Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Sunday, January 16, 2022, brought to you by Wilcon Depot, the country's leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer. Shop conveniently 24/7 with the Wilcon online store, just go to shop.wilcon.com.ph.
Govt policy against unvaxxed pushed
PRESIDENTIAL Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd has expressed support to the "no vax, no labas" policy that limits the mobility of unvaccinated individuals to essential activities amid the spike in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the country. Concepcion, founder of Go Negosyo, said that such policy will protect those unvaccinated from hospitalization as the country continues to see a rise in Covid-19 cases. The Philippines recorded its highest number of Covid cases in a single day on Saturday at 39,004, according to the Department of Health (DoH).
NCR logs Covid growth decline – OCTA
THE National Capital Region on Saturday has recorded a slowdown in the growth of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases, from five percent on Thursday to three percent on Friday, according to a senior fellow of the OCTA Research Group. Dr. Guido David said that based on his calculations of data from the Department of Health (DoH), NCR's reproduction number has also decreased to 3.22, down from 3.77 on January 10 and nearly half of the 6.12 reported on January 3. David added that if the downward trend continues, the NCR could post a new high of 16,000 to 17,000 cases on Saturday and 15,000 to 16,000 on Sunday, en route to a consistent decrease. He said that the growth rate going negative means the cases in the region would begin to decrease. But David clarified that the numbers could change depending on data backlogs and late reporting of cases by the DoH. Reacting to David's statement, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire cautioned that it is too early to say if cases in the NCR have already peaked, noting that current case doubling time has lengthened slightly.
CBCP slams social media ills ahead of May elections
CATHOLIC Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Bishop Virgilio David of Caloocan has expressed alarm over how the country's political landscape in relation to the coming elections was being shaped and manipulated through disinformation and false news on various social media platforms. David said that information technology (IT) was supposed to be neutral but pointed out that at the rate things were going, social media was fast becoming a "disinformation technology." The prelate cited the surveys for the positions of president and vice president which he found "extremely disturbing" knowing how Filipinos go for "winnables" rather than actually voting according to their conscience.
Groups urge Duterte to veto vape bills
Sixty civil society organizations under the Sin Tax Coalition sent a petition to President Rodrigo Duterte asking him to veto the bills legalizing the sale of electronic vaporizers or vapes and heated tobacco products. Senate Bill 2239 and House Bill 9007 mandate the lowering of the age limit of access to e-cigarettes and vapes from 21 to 18 years old, the transfer of its regulatory jurisdiction from the Food and Drug Administration to the Department of Trade and Industry, and the manufacturing of multiple flavorings for vape products. The coalition called the two legislations "anti-youth and anti-health." Among the groups who signed the petition were the Action for Economic Reforms, Action on Smoking and Health Philippines, Barangay Health Worker groups, Philippine Health Council, Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development, South East Asia Tobacco Alliance, and Social Watch Philippines.
Govt urged to set aside Covid test funds for workers
FORMER senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday called on the government to allocate funds for RT-PCR tests for both local and overseas workers. Marcos, who is running for president, noted that several companies only give their employees access to antigen tests, because it is cheaper, and once they tested positive they are barred from working without sickness benefits "because the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) requires only RT-PCR results." The price of RT-PCR, or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, tests ranges from P1,000 to P3,000.
In business, recovery of the local economy this year is seen to be driven by a wider vaccination rollout, accommodative fiscal and monetary policies, and infrastructure spending. In a webinar organized by the Nordic Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines on Friday, Asian Development Bank Country Director for the Philippines Kelly Bird said they have upgraded their economic growth projections for the country this year to 6 percent from the previous 5.5 percent. He noted that growth drivers would include the government's accommodative fiscal policy and sustained public spending in infrastructure, especially with spending seen to reach close to 6 percent of GDP this year. He also underscored the role the vaccination rollout would play in the country's rebound, as it would be crucial in restoring consumer and business confidence.
Flying Titans tap Ogunsanya, Ponce
In sports, the Choco Mucho Flying Titans have added Aduke Ogunsanya and Thang Ponce to their lineup for the upcoming season of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL). Choco Mucho made the announcement on Friday as they welcomed middle blocker Ogunsanya and libero Ponce through their social media pages.
Marlen Ronquillo is our front page columnist. He reminds people that spreading Covid-19 is not individual freedom.
Today's editorial pays tribute to the late National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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For The Manila Times, this is Paulo Dimaapi.