Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, November 27, 2021.
READ: New Covid variant is more infectious
SCIENTISTS in South Africa said Thursday they had detected a new Covid-19 variant with a large number of mutations, blaming it for a surge in infection numbers. The number of daily infections in Africa's hardest-hit country has increased tenfold since the start of the month. In response, Britain banned all travel from the country and five other southern African nations as concerns grow about the new variant, which scientists say could be more infectious than Delta and more resistant to current vaccines. The variant, which goes by the scientific label B.1.1.529, "has a very high number of mutations," he said. The variant goes by the Greek letter nu.
READ: Govt keeps sharp eye out for new variant
Back here, the government is closely tracking developments concerning a newly detected Covid-19 variant in South Africa as it prepares plans to make sure it does not spread to the Philippines. Acting Palace spokesman and Karlo Alexei Nograles said in a briefing Friday the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), along with the Department of Health (DoH), is monitoring the situation and at the same time conducting genomic studies to know more about the variant, B.1.1.529. Nograles said the government is waiting for the World Health Organization (WHO) to classify B.1.1.529 as a variant of interest or a variant of concern. The government has temporarily suspended flights from South Africa, Botswana, and other countries where the new variant has been found, Malacañang announced on Friday. South Africa and Hong Kong are on the Philippines' "green list" of Covid low risk countries and territories, and quarantine protocols will be eased for fully vaccinated travelers from those places beginning December 1.
READ: Proactive plan urged to block new variant
THE government must be more proactive in preventing the new coronavirus variant from gaining a foothold in the Philippines, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd said on Friday. Concepcion said the variant, identified in South Africa as B.1.1.529, is causing concern because it appears to be more transmissible than Delta and is highly mutated.
READ: Bongbong, Sara bare environment agenda
THE tandem of presidential contender Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his running mate Sara Duterte-Carpio said the environment must be protected to safeguard "the most vulnerable members of Philippine society from the onslaught of natural calamities." In a statement on Friday, they said the wanton destruction of natural resources makes the country prone to natural and manmade disasters, such as landslides, while flooding triggered by strong typhoons devastates wide areas.
READ: Bishops call for honest 2022 polls
THE Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has released a prayer calling for peaceful, free and honest elections in 2022. In a circular issued on Thursday but released only on Friday, CBCP president Archbishop Romulo Valles said the prayer will be launched on November 28, the first Sunday of Advent. Adopted from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the "Prayer for 2022 Elections" focuses on the 16 values enshrined in the preamble of the Constitution. The PPCRV, a church-based election watchdog, earlier asked the CBCP to endorse its "Prayer Power Campaign" by asking the public to collectively pray for peaceful, credible and transparent polls next year. The prayer for the 2022 elections will be recited every first and third Sunday of the month.
READ: Vax blitz allows PH to have 'safe' holiday season
THE government aims to inoculate more than 15 million Filipinos when it holds the three-day vaccination blitz called "Bayanihan Bakunahan" from November 29 to December 1. According to the Department of Health (DoH), the three-day vaccination drive aims to increase vaccine coverage and mobilize stakeholders from every sector in support of the government's goal of giving Filipinos a safe and healthy Christmas season. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire added that vaccinations will increase confidence in the public to see their family members during the Holiday Seasons, as well as a safe return to work.
BUSINESS: Q4 growth likely at 5.3% – ING Bank
Over to business, the Philippines' gross domestic product would expand by more than 5 percent this quarter, putting full-year growth slightly ahead of the government's objective, according to an ING Bank Manila economist. ING Bank Manila senior economist Nicholas Antonio Mapa said in a virtual briefing on Friday that he expects the country's gross domestic product (GDP) to rise by 5.3 percent in the fourth quarter.
SPORTS: GAB eyes live audience for pro leagues in 2022
Topping sports, the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), the country's regulatory body for professional sports, is looking to have fans back in live games of professional leagues like the Philippine Basketball Association, Premier Volleyball League and the Philippines Football League next year. All professional sports in the country were ordered to hold games behind closed doors and without fans during the Covid-19 pandemic. But with the number of Covid-19 cases going down in the past couple of months and with more Filipino people getting fully vaccinated, the idea of having fans back in the venues is being entertained.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Yen Makabenta are today's front page columnists. Contreras deciphers the Marcos disqualification case, while Makabenta discusses the demographics of the Marcos-Duterte Carpio ticket.
Today's editorial hits at the blocking of Rappler founder and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa to travel. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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On behalf of The Manila Times, this is Aric John Sy Cua reporting. Have a safe weekend ahead.