More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
Officials are now being held accountable for the contact given to Pharmally for RT-PCR test kits.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/879920/ombudsman-orders-filing-of-graft-raps-vs-lao-ex-dbm-officials-pharmally-execs/story |
The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the filing of three counts of graft charges against former Budget undersecretary Christopher Lao, two other former Budget executives, and Pharmally officials in connection with the government’s purchase of P4 billion worth of RT-PCR test kits.
“There is no doubt that without the individual acts of the aforementioned respondents, the procurement of the test kits would not have materialized. Respondents concerted and conspirational acts enabled the award of the multi-billion worth of contract to Pharmally, notwithstanding the existence of other corporations that are financially and technically capable to supply and deliver test kits at lower prices,” the Ombudsman said in its 37-page resolution.
Aside from Lao, also ordered indicted for three counts of graft were former DBM procurement director Warren Liong, DBM procurement management officer Paul Jasper de Guzman, and Pharmally officials Twinkle Dargani, Linconn Ong, Justine Garado, and Huang Tzu Yen.
The Ombudsman said Pharmally got the huge P4 billion government contract even if its paid up capital is only P625,000.
“Said award to Pharmally was a complete disregard of the provision that the procuring entity should directly negotiate or procure from a legally, technically and financially capable supplier, distributor, manufacturer, contractor or consultant as embodies in the Government Procurement Policy Board and the Procurement law,” it added.
Likewise, the Ombudsman said that public officials accused in this case allowed the further delay of delivery of test kits, even though they alleged of its urgent need to ramp up the testing capacity due to the spread of COVID-19 throughout the country.
“Allowing the several delays of delivery provided Pharmally an excuse and additional period to comply with its obligation. This act is clear evidence of public respondents’ manifest partiality toward said company,” it further said.
Finally, the anti-graft body said the public respondents favored Pharmally over One Top Medical Systems Resources which offered the same prices as the former and Biosite Medical Instruments, Inc., one of the suppliers included in the suppliers directory of the government.
“They apparently acted with manifest partiality and in bad faith for unlawfully and willingly awarding the contracts to a newly incorporated corporation and without any business experience with the government,” it said.
In response to the Ombudsman’s decision, the camp of Pharmally officials maintained that they are not liable for graft or any form of corruption.
It remains to be seen if anyone will be convicted.
The lockdowns doubled the rate of attrition for college students says the CHED.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/08/23/2290834/pandemic-doubled-attrition-rate-college-students-ched-data |
Pandemic-era students were more likely to drop out or temporarily leave college, according to new data from the Commission on Higher Education, with the attrition rate of the most recent graduating batch doubling compared to pre-pandemic students.
CHED data shared during House budget deliberations on Wednesday show at least 41.16% of students who were sophomores when the pandemic first hit during SY 2020-2021 — and were supposed to graduate this year — paused or stopped their schooling.
This is more than double the attrition rate of college students who graduated early 2020 (17.56%), or the last batch of students who were not forced to experience full school years during the pandemic, according to CHED data.
CHED defines the attrition rate as the percentage of students who either temporarily leave college or drop out permanently. It is computed by measuring the percent change in enrollment between the first and last years of schooling of a batch of students.
Meanwhile, the cohort of students who graduated in SY 2020-2021 had a modest uptick in attrition at 18.45%.
But the attrition rate skyrocketed the next year, going up to 38.95% for the graduating batch of SY 2021-2022.
And in 2023, the most recent graduating batch recorded the highest attrition rate at 41.16%.
A more extreme case of attrition happened in one cohort of architecture students at a private university in Laguna.
In an interview with Philstar.com, architecture graduate Leejay Corea said that of the 34 students part of his batch in his first year, he was the only one to graduate and walk the stage in May.
Students every year seemingly got picked off one by one until only five students made it to their penultimate year in school, Corea recounted.
Most of his classmates did their best but did not have enough money to purchase materials for their plates or had other responsibilities at home, Corea said.
“We were down to just five during the fourth year of the second semester. Completing and passing online tasks became extremely difficult. Some had issues with internet connectivity, while others faced financial and mental problems,” he said in Filipino.
CHED also provided data for the cohorts of students who have yet to complete four years of schooling.
For college students who entered SY 2020-2021 — meaning they were first-year students when the pandemic happened — have seen at least 36.83% dropping out or temporarily leaving school.
Meanwhile, the cohort of students who entered college the following year during SY 2021-2022 recorded a lower attrition rate at 27.20% — still higher than the cohort who graduated in SY 2019-2020.
Colleges and universities officially began returning to full face-to-face classes in early 2023, making the Philippines one of the last countries to reopen campuses in higher and basic education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While several studies have underscored the impact of the pandemic on younger students, there is also evidence pointing to the health crisis' impact on tertiary education students.
Lack of adequate infrastructure, mental health difficulties and the hefty costs of online classes have forced several students to pause or stop their education.
That's one more piece of evidence that the lockdowns were destructive and not helpful in any way.
Barangay health workers are being lauded for their role during the pandemic. The DOH says they "sacrificed their lives."
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1208513 |
The Department of Health and the provincial government acknowledged the roles of barangay health workers (BHWs) during the health pandemic and the conduct of supplemental immunization activity for measles-rubella and the oral polio vaccine (MR-OPV) in Iloilo province.
More or less 10,000 BHWs gathered for the Iloilo Provincial BHW Congress 2023 at the Iloilo Sports Complex on Thursday.
“As front-liners you have sacrificed your lives to ensure the safety of the community, said Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. in his virtual message.
Defensor added that, with their help, the province has achieved 90.73 percent coverage of the target population for the MR-OPV, with 20 municipalities hitting over 95 percent accomplishment.
The accomplishment translates to 146, 590 children vaccinated out of the 161 566 target in the province.
He hoped they remain committed to their work as there is more to do under the provincial government’s development agenda.
Dr. Mary Pauline C. Gestosani representing Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV CHD) Regional Director Adriano Suba-an, shared the sentiment of the governor of BHWs as partners in the Covid-19 response and immunization activity.
She said the roles of BHWs have been highlighted during the crafting of the Universal Health Care Law, where they will serve as health promotion officers in their barangay.
“Together with the Provincial Health Office, the DOH will continue to capacitate BHWs to become better health promotion officers. They will be the source of correct information and provide basic health services because they are the first contact of people in barangay,” she added.
She hoped that local government units could craft policies that would also provide them benefits.
BHW Partylist Rep. Angelica Natasha A. Co, in her message, announced the Magna Carta for BHWs is now in the hands of the Senate.
The Magna Carta, she said, contains benefits and incentives for barangay health workers, including a monthly honorarium of not less than PHP3,000.
Now how about paying them the money they are owed?
The DOLE has lifted COVID-19 restrictions for child workers in the entertainment sector.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/08/27/2291725/dole-lifts-covid-19-restrictions-child-workers |
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has lifted all restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic for children under 18 years of age who are working in the public entertainment or information sector.
In its Labor Advisory No. 18-2023, DOLE said it is revoking all previous COVID-19 restrictions provided under Labor Advisory Nos. 23-2020, 24-2020 and 22-2021.
“The following Labor Advisories related to the engagement or participation of children below 18 years of age in public entertainment or information are hereby deemed revoked and shall no longer be in effect,” the DOLE said.
In the previous labor advisories, it said that a child actor’s performance shall be done in the former’s home.
Employers or production staff are only allowed to be present to provide assistance such as ensuring that minimum public health standards are implemented and observed on set, including wearing of well-fitted face masks and face shields, if necessary; physical distancing of at least one-meter; compliance on venue capacity and ensuring that the costumes, props, or materials needed are thoroughly disinfected.
The DOLE said the lifting of the COVID-19 restrictions is in accordance with the lifting of the State of Public Health Emergency due to COVID-19 throughout the country last July 21.
The labor department though still urged employers of child performers to continue observing measures that will help prevent virus transmission in their work areas.
“Employers who will engage children in public entertainment or information are enjoined to observe and follow the recommendations in the updated health protocols,” the DOLE said.
What took them so long to lift these restrictions?
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