Finish cash aid distribution by April 30, DILG tells local executives

MANILA -- Local government units have 4 days or until April 30 to finish the distribution of cash subsidies to poor families during the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Monday.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said there was no excuse for LGUs to delay the distribution of cash aid since the Department of Social Welfare and Development transferred the funds to them.

"Ang bilin natin sa lahat ng LGUs ay bilisan ang pagbibigay natin sa kanila ng ayudang nanggaling sa pamahalaan,” he said in a statement.

(Our instruction to all LGUs is to fast-track the distribution of aid in their localities.)

Under the social amelioration program (SAP), the government aims to provide cash aid, ranging from P5,000 to P8,000 to 18 million poor families in 2 tranches -- from April to May.

“Magsisimula na tayo ng pamimigay ng second wave ng SAP sa Mayo (We will start the second wave of the SAP in May). Let us ensure that all families left out who belong to the master list will also receive the emergency subsidy this time,” Año said.

The government has set aside a P200-billion budget to fund the program, which began earlier this month. 

Social Welfare Sec. Rolando Bautista on Monday said almost 97 percent of the funds had been transferred to LGUs for distribution to poor families.

By ABS CBN News

Posted by Anthony Rebuste 3:12 AM 0 comments

Lalaki sugatan sa pamamaril sa Quezon City

MAYNILA — Sugatan ang isang lalaki matapos pagbabarilin ng hindi pa nakikilalang salaring sakay ng motorsiklo sa Quezon City noong gabi ng Linggo.

Kinilala ni Police Maj. Regino Maramang, Jr. ang biktima bilang si Ronald Araneta, 24.

Lumabas si Araneta sa kaniyang bahay sa may Barangay San Martin de Porres, Cubao ilang minuto bago mag-alas-9 ng gabi nang sumulpot ang salarin, ayon kay Maramang.

Ilang beses umanong pinaputukan ng salarin ang biktima bago tumakas lulan ng motorsiklo.

Kasalukuyang nagpapagaling si Araneta sa Quirino Memorial Medical Center.

Patuloy naman ang imbestigasyon ng pulisya hinggil sa motibo sa pamamaril. 

-- Ulat ni Lyza Aquino, ABS-CBN News

Posted by Anthony Rebuste 3:07 AM 0 comments

Joint sea patrol sought vs China's 'hostile' acts during pandemic

MANILA—The Philippines should jointly patrol disputed areas in the South China Sea to fend off Beijing’s assertiveness, which persisted even if countries were grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio said Monday.

Carpio cited a Chinese warship’s “hostile” act of pointing its radar gun at a Philippine Navy ship patrolling the West Philippine Sea last Feb. 17, saying it was “just one step to firing.”
“We don’t do that because if we make a mistake, you can trigger an accidental war. Navies really do not do that unless you want to bully another country,” he told an online forum with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines.

A Chinese survey ship, backed by coast guard vessels, also encroached on the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) on Vietnam in 2019, and Malaysia earlier this month.

Carpio said a joint patrol of Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines in their EEZs would send a message of unity that China “cannot just pick on us one by one.”

“I think China doesn’t want to let this pandemic crisis go to waste by taking advantage,” he said. “We are battling a pandemic that came from China and China’s taking advantage of our difficulty right now.”

Manila earlier fired off diplomatic protests against China over the February 17 incident, and the creation 2 new
Carpio said the encounter with the Chinese warship was unusual and could be the first time that Beijing sent a patrol vessel near the Malampaya gas field, which is located some 80 kilometres from Palawan.

“This is a serious escalation by China,” he said, noting that Malampaya supplies some 40 percent of the energy recruitment in Luzon.

He said the Chinese corvette likely came from Mischief Reef, one of the features fortified by Beijing over the years in the Spratlys, which now serve as “daggers pointed at use” because of their proximity.

By ABS CBN News

Posted by Anthony Rebuste 3:00 AM 0 comments

NBI probes death of woman from childbirth after allegedly refused by hospitals

MANILA- The National Bureau of Investigation started Monday the investigation on a woman's death due to childbirth complications after she was refused by hospitals, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Monday.

The NBI has 10 days from Monday to submit a report to the Department of Justice on the death of a 28-year old woman who gave birth in Caloocan and died after 6 hospitals refused to admit her.

"The NBI probe has begun...The directive was given last weekend," Guevarra told ABS-CBN News in a text message.

In refusing to admit the woman, the hospitals reportedly cited full capacity. One facility reportedly asked for a deposit as payment before admission.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque on Monday said Guevarra had assured him of an investigation into the incident as well as the filing of charges if necessary.

"Inassure po ako ni Secretary Menard Guevarra na iimbestigahan daw po ang kasong ito at kung kinakailangan ay sasampahan sila ng kaso sa hukuman nang mapatawan sila ng parusa," Roque said in a virtual press briefing.

(I was assured by Secretary Menard Guevarra that will be investigated and that charges will be filed if necessary so they can be penalized.)

Roque, a lawyer, reiterated the country's Anti-Hospital Deposit Law, which bars medical facilities from demanding any deposit or any other form of advance payment as a prerequisite for administering treatment to any patient.

Violation of the law can be penalized with imprisonment and or a fine.

"Kung mapatunayan po..Ikukulong po natin lahat ng mga doktor, lahat ng may-ari ng ospital na naging dahilan kung bakit namatay ang pasyenteng ito," Roque said.

(If this will be proven. We will jail all the doctors and hospital owners that became the reason why this patient died.)

The husband of the woman who died due to childbirth complications said he is considering charges against the 6 hospitals that refused to admit his wife.

By ABS CBN News

Posted by Anthony Rebuste 2:56 AM 0 comments

Ginang tinaga ng sariling anak sa away sa cash aid sa La Union

ROSARIO, La Union - Patay ang isang ginang matapos na pagtatagain ng kaniyang anak sa Barangay Amlang dahil sa away umano sa cash aid, Biyernes ng hapon.
Naisugod pa sa ospital ang biktima pero ideneklara na itong dead on arrival.

Sa imbestigasyon ng mga pulis, nag-away ang dalawa dahil hindi umano binigyan ng ginang ng pera mula sa social amelioration program ang kaniyang 34 anyos na anak.

Kabilang ang ginang sa mga nabigyan ng ayuda ng gobyerno sa gitna ng pandemiya ng COVID-19.

Nasa kustodiya na ng Rosario Police Station ang suspek.

- Micaella Costales Ilao, ABS-CBN News

Posted by Anthony Rebuste 2:49 AM 0 comments

Gamboa says QC cop who shot ex-soldier only followed instruction

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa on Thursday defended the action of a Quezon City policeman who shot dead a retired soldier believed to have mental issues during a confrontation.


"When you are confronted with a person armed with a pistol, it's equivalent is also a pistol," Gamboa said on ANC, insisting that the policeman involved was under threat by the suspect, identified as Winston Ragos.

Gamboa said due to previous incidents in which policemen were confronted with armed suspects, he had instructed the police not to give suspects a chance to hurt them in any way.

"When we are confronted with an armed aggressor or a suspect -- marami na rin kasing namatay na pulis -- actually ang instruction ko talaga ay huwag kayong magpauna," he said.

"Nasa tao talaga ang pag-decide. Mabuti sana kung wala kaming experience na we're confronted with an armed [suspect] tapos palagi kaming nanalo... there are a lot of circumstances kasi na talagang pag hindi mo inunahan, talagang madadali ka," Gamboa added.

The PNP chief insisted that Police Master Sergeant Daniel Florendo, the cop who shot Ragos, as well as the other police trainees, had prior knowledge that the suspect was armed.

"The policeman was just cautious because he was knowledgeable that the person is armed. But maybe, on the procedure after that, that's what we're going to find out whether the decision of the policeman was rightful," Gamboa said.

According to Gamboa, the Internal Affairs Service already started investigation on the incident.

Gamboa said the accounts of witnesses and the police trainees present in the area when the incident happened would be used in the investigation.

"We have already lodged an investigation by the Internal Affairs Service so that there will be independence on the investigation," he said.

On April 21, police said Florendo and some police trainees from the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group were manning a control point in Maligaya Drive when Ragos arrived and shouted at them.

The policemen advised Ragos to go home but the latter refused. Despite repeated warnings, the suspect supposedly tried to draw his weapon, prompting Florendo to shoot him.

Ragos' family denied that he was armed.

In an earlier interview on Unang Balita, PNP spokesman Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac pointed out that Florendo had given verbal warnings but Ragos refused to listen to him.

"Sa pagkakataong iyon ay hindi naman kailangan ng warning shot at ginampanan ng ating pulis ang naaayon sa police operational procedure," Banac said.

Banac said Florendo made a "judgment call" as his life was in danger. --KBK, GMA News

Posted by Anthony Rebuste 9:24 PM 0 comments

Jinggoy Estrada hits San Juan mayor for 'blocking' mobile market; Zamora says rolling store illegal

MANILA - A battle over rolling stores is raging in San Juan City, as political opponents clashed over a mobile food service seen as crucial amid the coronavirus crisis.
Former senator Jinggoy Estrada has accused San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora of blocking a mobile market that sold goods at half the price - an initiative of his daughter Janella, who had lost to the incumbent mayor in the last elections.

Speaking to DZMM radio, Estrada, who earlier ranted online against the mayor, alleged that Zamora ordered Janella's "rolling store" to stop for lacking a permit. He condemned this as a political act.

"Hinihingan ako ng business permit. Eh hindi naman negosyo 'yong ginagawa namin. Kawanggawa," he said.

(They are asking for a business permit. This is not a business. [This is for] charity.)

"Huwag mo naman gamitin sa pamomolitika ito. Sa panahong ito kailangan magtulungan, kailangan mag-unite dahil iisa lang ang kalaban namin," said Estrada, who lost his senatorial bid in May 2019.

(Don't politicize this. In this time, we have to help each other and unite because we are facing the same enemy.)

He claimed Zamora told San Juan market vendors to stop selling them goods for the mobile market.

Estrada said that while his camp could apply for a permit, he refused to do so, saying the initiative is an act of charity.

"Ibig sabihin, lahat ng kawanggawa sa San Juan, hinihingan ng permit? Hindi naman tama 'yon," he said.

(Does this mean all charities in San Juan, they are asked for a permit? This doesn't seem right.)

But Zamora, in a separate interview, called the Estradas' mobile market "illegal," and said a service that still charges money could not be considered charity.

He urged the Estradas to comply with the law by securing a permit from City Hall.

"Why don't they just follow the law? Are they above the law?... Dahil senador siya, dahil vice mayor dati anak niya ay exempted sila sa batas? (Because he was a former senator and his daughter is a former vice mayor, they are exempted from the law?)," he told DZMM radio.

The San Juan mayor said the Estradas' mobile market was competing with legitimate vendors at the Agora Market by selling the same products at half the price.

How can they (vendors) compete sa presyohan na binagsak ng kabila?" Zamora said.

He said the vendors even issued a manifesto against the Estradas' mobile market.

Zamora said he would subsidize, out of his personal funds, goods sold at the city government's own mobile palengke.

Zamora's victory in the 2019 elections ended the Estrada-Ejercito clan's hold of the city for 5 decades. Estrada is, meanwhile, facing a plunder trial for his alleged role in the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, and is out on bail.

By ABS CBN News

Posted by Anthony Rebuste 2:00 AM 0 comments

Britons warned to avoid unapproved coronavirus tests

LONDON - Britons should not purchase unapproved antibody tests to find out if they have had the coronavirus, the official in charge of the government's testing program said on Saturday, warning that they could not be relied upon and may put people at risk.

Britain, like many other nations affected by the coronavirus epidemic, is trying to find a way to test whether citizens have had the virus and are now immune. But, scientists are yet to find a reliable method that can be produced on a mass scale.

John Newton, National Coordinator of the UK coronavirus testing program, warned against purchasing unapproved tests online for personal use, or in bulk for firms to test employees.

"Please don't buy or take any unproven tests," Newton said in a statement issued by the health department. "They may not be reliable for your intended use; they may give a false reading and put you, your family or others at risk."

Knowing whether a person has immunity from the virus is seen as a crucial step toward returning to normality after a pandemic in which more than 147,000 people have died and much of the world economy has been shuttered or severely disrupted.

Britain previously said it had purchased 3.5 million so-called antibody tests with the hope of quickly rolling them out to the public. However, those tests have proven insufficiently reliable and the government is now supporting domestic research into creating a viable test.

Such tests work best around one month after a person has had the virus and may be possible to take at home using a finger prick that delivers a result within 20 minutes, Newton said.

"Such a test could, if developed in such a way that they could be reliably used at home and be sufficiently accurate, be a game-changer," he added.

By ABS CBN News

Posted by Anthony Rebuste 1:54 AM 0 comments

Rollback sa presyo ng produktong petrolyo inaasahan sa Abril 21

MAYNILA--Matapos ang oil price hike noong nakaraang linggo, inaasahan ang muling pag-rollback ng produktong petrolyo sa Martes, Abril 21 batay sa tantiya ng mga taga-industriya.

Maglalaro sa P1.10 hanggang P1.30 kada litro ang magiging bawas sa gasolina.

Nasa P0.50 naman hanggang P0.70 ang tinatayang bawas-presyo sa diesel at kerosene.

Paliwanang ng mga eksperto, bagama't nagpasya ang Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at ng Russia na magbwas ng produksyon ng langis, may agam-agam pa ring kulang ang tapyas sa oil production para makabawi ang presyo ng petrolyo mula sa pagkalugmok nitong mga nakalipas na buwan.

Bago ang oil price hike noong nakaraang Martes, umabot nang P12.45 ang nai-rollback sa gasolina, P9.55 naman sa diesel at P13.40 sa kerosene.

-- Ulat ni Alvin Elchico, ABS-CBN News

Posted by Anthony Rebuste 1:50 AM 0 comments

COVID-19 patients now required to disclose personal information — IATF

MANILA, Philippines — Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients are now required to disclose their personal information to enhance contact-tracing efforts, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Sunday.

“Para po matulungan ang contact-tracing efforts ng ating pamahalaan, mandatory o required na po ang paglalahad ng personal na impormasyon pagdating sa ating mga COVID-19 cases,”  the official said in a virtual press briefing.

(In order to aid the contact-tracing efforts of the government, it is mandatory or required to give personal information when it comes to our COVID-19 cases.)

Contact tracing refers to the laborious process of finding out the recent persons who came into contact with those who tested positive for an infection like COVID-19.

Some COVID-19 patients have been reportedly concealing their real medical condition, risking the lives of health workers and the people with whom they have personally interacted with.

Meanwhile, the Office of Civil Defense will now carry out the government’s contact tracing activities. The Department of Health used to be the lead agency in doing this task.

“For this purpose, the DOH and the OCD are directed to enter into a data-sharing agreement (DSA) in accordance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the ‘Data Privacy Act,’” Nograles said.

By INQUIRER.net

Posted by Anthony Rebuste 12:17 AM 0 comments