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Ni James Gabriel Regondola Matapos masungkit ni Hidilyn Diaz ang kauna-unahang gintong medalya para sa Pilipinas sa Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, bumida kamakailan ang isang beteranong atleta at nabubuhay na alamat pagdating sa larangan ng weightlifting.  Photo Courtesy by Shana Rocamora Ramirez Ipinagmalaki ni Shana Ramirez sa kaniyang Facebook post ang kanyang super lolo na si  Artemio E. Rocamora, 87 taong gulang, isang weightlifting olympian at retiradong opisyal ng Philippine Air Force na dati na ring nakapag-uwi ng medalya para sa bansa.  (Photo Courtesy by Shana Rocamora Ramirez Nagbigay ng karangalan si Lolo Artemio para sa Pilipinas nang siya ay tanghalin bilang bronze medallist sa 1964 Asian Weightlifting Championship sa Tokyo, Japan. Sa parehong taon at bansa, bigo mang makapasok sa podium standing, masaya pa rin ang kanyang pamilya na siya ay nakabilang sa Top 20 ng Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics matapos magbuhat ng 85.5 kilos sa light heavyweight event na nakapag...

By Rinoa Kate dela Cruz PHOTO: IStock In the Philippines, there are “unspoken” social rules or norms that are believed to create and maintain peace. However, given the idea that the policies are embedded with cultural ideologies, constitutions may include some “weird” or “unusual” policies that are still living up until now. Here are 5 wackiest laws that are existing in the Philippines: 1. Adults at ages 21-25 years old are required to ask for advice before getting married Based on Article 15 of the Family Code, adults (21-25 years old) are still required to ask for advice before getting married and if not, a marriage license will not be issued. Since Filipinos truly embrace the importance of marital blessing, this rule is meant to give the parents a chance to change their opposing mind and decide if they agree to the marriage or not. 2. Any forms of stealing within the family is allowed “Blood is thicker than water,” is very visible in the Philippine culture to the point that ther...

By Quian Vencel Galut PHOTO: ABS-CBN News As the National Capital Region (NCR) will be placed again under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), the Department of Health (DOH) allows house-to-house implementation of the COVID-19 vaccines for vulnerable and high-risk senior citizens. According to DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, senior citizens and individuals who are not able to go to the vaccination sites are allowed to undergo house-to-house vaccination. "Sa tingin namin maganda 'yan na strategy, kasi una sa lahat, hindi magkukumpul-kumpol ang mga tao. Ang iikot po ang [mga magbabakuna] at hindi na kailangang pumunta ng mga tao sa ibang lugar para magpabakuna," Vergeire stated in a public press briefing, Saturday. Upon the said program, DOH is also eyeing a "safe" way for scheduling of vaccination to avoid being crowded by people in the vaccine areas and also to have bigger vaccine sites to follow the physical distancing. "Gagawa tayo ng safe ...

By Deighton Acuin PHOTO: RPN Radio Stricter COVID-19 containment measures are once again announced by various national governments across the Asia-Pacific, from Israel to Australia, due to the threats brought upon by the more infectious Delta variant. First identified in India, it has now reached about 96 countries, doubling the challenge faced by countries with low vaccination rates, especially in Asia, where hundreds of millions are still left without a single dose, causing them to be more susceptible to the strain. However, even countries with high immunization rates, such as Israel and Singapore, are reimposing tighter measures to combat possible surges from the variant, which is more likely to resist any shielding from current vaccines. According to the New York Times, the Delta variant is as contagious as chicken pox and could cause severe illness, as it cites from an internal document from the United States’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Meanwhile, countries i...

By Sydney Antoinette Alipao PHOTO: Getty Images Citing the ongoing surge of the more infectious COVID-19 Delta variant in the country, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday declared that "all suggestions will be considered" to prevent the possible voter disenfranchisement in the upcoming 2022 elections. Disenfranchisement is the act of revoking a person’s right to vote. It becomes a crime when qualified voters are prevented from voting. This can come in the form of intimidation, stuffing ballot boxes, and so forth; essentially, any attempt to purposefully overturn the electoral process. "There might, however, be legal impediments to holding elections away from designated voting centers, but again, no ideas are off the table for now," Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez told reporters. On the other hand, suggestions like the establishment of voting areas on COVID-19 hospital wards have already come up. Allowing voters undergoing quarantine to cast their vote...

By Jennylou Canon PHOTO: PCOO The majority of the public wishes to see the government tighten ties with other countries for stronger defense in the West Philippine Sea row, a recent survey showed. Social Weather Stations’ (SWS) survey said that 69% strongly agreed with strengthening ties with other nations. Out of 69%, 33% strongly agreed, 36% somewhat agreed, 22% undecided, and 9% disagreed. Meanwhile, SWS also asked about the public’s satisfaction with the government’s assertion of rights in the WPS dispute. 47% said they were not satisfied, with 18% strongly agreed, and 29% somewhat agreed. To declare the country’s rights in the WPS, 69% said that the country must build structures in the disputed waters. Aside from strengthening ties with other nations and building structures, the public supported ideas of strengthening the military capability. SWS conducted face-to-face interviews with 1200 adult Filipinos in the country. Report source: CNN Philippines DISCLAIMER

By Christian Niturada PHOTO:  Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters TOKYO, JAPAN- Pinoy pug Nesthy Petecio survived a tough challenge as she chopped down to size World No. 5 Irma Testa of Italy via split decision, 4-1, in the semifinals of the Women's Featherweight 54-57kg category at the Kokugikan Arena, Saturday. The smaller Petecio snapped her first round jitters and opened the next round with a different strategy over a much taller Testa, which served as her springboard to a torment of solid body shots to secure her slot into gold medal contention and become the first Filipina boxer to win gold in boxing. Petecio, currently ranked No. 2 by AIBA in the featherweight category, had a struggle on Testa's height and reach advantage in first round that caused her loss with 9-10 in five judges' scorecard. But Petecio immediately shifted her playstyle by moving nearer to deliver punches on Testa's body in the second round, thrashing the 23-year-old Italian boxer to get the judges' f...

Ni Ricci Cassandra Lim LARAWAN MULA SA: Philippine Daily Inquirer Ang pagbuo ni Bise Presidente Leni Robredo ng alyansa para sa darating na Halalan 2022 ay maaga pa upang kumpirmahin, ayon kay dating Senador Bam Aquino. Sa isang panayam, nitong Biyernes, Hulyo 30, sinabi ni Aquino na pinag-uusapan pa lamang ng Partidong Liberal ang mga maaaring maging kalagayan ng bansa at sinusuri din ang iba't-ibang panig at pananaw tungkol dito. “I think it’s premature to talk about any alliances. Pinaguusapan pa lang ano bang bansa ang gusto natin post-2022 at paano natin ito makukuha,” ani Aquino na tumatayong miyembro ng partido. “We have to accept and we have to look at the reality in our country na iba-iba ang panig natin (that we have different sides), there have been issues na magkakaiba yung pananaw natin (where we have different perspectives), we might agreed on some points, we might disagreed on other points but what we can agree on is we need change in this country na kailangan natin...

Ni Nikki Coralde LARAWAN MULA SA: Canadian Inquirer Kasabay ng pagtanggi ukol sa umano’y pagkakaroon ng community transmission ng coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Delta variant sa bansa, hiniling ni Health Secretary Francisco Duque III na maging alerto ang mga mamamayan at isipin na totoo ngang lumalaganap na ang sakit.  Sa kaniyang naging pahayag nitong Biyernes, sinabi pa niya na mas pinaiigting na raw nila ang tugon sa pandemya gamit ang Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Regenerate (PDITR) at maayos na “vaccination strategy.” "There is already local transmission. (As for community transmission), we cannot be definitive about it because of the limited genomic sequencing. But of course, we must assume there is already transmission,” ani Duque.   Kaugnay nito, umabot na sa 216 ang kabuuang bilang ng Delta variant matapos pumalo sa 97 ang kaso nitong Biyernes.  Gayunpaman, sinabi rin ni Duque na 3.4 milyon na dose pa ng bakuna ang inaasahang darating sa bansa sa unang l...

By Charmaine Delos Santos PHOTO: Eagle News The Palace announced on Friday that the National Capital Region (NCR) will be placed again under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to August 20 due to hike in COVID-19 cases. In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed that President Rodrigo Duterte approved the proposal of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to put Metro Manila under ECQ.  “Hindi po naging madali ang desisyon na ito. Maraming oras ang ginugol para pagdebatihan ang bagay na ito dahil binabalanse nga po natin 'yong pagpapabagal ng pagkalat ng COVID-19 dahil sa Delta variant at 'yong karapatan po nating mabuhay, maiwasan— at mabawasan ang hanay ng mga nagugutom,” Roque said. Roque also stressed that their decision was also driven to avoid further shortage of ICU beds and other hospital facilities Roque earlier announced families residing in ECQ areas such as Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, and Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental will be receiv...

By Anthony Pagapulaan PHOTO: Trip the Islands Hundreds of billions of pesos and hundreds of jobs from the country's economy are believed to be endangered for each week that Metro Manila is placed under the sternest quarantine classification, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) claimed Friday. Metro Manila will be placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20, with additional restrictions the week before, potentially resulting in losses of at least P210 billion. “Each week of ECQ in NCR (National Capital Region) will cost the economy P105 billion. Also increase[s] poor people by up to 177,000 and 444,000 more without jobs,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said, noting its agency's newest assessments. The economic agency chief drew statements after the Palace has assigned placing NCR under ECQ with the growing number of Delta variant infections. Metro Manila, in the meantime, is under general community quarantine (GCQ) wit...

Ni Patricia Nicole Culob LARAWAN MULA SA: Defend Democracy Press Nagdesisyon si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na ipagpatuloy ang Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) kasama ang Estados Unidos bilang paninindigan sa personal na interes ng Pilipinas. Sa isang pahayag, iginiit ni Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque na nabuo ang desisyon base sa "Philippine strategic core interests" at malinaw na depinisyon ng alyansang PH-US kung saan "sovereign equals" ang tingin ng dalawang bansa sa isa't isa. "[His] decision to recall the abrogation of VFA is based on upholding PH strategic core interests... and clarity of United States (US) position on its obligations and commitments under MDT (Mutual Defense Treaty)," saad ni Roque. Binawi ni Duterte ang terminasyon ng VFA matapos ang pagpupulong kasama si US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Samantala, patuloy na makikipag-ugnayan ang Pilipinas sa ibang bansa upang bumuo ng relasyon kung saan maisusulong ang "core natio...

By Lance Arevada PHOTO: Sen. Bong Go The Philippines and the United States have committed to further strengthen their alliance through boosting its cooperation in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and other areas of mutual interest after President Rodrigo Duterte met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday. In a press statement, Malacañang said Duterte and Austin in a courtesy call had an “open and frank discussion” on the current relationship and future course between the two countries that lasted for 75 minutes. “They agreed that the alliance can be further strengthened through enhanced communication and greater cooperation, particularly in the areas of pandemic response, combating transnational crimes, including the war on illegal drugs, maritime domain awareness, the rule of law, and trade and investments,” the Palace said. The President has also thanked the United States for its assistance on the country’s pandemic response after receiving more than three million vac...

By Addison Pascua PHOTO: PCOO Malacañang clarified on Thursday that President Rodrigo Duterte was unaware that the 43 Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials allegedly linked in the so-called pastillas scheme, whom he earlier claimed he fired, are now back in government office. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte might not have informed about the real status of the immigration officers when he vigorously boasted that he had terminated the 43 personnel involved in the scheme during his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) as a manifestation of his drive against corruption in the country. “Siguro po, obvious ang sagot, hindi po siguro alam ni Presidente hindi pa sila nasisisante. Ang alam lang niya, nasuspende,” Roque stated in a press briefing. “Pero siguro po, ang epekto ng kaniyang mga binitawang salita, iyan po ay mandato sa DOJ, sa CID, gawin niyo ang lahat para masisante iyan sa lalong mabilis na panahon. Hindi po katanggap-tanggap iyong ginawa nilang pastillas scheme; ...

Ni Annie Jane Jaminal LARAWAN MULA SA: PCOO Nangako si Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian na magkakaloob pa ng karagdagang mga bakuna kontra COVID-19 ang China sa Pilipinas upang masiguro ang sapat na dami ng suplay nito sa bansa. "As the Philippines is facing an increase in demand [for] vaccines, we will donate more and [substantially] increase the supply of vaccines to the Philippines," sabi ni Xilian sa ginanap na inagurasyon ng Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge. "China and the Philippines are close neighbors that cannot be separated and moved away [from each other]," dagdag pa niya. Kaugnay nito, kalahati ng 27 milyong dose ng bakuna ay galing China. Ayon kay vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. noong Miyerkules, nasa 42 milyong dose pa ng bakuna ang kulang para matugunan ang tamang dami ng bilang nito sa bansa. Samantala, pinuri naman ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang China at Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) sa pagkatapos ng kanilang proyekto sa kabila ng pandemy...

By Jillian Marielle Tiraña PHOTO: Business Times The Department of Health (DOH) announced a 1.2% climb in the Philippines’ COVID-19 positivity rate on Thursday, bringing the percentage to 16.2% — the country’s highest since April 29. DOH reported the increase in positivity rate after keeping it below 15% in the last three months when an additional 5,735 COVID-19 cases were recorded among 49,392 individuals who were tested for the virus. The count was based on the data submitted by 233 labs to the COVID-19 Document Repository System on July 28. The current number of active cases is 56,273, roughly 94.7% of these classified as mild or asymptomatic. As of July 29, the total number of reported COVID-19 cases is 1,572,287. 3.6% of which are active cases, 94.7% have recovered, while the death toll accounts for 1.75% or 27,577. Metro Manila continues to hold the highest number of COVID-19 cases with 550,585 infections followed by CALABARZON and Central Luzon with 264,157 and 141,587 cases, re...

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor PHOTO: PCOO President Rodrigo Duterte did not mince his words and bared that he is willing to go to jail should a Philippine court sue him on alleged crime against humanity, but added that he will take with him his critics from the opposition, or the "dilawans".  "Kung ako makulong, magdala ako ng mga 5 dilawan, sabihin ko sa'yo. Magpakulong ako, magdala ako ng dalawang dilawan, mamili ako sa kanila. Paano ko kayo dalhin, 'yan ang problema ninyo," Duterte said in a pre-recorded public address aired late Wednesday.  Duterte made the statement after outgoing Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda of the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested authority to open into the alleged crime against humanity committed under the administration’s war on drugs. The Chief Executive, however, reiterated he would still refuse to acknowledge the jurisdiction of ICC, citing that he did not even have a copy of the Rome Statute– the treaty that created the cou...

By Carlos Manuel Eusoya PHOTO: Tokyo 2020 Hidilyn Diaz, Philippine’s first Olympic gold medalist, revealed that the China team did not expect her to carry as much weight as she did in the weightlifting competition of the Tokyo Olympics held last Monday. According to Diaz, they supposedly got mad with her Chinese coach for not sharing the extent of her skills.  “Hindi makapaniwala ang China na ganito na ako kalakas, then siyempre si Coach, hindi niya na-share sa China. Medyo nagalit kasi ang China din sa kanya... Ang [sabi] ko, bakit niya ishe-share?’ Nandito kasi siya para mag-work, to work for me para palakasin ako,” Diaz said in an interview with ANC this Thursday. Gao Kaiwen had been Diaz’s coach since the latter’s victory in the 2018 Asian Games, but he was a former head coach of the Chinese national women’s army team. Diaz won a gold medal in the women’s 55 kilograms weightlifting category— and in the process, she also set two Olympic records with her combined weight total...