Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Facebook plans to change its name - The Verge
Social media giant Facebook Inc is planning to rebrand itself with a new name next week to reflect its focus on building the metaverse, the Verge reported on Tuesday, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg plans to talk about the name change at the company's annual Connect conference on Oct. 28, but it could be unveiled sooner, the Verge reported.
A metaverse refers to shared virtual world environments, which people can access via the internet. The term can refer to digital spaces, which are made more lifelike by the use of virtual reality or augmented reality.
The rebranding would likely position Facebook's social media app as one of many products under a parent company, which will oversee groups like Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus and more, the report added.
Facebook said it does not comment on rumor or speculation. (Reporting by Shivam Patel in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Anil D'Silva)
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/20/21/facebook-plans-to-change-its-name-the-verge
Facebook is planning to rebrand the company with a new name
Mark Zuckerberg wants to be known for building the metaverse
Facebook is planning to change its company name next week to reflect its focus on building the metaverse, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
The coming name change, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to talk about at the company’s annual Connect conference on October 28th, but could unveil sooner, is meant to signal the tech giant’s ambition to be known for more than social media and all the ills that entail. The rebrand would likely position the blue Facebook app as one of many products under a parent company overseeing groups like Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, and more. A spokesperson for Facebook declined to comment for this story.
Facebook already has more than 10,000 employees building consumer hardware like AR glasses that Zuckerberg believes will eventually be as ubiquitous as smartphones. In July, he told The Verge that, over the next several years, “we will effectively transition from people seeing us as primarily being a social media company to being a metaverse company.”
A rebrand could also serve to further separate the futuristic work Zuckerberg is focused on from the intense scrutiny Facebook is currently under for the way its social platform operates today. A former employee turned whistleblower, Frances Haugen, recently leaked a trove of damning internal documents to The Wall Street Journal and testified about them before Congress. Antitrust regulators in the US and elsewhere are trying to break the company up, and public trust in how Facebook does business is falling.
Facebook isn’t the first well-known tech company to change its company name as its ambitions expand. In 2015, Google reorganized entirely under a holding company called Alphabet, partly to signal that it was no longer just a search engine, but a sprawling conglomerate with companies making driverless cars and health tech. And Snapchat rebranded to Snap Inc. in 2016, the same year it started calling itself a “camera company” and debuted its first pair of Spectacles camera glasses.
I’m told that the new Facebook company name is a closely-guarded secret within its walls and not known widely, even among its full senior leadership. A possible name could have something to do with Horizon, the name of the still-unreleased VR version of Facebook-meets-Roblox that the company has been developing for the past few years. The name of that app was recently tweaked to Horizon Worlds shortly after Facebook demoed a version for workplace collaboration called Horizon Workrooms.
Aside from Zuckerberg’s comments, Facebook has been steadily laying the groundwork for a greater focus on the next generation of technology. This past summer it set up a dedicated metaverse team. More recently, it announced that the head of AR and VR, Andrew Bosworth, will be promoted to chief technology officer. And just a couple of days ago Facebook announced plans to hire 10,000 more employees to work on the metaverse in Europe.
The metaverse is “going to be a big focus, and I think that this is just going to be a big part of the next chapter for the way that the internet evolves after the mobile internet,” Zuckerberg told The Verge’s Casey Newton this summer. “And I think it’s going to be the next big chapter for our company too, really doubling down in this area.”
Complicating matters is that, while Facebook has been heavily promoting the idea of the metaverse in recent weeks, it’s still not a concept that’s widely understood. The term was coined originally by sci-fi novelist Neal Stephenson to describe a virtual world people escape to from a dystopian, real world. Now it’s being adopted by one of the world’s largest and most controversial companies — and it’ll have to explain why its own virtual world is worth diving into.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/19/22735612/facebook-change-company-name-metaverse
Friday, October 15, 2021
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
SM to open new mall in Daet, Camarines Norte on Oct. 15
SM Prime Holdings said it will open SM City Daet on Oct. 15, Friday.
The new mall will be the company's first in Camarines Norte, and its third mall in the Bicol Region, the company disclosed to the stock market.
SM City Daet will be situated along the bustling Vinzons Avenue in Barangay Lag-on and will have three levels of shopping, dining, and entertainment destinations, SM Prime said.
“The opening of SM City Daet marks another milestone for SM Prime as we continue to weather the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that the opening of this mall, with safety protocols in place, will provide convenience, comfort, and entertainment to our fellow Bicolanos in Camarines Norte,” SM Prime President Jeffrey C. Lim said.
The SM Cinema and other amusement centers will be open to the public once allowed to operate by the Inter-Agency Task Force, the company said.
Cinema operators have called on the government to allow theaters to accept fully vaccinated people subject to health protocols.
SM Prime's consolidated net income hit P11.6 billion in the first six months of 2021, up 12 percent from P10.4 billion in the first half of 2020.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/13/21/sm-to-open-new-mall-in-daet-camarines-norte
Monday, October 11, 2021
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Megaworld earmarks P98B to build business district in Bulacan
By TED CORDERO, GMA News
Tycoon Andrew Tan-led Megaworld Corp. on Wednesday announced its plan to develop a 85-hectare land along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in the municipalities of Marilao and Bocaue in Bulacan into a “global business district.”
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Megaworld said it is allocating P98 billion to develop the new integrated urban township in the said areas in the next 15 to 20 years.
The property giant said the planned development, Northwin Global City, will give Bulacan its first-ever metropolitan hub for business and lifestyle.
Megaworld said Northwin Global City will be strategically located 20 kilometers north of Metro Manila and can be accessed via the Marilao Exit of NLEX.
The planned township project will be 20 minutes away from the proposed New Manila International Airport in Bulacan, and five minutes away from the Philippine Arena.
The township project will have its own themed commercial district, high-rise residential condominiums, hotels, malls, mixed-use commercial buildings, educational institutions, and state-of-the-art office towers, according to Megaworld.
The property developer added that 40% of the entire township development will be dedicated to green and open spaces such as landscaped parks.
The company said it will also be integrating “future-proofing” features into Northwin Global City such as the installation of solar-powered and LED streetlights, underground cabling system, fiber optic cabling, bike lanes, storm water detention facility for flood prevention, intermodal transport terminal, and other sustainable infrastructure for mobility and connectivity.
“Finally, our vision of having a truly modern and global business district for Bulacan is coming to a reality. This is like building a new city that will put the province of Bulacan in the global business map because we envision huge multinational companies to be operating here once our commercial district and our office towers will be completed,” said Kevin Tan, chief strategy officer, Megaworld.
“Northwin Global City’s close proximity to Metro Manila and its ideal location just along NLEX and the major transport infrastructure will be very favorable for the future locators and residents of this township,” Tan said.
Northwin Global City will also host one of the stations of the Manila-Clark Railway Project, Megaworld.
“Once completed, Northwin Global City will have convenient access to three international airports in Bulacan, Clark, and even in Metro Manila,” Tan said.
From the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Makati Central Business District, and Bonifacio Global City, Northwin Global City can also be easily accessed via the Skyway 3 towards NLEX, which will only take around an hour during normal traffic. —KG, GMA News
Friday, October 1, 2021
Fresnedi to push for creation of 2nd Muntinlupa congressional district
Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, who is running for congressman in the upcoming elections, said he will aim for the creation of a second congressional district in the city.
Fresnedi and Rep. Rufino Biazon have teamed up under the One Muntinlupa unity party and have switched places for the May 9, 2022 elections.
Fresnedi, who is in his third and last term as city mayor, is seeking to become the next congressman of the lone district of Muntinlupa.
Biazon, who is serving his second term as congressman, opted to run for mayor to succeed Fresnedi.
According to Fresnedi, the creation of a second congressional district in Muntinlupa will be his top priority if he wins next year.
“The population of our city is enough to have an additional congressional district. That will be my top priority for the City of Muntinlupa,” he said Friday when he accompanied Biazon when he filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Muntinlupa office.
Fresnedi filed his COC at the Comelec NCR office in compliance with the guidelines set by the poll body.
Under Section 5 of Article 6 of the Constitution, “Each legislative district shall comprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory. Each city with a population of at least two hundred fifty thousand, or each province, shall have at least one representative.”
Based on the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Muntinlupa has a total population of 543,445, which qualifies it to have a second legislative district under the constitutional guidelines.
The legislative district of Muntinlupa was created on March 1, 1995, when then-President Fidel Ramos signed Republic Act 7926, which converted the Municipality of Muntinlupa into a highly urbanized city.
However, the law mandated that Muntinlupa would only have its first election of its first representative in 1998.
Before this, Muntinlupa and Las Pinas were grouped under one legislative district. Prior to this, Muntinlupa, Taguig, and Pateros were under one legislative district.
https://mb.com.ph/2021/10/01/fresnedi-to-push-for-creation-of-2nd-muntinlupa-congressional-district/
Thursday, September 30, 2021
SM Hip City (Harrison Plaza)
I was always fascinated by how even bigger this mall could be if only it was at least 3 levels or more when I was a student as it was the closest mall with a direct jeepney route from our school. Back then aside from its 2 level building, it also had a sort of annex which houses its biggest cinema and huge open parking in the middle plus a structure they've added which is the jai-alai fronton.
And in a few years, it is reportedly becoming an SM mixed-use complex to fully maximize the massive area it has as its surroundings are already gentrified by numerous vertical developments.
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Isko will sign Congress-approved ABS-CBN franchise if elected president
Presidential aspirant Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso said he will not block the operation of ABS-CBN if its franchise application passes Congress.
"I made it clear: rule of law. If Congress gives you such privilege and approves it, I will sign it," the former actor said on Wednesday as he officially declared his 2022 plans.
President Rodrigo Duterte, who has repeatedly accused ABS-CBN of not paying taxes despite the allegation being refuted by government agencies, earlier threatened to block the broadcaster's operations even if it gets a franchise.
The media giant went off the air on May 5, 2020, for the first time since the martial law regime of late President Ferdinand Marcos to comply with the National Telecommunications Commission's order. It was officially shut down on July 10, after the House Committee on Legislative Franchises denied its application for a fresh 25-year franchise.
https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/9/22/Isko-Moreno-ABS-CBN-franchise.html
Honey Lacuna, Yul Servo to run for Manila mayor, vice mayor as Isko guns for presidency
Manila Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna on Wednesday confirmed that she would be running for mayor of the capital city, with Manila 3rd District Rep. Yul Servo Nieto as her vice mayor.
Lacuna gave the statement to ABS-CBN News on the sidelines of the launch of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso's presidential bid in Baseco, Manila.
"Alam kong kayang-kaya niya ipagpatuloy ang mga nasimulan na natin sa bayan na ito," Domagoso said of Lacuna in his speech.
(I know that she can continue what we started in the city.)
Lacuna is the daughter of the late Manila Vice Mayor Danny Lacuna, who served as Domagoso's mentor when the former actor started in politics as councilor in the capital.
When asked why he will not run for reelection as lawmaker, Servo told ABS-CBN News: "'Yun ang napagkasunduan ng partido."
(That was what was decided by the party.)
Servo, Manila's 3rd district representative, is eligible for another term in the House.
He is also a part of Domagoso and Lacuna's local party Asenso Manileño.
It was also the incumbent Manila Mayor who encouraged Servo, a fellow actor, to join public service.
Servo said Manila City Council Majority Leader Joel Chua is expected to run for the House position he will vacate.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/22/21/honey-lacuna-yul-servo-to-run-for-manila-mayor-vice-mayor
House ratifies bill postponing Bangsamoro election until 2025
The House of Representatives on Tuesday ratified House Bill 10121 which seeks to postpone the first regular election of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) until 2025.
The chamber gave its formal approval for the bicameral conference committee report on the disagreeing provisions of the House and Senate versions of the bill.
Once the Senate ratifies its version, the bill will be enrolled and transmitted for the President’s signature.
Lawmakers last week approved HB 10121, which would amend the Bangsamoro Organic Law's provision that sets the region's first election in 2022.
This, after President Rodrigo Duterte certified the bill as urgent.
According to its Congressional fact sheet, the bill will grant the president the power to appoint 80 members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), who will serve up to June 30, 2025, when the incumbent members' terms expire on June 30, 2022.
The current BTA, sitting as the region's parliament, has yet to enact its own electoral code, a crucial document needed to govern the supposed elections in May 2022.
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim earlier vowed to finalize its electoral code in the first quarter of 2021, but the document has yet to materialize 8 months away from the May 2022 polls.
The BTA lobbied to postpone the elections, citing disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but other groups in the region are opposing the move.
— Report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/22/21/house-ratifies-bill-postponing-bangsamoro-election-until-2025
Sunday, September 19, 2021
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
Measure resetting Bangsamoro elections nears enactment
ILIGAN CITY, Lanao del Norte, Philippines — Just two weeks before the filing of candidacies for the 2022 national elections, the proposal to postpone the parliamentary polls in the Bangsamoro region has moved closer to becoming law.
On Monday, the House of Representatives approved on second reading House Bill No. 10121 resetting the regional elections from 2022 to 2025.
This would extend the life of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the provisional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) which was created under the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in keeping with the peace agreement between the government and the erstwhile rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Plebiscite
Inaugurated in March 2019, the 80-member BTA has 41 members nominated by the MILF while 39 were government nominees. All were appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte after the BOL was ratified in a plebiscite that saw Cotabato City and 63 villages in Cotabato province joining the autonomous region.
MILF chief Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim was also appointed Duterte as the BARMM’s interim chief minister.
HB 10121 is a substitute for the versions filed by Maguindanao Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu, Capiz Rep. Loren Legarda, Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, Lanao del Norte Rep. Khalid Dimaporo and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez.
Important step
“We thank the leadership of the House, and in particular Representative Mangudadatu, for his perseverance in guiding this process, and for Congress in taking this important step toward ensuring that the legacy of peace is sustained in the Bangsamoro,” said Bangsamoro Interior Minister Naguib Sinarimbo.
Sinarimbo is confident that the measure will sail through the next steps in the legislative process.
“What is left is merely the ceremonial third and final reading to complete the process in the House of Representatives,” he added.
The Senate passed the measure on Sept. 6, embodied in Senate Bill No. 2214.
The House and Senate versions of the measure are identical, which means there will no longer be a need to reconcile them, hastening the legislative process.
The BTA leadership has asked Duterte and Congress last year to extend the transition period by another three years to give enough time to lay down the foundations of effective autonomous governance in the region which was greatly affected by the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
—WITH A REPORT FROM NESTOR CORRALES
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1487928/measure-resetting-bangsamoro-elections-nears-enactment
Thursday, September 2, 2021
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Sunday, August 22, 2021
TV Patrol Line-Up (June 30, 2022)
2022-present: Retention of debut title / de Castro era
In time for President-elect Leni Robredo's inauguration and return of ABS-CBN's broadcasting operations, on June 30, 2022, it retained the original title with the return of 1996 logo, theme music and studio design.
Noli de Castro as the anchor for the weeknight edition, as well as Alvin Elchico as anchor for the weekend edition.
The edition's stories are the inauguration of president Leni Robredo and the reopening of the network's broadcasting operations and featured statements by ABS-CBN president and chief executive officer Carlo Katigbak and chairman Mark López.
The content provided: 6-6:01 p.m. News Headlines and OBB, 6:01-6:15 p.m. Local, International and Financial News; 6:12-6:15 p.m. commercial break, 6:15-6:23 p.m. Local, International and Financial News, 6:23-6:25 p.m. Sports News, 6:25-6:26 p.m. Advertisement after the news ends, 6:26-6:28 p.m. Weather Report, 6:28-6:30 p.m. advertising.
In the opening ident, Vic de Leon Lima starts the day's headlines "Sa ulo ng ating mga nagbabagang balita," with clips from the specific news items, after which, the opening billboard with Peter Musngi provided the voice-over, "Mula sa ABS-CBN News Center, narito si Kabayan Noli de Castro" to introduce the newscast, as de Castro began the pilot and subsequent episodes with his opening line, "Magandang gabi, bayan." It ended with their closing line, "At yan ang kabuuan ng mga balitang itinampok sa TV Patrol, ako ang inyong Kabayang si Noli de Castro; hanggang bukas/sa Lunes, maraming salamat at magandang gabi bayan" to end the newscast.
Line-up
1. ABS-CBN Station ID (2014 version) (2022)
2. Headliners (voiced by Vic de Leon Lima)
3. OBB
4. On-Cam
5. Local, International and Financial News
6. Noli: Intro to first gap
7. Gap 1 (3 minutes)
8. Local, International and Financial News
9. Bernadette: Intro to second gap
10. Gap 2 (3 minutes)
11. Local, International and Financial News
12. Sports News
13. Banter/Extro
14. CBB
Thursday, August 19, 2021
House, Senate to resume plenary sessions on Monday
(UPDATED) — The Senate and House of Representatives will resume plenary sessions next week, regardless if Metro Manila remains under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), officials from both chambers said Thursday.
The upper chamber, like the House of Representatives, has not been holding plenary sessions for nearly 2 weeks after the capital region was placed under the strictest of government's 4-level quarantine statuses due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.
"I will convene on Monday they extend or not. We are very delayed as it is, in our legislative agenda," Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said.
Sotto made the statement after Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri expressed worries that senators may not have sufficient time to pass important legislative measures.
Lawmakers are expected to be busy with budget deliberations come September and the filing of certificate of candidacies for the 2022 elections by October.
In case ECQ is extended in Metro Manila, the Senate may start its plenary sessions earlier so staff members can also arrive in their homes before curfew hours, Sotto said.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The lower chamber will also resume their work on Monday, according to Secretary General Mark Llandro Mendoza.
Plenary sessions will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. using alternative and face-to-face setup, according to Mendoza.
This hybrid platform, he said, would only require the House Speaker, a representative of the majority and minority leaders, as well as a small number of secretariat staff inside the plenary hall.
Only important personnel, meanwhile, will be allowed inside secretariat offices. The secretary general urged their offices to make their operations limited, with work from home setup as the main mode to perform tasks.
"The rest of the House members shall attend via Zoom videoconferencing," Mendoza said.
The government has yet to announce the next community quarantine status of Metro Manila, which remains under ECQ until Friday.
— reports from Robert Mano and RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/19/21/senate-to-resume-plenary-sessions-on-monday-sotto
MB Daily News Update
With the two-week hard lockdown set to expire tomorrow, Metro Manila is left with only two community quarantine options — extend ECQ or deescalate to MECQ this month.
The final decision on new community quarantine status of the capital region is expected to be announced by President Duterte on August 20, according to the Palace.
The country also posted its second-highest daily increase in coronavirus cases while the health department is mulling to give booster shoots to health workers. The country’s vaccine supply will also be augmented by the additional donations from China. A budget of P240.7 billion has also been proposed to sustain the government’s COVID-19 response next year.
These are among the major stories on Thursday, August 19, 2021.
Sunday, August 15, 2021
Nasa hanggang 4,000 Pinoy di makaalis pa-Hong Kong: grupo
Tinatayang nasa hanggang 4,000 na Pilipinong nakatakdang pumunta ng Hong Kong para magtrabaho ang hindi makaalis ng bansa dahil sa isyu ng COVID-19 vaccination card, sabi ngayong Linggo ng isang grupo.
Ayon kay Bayan Hong Kong and Macau Chairman Eman Villanueva, nasa 3,500 hanggang 4,000 Filipino na magtatrabaho sana sa Hong Kong ang stranded sa Maynila at patuloy na nababaon sa utang.
Ito'y sa gitna ng patuloy na pag-uusap ng mga pamahalaan ng Pilipinas at Hong Kong kaugnay sa vaccination card ng mga Pinoy.
Ipinaliwanag ni Villanueva na kasama kasi ang Pilipinas sa mga itinuturing na "high-risk country" ng Hong Kong para sa COVID-19, kaya ang mga fully vaccinated na Pinoy lang ang puwedeng makapasok ng teritoryo.
Kung binakunahan sa Pilipinas, dapat umanong makapagpresenta ang Pinoy ng vaccination record na kinikilala ng World Health Organization.
Ayon kay Villanueva, marami sa mga stranded na pa-Hong Kong ang hindi na bumalik ng probinsiya dahil umaasang agad na silang makakaalis.
Ang ilan sa mga Pinoy ay nangangambang mawalan ng trabaho dahil hindi na sila mahintay ng kanilang employer sa Hong Kong.
Marami rin umanong Pinoy sa Hong Kong ang hindi makauwi sa bansa dahil sa quarantine restrictions at nauubos na rin ang naipong pera.
Umapela si Villanueva sa gobyerno na tulungan ang mga stranded na Pinoy.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/15/21/hanggang-4000-pinoy-di-makaalis-pa-hong-kong
#IbalikangABSCBN: ASAP is making a comeback
the longest running Sunday noontime variety show ASAP aired on ABS-CBN, simulcast with A23, hosted by hosted by Martin Nievera, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Piolo Pascual, Daniel Padilla, Gary Valenciano, Sarah Geronimo, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Erik Santos, Luis Manzano, Kim Chiu, Enchong Dee and Janine Gutierrez.
Nurses' group discourages health workers' mass resignation
The Philippine Nurses Association said Sunday it does not encourage health workers' plan to hold mass resignations but cannot blame them should they do so as COVID-19 cases rise across the country.
The group sympathizes with medical frontliners who have yet to receive their benefits that the government promised them, said PNA national president Melbert Reyes.
"As much a possible, we don’t encourage them na gawin yan kasi ang maaapektuhan po ang pasyente, yung beneficiary ng care ng ating healthcare workers," Reyes told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.
(As much a possible, we don’t encourage them to do that because patients will be affected.)
"Pero di natin sila masisisi kung gagawin nila 'yan sapagkat ang pagpapahalaga at malasakit na binibigay ng gobyerno ay hindi talaga nila nararamdaman."
(But we can't blame them because they can't feel appreciation and care from government.)
Some health workers in private hospitals have yet to receive their special risk allowances or hazard pay, according to Reyes.
Around 40 percent of private hospital nurses have quit their jobs, he added, citing data from the Private Hospitals Association Philippines.
"Sana po, matingnan natin ang sistema ng implementation. Wala naman po siguro magrereklamo kung natatanggap nang maayos," he said.
(I hope government will look at its system of implementation. No one will complain if everyone gets their benefits.)
"Naniniwala pa rin po ako na ang ating health workers ay pinalaki na merong nag-aalab ng apoy para sa serbisyo. Nasasabi nila 'yan dahil marami silang pinagdadaanan."
(I believe our health workers were raised with a passion for service. They are just saying this because they're facing many difficulties.)
Health workers would also like to get a booster COVID-19 jab, Reyes added as many of them were inoculated with Chinese vaccine Sinovac which has shown decreased antibodies after 6 months.
The government has yet to authorize booster COVID-19 shots.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/15/21/group-discourages-health-workers-mass-resignation
Enrollment in public schools starts August 16: DepEd
Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News
Millions of public school students can start registering for the next school year on Monday, August 16, the Department of Education has said.
Enrollment for the upcoming school year will be done remotely in areas under enhanced community quarantine and modified enhanced community quarantine, the DepEd said in Order No. 32, which sets guidelines for the enrollment period.
Under remote enrollment, parents will be contacted by the school but they can also reach out to teachers, the department said.
Parents and guardians may physically submit the Modified Learner Enrollment and Survey Forms (MLESF) in schools in areas under general community quarantine and modified general community quarantine, the DepEd said.
It added that schools may also implement drop box enrollment, under which parents would submit accomplished MLESF in drop boxes or booths "in front of the school gate, in front of the barangay halls and other strategic locations."
The agency said it also preferred teachers and non-teaching personnel who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to manage enrollment.
Parents of incoming kindergarten and Grades 7 and 11 students — grade levels that underwent early registration earlier this year — must "re-affirm their intent to enroll their children to a school of their choice via digital and/or physical enrollment platforms established by schools."
Learners planning to transfer from one school to another, meanwhile, must contact the receiving school through its published enrollment contact details.
"[The] previous adviser is no longer required to facilitate submission of MLESF of learner that is about to transfer to another school," the DepEd said.
Balik-Aral learners, or those who will resume their studies after dropping out, are instructed to directly contact their preferred schools for enrollment.
The education department also advised those enrolling under the Alternative Learning System (ALS) to "communicate their intent to enroll via digital and/or physical enrollment platforms established by schools and barangays with community learning centers."
The enrollment period will end on September 13, also the first day of classes, the DepEd said.
For the upcoming academic year, schools will be implementing distance learning again as in-person classes remain indefinitely banned due to the continued threat of COVID-19.
Private schools have been allowed to start classes as early as June.
Last year, more than 24 million students enrolled in basic education when classes began on October 5, down by 3 million compared to the total number of enrollees from the previous year.
By January, the number of enrollees for School Year (SY) 2020 to 2021 went up to over 26.6 million or 96 percent from the previous SY, according to the DepEd, which attributed the increase to the ALS.
"[The] big reduction is on ALS but enrollment is still increasing because everyday is an enrollment day for ALS learners," the DepEd said.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/15/21/public-school-enrollment-starts-aug-16-deped
PGH will temporarily not accept non-COVID cases: official
(UPDATE) - The Philippines' largest COVID-19 referral center will temporarily stop accepting sick people who are not infected with the coronavirus, its spokesman said Sunday.
The Philippine General Hospital so far has 262 virus patients out of its 250 bed capacity, according to Dr. Jonas del Rosario. The hospital has added 50 more beds to its COVID-19 ward, he said.
Only non-COVID "true emergencies" or "life-and-limb threatening non-COVID emergencies" such as trauma, heart attacks, or massive stroke will be accepted by PGH, he added.
"Dahil sa dumaraming bilang ng mga COVID patients, kinakailangang magbukas kami ng karagdagang lugar para sa mga ito," the government facility said in a public advisory posted on its social media account on Saturday.
(Due to the increasing number of COVID patients, we need to open some sections in the hospital for them.)
"Subalit, upang mapagtuunang mabuti ang pag-alaga sa mga may COVID, kami ay pansamantalang hindi muna tatanggap ng mga pasyenteng may ibang medikal na karamdaman na wala namang COVID," it added.
(To be able to attend to COVID patients, we will temporarily stop accepting patients without COVID.)
The hospital's adult intensive care unit with 40 beds is already full, Del Rosario said. Some 90 percent of patients occupying the ICU are unvaccinated, he added.
"Ang isang napansin namin, maliban sa vaccination status, talagang malaking bagay ang comorbidity mo, tsaka yung age," he said.
(What we've observed is aside from vaccination status, a person's comorbidity and age affects the severity of their illness.)
The 12-bed pedia COVID-19 ward meantime has 8 patients, with 4 more patients waiting to be admitted, according to Del Rosario.
"Ang maganda naman po, kahit nagiging severe o critical ang mga bata, majority po talagang nakaka-recover. It might take a longer time," he said.
(The good news is even if children become severe or critical, majority of them recover.)
The hospital has a 16 percent mortality rate for COVID patients as it receives severe to critical patients as an end-referral hospital, according to Del Rosario. It has a daily average of 3 to 4 deaths over the last 7 days, he said.
The PGH has a 6 percent mortality rate for child virus patients, he added.
All out-patient services of the hospital will be closed starting Monday, August 16, until further notice, in observance of the enhanced community quarantine and to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, it said in a separate notice.
The hospital's Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and Cancer Institute will remain open, it added.
"Patients are encouraged to do telemedicine consultation," the PGH said.
The facility asked for public understanding on its decision and said it will promptly advise if the number of COVID-19 cases eases.
Of the 262 COVID-19 patients confined in the hospital, as of Saturday, 260 are confirmed cases, one is probable, and another one is suspected.
At the start of the month, it only had 143 confined COVID-19 patients, including one probable case.
The Philippines has detected the more virulent COVID-19 Delta variant which was first detected in India.
More than 12.1 million individuals in the country are already fully vaccinated against COVID-19, data from government showed.
- reports from Jekki Pascual and Gillan Ropero, ABS-CBN News
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/15/21/pgh-will-temporarily-not-accept-non-covid-cases