3 storms may hit PH until end of July

By Arlie O. Calalo, Manila Times

THERE may be two to three tropical storms that will possibly enter the country within the month of July, according to weather specialist Benison Estareja of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

A storm is a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain or snow or thunder, among others.

The state-run weather agency will be closely monitoring the storms, Estareja said on Friday.

He also said the low pressure area (LPA) that stayed in the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) for a couple of days has dissipated, and a generally fair-weather condition is expected until over the weekend.

The southwest monsoon or habagat will be experienced particularly in the western section of Northern Luzon and Central Luzon until the weekend, Estareja added.

"It's good news for us because we will have a generally fair weather condition as we are not expecting any storm or even an LPA that may enter PAR until over the weekend," Estareja said in an interview with The Manila Times.

Pagasa said the southwest monsoon is bringing cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms to Western Visayas.

Metro Manila and the rest of the country will likely have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the western section of Luzon caused by the habagat and localized thunderstorms, the weather bureau added.

Heavy rains spawn floods

Workers clean up trash brought by floods in Araneta Ave. in Quezon City on Sunday,  July 17, 2022. The area was submerged by floods on Saturday night. PHOTO BY ISMAEL DE JUAN

By Francis Earl Cueto, Manila Times

Many areas in Metro Manila and other parts of the country were swamped with floods on Saturday night as heavy rains triggered by a localized thunderstorm pounded Luzon.

Areas that were chest-deep in floods included Maria Clara St., Araneta Avenue and Barangay Vasra in Quezon City.

Quezon Avenue, EDSA, E. Rodriguez Ave. and Ortigas Ave., Timog Ave. and EDSA Taft Rotonda were also flooded.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said that floods subsided a few hours later.

The Marikina River swelled to 13.6 meters. Several streets in Providence Village were flooded.

All the floodgates of the Manggahan floodway were opened.

In Alabel Sarangani province, at least 200 families were evacuated due to flooding in two villages.

In Maitum, Sarangani, some houses were swept away when the river overflowed.

OFW remittances up in May – BSP

By Mayvelin U. Caraballo, Manila Times

July 16, 2022

THE amount of money sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) increased to its highest level in two months in May, according to data released on Friday by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Personal remittances, or cash or kind transfers between families, reached $2.70 billion in the fifth month of 2022, up 1.27 percent from $2.67 billion in April and 1.99 percent from $2.65 billion in May 2021. Since the $2.88 billion sent in March of this year, this was the most OFs ever sent.

The expansion over a year ago in May was related to remittances from land-based employees with contracts lasting one year or more, as well as from sea- and land-based employees with short-term contracts.

The total amount of remittances for the first five months of the year was $14.02 billion, a pickup of 2.5 percent from $13.68 billion from January to May 2021, according to the latest numbers.

Cash remittances, meanwhile, totaled $2.42 billion in May, accelerating 1.25 percent from the month before and 1.80 percent from $2.38 billion a year earlier.

The central bank said the year-on-year expansion in April "attributed to remittances from land-based workers on one year or longer contracts, and from sea- and land-based workers on short-term contracts."

From January to May 2022, cash remittances saw an uptick of 2.5 percent to $12.59 billion from $12.28 billion in the previous year.

The growth in cash remittances from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Qatar and Singapore, the BSP pointed out, contributed significantly to the growth in remittances in the first five months of 2022.

The Bangko Sentral kept its outlook of a 4-percent rise in cash remittances this year, noting the sector's long-term growth trend, expanding deployment as a result of employers' renewed interest in hiring OFWs and rising usage of digital financial services among OFs and their dependents.

PH Covid cases keep climbing

By Red Mendoza  and Catherine S. Valente

CASES of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the country continued to climb, breaching the 1,700 daily average mark over the past week.

In its Covid situationer issued on Friday, the Department of Health (DoH) said the national daily average jumped by 40 percent during the week of July 8 to 14, to 1,751 cases.

The National Capital Region or Metro Manila still has the steepest increase, with 748 daily cases, while Mindanao's numbers are also inching up.

Despite the rise, the risk classification remains to be low, along with average daily attack rates and health care utilization rates.

Severe and critical admissions are also low — 651 out of the total 7,629 cases in hospitals across the country.

The caseload is still a far cry from the record 39,004 cases on January 15, a surge driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant.

Experts constantly remind that Omicron and its subvariants have high rates of transmission and could skirt immunity from vaccines.

Majority of the Omicron cases, however, are mild, compared to the Delta variant.

The DoH also reported that 71.2 million individuals have been fully vaccinated for Covid-19 as of July 13, while 15.5 million have received booster doses.

NCR remains under Alert Level 2

During a TV interview on Friday, Health department Officer in Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said vaccinations should not be a requirement for children attending in-person classes.

Full face-to-face classes are set to resume in November, and most parents are worried that vaccinated children may mingle with unvaccinated schoolmates.

Vergeire said that instead of mandating vaccinations, it is better to give incentives to parents who convince their children to get jabbed.

She said schoolchildren should not be deprived of education just because they are not vaccinated. "Education is a right, we cannot think of it into a mandate where they would not go to school because of this," Vergeire said.

Metro Manila remains under Alert Level 1

She said the DoH will set up vaccination sites in schools so that kids and their parents may be encouraged to get their shots.

Vergeire also said one of her plans as OIC is to speed up the release of benefits for health workers.

She said most of the issues encountered by hospitals in providing benefits to their staff were "transactional" in nature, such as non-signing of memoranda of agreement and liquidation of funds from some hospitals.

Alert Level 1 stays in Metro Manila, parts of PH

"We are planning to start discussing this with the health workers and looking at the challenges to facilitate the release of the benefits," Vergeire said.

She also said that one of her priorities is to work with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to hasten the approval of certificates of product registration (CPR) for Covid-19 vaccines.

Vergeire said the department will encourage manufacturers to apply for such a certificate to be able to use these vaccines once the state of public health emergency expires in September.

In a related development, Press Secretary Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases will continue to function under the administration of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

Cruz-Angeles made the assurance as the current quarantine classification was set to lapse on July 15.

During a press briefing Friday, she said she has not been informed when the IATF will meet and submit its recommendations to the President on the new alert levels for the rest of the month.

She said the government is prepared to extend the present levels if necessary.

Aside from Metro Manila, provinces and cities under Alert Level 1 until July 15: Abra, Apayao, Baguio City, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Dagupan City, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Batanes, Cagayan, City of Santiago, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Angeles City, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Olongapo City, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Lucena City, Rizal, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Puerto Princesa City, Romblon, Albay, Catanduanes, Naga City, and Sorsogon.

Also under Alert Level 1 are Aklan, Bacolod City, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo province, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City (Opon), Mandaue City, Siquijor, Biliran, Eastern Samar, Ormoc City, Southern Leyte, Tacloban City, Zamboanga City, Northern Mindanao: Bukidnon, Cagayan De Oro City, Camiguin, Iligan City, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Davao City, Davao Oriental, South Cotabato, Butuan City, Surigao Del Sur, Agusan Del Norte, Agusan Del Sur and Cotabato City.

Under Alert Level 1, travel is allowed without regard to age and comorbidities.

Under Alert Level 2 are Benguet, Ifugao, Quezon, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Masbate, Antique, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, City of Isabela, Zamboanga Del Norte, Zamboanga Del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Lanao Del Norte, Davao De Oro, Davao Del Norte, Davao Del Sur, Davao Occidental, Cotabato, General Santos City, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, Dinagat Islands, Surigao Del Norte, Basilan, Lanao Del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Everything should be prayer

By Fr. Roy Cimagala*

WE have to realize that prayer is the only thing necessary in our life. (cfr. Lk 10,38-42) We need it more than we need air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink. And that’s simply because it is our basic and indispensable way to keep in touch with God which is what is most important in our life.

Let’s remember that our life is supposed to be a life with and in God always, since we have been created in his image and likeness, children of his, and sharers of his divine life, not only in heaven in our definitive state, but also while here on earth.

It does not mean that just because we always have to pray, we do nothing other than pray and that we should not get involved in our temporal and earthly affairs. Let’s never forget that God has placed us in the world to test us, if what he wants us to be is also what we want to be for ourselves, that is, to be children of his.

We should therefore be actively involved in our temporal and earthly affairs, but doing so by converting everything in these affairs into some form of prayer, into some form of engaging ourselves with God.

To be sure, this is possible and doable, because praying does not even need a bodily organ for it to be done. It is a spiritual operation that can transcend the use of our bodily faculties. It’s a matter of attitude, of belief, which we can always have even if it is not expressly articulated.

As such, it can be done in any situation—while we are working, playing, resting, etc. But it would be good that we spend some time doing nothing other than praying, directly engaging God in a loving conversation, because that would help us to be prayerful in all our other activities and situations in life.

Thus, we have to be ready to do some vocal prayers and mental prayer. These are exercises that can build and fuel our life of prayer. With them, we engage God in a more direct way, and in a more loving way, giving him due worship and adoration. 

Besides, those moments of vocal prayer and mental prayer would be good moments to thank God for everything we have received, and also to ask for pardon for the mistakes and sins we have committed, as well as to ask for favors that we need.

But in our present human condition, we need to fight to be able to pray. We need to struggle. We have to exert great and abiding effort to convert everything we do into prayer. That’s because as our catechism puts it, we should pray as we live because we can only live properly as we pray. (cfr. Compendium 572)

      

The forces of good and evil are always in conflict not so much in some places outside or war arenas somewhere, as in our very own heart. The combat is more internal than external, more spiritual and moral than material and physical.

Besides, the battle of contention starts in some little matters, not in big issues, that are not promptly attended to and are made to fester for a while until they become a crisis or a conflagration.

   

We need to be always on guard, and the best way to do that is to pray, to be in constant conversation with God, our Father, whose wisdom and omnipotence he is willing to share with us, his children, created in his image and likeness.

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

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

A MOST DOWN-TO-EARTH BOOK

Overall, “Down to Earth” is a beautiful middle-grade book that I think a person of any age would enjoy. “Down to Earth” is a fascinating, middle-grade adventure that makes you feel in awe of the Universe, and I loved reading it! There are many reasons why I adored reading this book.

Do you feel like you’re living life but missing the information necessary for true happiness and fulfillment? Do you feel like someone threw you into life without the user’s manual? It’s hard to play a game when you don’t know the rules—especially when it’s the game of life! 

When tragedy strikes, it's easy to harden our hearts and cry out, "God, why did you let this happen?" Maybe then, we started praying. Before, when everything went smoothly, we would not even think a minute about praying... .

"To be a Christian without prayer, "said Martin Luther, "is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." Prayer is the only way of becoming what God wants us to be. This is the reason why Jesus spent many hours praying.

Unquestionable, our needs bring us to a place of prayer. Confronted with danger or tragedies, as I mentioned earlier, we look for God's help. Difficult times always cause the hearts of men to turn to God into prayer.

Let me ask you: How long has it been since you've brought your burdens to God? Since you asked His forgiveness for your shortcomings?

In his very interesting book "People in Prayer", Dr. John White reminds us that prayer is a divine-human interaction and it is always God who takes the initiative. White writes: "God speaks and we respond. God is always speaking. To hear his voice is not usually a mystical experience. It consists merely of a willingness to pay heed to God who lays a claim to our lives."

Yes, God always speaks. It is up to us whether we will listen and respond to Him. Many think we are the ones who initiate prayer. But prayers begin and end with God.

There was a time, I wasn't in the mood to pray any more. It seemed that God didn't listen to my prayer any more. I didn't get what I prayed for. Of course, not... ! That's not the meaning of praying to God. Will all my wishes be granted? Heaven forbid!

Sometimes, after we have prayed, God's answers may puzzle us. But as time goes by and as events unfold we see God's purpose in his answers. We might get a larger vision, what HE likes. Not what WE like... .

Think about it for a moment" How does the idea that prayer begins and ends with God affect me now? Do I have the habit of listening to god? How do I respond to Him? How do I usually pray?

I confess that a long time ago I have been trying to persuade God to change other people in my surroundings or circumstances. Nothing changed. Of course not, what a fatal attraction? I got confused because God never granted my requests. Meanwhile I got God's answers to my prayers. Maybe very simple: I was willing to let God change me... .This is how each one of us should start. Happy endings. Because I prayed according to His will... .

Talking about prayer, we also have to mention the probably most down-earth book in the bible which is  Proverbs. Its education prepares you for the street and the marketplace, not the schoolroom. The book offers the warm advice you get by growing up in a good family. It covers small questions as well as large ones: talking too much, visiting neighbors too often, being unbearably cheerful too early in the morning. Proverbs simply tell how life works most of the time.

I always love to quote proverbs, which express the truth about life in an elegant, witty kernel. You should not hunt through it for proverbs you might like. You should study the whole book to get its overall point of view. This takes time, for Proverbs covers dozens of subjects in subtle detail.

LIST: Filipino-made fashions Heart Evangelista wore during Paris Couture Week Fall 2022

by John Legaspi, Manila Bulletin

A true champion of Filipino style

When it comes to stunning, jaw-dropping, and awe-inspiring fashion moments, one should not look further than our very own Heart Evangelista. Every time the Filipino actress is in Paris, there is no shortage of spectacular style to feast your eyes on. And during the City of Love’s fall couture 2022 festivities, the Vogue 100  muse showcased why she deserves a seat at every fashion presentation. 

Whether on the red carpet, on the street, or grabbing a quick bite of croissant, Heart looks immaculate wearing the best styles from luxury design labels such as Dior, Fendi, Elie Saab, and Alaïa, to name a few. But every now and then, the style icon is waving the Philippines’ flag high in France by donning beautiful Filipino creations that could rival the looks of international maisons.

Prepare to be amazed once again as we are listing down some of the Filipino-made fashions Heart has worn during Paris Couture Week Fall 2022, from her charming modern terno dress that looked straight out of a fairy tale book to the elegant white ensemble she donned at Chaumet’s gala.

Lovely in white

If you are a true fan of Heart, you should know that she is obsessed with a good white ensemble. That passion was perfectly showcased with Mark Bumgarner’s custom white thigh-high slit dress adorned with crystal and diamond pieces by Parisian jewelry maison Chaumet. 

Fly like a butterfly

Heart dons true Filipino style with a contemporary terno dress by Cheetah Rivera for the Schiaparelli couture show. The piece, dubbed “Santiago,” is an homage to the late senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, which the actress often described as her second mother. It features hand-made blooms of silk organzas in varying shades of blue, beadwork by the artisans from Marikina, and mariposa embroideries done in Pandi, Bulacan. 

Chill in gray 

The key to good styling is learning how to match pieces from different labels. Heart demonstrates that during a chill time in Paris as she pairs pieces from Celine, Dior, and YSL with locally made pants by Undo Studio. 

LBD with blooms

Sheer and florals play in Heart’s OOTD for Iris Van Herpen’s show. The black see-through dress with white floral embellishment was crafted by Neric Beltran. The actress paired the ensemble with Louboutin knee-high open-toe boots. Another LBD moment is courtesy of Mark Bumgarner with his romantic dress with design elements that look like anthurium flowers.

Neon play

Ending this list is a vibrant piece from Cheetah Rivera. Heart wore her neon green accordion draped pleated skirt with a corset in sheer velvet, a nod to Betty Friedman, an American writer and activist. The piece is part of the designer’s “Pizza Party” collection. 

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗱𝗢 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗗𝗦𝗪𝗗

Davao de Oro---Ninety-nine friends rescued (FR) in Davao de Oro received a livelihood settlement grant (LSG) worth P20,000 each under the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in a turn-over ceremony on July 12, 2022, at the Capitol Building, Activity Hall.

DSWD FO-XI Regional Director, Atty. Vanessa B. Goc-ong said that the grants help as capital on their [FR] proposed livelihood project to uplift their socio-economic well-being as they start anew.

“𝑈𝑏𝑜𝑠 𝑠𝑎 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑎ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑦𝑎, 𝑝𝑎𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑢𝑛 𝑚𝑖 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑘𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑡 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑚𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑏𝑖𝑠𝑦𝑜 𝑠𝑎 𝑖𝑛𝑦𝑢ℎ𝑎 𝑜𝑔 𝑖ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑔 𝑘𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑦𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑔 ℎ𝑎𝑜𝑚 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑖𝑛𝑦𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝑔𝑖𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑎𝑛. 𝐾𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑎𝑠ℎ 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑏𝑖 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑦𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑎 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑛𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑖ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑖𝑛𝑦𝑢ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑙𝑖 𝑜𝑔 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑦𝑢𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑢𝑛𝑎-ℎ𝑢𝑛𝑎𝑜𝑛 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝐷𝑆𝑊𝐷 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎 𝑠𝑎 𝑘𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑔-𝑜ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑢𝑔 𝑘𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑜𝑎𝑛”, Goc-ong said. 

Livelihoods such as sari-sari stores, vegetable gardening, vulcanizing, and hog raising were identified by the recipients, according to the DSWD.

BGen Jesus P Durante III, 1001st Commander, thanks the friends rescued for turning themselves in and returning to the mainstream society where they can now avail the various benefits offered by the government. 

In addition, Governor Dorothy Gonzaga represented by 2nd District Board Member Ruwina Gonzaga, expressed her gratitude to the various government agencies for providing sustainable livelihood assistance for the friends rescued to help them live a normal life together with their families.

“𝐴𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑦𝑎 𝑠𝑎 𝐷𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑜 𝑑𝑒 𝑂𝑟𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑚 𝑗𝑢𝑑 𝑚𝑜 𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑔 𝑚𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎 𝑘𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑦𝑜 𝑠𝑎 𝑖𝑛𝑦𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑘 𝑠𝑎 𝑠𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑘𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑎 𝑔𝑜𝑏𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑜. 𝐴𝑏𝑟𝑖 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑘𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑜 𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝑘𝑎𝑚𝑜 𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑎𝑛 𝑢𝑔 𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑎 𝑠𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑝𝑎𝑒𝑠𝑘𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑎 𝑠𝑎 𝑖𝑛𝑦𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑔𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑘, 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑎 𝑠𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑠, 𝑢𝑔 𝑢𝑏𝑎𝑛 𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑦 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑘𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑔 𝑠𝑎 𝑖𝑛𝑦𝑢ℎ𝑎”, Gonzaga said.

She also underscored that the new administration assures to continue its support to the intervention programs and initiatives of the government forces in maintaining peace in the province of Davao de Oro. (𝑅ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑓𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑛𝑜 –𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑂𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒, 𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑠 𝑏𝑦 𝐽𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑒 𝐶𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑧)

Nat'l ID rollout target: Early 2023

 

President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. met with National Economic and Development Authority Director-General Arsenio Balisacan via teleconference. The President wanted a faster turn-around in the printing and delivery of National IDs to the Filipino people. (Photo credit to the Office of the President)

By Catherine S. Valente, Manila Times

PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. wants the national identification card rolled out by the first quarter of 2023.

Marcos said in a Facebook post on Thursday he ordered the National Economic and Development Authority to speed up the printing and distribution of Philippine Identification (PhilID) cards during his meeting with Socioeconomic Secretary Arsenio Balisacan in Malacañang on Wednesday.

The President said the plan is to print more than 50 million IDs so that can be used by early next year.

Balisacan earlier said the Marcos administration is targeting to issue most of the national IDs by the end of the year.

"Hopefully, we can get most of these IDs either in physical form or in electronic form already available before the end of the year, and that's the instruction of the President," he said.

Last December, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that over 50 million Filipinos have registered for the PhilID, reaching its benchmark goal for 2021.

But only 14.3 million of the IDs have been delivered nationwide as of early June, according to the PSA.

In a previous press briefing, Marcos said he finds the level of issuance as "way below" target.

"Because right now, we're, I think we're up to 12 million. Is that the correct number? Yeah, we're up to 12 million. Kulang na kulang pa 'yun (that is way below target)," he said.

At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, then president Rodrigo Duterte ordered the fast-tracking of the rollout of the PhilID system, which was passed into law in 2018.

The law seeks to combine several government IDs into a single national ID system.

The PSA has tapped its field offices to assist in delivering PhilIDs to registrants in remote areas.

Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte is also calling on the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the PSA to find ways to speed up the implementation of the national ID system to further reduce red tape and hasten the provision of essential services and financial aid to low-income families.

Poe hits delay in printing of national ID

The e-governance law, which was re-filed in the upcoming 19th Congress and intends to shift all government transactions online, would be strengthened by the national ID system, Congressman Duterte said.

The ID will help eliminate fake beneficiaries from social support programs, enabling the government to single out individuals who require financial aid during times of crisis.

He noted that his father, former president Duterte, had authorized significant fund releases to speed up the implementation of Philsys.

According to a 2021 report by the Commission of Audit on the BSP, the national bank and its contractor who were in charge of delivering the ID cards were unable to reach production targets, which resulted in delays in the project.

"Accelerating the implementation of the national ID system will make the delivery of financial assistance swift and efficient. Aside from that, a well-maintained national ID system will help the government clean up its database of beneficiaries of social protection programs, such as the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program)," Congressman Duterte said.

"Even those who dupe the system by getting senior citizen ID cards even though they are not yet qualified to avail of the benefits for seniors will be weeded out," he added.

Representative Duterte issued a statement on Thursday in response to complaints about the delays in the production and distribution of the Philsys cards, with many waiting more than six months to have their IDs delivered.

WITH MOISES CRUZ

DepEd won't limit class size for in-person learning

MEDIA MAGNET Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio answers questions from the media as she arrives at the chapel of San Beda University in Manila where she attended Mass for the birthday celebration of businessman Manny Pangilinan on Thursday, July 14, 2022.  PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN

By Kaithreen Cruz, Manila Times

(UPDATE) VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio emphasized that the Department of Education (DepEd) will not limit the class size for in-person learning.

"We did not put an exact class size because the situations in schools differ. We indicated in DepEd Order 34, and as approved by the President when presented during the Cabinet Meeting, that physical distancing will be implemented whenever possible," she said in an interview on Thursday.

The Education chief added that the creation of more classrooms is in the pipeline to address overcrowding in schools.

"We are now creating a department order that will streamline requests for classroom construction so that we can prevent adding unimplementable projects and ensure that what we include in the budget request are those that could be immediately constructed," the Vice President said.

She reiterated that Covid-19 vaccination for learners is still not mandatory, and co-mingling of vaccinated and unvaccinated learners will be allowed in the classrooms.

Duterte-Carpio also said that eating protocols in schools were considered since students will not be wearing masks as they eat, emphasizing that eating together will be prohibited. If the space is limited for physical distancing when eating, students should eat facing the same direction and not facing each other.

The Vice President added that the lessons learned during the two years of the pandemic will help implement health protocols of wearing masks, physical distancing and hand washing.

Duterte-Carpio also said studies show that children who have contracted Covid-19 have a high recovery rate and experience usually mild symptoms, with deaths being "extremely rare."

On the other hand, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said that the "lack of substantive health measures is a recipe for disaster" for face-to-face classes.

PH Red Cross starts giving 2nd Covid-19 booster shots

"They removed any requisite for inspection or even a mere checklist of requirements for safe school reopening. There is no standard for classroom ventilation aside from opening the doors and windows. There is no requisite for hand-washing facilities or a steady water supply. The need for a clinic or a nurse is not even mentioned," ACT President Vladimer Quetua said.

ACT suggested six key points for the DepEd to consider in the guidelines for face-to-face classes: double the schools' maintenance and operating budget to ensure implementation of health protocols; employ additional teachers to reduce class size to a maximum of 35 students; employ more nurses and utility personnel for every school; ensure health protection and benefits of teachers and school employees; provide financial aid for families struggling amid the economic crisis; and conduct a learning assessment to gauge adjustments for education recovery.

In a related development, Iloilo First District Representative and former Department of Health secretary Janette Garin urged more individuals to take booster shots since two doses were no longer sufficient. Boosters are also needed because a large percentage of the population must be vaccinated in order to achieve a "society without masks."

She outlined the four primary functions of vaccination, which are to prevent deaths, lower the impact of infectious symptoms, decrease transmission and limit mutation.

LGUs, Schools urged: Get ready for booster rollout

The National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) reported that as of July 13, 2022, there were 71 million fully vaccinated Filipinos, of whom 15.3 million had their first booster shot and just roughly 950,000 had received their second.

Garin said these facts, along with the rising number of Covid-19 instances, place the nation in a less-than-ideal situation to combat the virus and build economic resilience.

She recommended that the government and health sector redefine a fully immunized person as someone who has received two doses of vaccine plus one or two booster shots, set aside funds for second-generation Covid vaccines, and prepare health care facilities and have antivirals on hand.

Covid-19 fatal to 3 unvaxed Davaeños

Be that as it may, an infectious disease specialist urged Filipinos not to panic amid reports of newer and more infectious sub-variants of Covid-19, such as the Omicron BA.5 sub-variant.

In a briefing on Thursday, Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvaña, also a member of the Department of Health's Technical Advisory Group, said that while the number of cases have increased, the number of severe and critical infections continue to remain stable.

He added that the Delta variant remains as the "most deadly" strain of the virus as it crippled the health care system when a surge of cases happened last year and led to many deaths.

"The worst variant is really Delta. Right now, BA.5 cases are trickling in but we know what to do to prevent infection. From that perspective in terms of death and severe disease, Omicron is far from severity as compared to Delta," Salvaña said.

While BA.5 is more immune evasive than other variants, those who are infected with it only get asymptomatic or mild disease and it will not inflict as much "destruction" as the Delta variant.

Salvaña said that while the "worst is over" for the virus, its continued evolution will remain a threat, especially if the public becomes complacent in following health protocols and not getting their booster shots.

However, he stressed that the general public should wait for the rollout of the reformulated bivalent vaccines as possible second booster shots, possibly by September or October of this year.

Sen. Maria Lourdes "Nancy" Binay also raised the need to convene the Committee of the Whole once the 19th Congress opens to discuss pending concerns on Covid-19.

She noted that calls to require Filipinos to get booster shots have surfaced amid the reported rise in Covid-19 cases, with the country recording an average of 1,467 cases daily from July 4 to 10.

She said the Senate should tackle pending issues regarding Covid-19 like vaccination programs, access to boosters, status of our health care workers, health and pandemic statistics, level of preparedness, and exit plans."

Binay on Thursday voiced support for the government's booster drive, especially in the face of pandemic fatigue and vaccine complacency.

"Everyone's experiencing pandemic fatigue and vaccine complacency. People have become less vigilant," she said in a statement.

She also raised the need to continue revisiting and reviewing the country's public health policies to ensure these are up-to-date and in line with international standards.