kandidaten/in verstanden werden können. Dies umfasst auch Äußerungen in sozialen Medien.

• Informieren Sie sich am Wahltag zur Situation an Ihrem Aufenthaltsort über die lokalen Medien und folgen Sie den Anweisungen lokaler Sicherheitskräfte.

COVID-19

Angesichts der weltweiten COVID-19-Pandemie bestehen weiterhin Risiken bei internationalen Reisen, insbesondere für Personen ohne vollständigen Impfschutz. Hierzu mehr unter COVID-19. https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/reise-gesundheit/gesundheit-fachinformationen/reisemedizinische-hinweise/Coronavirus/-/2309820

Einreise

Bestimmungen zur Einreise ändern sich mit der Pandemielage häufig. Bitte informieren Sie sich zusätzlich auf der Webseite der Regierung der Philippinen https://www.doh.gov.ph/.

Die Einreise für vollständig geimpfte Ausländer ist für touristische Aufenthalte und Geschäftsreisen bis zu 30 Tagen möglich, wenn sie unter Executive Order No. 408 (s. 1960) https://dfa.gov.ph/list-of-countries-for-21-day-visa fallen und hierdurch von der Visumspflicht befreit. Reisende müssen einen negativen PCR-Test nicht älter als 48 Stunden oder negativen Antigentest mit englischsprachigem Zertifikat (kein Selbsttest) nicht älter als 24 Stunden vor Abflug vorlegen.

Reisende müssen außerdem bei Einreise im Besitz eines noch sechs Monate gültigen Reisepasses sein und einen Flugschein über einen Rück- oder Weiterflug und eine in den Philippinen anerkannte Reisekrankenversicherung mit Mindestdeckungsschutz in Höhe von 35.000 USD für den vorgesehenen Aufenthaltszeitraum vorlegen können. Hiervon ausgenommen sind ausländische Ehepartner und Kinder philippinischer Staatsangehöriger sowie ehemalige philippinische Staatsangehörige mit „Balikbayan Privileg“ und deren mitreisende ausländische Ehepartner und Kinder. Die Staatenliste kann auf der Webseite der philippinischen Botschaft in Berlin http://philippine-embassy.de/visas/ abgerufen werden. Deutschland gehört derzeit zu diesen Ländern. Ausländische Kinder unter 12 Jahren müssen nicht voll geimpft sein und auch keinen Nachweis über ihren Impfstatus vorlegen, wenn sie ihre vollständig geimpften Eltern begleiten.

Die Einreise für vollständig geimpfte Inhaber von Langzeitvisa ist unter den genannten Bedingungen ebenfalls möglich, ein „Entry Exemption Document (EED)“ ist nicht mehr erforderlich.
Nicht vollständig geimpften ausländischen Reisenden oder Reisenden mit fehlendem anerkannten Impfnachweis wird die Einreise verweigert.
Als vollständig geimpft gilt, wer einen Impfnachweis über eine in den Philippinen erfolgte vollständige Impfung oder einen von den Philippinen anerkannten ausländischen Impfnachweis vorlegt. Deutsche Impfnachweise in Form des gelben WHO-Impfbuches oder das Digitale COVID-Zertifikat der EU werden anerkannt. Kreuzimpfungen werden akzeptiert, eine einfache Impfung nach einem durchgemachten Infekt ist hingegen nicht ausreichend.
Nach Einreise ist keine Quarantäne aber Selbstbeobachtung auf Symptome für sieben Tage erforderlich. Bei Auftreten von Symptomen ist die Kontaktaufnahme mit den lokalen Gesundheitsbehörden verpflichtend.

Nähere Informationen können bei der philippinischen Botschaft http://philippine-embassy.de/ erfragt werden.

Reisende müssen sich vor Einreise über das Portal „One Health Pass" https://www.onehealthpass.com.ph/e-HDC/ registrieren. Der Nachweis in Form eines QR-Codes ist den Fluggesellschaften am Check-in vorzulegen.

Informationen zu eventuellen Erfordernissen für Flugreisen erteilen die einzelnen Fluggesellschaften.

Ausreise und Transit

Die Ausreise ist Ausländern, die sich im Land aufhalten, jederzeit erlaubt. Manche Fluggesellschaften verlangen für den Reiseantritt in den Philippinen einen negativen PCR- oder Antigentest oder einen Impfnachweis. 

Duque: 2nd booster dose only for immunocompromised persons

By THIRD ANNE PERALTA-MALONZO, SunStar Manila

HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III said he only approved the administration of second coronavirus disease (Covid-19) booster dose to immunocompromised individuals.

In a Laging Handa public briefing, Duque said this includes individuals who underwent organ transplant; cancer, dialysis and HIV patients; and those with primary immunodeficiencies.

He said the implementing rules and regulations for the administration of second booster dose to these individuals is already being finalized and the implementation is seen next week.

"Sa ngayon, ang aking inaprubahan batay sa rekomendasyon ng Health Technology Assessment Council ay ‘yung second booster dose para lamang sa mga immunocompromised na mga pasyente," said Duque.

(For now, what I have approved based on the recommendation of the Health Technology Assessment Council is the second booster dose only for the immunocompromised patients.)

"Yung para sa A1 or healthcare workers at doon naman din para sa senior citizens, pag-aaralan at susuriin pa ng ating Health Technology Assessment Council," he added.

(The one for healthcare workers and senior citizens will still be under study by the Health Technology Assessment Council.)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved last week the administration of a second Covid-19 booster dose for the vulnerable sector, such as senior citizens, healthcare workers and immunocompromised persons at least four months after their first booster dose.

The Department of Health urged the vaccinated individuals to get booster doses to get better protection against Covid-19, especially against severe and critical infection.

A total of 66,854,770 individuals in the country have been fully vaccinated, while 12,641,887 have received booster shots. (SunStar Philippines)