READ: P45B allotted for booster shots
Malacañang on Thursday said the government will start administering booster shots for all Filipinos next year. In his regular press briefing, Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said P45.37 billion will be earmarked in the national budget for 2022 to buy booster shots. Although experts have not completed their studies on the need or efficacy of booster shots, Roque said the government has decided to allot the funds to avoid possible conflicts in the national inoculation program. Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje on Thursday said the Department of Health (DoH) was open to procuring more doses as booster shots, but it has to wait for a "firm recommendation" from its All-Experts Group (AEG) on Covid-19.
READ: Inoculated bus drivers eyed for vaccinated commuters
THE government is considering inoculating against Covid-19 bus drivers who will transport fully vaccinated passengers in the National Capital Region, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd said on Thursday. Concepcion said he was coordinating with Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade to explore such a scheme as part of the growing trend of creating bubbles or Covid-safe zones in workplaces.
READ: Actors who contracted Covid in Baguio allowed to leave
The nine actors who tested positive for Covid-19 while shooting a movie in Baguio City had permission from local authorities to return to Manila "following a strict protocol," Ellen Criste, production head of movie outfit Feelmaking Inc. said. For almost two months, a crew of actors, technicians and other creatives have been working on Feelmaking's "Hey Joe" movie in the summer capital. On Wednesday, there were reports that its lead actor, Arjo Atayde, also tested positive for the dreaded virus and left Baguio on August 17. While Criste refused to provide the names of the other Covid-positive actors, TV personality Hashtag Nikko (his screen name), who is part of the cast, tweeted several times on Wednesday, correcting misguided reports that they slipped out or "escaped" the city and breached protocol.
READ: Pour funds for Covid response, job creation – Gatchalian
SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian said the government should continue pouring in funds for Covid-19 response, but income and job generation should also be priorities in the proposed P5.024-trillion national budget next year. Government-financed short-term and other job-generating programs to address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic that is essential to economic recovery should likewise be given precedence over other items, the senator said. Small businesses are in a survival mode, so the government must see to it that they make it through 2022 and assure that they start to recover in 2023, said Gatchalian, vice chairman of the Senate economic affairs committee. He said the resignation of Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado will not slow down Congress' deliberations on the national expenditure.
READ: Dar: No irregularities in DA
AGRICULTURE Secretary William Dar on Thursday said there were no irregularities in the Department of Agriculture (DA), in response to the latest Commission on Audit (CoA) report that flagged his department for P9.8-billion unused funds. Dar said the DA assures their clientele that they do not tolerate corruption. He maintained that the DA strictly followed government procedures in all its dealings. The CoA report revealed that at least P9.8 billion or 17 percent of the DA's total P59.1-billion budget was unused and returned to the National Treasury. The report cited though that this was mainly due to delays in the procurement process as well as the slow progress on the implementation of various DA programs because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Agriculture Undersecretary for Administration and Finance Roldan Gorgonio said the Agriculture department received the CoA report last July 2. Dar said the DA's initial reply to the CoA findings was incorporated in the Consolidated Annual Audit Report (CAAR).
BUSINESS: S&P lowers growth forecast for 2021
Over to business, debt watcher S&P Global Ratings has lowered its economic growth forecasts for this year and next, blaming the Covid-19 pandemic-related lockdowns. In a statement, the group said they lowered their 2021 growth forecast for the Philippines to 4.3 percent from 6 percent in June, and they forecast growth of 7.7 percent in 2022 compared with earlier forecasts of 7.5 percent. The full-year projection for 2021 is within the government's downwardly adjusted 4-5-percent assumption, and represents an improvement over the 9.6-percent contraction in 2020. The forecast for 2022 is also within the government's 7-9 percent expectation.
SPORTS: Pacquiao in excellent condition for title fight
In sports, Boxing great and Sen. Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao, who has held boxing titles in eight divisions in 26 years of prize fighting, is slated to face Yordenis Ugas of Cuba for the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight super championship on Sunday (Philippine time) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 42-year-old Pacquiao captured his first professional world boxing title in 1998 when he beat Chatchai Sasakul of Thailand for the World Boxing Council flyweight crown. Ugas was 12 years old back then. Now 35, the Cuban champion, despite holding the crown the WBA stripped from Pacquiao early this year, is considered the underdog for Sunday's bout.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Ruben Torres are today's front page columnists. Tiglao took a swipe at critics of Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd, while Torres discusses the US' withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan.
Today's editorial talks about Covid-19 vaccines as Cold War 2 weapons. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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On behalf of The Manila Times, this is Aric John Sy Cua reporting. Have a safe Friday ahead.