BulletLine Issue #34 Photo: National Task Force againsT COVID-19
DOH: Enough supply of COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare workers Department of Health Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire said that there is enough supply of COVID-19 vaccines for the estimated 1.8 M health care workers in the country. “Pag pinag-usapan po iyong priority sector natin na healthcare workers, we have enough. Actually sila nga po iyong inuna natin and we had enough vaccines for them,” Vergeire said during the Laging Handa Public Briefing Saturday, April 17, 2021. As for the other sectors and the rest of the population however, vaccination will be done in batches. She added that government continues to negotiate to secure additional doses but these commitment will still depend on the global supply.
FAKE NEWS
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) warns the public against review centers offering review classes and reviewers for the Career Service Professional and Subprofessional Examination. CSC neither holds any review classes nor publishes or distributes any review materials for the Career and any Civil Service examinations. 1 PIA Bulletin Online
Media workers now included in the vaccination priority list
Recognizing the nature of their work and important role in keeping the public informed about the pandemic, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go lauded the national government for including media workers in the list of essential sectors to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination. “Nagpapasalamat po tayo sa national government dahil dininig nila ang ating apela na isama ang mga miyembro ng media sa priority list para sa bakuna laban sa COVID-19,” said Go.
PRRD approves PH commitment of 75% emission reduction target by 2030 By Melinda T. Quiñones - PIA/IDPD
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change of 75% greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction by 2030. The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) contains the policy measures and plans of each country in response to climate change. Under the NDC, the Philippines will modernize and pursue low carbon and resilient development for the agriculture, waste, industry, transport and energy sectors over the 20202030 period.
Andanar lauds VCO vs COVID-19 inclusion of media workers in vaccine priority list With the surge in the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said on Thursday, 15 April 2021, that all safe and possible treatments for COVID-19 should be explored and studied as he continued distributing free virgin coconut oil (VCO) to Level 1 hospitals to help patients now suffering from mild symptoms of the dreaded disease. According to Nograles, he decided to distribute free VCO to Level 1 hospitals “after consulting the DOST (Deparment of Science and Technology), doctors, and experts who said that VCO could have possible benefits for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms.”
EID) to include media workers as essential workers in the priority list to be inoculated against COVID-19. “Their indispensable and invaluable Presidential contributions Communications have provided Operations Office us with important Secretary Martin and life-saving Andanar lauded information on all the decision of matters relative the Inter-Agency to the contagion Task Force for the and the responses Management of of the Duterte Emerging Infectious administration,” Diseases (IATFhe said.
Editorial Director Benjamin Felipe Editor-In-Chief Marie Angelie Villapando Associate Editor Melinda T. Quiñones Staff Writers IDPD Art Department CPSD headed by Bradley de Leon Layout Artist Gabriel Villanueva Production/ Aggregation DDCU with Team Leader Kate Shiene Agna
Andanar said the inclusion of media workers is another affirmation that the Duterte administration continues to recognize the significant contribution of media personnel in the country, and that they, too, should be protected from the health risks posed by the pandemic. PIA Bulletin Online 2
DOLE to hire 5,000 contact tracers under the TUPAD program By Josephine L. Babaran - PIA/IDPD
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in partnership with the Department
of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will be hiring 5,000 contact tracers under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay
sa Ating Disadvantaged/ Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program to help LGUs in stemming the rise of COVID-19 cases.
Displaced informal sector workers and those who already worked as contact tracers are encouraged to apply. Notices of hiring will
be blasted on the official websites and social media accounts of DOLE, DILG, and MMDA starting 17 April 2021.
OFBank, Filipino migrant workers’ first digital bank
By Adora Rodriguez - PIA/IDPD
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III fulfilled the President’s campaign pledge to help Filipinos overseas through the Overseas Filipino Bank (OFBank) created under Executive Order No. 44 signed in September 2017. “This milestone in the country’s banking history not only fulfills President Duterte’s campaign pledge to create a bank that caters to overseas Filipinos but will also help the Philippines leapfrog to the digital economy,” he said in a news statement. OFBank, a subsidiary of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK), is the Philippines’ first branchless and digital-only banking institution. It offers a Digital Onboarding System with Artificial Intelligence (DOBSAI), which allows the real-time opening of a mobile banking deposit account on supported iPhone o Android devices as well as fund transfers, bills payments and applications for multi-purpose loans. 3 PIA Bulletin Online
As of April 16, 2021, The Philippines still ranks 3rd in the vaccination rollout among ASEAN countries and slightly went up to 14th out of 47 countries in Asia with a total of 1,312,356 doses administered.
LGUs directed to set up electronic one-stop shop
Philippine Red Cross laban sa COVID19 Isang taon na mula nang magsimulang magtayo ng molecular laboratories at magsimulang magtest ang Philippine Red Cross laban sa COVID19. Sa ngayon ay mayroon ng 13 molecular laboratories sa mga strategic sites sa bansa ang Philippine Red Cross. Nakapagsagawa na ng mahigit 2.5M tests at mas dumami pa ito noong inilunsad ng PRC ang Saliva RT-PCR test upang mas marami at mas mapabilis ang pag-tetest. Nagkaroon din ng mga
collection sites sa iba’t ibang lugar katulad ng mga shopping malls at sa mga Red Cross chapters sa buong bansa.
By Melinda T. Quiñones - PIA/IDPD The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), AntiRed Tape Authority (ARTA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Department of the Interior and Local Government directed cities and municipalities to transition to an electronic business one-stop-shop under the new Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 01 s. 2021 In consideration of the pandemic, the JMC indicates the following functionalities and specifications under Section 8.3.1: • Accepts online or electronic submission of application • Issues electronically the tax bill/ order of payment • Accepts online payments • Issues electronic versions of permits, licenses, and clearances • Provides gateway facility linked to courier service for applicants who prefer to receive a hard copy of permits DICT in a recent statement said it is ready to assist LGUs in their transition to digital transactions.
Community pantry sa Cagayan, meron na din. Tunay nga na Bayanihan ay buhay sa panahon ng pandemya. PIA Bulletin Online 4
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PhilHealth to public: Report New normal health insurance abuse healthy habits
By Melinda T. Quiñones - PIA/IDPD
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) urged the public to report cases of “upcasing” or misdeclaration of minor respiratory symptoms like asthma as COVID-19 to claim higher benefits or any other form of health insurance abuse. In a recent statement, PhilHealth had noted the proliferation
Photo from NNC First 1000 days official FB page
By Josephine L. Babaran - PIA/IDPD
of video posts relating to upcasing incidents. It urged those who posted their videos to cooperate with the investigation by providing the
necessary proof. The agency “reminded the public that protecting the PhilHealth fund is also a responsibility of every member.”
FDA recommends continued use of AstraZeneca
recommendations from the World Health The Food and Drug Administration Organization, the country’s Vaccine (FDA) has Expert Panel, recommended and the Adverse the continued Events Following use of Astra Immunization Zeneca vaccine (AEFI) committee following the By Melva Gayta PIA/IDPD
that the benefits of using the Astra Zeneca vaccine outweigh the known and potential risks, FDA DirectorGeneral Dr. Eric Domingo said in a virtual briefing Thursday, April 15. He added that the country’s AEFI has not seen similar adverse events or the possibility of blood clotting events that were observed
Sa panahon ng new normal at laganap na banta ng COVID-19 sa bansa, mahalagang mapangalagaan natin ang kalusugan ng buong pamilya lalo na si baby. Muling nagpaalala ang Department of Health at National Nutrition Council ng mga sumusunod upang iwassakit di lang si bunso, gayundin ang buong pamilya: • KALINISAN, ipagpatuloy ang frequent handwashing habit • TAMANG PAGKAIN, piliin lagi ang mga pagkaing nagpapalakas ng immune system • PAGPAPASUSO, ipagpatuloy ang pagpapasuso, ito ang best immunity booster ni bunso • MAGTANIM, magtanim ng mga gulay to supplement the family’s food suppy • MAG-EXERCISE, galaw-galaw din para sa ating physical and mental health #Laking1000 in the new normal, sundin ang healthy habits na pangforever sa buong pamilya. in Europe, which were found to be rare. With the delivery of the next batch of AstraZeneca vaccines expected
in two to three weeks, Domingo said this gives the DOH time to work on additional guidelines on the use of the vaccine. PIA Bulletin Online 6