THE Philippines is 123 years old and in all these years, we have often worn the Luzon lens when we talk of the country; more so of the National Capital Region (NCR). There are people from Luzon who have not traveled to Mindanao because of the peace and order situation there and the preconceived notion that Mindanao is different from the rest of the country.
Today's article is actually a follow-up on what I wrote on this column two weeks ago. At that time, my father, Daddy as my sister and I fondly called him, was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was rushed to a private hospital in Laguna. He was intubated and was fighting for his life when that article appeared on this column two weeks ago.
THE Red Cross (RC) is a humanitarian organization, and never has it been associated with profit. If we go by the International Red Cross (IRC) and Red Crescent Movement (RCM), it is an "international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering."
Article VI, Section 21 of the Philippine Constitution grants the Senate or the House of Representatives or any of its respective committees with the power to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation. Under Senate Rule No. 5, Section 17, the concerned Committee shall have "the powers of an investigating committee, including the power to summon witnesses and take their testimony and to issue subpoena and subpoena duces tecum, signed by its Chairman, or in his absence by the Acting Chairman, and approved by the (Senate) President."
I am deviating from my usual practice of writing a commentary on politics, business and social events to write on something more pressing and close to my heart and closer to home. As the title of this essay suggests, COVID-19 is real. It is so real that has come closer to home. I am never a doubter of COVID-19 and I am not an anti-vaxxer but I never imagined myself and my family to experience it the disease first-hand when our father has been diagnosed with it last August 30, 2021.
THE 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA) is an election budget, which was submitted by the Executive last August 23 to the House of Representatives, where budget review will commence. Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has set September 16 as the date for its House passage. The Senate will therefore have half a month to complete its review before the end of the general registration on September 30 and the filing of the candidacy certificates from October 1 to 8 per the Commission on Elections (Comelec) calendar.
Political positioning and posturing for the 2022 Elections have recently become obvious among interested individuals, groups, and parties. The protagonists for various national posts are currently in the heat of discussions with several groups and organizations for potential partnerships and alliances. Prominent ones have already started using traditional and social media platforms to create awareness and increase their public visibility with the deadline for the filing of candidacies fast approaching.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the government to constantly change and revise its response strategy based on trends in the number of infections, absorptive capacity of our healthcare system, and special variants of interest, among others. A critical component of the response strategy involves the periodic bi-weekly decision-making on the quarantine status of the country based on scientific and economic considerations.
I was a college student at the University of the Philippines when the United States was struck by a series of acts of terrorism on September 11, 2001. As my college friends and I were having dinner, live footage of the burning twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City after each of them were struck by an airliner was being shown on television, with people running away from the area and the buildings eventually collapsing. Later news reports came in, saying that the Pentagon, the massive Arlington, Virginia headquarters of the US Department of Defense and the US Armed Forces, was also struck an airliner, causing a section of it to caught fire, and another airliner crashed in a sparsely populated region of the US state of Pennsylvania after taking off from Washington, DC.
Life today is filled with so much struggle and discomfort. We must adapt instead of complain because the situation calls for a change in lifestyle and perspective. We have no choice if we want to survive and fight to live for another day.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go reiterated that regulations and other policies directed in monitoring prices of basic commodities are in place to protect consumers against businesses taking advantage of the pandemic.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go appealed to financial institutions to extend assistance to debtors in the form of grace periods and similar activities to lighten the load of those heavily affected by business disruptions due to COVID-19.
China firmly supports and upholds the multilateral efforts of international organizations to help the Philippines and other economies in need to tackle the challenges posed by COVID-19.
In a statement made by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, he said that the Department of Health (DOH) should effectively strategize on resources and procedures in hiring contact tracers.
House Bill No. 6709 or the proposed “COVID-19 Unemployment Reduction Economic Stimulus (CURES) Act of 2020 authored by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has been approved by the Defeat COVID-19 Committee Social Amelioration Cluster.
The declaration of a national state of emergency has resulted into the temporary deployment ban on Filipino healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, and allied health professions. Sen. Joel Villanueva suggests the agencies should tap into the pool of professions and provide them with opportunities locally.
Two bills were approved at the House of Representatives which includes a supplementary budget for mass testing, support of businesses, financial institutions, and the government infrastructure programs.
Chokepoints in the release of quarantine certificates have led to extended isolation in government quarantine facilities. Legislators criticized involved agencies on the inefficiency of carrying out protocols.
PRRD addressed the issue on the DOH’s procured PPEs and that everything that occurred was to his discretion. As PRRD instructed, he advised that everything must be done – whatever means necessary.
China will stand firmly with the Philippine people till the day of final victory. In this process, Chinese businesses will continue to contribute to the new era partnership evolving between the two countries.
Several programs were discussed by the Committee on Trade and Industry-- the House Defeat COVID-19 Committee (DCC) Economic Stimulus Package Cluster, and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to aid restart MSME operations in the country.
MANILA – The results of the third run of the NCR COVID-19 Online Panel Survey conducted by PUBLiCUS Asia, Inc. in partnership with Kantar suggest that unemployment caused by the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila could be growing over time, even as the national government announced a second extension of the Metro Manila ECQ until May 30, 2020.
MANILA – The results of the third run of the NCR COVID-19 Online Panel Survey conducted by PUBLiCUS Asia, Inc. in partnership with Kantar show particularly high disapproval among respondents for the COVID-19 aid provided to the Philippines by China, especially when compared to perceptions on aid provided by other international allies.
House Bills authored by several legislators seek to strengthen the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the modernization of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs).
Given that quarantine measures will soon be lifted in several areas in the Philippines, Senate Committee on Public Services Chairperson Senator Grace Poe highlighted the safety of the riding public and the prevention of COVID-19 transmission in the use of public transportation.
Addressing the nation, the President reminded the public that the COVID-19 is very lethal. Acquiring the virus at this current point in time, without a vaccine, can most likely result in death, the President reiterated. He reminded everyone to follow guidelines and stay safe.
MANILA – Roughly three out of every four Metro Manila residents who participated in the third run of the NCR COVID-19 Online Panel Survey conducted by PUBLiCUS Asia, Inc. support a second extension of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila beyond its scheduled end on May 15, 2020.
Senator Richard Gordon praised the efforts by Metro Manila LGUs to conduct COVID-19 testing among their constituents.
Addressing the nation, Monday night, the President encouraged everyone to help each other in these grueling times. Also, in line with the zero-tolerance policy on corruption, a P30,000 bounty is offered to those that would report corruptive practices by local officials.
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