Nation

BY TVJ STAFF United States Peace Corps doctors and nurses help fill critical healthcare worker shortages and meet vaccine demand amid the Omicron surge in January and February. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO MANILA (March 7)—The United States (US) Peace Corps in partnership with the Department of Health (DoH) and the US Agency for International Development's (USAid) ReachHealth project is set to vaccinate more than 10,600 Filipinos, according to the US Embassy in the Philippines. Jenner Edelman, US Peace Corps country director, said during her visit to a mass vaccination clinic in Quezon City they are pleased to team up with the Philippine government and USAid to support this critical, nationwide effort to protect the Filipino people and get children safely back to school in person. The US...

REPUBLIC Act No. 11648, or the act increasing the age for determining statutory rape, received the President’s signature on March 4, 2022. The long-awaited law raises the age of sexual consent from twelve (12) to below sixteen (16) years old. “I know this has been long-awaited by many families and child rights advocates, and as a parent to three young kids myself, I was really adamant that we get this out for the President’s signature this Congress,” said Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, author and co-sponsor of the law. He also co-chaired the Senate bicameral conference committee panel for the bill, along with Sen. Richard Gordon. “At thirteen or fourteen, our kids cannot make informed decisions about sex yet, especially sex with adults, so this is a really important law ...

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (January 23)—GMA News and Public Affairs’ The Jessica Soho Presidential Interviews on Saturday pressed candidates on their personalities, controversies, and stances on issues, including their plan of action to mitigate climate disasters. The presidential bets briefly discussed building back better through climate-resilient infrastructure, preventing loss and damage, the transition to renewable energy, and applying local solutions at the national level. Reacting to this, Greenpeace Philippines Country Director Lea Guerrero said: “The discussion on climate issues has been lacking throughout the election season so far, particularly on the struggle for climate justice. This reflects the lack of ambitious plans in candidates’ platforms that would protect Filip...

MANILA (December 15)—The Department of Health (DOH), the University of the Philippines - Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC), and the University of the Philippines - National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) report that two imported cases of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of concern were detected from the 48 samples sequenced yesterday, December 14, 2021. Aside from these two Omicron cases, there were 33 positive for the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant while 13 had no lineage assigned. The latest sequencing run was composed of samples from 21 Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs), one foreign national, and 26 local cases from areas with case clusters. OMICRON VARIANT CASES: The two Omicron variant cases are incoming travelers and are currently isolated in a facility managed by the Bureau...

THE first state-owned oxygen producing plant will soon rise in Sorsogon, Gov. Chiz Escudero announced today after the province’s P94.5 million loan to finance its construction has been approved by the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP). The oxygen plant, he said, will greatly contribute to improve the healthcare system of the province and boost Sorsogon’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. HEALTHCARE INVESTMENT. An oxygen generator and refilling plant is now available at the Governor Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital in Laoag City. The project is a priority program of the provincial government of Ilocos Norte worth PHP20 million to supply medical oxygen to government hospitals and even to district hospitals and nearby medical centers outside the province. (Photo courtesy of the...

SENATOR Imee Marcos said the country should prepare for a worst-case scenario wherein herd immunity could no longer be attained. “Herd immunity remains theoretical and has become a moving target. Last year it was 70% of the population, today it’s 90%, but tomorrow it may well be out of range,” Marcos said. “With booster shots already in high demand, even as first doses have yet to reach populations in less developed countries, will vaccine manufacturers be able to provide?” Marcos asked. Besides precarious global vaccine supply, Marcos added that breakthrough infections among the vaccinated, the emergence of more variants, the uncertain length of vaccine efficacy, and the possible reduction of healthcare capacities due to hospital shutdowns and worker protests are also among ...

BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO SUSTAINABLE forest management company Citicore Candlewick Bioenergy, Inc. (CCBI) has partnered with Agriterra to expand livelihood opportunities and improve the quality of lives of its host communities through a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAid). According to CCBI, a renewable energy firm subsidiary of Citicore Power Inc. (Citicore), it aspires to become among the top ten world producers of sustainable biomass fuel chips through sustainable forestry and community upliftment that will generate long-term value for all stakeholders.  Oliver Tan, Citicore president, said they are very grateful for this partnership with the USAid and Agriterra to help uplift the lives of communities where their projects are located.&nb...

REP. ALLAN PETER CAYETANO FORMER House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday called on the voting public to base their choices on how well the 2022 election candidates had governed their jurisdictions, not on their popularity. “Tingnan mo y’ung lugar nila. Tingnan mo y’ung sakop nila o hawak nila. Interbyuhin mo ang mga taong nakapaligid sa kanila. At kapag nakita mong maganda, eh ‘di totoo,” Cayetano said in an interview with reporters before the distribution of the P10,000 in cash aid per family in Quezon City under his Sampung Libong Pag-Asa program. (Look at their areas. Look at their jurisdiction. Talk to the people surrounding the candidate. If you see for yourself that what he/she had done was indeed good, then the candidate is truly competent.) “‘Pag nakita mong hindi,...

SENATOR Imee Marcos has called for a one-year suspension of the value-added tax (VAT) on oil products amid lingering economic difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on economic affairs, noted on Tuesday another price hike by oil companies that reached per liter increases of P1.15 for gasoline, P0.60 for diesel, and P0.65 for kerosene.Since January, fuel prices per liter have already increased by P13 for gasoline, P10 for diesel, and P9 for kerosene, Marcos said. SEN. IMEE MARCOS Marcos said suspending the 12 percent VAT on oil products will provide relief to various consumers other than just motorists. "Oil price hikes have a domino effect on agricultural products and other essentials. The higher costs will be passed on to the ordina...