21  Hulio 2024, Linggo

supports National Disability Rights Week, July 13-20,2024

Register now and vote in midterm polls

Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024

Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party

Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance

No to Divorce!!!

Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez

No to SOGIE bill

Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Seth Elyon San Pedro

happy 10th Anniversary Binang City, Laguna Chapter Servants of God in Christ Jesus Christian Ministries Inc., Dr. Enrico San Pedro, Pastor 

PM for any hospital discharge problem

FMJ welcomes Angara to ‘WWW, of Cabinet’

By Nidz Godino

“We are looking forward to many good things to come from this appointment…we have had some discussions before he took his oath to give ourselves  good idea of what we think needs to be done,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said after  oath taking,  witnessed by Angara’s mother and sisters former senator Sonny Angara was officially sworn in as  37th secretary of Department of Education (DepEd), vowing that his leadership would be marked by “collaboration” with stakeholders in addressing  country’s education crisis.

In  statement,  DepEd said Angara took his oath before President Marcos at Malacañang on Friday.

The President formally welcomed  former senator to what he described as  “wild, wild world of  Cabinet.”

 “And I know that Sonny knows what is important and I know that he knows how to get these things done and so I’m very, very optimistic for DepEd,” he added.

“I am extremely grateful to His Excellency, the President, for entrusting me to lead such an important department, I know how much he values education, much like every Filipino family… I look forward to working closely with him to pursue immediate reforms in our educational system for the benefit of our young learners and future generations” Angara said.

Angara was also present when Marcos signed  New Government Procurement Act on Friday, also in Malacañang.  DepEd chief is the principal author of the measure,  updates  existing procurement law and institutionalizes electronic procurement to ensure better services and remove opportunities for corruption.

Right after his oath-taking, Angara convened  DepEd’s top officials in  executive committee meeting at the agency’s central office in Pasig, where preparations for  opening of School Year 2024-2025 on July 29 were discussed.

Also tackled were “policies and orders that need immediate action,”  DepEd said.

In  statement, Angara  intends to be  leader who listens to and works with stakeholders in addressing  country’s education crisis.

“I am honored to lead  Department of Education, listen to and work with all stakeholders and collaboratively address the challenges in the education sector, together, we will drive  progress our education system needs and deserves,” he said.

The former senator took  helm from Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, who resigned as DepEd secretary on Friday.

Aside from Angara, lawyer and professor Jose Mejia also took his oath as member of  Judicial and Bar Council representing  private sector last Friday. Mejia took his oath before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, according to  Presidential Communications Office.

In  chance interview with reporters at Malacañang after his oath-taking, Angara  is “confident” that salaries of teachers will significantly increase under  Marcos administration.

“Yes, that increase in salary is  constant need of our teachers… I know also that  Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is studying it…  only  question of how much and when, but definitely it will increase, I’m confident that during  Marcos administration, teachers salary will increase,” Angara said.

In  video update uploaded on its Facebook page,  Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said its leaders had  dialogue with Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Thursday, wherein the latter said there would be another round of salary increase for government workers, including public school teachers, under Salary Standardization Law (SSL) 6.

“There would be  salary increase under planned SSL 6…this will have retroactive implementation from January (2024) with  total estimated budget of P40 billion,” ACT Teachers Party-list chairman Antonio Tinio said in  video.

Tinio, however, said their group does not see supposed salary increase under planned SSL 6 to be substantial.

“Clear message here is, even if there would be SSL 6, it still cannot meet what we have been calling for: P50,000 entry level salary for Teacher 1 and P33,000 for Salary Grade 1 education employees… so, our fight for P50,000 entry level salary for our teachers shall continue,” Tinio,  led ACT delegation during  dialogue with  DBM officials, said.

Also raised by the group during  dialogue was  need to double  budget for education for 2025 and onwards “to meet  international education budget standards of equivalent to six percent of  gross domestic product.”

Both ACT and  Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) have been pushing for  P50,000 entry-level salary for teachers; P33,000 monthly salary for Salary Grade I education employees and P30,000 monthly salary (Salary Grade 16) for those under Instructor 1 classification.

Groups  have also been calling to set minimum salary standards for private school teachers to be at par with those in public schools.

ACT and TDC earlier lamented  existing salary scheme – under Republic Act 11466 or SSL 5 enacted during  term of former president Rodrigo Duterte  has failed to substantially compensate public school teachers, especially those in lower positions.

SSL V raised basic entry-level salaries of public school teachers to P27,000 through phased implementation from 2020 to 2023.  SSL V places teachers at Salary Grade 11,  lowest among government professionals.

ACT and TDC earlier said they are currently working with several legislators at House of Representatives in drafting bills that would align teachers’ salaries with  standards outlined in  Magna Carta for Public School Teachers rather than  SSL

21  Hulio 2024, Linggo

supports National Disability Rights Week, July 13-20,2024

Register now and vote in midterm polls

Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024

Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party

Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance

No to Divorce!!!

Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez

No to SOGIE bill

Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Seth Elyon San Pedro

happy 10th Anniversary Binang City, Laguna Chapter Servants of God in Christ Jesus Christian Ministries Inc., Dr. Enrico San Pedro, Pastor 

PM for any hospital discharge problem

ACT slams P20 M budget for SONA

By Nidz Godino

“How can Marcos Jr. administration justify spending P20 million on  single speech when millions of Filipino families struggle to put food on  table..  lavish expenditure is  slap in the face to  majority of our people living in poverty,” ACT chairman Vladimer Quetua said teachers’ group Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) slammed  reported P20-million budget for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

In statement,  ACT said  spending P20 million for  single day event is an “unconscionable extravagance,” given  “dire state of Philippine education and widespread poverty.”

Quetua lamented  “one-day event splurge,” stating education sector continues to struggle with  perennial shortages in classrooms, teachers, education support personnel, learning materials and facilities.

“This misplaced priority is emblematic of  administration out of touch with  needs of ordinary Filipinos,” Quetua said.

ACT urged  administration to redirect  portion of  SONA budget to “urgent educational needs.”

Quetua stressed  more than  “pageantry,” what  education sector wants to hear during  SONA are concrete plans to improve  lives of teachers and students.

“We demand to hear about substantial salary increases for teachers,  commitment to double education budget and  scrapping of wasteful confidential and intelligence funds,” Quetua declared.

House secretary-general Reginald Velasco had earlier confirmed to  media that some P20 million has been allotted for “preparation and execution” of this year’s SONA.

Velasco said  SONA on Monday would be  biggest so far in terms of seats , over 2,000, including 1,814 total seats at the plenary.

Some function rooms were also assigned as viewing rooms for those who could not be accommodated in  plenary hall.

Key  component of SONA, Velasco said, is  food and beverages, covering  meals for all personnel involved, including internal staff and external personnel, as well as other support staff.

Velasco added  P20-million budget is not only for  actual day of  SONA but also for all preparatory activities leading to the event.

“I want to assure  public  we are committed to transparency and responsibility in spending public funds,” Velasco said.

Meanwhile, House labor and employment committee chair and Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles  is expecting the President to tackle labor issues in his SONA.

“Labor is  major sector and one that concerns every Filipino, so I expect that we will hear about his plans to address various issues on Monday,” he noted.

Nograles expressed “grave concern” that  Philippines ranked 59th among 60 countries analyzed in  Global Life-Work Balance Index report of global human resource services firm Remote.

21  Hulio 2024, Linggo

supports National Disability Rights Week, July 13-20,2024

Register now and vote in midterm polls

Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024

Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party

Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance

No to Divorce!!!

Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez

No to SOGIE bill

Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Seth Elyon San Pedro

happy 10th Anniversary Binang City, Laguna Chapter Servants of God in Christ Jesus Christian Ministries Inc., Dr. Enrico San Pedro, Pastor 

PM for any hospital discharge problem

HEADLINES

1000s stranded at NAIA as GIT outage continues

By J.Lo

“This outage is affecting companies globally, including those in the Philippines, that use the said cybersecurity product,” the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) spokesman and assistant secretary for legal affairs Renato Paraiso said in  statement at least 25,500 travelers were stranded as 45 flights at  Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) were canceled  following  global IT systems outage that has crippled flight operations of local and foreign airlines since Friday.

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) announced  flights operated by Cebu Pacific, CebGo, Air Asia and United Airlines were canceled because of  CrowdStrike system outage, greatly affected check-in, booking and flight operations.

Of  total stranded passengers, 12,500 were Cebu Pacific passengers while 13,000 were Air Asia’s.

Cebu Pacific announced through Facebook  cancellation of its international 5J flights bound for and returning from Incheon, Denpasar, Bangkok, Taipei and Shanghai as well as 5J domestic flights for Cebu, Puerto Princesa, Tacloban, Cagayan de Oro, Laoag, Iloilo, Dipolog, Butuan, Caticlan, Davao and vice versa, as well as CebGo DG flights to Legazpi and Cebu.

AirAsia also announced that its Z2 flights for Cebu, Caticlan and Iloilo were canceled.

Also included in the announcement was cancellation of United Airlines flight UA 190 to San Francisco.

On the other hand, Cebu Pacific flights from Manila, namely 5J 751 to Ho Chi Minh, 5J 310 to Taipei and 5J 759 to Jakarta  were advised cancelled in earlier flight advisory, proceeded as scheduled last night. Their respective turn around flights,  remained cancelled.

To reduce congestion at the terminals, passengers were advised by MIAA to check flight status with their respective airlines before proceeding to airport.

Foreign airlines JejuAir, Jetstar Asia, Jestar Japan, Etihad Airlines, Scoot and Hong Kong Express were also affected by CrowdStrike outage, according to MIAA.

Thousands of departing international and domestic passengers were left stranded at NAIA earlier after global IT outage grounded flights, derailed television broadcasts and impacted telecommunications worldwide.

As of yesterday, Cebu Pacific corporate communications director Carmina Romero announced  automated check-in, booking and other systems have been restored following their progress to restore  functionality of their systems.

Flight operations, however, will take some time to normalize, she said.

Meanwhile,  Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) reported  some 1,400 passengers were stranded at  Davao International Airport on Friday, but most have been rebooked and only 39 were still waiting for rebooking yesterday.

CAAP stressed  operations at the airport are slowly returning to normal but assistance, food and malasakit kits are still provided to stranded passengers in need.

Meanwhile, DICT-Cybersecurity Bureau and  National Computer Emergency Response team is vigilantly monitoring  ongoing global IT outage.

Paraiso assured  public DICT does not use the same cybersecurity service provider and that no DICT systems or assets have been affected.

“We are in continuous communication with relevant stakeholders to obtain detailed information and assess  full impact of this incident,” Paraiso said.

Globe Telecom issued  customer advisory  that  Crowdstrike software issue has caused  global IT outage affecting Microsoft Windows systems, resulting in service disruptions in some industries and key sectors nationwide.

“Globe’s core services, include call, text and date connectivity, however, remain unaffected,” according to their corporate communications team.

“Issue was isolated to  few Windows-based workstations that our employees use for work for the most part, and some servers that do not materially affect our core services,” Anton Bonifacio, Globe chief information security officer, said in  statement. 

20  Hulio 2024, Sabado

supports National Disability Rights Week, July 13-20,2024

Register now and vote in midterm polls

Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024

Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party

Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance

No to Divorce!!!

Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez

No to SOGIE bill

Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Seth Elyon San Pedro

happy 10th Anniversary Binang City, Laguna Chapter Servants of God in Christ Jesus Christian Ministries Inc., Dr. Enrico San Pedro, Pastor 

PM for any hospital discharge problem

2 LPAs now Tropical Depressions Butchoy, Carina

By J.Lo

“Butchoy” and “Carina,” two low pressure areas (LPAs) inside  Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) both developed into tropical depressions, state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Administration (PAGASA) reported.

PAGASA said  Tropical Depression Butchoy was last located 535 kilometers west of Tanauan City, Batangas, with maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near  center, gustiness of up to 70 kph as it moves eastward at 25 kph.

Meanwhile, Tropical Depression Carina was last spotted 780 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes, carrying maximum sustained winds of 45 kph with gustiness of up to 55 kph while moving west northwest at 20 kph.

Both Tropical Depressions Butchoy and Carina will have minimal to no impact on Saturday.

“Butchoy is unlikely to directly affect the country within next three days,” PAGASA said.

According to the state weather agency, heavy rainfall directly caused by Carina “remains less likely over next three days.”

While tropical depressions may not hit land, both are expected to intensify over the weekend.

Butchoy may become  tropical storm by Saturday, though it is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Saturday morning.

Carina is expected to gradually intensify, becoming a tropical storm by Sunday and further strengthening to reach the typhoon category on Tuesday.

Southwest  monsoon or habagat, enhanced by Butchoy and Carina, will bring moderate to heavy rains to  western part of Luzon over the next three days and cause gusty conditions in Kalayaan Islands.

Antique, Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Zambales and Bataan will experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms due to the southwest monsoon. Moderate to heavy rains may lead to flash floods or landslides in these areas.

Mindanao, the rest of the Visayas, and MIMAROPA will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms caused by the southwest monsoon. Severe thunderstorms in these regions may lead to flash floods or landslides.

Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon are expected to see partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms from localized thunderstorms. Flash floods or landslides could occur during severe thunderstorms.

20  Hulio 2024, Sabado

supports National Disability Rights Week, July 13-20,2024

Register now and vote in midterm polls

Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024

Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party

Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance

No to Divorce!!!

Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez

No to SOGIE bill

Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Seth Elyon San Pedro

happy 10th Anniversary Binang City, Laguna Chapter Servants of God in Christ Jesus Christian Ministries Inc., Dr. Enrico San Pedro, Pastor 

PM for any hospital discharge problem

US, Ph 1st cyber-digital security talks

By Nidz Godino

Philippine Secretary of Information and Communications Technology Ivan John Uy (left) and U.S. Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nathaniel Fick (right).

“Cybersecurity stands as  paramount global challenge, demanding unified efforts, collective intelligence and steadfast solidarity…. partnership between  United States and  Philippines serves as  exemplar of effective collaboration essential for combating these evolving threats,” Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy said United States and  Philippines held their first Cyber-Digital Policy Dialogue to advance  open, interoperable, reliable and secure information and communication technologies (ICT) ecosystem.

Uy and US Ambassador at large for cyberspace and digital policy Nathaniel Fick led  inaugural US-Philippines Cyber-Digital Policy Dialogue in Washington on July 15 and 16.

Open, interoperable, reliable and secure ICT ecosystem will support  growth of  digital economy and strengthen resilience to cybersecurity threats. 

During the dialogue, Fick and Uy underscored their countries’ shared interest in advancing bilateral and regional cooperation on cyber capacity building, supporting  growth of digital economy and combating cybercrime following  Philippines’ recent admission to  International Counter Ransomware Initiative. 

They also committed to hold further discussions on protection of critical infrastructure against malicious cyber activity and enhanced collaboration between their respective national Computer Emergency Response Teams. 

Flick, for his part, said, “this first US-Philippines Cyber-Digital Policy Dialogue was opportunity to discuss our important bilateral efforts to strengthen cyber security and our digital economy and to protect government information systems that are  critical backbone of our alliance.”

Both sides agreed to pursue joint efforts on  development of fifth generation (5G) networks and open, interoperable and trusted architectures such as Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN); secure and reliable global undersea cable networks and digital connectivity and inclusion through cloud computing and satellite-based solutions.

Other commitments made during  dialogue include ensuring  trusted flow of data across borders; deepening collaboration through  Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules Forum to facilitate interoperability among data protection and privacy frameworks globally; strengthening cooperation through  ASEAN Digital Ministers’ and Senior Officials’ meetings and fostering investments for secure and resilient ICT infrastructure.

Both countries also discussed  importance of upholding and implementing  United Nations Framework of Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace as well as continued implementation of cyber confidence building measures. 

20  Hulio 2024, Sabado

supports National Disability Rights Week, July 13-20,2024

Register now and vote in midterm polls

Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024

Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party

Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance

No to Divorce!!!

Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez

No to SOGIE bill

Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Seth Elyon San Pedro

happy 10th Anniversary Binang City, Laguna Chapter Servants of God in Christ Jesus Christian Ministries Inc., Dr. Enrico San Pedro, Pastor 

PM for any hospital discharge problem

Global IT outage chaos flights,  banks, media

By J.Lo

“There are delays to check in, and flight operations had to be canceled until 10 in the morning.,” Federal Aviation Administration  (FAA)spokeswoman could not say when they would resume.major outage wreaked havoc on global computer systems , grounding flights in  United States, derailing television broadcasts in  UK and impacting telecommunications in Australia.

Major US air carriers including Delta, United and American Airlines grounded all flights  over  communication issue, according to FAA.

Flights were suspended at Berlin Brandenburg airport in Germany due to  “technical problem,”  spokeswoman also said.

All airports in Spain were experiencing “disruptions” from  IT outage  hit several companies worldwide ,  airport operator Aena said.

Hong Kong’s airport also said some airlines had been affected, with its authority issuing  statement  linked  disruption to  Microsoft outage.

In the Philippines, some local airlines are facing technical issues due to  system outage. 

Cebu Pacific (CEB) and AirAsia Philippines advised passengers  currently experiencing technical issues, reportedly related to technology provider CrowdStrike.

“Technical issue requires us to handle affected processes manually, potentially causing delays…we are working closely with our teams to mitigate disruptions to our operations and will provide regular updates as  situation progresses. ..we appreciate your patience and understanding,”  CEB management stated.

AirAsia Philippines came out with  separate statement, saying  global outage affecting Microsoft services has been confirmed by its partner, Navitaire. 

It stated  outage is causing unexpected rebooting of machines, leading to some operational disruptions related to check-in processes and navigating its AirAsia MOVE app. 

 UK’s biggest rail operator meanwhile warned of possible train cancellations due to IT issues, while photos posted online showed large queues forming at Sydney Airport in Australia.

“Flights are currently arriving and departing, however there may be some delays throughout the evening,”  Sydney Airport spokesman said.

Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator said  “large-scale technical outage” was caused by  issue with  “third-party software platform,” adding there was no information as yet to suggest hacker involvement.

Sky News in  UK said  glitch had ended its morning news broadcasts, while Australian broadcaster ABC similarly reported  major “outage.”

Some self-checkout terminals at one of Australia’s largest supermarket chains were rendered useless, displaying blue error messages.

New Zealand media said banks and computer systems inside  country’s parliament were reporting issues.

Australian telecommunications firm Telstra suggested  outages were caused by “global issues” plaguing software provided by Microsoft and cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.

Crowdstrike has deployed  fix for the issue,  company’s CEO said.

Microsoft  had fixed  underlying cause for  outage of its 365 apps and services including Teams and OneDrive, but residual impact was affecting some services.

“This is not security incident or cyberattack… issue has been identified, isolated and  fix has been deployed,” Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz said in  post on social media platform X.

Issue  stemmed from  defect found in single content update for Microsoft Windows hosts, Kurtz said.

Mac and Linux hosts were not impacted by the issue, he stressed.

Crowdstrike’s “Falcon Sensor” software was causing Microsoft Windows to crash and display  blue screen, known informally as  “Blue Screen of Death,” according to  alert sent by Crowdstrike earlier to its clients and reviewed by Reuters.

Travel industry was among  hardest hit with airports around the world reporting delays and issues with their system network, while banks and financial institutions from Australia and India to South Africa warned clients about disruptions to their services.

University of Melbourne expert Toby Murray previously said there were indications  problem was linked to  Crowdstrike Falcon.

“CrowdStrike is  global cyber security and threat intelligence company,” Murray said. “Falcon is what is known as  endpoint detection and response platform,  monitors  computers that it is installed on to detect intrusions (i.e. hacks) and respond to them.”

University of South Australia cybersecurity researcher Jill Slay said  global impact of  outages was likely to be “enormous.”

“AirAsia Philippines is closely monitoring  situation and is in constant communication with Navitaire and Microsoft…our top priority is to minimize any impact on our guests and ensure all systems are restored to full functionality as soon as possible,” said AirAsia communications and public affairs head and First Officer Steve Dailisan.

Airline  advised travelers to visit @flyairasiaph social media platforms and AirAsia newsroom and through their registered mobile phones and email accounts for flight updates.

CAAP is preparing for  increase in passengers waiting at airports, activating irregular operations protocols and closely coordinating with airlines,  PNP Aviation Security Group and Office for Transport Security.

More seating for passengers are being added, and personnel at  Malasakit Help desk and medical teams are on standby.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines, meanwhile, said its technical systems are “not affected” by the issue, according to PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna. However, it remains unclear whether  airline was simply spared or its computers are running with  different operating system.

Information Assistant Secretary Renato Paraiso said t government is monitoring  impact on the Philippines of the Microsoft outage. He also clarified that  Department of Information and Communications Technology was unaffected by  disruptive glitch.

“We assure  public DICT does not use  same cybersecurity service provider and that no DICT systems or assets have been affected,” Paraiso said.

20  Hulio 2024, Sabado

supports National Disability Rights Week, July 13-20,2024

Register now and vote in midterm polls

Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024

Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party

Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance

No to Divorce!!!

Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez

No to SOGIE bill

Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Seth Elyon San Pedro

happy 10th Anniversary Binang City, Laguna Chapter Servants of God in Christ Jesus Christian Ministries Inc., Dr. Enrico San Pedro, Pastor 

PM for any hospital discharge problem

Ph to talk with Viet on continental shelf

By Nidz Godino

“We are ready to engage Vietnam on possible ways forward that would help achieve  mutually beneficial solution to South China Sea issues, in accordance with international law, particularly UNCLOS,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said  Philippines is ready to talk with Vietnam to seek measures for  mutually beneficial solution after Hanoi filed  claim with  United Nations for  extended continental shelf (ECS) in  South China Sea.

DFA said “Philippines affirms its claim to its extended continental shelf in  Western Palawan Region consistent with its maritime entitlements under UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea).”

Vietnam and  Philippines are among  claimants to parts of South China Sea.

Vietnam’s move came after Malaysia earlier filed its own opposition to  UN on  Philippines’ petition for ECS.

Vietnam’s foreign ministry said  submission of  continental shelf beyond  current 200 nautical miles is to exercise  rights and obligations of state parties in accordance with  maritime framework.

“We acknowledge Vietnam’s right, as coastal state like  Philippines, to submit information to establish  outer limits of their continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from relevant and lawful baselines from which its territorial sea is measured, as provided for under UNCLOS,”  DFA said.

Vietnam also sent  note verbale to  UN Secretary-General to state its position regarding  Philippines’ similar submission filed last month on West Philippine Sea.

The West Philippine Sea includes waters of the South China Sea that are part of the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

Countering China’s latest statements accusing  Philippines and Vietnam of taking steps that would only worsen tensions, National Security Council (NSC) noted  moves to lay claim over the country’s ECS before  UN actually pave  way for  peaceful settlement of differences between nations.

NSC assistant director general Jonathan Malaya said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian’s statement  submissions to  UN Commission on Limits of  Continental Shelf (CLCS) will not help resolve disputes is wrong. 

“Both  Philippines and Vietnam agree that the way to move forward with respect to their respective submission of ECS is for dialogue and consultation,as clearly stated by  DFA, Philippines, in fact, is ready to engage in possible ways forward that would help achieve  mutually beneficial solution in accordance with international law, particularly UNCLOS,” he explained.

Malaya stressed that as members of ASEAN, both  Philippines and Vietnam recognize that “when submitting their ECS claims, coastal states must respect  legal and legitimate rights and interests of other relevant coastal nations with opposite or adjacent coasts, thus both seek  solution mutually beneficial for both countries.”

“Therefore, Lin Jian’s statement that these submissions do not have any practical effect and only serve to accentuate differences is premised on  wrong assumptions,.. there is  way forward to peacefully settle differences when nations adhere to international law and come to  negotiating table with open minds, sincerity, and goodwill,” he said.

20  Hulio 2024, Sabado

supports National Disability Rights Week, July 13-20,2024

Register now and vote in midterm polls

Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024

Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party

Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance

No to Divorce!!!

Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez

No to SOGIE bill

Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Seth Elyon San Pedro

happy 10th Anniversary Binang City, Laguna Chapter Servants of God in Christ Jesus Christian Ministries Inc., Dr. Enrico San Pedro, Pastor 

PM for any hospital discharge problem

HEADLINES

Guo surfaces Facebook

By Nidz Godino

“I categorically deny any involvement in the death threats received by Sen. Win Gatchalian… I have no capacity, much less intent, to cause any harm against anyone…in fact, I myself have been receiving actual and online threats since  start of this issue,” suspended Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac said on Facebook where she has more than 100,000 followers.

Her whereabouts unknown since being ordered arrested by Senate, she appeared on Facebook (Meta)  to deny she was behind  alleged plot to assassinate Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Risa Hontiveros, who are leading  investigation on her possible links to illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

In  post shared by her legal counsel Stephen David, Guo also defended her decision not to appear before  Senate committee on women, children, family and gender equality chaired by Hontiveros, saying her health and peace of mind are her priority.

“I am well-aware of feeling of receiving threats against my person, safety and security…thus, I strongly condemn such inhumane or callous acts,” Guo said.

Her counsel David is in Europe.

She said  last two Senate hearings  she attended left her severely exhausted and traumatized.

“My primary priority now is my health and peace of mind, so that I can properly address all  legal issues directed at me,” Guo maintained. 

Suspended  mayor does not wish to be used by anyone to boost his or her political ambitions. “Our country faces many critical issues such as national security, poverty, unemployment, food shortage, health care delivery, environmental degradation and human rights violations… I appeal to them to focus their attention on these problems instead of continuously threatening me with arrest and accusing me of being complicit in various Philippine offshore gaming operations-related crimes,  untrue and unfounded,..am I really  country’s biggest problem that they need to focus on…or is it just because they are gaining popularity at my expense that they will not leave me alone,” she said.

Guo assured  public and  senators that she does not pose any threat to them or to anyone.

“While multiple open cases have been filed against me, I am deeply concerned about and keep questioning why Senator Win Gatchalian, Senator Risa Hontiveros and  other offices seem fixated on me…if they have evidence against me, I am ready to face them in  fair trial and at  proper forum… I believe in and adhere to  rule of law, and not rule of men,.” she pointed out.

She stressed that news linking her to various illegal activities is baseless. “I have nothing to do with these issues, but I am being accused of all sorts of things because I am currently at the center of public attention,If anyone can disregard my right to data privacy by prying into my personal records, they will know whether I have left  Philippines by simply asking Bureau of Immigration and Department of Foreign Affairs as I do not hold  Chinese passport“I appeal to everyone to focus on facts and not on mere opinions,”  suspended mayor said.

Hontiveros bristled at Guo’s claim tSenate seems fixated on her in its investigation on POGOs.

“Mayor Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping, you have more time for your Facebook posts than your actual attendance at Senate. Attendance before  Senate hearings is adherence to  rule of law…how can you have peace of mind when you are avoiding our questions…don’t worry, we are not fixated on you….we are allergic to liars,” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros accused Guo of lying about her Filipino identity, when she is in fact  full-blooded Chinese with alleged links to  syndicate behind  illegal offshore gaming operations in Bamban, Tarlac.

Guo turned  blind eye on human trafficking and digital scams perpetrated by  POGO  proliferated during her time as mayor, Hontiveros said.

In  statement  Gatchalian lauded  business community for supporting  senators’ position to ban POGOs.

“I am delighted to learn that major business groups in the country support our advocacy to ban POGOs in the country in line with  position taken by our economic managers,” Gatchalian said. 

19 Hulio 2024, Biyernes

supports National Disability Rights Week, July 13-20,2024

Register now and vote in midterm polls

Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024

Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party

Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance

No to Divorce!!!

Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez

No to SOGIE bill

Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Seth Elyon San Pedro

happy 10th Anniversary Binang City, Laguna Chapter Servants of God in Christ Jesus Christian Ministries Inc., Dr. Enrico San Pedro, Pastor 

PM for any hospital discharge problem

Return unused PhilHealth funds

By J.Lo

“President Marcos should immediately issue  directive to return  entirety  P89.9 billion in unused funds to PhilHealth, to be used for individual health care needs of the poor,” more than 35 medical groups are urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.to order  return of  full amount of  Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth)’s unused funds so it can be used for  health needs of indigents.

Philippine Medical Association said Marcos should institute measures to ensure  immediate enhancement of health benefits and form  independent agency to do this, if necessary.

In April,  Department of Finance (DOF) released  circular mandating government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) to remit their excess funds to the national coffers.

DOF ordered PhilHealth to remit P89.9 billion in excess funds to  unprogrammed appropriations of General Appropriations Act.

Doctors from  Asia Pacific Center for Evidence-Based Healthcare and Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) expressed alarm over  possible impact of  transfer of  fund,  intended for delivery of health services, especially to poor PhilHealth members.

They said  transfer of unused PhilHealth funds is against Section 11 of Republic Act 11223, or  Universal Health Care Act, and is tantamount to taking away people’s money.

Law  states  excess in  PhilHealth reserve funds should be used to increase  program’s benefits and decrease  amount of  members’ contributions.

It said no portion of  reserve fund or income should accrue to  general fund of  national government, or to any of its agencies or instrumentalities, including GOCCs.

Groups  said  PhilHealth has underspent because it has not sufficiently expanded its benefit packages.

“There is still  huge unmet need for healthcare in the Philippines,” they said in  statement.

Former PCP president Maricar Limpin said they are not amenable to  transfer of  PhilHealth funds as it is intended to cover for  hospital expenses of its sick members.

Department of Health (DOH)  is supportive of  groups’ concern.

“DOH agrees with civil society organizations and people who say  health funds should be used for health purposes,” Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said.

He said such funds should not be invested or kept in the bank.

“As we understand it, and as stated by Department of Finance,  unused government subsidy taken from PhilHealth was used to fund COVID-19 Health Emergency Allowance for our healthcare workers,” Domingo said.  DOH said decision of  PhilHealth board was done upon  request of PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr.

It said  DOH secretary is  non-voting chair of the board.

Concerned groups and individuals are expected to challenge  government’s move on this matter.

Meanwhile, regional offices of  DOH have started distributing remaining P27 billion in health emergency allowance to public and private health facilities.

This developed after  Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released to DOH  notice of cash availability intended for  health emergency allowance.

“DOH has received  notice of cash availability from  DBM… Center for Health Development ,CHD has been disbursing  funds to local government units and private health facilities under its jurisdiction,” Domingo said in a Viber message.

19 Hulio 2024, Biyernes

supports National Disability Rights Week, July 13-20,2024

Register now and vote in midterm polls

Aspirants file your certificate of candidacy on October 1-8,2024

Substitute candidates must be with same surname and political party

Partylist must file Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance

No to Divorce!!!

Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez

No to SOGIE bill

Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Seth Elyon San Pedro

happy 10th Anniversary Binang City, Laguna Chapter Servants of God in Christ Jesus Christian Ministries Inc., Dr. Enrico San Pedro, Pastor 

PM for any hospital discharge problem

Biden isolated of COVID-19

By Nidz Godino

“I think he’s strong and he’s going to recover soon,”US President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID with mild symptoms, shortly after conceding he would consider dropping his reelection bid if doctors diagnosed him with  serious medical condition.

The 81-year-old Democrat gave reporters  thumbs up and said “I feel good” as he cut short  trip to Las Vegas and flew to his beach home in Delaware to go into isolation, will take him off campaign trail for days.

Biden thanked well-wishers on X, adding  “I will be isolating as I recover, and during this time I will continue to work to get  job done for  American people.”

Infection  comes at  critical moment for Biden’s campaign, with the president seeking to show he is up to the job after  disastrous debate performance against rival Donald Trump sparked concerns about his health and calls from some Democrats for him to step aside.

It is also the latest development in  tumultuous few days in an already frenetic White House race that saw Trump survive  assassination attempt at campaign rally.

Biden was forced to cancel  speech to  union representing Latino workers who will be crucial for his election bid, having attended  campaign event earlier in the day and given  radio interview.

His spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden was vaccinated and boosted, was now taking  COVID medication Paxlovid and “continues to carry out  full duties of  office while in isolation.”

White House doctor Kevin O’Connor said Biden had complained of suffering from  runny nose,  cough and “general malaise,” but that “his symptoms remain mild.”

Biden was seen walking from his limousine to his plane at Las Vegas without  mask. “Good,” he said when asked how he felt, “I feel good.”

Janet Murguia,  president of Unidos union for Latino workers, told  crowd about diagnosis shortly before  White House announcement.

People waiting for  speech said Biden’s health did not worry them despite  Covid diagnosis.

But Biden’s illness comes as concerns over  fitness of  oldest US president in US history reach fever pitch.

Asked what could make him rethink his presidential bid, Biden told  black media outlet BET in  interview taped  in Las Vegas: “If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if the doctors came and said ‘you’ve got this problem, that problem.’”

Biden has so far refused to drop out, and blamed his debate debacle, when he appeared tired and confused, on  bad cold and jet lag.

But US broadcaster  reported Wednesday that Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had told Biden over the weekend  it would be “better for the country if he were to bow out,” in what would be  fatal blow.

Spokesperson  for Schumer played down  report, saying: “Unless  source is Senator Chuck Schumer or President Joe Biden  reporting is idle speculation.”

“Leader Schumer conveyed  views of his caucus directly to President Biden.”

Washington Post and New York Times meanwhile reported  both Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries had warned Biden that his candidacy puts  party’s electoral prospects at risk.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates pushed back in  statement, saying: “The President told both leaders he is the nominee of the party, he plans to win, and looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families.”

Adding further pressure, CNN reported former House speaker Nancy Pelosi privately told Biden he cannot win and could harm Democrats’ chances of recapturing  lower chamber of Congress.

Earlier on Wednesday, Representative Adam Schiff of California became  highest-profile Democrat to publicly urge Biden to “pass  torch.”

“Second Trump presidency will undermine  very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November,” Schiff said in a statement to  Los Angeles Times.

Biden insists  Democratic voters support him, but  poll by the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research said Wednesday that nearly two-thirds want him to step aside.