Police have filed a homicide complaint against MSgt. Daniel Florendo who fatally shot former soldier Winston Ragos for supposedly violating quarantine guidelines.
News5 reported that Florendo will undergo electronic-inquest on the complaint filed by the Quezon City Police District.
A copy of the complaint has yet to be made public as of this story’s posting.
QCPD previously said in a statement that the Ragos, former Army Private First Class, accosted the cops manning a quarantine checkpoint and they “later learned” he was carrying a loaded revolver in his bag.
Florendo then drew his firearm and “cautiously approached Ragos.”
But the cops said Ragos “attempted to pull out his handgun” instead of following police orders to yield, which prompted Florendo to “disable” Ragos. The cop shot him twice.
The Philippine National Police and Philippine Army conducted a probe into the incident.
This is a developing story. A PNP officer shot a former AFP soldier. What happened is not clear but hopefully an inquest clears it up. For now the PNP officer is being charged with homicide it seems.
Former health secretary and now Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin rallied behind Malacañang’s call on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ascertain as to whether or not the Fabunan antiviral injection is safe and effective for use in the treatment of COVID-19.
She welcomed the Palace’s decision to prod the FDA to study the efficacy of this antiviral drug, which was reportedly developed by Washington-based Filipino doctor Ruben Fabunan. “I fully support Malacanang’s call to have the Fabunan viral injection studied by FDA. Is it indeed an effective cure? Is it under clinical trial? If it’s for clinic use, there should still be medical transparency,” Garin said in a statement.
“If this viral injection is what it claims to be, then let’s have the FDA study its effectiveness and make a pronouncement whether it’s safe or not,” she added. Garin warned the public against trending posts about COVID-19 cures, saying that not all of them are backed up by science. “At this point, the world is desperate for a cure but we should also be careful and avoid unnecessary medical expenses. We should be wary of the things we read, see or watch in social media,” she said.
Are these people crazy? This injection claims to be a cure for HIV/AIDS as well as COVID-19. It is a total fraud. You don't need an investigation to know that.
A police officer was apprehended for transporting unauthorized personnel in Barangay Ibabang Ilasan, Tayabas City on Thursday amid the enhanced community quarantine.
According to a Philippine National Police statement, the cop was allegedly paid P2,500 each by several passengers to transport them from Taytay, Rizal to Tayabas.
Meanwhile, the district force commander and the immediate supervisor of the cop were directed to submit their explanation for command responsibility.
Command responsibility? Imagine being a commander in the PNP and being held responsible for every crime your officers commit.
A job order employee of the city hall here fell into the hands of the authorities during a joint buy-bust operation on Saturday afternoon.
Lt. Col. Vici Anthony Tababa, Digos City acting police chief, identified the suspect as Jimver Tecson Iglesias, 42, a resident of Estrada 6th Street, Barangay Zone-2, here.
Tababa said a team of law enforcers from the province and local police launched the drug sting against Iglesias who was arrested in Purok Marang, Vinzon Street in Barangay Zone 3 in this city.
The operatives seized four sachets of suspected shabu from the suspect, one during the buy-bust, and the other three from his possession.
A job order employee? So a temporary worker. What is the screening process for temps?
The government should realign P84 billion worth of “pork insertions” of several lawmakers in the P4.1-trillion national budget for this year to cushion the economic impact of the new coronavirus pandemic, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said on Sunday.
Lacson, known for his antipork barrel crusade, said the questionable appropriations were lodged in certain state agencies, such as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), by members of the House of Representatives and some of his colleagues in the Senate.
“The lawmakers inserted [the projects] that’s why [the DPWH and DOTr officials] do not know how to implement them,” the senator said.
Last week, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) issued a circular withholding the release of 35 percent of programmed appropriations for 2020 and imposing a mandatory saving of 10 percent on nonessential expenditures.
Lacson urged the Department of Finance and the DBM to come clean on the total unused funds from last year’s budget after Duterte warned that the government may run out of money in fighting the pandemic.
“They should at least clarify particularly what’s left unused [from last year’s budget],” he told the Inquirer in a Viber message.
Lacson wondered why Malacañang was considering asking for a supplemental budget from Congress since Avisado had told him that at least P600 billion had been left unused from the 2019 spending program.
Mr. Duterte has said he will ask Congress for additional funding for the COVID-19 response.
The government’s expenses are expected to increase as the President extended the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and several high-risk areas across the country until May 15.
“I don’t understand why is there a need for a supplemental budget when we have given the President authority to realign [the national budget],” Senate President Vicente Sotto III said in a radio interview.
He noted that Congress had earlier passed a law extending the validity of the 2019 budget until the end of this year.
It seems the national budget has a lot of leftover unused money that Duterte could utilize for the COVID-19 response. Yet he is asking for more. Where is all the money going?
The Department of Tourism (DOT) has released the “Wake Up In PH” promotional video targeted at retaining interest in the Philippines in the foreign market.
“Beyond the Philippines’ breathtaking beaches, you can discover a wide range of exhilarating adventures, relaxing getaways, and diverse cultures that can sate the wanderlust you must be feeling right now,” the DOT said.
“But until we can travel again, stay at home, dream, and #WakeUpInPH by planning your next dream vacation to our tropical nation: philippines.travel/wakeupinph,” it added.
The DOT emphasized that the promotional video was shot and produced prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an earlier letter to the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association Philippines (HSMA), Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. said the DOT also intends to roll out new campaign materials to be placed on international networks to reignite interest of the market immediately upon the lifting of the community quarantine, with the DOT’s Branding and Marketing Communications Office allocating P400 million for this plan.
Even if the video was shot before the pandemic is this the right time to continue with the promotion? No planes are flying, no foreigners are coming, the world is shutdown. Is it really appropriate to spend so much on a tourism promotion at this time?
According to Labor Attaché Fidel Macauyag, caregiver Elanel Ordidor will be flown back to the country because her Facebook posts against Duterte were intended “to cause hatred amid the global health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
When labor officials went to Ordidor’s workplace in Yunlin County on Monday to tell her of the charges she might face for her posts, she “committed to delete all her uploaded videos against the President and promised not to do it again,” Macauyag said. She also promised to issue a public apology, he added.
“However, hours after the visit, several posts were seen on the Philippine Overseas Labor Office Taichung Facebook page from several fake accounts (supporting her) cause,” Macauyag said, adding that labor officials learned that the caregiver was using four other accounts and a group “to discredit and malign the President and destabilize the government.”
Is the government really going to waste time and resources to apprehend a caregiver and fly her back to the Philippines to sand trial over her Facebook posts? No. The Taiwan government denied their request.
“Taiwan is a sovereign, independent country where foreign workers enjoy ‘citizen treatment,’ and their rights and interests are protected by relevant laws and regulations, including freedom of speech, which should be respected by governments of all countries,” MOFA was quoted as saying in a statement.
The presidential adviser for entrepreneurship said the poor should be allowed to go back to work because they are “somehow resilient to the virus” and those who are sick should be separated from the healthy through isolation.
Presidential Adviser Joey Concepcion said in an online seminar that he talked to those involved in relief operations in poor communities about infection rates where they bring aid. They were “unanimous in saying that it’s very minimal,” he said.
“Many of the poor are somehow resilient to the virus,” Concepcion said.
“Maybe because they are so used to so much exposure that they have a better immunity than us who are sheltered in well-protected environments,” he said.
“That’s the same case I make why [we should] shelter and lockdown the healthy when we should, you know, isolate the infected. Moving forward, that should be the case. That should be the strategy,” he added.
Who knew COVID-19 was a rich person's disease? This man is literally saying that living amongst filth like so many poor Filipinos do makes one's immune system stronger.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday sacked one of its personnel for domestic abuse and offered a job to his partner, the victim of the abuse.
In a resolution approved by MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim on Tuesday, Roel Gatos, a contractual employee of the MMDA’s Health, Public Safety and Environmental Protection Office, was terminated for committing “disgraceful and immoral acts, which are conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the MMDA”.
“It is most respectfully recommended that respondent Roel G. Gatos’ Contract of Service be terminated immediately upon his receipt of this resolution,” the resolution read.
In a message on Wednesday, MMDA Spokesperson Celine Pialago said Gatos is currently in jail at the San Jose del Monte Police Station in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. His victims—his live-in partner and her minor son—meanwhile, were given financial assistance, rice, and groceries from the MMDA on Wednesday.
“Magkakaroon na din ng trabaho si nanay dahil siya po ay magiging parte na ng programa ng MMDA (The mother will also have a job as she will become a member of the MMDA),” Pialago said.
Videos and photos of Gatos’ abuse against his victims went viral on Facebook, earning the ire of netizens and a complaint filed to the MMDA which resulted in his termination.
According to the resolution, the incident which led to Gatos’ incarceration and sacking occurred around midnight on Sunday (April 26) and was first brought to the attention of local village officers by a concerned citizen.
A contractural MMDA employee was let go because of a Facebook video which showed hm abusing his live-in partner and her son. No due process for this man. And now she will be getting his former job. Is she even qualified?
House Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte is set to file a bill repealing a law introduced by former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV requiring Filipino professionals to take additional formal and non-formal learning before they can renew their licenses and identification cards.
In a statement issued late Tuesday night, Duterte announced that he will file a measure repealing Republic Act 10912, or the "Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Act of 2016."
Under the law, CPD is defined as the "inculcation of advanced knowledge, skills, and ethical values in a post-licensure specialization or in an inter- or multi-disciplinary field of study, for assimilation into professional practice, self-directed research, and/or lifelong learning."
This law makes CPD a mandatory requirement in the renewal of professional identification cards of all registered and licensed professionals under the regulation of the Professional Regulation Commission.
According to Duterte, while he supports the lifelong learning of Filipino professionals to improve their craft, the requirements set by the CPD law "just adds to the burden they have to deal with."
"After a long day of work, they are forced to spend a bulk of their salary, take absences from work, and go through unreasonable hardships just so they can renew their licenses and continue the practice of their professions,” the presidential son said.
“This CPD law is uncalled for. To address this, we will file a bill repealing this anti-professional measure introduced by Trillanes. We can actually help our professionals meet global standards through other means, without passing the burden to them,” he added.
Duterte also said that the measure he is proposing serves as gratitude to professional frontliners who had to continuously render their services to the nation in the time of the coronavirus disease 2019.
"We have witnessed the selfless acts of our professional frontliners. They do not deserve the CPD law,” he said.
“This is long overdue. We will not just file it for the sake of filing. We will file this bill, seek support from our colleagues in Congress, and make sure that this is enacted as soon as possible,” he added.
In the 18th Congress, a total of four measures have so far been filed to repeal the CPD Law.
The CPD law ensues that Filipino professionals are up-to-date with the highest standards in their professions. If it is an undue burden then why would the bill have become law in the first place? It would seem that having professionals who have the mote current training would be a good thing.
A policeman was arrested by operatives of the Philippine National Police-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG) in Marikina City for allegedly keeping a motorcycle seized during a buy-bust operation for his own use.
The PNP-IMEG identified the accused cop as Patrolman Orlando Perez, 43, who was assigned at the National Capital Region Police Office-Drug Enforcement Unit (NCRPO-DEU).
Police Brigadier General Ronald Lee, director of PNP-IMEG, said Perez was caught using the Mio motorcycle that was confiscated from a drug suspect during an anti-illegal drugs operation in Marikina City last April 5.
Lee said Perez supposedly did not declare the motorcycle as part of the evidence and instead he had used it as his personal service.
How did they miss that for almost a month? Fun time is over for Officer Perez.
A party-list lawmaker is eyeing to file a resolution calling for a congressional inquiry on the alleged corrupt activities of a high-ranking official of a government bureau as the country battles the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
In a statement on Thursday, ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Niña Taduran revealed that a “deputy commissioner” is allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for favorable action in the bureau.
Taduran, however, did not divulge the name of the government official involved in alleged corrupt practices.
“Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit sa gitna ng kinakaharap na krisis ng bansa ay may nakakagawa pa ng ganitong krimen? Wala ba siyang konsensya? (I do not understand why someone could still commit such a crime in the middle of a crisis faced by the country? Does he have any conscience?),” Taduran said.
“I am not inclined to reveal his identity at the moment but let this serve as a stern warning to him that his actions will not be tolerated and I will see to it that his corrupt practices will be dealt with seriously,” she added.
That is very vague. Perhaps we will hear more about this person later.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Antique provincial office has endorsed the complaint letter of Governor Rhodora Cadiao against five personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) who traveled to Antique, including one who turned out positive of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Upon the recommendation of the provincial Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), Cadiao filed the complaint on April 28 against Insp. Henry Harder, Senior Jail Officer (SJO)4 Rolyn Malolos, JO2 Gaudencio Jabonido, JO1 Reymar Paclibar, and JO1 Joseph Maguad for violating Republic Act 11332 and the BJMP Covid-19 advisory number 5.
During Wednesday’s press conference of the Antique Inter-Agency Task Force on Coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19), Cadiao said she is hoping that a fact-finding investigation will be conducted regarding the travel of the said BJMP personnel to the province on April 25.
“The coming of the BJMP personnel to Antique caused so much panic to the people of Barbaza and Culasi, especially when one of them, based on the Department of Health Regional Office 6 report, turned out to be confirmed Covid-19 patient on April 26,” Cadiao said.
She said while she commends the BJMP personnel for delivering personal protective equipment (PPE) and medicines to their district jail in Culasi town, yet they violated Republic Act 11332 when they knew that they were still awaiting the confirmatory result of their swab tests conducted last April 20.
“The personnel also committed blatant disregard of BJMP Covid-19 Advisory Number 5 for a jail lockdown starting March 20,” she said.
She said that the personnel should not have traveled to Antique because of the lockdown. The governor said that BJMP regional director Noel Montalvo also did not disclose that their personnel passed by a gasoline station here.
It was only known upon review of the closed-circuit television of the gas station.
Montalvo only said that they had lunch in Barbaza; delivered PPE units and medicines to their district jail, and brought a wreath to the wake of their retired official who passed away in Culasi.
It seems some BJMP personnel traveled to antique before receiving the results of their COVID-19 tests. Only one turned out to be positive but the issue is the disregard of RA 11332 and COVID-19 Advisory Number 5.
The poor in some parts of the country have yet to receive cash assistance from the government because the high rate of coronavirus infections in those places is keeping local government and social workers out, Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista said on Monday.
Three days before the end of the original Luzon lockdown, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed only P39.5 billion to 7.7 million impoverished families badly hit by the quarantine imposed by President Duterte to halt the spread of the new coronavirus in the Philippines.
This means that the DSWD, through local governments, has given out less than half of the P100-billion first tranche of the government’s social amelioration program as the first month of the lockdown rolls to an end.
More than 10 million families eligible for emergency assistance are also still empty-handed.
In a press briefing on Monday, Bautista admitted that the payout was delayed due to various problems at the local level.
“In some areas affected by COVID, payout cannot be immediately implemented. The local government itself cautioned us to stay away since our personnel might be infected,” he said, referring to the severe respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.
These delays could spill into the second tranche of the cash aid for May, as local governments would first need to liquidate the distribution of the first tranche of subsidies. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año gave local governments up to April 30 to complete the distribution of the cash aid.
The DSWD has already given the funds to the local governments “so there is no reason” for the financial aid not to reach the beneficiaries, Año said in a statement on Monday.
Robredo said local officials, particularly village chairs and mayors, bore the brunt of the public’s anger and dismay, even if they had no power to make decisions concerning the emergency subsidy program.
“I think there is a need to be more transparent and [to have] better coordination [between] the national government and the local governments on the recipients of the aid,” she said.
What a mess! Did anyone think handing out billions in cash to millions of people in a month's time would get off without a hitch?
Let's talk about the nationwide liquor and cigarette bans in the Philippines. Though not banned by a presidential decree LGUs across the nation have issued the bans and continue to uphold them. Department of Finance secretary Dominguez says this is a good thing because restricting access to these products will prevent people from contracting COVID-19.
The government will keep the restrictions on liquor sale as well as withdrawals of cigarettes from factories for the rest of the extended lockdown period, as keeping Filipinos away from these “sin” products would not only keep them healthy but also protect them from getting inflicted with COVID-19, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said Monday.
As such, the liquor ban imposed by the national and local governments will stay in areas under enhanced community quarantine, while domestic cigarette production will remain on halt, save for a few lines churning out for exports.
Over the weekend, the Department of Finance (DOF) reported a slump in the year-to-date tax take from tobacco and alcohol, which the agency described as “consistent large excise tax collection drawers.”
During the period Jan. 1 to April 15, tobacco excise taxes fell 42.5 percent year-on-year to P33.19 billion, while collections from alcoholic drinks declined 26 percent to P17.85 billion.
This drop happened despite the higher tax rates slapped on these products since Jan. 1 under Republic Act No. 11346 which increased the levy on cigarettes, and RA 11467 jacking up taxes on alcohol, heated tobacco and vapes.
As tax collections dropped, the government increasingly turned to foreign loans from multilateral lenders and bilateral government partners to ensure that it can address the health and socioeconomic fallout from COVID-19.
Asked if the government may consider easing ECQ restrictions on these “sin” products to shore up badly needed government revenues to be spent for COVID-19 response, Dominguez replied: “No.”
Further asked if he referred to both products, the Finance chief replied: “Yes.”
“Sin taxes are imposed to discourage consumption of products that are detrimental to health. We do not wish to exacerbate the current health crisis,” Dominguez explained.
Last week, Dominguez said that he did not want the liquor bans lifted, but the government may exempt cigarettes from quarantine restrictions as smuggling of so-called “illicit” sticks increased after unscrupulous traders took advantage of dwindling supply of tax-paid packs.
Dominguez’s change of heart with regards to cigarettes came after a meeting with Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who had advised that smoking may aggravate a respiratory ailment like COVID-19.
The fight against illicit cigarettes will be nonetheless continued by the so-called “strike team” of the bureaus of Internal Revenue (BIR) and of Customs (BOC), Dominguez said, adding that the country’s two biggest tax-collection agencies remained “vigilant” against such illegal activities.
The Center for Alcohol Research and Development (Card) Foundation Inc., whose members included Absolut Distillers Inc., Emperador Distillers Inc. and Ginebra San Miguel Inc., earlier appealed to totally lift the ban or relax it on certain hours during which stores may sell liquor.
“If this ban continues, the industry can no longer survive; a situation that can affect a large sector of the community… the alcohol beverage industry bears already the agony of declining market demand due to the imposition of high excise taxes on alcohol,” Card said in an April 16 letter to Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.
“Post-enhanced community quarantine, the tobacco industry projects that there will be a resurgence of illicit trade. The enhanced community quarantine resulted in job losses and a decline in incomes, which favor the consumption of low-priced and tax-unpaid illicit products,” industry players warned.
Also, they sought to “allow the resumption of the production of exciseable products such as tobacco and alcohol so that excise taxes and value-added tax (VAT) may be generated by government to fund social welfare programs and for consumers not to turn to illicit products.”
The consequences of banning booze and smokes are far-reaching and could potentially be devastating for the tobacco and liquor industries as well as government programs like universal healthcare which are dependent upon the taxes levied on those industries. Contrary to what Dominguez said sin taxes are not imposed to discourage consumption. They are imposed by governments to fill their coffers and fund programs. Just last year the DOF warned that the Congress' slowness to enact a sin tax law would make the universal healthcare law unimplementable.
Chua said excise taxes on sin products such as cigarettes and alcoholic drinks need to be increased to levels that would help fill the P62-billion funding shortfall in the first year of implementation alone of the UHC program in 2020.
If Congress fails to pass a law mandating these sin tax increases, then the UHC program will be an ineffective tool in achieving the Duterte administration’s goal of ensuring equitable access to quality and affordable health care services for all Filipinos.
Last year Dominguez and DOH Secretary Duque urged the Congress to act quickly on this matter.
In a joint statement, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III and DOF Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said that raising the taxes would “close a cumulative funding gap estimated at around P426 billion over the next five years for the full and proper implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) program.”
Now with the ban this revenue stream is dead. That means no funds for the DOH at a time when they need it most of all. The continuing ban is also putting the liquor industry at risk of going under. What business can sustain a 100% loss of profits for two months and possibly more? If the liquor and tobacco industries collapse then the government will have lost an important source of revenue. What becomes of universal healthcare then?
Furthermore the tobacco ban has led to an increase in the illegal cigarette trade which will continue even once the ban is lifted. No one is working so they can't afford more expensive brands thus causing them to buy cheaper illegal smokes.
Why have these bans? What is the point? To stop the spread of COVID-19? Only a few countries have banned liquor during the pandemic. India, South Africa, Thailand, the Philippines, Greenland, Barbados, Grenada, Colombia, Mexico, and Zimbabwe have all banned liquor sales. Meanwhile places like the USA and Canada have classified liquor stores and marijuana shops as essential services.
On Monday, the Government of Ontario released its list of essential workplaces that can continue to operate during the COVID-19 outbreak. The list included liquor stores, alcohol producers, wholesale stores that sell beer and wine to providers as well as cannabis stores and producers.
It’s a move that is being praised by public health and substance-use disorder experts, who say it could help prevent social unrest from breaking out and even save lives.
A person who is in alcohol withdrawal can experience delirium, epilepsy and death, says Larry Grupp, an associate professor at the University of Toronto and an expert in the neurobiology of alcoholism.
“If you’re a real alcoholic, then you’re going to have epilepsy, and (if) you’re going into withdrawal because you don’t have access to alcohol, you could die,” Grupp said, noting that it’s a small section of the population who is that heavily addicted to alcohol.
“I think they’re just trying to avoid anymore kind of social unrest on top of the (COVID-19) problems,” he said, adding that he supports keeping liquor stores open.
Leslie Buckley, chief of addictions at the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health, said she and her colleagues were monitoring the announcement closely and were worried liquor stores could be closed.
The concern was that people who are severely addicted to alcohol would experience negative health outcomes and may turn to more harmful forms of alcohol, such as rubbing alcohol or mouthwash.
“That was definitely on our list of concerns … depending on which one they’re using, it can cause incredible harms,” Buckley said. “Sometimes I have people who drink gasoline.”
They are being kept open to prevent social unrest and so alcoholics don't die from withdrawal or start drinking gasoline. Meanwhile in South Africa:
Will this happen in the Philippines? Maybe. But the bigger problem here is that excise taxes on liquor and cigarettes go to pay for government programs including universal healthcare. There is no warrant to shut down the liquor and tobacco industries to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The west has not resorted to that tactic. Why should the Philippines?
Perhaps the government needs to find a better way to pay for their programs than sin taxes. That could be part of the new normal the government is so keen on imposing.
The customized hazmat design I decided to create symbolizes us, Filipinos!
* Blue- for Peace, harmony, and unity. As we are now on each other’s back, helping one another to survive.
* Red- for WAR! War against these unseen enemy - COVID19, Many of us, have succumbed to death, due to this fight.
* Yellow- for Resiliency, and hope. Hoping for these crisis to end (God Willing!)
* White- for Purity. As each Filipino has the pure heart to offer there service and compassion towards their fellowmen and country, the Philippines
Blue, red, yellow, white...it never occurred to me until right this instant as I am typing this that the Philippine flag is only a few colors shy of the Power Rangers scheme. Thankfully for Power Rangers fans who are also nurses the gap has been filled.
An Iloilo-based nurse and designer says his improvised hazmat suits out of characters from '90s shows aim to help his fellow frontliners live out their childhood and spread positivity to others amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Adrian Pe, a nurse from The Medical City Iloilo, used his passion to come up with improvised personal protective equipment (PPE) inspired by cartoon characters of Teletubbies and Power Rangers.
Using fabric in red, green, yellow, purple, and other colors, Pe's fellow frontliners get to "live out their childhood" by channeling their favorite characters.
"I chose the Teletubbies because it gives frontliners not only the protection but the positive vibe, and Power Rangers to inspire workers to live out their childhood superheroes," Pe said.
With nurses around the world being hailed as heroes why not give them a chance to dress up as their favorite superhero Power Ranger? While the Power Rangers PPE suits have belts the Teletubbies suits are missing their unique identifying antennae shapes. Anyone wishing to buy Iloilo-based nurse Adrian Pe a beer for designing those PPE's will be sorely disappointed. Although on April 21st Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas rescinded the city's liquor ban. However the next day he reinstated it!
In view of the various incidents due to intoxicated persons, in view of the many other important activities undertaken by our security personnel and upon the advice coming from various sectors, I am reimposing the ban on the selling of alcoholic drinks effective immediately until further notice.
The PNP and PSTMO are hereby authorized to immediately make sure that this ban is effectively complied with.
This is for immediate compliance as soon as the executive order is issued.
The nationwide liquor ban is driving some people to desperation ending in death.
Two men died while another is in critical condition after drinking a homemade alcohol mix that included thinner in Tondo, Manila.
According to a 24 Oras report by Chino Gaston on Monday, Baseco residents Rene, Boboy, and Dandy made their own alcohol at home using coffee, vinegar, and soft drinks as a liquor ban prevailed in Manila City amid the Luzon-wide quarantine.
They had been drinking the mixture for several days until one of them brought a paint thinner on Sunday and suggested adding it into the drink.
Coffee, vinegar, and soda? That won't get you drunk but it will probably make you puke just like too many beers.
If the government does not like what you are posting about the coronavirus lockdown in the Philippines then watch out! You could be arrested.
Before the arrest, the mayor threatened Beltran in his official Facebook Page (@EdgarCLabella): “FAKE NEWS ni and this is a criminal act. Hulat lang Ms Beltran hapit na ka madapan sa PNP Cybercrime Unit. Magtingkagol gyud ka sa prisohan. (This is FAKE NEWS and this is a criminal act. Just wait Ms Beltran the PNP Cybercrime Unit is now about to arrest you. You will surely rot in prison.”
Time-stamped at 2:14 PM on April 18, 2020, Saturday, it referred to an April 17 post of Beltran, wherein she said, “9,000+ new cases (All from Zapatera) of COVID-19 in Cebu City in one day. We are now the epicenter in the whole Solar System.”
Known for her satirical posts, “#DearDigong… Sincerely, Maria,” Beltran’s post satirized reports from the City Health Officer which claims that the whole Sitio Zapatera in Barangay Luz, Cebu City was considered to be infected and thus massive swab testing was to be stopped.
Sitio Zapatera has a population of around 9,000.
A statement issued by her counsel before her arrest and posted in Beltran’s Facebook account reiterated that Beltran’s post is satirical, “designed to show wit instead of spreading chaos, anarchy, fear, or confusion,” as such does not fall on the category of the crime she is accused of, which is defined as “clearly geared to promote chaos, anarchy, fear, or confusion.”
Atty. Josalee Deinla, spokesperson of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, said that the post of Beltran is not fake news or false information.
“It merely restates the city health office’s official declaration that Sitio Zapatera is ‘presumed contaminated,’” she clarified.
The DOH declared a neighborhood with 9,000 residents as being infected as a precautionary measure. Maria seizes on this to make a joke that there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases by 9,000 making the Philippines the epicenter of the virus. The Mayor cries fake news and Maria was arrested at 12:30 am! Why so early? Was she that much of a threat that she had to be taken in just after midnight?
US President Donald Trump gave Duterte a late night call to talk about the coronavirus.
“The call came in at 10:10 in the evening. It was initiated by the US government. It lasted for about 18 minutes. It was cordial and it was about bilateral collaboration on Covid-19 but beyond that I have no authority to divulge any further details,” he said.
Actually 10 in the evening Manila time is 10 in the morning Washington DC time. Surprisingly Trump did not tweet about his early morning call to Duterte but he did send more aid to the Philippines.
The United States has approved an additional P269 million (or $5.3 million) in health and humanitarian assistance for the Philippines' fight against COVID-19, after the chief executives of both countries engaged in a phone meeting to discuss coronavirus response.
The funding will also aid Filipino and international technical experts in risk communication, infection prevention and control efforts, hand washing and hygiene promotion, and community-level preparedness response, it added.
During their phone conversation, Trump expressed solidarity and offered additional assistance, as the Philippines continues to address the health and economic damages brought by the deadly virus. He also shared his condolences over the death of 11 Filipino soldiers recently killed in a clash with the Abu Sayyaf Group.
Trump and Duterte also talked about how they can strengthen their countries' economic, cultural, and security ties.
The two leaders agreed to continue working together as long-time allies to "defeat the [coronavirus] pandemic, save lives, and restore global economic strength."
The U.S. previously donated ₱203 million (or $4 million) and 1,300 cots for the country's medical frontliners and COVID-19 patients.
Over the past 20 years, it has already invested more than $4.5 billion to the Philippines, including $582 million for the local public health system.
The coronavirus lockdown is bring out the best in people. Many are learning new skills. Things they have never tired before. Like cooking for themselves!!
Aside from forcing people to stay indoors since mid-March, the pandemic has also forced me to really fend for myself.
Though I’ve lived on my own for over a decade now, I saw no need to learn how to cook. Just around the corner from my old apartment near Timog Avenue, Quezon City, was a carinderia selling delicious home-cooked meals like pinangat na bangus and pork binagoongan. I’d order a viand, some rice, and eat at home.
If I had a craving for something more substantial, I could always walk the two blocks to Tomas Morato Avenue, the original restaurant row.
Before I moved into my own condo four years ago, I told my interior designer that I saw no need to have a kitchen installed. Why waste space that could otherwise be devoted to storage? Breakfast was often either oatmeal, or fruit and coffee. I had a rice cooker and a microwave oven, and I thought that would be enough.
Just imagine being a grown adult and not knowing how to cook. How are people so helpless?
The coronavirus pandemic has put a strain on hospitals but never fear if your son needs to be circumcised. Does anyone need to be circumcised?
Not even an outbreak could stop the traditional “circumcision season” in a town in Cavite province.
But this time, health workers in Carmona have gone to the communities not only to perform the procedure on young boys but also to check them and their immediate family members for symptoms of the coronavirus.
Homer Aguinaldo, the municipal health officer, said up to 40 doctors and 40 nurses had been recruited for the program called “Manhood on Wheels.”
Under normal circumstances, the local government would offer the free surgery to hundreds of preteen boys, either at the community hospital or the municipal auditorium.
“We actually thought of canceling it this year,” Aguinaldo said. “But we realized that we don’t know how it will be next year. We could still be in the same situation—the ‘new normal,’ they say—so we might as well go ahead with it.”
“Besides, we don’t want our [health] programs hampered [by the pandemic] as much as possible,” he added.
Since the Luzon lockdown has made mass circumcisions impossible, the medical team has decided to go village to village, rolling out a “health bus” or a mobile operating room where a fully reclined dental chair serves as an operating table.
Manhood on Wheels has so far circumcised about 200 boys in Carmona over the past two weeks out of this year’s target of 600.
Parents can schedule an appointment by calling the local health office or registering online.
For this year’s service, the health workers are taking extra measures in view of the coronavirus contagion. In effect, the program is doubling as the local government’s way of closely monitoring the residents’ overall health condition amid the pandemic.
The program again comes with an educational campaign advising young boys and their parents against the unhygienic, so-called “pukpok” method performed by nonmedical professionals who use a razor or any sharp blade to remove the foreskin.
Since a newly circumsized boy usually takes seven to 10 days to heal, Aguinaldo said, “it gives (these youngsters) another reason to stay home” while the lockdown remains in effect.
As a tribute to her fellow COVID-19 frontliners as well as to the victims of the disease, a nurse in Negros Occidental created a beautiful painting using nothing but syringes.
According to Kimberly Joy Mallo Magbanua, she used about 15 syringes "and a lot of brand new needles with different gauges" to finish her painting in just two days. She calls it "Inang Bayan."
The painting is the second of a series on COVID-19. She says she's reworking the first, which features surgeons operating on the Philippine flag. When asked how many paintings she plans to paint for her series, Kimberly said it depends on the country's situation.
That is really interesting. She made a painting without a single brush stroke. It's very colorful and looks dynamic and alive. What a cool technique.
If you want to hand out relief goods to those locked in during the quarantine be sure you have permission from the government.
Both the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police stressed Sunday that penalties could be imposed on relief volunteers found without the necessary certification from the local government units they intend to help.
According to DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, department spokesperson, relief volunteers will be subjected to the same rules and treatment as Unauthorized Persons Outside of Residence (UPOR) and charged with Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code, which prohibits resistance and disobedience to a person in authority or the agents of such person.
Malaya said that the DILG does not foresee any disputes between LGUs and volunteer groups arising from the new requirement.
"It's a measure to ensure that only authorized people are outside of residence. The PNP has reported to us that so many people are claiming in checkpoints that they're doing relief but the truth is they just want to go out and about. Our police sought guidance from [Interior] Secretary Eduardo Año and he gave that directive," Malaya said.
"If we don't put order to this situation we are undoing all our hard work for the past month. We need to be stricter in implementing the ECQ...because our very lives are at stake."
In a statement issued later Sunday, fishers federation Pamalakaya slammed the new requirement, calling it a violation of the people's right to food.
Former lawmaker and Pamalakaya chairperson Fernando Hicap also said that such a requirement would be vulnerable to politicking in a time when target beneficiaries grow critical of local officials.
"There are so many people asking for help even on social media because they were not given aid from the government's social amelioration program, and now, they'll restrict what should be the help that citizens give freely to those in need," Hicap said in a mix of English and Filipino.
The fishers leader also pointed out that such an order violated the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which the Philippines is a signatory of.
"Never can you subject to complicated bureaucratic processes the people's right to food, especially when it is the intention of many to help. The people are showing each other "bayanihan", yet the government keeps obstructing this," he said.
People want to help out and make sure everyone has food but the government wants to stop the virus from spreading. It's a tricky situation.
One town has found a novel way to distribute food to the people. Give live hogs to every purok and let the neighborhood leaders slaughter and distribute the meat!
The city government here distributed over the weekend at least 1,000 live hogs to augment the food supplies of residents affected by the ongoing enhanced community quarantine.
“We directly turned over the animals to our purok leaders and we tasked them to facilitate the slaughter and distribution of the meat to households within their areas,” he told reporters.
The mayor said the hogs, which weighed around 200 kilos each, were purchased by the city government from local swine producers that were affected by the border closures in neighboring regions due to the heightened quarantine.
Aside from the live hogs, Rivera said they distributed starting last Friday assorted fish and live chickens to the non-pork eaters.
He said they opted for the perishable products due to the dwindling supplies in the markets of canned goods, which were included in the previous relief packs.
Fresh meat for the people straight from the government. Fresh animals anyway. The government was also kind enough to distribute chickens and fish to those who do not eat pork.
Two towns in Samar are having people trade plastic trash for food.
In Arteche, a third-class town in Eastern Samar, the local government unit has been implementing 3Ts or tirok (collect), timbang (weigh), tabang (help).
Residents are encouraged to collect and clean single-use plastics such as junk food packs, plastic bags, and empty sachets and keep it in a clean bag or sack.
Residents must clean the single-use plastic before they have it weighed by the designated collector -- a rolling store that roams around the town every Thursday.
The number of food packs depends on the volume of plastic waste collected. Each kilogram of clean and dry single-use plastic is worth PHP10.
In the second-class town of Paranas, Samar, Mayor Eunice Babalcon has been urging residents to collect plastic and turn them into eco-bricks.
An eco-brick is a Pet bottle packed solid with clean and dry used plastic made to a set density to create reusable building blocks and can be used to make modular units, furniture, and earthen gardens and structures.
The local government exchanges the eco-bricks with food packs.
Babalcon said it is part of their health crisis intervention and at the same time an effort of the town to continue its campaign to curb malnutrition.
A kilogram of eco-bricks is equivalent to the same weight of rice and assorted vegetables.
That's one way to promote recycling.
Cops are dancing. Firefighters are dancing. Everyone is dancing!
Police officers, firefighters and members of the public safety department in Calapan City dance to Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" in a moving tribute to frontliners.
