Nasa P11 milyong halaga ng pananim na marijuana, sinira sa Kalinga

TINGLAYAN - Umabot sa P11 milyong halaga ng pananim na marijuana ang sinira ng mga awtoridad sa 2 araw nilang operasyon sa bayan na ito sa Kalinga, ayon sa pulisya.

Ayon sa Kalinga Police Provincial Office, Miyerkoles nang kanilang matunton kasama ng mga operatiba ng Regional Intelligence Unit ng Cordillera Police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Kalinga, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Kalinga at Naval Forces Northern Luzon ang 3 taniman ng marijuana sa Barangay Loccong.

Natapos ang operasyon nila nitong Huwebes kung saan binunot at sinunog ang mga pananim na marijuana. 

Sa unang taniman na mayroong 1,000 square meters ang lawak, tumambad ang nasa 10,000 fully-grown marijuana plants na tinatayang nagkakahalaga ng P2 milyon, ayon sa pahayag ng pulisya. 

Umaabot sa humigit-kumulang 30,000 fully-grown marijuana plants naman ang nakita naman sa ikalawang taniman na mayroong 3,000 square meters ang lawak. Nagkakahalaga umano ng P6 milyon ang marijuana plants dito.

Habang nasa P3 milyon ang halaga ng humigit-kumulang 15,000 fully-grown marijuana plants ang nadiskubre sa ikatlong taniman na may tinatayang land area na 1,500 square meters ang lawak. 

Ayon sa pulisya, simula Enero ngayong taon, uamabot na sa 13 marijuana eradication operations ang naikasa ng mga awtoridad sa Kalinga. 

- Ulat ni Harris Julio

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/21/nasa-11-milyon-halaga-marijuana-sinira-kalinga

Bilang ng quarantine days ng mga balikbayan, posibleng dagdagan: OWWA

 Posibleng madadagdagan ng isa o dalawang araw ang itatagal ng mga returning OFWs at iba pang balikbayan sa mga quarantine facility, ayon sa Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Iyan ay kung maaaprubahan ng IATF ang isinusulong ng Department of Health (DOH) na bagong quarantine protocols sa mga uuwing biyahero.

Ayon kay OWWA administrator Hans Leo Cacdac, mula sa ikaanim na araw, sa ikapitong araw na isasalang sa RT-PCR test ang mga umuwing biyahero at kapag nagnegatibo ang resulta, kailangan pa ring manatili sa quarantine facility ng isa o hanggang dalawang araw at makalalabas lang sa ika-10 araw.

"Sa ngayon, 8 to 9 days ang ilalagi sa mga hotel quarantine pero ang proposal ng DOH, sa ika-10 araw ang releasing so mga 1 to 2 days ang maximum na itatagal ang extension. It applies to everybody, which includes OFWs and non-OFWs," ani Cacdac.

Sinabi rin ni Cacdac na may napag-usapan nang dagdag-pondo ang DOLE at DBM para sa mga returning OFW.

Nakakasa na anya ang initial tranche pero hindi lang alam ni Cacdac kung magkano ito.

    

Ayon kay Cacdac, sasapat na ito para tumagal ang pondo hanggang katapusan ng taon.

    

Pero kapag naaprubahan anya ang panukala ng DOH sa extension ng mga balikbayan sa quarantine facility, posible pa anya silang humingi para sa dagdag-gastos dito.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/21/bilang-ng-quarantine-days-ng-mga-balikbayan-posibleng-dagdagan-owwa

Fair weather continues over PH Thursday

By Ma. Cristina Arayata

Generally fair weather will continue to prevail across the country, the weather bureau said Thursday.

In its daily forecast, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) affecting the southern portion of Mindanao will also continue to bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorms over the Davao Region and Soccsksargen.

The rest of the country will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers caused by the easterlies and localized thunderstorms.

Light to moderate winds and slight to moderate seas will prevail over the whole archipelago, PAGASA said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1139274

Duterte to Chinese envoy: Send us Sinovac COVID-19 shots, not Sinopharm

Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday he has asked an envoy of China to send the Philippines COVID-19 shots from Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech, instead of jabs from Chinese state firm Sinopharm. 

Duterte this week received a dose from a batch of 1,000 Sinopharm doses that officials said China sent. However, according to him, experts said the vaccine has yet to be studied in the Philippines. 

He said he told China's ambassador to "withdraw all Sinopharm vaccines, 1,000 of them." The Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines is Huang Xilian.

"Huwag ka na lang magpadala ng Sinopharm dito para walang gulo. Sabi ko, ibigay mo lang sa amin ‘yong Sinovac na ginagamit sa lahat," Duterte said.

(Don't send us Sinopharm anymore, so there will be no trouble. I said just give us Sinovac that is used everywhere.)

The 1,000 Sinopharm doses set to be recalled "would not make a dent doon sa supply," Duterte added. 

The Philippine drug regulator has yet to clear Sinopharm's COVID-19 shot for emergency use.

In February, the Food and Drug Administration issued a "compassionate use license" for the use of 10,000 Sinopharm vaccine doses by the PSG.

Sinovac, meanwhile, has an emergency use authorization in the Philippines. 

Addressing critics of his vaccine choice, Duterte said: "We are sorry that we committed the things that you are criticizing us for. We accept responsibility." 

The World Health Organization has yet to approve Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines for emergency use.

 

An emergency listing from the WHO is an indication to national regulators of a shot's safety and efficacy, and would allow the Chinese vaccines to be included in COVAX, the global program to provide vaccines mainly for poor countries.

Sinovac accounts for the bulk of the 4.04 million COVID-19 shots that the Philippines has received so far. Authorities have administered 2.065 million of these doses. 

Among the hardest hit in Asia, the Philippines aims to vaccinate up to 70 million people or two-thirds of its population this year. 

– With a report from Reuters 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/21/duterte-sinopharm-sinovac-china

DOST: Ivermectin clinical trials to begin in June; P22M committed to project

Ivermectin trials to run for 8 months

The Philippines has committed at least P22 million to conduct an 8-month clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of ivermectin against COVID-19. 

According to Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Sec. Fortunato dela Peña, the Department of Health will cover the costs of the trials.

Dr. Aileen Wang of the UP-PGH Department of Medicine will lead the panel that will handle the trial to run from June to January 2022.

Dela Peña said the veterinary anti-parasitic drug will be tested for efficacy, safety, and effect on 1,200 asymptomatic and non-severe Filipino coronavirus patients, who are at least 18 years old.

"Karamihan po ng pasyente natin talaga ay itong asymptomatic and non-severe," he explained in a taped public briefing on Wednesday.

Dela Peña said the DOST is coordinating with Sen. Richard Gordon and the Philippine Red Cross for facilities to hold the ivermecin trials.

Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the DOST's research arm, earlier said the focus will be on Metro Manila as it has the most number of infections and would be easier to follow up on participants.

The department would finish its trial whether or not the Food and Drug Administration has allowed human use of the veterinary drug, he added.

The FDA has so far allowed only 5 hospitals to use ivermectin as an investigational drug to treat COVID-19.

Dela Peña, meanwhile, announced the timetables of clinical trials for the following:

tawa-tawa (11 months)

lagundi (July 13,2020 - May 12, 2021; 11 months)

virgin coconut oil for hospitalized COVID-19 patients (June 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021; 12 months)

VCO for suspect and probable COVID-19 cases (May 1, 2020 - June 31, 2021; 14 months or more)

melatonin (September 7, 2020 - June 6, 2021; 9 months)

convalescent plasma (July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021; 12 months)

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/21/ivermectin-clinical-trials-covid19

Duterte orders police: Arrest those improperly wearing face masks

Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday instructed police to arrest people who do not wear their anti-virus masks properly, contradicting the justice department's advice on handling violation of protocols to contain COVID-19. 

Duterte said hospitals are still swamped with coronavirus infections. The public needs to mask up and follow other rules, “if you are a thinking person,” he said.

“My orders to the police are, those who are not working their masks properly, in order to protect the public . . . arrest them and detain them, investigate them why they are doing it,” Duterte said in a taped speech. 

“‘Pag hindi ko ganunin, hindi ko higpitan, walang mangyayari . . . Ako dito hirap na hirap, pawala na iyong pera natin sa bangko tapos sige pa rin kayo, galaw nang galaw d’yan nang hindi tama, mapupunta talaga kayo sa istasyon.”

(If I don't not tighten the rules, nothing will happen. I'm having a hard time here. Our funds our running out, and yet you continue to act recklessly. You will really end up at the police station.)

Last month, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra urged the task force leading the country's pandemic response not to arrest or detain violators and impose community service instead. 

Duterte in February acknowledged he would sometimes take his face mask off. 

"I’ve been criticized, tama kayo na eto si Duterte nagsasalita, hindi naman sinusunod. Tama kayo na hindi naman magma-mask. Tama kayo," Duterte said in a televised speech. 

(I’ve been criticized. You are right, 'Duterte talks, he doesn't do what he says'. You are right that I don't wear a mask.)

"Hindi ho ako holdaper na sanay magsalita nitong naka—kaya tinatanggal ko," he said, without a face mask on. 

(I am not a robber used to wearing a mask. That's why I remove it.)

To avoid COVID-19, the World Health Organization recommends wearing a mask when one is indoors and regardless of distance from others. 

The government requires Filipinos to wear anti-virus masks and full face shields in all public areas. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/21/duterte-mask-arrest-covid

Duterte threatens ex-DFA chief with ‘hanging’ for pulling out ships in West PH Sea

Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday threatened to execute "by hanging" a former foreign affairs secretary who had urged him to stand up to Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea. 

Duterte alleged the Philippines lost Scarborough Shoal when former foreign affairs secretary Albert Del Rosario removed Philippine vessels from the area, during a standoff with Chinese ships in 2012. 

"Ikaw Alberto, bakit mo pinaatras? Kaninong permission ka naghingi? Ngayon kung wala kang maibigay, p***** i** mo, 'wag mong ibigay sa akin ang kasalanan mo," the President said in a taped speech. 

(You Alberto, why did you make them retreat? Whose permission did you ask? Now, if you can't give any son of a b****, don't pass your sin to me.)

"One day you will be tasked to answer for that, iyang pag-order dapat imbestigahan ka. I don’t know what will be the history of this country because if I were a leader anymore, I will execute you by hanging." 

(One day you will be tasked to answer for that, you should be investigated.)

 

Del Rosario has said that the US brokered a deal to end the 2012 standoff hby having both China and the Philippines withdraw their ships. 

However, Beijing "deceitfully breached our agreement by not withdrawing their 30 or more ships," he said. 

Under the previous administration of former President Benigno Aquino, Del Rosario pursued an arbitral case against China. A United Nations-backed court in 2016 ruled in favor of Manila and junked Beijing's claim to about 90 percent of the South China Sea, within which is the smaller West Philippine Sea. 

China refuses to obey the ruling. 

Duterte "unfortunately" set aside the ruling in exchange of up to $24 billion pledge in Chinese investments and aid, Del Rosario and retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio said. 

"Hindi naman ako humingi, offered ‘yan… I never asked anything, I was asking friendship, that was all," said Duterte. 

(I never asked, it was offered.)

"Kung ako'y nagsisinungaling, mag-resign ako bukas kaagad." 

(If I am lying, I will resign immediately tomorrow.)

China-controlled Scarborough is one of the region's richest fishing grounds and a flashpoint between the two countries, which have rival claims.

Manila and Beijing's spat flared again in March after hundreds of Chinese boats were spotted inside the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone. 

Once-frosty ties between the two countries had warmed under Duterte, who set aside the ruling in exchange for promises of trade and investment that critics say have largely not materialized.

Facing growing domestic pressure to take a harder line, Duterte said last week the Philippine maritime patrols would continue, insisting its sovereignty over the waters was not negotiable.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/21/duterte-albert-del-rosario-china-sea

Duterte calls Philippine arbitral victory vs China a piece of 'paper' that led to nothing

Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday likened Manila's arbitral victory that invalidated China's sweeping claims to the West Philippine Sea to a piece of "paper", which he said led to nothing. 

Duterte said the administration of his predecessor Benigno Aquino Jr. pursued the arbitral case against Beijing after a standoff in the resource-rich waterway. 

"Nag-file sila ng kaso, nanalo tayo. ‘Yang papel sa totoong buhay between nation, ‘yang papel ‘yan, wala ‘yan. Kung sino iyong tigas, United States, Britain ‘pag ginusto nila—" he said in a taped speech, without finishing his sentence. 

(They filed a case, we won. That paper in real life between nations, that paper, it is nothing. Whoever is hard like the Unites States, Britain, if they want)

The 2012 standoff erupted at Scarborough Shoal, a small ring of reefs that lies about 230 kilometers from the Philippines and 650 kilometers from the nearest Chinese landmass. 

 

A United Nations-backed court ruled in favor of Manila and junked Beijing's claim to about 90 percent of the South China Sea, within which is the smaller West Philippine Sea.

But Duterte said Philippine ships were already gone from the area, while Chinese ships remained, when he assumed the presidency. 

"Tapos sabi nila itong papel sa kaso nanalo tayo, i-pursue mo. Pinursue ko, walang nangyari," Duterte said. "Actually sa usapang bugoy, sabihin ko sa ‘yo, bigay mo sa akin, sabihin ko, ‘P***** *** papel lang ‘yan, itatapon ko ‘yan sa wastebasket.'"

(They tell me to pursue this paper because we won. I pursued it but nothing happened. Actually, if you give that to me, I will tell you, 'Son of *****, I will throw that in the wastebasket.') 

China-controlled Scarborough is one of the region's richest fishing grounds and a flashpoint between the two countries, which have rival claims.

Manila and Beijing's spat flared again in March after hundreds of Chinese boats were spotted inside the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone. 

China has refused repeated calls from the Philippines to withdraw the boats, and tensions have intensified as Manila steps up maritime patrols in the area.

Once-frosty ties between the two countries had warmed under Duterte, who set aside the ruling in exchange for promises of trade and investment that critics say have largely not materialized.

Facing growing domestic pressure to take a harder line, Duterte said last week the Philippine maritime patrols would continue, insisting its sovereignty over the waters was not negotiable.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/21/duterte-china-arbitral-ruling-west-philippine-sea

PH to get 1.3M vaccine doses from COVAX, Pfizer jabs this month, says Galvez

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on Wednesday said at least 1.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine doses from the COVAX facility will arrive in this month.

Galvez said in a taped public briefing that in his talks with the UN-led initiative, the Philippine government was told the jabs will arrive "most likely" on May 11.

Vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech are included in the COVAX shipment. 

COVAX is a vaccine sharing program that aims to distribute shots to lower-income countries.

"Darating po ng May 11 . . . 'yung 193,000 [doses] . . . na parang tinatawag natin na mini-rollout ng Pfizer," he said, adding this will give the government much-needed experience on how to handle the US-made jabs, which need to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius.

Galvez said Pfizer will deliver some of its vaccines directly to some of Visayas and Mindanao, through Cebu and Davao, so they won't need to pass through Metro Manila.

He said urban centers, such as Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao City, will be prioritized in vaccine distribution due to prevalence of COVID-19 in these areas.

The lack of an indemnity deal, which settles who will shoulder the cost of adverse effects from the vaccine, delayed the arrival of the first Pfizer batch initially expected in mid-February. 

As of Wednesday, 1.7 million Filipinos have been inoculated, with 2.06 million vaccine doses administered, Galvez said. More than 3 million jabs have been delivered to the Philippines since February 28.

The country aims to vaccinate up to 70 million adult Filipinos or about two-thirds of its population this year to reach herd immunity against COVID-19.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/21/ph-to-get-13m-vaccine-doses-from-covax-pfizer-jabs-this-month-says-galvez

PH's health capacity improves as coronavirus spread slows, says Duque

The country's healthcare utilization rate has improved in recent weeks, as the growth of COVID-19 infections has slowed down, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Wednesday.

During President Rodrigo Duterte's taped address, Duque said the Philippines' overall healthcare utilization rate dropped by 4.7 percent to 49 percent as of May 4, from mid-April's 53.7 percent.

"Patuloy na bumubuti ang ating healthcare and ICU utilization nationwide dahil nagkaroon tayo ng pagkakataon na palawigin ang health system capacity noong tayo ay nagtaas ng ECQ at maingat na nag-transition naman sa MECQ," said Duque. 

(Our healthcare and ICU utilization rate nationwide continued to improve due to the extension of stricter lockdowns, and our transition to MECQ from ECQ.) 

Nationwide, dedicated intensive care units (ICU) beds are 64 percent occupied, down from 68.3 percent in the same period.

Likewise, isolation beds are currently at 45 percent occupancy from 50.6 percent, while mechanical ventilators are also used up at 42 percent from the peak 47.9 percent, according to Duque's presentation. 

Meanwhile, in Metro Manila, ICU beds are 71 percent filled up, while isolation beds are 51 percent utilized, as well as ward beds (58 percent) and mechanical ventilators (53 percent). 

The country's top health official attributed this to the reintroduction of stricter lockdowns in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, which also led to the decline of the virus' growth.

"Mayroon po tayong nakikitang pag-unlad, improvements, una rito ang pagbaba ng kaso sa buong Pilipinas at bumabagal din ang pagtaas ng mga kaso," he said. 

The Philippines' healthcare utilization rate is expected to ease in the coming weeks due to the effect of such lockdowns, he added.

Despite the developments, however, some hospitals are still announcing high to critical capacity due to the stream of new admissions, still far from ideal operations. 

DECLINE IN SPREAD OF INFECTIONS

Duque also said that the average daily attack rate (ADAR) per 100,000 people in the country is at 7.8 percent daily from April 18 to May 1 from 9.2 percent between April 4 to 17.

"Kung ito ay bababa pa, less than 7, ay mas maganda po dahil magiging moderate risk classification na po ang buong Pilipinas dahil sa ngayon po ay nasa moderate to high risk pa rin po tayo," he explained. 

(If this would be lessened to less than 7, then it will be better because it would downgrade our risk classification to moderate. Right now we are still in moderate to high risk) 

DAR is the number of new cases in a city or province over a two-week period, divided by the population of the city or province.

The growth rate was also at -15 percent nationwide during the same period, slower from the 11 percent from the previous 2 weeks, he said. 

The country has so far tallied over 1.073 million COVID-19 cases, with over 62,000 remaining active infections. 

A total 17,800 individuals, meanwhile, already died due to the virus. 

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/06/21/phs-health-capacity-improves-as-coronavirusvirus-spread-slows-says-duque

ABS-CBN shutdown ‘major electoral agenda’ in 2022 polls –House leaders

 THE shutdown of ABS-CBN broadcasting network has paved the way for press freedom to be “a major electoral agenda” in the 2022 presidential elections, lawmakers said on Wednesday.

This comes a year after the media giant was ordered by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to cease operations on May 5, 2020. The NTC had reneged on its promise to lawmakers to grant ABS-CBN a provisional permit, pending the renewal of its franchise.

“A year after ABS-CBN went off [the] air and a year [before] the 2022 elections, the respect for press freedom stands out as a major political agenda, which presidential aspirants must demonstrate,” Gabriela Women’s Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas said.

She said that no candidate who associates himself or herself with President Rodrigo Duterte, whose laws and policies have sent a “chilling effect” on press freedom, should be given the chance to lead the country.

Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, who sits as Deputy Minority Leader at the House of Representatives, echoed Brosas’ sentiment.

He said the shutdown of the network by “undemocratic forces” may have “dented the freedom of the press, but it failed to silence [a] nation seeking accountability amid this pandemic-aggravated crisis.”

“Despite these attacks, we now witness how [those] faint critical voices that they expected to fade or vanish are now getting louder once again, seeking transparency and accountability,” Zarate said.

“Even ABS-CBN did not wither away at all. It opened and migrated [to] other media platforms, and is still among the sources of credible information by millions of our people — now being flooded by fake news and revisionist narratives,” he added.

ABS-CBN’s legislative franchise expired on May 4, 2020. The broadcast giant went back to free-to-air television in October 2020 after sealing an agreement with the newly rebranded “A2Z,” previously known as Zoe TV Channel 11. It is owned by Brother Eddie Villanueva, who sits as Deputy Speaker at the House.

ACT Teachers’ Party-list Rep. France Castro who, like Brosas, is an Assistant Minority Leader, meanwhile, recalled the thousands of media employees who were forced to leave their jobs due to the shutdown and the “continued threats, harassment, red-tagging, arrests, and other forms of attacks” against journalists and workers from other sectors.

“Filipinos remember, so whoever Duterte’s candidates are in the upcoming elections would be marked as candidates under a regime that is threatened by the free press, public discourse, and a nation that speaks up and fights for its rights,” said Castro.

The shutdown of ABS-CBN was the second time in Philippine history. It was first forced off the air in September 1972 when then President Ferdinand Marcos placed the country under Martial Law.

Duterte had been publicly ranting against the embattled network since he assumed office in 2016, saying it failed to air his campaign commercials. In a Senate hearing, however, he accepted the apology of ABS-CBN President Carlo Katigbak for airing an anti-Duterte ad that was paid for by the opposition.

“This 2022, we hope we will elect a leader who [would] overturn this crazy madman’s show,” Brosas said in a statement. “Kailangang ibalik ang ABS-CBN at igalang ang kalayaan sa pamamahayag pati na ang karapatan ng publiko sa impormasyon (The government should bring back ABS-CBN and learn to respect the freedom of the press and the right of the public to information).”

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/05/05/news/abs-cbn-shutdown-major-electoral-agenda-in-2022-polls-house-leaders/870209/