Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Comelec to use IPPs for Palawan plebiscite
Isolation polling places or IPPs will be put up to secure the safety and health of voters participating in a plebiscite intended to divide Palawan into three provinces, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported yesterday.
In a virtual press conference, Comelec Commissioner Antonio Kho Jr. said voters manifesting symptoms of COVID such as fever, colds and cough would be required to cast their votes in the IPPs.
“As a safety measure for voters participating in the plebiscite, the Comelec deemed it necessary to set up the IPPs,” Kho said.
“Those who will refuse to vote in the IPPs will not be allowed to cast their votes in regular polling precincts. This is being done for the safety and security of every voter,” he added.
The plebiscite will be conducted on March 13. Should the yes votes win, the island will be divided into Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental and Palawan del Sur.
Jovencio Balanguit, chief of the Comelec vulnerable sectors’ office, said voters who would register a temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher or would answer yes in any of the questions contained in the health declaration are required to cast their votes in the IPPs.
The IPPs can accommodate five voters at a time.
Kho said the IPPs are not intended to prohibit voters from casting their votes, but to protect the health of those participating in the plebiscite.
Depending on the state of the COVID pandemic, Kho said the Comelec may also put up IPPs during the May 2022 elections.
“If this will turn out successful, we may adopt it in the May 2022 elections, because this will be the first time for us to hold an electoral exercise amid a pandemic,” Kho said.
Express lanes for the elderly, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and pregnant women will also be put up during the voting.
Over 97,000 voters from the vulnerable sectors such as the elderly, PWDs and indigenous peoples’ groups are expected to participate in the plebiscite.
https://www.philstar.com/nation/2021/03/02/2081252/comelec-use-ipps-palawan-plebiscite
Monday, March 1, 2021
When Love Walks Out
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
Do all singles wish they were married? No, not any more than all married folks wish they were single. Some of the most frustrated, angry, and bitter individuals I have ever met are those who wanted to marry, but never did. I’m thinking in particular of some individuals who went outside of God’s plan for sexual purity, lived with someone, but ended up alone and with a broken heart.
At the same time, it is often confusing and difficult for those who have lived with a mate for years to come to grips with the loneliness and isolation they didn’t expect when they lost their mate. I’m thinking of a friend whose husband was killed in a strange set of circumstances. She wrote, “Something of me died when the one who had been a part of me for so many years was taken away.”
But by far the most hurting and confused singles are not those whose spouses were taken from them in death. Rather they are the army of those whose mates walked out on them, preferring the company of someone else. After ten, twenty, or even more years, one day, often unexpectedly, someone announced, “I want out; You’re not meeting my needs and I don’t love you anymore.” And when that happens no matter how much the one hearing these words may love the other, or how much he or she may love God, the person becomes a victim who finds himself or herself single again. They are the ones who have to live with the living dead.
Those in that number who have children, may struggle with guilt, thinking, “Surely I did something wrong to deserve this.” They wax between anger and frustration trying to be both mom and dad, which is an impossibility.
There are three basic choices which confront individuals such as this. Choice #1: Live in a world of broken pieces laced with bitterness and animosity. The single parent who would very much have liked to have a partner in raising the family at times is bound to feel sorry for himself or herself. You may struggle with God, wondering why He allowed this when you “did your part.” But the world of bitterness never provides an answer.
Choice #2: You can throw yourself into a relationship which might bring temporary companionship but is totally outside of God’s plan and can be devastating to your children. Living with somebody to whom you are not married is loaded with enough insecurities apart from the added hassle of your child’s saying, “You’re not my dad! I don’t have to do what you say.” Yes, you are the one left to deal with your children’s emotions as well as your own.
Choice #3: Reach out for God’s help and begin to build bridges and put your life together again. Listen to the words of a parent who did. She wrote, “When my husband first walked out I was absolutely scared to death and filled with hatred and bitterness, feeling sorry for myself. After blaming and cursing God for my troubles, I threw myself on His mercy and wept my heart out. When I picked myself up and stopped feeling sorry for myself, I found God to be a loving Father who not only helped me as a single parent but helped me keep my emotions and life together. I found in Christ a strength that I had never known before.” She did and so can you!
Resource Reading: Psalm 27
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/when-love-walks-out-2/
Comelec to set up special precincts for Palawan plebiscite
By Ferdinand Patinio
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said isolation polling precincts (IPPs) will be set up for the Palawan plebiscite next week.
Comelec Commissioner Antonio Kho said they decided to put up special polling precincts in voting centers as a precautionary safety measure against Covid-19.
“The reason why we decided to set up the Isolation Polling Precincts is a recognition that the pandemic is still with us,” he said in a virtual press conference.
He said the poll body “deemed it necessary to set up the IPP so that we can ensure the safety of our voters”.
Kho, commissioner-in-charge to oversee the March 13 plebiscite, said those who will be directed to IPPs are voters who have Covid-19 symptoms such as those who registered a temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher.
“They won't be allowed to vote in the regular precincts physically. As long as you reach that temperature and it is possible you have symptoms of Covid, they will have to vote at the IPPs,” he said.
He appealed for understanding “so that we can have a safe and secure plebiscite”.
“All of these measures are implemented for the safety of everyone,” he added.
Asked if the refusal of the voter to vote at the IPPs, Kho said “the IPP is established not as a way or method to prohibit voters to vote. We look at this in a positive way that we implement this as a safety measure for the voters.”
“If they recorded above the temperature set, they will be asked to vote in an IPP. If their temperatures are high and they do not want to vote in an IPP, it is their option not to proceed. But we will not allow them to vote in a regular precinct. We don’t see any reason for them not to vote in an IPP,” he said.
Also allowed to vote in the IPPs are those who were not subsequently cleared by the medical personnel, and those who answered “Yes” to any of the questions contained in the Covid-19 Health Declaration Form.
On March 13, the province of Palawan will be holding a referendum that could divide the area into three namely: Palawan Oriental, Palawan del Sur, and Palawan del Norte.
'Set your fears aside,' Duterte tells Filipinos ahead of first COVID-19 vaccinations
President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday urged the public to "set aside fears" over the COVID-19 vaccination drive, which authorities are set to launch this week.
The Philippines on Sunday received its first vaccine supply, courtesy of China's donation of 600,000 shots from Beijing-based drug maker Sinovac Biotech. Health workers and military personnel are on top of the priority to get these jabs.
"To my fellow Filipinos, please set your fears aside. These vaccines are backed by science and deliberated on by our experts. Filipino experts," Duterte said in a welcome ceremony for the Sinovac jabs.
"I encourage you to get vaccinated at the soonest possible time, and be our partner in preventing the further spread of the disease," he added.
Health workers at the Philippine General Hospital and several other medical facilities will be the first to get the Sinovac shots on Monday, said Carlito Galvez Jr, chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19.
Duterte, in his speech, thanked medical frontliners "for your valuable and selfless contribution in the fight against COVID-19."
"We recognize the profound sacrifices you continue to make every single day, even at the cost of being away from your loved ones and risking your precious lives just to take care of the sick," said the President.
"As I have mentioned before, I assure you that the government will always be by your side, ready to help in any way we can."
The Philippines has negotiated vaccine supply deals with other manufacturers, seeking to secure up to 148 million doses so it can inoculate 70 million people, or two thirds of its population.
An initial shipment of 525,600 doses of the vaccine developed by Britain's AstraZeneca was expected to arrive on Monday. Supply problems will delay the shots' arrival by a week, said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
— With a report from Reuters
Comelec to pilot test ‘isolation polling place’ in March 13 Palawan plebiscite
IN a bid to minimize the risk of possible infections during the forthcoming Palawan plebiscite, the Commission on Election (Comelec) will be piloting its isolation polling place (IPP) for voters suspected to be carriers of Covid-19 during the conduct of the exercise.
Comelec Commissioner Antonio Kho said they came up with the measure to allow those with Covid-like symptoms such as fever to still cast their votes during the plebiscite on March 13, 2021 for the possible ratification of Republic Act (RA) No. 11259, or the Act Dividing the Province of Palawan into three provinces.
“They won’t be allowed to vote in the regular precincts. As long as you reach that temperature threshold and it is possible you have Covid-19 and its symptoms, they should vote in the IPPs,” Kho said in an online news briefing on Monday.
Glory Perez-Reyes of the Comelec’s Office of the Deputy Executive Director for Operations (DEDO) said those whose temperature exceeds 37.5 degrees or those who answered “yes” to the Covid-19 symptoms in the health declaration form will be asked to vote in the IPP.
“After evaluation, they shall be escorted to an isolation polling place, where they shall be allowed to cast their votes,” Reyes said.
Comelec authorized the use of IPPs under its Resolution No. 10687 during the Palawan plebiscite.
The said facility may be one of the classrooms in a building separate from the other buildings of the voting center or a makeshift/temporary facility, “which shall be strategically located near its entrance and the medical personnel deployed thereat.”
Comelec Health Service Division Chief Zosimo R. Sallao, Jr. said each voting center should be able to accommodate at least one IPP, which could accommodate at least 5 voters, the Plebcom (plebiscite committee), and watchers at any time, while observing the one-meter physical distancing rule.
Over 490,000 voters are expected to participate in the plebiscite, where Comelec is expected to test its pandemic-related protocols for the conduct of the 2022 National and Local elections.
Sunday, February 28, 2021
Duterte says China 'never asked for anything' in exchange for COVID-19 shots
President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said China "never asked for anything" in exchange for donating to the Philippines its first COVID-19 vaccine supply.
The Philippines on Sunday received 600,000 donated shots from Beijing-based drug maker Sinovac Biotech, which would allow the government to launch its lagging vaccination drive.
"China never asked for anything. China has been giving us everything but never asked anything from us actually," Duterte said in a press briefing. "Ang pinakamabigat ang Amerikano, ang hinihingi nila ang base."
(The heaviest is the Americans, they are asking for a base.)
Duterte recently said Washington must "pay" if it wanted to keep its Visiting Forces Agreement with Manila. In the same speech, he said he "cannot afford to be brave in the mouth against China because we are avoiding any confrontation."
Asked if this meant that the President was tough on the US and soft on China, his spokesman Harry Roque had said, "Hindi naman totoo iyan." (That's not true.)
"Ang ginagawa lang naman po ni Presidente ay nakikipagmabuting kapitbansa sa bansang Tsina dahil sa gustuhin at ayaw natin, talaga namang kapitbansa natin iyan ‘no," he said in an interview on the government's television network.
(The President is only being a good neighbor to China because whether we like it or not, it is our neighbor.)
"Sabi nga nila, kinakailangang makipagkasundo sa kapitbahay, maski hindi ka makipagkasundo sa kamag-anak ‘no. Importante po talaga na magkaroon tayo ng mainit na pagsasama sa ating mga kapitbansa in the same way na importante iyong pagiging mabuting kapitbahay natin sa ating mga lokalidad."
(As they say, you need to be in harmony with your neighbor, even if you are not in harmony with your relatives. It is important for us to have warm ties with our neighboring countries, in the same way that it is important to be a good neighbor in our communities.)
Beijing has refused to recognize a ruling that junked its sweeping claims to the resource-rich waterway, including parts of the Philippine exclusive economic zone.
China is supplying 25 million Sinovac COVID-19 shots to the Philippines. Observers have said Beijing might use its vaccines to push for its regional agenda.
The Philippines is the last Southeast Asian country to receive vaccine supplies, fueling concerns over the recovery of its economy which suffered its worst contraction on record last year.
The archipelago, which has the second-highest tally of infections and deaths in the region, has suffered lengthy lockdowns, hitting hard a consumption-driven economy.
— With a report from Reuters
Duterte says Philippines may return to normalcy in 2023
Filipinos may see some sense of normalcy by 2023, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Sunday, as the Philippines received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines.
"Early in the first maybe first or second quarter of year '23, 2023, baka, tulong ng Diyos (maybe with the help of God)," he said, when asked for an estimate of when the Philippines could return to normalcy.
Carlito Galvez Jr, Chief Implementer of the National Task Force on COVID-19, also earlier said the country may return to normalcy by 2023.
"It is only through this that we can implement a sustainable immunization program to recover the economy and restore normalcy in the lives of the Filipino people by 2023 through our bayanihan spirit," Galvez said in a public briefing.
The Philippines on Sunday received 600,000 China-donated shots of the COVID-19 vaccine by Bejing-based Sinovac biotech.
The last Southeast Asian country to receive initial vaccine supplies, the Philippines is seeking to secure up to 148 million doses so it can inoculate 70 million people, or two thirds of its population.
The archipelago, which has the second-highest tally of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the region, will mark the first year of its coronavirus quarantine this March.
The nearly year-long quarantine has left businesses struggling and millions out of work.
The Philippines' gross domestic product shrank last year by 9.5 percent, its worst contraction since the end of World War 2.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/28/21/duterte-says-philippines-may-return-to-normalcy-in-2023
Actual inoculation set on Mar. 1 after Sinovac vax's arrival
By Lade Jean Kabagani
The actual inoculation of Filipinos under the government's priority list will begin this Monday (March 1), following the arrival of 600,000 doses of China-donated Covid-19 vaccines made by Sinovac Biotech pharmaceutical firm in the country, National Policy Against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Sunday.
"As we ramp up our preparations for the vaccine rollout, we call on all our countrymen to take part in this massive and historic immunization program," Galvez, who is also the country's vaccine czar, said during the arrival of the Sinovac vaccines at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City.
Galvez earlier said healthcare workers and other medical front-liners working in the major referral hospitals will be prioritized in the inoculation program once the Covid-19 vaccines become available.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said some 300,000 Filipinos, particularly health workers, are expected to get shots of Sinovac vaccines.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will get 100,000 doses of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines that could inoculate around 50,000 of its uniformed personnel.
Duque said among the hospitals to receive the vials are the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, Lung Center of the Philippines, Dr. Jose Rodriguez Memorial Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center, V. Luna Hospital, Veterans Memorial Medical Center, and the PNP General Hospital.
He noted that the Covid vaccines for the Visayas and Mindanao will be delivered by March 4 to March 5.
The Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City and the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City will get the first batch of the vaccines.
"Ito po ang dalawang pinakamalaking ospital ng gobyerno at ang mga healthcare workers ang mauunang maturukan (These are the two biggest public hospitals and their healthcare workers will be prioritized in the vaccination)," Duque said.
On the other hand, Galvez said the government's negotiations with other vaccine manufacturers are still ongoing.
"We are also expediting the procurement of another one million doses of Sinovac vaccines which are expected to arrive this March also," he said.
The government is expecting to receive the bulk of the Covid-19 vaccines by the second quarter of this year, he added.
"We will prioritize the preservation of our health institution and it would be followed by the government institutions that are providing essential services and economic front-liners," Galvez said. (With reports from Joyce Racamora)
COVID-19 testing to intensify even as vaccines arrive: official
The Philippines' coronavirus testing czar on Sunday reminded the public of the importance of infection detection even as the country is set to receive its initial batch of COVID-19 vaccines.
The country is "well on target" to meet 10 million COVID-19 tests by end of the first quarter this year with the help of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), said Secretary Vince Dizon.
"Itong pagpasok ng ating bakuna, hindi ibig sabihin nito hihinto na tayo. Kailangan po talaga, tuloy-tuloy po ang prevention, pagsusuot ng mask, pagdidistansiya... Kailangan tuloy-tuloy din po yung ating detection, isolation, at treatment," he told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.
(The arrival of vaccines does not mean we will stop testing. Prevention, such as wearing of masks and observing physical distancing, will continue. Detection, isolation, and treatment must continue.)
"Napakaimportante po d'yan ang ating detection, ang ating testing. Lalo na sa pagdami ng variants, kailangan po lalo pa nating paigtingin ang testing."
(Detection, testing is very important. We will intensify our testing especially now that there are many variants.)
The Philippines as of Friday has 62 reported cases of the more transmissible COVID-19 variant first detected in the UK. The total number of patients found to have both N501Y and E484K coronavirus mutations is at 34.
The PRC, aside from conducting COVID-19 tests, has expressed its willingness to assist in the government's COVID-19 immunization program and procurement of its own vaccine supply.
A total of 574,247 infections have been recorded in the Philippines, including 37,093 active cases, since the virus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late 2019.
More than 8.7 million samples and over 8.2 million individuals have been tested in the country for the virus. There are 200 accredited testing laboratories in the Philippines.
On Sunday, the country is set to receive its first official supply of COVID-19 vaccines, courtesy of China's Sinovac, to be followed on Monday by AstraZeneca's product.
Filipinos seeking to work abroad urged to get vaccinated vs coronavirus: POEA
Filipinos eyeing jobs abroad are urged to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said Sunday as the country anticipates the arrival of its first supply of vaccines against the coronavirus.
"Kinakailangan po nila ito upang mapanatili at sigurado po ang kanilang safety and health sa countries of destination 'pag sila po ay na-deploy," POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.
(They need this so their safety and health in countries of destination are ensured.)
"Dahil sa vaccination ng iba't ibang destination countries, pinapayagan na silang bumalik. Karamihan sa merkado natin, unti-unti nang nagbubukas at tumatanggap ng ating balik-manggagawa."
(They are now allowed to be deployed due to vaccination in various destination countries. Several sectors are re-opening and accepting returning workers.)
The Philippines is set to receive doses of China's Sinovac and the UK's AstraZeneca vaccines on Sunday and Monday, respectively. Overseas Filipino workers are included in the country's second priority groups for inoculation.
Olalia said the country's OFW deployment had declined in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Some 300,000 land-based OFWs were deployed last year, an 80 percent decrease from an annual average of 1.4 million in previous years, he said. The deployment of sea-based workers also halved to 200,000 from an average of 400,000 prior to the pandemic, he added.
The Department of Foreigns Affairs said that as of February 20 this year, a total of 368,736 overseas Filipinos have been flown home the government started its COVID-19-related repatriations.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said last week that the number of OFWs coming home as a result of the pandemic has declined from around 2,000 to 3,000 a day before, to a maximum of 1,500 recently.
"Nabawas-bawasan na," he told TeleRadyo Sunday last week.
The Department of Health will issue COVID-19 vaccine passports to those inoculated, Malacañang earlier said.
Senators, however, said they would move to replace the vaccine passports with COVID-19 vaccine card as it “connotes or affects mobility” and may be construed as discriminatory.
As of Saturday, the DFA said 14,896 COVID-19 cases have been recorded among overseas Filipinos, of whom, 4,499 are undergoing treatment.
In the Philippines, coronavirus infections have reached 574,247, including 37,093 active cases.