Local Roundup: & bull; Virus cases inch closer to 300k & bull; Protocol breach
The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines surged to 296,755 on Thursday after the Department of Health (DOH) announced 2,180 new infections, marking the third consecutive day in which less than 3,000 new cases were reported......»»
Son takes up Dad’s unfinished business
Expectations are high on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as he bared yesterday his accomplishments after one year in office. It won’t be surprising if many Filipinos will compare Marcos to his predecessor this early or even to his late father who is regarded by loyalists to be the GOAT leader of their generation. The reality, however, is that nobody is perfect and that there are persistent national challenges that outlasted past presidents and now face the current leader. When Marcos’ father officially assumed the presidency on 30 December 1965, he was confronted with huge government debt, inefficient agriculture, smuggling, lawlessness, rising prices and corruption. A year later, in his second State of the Nation Address delivered at the Legislative Building in Manila on 23 January 1967, the elder Marcos touted his progress in tackling those issues. “We confronted the problem of smuggling, as it was never done before by the national government. We paid no attention to the cynics who said that smuggling could not be eradicated or even diminished. Today, the popular surveys point to the success of the anti-smuggling drive as the premier achievement last year,” Marcos Sr. boasted in his second SoNA delivered 56 years and almost six months ago. The late president partly attributed to his administration’s expanded campaign against technical smuggling the higher collection of the Bureau of Customs during the period of January 1966 to January 1967 compared to the first year of his predecessor’s generated BoC revenues, P47 million against P30 million. In turn, the increased BoC collections boosted total government revenues in 1966 by over 12 percent or nearly P251 million to P2.3 billion from over P2 billion in 1965. Smuggling, however, endured after Marcos, his five successors, and now his son, whose fight against the enduring menace is focused on agricultural smugglers blamed for the rise in red onion prices to an unbelievable P720 per kilo in December. The current President has tapped the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation to find and prosecute the economic saboteurs. Taking bull by horns The elder Marcos said in his 1967 SoNA that the Philippine Constabulary, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and BoC were reorganized to root out corrupt personnel, including removing 80,000 casual employees. Of the latter, only those who had not been linked to cases of dishonesty or inefficiency were re-employed. The son, meanwhile, is also dealing with the same problem by institutionalizing online transactions, through the eGov PH Super app, to prevent the general public from being exposed to red tape, fixers, and extortionists in government. “We intend to keep prices down by increasing the production of prime commodities, especially rice and corn. We hope to be self-sufficient within a few years,” Marcos Sr. said in the 1967 SoNA. Marcos Jr. is addressing the same problem based on his own SoNA. “Ang mga pautang at financial assistance sa mga magbubukid at mangingisda ay magiging institusyon at patakaran ng aking administrasyon (Loans and financial assistance to farmers and fishermen will become an institution and the rule of my administration),” he said in his first SoNA. The concurrent agriculture secretary also mentioned modernizing farming through new technologies; expanding aquaculture, piggery, and poultry; building a national network of farm-to-market roads; and reviving the Kadiwa centers. Kadiwa is back and last 7 July, Marcos Jr. condoned the P57.65 billion in unpaid amortizations of 610,054 agrarian reform beneficiaries who till more than 1.7-million hectares of farmland. “Under existing agrarian laws, each agrarian reform beneficiary has to pay the cost of the land given to him in 30 years with six percent interest,” the President said. “It’s time to free them from this debt.” Relieved of the burden of debt, the ARBs can now channel their resources towards food production. Admittedly, perennial problems have endured despite the best efforts of past administrations to solve them. This cannot be misconstrued as a failure of leadership, but rather as unfinished business that existing and future presidents will have to assume and try to finish. The post Son takes up Dad’s unfinished business appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Local Roundup: & bull; Cases surging & bull; ECQ for Pasay & bull; MGCQ in April?
The Department of Health on Thursday reported 2,452 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the country’s total to 584,667......»»
World Roundup: & bull; Japan situation: Maximum alert & bull; Russia: 2M cases
Japan is on “maximum alert” after logging a record number of daily coronavirus infections, its prime minister said Thursday, though no immediate restrictions are planned......»»
Local Roundup: & bull; ICU data glitch & bull; Saliva test & bull; PhilHealth mess
The Philippines logged on Thursday 1,337 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, bringing the total to 413,430, as 11 laboratories failed to submit their data and an error cited in one of its earlier reports, the Department of Health said......»»
Local Roundup: & bull; State of calamity extension definite & bull; MM cases surge
President Rodrigo Duterte will “definitely” extend the declaration of a state of calamity in the Philippines as the country continues to have rising infections and deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic – with total lockdown imposed on March 17......»»
Local Roundup: & bull; New cases tally lowest since middle of July & bull; KL clampdown
The Department of Health on Thursday reported 1,987 additional COVID-19 cases, the lowest since July, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 228,403......»»
World Roundup: & bull; New Zealand virus-free & bull; North Korea doles out aid
New Zealand marked 100 days on Sunday with no recorded cases of the coronavirus in the community but health officials warned there was no room for complacency......»»
World Roundup: & bull; Melbourne sets six-week curfew & bull; Vaccine race
Australia's second-largest city imposed an overnight curfew on Sunday to halt the spread of coronavirus cases, as South Africa's infection count topped more than half a million......»»
Trump mum on virus at Mt. Rushmore rant
Keystone―US President Donald Trump bemoaned protests demanding racial justice as “violent mayhem” Friday, but said little about an alarming resurgence of coronavirus cases as he attended a crowded, fireworks-studded Independence Day celebration beneath majestic Mount Rushmore......»»
World Roundup: & bull; New contagion in China market & bull; Lab monkeys in short supply
China has released genome data for the coronavirus found in a new outbreak in Beijing, which state experts suggest share similarities to European strains, as the number of cases neared 200 on Friday......»»
EDITORIAL — Next, speedy justice
After a year of being on the run, Arnolfo Teves Jr. is finally being brought back to the country to face multiple indictments for serious offenses. Teves was arrested Thursday in East Timor’s capital Dili by local police. He had been hiding in plain sight in Timor-Leste, occasionally posting videos taunting Philippine authorities who wanted him for multiple murder cases......»»
Teen centers in Cebu City pushed amid rising teen pregnancy cases
CEBU CITY, Philippines — In response to the alarming rise in teenage pregnancy cases across Cebu, a local legislator penned a resolution urging the establishment of local adolescents and teen centers in Cebu. City Councilor Rey Gealon stipulated in the resolution the importance of providing essential support and education to empower young individuals in making.....»»
SC: LGU lawyers cannot represent local execs
Legal officers of local government units cannot represent LGU officials in cases filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, according to the Supreme Court......»»
USJ-R Jaguars rule Red Bull 3-on-3
USJ-R Jaguars rule Red Bull 3-on-3.....»»
Red Bull Half Court Returns with 3-on-3 Streetball, Seeking Top Talent for Thrilling New York City World Finals!
Red Bull Half Court returns for another year, calling out to the best ballers for the ultimate 3-on-3 streetball showdown. This time the competition is set to be even more intense, as players from Luzon to Mindanao battle it out in the regional qualifiers in Manila, Cebu, and Davao to determine who will secure a […].....»»
ChatGPT – Year of the Dragon
The bull market in stocks was driven by the enthusiasm over artificial intelligence and the myriads of possibilities that it offers. Considering this and the upcoming Chinese New Year, we thought it was appropriate to ask ChatGPT, OpenAI’s chat bot, about its forecasts for the year of the dragon......»»
US leads bull market
Last week saw a significant surge in US stocks, with record highs attained across major indices......»»
Red Bull not fully behind Perez, says Hamilton
Sergio Perez has been suffering a run of poor form as he battles to finish second overall in a Formula One championship already won by Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen.....»»
Helper woes
Dear Atty. Joji, Our house helper absconded from her job without prior notice. While having to find her replacement is one issue, the bigger concern is that she owes us almost P100,000. We want to take legal action because such amount of money is hard to come by. What type of case can we file to pursue this matter legally? Maris *** Dear Maris, Based on the facts you provided, filing a “Small Claims” case before the lower-level court or the Metropolitan Trial Court is applicable in your case. A.M. No. 08-8-7-SC or “The 2016 Revised Rules of Procedure for Small Claims Cases” provides: Small claims refer to cases involving monetary disputes where the amount in question does not exceed P1,000,000, excluding interest and costs. The purpose of a small claims process is to provide a simpler and a more inexpensive and expeditious means of settling disputes involving purely money claims. The claim or demand may be: (a) For money owed under any of the following: Contract of Lease; Contract of Loan and other credit accommodations; Contract of Services; or Contract of Sale of personal property, excluding the recovery of the personal property, unless it is made the subject of a compromise agreement between the parties. The procedure on small claims cases was promulgated for faster resolution of claims. Since the amount of claim is relatively small, it is the court’s policy not to keep these cases from dragging for long periods before finally being decided. Since the proceedings must be speedy, inexpensive, and informal, the procedure was simplified. However, it is important to note that in Small Claims Cases, parties are generally not allowed to be represented by lawyers. A case for Small Claims may be commenced as follows: SEC. 6. Commencement of Small Claims Action. — A small claims action is commenced by filing with the court an accomplished and verified Statement of Claim (Form 1-SCC) in duplicate, accompanied by a Certification Against Forum Shopping, Splitting a Single Cause of Action, and Multiplicity of Suits (Form 1-A-SCC), and two (2) duly certified photocopies of the actionable document/s subject of the claim, as well as the affidavits of witnesses and other evidence to support the claim. No evidence shall be allowed during the hearing which was not attached to or submitted together with the Statement of Claim, unless good cause is shown for the admission of additional evidence. Alternatively, an action for breach of her employment contract, if any, may be filed against her for her sudden departure without providing proper notice. Hope this helps. Atty. Joji Alonso The post Helper woes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Web3’s Empowerment Challenge: Women in the Spotlight
In the exciting realm of Web3, where transparency and wealth creation reign supreme, women have faced unique challenges. These hurdles were passionately debated at the “Bull or Bear” event, a highlight of the 2023 Philippine Blockchain Week, hosted by educational platform Bitskwela. The event, titled “Bull or Bear: On-Chain Inclusivity: A Debate on Women Empowerment […].....»»