Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Sunday, November 28, 2021.
Govt lowers jab target in 3-day campaign
THE government lowered its vaccination target for its three-day campaign against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) because of a shortage in syringes, according to its organizers. In a statement released on Saturday, the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF) and the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) said that the initial target of 15 million doses to be administered during the "Bayanihan Bakunahan" from November 29 to December 1 has been adjusted to 9 million. With the revised target, the NTF and NVOC said they were expecting to administer Covid shots to at least 3 million people a day.
WHO names new Covid variant 'Omicron'
Nearly two years into the Covis-19 pandemic, the world raced Friday to contain a new coronavirus variant potentially more dangerous than the one that has fueled relentless waves of infection on nearly every continent. A World Health Organization panel named the variant "Omicron" and classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same category that includes the predominant delta variant, which is still a scourge driving higher cases of sickness and death in Europe and parts of the United States. Omicron's actual risks are not understood. But early evidence suggests it carries an increased risk of reinfection compared with other highly transmissible variants, the WHO said. That means people who contracted Covid-19 and recovered could be subject to catching it again. It could take weeks to know if current vaccines are less effective against it. In response to the variant's discovery in southern Africa, the United States, Canada, Russia and a host of other countries joined the European Union in restricting travel for visitors from that region, where the variant brought on a fresh surge of infections.
Lakas-CMD assures continued support for Duterte
THE Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), together with its partners in the UniTeam Alliance, assured that it continues to support President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration. The Lakas-CMD issued the statement on Saturday after Butch Belgica of the the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) claimed that several allies of the administration were allegedly "conspiring" against the President although he did not name names. The PDDS is supporting Duterte and Sen. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go for senator and president, respectively in the 2022 national elections. Duterte and Go decided to run under the PDDS to avoid legal complications caused by the division in the PDP-Laban, which has been elevated to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for resolution.
Diokno vows stronger justice system, pandemic response
Senatorial aspirant and chairman of long-running Free Legal Assistance Group, lawyer Juan Manuel "Chel" Diokno said he would work on improving the Philippine justice system and Covid-19 pandemic response if elected in the May 9, 2022 national elections. Diokno said that the country's justice system needs strengthening. He said during an interview on The Manila Times TV that he promised to empower the Katarungan Pambarangay. But Diokno stressed that the pandemic demands immediate attention, adding the composition of the Pandemic Management Council would be his top priority within his first 100 days in office if elected.
'The strong must not trample on the weak'
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte invoked the rule of law in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, stressing there can be "no real peace if the strong trample on the weak." In a speech during the Asia-Europe Meeting Summit, Duterte reaffirmed the Philippines' position favoring peaceful resolution of territorial disputes despite China's continued aggression in the region.
Marcos DQ ruling may take longer – Comelec
Aruling by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on the disqualification case against presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. may take longer following the poll body's decision to resolve pending motions. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez over the weekend said its Second Division has decided to defer issuing an order requiring the contending parties to submit their memoranda on the case, citing the need to resolve the motions for intervention and a request for oral arguments or face-to-face hearing. According to Jimenez, the decision to defer the submission of memoranda was arrived at the end of the pre-conference meeting held on Friday, November 26. Under normal circumstances, the parties would have been asked to submit their respective memoranda within three days after the preliminary conference. Under the rules, the case is deemed submitted for resolution after the submission of memoranda.
Over to business, the government's economic managers told members of foreign chambers that the economy is beginning to recover and is ready to accommodate more investments. With the Philippines' gross domestic product (GDP) increasing by 7.1 percent in the third quarter, he noted that the economy's fullyear growth is now more likely to reach the higher end of the government's 4 to 5 percent target for this year.
Juico: We have to finish investigation
In sports, Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) President Philip Juico said the issue between the federation and its prized pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena is a "simple one" and can easily be resolved. But someone leaked the internal investigation to the media and some people in Obiena's camp are making things worse, Juico said. According to Juico, the Patafa board just acted on a complaint by Obiena's Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov with regards to his alleged non-compensation.
Marlen Ronquillo is our front page columnist for today. He reveals his first two senatorial candidates for next year's elections.
Today's editorial believes the promotion of reading has economic payoffs. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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For The Manila Times, this is Paulo Dimaapi.