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By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: PCOO The national council of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-LABAN) has adopted a resolution seeking for President Rodrigo Duterte’s candidacy as vice president and to choose a running mate in the 2022 national elections. "As moderator of this national council meeting, may I move...that this national council shall adopt a resolution following the early resolutions made by the different chapters and different local governments all over the country to convince the PDP-Laban Party chairman, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, to run for vice president and to choose his running mate for President in the 2022 national elections," PDP-LABAN Vice President for External Affairs Raul Lambino said during the party’s meeting on Monday, May 31. Lambino said the party received several resolutions and petitions urging Duterte to run as vice president. The meeting was held in Cebu City despite an order from Senator Manny Pacquiao to ignore th...

By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: Philippine Daily Inquirer There are no filing of charges against “BFF” Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia for having own COVID-19 testing protocols for returning overseas Filipinos, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Monday. “Tungkol po kay Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, wala pong katotohanan ang mga lumalabas na report na may plano ako kasama di umano si Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra na magsampa po ng kaso laban kay Governor Gwen Garcia," he said. Roque added: "[U]nang una, hindi po yan kasama sa katungkulan ko bilang isang spox. Laway lang po ako bilang spox." The spokesman added he finds it hard to sue Garcia whom he is considering as a BFF or best friend forever.  “Pangalawa po, miski ako po ay bigyan ng ganyang kapangyarihan, alam naman po ng marami na mag-BFF kami ni Governor Gwen at hindi ko po magagawa yun. Siguro po ibang tao ang gagawa nun kung kinakailangan,” he added. Roque’s statement came after some reports that he and Guevarra...

By Kaela Patricia Gabriel PHOTO: PCOO Due to several reports of mass gatherings from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), President Rodrigo Duterte has warned barangay captains who allow superspreader events in their area that they will be arrested and filed with charges.  In his Talk to the People address, Duterte has ordered the police to arrest barangay officials and charge them of "dereliction of duty" in failure to enforce COVID-19 protocols beginning May 26. "Pasaway eh. Iyan ang problema ko, ang Pilipino. Much as we would like to reduce the COVID cases, eh kung ganoon ang ginagawa ninyo, walang katapusan na itong p***** i**** ‘to," Duterte's response to DILG Secretary Eduardo Año's reports of mass gatherings in the country despite quarantine measures. Año also highlighted several "superspreader" events such as the Gubat sa Ciudad incident in Caloocan wherein 20 became positive to COVID-19 in May 9, parties in Barangay Nagk...

Ni Deighton Acuin LARAWAN MULA SA: Philippine Daily Inquirer “Mukhang wishful thinking po ‘yan.” Ito ang naging pahayag ni Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque matapos lumabas ang isang online survey na nagsasabing nangunguna si Bise Presidente Leni Robredo para sa pagkapangulo ng Pilipinas. Ayon sa kaniya, mas mapagkakatiwalaan ang mga polling company na gumagamit ng “cross-sampling method” sa pagsasagawa ng pagtatala. Dagdag nito, hindi niya alam ang site na PiliPinas, na gumawa ng survey. “Hindi ko po alam kung ano ang prosesong ginawa ng kompanyang ito at, sa totoo lang, hindi ko pa naririnig ang kompanyang ‘yan. Ang pinaniniwalaan ko po ang mga pinagkakatiwalaang polling companies na malinaw po kung paano ang procedure nila bagama’t 1,200 lang ang kanilang sample,” ani Roque sa isang press briefing na pinalabas sa PTV-4. “Kasi kapag talagang random po ang statistical surveys natin, nagiging accurate naman,” dagdag ng opisyal. Lumalabas sa nasabing survey na nangunguna si Robredo ...

By Jennylou Canon PHOTO: PCOO "Pero matatapos na po iyong kaniyang prayoridad. Kumbaga, back to the end of the line. That's only fair." Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told this to seniors and persons with comorbidities who refuse to take available vaccines. While they are given priority for the vaccination, Roque said the government will not force the elderly and those with health risks to be inoculated.  Meanwhile, the spokesperson added the government understands the Filipinos' preference on US-made COVID-19 vaccines as he cited a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey's result. The survey showed that 32% of the 1,200 respondents prefer Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, and 39% chose Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 jab. "Naiintindihan naman po natin ‘yan. Talaga namang sa ating kasaysayan, ang mga Pilipino ay mas humahanga sa mga [galing] stateside," Roque noted. Despite the public's preference, Roque urged Filipinos to prioritize their hea...

By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: PCOO There are no playing favorites in coronavirus vaccine deployment, Malacañang said Friday. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement when asked why Davao City has received more COVID-19 vaccine doses from United States drugmaker Pfizer-BioNTech than other provinces. He said that the vaccines were delivered to some areas that have -40 degrees celsius special refrigeration requirements. "Pfizer is being distributed in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao because they have the sub-zero storage needed," Roque said in a Laging Handa briefing aired on PTV-4. "This is not playing favorites. Reyalidad lang po iyan because Pfizer is made for First World country condition...I think the (required storage) is at -40 degrees Celsius and storage facilities for that are in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao so that is the destination of Pfizer," Roque added. The Philippines has so far received 8,279,050 COVID-19 vaccine doses...

By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: Yancy Lim/Presidential Photos It is unlikely for Filipinos to consider the West Philippine Sea dispute as one of the topics to be used for choosing the next president in the 2022 national elections, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said. Interviewed over One News’ “The Chiefs” program, Panelo made the statement after the Malacañang rejected the calls for multilateral approach in addressing the issue. “Issue ng Pilipino yung sa tiyan niya. Sa tiyan, yung bakuna ngayon, yung maliligtas ang buhay niya. ‘Yung talagang sa lamesa ang pag-uusapan,” he said. He also claimed that he saw in the survey that corruption, environmental, and human rights are among the most interesting issues in the Philippines. “Tinignan ko yung West Philippine Sea, two percent lang, eh. Hindi interesado yung mga sinurvey. Kasi kumbaga abstract yun, eh,” he added. Last May 24, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that the bilateral talks with China have been working unde...

By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: One News For Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, House lawmakers voting for the dismissal of impeachment complaint against him only affirms judicial independence. “A dismissal on the basis of the mere face of the impeachment complaint affirms the baselessness of the grounds raised,” Leonen said, adding it is “an act that powerfully speaks for itself.” “The House of Representatives has just affirmed the constitutional independence of the judiciary by not allowing others to take advantage of the vulnerability of its members. They have created a precedent that warns against the abuse and trivialization of constitutional processes,” he added. Leonen’s statements came after the House Committee on Justice junked the complaint filed by Attorney Edwin Cordevilla by saying the accusations were not supported by authentic records and not even based on personal knowledge. Cordevilla’s complaint against Leonen was earlier endorsed by Ilocos Norte Representative A...

By Dorothy Geraga PHOTO: The Dallas Morning News Throughout the pandemic era, vaccines have been developed to progress in eradicating the coronavirus that has been on the throne since 2019 — Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 grew its number of cases from Wuhan in China to other parts of the world. It put people hospitalized, worst, death. This pandemic put cities and countries to lockdown and such. This threat pushed professionals all over the globe to study the virus and develop vaccines. Today, in the year 2021, many vaccines have been out and distributed to countries to get the people vaccinated. However, governments and leaders look through the vaccines created by different organizations, based on the numbers. It is normal for them to choose the best for their people. But, according to Vox, it is not best to judge the effectiveness of the vaccines through their efficacy percentage.  Efficacy matt...

By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: Presidential Photos "Sana hindi naman po, dahil Mayo pa lang po. Pwede pa mag-recover. Naniniwala naman po tayo na makakahabol tayo.” This was what Malacañang had to say when asked for a comment on the recent report by Moody’s Analytics that the Philippines is falling behind Asian countries. In a media briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque admitted the prolonged imposition of lockdowns due to looming infections of COVID-19 variants has delayed the country’s economic recovery. The country has been struggling in economy as some cities and provinces have been placed under strict quarantine classifications due to the upsurge of COVID-19 infections.  But, Roque said the government is still optimistic on economic rebounding. "Sa ngayon po, ang projection ng ating sariling NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) ay lalaki pa rin po ang ating ekonomiya sa taong ito between 6% to 7%,” he said. The government is expecting that by mid-2022, ...

By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: PCOO Malacañang said that President Rodrigo Duterte was “appalled” over the recent killings in Negros Oriental and the latter is taking a “neutral” stance regarding the matter. “Nagparating po ng mensahe ang ating Presidente that he is appalled doon sa mga patayan na nangyayari sa Negros Oriental,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing. “Ang sinabi po ng Presidente is he will be completely neutral pero gagampanan ng estado ang kanyang obligasyon na imbestigahan, litisin at parusahan ang mga tao na pumapatay sa Negros Oriental,” Roque added. He made the statement after Duterte met with the Central Visayas Peace and Order Council last Monday. However, Roque said that some of the matters that have been tackled were “confidential.” The President has also ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to address the “conflicting claims to untitled land,” which was claimed as the primary cause of killings. “Ang sabi po n...

By Jennylou Canon PHOTO: Hindustani Times Majority of Filipinos prefer to be inoculated with United States (US)-made vaccines, a recent survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed. The poll found that out of 1,200 adults, 63% preferred US-made vaccines, while 19% preferred China-made vaccines. The survey also showed that 39% of Filipinos chose Sinovac Biotech as their preferred vaccine brand, and was followed by Pfizer BioNtech and AstraZeneca with 33% and 22% respectively.  SWS noted that brand preference "rises with education," as US vaccine brands were chosen mostly by college graduates at 67%, succeeded by junior high school graduates at 66%, elementary graduates at 58%, and non-elementary graduates at 55%. Junior high school graduates, meanwhile, expressed preference for Sinovac Biotech at 43%, followed by elementary graduates at 34%, and non-elementary graduates at 36%. In Visayas and Mindanao, Sinovac is the most preferred vaccine brand at 44%, while in Metro Manila...

By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: One News Malacañang thumbed down the suggestion of Vice President Leni Robredo for a multilateral approach in addressing the rising tension in the West Philippine Sea. In a Monday media presser, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that the country’s bilateral talks with China have been working under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. In her weekly radio show, Robredo said if all will be done through bilateral talks, the Philippines would not be able to protect its territorial rights. “The President po is the lone architect of foreign policy. Hindi po totoo na hindi gumagana ang ating bilateral approach to the West Philippine Sea kasi matapos po ang halos limang taon na termino ni Presidente, wala po tayong nawalang teritoryo sa Tsina, wala po tayong hidwaan sa Tsina,” Roque said. “So I beg to disagree. The President’s policy has been working for the past five years,” he added. The West Philippine Sea issue rose anew after 200 Chinese militi...

By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: Sen. Bong Go Malacañang said Monday that the inoculation of President Rodrigo Duterte with a COVID-19 vaccine developed by China-based Sinopharm was meant to boost the confidence of the public on Chinese-made vaccines. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement after being asked why the government is urging Filipinos to trust vaccines that are approved under emergency use if Duterte himself got vaccinated with a vaccine that has yet to secure such before regulators. "Hindi po namili si Presidente ng stateside na brand. Chinese brand rin ang pinili niya. This will boost confidence in Chinese-made vaccines,” Roque said in a Palace briefing on Monday. The lone vaccine produced by Chinese firms approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is from Sinovac Biotech. However, Sinovac is yet to be included in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL). The Philippines so far received more than five million Sinovac vaccines with ...

By Archie Villaflores PHOTO: PCOO/RTVM Amid criticisms over his pronouncement that “flexible learning will continue in 2021 and thereafter,” Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chair Prospero de Vera III changed his tune and said students may still be able to attend to face-to-face classes again.  “[I]n the future, kung medyo safe na, pwede nating payagan mag-face-to-face,” he said in an interview with DZMM Teleradyo on Monday, May 24.  De Vera also emphasized the need to “retrofit” schools to assure that minimum health standards can be observed should the government decide to bring back in-person classes.   “Meron pa ring alcohol, washing area, direction and signs, may protocols para ‘pag dumating ang susunod na pandemiya, ligtas pa rin ang mga bata. That is what we mean…We cannot go back as if the pandemic never happened,” he continued.  However, this is a 180-degree turn from De Vera’s previous statement saying universities and colleges will no longer return to ...

By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: Santa Clarita Signal Even after the COVID-19 pandemic, distance learning modalities should continue catering Filipino students, the Department of Education (DepEd) said. Speaking at the first-ever Asia Pacific Public Sector Digital Submit, Education Undersecretary for Administration Alain Pascua said that the capability to conduct distance learning harnessed amid the health crisis would also address the shortage of classrooms should face-to-face classes continue. “We need to master distance learning now, making all the necessary improvements and perfecting our processes for the DepEd Commons, DepEd TV, DepEd Radio, the DepEd Learning Management System, the DepEd Mobile App, and others,” he said. “If there are no face-to-face classes, then we have to devise all means to reach out to our learners and to bring basic education to them. We have to educate, by all means, we have to teach by all means, and our learners have to learn by all means,” Pascua added. He als...

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor PHOTO: Twitter The plea #LigtasNaBalikEskwela is abuzz with more than 18,500 tweets so far following the pronouncement of the Commissioner on Higher Education (CHED) that flexible learning scheme will be the norm in school year 2021 and the years to come.   Speaking at a virtual forum on education on Friday, CHED Chairman J. Prospero de Vera II said the commission has adopted a policy that flexible learning will continue and the "old paradigm of face-to-face versus online will now disappear." Online outrage came to light as teachers, students and the like speak about their concerns and shared stories of their struggles amid the implementation of the blended learning system or flexible learning— a combination of digital and non-digital technology. Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago took to Twitter her concerns and stressed that the  current learning set-up has "taken a toll on students and teachers' health and well-being" citing the appar...

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor PHOTO: Rappler As the pandemic reshapes education, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said Friday it has adopted a policy to implement flexible learning in "school year 2021 and thereafter." “From now on, Flexible Learning will be the norm. There is no going back to the traditional, full-packed face-to-face classrooms,” CHED Chairman J. Prospero De Vera III said during a webinar entitled “Educating our Children in the New Normal” on Friday, May 21. De Vera justified such move by saying that resuming in-person classes "run the risk of exposing our stakeholders to the same risks if another pandemic comes in." He added: "[W]e would have wasted all the investments in technology, in teacher training, in the retrofitting of our facilities.” De Vera added that higher education institutions (HEIs) with much prepared facilities will continue investing and moving ahead using online platforms. “Others, will be allowing some of their students ...

By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: ABS-CBN News Filipinos still have the freedom to refuse coronavirus vaccination if they prefer other vaccine brands, Malacañang clarified Friday. In a press briefing aired on PTV-4, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the clarification amid criticisms on the recent order that the COVID-19 vaccine brands will not be disclosed in advance to avoid crowding in vaccination sites. “Bagaman hindi ia-anunsyo ng LGU ang vaccine brand, sasabihin sa mga mababakunahan ang vaccine brand habang nasa vaccination center,” he said. “Hindi ililihim sa mababakunahan ang bakunang ibibigay sa kanya. Karapatan niyo pong malaman at tanggihan ito,” Roque added. His statement came after netizens were concerned over the non-disclosure of vaccine brands by saying it will only violate the informed consent right of the people. However, Roque reiterated that all jabs delivered in the country are equally effective and that the public should not be hesitant to get a shot. “Nirerespeto ...

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor PHOTO: Presidential Photos President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed intent to meet with the former presidents to discuss the issues concerning the West Philippine Sea, Malacañang disclosed on Thursday.  Palace spokesman Harry Roque in his press briefing said that President Duterte was looking for an "alternative" to convening the National Security Council (NSC) and one of the options consider is to meet with his predecessors.  “Wala pa pong date, The President is considering the idea of an alternative to convening the National Security Council. Pero yun po, still in the process of consideration,” he said. Roque issued the statement after Duterte on Monday met Juan Ponce Enrile, a former defense minister and a former senator, to seek his advice on matters related to the Philippines’ long-standing disputes with China in WPS. He also made the remarks, after former senator Rodolfo Biazon urged the administration to convene NSC to come up with a “clear and un...

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor PHOTO: ABS-CBN News For former Vice President Jejomar Binay, it is about time for the government to tap the private sector in order to address the shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in the country and to "vaccinate as many workers in the fastest way possible." Binay's remark comes after the Department of Health (DOH) earlier admitted that the country has an insufficient supply of vaccines to be administered to medical frontliners, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities.  "DOH admits we don’t have enough vaccines. We need 24 million additional doses and at the moment we do not have enough," said Binay in a tweet on Friday.  "This is frustrating news for businessmen and workers. But there is a solution: Let’s tap the private sector. Allow them to buy more vaccines for their employees. Let them vaccinate their people for free," the human rights lawyer added.  He underscored that the government should find ways to incentivize the...

By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: Dallas Morning News The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should start studying the inclusion of Filipino minors in the COVID-19 vaccination program, Senator Sonny Angara said. “This is a signal for us to commence our own independent studies on the matter,” Angara said, adding the government must be “ahead of the curve” in expanding vaccination eligibility to other age groups. He made the remark after countries like Singapore and the United States have begun the inoculation for younger people 12-15 years of age. It is a “prudent thing to do” to deploy vaccines to certain age groups, according to him. “Yung nasa basic education natin, mga 28 million sila. 'Yung nasa tertiary, mga 3.4 million. If combined, their total population would put them in the top 50 countries, bigger than Australia’s 25 million,” Angara said, stressing the vaccination among children will protect them against infectious disease. The lawmaker further said vaccinating young people is a ...