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By Jillian Marielle Tiraña PHOTO: Senate PRIB File Photo/Voltair F. Domingo Senator Imee Marcos encouraged his brother, President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., to appoint “dilawan” and “pinklawan” associated personalities under his incoming administration during a radio interview on Saturday. Sen. Marcos reasoned that there is nothing wrong for non-allies to be a part of the upcoming administration especially if they are capable. She also pointed out that this is in line with their “unity” advocacy. “Pakiwari namin na lahat ng mahusay ay i-recruit, kasi sa bandang huli anumang kulay sa pulitika lahat naman tayo Pilipino. Kung magagaling na mga Pilipino ay yan ang dapat na i-recruit,” Marcos stated. The senator added that she remains hopeful that they will get the “best and the brightest” as a part of the administration. Moreover, she revealed that she is currently submitting names of recommendations to include in the administration, many of whom are allied with “dilawans” and ...

Ni Carlos Jimwell Aquino PHOTO: INQUIRER.net Makalipas ang ilang araw nang matapos ang proklamasyon, nagbigay ng kanyang congratulatory message si outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo para kay Vice President-elect Sara Duterte sa pagkapanalo nito bilang susunod na pangalawang pangulo ng bansa.  Kasabay ng pagbati ni Robredo, sinabi rin niya na tinatanggap niya ang imbitasyon ni Duterte para sa isang inisyal na pagpupulong tungkol sa inaasahang pagpapasahan ng posisyon. “Dear Vice President-elect Duterte: Warmest congratulations on your proclamation as 15th Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines. We respectfully acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 27 May 2022 requesting an initial meeting between our respective teams,” saad ni Robredo sa kanyang liham nitong Lunes.  “Please be advised that we are ready to meet and answer any questions you may have regarding the Office of the Vice President and to take all necessary steps to ensure a smooth transition,” dagdag pa...

By Ronnel Kien Bermas PHOTO:  Screengrab from Interaksyon from Reddit/Jajauno An LED billboard featuring President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been seen to wrongly display the Philippine flag along EDSA in Mandaluyong City on Thursday. In a video dated May 26, Redditor ‘Jajauno’ revealed an LED video billboard of the late dictator’s son along EDSA with the Philippine wartime flag displayed vertically. Incidentally, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) tweeted a link to a free copy of The Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, otherwise known as Republic Act No. 8491, on May 28. According to Section 10 of the aforementioned law, the flag must be hung with the blue field positioned to the left of the observer in times of peace. The act also notes that violators of any of its provisions must be "punished by a fine of not less than five thousand pesos (P5,000) nor more than twenty thousand pesos (P20,000), or by imprisonment for not more than one (1) yea...

By Carlos Manuel Eusoya Ever since its detection in various parts of Europe, the Monkeypox virus has caused widespread concern among health experts and common citizens. The virus, which was discovered initially in the African region, has resulted in previous small-scale outbreaks, such as in the 2003 Midwest outbreak located in the United States. Considering that the world has just entered two years of the COVID pandemic, the sudden reappearance of monkeypox is quite alarming. PHOTO: Smith Collection/Gado/Madrolly/Getty Images While the rise in potential monkeypox cases is concerning, awareness is still the key to preventing a widespread outbreak. Here are the up-to-date details that you need to know about monkeypox. The Origins Closely related to the variola virus (causing smallpox) and the cowpox virus, Monkeypox belongs under the umbrella of Orthopoxviruses. This family of viruses cause zoonotic infections. Zoonotic means that a disease can be transmitted from an animal to a human, ...

By Monica Condrillon PHOTO: Screengrab from INQUIRER.net President-elect Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. 's first press-briefing after his proclamation on Thursday had questions raised when only selected media networks namely NET25, SMNI, and GMA were given invitations to the said interview. This after his camp issued a media advisory that the BBM Media Center in Mandaluyong would still be closed on May 26, but later on shocked the media with the announcement of a press-conference to be live-streamed on his Facebook page the very same day. “It doesn't mean we intend, or have intended to exclude anyone,” says Marcos’ spokesperson Atty. Vic Rodriguez. "Ang tanging kadahilanan lamang kung bakit nagpaunlak si Pres. Bongbong Marcos, sapagkat ito yung media commitment na binigay ng aming media team sa 3 network noong kampaniya," he further explained. Rodriguez also noted that prior to the election, these three networks have previously asked for a one-on-one interview with M...

By Danielle Chua The ‘magic weapon’. Strict lockdowns. Restricted contact. All safe from the virus but wait, there is more.  The policy basics It is highly evident that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a large catastrophe in various sectors like health, education, economy, and so forth. The United Nations (UN) made it clear that this is not just a plain health plight, but also a crisis deeply rooted from humanity and equality.  With such global impact and willpower to combat the virus, Juul et al. (2020) articulated in their journal article entitled ‘Interventions for treatment of COVID-19: a protocol for a living systematic review with network meta-analysis including individual patient data (The LIVING Project)’ that there has been a reliance in medical healthcare, quarantine implementations, and infection-control precautions. Naming this the ‘magic weapon’ coined by the China’s National Health Commission Deputy Head Li Bin, China’s Zero-COVID Policy mainly aims to attain near-...

Nina Crisdenmar Dela Cruz at Roy Raagas Cartoon by Ace Vincent Lorico Nalugmok ang mukha ng Pinoy basketball fans matapos tibagin ng Indonesia ang hindi matinag-tinag na 31-taong paghahari ng Gilas Pilipinas sa Southeast Asian Games (SEAG). Subalit hindi na ito nakabibigla dahil sa palpak, mahina, at bulok na pamamalakad ng Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP). Nakadidismaya dahil kung hindi maresolba ang isyung ito, posibleng masaksihan ang unti-unting pagbagsak ng larangang basketbol sa bansa. Noong ibinalik si Coach Tab Baldwin nitong 2021, nagkaroon ng liwanag ang ating koponan dahil sa magandang ipinakita nito sa qualifiers ng FIBA Asia Cup at Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. Binubuo lamang ng collegiate players ang koponan ngunit nakipagsabayan ito sa world powerhouses. Matapos ang biglaang pagbibitiw ni Coach Tab bilang head coach at direktor ng Gilas program sa hindi malamang dahilan nitong Pebrero, back to zero at walang malinaw na direksyon ang koponan sa ngayon, isang taon ...

Ni Zamantha Pacariem PHOTO: Reuters Tila biglang naglaho ang mga karamdamang dinadaing ni dating first lady Imelda Marcos, dahil siya raw ay “extra excited at “so happy” sa pagkapanalo ng kanyang anak na si Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. sa Eleksyon 2022, ayon sa isa sa kanyang mga anak. “She’s suddenly able to hear, to walk, lahat ng sakit-sakit noong panahon ng COVID-19. Lahat ng nararamdaman biglang nawala. Maliksing-maliksi,” ani ng kanyang anak na si Senator Imee Marcos. Noong 2018, sinentensyahan ng Sandiganbayan ang dating unang ginang ng 87 na taon na pagkakakulong para sa pitong kaso ng graft, ngunit hindi nito dinaluhan ang paghahatol dahil siya umano ay nakakaranas ng “multiple organ failure." Gayunpaman, kasama siya sa mga dumalo at sumama sa proklamasyon ng kanyang anak na si Bongbong nitong linggo lamang. Ayon pa kay Imee, “Siyempre ‘yung nanay ko sobrang excited. Tuwang-tuwa siya sa mga pangyayari." Dagdag pa niya, napaka-liksi raw ng kanyang ina na parang hin...

By Carlos Manuel Eusoya PHOTO:  Screengrab from GMA News (Facebook) “Kalimutan na natin ‘yung nakaraan.” For President-elect Bongbong Marcos, it’s time to move on, start on a clean slate, and forget the corruption allegations of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC). In a press briefing with select media, Marcos was asked about his marching orders to those who will lead the BIR and BOC — two agencies that faced accusations of corruption since 2016. “Sasabihin natin, ‘Ah sige that’s not under my watch, hindi ako, hindi ako namamahala noon eh. Ngayon ako na namamahala, so wala nang ganyan,” he quoted. Even if he preferred a cleaner start, Marcos promised that corruption will still have no place in his administration. “Kung mayroon pang ganyan eh hahabul-habulin talaga namin kayo hindi pupuwede 'yan because we will not succeed,” he explained. Incoming press secretary Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles also clarified that Marcos’ statement did not mean that allege...

By Daine Mariel Chua PHOTO: Rappler As he is about to exit the gates of the Malacañang compound in June, President Rodrigo Duterte took defense against criticisms during his administration, claiming that negligence and shortcomings did not cause the unfinished projects but lack of time.   Speaking before government officials at the new Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) headquarters in Pasig City, Duterte said that it was the best that his administration could achieve within the 6 year-term, reiterating that shortcomings did not lessen their work quality. He justified that negligence was not the reason because it was not ideal to finish all promises within the given term period, concluding that time was not enough. “The things that I failed to do, mostly not because of negligence or may mga shortcoming ako but talagang time, Kasi 6 years will not be enough to finish all the projects,” he stated.  (The things that I failed to do, mostly not because of negligence or my sh...

  By Arjane Faith Paala PHOTO : Comelec The Commission on Election (Comelec) dismissed suspicions regarding the 2022 Elections as they reported 99.9 percent accuracy between the ongoing random manual audit (RMA) and the results of the automated election returns (ERs). As of May 23, Comelec acting spokesperson Rex Laudiangco affirmed the average match rate with the 163 audited ballot boxes from the retrieved 737 out of 757 randomly selected polling precincts. The poll body spearheaded the RMA in partnership with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente), National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), the Philippine Institute of Certified Accountants (Picpa), and the audit professionals group ISACA Manila chapter. A separate manual counting by poll watchdog Parish Pastoral Counting for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) recorded an accuracy rate of 100% based on 77,786 out of 78,894 collected ERs. Meanwhile, said cheating speculations ...

By  Joemar Yubokmee Cartoon by Aureus Ken Pupa The late dictator’s son and the incoming 17th President of the Republic of the Philippines Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. has been on the receiving end of backlashes for his late father’s role in the curtailment of free speech and widespread human rights abuses committed during his 20-year dictatorship. Wanting a fresh, new breath before he assumed office as the 17 th president of the republic, he asked the world to judge him not by his ancestors’ but by his actions–so we did. Marcos Jr. has been sitting on government positions for an accumulative time of 27 years and despite almost three decades worth of public administration, he seems to never have built a name for himself. In fact, his presidential campaign revolved on reminiscing the ‘supposed’ golden era of his father’s legacy. The early years of his life were a testament to his privilege. He was sent to top schools and universities and was even mentored by top e...

By Jostle Doen Pilayre PHOTO: Rappler The University of the Philippines (UP) Department of Political Science ordered a public notice on May 21, clarifying that the retired political scientist Clarita Carlos—who has favored presumptive president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos supporters as an ally—is not among the ranks of their lineup of professors. “To avoid any misinformation or misrepresentation, kindly refer to the official roster of the regular faculty members, professor emeriti, and professorial/senior lecturers of the UP Department of Political Science, found on our website,” the department said in a Facebook post on Saturday. Upon the review of the roster, Carlos, who has been widely claimed as a UP professor, especially by Marcos supporters, does not appear anywhere. Her affiliation with UP and reputation as a ‘terror’ professor was used as a defense by some supporters that if Marcos, despite his long list of issues and gaps, clicks her standards, then he can be a good president....

By Addison Pascua PHOTO: INQUIRER.net Amid the threat of the monkeypox virus, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Monday, May 23, rejected proposals to shut down the country’s borders to counter the possible entry of the disease. In an interview with GMA’s Balitanghali, Duque said imposing travel bans to countries with existing cases of monkeypox virus is not yet necessary at the moment.  “Yung pagsasara ng borders or stricter border control, hindi pa yan dapat gawin sa ngayon, ano?” Duque noted. “Unang-una, ito yung ating measures para sa COVID, ‘yung stricter surveillance, yung more stringent symptom screening,” he added. According to Duque, who is in constant coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), the monkeypox virus is not similar nor infectious as the coronavirus disease and is not yet classified as a threat to public health. “Kasi ito ang mode of transmission nito, direct physical contact. So tao sa tao, skin to skin. Pagka halimbawa, meron source yung bod...

By Avery Clyde Dimasuhid PHOTO : The Straits Times The dark Hanoi skies have once again flourished with lights, music, and traditional performances as the 31st Southeast Asian Games concluded at the My Dinh Indoor Games Gymnasium, celebrating the achievements that transpired since its opening last May 12.  Hosts went back through the short memory lane last night, reminiscing highlights as they recognized the different sporting events, referees, volunteers, and athletes that stood out in this pandemic-held event, which included Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Oanh and Nguyen Huy Hoang, Thai Joshua Robert Atkinson, and Singaporean Jing Wen Quah. Its closing ceremonies also featured Vietnamese entertainment and later on, traditional Cambodian performance after the SEA Games Federation flag was handed over to the 2023 SEA Games host, Phnom Penh, giving the spectators an opportunity to get a traditional glimpse of next year’s event. Furthermore, member countries were recognized one by one, wit...

Ni Ricci Cassandra Lim PHOTO: Philippine Star Inanunsyo nitong Lunes, Mayo 23, ng Office of the Vice President (OVP) ang pagtatapos ng Bayanihan E-Konsulta sa Mayo 31. Matatandaan na ang programang ito ay isa sa mga solusyon na inumpisahan ni outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo noong April 7, 2021 habang kasagsagan ng pagtaas ng mga kaso sa COVID-19.  Nagpapasalamat ang OVP sa mga nagboluntaryo- medical at non medical - sa Bayanihan E-Konsulta na birtuwal na konsultasyon na nagdudugtong sa mga pasyente at mga healthworkers noong panahong punuan ang mga ospital; inihayag din nila ang kanilang pasasalamat sa kanilang mga naging kasama na tumulong na mapalawig ang programa sa bansa.  “Taos-puso kaming nagpapasalamat sa lahat ng nakiisa sa inisyatibo nating ito upang makapaghatid ng kinakailangang tulong medikal sa ating mga kababayan ngayong panahon ng COVID-19 pandemic,” pahayag ng OVP.  “Sa lahat ng ating volunteer doctors, nurses, at iba pang medical professionals, pati ...

By Anthony S. Pagapulaan Photo: Presidential Media Bureau As his term nears end, President Rodrigo Duterte joked on his future job after June 30 this year: "Ang trabaho ko nalang ngayon, magtingin ng magandang babae." Duterte said this in a speech on Thursday, May 19, during the digital innovation and modernization of the Philippine Post Corporation (PhilPost). "Okay na ako [sa] tingin lang, hindi ako nag-aabduct, basta tingin lang kasi matanda na ako,” he however assured. He additionally joked that although he is fascinated with women, he will never make a move anymore but will still appreciate it if women approach him. “‘Wag kayong matakot kung magtitig ako sa inyo, hanggang titig lang ‘yan pero kung magpakilala ka, okay man. I would of course enjoy meeting… Alam naman ng asawa ko ‘yan kasi mahilig ako magtingin ng magagandang babae,” the President said. Duterte is known for his puns on women, including his rape jokes. In an event in South Korea before, he kissed an OF...

Ni Cherry Babia PHOTO: Quezon City Government (Facebook) Isang tao lamang umano ang nakakuha ng ayudang umabot sa P147,000 na inilaan sana para sa 35 na benepisyaryo ng isang cash-for-work program sa Magalang, Pampanga, na taliwas sa mga patakarang itinakda ng Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Ayon sa annual audit report ng Commission on Audit, dapat na kinuha ng mga benepisyaryo mismo o isa sa kanilang mga kaanak ang ayudang mula sa Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) Program ng DOLE at hindi ng iisang tao lamang. Dagdag pa nito, aabot sa 15 benepisyaryo lang umano ang nagkumpirma ng pagkuha nila ng ayuda habang 10 katao ang hindi nakatanggap ng pinansyal na tulong. Hindi sinabi sa report kung nakakuha ba ang sampu pang mga benepisyaryo ng ayuda o hindi na. Nirekomenda naman ng state auditors kay Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda na siguraduhin ng Provincial Treasurer's Office na ang mga taong awtorisado lamang ng DOLE ang makakakuha ng pi...