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Politics

LAPU-LAPU SWIMMER CIRCLES OLANGO IN 12 HOURS

Open water swimmer Cleevan Alegres has successfully circumnavigated the island of Olango, a separate islet located east of Mactan Island. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan said 25-year-old Alegres completed the full swim around Olango in 12 hours. The distance was estimated at 19-21 kilometers. “He started his swim around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday from Barangay […]

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Politics

FREELANCE WORKERS BILL GETS HOUSE NOD – DE VENECIA

The House of Representatives has approved on third reading House Bill No. 8817 or the proposed Freelance Workers Protection Act. “It’s about time we started protecting our freelancers who comprise around 2 percent of our population. This is actually the biggest figure per capita in the world,” Pangasinan fourth district Representative Christopher De Venecia, one of […]

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Politics

USE BAYANIHAN FUNDS FOR FREE TESTING – PANGILINAN

With at least P20 billion in funds, the government should roll out a more aggressive testing and contact tracing program for the coronavirus to locate as many carriers of the infection and curb its spread, Senator Kiko Pangilinan said. Pangilinan made the call as public and private hospitals in Metro Manila and nearby provinces are […]

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VILLANUEVA: WHAT PLAN FOR NCR’S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM?

Senator Joel Villanueva is asking the Department of Health to bare its plan to manage the stress in Metro Manila’s healthcare system as hospitals in the capital region contend with overflow capacity and overstretched manpower. Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, said the government’s crisis managers should consider regrouping and have a “level-headed” assessment […]

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GATCHALIAN TO DEPED, CHED: STOP ‘SAGOT-FOR-SALE’

While the “sagot-for-sale” scheme remains prevalent despite being discouraged by the Department of Education (DepEd) and flagged in Senate panel hearings, Senator Win Gatchalian emphasized that DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and academic institutions should step up in probing and curbing various forms of distance learning cheating. Under the “sagot-for-sale” scheme, parents hire […]

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Politics

FREE SWAB TESTS FOR OFWS, ROFS IN CEBU — GARCIA

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) going home to any of the cities and towns in Cebu province will now have to undergo reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test (RT-PCR) testing upon arrival at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced the testing will be free of charge. “The new policy will no […]

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Politics

WHAT WE NEED NOW IS BAYANIHAN 3 – QUIMBO

A lawmaker said Congress must swiftly pass the proposed Bayanihan to Arise As One Act or the Bayanihan 3 in order to provide relief to Filipinos, especially the working class and the most vulnerable. Marikina City Representative Stella Quimbo made the call after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the unemployment rate for February […]

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Politics

VILLAFUERTE: NCR PLUS BUBBLE NEEDS AYUDA BILL

Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte has welcomed Malacañang’s release of P22.9 billion in financial assistance to low-income families in the so-called “NCR Plus” bubble, but pressed nonetheless for the congressional approval of the so-called Ayuda bill to further boost household spending across the country amid a fresh coronavirus surge that has further hurt business confidence and dampened […]

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Politics

USE RAPID ANTIGEN TEST NATIONWIDE — VILLAFUERTE

Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte has called on the government to complement its stricter mobility restrictions with an aggressive T3—test, trace and treat—drive as a more decisive strategy to contain the latest surge in coronavirus infections while it awaits the arrival of the bulk of the ordered anti-virus jabs for its vaccine rollout plan. While […]

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Politics

ZUBIRI LAUDS OK OF PRIVATE SECTOR VAX PURCHASE

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri has expressed his support for President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement that the private sector will now be allowed to buy COVID-19 vaccines at will. “I laud the decision of the President to allow the private sector to import and buy vaccines at will, as this will be able to assist […]