Monday, March 22, 2021
PH hospitals seek 'reinforcement' as COVID-19 cases surge
(UPDATE) - A group of hospitals on Monday sought "reinforcement" from government as medical facilities in Metro Manila have been overwhelmed by a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Hospitals in Metro Manila are projected to reach full capacity by Holy Week if the government fails to slow down COVID-19 transmission, independent research group OCTA earlier said.
Jaime Almora, president of the Philippine Hospital Association, said several big hospitals are at a "critical" level with more than 70 percent of their COVID-19 beds utilized.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, in a separate Teleradyo interview, said doctors and health experts asked for a "timeout" for 2 weeks.
"Hindi ho timeout ang solusyon po, reinforcement po," Almora told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo. "We are requesting na reinforcement sana manggaling sa agencies na health-related po."
(Timeout is not the solution. We are requesting for reinforcement from health-related agencies.)
"Pagod na po ang mga nurses. Kulang na kulang po ang nurses. Ang reinforcement manggagaling sa ibang agency, military atsaka pulis kasi karamihan sa mga nurses namin nasa kanila na kasi malaki ang suweldo doon."
(Nurses are tired and their numbers are not enough. The reinforcement will come from the military and police because most of our nurses are now employed with them due to bigger salary.)
A year into the pandemic, nurses have yet to receive their COVID-19 benefits, said Jaymee de Guzman, national treasurer of Filipino Nurses United.
"'Yung benefits sa healthworkers wala pa ring natatanggap. Pahirapan po 'yan kahit na magpositive ka, Ang dami nilang hinihingi to the point na ayaw mo na lang magclaim," she told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.
(Healthworkers have yet to receive their benefits, even if you test positive, they have so many requirements to the point you don't want to claim it.)
"Sa tagal hindi pa rin natin na-perfect 'yung tamang proseso. 'Yung contact tracing di pa rin maalawak, 'yung mass testing sa posibleng pasyente hindi pa rin accessible sa ordinaryong tao. Wala tayong karagdang quarantine facilities."
(It's been a long time and we've yet to eprfect teh right process. Contact tracing is still not expansive, mass testing is not accessible to the ordinary people, we have no additional quarantine facilities.)
The Department of Health is "open" to augmenting the staff of hospitals nationwide, said treatment czar Leopoldo Vega.
""As of now, I think we’re still maintaining 12,000 augmented health workers across the country. If there is a gap, a need...then the DOH is open in terms of augmentation, of emergency hiring," he told ANC.
Meantime, COVID-19 patients who are from the provinces are urged to go to their local hospitals as local cases are filling up Metro Manila's medical facilities, Almora said.
The COVID-19 bed capacity of Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center is full, according to its medical director Imelda Mateo.
The hospital has 70 coronavirus patients, with 8 more awaiting admission and 18 others waiting for their test results, according to Mateo.
"Compared sa last year parang mas mataas pa rin ngayon. As of last night, puno na po ang aming COVID beds," she told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.
(Compared last year, it seems high. As of last night, our COVID bed capacity is full.)
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/22/21/ph-hospitals-seek-reinforcement-as-covid-19-cases-surge
Isolated rains to prevail over most of PH Monday
By Ma. Cristina Arayata
Most parts of the country will experience isolated rain showers, the weather bureau said on Monday.
In its daily forecast, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the northeast monsoon (amihan) will bring light rains over Batanes and Babuyan Islands.
The tail-end of frontal system will bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorm over the rest of Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region and Aurora province.
Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have isolated rain showers or thunderstorms caused by the easterlies.
Meanwhile, moderate to strong winds and moderate to rough seas will prevail over northern Luzon.
Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate with slight to moderate seas, PAGASA said.
AFP monitors Chinese incursion off Juan Felipe Reef
By Priam Nepomuceno
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) continues to monitor the situation off Julian Felipe Reef (Union Reef) in the West Philippine Sea which is within the country's exclusive economic zone, due to the presence of Chinese militia boats, its chief said Sunday night.
"The reef is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone therefore we oppose any move of encroachment in this sovereign territory," AFP chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said in a statement.
He said the military continues to monitor the situation "in abidance to international laws and the preservation of the status quo in the West Philippine Sea", adding that their priority is the protection of Filipino citizens, especially fishermen in the area, through increased maritime patrols.
He said the AFP would continue to pursue a "peaceful, principled, and rules-based approach" in resolving issues in the West Philippine Sea.
"We will defer to the decision of the Department of National Defense and Department of Foreign Affairs regarding the matter," Sobejana said.
Following the latest incursion, the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against China, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Sunday night.
“Diplomatic protest fired off tonight; can’t wait for first light,” Locsin said in a tweet.
“So recommended by General Esperon this noon by Whats App. I got the coordinates, so to speak. And relayed to my legal artillery, ‘Fire at will.’ Shell should be flying at first light. I don’t usually announce maneuvers but it seems everybody is baring his chest,” he added in another tweet.
Earlier, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF WPS) expressed concern about a Philippine Coast Guard report that around 220 Chinese fishing vessels, believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel, were sighted moored in line formation at the Julian Felipe Reef on March 7.
“The NTF WPS notes this circumstance as a concern due to the possible overfishing and destruction of the marine environment, as well as risks to the safety of navigation,” the NTF WPS said.
The reef is a large boomerang-shaped shallow coral reef at the northeast of Pagkakaisa Banks and Reefs (Union Reefs), located approximately 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan.
Essential workers maaaring bumiyahe papasok, palabas ng Metro Manila, karatig lugar
Essential workers lamang ang maaaring bumiyahe papasok at palabas ng Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, at Rizal na isinailalim sa general community quarantine simula Lunes.
Simula na rin ang pagpapatupad ng curfew mula 10 p.m. hanggang 5 a.m. sa mga nasabing lugar, ani Interior Undersecretary Bernardo Florece.
"Walang problema 'yun within the bubble area hindi natin pinagbabawal ang movement ng tao, meron pa ring public transport," aniya sa Teleradyo.
"Palabas o papasok sa area na ito ay pinagbabawal natin unless authorized sila."
Isinailalim sa GCQ na may karagdagang paghihigpit ang mga nasabing lugar dahil sa patuloy na pagtaas ng bilang ng COVID-19 cases.
Sunday, March 21, 2021
TV5 sked (2022)
In 2010, Media Prima divested its share with MediaQuest Holdings, Inc. to business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan
Monday-Friday
4:30 am – Panahon.TV
5:30 am – Good Morning Ser
7 am - News5 Alerts
7:15 am - Ben 10: Alien Force
7:30 am - Mew Mew Power
8 am – News5 Alerts
8:15 am – Viewing Guide
8:20 am – Sonic X
8:40 am –
Mon-Wed: Generator Rex
Thu-Fri: Winx Club
9:10 am –
Mon-Wed: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Thu-Fri: RWBY
9:40 am –
Mon-Wed: TMNT (2003)
Thu-Fri: Cardcaptor Sakura
10 am – News5 Alerts
10:05 am – Viewing Guide
10:10 am –
Mon-Wed: Pokemon (1997)
Thu-Fri: Lilybuds
10:30 am –
Mon-Wed: Gundam Seed Destiny
Thu-Fri: Makibaoh
11 am – Face to Face
12 pm – Lunch Out Loud
1:30 pm – Brightlight Productions Drama Series
2 pm – News5 Alerts
2:05 pm – Viewing Guide
2:10 pm – Cristy Ferminute
2:40 pm – Drama Series
3:10 pm –
Mon-Wed: Lucky Star
Thu-Fri: Special A
3:40 pm – Sword Art Online
4 pm – News5 Alerts
4:05 pm – Viewing Guide
4:10 pm – Princess of Ressurection
4:40 pm – Attack on Titan
5 pm – Shakugan No Shana
5:30 pm – Idol in Action (Raffy Tulfo, Marga Vargas and MJ Marfori)
6 pm – Frontline Pilipinas
6:30 pm – Drama Series
7 pm – Drama Series
7:30 pm - Wheel of Fortune
8 pm – Family Feud
8:30 pm –
Monday: Real Confessions / Star Confessions
Tuesday: Baikingu
Wednesday: 5 Star Specials
Thursday: Midnight DJ
Friday: Tropa Moko Unli
9 pm -
Tuesday: Kiddie Kwela (Bayani Agbayani)
9:30 pm –
Monday: Untold Stories mula sa Face to Face
Tuesday: 3R
Wednesday: Ogags
Thursday: Wanted ang Serye
Friday: Killer Karaoke: Pinoy Naman
10:30 pm –
Monday: Trabaho lang
Tuesday: Urban Doktor
Wednesday: Planet X
Thursday: The Exchange
Friday: On-Air
11 pm – The Big Story
11:30 pm – Reaksyon
11:45 pm –
Monday: Totoo TV (Maverick and Ariel)
Tuesday: Tawatakutan (Teddy Corpuz and Empoy Marquez)
Wednesday: Dokumentado (Patrick Paez)
Thursday: Ako Mismo (Chris Tiu)
Friday: Lupet (Lourd de Veyra)
12:45 am –
Monday: Urban Tribe
Tuesday: Sabado Boys
Wednesday: Spotlight TV
Thursday: How 'Bout My Place Tonight
Friday: MOG TV
1:15 to 1:45 am - Shop TV
Saturday
5 am – Kakaibang Lunas
5:30 am – Family Matters
6:30 am – Ben 10 (2016)
7 am – News5 Alerts
7:15 am – Viewing Guide
7:20 am – Dinosaur King
7:40 am – Johnny Bravo
8 am – News5 Alerts
8:15 am – Viewing Guide
8:20 am – Powerpuff Girls Z
8:40 am – Cooking with Sandy Daza
9 am – Thunderbird Sabong Nation
10 am – News5 Alerts
10:05 am – Viewing Guide
10:10 am – Alagang Kapatid
11 am – Face to Face
12 nn – Lunch Out Loud
2:30 pm – Juicy!
4 am – News5 Alerts
4:05 pm – Viewing Guide
4:10 pm – Sabado Sineplex
6 pm – Frontline Pilipinas
6:30 pm – The Jose and Wally Show Starring Vic Sotto
7:30 pm – Talentadong Pinoy (Ryan Agoncillo)
8:30 pm – The Mega and the Songwriter (Sharon Cuneta and Ogie Alcasid)
9:30 pm – Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (Vic Sotto)
10:30 pm – One Screen Presents
12:30 am – Spin Nation
1:30 am to 2:30 am – Shop TV
Sunday
6 am – Kerygma TV
7 am – News5 Alerts
7:15 am – Viewing Guide
7:20 am – The Word Exposed
8 am – News5 Alerts
8:15 am – Viewing Guide
8:20 am – Ben 10 (2016)
8:40 am – OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
9 am – Chaotic
9:30 am - Powerpuff Girls Z
10 am – News5 Alerts
10:05 am – Viewing Guide
10:10 am – Alagang Kapatid (Cheryl Cosim and Menchie Silvestre)
11 am – Mommy Academy (Chiqui Roa-Puno)
12 nn – ASAP (Martin Nievera, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Gary Valenciano, Sarah Geronimo, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Erik Santos, Luis Manzano, Enchong Dee, Kim Chiu and Janine Gutierrez)
2 pm – News5 Alerts
2:05 pm – Viewing Guide
2:10 pm – BFGF (Alex Gonzaga and Kean Cipriano)
3 pm – Gen Z (Jerome Ponce, Jane Oineza, Ricci Rivero, Melizza Jimenez, Chie Filomeno, Kent Gonzales, and Darwin Yu)
4 pm – News5 Alerts
4:05 pm – Viewing Guide
4:10 pm – Paparazzi (Cristy Fermin, Dolly Ann Carvajal, Zoren Legaspi and Mariel Rodriguez)
5:30 pm – Front Act (Mike Unson and Stanley Chi)
6 pm – Frontline Pilipinas
6:30 pm – Sing Galing! (John Lapus and Pops Fernandez)
7:30 pm – Talentadong Pinoy (Ryan Agoncillo)
8:30 pm – Wow Mali (Joey de Leon)
9:30 pm – Everybody Hapi (John Estrada, Long Mejia, Alex Gonzaga, Nova Villa, Christian Vasquez, Jon Avila, Carmi Martin, Carla Humphries, Mr. Fu, Bogart and Sammy Lagmay)
10:30 pm – USI (Paolo Bediones)
11:30 pm – One Screen Presents
1:30 am – Astig
2:30 to 3:30 am – Shop TV
Planong paghati ng Palawan, posible pa bang buhayin?
Posible pa bang buhayin ang planong paghahati ng Palawan?
Para kay Vice Governor Victorino Dennis M. Socrates, posible umano ito pero hindi na sa kanilang termno.
“At this point, mag-eleksyon na sa 2022, maaaring may nag-iisip isulong ito sa tingin ko hindi aabot. It will be up to the next set of Provincial officials to try again, the creation of additional provincial government kung gusto nila,” pahayag ni Palawan Vice Governor Victorino Dennis M. Socrates
Nagpahayag naman ng panghihinayang si 1st District Board Member Leoncio N. Ola sa naging resulta ng plebisito. Pagdating aniya sa kasalukuyang termino nila ay maaaring wala na magsusulong na buhayin ang Republic Act 11259.
“Para sa akin, wala na siguro. Assuming na mayroong isang Sangguniang Panlalawigan na mag-file resolusyon na muli naming buhayin, siguro isa ako sa mag-oppose. Sayang yung oras, sayang yung pinaghirapan namin. Ang ibig kong sabihin ay hindi na siguro sa term namin wala na maglakas loob na isang meyembro ng Sangguniang Panlalawigan para mag-file resolusyon para buhayin muli ang 11259.”
Sa panig naman ng One Palawan Movement, kailangan lamang umano ay tanungin ang mga mamamayan, ipaliwanag ng maigi at siguraduhin na kailangan ito ng Palaweño.
“Sa susunod na magbabalak na gawin na naman yan, magdalawang-isip din sila at konsultahin muna ang taong bayan kung yun nga ang kagustuhan ng bayan,”
“Hindi ito tungkol sa mga opisyales o kung sino ang naka-upo. Yung isyu dito sa pangangailangan sa paghahati (kasi) sa sitwasyon ngayon wala talagang pangangailangan sa paghahati. Dahil maraming paraan para solusyunan yung mga problema, yung paglalapit ng serbisyo. Kung sila at may pagbabalak, i-presenta nila kung bakit nangangailangan, matinding pangangailangan,” ayon kay Cynthia Sumagaysay Del Rosario.
Ipinaliwanag naman ni James Jimenez, Tagapagsalita ng COMELEC National na kung sakaling isulong muli ang paghahati ng Palawan at makapasa sa kongreso ay sa 2023 pa posibleng magsagawa muli ng plebisito.
“Kailangan nilang gumawa kung gusto pa rin nila. Nakadepende yan doon sa mga Congressman na naghahain ng petition so kung talagang gusto nila they can probably do it right away. Pero hindi na yan magkakaroon ng plebisito within the year because mayroong 1 year ban eh. 1 year before National Election hindi ka puwede magpa-plebisito. So if ever they will try that, hindi puwede 1 year after so doon sila sa 2nd year so yun ang time table.”
(Update) In five years time, the palawan plebiscite will happen in March 2025, when the president will approved of the creation of the new province on TBA through Republic Act 10___ or An Act Dividing the Province of Palawan Into Three (3) Provinces, Namely: Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur.
At present, Palawan has 367 barangays with 677,185 registered voters.
Once officially proclaimed winner, the “yes” votes would formally affirm the establishment of Palawan del Norte, Palawan del Sur and Palawan Oriental as the new provinces in the country to be formed out of Palawan.
https://palawandailynews.com/city-news/planong-paghahati-ng-palawan-posible-pa-bang-buhayin/
Saturday, March 20, 2021
‘Boracay of the South’ welcomes back local tourists
KORONADAL CITY — Mindanao’s version of Boracay, the coastal town of Glan in Sarangani province, has started accepting guests from within and outside the Soccsksargen region.
Glan Mayor Vivien Yap said that visitors need to first book with resorts before they are allowed entry.
“Guests shall stay within the resort they’re accommodated as we don’t allow beach hopping,” she said.
The town is famous for its fine white sand beaches, especially in Gumasa district, although it has over two dozen beach resorts catering to different budgets.
Tourists from within Soccsksargen will need to present the DVY Cares quick response code that can be accessed at www.glan.ph, and the booking confirmation slip from the resort.
The Soccsksargen rgion is made up of the provinces of Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani, and the cities of Kidapawan, Tacurong, Koronadal and General Santos.
Tourists from other regions will have to present a medical certificate as an additional requirement.
Yap reminded visitors to always observe proper health protocols such as hand washing or sanitizing, wearing of face masks and physical distancing as a precaution against the coronavirus.
She said the resorts were instructed to accommodate up to 50 percent of its capacity in line with the directive of the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
A bucolic town an hour away from General Santos City, Glan is the top tourism destination of Sarangani. It is marketed to tourists as the “Boracay of the South.”
Glan hosts the annual Sarangani Bay Festival or SarBay Fest launched in 2006 and billed as the biggest beach party in Mindanao.
Through the years, the festival has become the ultimate summer beach party scene in Mindanao, attracting thousands of visitors with its night-long music by popular bands and water sports-related activities.
In 2016, SarBay Fest attracted 150,000 tourists.
Last year, the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was also suspended in 2017 due to security concerns following the Marawi siege.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1409214/boracay-of-the-south-welcomes-back-local-tourists
Additional House seat for Zamboanga del Sur pushed
PAGADIAN CITY – Local leaders in Zamboanga del Sur are asking Congress to hasten the breakup of the province’s current legislative districts to allow it to have one more seat in the House of Representatives and the greater influx of public funds.
The measure, House Bill No. 5647, was filed in 2019 by Rep. Leonardo Babasa Jr. but it has since languished in the House’s Committee on Local Government.
Pagadian City Mayor Samuel Co said that having the measure enacted into law ensures more public funds will flow into the province, especially into the new district which, in turn, would help pump-prime recovery of the local economy from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Babasa’s measure seeks to reapportion Zamboanga del Sur into three legislative districts, taking the city of Pagadian and the towns of Labangan and Tukuran from the first district, and Dumalinao town from the second district.
The third district, under Babasa’s measure, will comprise a population of 312,683 based on the 2015 census.
In 2015, Zamboanga del Sur, which has 26 towns and one city, had a population of 1,010,674 of which 602,609 are in the first district and 408,065 in the second district.
According to Babasa, each Congressional district gets as much as P2 billion in budgetary allocation of which P1.5 billion are in the form of funding mostly for infrastructure projects.
“It would do good for Zamboanga del Sur,” he said of the proposal for a new legislative district.
Babasa said tha in 2019, the bill did not move up the legislative mill because Rep. Divina Yu and her husband, Governor Victor Yu, “stopped it along its tracks as they wanted a good timing, saying the province is not yet ready” for such breakup.
Pushing the measure may now be an uphill battle as Babasa and the Yu couple have parted ways. Rep. Yu, who is now Deputy Speaker, however, has not spoken about when is the right time for the breakup.
Another opponent to the Babasa bill is former Governor Antonio Cerilles who also used to represent the second district in the House.
Cerilles said taking away Dumalinao town from the second district is unconstitutional, a view challenged by Babasa, citing a Supreme Court ruling on a similar issue.
Dumalinao town is one of Cerilles’ bailiwicks.
In 2010, then Rep. Victor Yu filed House Bill No. 3632 seeking the creation of a new legislative district. Instead of Dumalinao, the Yu proposal included Aurora town. It was co-authored by then Rep. Aurora Cerilles.
Cerilles recalled that the measure had reached the Senate but that Aurora town leaders opposed their inclusion in that new district, dooming its passage before the Senate Committee on Local Government chaired by then Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Cerilles said Babasa can refile the Yu proposal.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1409211/additional-house-seat-for-zamboanga-del-sur-pushed