Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, April 27, 2023.
READ: Face masks to curb Covid spread – expert
Health expert Dr. Tony Leachon maintained that using face masks was the only effective option available to the government in dealing with the threat of Arcturus XBB.1.16, a subvariant of Omicron. In a Viber message on Wednesday to The Manila Times, he said the Department of Health should not turn a blind eye that mandatory face masks are the only option, because of the country's low booster rate. On Tuesday, the Health department reported the first case of Arcturus XBB.1.16 in Iloilo. Leachon, in a previous interview with The Times, said the strain that originated from India produces flu-like symptoms like fever, cough and sore throat, as well as conjunctivitis or sore eyes. The DoH, meanwhile, said the World Health Organization had yet to confirm the symptoms of XBB.1.16, noting vaccination remains the best defense against severe Covid-19. Leachon advised the public to remain vigilant.
READ: Alert levels no longer needed – Concepcion
THERE is no need to implement alert levels as the country is no longer under a state of public health emergency, Go Negosyo founder Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd said on Wednesday after the Philippines detected its first case of Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16, known as "Arcturus." Concepcion, who led private sector efforts to secure vaccines for the Philippines at the height of the pandemic, said that alert levels were no longer necessary now that Filipinos have learned to live with Covid-19.
READ: Low vaccine confidence alarming – Unicef
THE United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has sounded the alarm on the decreasing confidence in childhood vaccinations in the Philippines after a report found that there was a decrease in the perception of immunization by nearly 25 percent. In the State of World's Children report released by the United Nations agency days before the start of World Immunization Week, one in five children across the globe are unvaccinated or undervaccinated, equivalent to at least 67 million children who have missed out entirely or partially on routine immunization. The Philippines is the fifth country with the highest number of zero-dose children, at 1.048 million, making it the second highest in East Asia and the Pacific Region. So far, only 57.35 percent of children across the country are fully immunized or have received their basic vaccines from 2012 to 2021, a far cry from the 95 percent target set by the Department of Health for herd immunity.
READ: PH, US troops fire rockets
US and Philippine troops fired a salvo of rockets at a warship representing an enemy vessel in the disputed South China Sea on Wednesday, in the final exercise of the allies' largest-ever military drills. It was the first time the countries had conducted a joint live-fire exercise in the hotly contested waters, which China claims almost entirely. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has sought stronger defense ties with the United States, sat in an observation tower with US and Philippine officials watching the event north of Manila.
READ: DICT: No more SIM registration extension
INFORMATION and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy warned subscribers not to expect another extension of the SIM card registration. According to data from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) as of April 24, 2023, 87,442,982 SIMs had been registered of the 168,016,400 active subscribers. Smart Communications leads with 41,619,316 of their 66,304,761 or 62.77 percent subscribers registered. Globe Telecoms has 39,894,099 of the 86,746,672 subscribers or 45.99 percent registered. Meanwhile, DITO Telecommunity has 5,929,567 of the 14,964,967 subscribers who have successfully registered or 39.62 percent. According to the latest data from the National Telecommunications Commission, 87,442,982 SIMs of the 168,016,400 have been registered.
BUSINESS: 'Very dangerous' to cut faster than Fed
Topping business, cutting interest rates faster than the US Federal Reserve (Fed) will be "very dangerous," Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Felipe Medalla said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of a central bank event, Medalla noted that while monthly Philippine inflation could finally fall within target this year, price growth in the US could stay "sticky," prompting any easing by the Fed to be slow. US inflation moderated to 5.0 percent in March from 6.0 percent in February but was still substantially higher than the Fed's 2.0-percent target. The US central bank is expected to raise its policy rate one more time next week before finally calling pause on a tightening spree that began last year as consumer price growth surged.
SPORTS: Rain or Shine slaps fine on Nambatac
In sports, Rain or Shine penalized shooting guard Rey Nambatac with a fine worth two days of his salary after participating in an unsanctioned exhibition game in Davao. Rain or Shine team governor Mamerto Mondragon said an anonymous person sent a photo of Nambatac playing in a "ligang labas" in Davao to assistant team manager Jireh Ibanes on Tuesday.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras believes that being abusive and ignorant are two deadly sins of government officials apart from being corrupt, Makabenta weighs in on the Philippines' pivot in maritime issues, and Remoto talks about artificial intelligence being an aid to cleaning oceans.
Today's editorial gives suggestions to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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For The Manila Times, this is Kim Luden Salinas reporting.