We are sorry, the requested page does not exist
Go calls for heightened vigilance amid surging flu cases
Amid surging flu cases in the country, Sen. Bong Go urged Filipinos to maintain heightened vigilance to protect their health and their families......»»
Road rage
Those with sharp memories and local crime story buffs will never forget three road rage cases that hogged print and broadcast news headlines toward the end of the 20th century and into the millennium. These high-profile cases involving detainees Inocencio Gonzales, Rolito Go, and Jason Ivler ended in their conviction and sentencing to long prison terms, with their names forever etched in the annals of heinous crimes recorded in the country. A brief refresher. On 2 July 1991, a De La Salle University engineering student was driving on a one-way street in San Juan City, Metro Manila, when he ran into construction firm executive Rolito Go, plying the road from the opposite direction. After a brief altercation, Go shot Eldon Maguan in the head, who died in the aftermath. Go served 25 years in prison before he was released. Seven years later, in the middle of a heated argument over a parking slot, real estate developer Inocencio Gonzales Jr. lost his cool, which led to the fatal shooting of a pregnant woman and the wounding of two younger children with her and her husband at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City on 21 October 1998. Gonzalez was meted a 14-year prison term. In 2009, a nephew of music celebrity Freddie Aguilar, Jason Ivler, shot dead a son of former Malacañang official Renato Ebarle Sr. after a tiff on a Quezon City road. An earlier road incident in 2004 that snuffed the life of another Malacañang official, Nestor Ponce, also pointed to Ivler as the accused in Ponce’s death. A Quezon City court found Ivler guilty of the murder of Renato Ebarle Jr. and sentenced him to 40 years in jail. There are no available statistics on road rage incidents in the Philippines, but observers have noted an alarming increase in recent years. But in the United States, statistics show 413 people were hurt in road rage shootings in 2022, or a 135 percent increase from 2018. US traffic experts say confrontational driving is more often the case that could be caused by traffic conditions, inconsiderate motorists, and high stress levels among motorists with ages ranging from 19 to 39. Not too long ago, two road rage incidents that have gained public attention because of social media posts that had gone viral involved men in uniform. In the viral video of an incident in Quezon City, Wilfredo Gonzales, a policeman dismissed from the service for grave misconduct in 2018, was shown brandishing a gun and threatening a cyclist in a traffic row. Even more controversial was a press conference conducted by the QC police days later that suggested they were “lawyering” for Gonzales, a former QC policeman. The PNP has no mandate to host such a press conference, it was later learned. In a separate incident, a Pasay City policeman, SSgt. Marsan Dolipas was also shown in a video post holding down an armed Angelito Velasquez Rencio, who said he was an Intelligence agent, after a traffic dispute in Makati City when the latter allegedly sideswiped the policeman. Both incidents prompted the usual calls for an investigation. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senator Rafael Tulfo have called for a Senate probe into the escalation of road rage cases in the country. It is interesting to note that even President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. filed Senate 2923 when he was still a senator back in 2011. The bill “hopes to once and for all stomp rood rage as on unnecessary and reprehensible evil, and define such as a circumstance that could aggravate, or even qualify, on offense occasioned by it. The incidents involve public order and safety, particularly “road sharing,” a concept that they said is often ignored or alien to many Filipino motorists, added the senators. For his part, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos, whose jurisdiction includes the control of the PNP, said: “For the sake of a peaceful and orderly society, we cannot allow a culture of impunity. We cannot allow bullies to intimidate people with deadly weapons. There must be consequences here.” Still, the incidents persist. Behavioral scientists attribute road rage to several reasons: A need to control other drivers who violate their space, unchecked anger or aggression, huge egos, or a need to be dominant. Others think the rise in incidents lately came about by the advent of Covid-19 when stress levels reached abnormally unreachable heights caused by depression, the loss of jobs or loved ones to the pandemic, and the inability to cope with such. Solutions have been suggested. Push for continuing driver anger management education. Discard the “it’s the other driver’s fault” excuse. Don’t allow anyone to push your “rage buttons” by staying calm and collected when an altercation appears to be headed your way. Yield to others. These may be easier said than done, but why not take the chance? As an anger management expert said: Realize road rage is ridiculous, life-threatening, and not something you have to participate in — ever. And you can arrive at your destination safe and sure. The post Road rage appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Go calls for continuing campaign vs illegal drugs, criminality
Amid the prevalence of drug cases even involving some members of the Philippine National Police, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has called on the government to adopt stricter and more robust measures to address the persistent challenges of illegal drugs and criminality in the country. In an ambush interview after his visit to Sta. Cruz, Manila on Wednesday, 24 May, Go acknowledged that eradicating illegal drugs and criminality requires a multifaceted approach, encompassing both law enforcement and social reform. Drawing inspiration from the successful campaigns during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, Go expressed that similar strong-arm tactics and approaches are necessary to continue building a safer society. He likewise added that a renewed focus on combating drug issues will contribute to a safer and more secure country. “Ako po ay nasasayangan kung mawala ang inumpisahan ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, ‘yung inumpisahan niyang labanan po itong iligal na droga. Alam n’yo kapag bumalik po ang iligal na droga, babalik po ang korapsyon sa gobyerno, nabibili eh. At babalik po ang kriminalidad, ‘yun po ang takot ko dito. Itong kapulisan medyo kamay na bakal ang kailangan dito. Kailangan talagang takutin,” Go urged. During the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs hearing on Tuesday, 23 May, Go asked the PNP leadership about the possibility of tapping former president Duterte as the government’s anti-drug czar, considering the latter’s campaign saw a notable decline in crime rates. “Ako naman, sabi ko nga prerogative po ‘yan ng appointing authority, ang mahal na Pangulong Bongbong Marcos. Kung saka-sakali naman, malaking tulong po si former president Duterte. Ibig sabihin ang kailangan dito ay talagang kamay na bakal, takutin mo talaga. Pero kailangan may ngipin. Kung gagawin man siyang drug czar dapat may ngipin kasi kapag walang ngipin hindi katatakutan ‘yan,” Go asserted. “Napag-usapan lang po ‘yun dahil talagang dismayado tayo sa mga nadiskubreng kalokohan. Mga pulis pa naman itong mga ito, dapat nga kayo ang magprotekta sa taumbayan, kayo pa ang pumasok sa droga. Alam n’yo bawat isang gramo na kumalat diyan sa daan, ito napakalaking quantity po ito ng droga, ilang buhay na naman kaya ang sisirain nito kapag kumalat ‘yan sa daan. Ilang pamilya ang masisira, ilang buhay ang wawasakin, ilang pamilya ang wawasakin kapag kumalat ang droga na ‘yan. Alam n’yo salot talaga ang droga na ‘yan,” he lamented. Go’s colleague, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, then expressed his support for the idea, saying, “Ako, personally, maganda sana kasi babalik ang takot ng mga drug syndicates, particularly ‘yung mga pulis na involved—‘yung mga ninja cops. Matatakot at matatakot talaga ‘yan.” The senator also stressed the importance of immediately addressing underlying issues that contribute to these problems. He has called for stronger coordination among various law enforcement agencies to ensure a holistic approach in combating these issues. “Dapat talagang himayin nang mabuti, kasuhan na po ang dapat kasuhan. Ihiwalay po ang mga bulok para hindi makahawa at lumabas po ang katotohanan. At suportado ko si Sen. Bato dela Rosa sa kanyang layuning malaman po ang katotohanan,” underscored Go. “Kaya nga po nagdidinig sa Senado, kaya nga po nagkakaroon tayo ng public hearing sa Public Order Committee para malaman ang katotohanan. Kaya lang parang pinapaikot-ikot na lang po ang istorya at ang iba po’y hindi nagko-cooperate,” he continued. In the end, Go said that he is convinced that President Marcos possesses the necessary determination to implement effective measures that will address the drug problem at its core, highlighting, “Alam ko naman na seryoso po ang ating administrasyon na sugpuin po ang iligal na droga. Nagtitiwala po ako sa leadership ng Philippine National Police, disente po itong taong ito.” “Importante lang dito talaga ay medyo strong position na takutin mo, dapat takutin mo talaga. Kapag hindi mo takutin mamayagpag po ang mga sindikato na ‘yan,” he concluded. The post Go calls for continuing campaign vs illegal drugs, criminality appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Hotel industry will follow mask policy if needed
The country’s hotel operators are willing to adhere to whatever decision the government will impose on calls to implement anew the mask policy following the spike in Covid-19 cases these past few days. This comes amid forecasts by a research group that Covid-19 cases may spike in the middle of May this year, putting the positivity rate to 19.3 percent over the weekend. “On the part of the hotel industry, it’s fairly simple, we follow the guidelines. But regardless of the guidelines, our sector as well as tourism-related establishments have been always maintaining very strict minimum health standards that are in place and making sure that we provide our guests with a safe and good experience,” said Benito Bengzon Jr., president of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association Inc. He added that his group is seeing that hotel occupancies are going back to the pre-pandemic levels. “Apart from hotel occupancy, which is seen as a major indicator, we are looking at the revenue side of it. And the good news that we have heard from our members, many or some of them have already exceeded their 2019 levels,” Bengzon told reporters during the Business Networking and Luncheon hosted by the Philippine Furniture Furnishings Market on Monday at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay. Overall, he stressed that the hotel industry in urban or city destinations “is slowly improving or much better compared to 2022.” “But the current foot traffic that we are getting now is just 25 percent of what we got in 2019. In 2019, we got 8.2 million foreign visitors, but last year, we only got 2 million. We still have a long way to go. The official target for this year in terms of foreign tourist traffic for the industry is 4.8 million,” Bengzon said. Meantime, Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines president Eugene Yap said masks are now indeed part of citizen’s daily outfit, even if World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that Covid-19 was no longer qualifies as a global emergency. “But definitely, the Covid-19 virus is still there going around, but no longer a pandemic and just an endemic. The mask will always be an important part of our attire and for some countries a form of courtesy, such as in Japan and in Taiwan. I can see that masks are still an important part, especially in food serving areas,” Yap said. “We hope there will not be much mask requirement, but I think we leave it now to the establishments for their own use,” he added. Philippine Retailers Association chairperson Paul Santos, on the other hand, echoed the sentiments of the hotel and restaurant industry on heeding the guidelines but will also leave it to the retailers what to impose on their employees and own enterprise. “We can impose that on our employees, but we cannot impose wearing masks on our customers. Generally speaking, we will follow what the government recommends,” Santos said. To recall, the Department of Health last week maintained that they have already recommended to the Office of the President, based on the agreements coming from the IATF discussions, that there is no need to return the mask mandate as they need to shift the mindset of Filipinos when it comes to the Covid-19 virus. The post Hotel industry will follow mask policy if needed appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Comelec says ‘no’ to online COC filing
The Commission on Elections has junked calls to allow the online filing of certificates of candidacy in a bid to avoid personal contacts amid rising COVID-19 cases in the country......»»
Senator calls for vigilance, compassion amid new variant
Sen. Bong Go appealed to all Filipinos to remain vigilant, cooperate with authorities and show compassion for one another after the Department of Health reported two cases of the B1617 coronavirus variant first detected in India......»»
New cases breach 8k mark: Rody calls for balancing act vs. virus
Closing the economy through coronavirus lockdowns would be disastrous for the country, President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday night, as he called for a balancing act amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic......»»
Workplace Health Protocols Reinforcement Called for Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases
As the country breached the 3,000 mark in new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases again, government agencies calls for the reinforcement of health protocols in the workplace to minimize further cases of the virus. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) together with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued a joint advisory Tuesday […].....»»
DTI insists Phl can’t afford stricter lockdown
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez on Thursday insisted that the country cannot afford sterner quarantine classification amid calls to impose a stricter lockdown due to the resurgence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases this Christmas season. During the weekly Laging Handa forum, Lopez said that he is supporting granular lockdown, but not to the extent of closing […] The post DTI insists Phl can’t afford stricter lockdown appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Addressing mental health amid a pandemic
BETTER DAYS Senator Sonny Angara Mental health has historically been a difficult subject to talk about in Philippine society. Many of us, no doubt, have our own stories, personal or otherwise, of how difficult it is to seek help. In fact, in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, an August, 2020, analysis of many studies on the matter confirmed that the low utilization of mental health services among Filipinos could be attributed in part to the stigma associated with mental health issues, with resilience and self-reliance becoming possible alternate coping strategies. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has made mental health an even bigger issue. The quarantine, the economic effects of the pandemic, and the anxieties brought about by the virus’ unpredictability have had a negative effect on the mental health of many Filipinos. Although we as a country are consistently rated to be in the Top 5 of a global optimism index, according to the DOH, the calls for help have been increasing. According to the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH), their helpline received about 400 calls monthly from May, 2019, to February, 2020. That’s an average of 13 to 15 calls daily. By March, 672 calls were serviced, and this grew steadily in the following months, until there were 1,034 calls in July – and 440 for the half of August. These double the monthly average from March to August to 876 calls, or 32 to 37 calls daily. Many government and private mental health services are available for people who are seeking help or just someone to talk to. Aside from the NCMH crisis hotline, the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation has confidential crisis lines and a referral system to partnered psychologists. The foundation is also a hub for prevention, recognition, and treatment of depression. The Philippine Mental Health Association also offers similar services, and universities like UST, UP Diliman, and Ateneo de Manila have their own mental health service organizations. Some, like Ateneo’s Center for Family Ministries have affordable or negotiable fees. Online resources like the Silakbo.Ph website have listings for many other mental health service providers outside of the NCR. In fact, many organizations have already partnered with the Department of Health (DOH); perhaps more of them should be invited to the table to plan new policies, projects, and initiatives that will address the growing number of mental health cases. The DOH is also encouraging people to learn more about general mental health through free e-learning courses translated into Filipino. The source material is from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) QualityRights initiative, which is a global project that aims to help participants improve their own mental health, learn how to support their loved ones and communities, and gain knowledge and skills to tackle mental health issues. Clearly, we need to reassess and adapt to the fact that more Filipinos are now looking for mental health services and treatments. This is why I am seeking to amend Republic Act 11036, the Mental Health Act, particularly its existing chapter on “Rights of Service Users and Other Stakeholders.” Our proposed amendment seek to give health service users the right to immediately receive compensation benefits and special financial assistance they are entitled to under law, should they sustain temporary or permanent mental disability in the line of duty or by reason of a person’s office or position. This is an important amendment, as the Mental Health Act requires that PhilHealth provide insurance packages to patients with mental health conditions, and that access to medicines is ensured. With the observation of World Mental Health Day last October 10, it is important to remember the DOH’s theme for this year, “Mental Health for All: Unifying Voices for Greater Investment and Access.” This theme encourages that we open conversations on the various challenges that our mental health care system faces every day, such as social stigma and limited funding. In fact, the simple act of marking the day itself is important. It shows those who are suffering that we see them, and care for them. It tells others who are hiding their issues that it is perfectly normal to seek help. And most of all, it encourages the whole world to stand in solidarity in recognition of the need for all of society to help those with mental health issues. E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara Senator Sonny Angara has been in public service for 16 years—9 years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and 7 as Senator. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate. .....»»
Amid rise in COVID-19 cases in government sector, group calls for free testing, treatment
“We condemn the continuing lack of protective equipment, assurance of free testing and treatment among all public sector employees.” By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL Bulatlat.com MANILA – The largest federation government employees unions is pushing for free mass testing and treatment for government employees infected by COVID-19. According to the Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) report,… The post Amid rise in COVID-19 cases in government sector, group calls for free testing, treatment appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
UAAP volleyball enters break amid wide-open semis race
It’s the calm before the storm as teams embark on a much-needed pause ahead of an expected all-out race to the UAAP Season 86 volleyball tournaments Final Four......»»
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.....»»
Early case resolution sought for 141 NFA officials
The resolution of cases against 141 officials and employees of the National Food Authority must be hastened amid the six.....»»
Rama calls for removal of CBRT manager Imbong amid ‘crisis’
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants the project manager of the Cebu Rapid Bus Transit to be removed from his position, citing mismanagement as the reason for the replacement. “I have enough of Imbong,” said Rama, who was referring to CBRT Project Manager Norvin Imbong and that he was recommending to.....»»
PNP appeals for calm amid bomb threats
The Philippine National Police yesterday appealed to the public to remain calm when dealing with bomb threats......»»
Youth groups condemn Marcos, Duterte ‘word war’ amid cha-cha talks
"We maintain that the two rallies are not expressions of the genuine calls and struggles of the Filipino masses" The post Youth groups condemn Marcos, Duterte ‘word war’ amid cha-cha talks appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
REPORT THE CASES | BCPO beefs up measures amid robbery cases; police on top of situation
REPORT THE CASES | BCPO beefs up measures amid robbery cases; police on top of situation.....»»
DTI monitoring bottled water prices in Baguio
The Department of Trade Industry (DTI) said that it is monitoring the prices of bottled water in Baguio City amid the increased demand for it following recorded cases of acute gastroenteritis in the city......»»
Baguio tests water sources as gastroenteritis cases spike
Water sources in this city are being tested amid a surge in acute gastroenteritis cases......»»