BulletLine Issue #37
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte received his first shot of Covid-19 vaccine administered by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III at the Malacañang Golf (Malago) Clubhouse in Malacañang Park, Manila on May 3, 2021. Photo: KING RODRIGUEZ/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
FDA approves Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use all age groups above 18 yrs old and special groups, The Food and such as healthcare Drug Administration workers, people with (FDA) has granted comorbidities and emergency use elderly. authorization of Domingo reiterated Moderna COVID-19 that EUA is not an vaccine. authorization to In a media forum market the vaccine on May 5, FDA Chief commercially. Eric Domingo said that The government the vaccine’s Phase 3 signed the supply clinical trials showed agreement of 13M an overall efficacy Moderna vaccines rate of over 94% in while 7M doses for preventing COVID-19 private sector through and consistently tripartite agreement above 80% among for 2021.
By Mary Rose de los Santos - PIA/IDPD
1 PIA Bulletin Online
Medical Tents sa NKTI, operasyonal na
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
Nagpatayo ang Philippine Red Cross (PRC) ng mga emergency medical tents sa National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) compound matapos magkaroon ng occupancy surge. Mayroong 20-bed capacity at basic wards facilities ang mga emergency tents na magsisilbing emergency room extension ng NKTI.
PRRD orders strict proper face mask use President Rodrigo Roa Duterte during his public address on Wednesday, May 5, ordered a stricter mask mandate implementation to stem the spread of COVID-19 that mostly affected urban centers. He instructed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to detain and question people improperly wearing face masks in public. The President reiterated the importance of wearing mask in public, citing the growing number of hospitalizations and deaths as a result of COVID-19 infection. Hospitals are also still grappling with huge number of patients, he added. PIA Bulletin Online 2
750 Cebu families given free housing
Listahanan 3 now on its final verification, validation stage By Adora Rodriguez PIA/IDPD
The National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTSPR), known as ‘Listahanan’ of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), is now on its final verification and validation 3 PIA Bulletin Online
stage, targeting to complete its process on the last quarter of 2021. DSWD received
3.67 million grievances filed nationwide and 76.22 percent or more than
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, together with National Housing Authority (NHA) and local government officials, led the turnover of 750 housing units in Cebu province last April 29, 2021 in what he described was “an important activity in line with the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Mactan.” The distribution of free housing units was for the location in St. Francis Park Homes 2, Barangay Kodia, Madridejos, Cebu. It was the 39th virtual turnover under Task Force Yolanda and the fifth such event for the province. 2.8 million appeals subject to household re-assessments as of April 2021. Listahanan aims to resolve distribution issues to give opportunity for the public to review, make corrections to their household information, and file appeals after the initial list has
been posted. Listahanan, the centralized database of poor households in the country, will help the government and stakeholders in the private sector identify deserving beneficiaries for social protection programs and services.
COVIDKaya Information System is now available on iADAPT In collaboration with the Department of Health (DOH) Academy and the Department of Information and Communication Technology’s (DICT) DREAM Team, the right information to navigate the COVIDKaya Information System is now available on the iADAPT platform! The new certified course, COVIDkaya Information System LGU Training, was designed to introduce epidemiology
and surveillance officers and health care providers to the COVIDKaya Information System. The COVIDKAYA
is the enhanced COVID-19 information system that aims to establish a basis for an effective and timely response
to the COVID-19 crisis by generating reliable and relevant information on disease trends and clustering
cases and close contact profiles. To improve your data management skills, sign up now at https:iadapt. pdrf.org/K3.
Sen. Go files Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines (VIP) bill Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, on Tuesday, May 4, filed Senate Bill No. 2155, or the “Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines Act of 2021”. The bill seeks to establish the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines (VIP) which will serve as the principal laboratory of the country in providing virology laboratory investigations, researches, and technical coordination of the entire network of virology laboratories nationwide. “In the long term, investing heavily on health research initiatives should be pursued. It is for this reason that I filed this bill in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to establish a virology institute that will capacitate the country to conduct scientific research initiatives and eventually develop our own vaccines,” he said. PIA Bulletin Online 4
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DENR Chief assures thorough review of mining applications prior to approval By Melva Gayta PIA/IDPD
Pending applications for mineral agreements will be reviewed thoroughly to ensure that they will not pose adverse effects to the environment, Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said in light of President Duterte’s issuance of Executive Order (EO) 130 that lifted the ban on new mining agreements in the country. “There is no automatic approval even if these mining applicants
submit all the requirements.” Cimatu said in a recent release that pending applications will only be approved by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) after extensive review and validation of the Final Exploration Report and Mining Feasibility
develop the mine can pay for all the costs related to the mining operation including operating cost, administration overhead, and milling cost if there is a processing plant, environmental cost, Studies, among social development others, considering cost, and safety the following and health cost; conditions: • The company • Delineated should also have mineral resources the financial and reserves capability to pay are plentiful to national and local last at least a taxes, royalties, 10-year mine life local government or commercial fees, other national extraction life for government fees, metallic minerals and interest and and seven years charges on loans; for non-metallic; • Other • The cost to environmental
measures required from mining companies include the prohibition of developing or opening new areas until the minedout areas have been progressively rehabilitated. Cimatu emphasized that if the feasibility studies show less than ideal returns from the operation, then the application will not be approved because it is a priority that applicants should prove that the benefits of the mining operation, which is a national interest, will far outweigh the risks.
NKTI opens first modular hemodialysis facility By Melinda T. Quiñones - PIA/IDPD
The National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, opened its first off-site modular hemodialysis facility for COVID-19 patients undergoing hemodialysis. The satellite unit houses 20 dialysis stations that operates on 3 sessions per day and can accommodate up to 60 patients. It has a separate waiting area for patients and watchers. It is also designed for ease of mobility of non-ambulatory and disabled patients. Meanwhile, the facility also includes 16 healthcare workers directly assisting COVID-19 air-conditioned dormitory rooms complete patients. with amenities that can house 32 NKTI PIA Bulletin Online 6
“PAGkain Para sa Masa” for the pandemic-stricken families By Adora Rodriguez PIA/IDPD
Members of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) top management pooled funds to help provide meals to low-income families in urban communities after observing a long queue in food distribution outlets. “Mercy should not demean, instead, it should show genuine concern. This is why we launched this project. We have already pooled initial
funding from our colleagues, friends, and volunteer employees,” said PAGCOR Chairman and CEO
Andrea Domingo, who led the project launch. The project, dubbed “PAGkain Para sa Masa,”
distributes healthy food items, such as fresh produce, for those who cannot afford to buy basic meals
for their families. Fresh vegetables are sourced directly from the farmers to help augment their income.
ARTA Chief appeals to review WB’s doing business report By Melinda T. Quiñones - PIA/IDPD
Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) DirectorGeneral Jeremiah B. Belgica appealed anew to the World Bank to revisit and amend its methodology for Ease of Doing Business (EODB) survey to ensure selection of appropriate respondents. In a statement, Belgica highlighted the country’s improved score for EODB in 2021 following reforms in streamlining and speeding up government processes. “Despite this, we worry that not all our efforts for Starting a Business, Dealing with Construction Permits, Registering Property,
and Enforcing Contracts will be acknowledged as we have seen some DB survey methodology concerns that need to be further assessed and improved,” he said. PIA Bulletin Online 7