KUWTT: Vaccine rollout gathers pace | Mar 04, 2021

Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, March 4, 2021.

READ: Vaccine rollout gathers pace

THE vaccination program against Covid-19 is seen to pick up its pace as vaccines reach more provinces and more doses are flown in, public officials said. They also cited growing public acceptance of the Sinovac vaccine. On Wednesday, the inoculation of more health workers continued, with one big private hospital joining the vaccine rollout. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said that as of Tuesday night, more than 2,000 Filipinos have received the Sinovac vaccine.

READ: AstraZeneca vaccines arriving – Palace

THE first batch of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine from the Covax Facility will arrive in the country on Thursday, Malacañang said on Wednesday. Palace spokesman Harry Roque, Jr. said the Philippines is set to accept 487,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines. Originally, 525,600 of these vaccines were supposed to arrive on Monday, but was delayed due to “global supply problem”.

READ: JBC rebuffs High Court

THE Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on Wednesday junked the recommendation of the Supreme Court to exempt the five incumbent high court justices applying for the position of chief justice from undergoing public interview, well-placed sources told The Manila Times. The JBC likewise refused to waive the submission of documentation requirements such as the Statements of Assets Liabilities and Net Worth, or SALNs, and bank accounts.

READ: DepEd drops plan to shorten summer break

STUDENTS and teachers can look forward to having the usual two-month break after the Department of Education (DepEd) dropped its plan to shorten it to two weeks. Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said a brief summer break would no longer be an option. He clarified that the proposal to shorten the summer break was “among the many options” considered and was not an official policy.

READ: Octa to govt: Contain spread of African variant

THE Octa Research Group has urged the government to control the spread of the B1351 variant, also known as the South African variant of the coronavirus disease, because it can decrease the efficacy of the AstraZeneca AZD1222 vaccine by as much as 60 percent. The country is set to receive more than 487,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday. Octa fellow Fr. Nicanor Austriaco said failing to contain the spread of the B1351 variant could render 17 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine that the country procured useless.

READ: Mauro to question legality of dismissal from service

FORMER ambassador to Brazil Marichu Mauro intends to question before the court her dismissal from service, claiming that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) denied her due process. President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday announced Mauro’s dismissal from service upon the recommendation of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. Her retirement benefits had been forfeited and she was perpetually disqualified from holding public office. Mauro was recalled home in October 2020 to face investigation after a leaked video footage was shown on a local television station in Brazil showing her maltreating her Filipino househelp.

READ: Facebook, Twitter urged to curb online exploitation of children

SEN. Ana Theresia Hontiveros has called on social media giants Facebook and Twitter to crack down on criminal activities in their platforms, especially the online sexual exploitation of women and children (OSAEWC). She made the appeal as the Senate Committee on Women and Children, which she heads, started its inquiry on the reported rise in OSAEWC. The senator on Wednesday voiced hope that Facebook and Twitter would cooperate in the investigation after they failed to send representatives to the hearing on Tuesday.

 

BUSINESS: S&P: Bank lending to grow 5-8% in 2021

In business, bank lending in the Philippines could rebound and expand by as much as 8 percent this year if the government speeds up the implementation of its infrastructure projects, S&P Global Ratings projected on Wednesday. In a webinar on Wednesday, S&P credit analyst Nikita Anand said the New York-based debt watcher expected bank lending to surge to 5 to 8 percent in 2021 after dipping by almost 1 percent the year before.

SPORTS: Kouame naturalization gets boost in Senate

Topping sports, Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Wednesday threw his support behind a proposed measure granting Philippine citizenship to Angelo Kouame. In his manifestation of support, Go, chairman of the Senate games and sports committee, said that granting Kouame Philippine citizenship will definitely bolster the country’s chances in several upcoming basketball tournaments, including the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Yen Makabenta, Ramon Tulfo, and Arch. Felino Palafox, Jr. are today’s front page columnists. Makabenta discusses the timeline on post-pandemic normal life, Tulfo affirms the statement of Senator Panfilo Lacson that President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs is a failure, while Arch. Palafox talks about the architecture, planning and urban design of the Batangas City land use plan and zoning.

Today’s editorial discusses the controversial “no vaccine, no work” policy, which was countered by a labor group. Read the full version on the paper’s Opinion Section or listen to the Voice of The Times.

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With Dafort Villaseran, this is Aric John Sy Cua reporting. May you have a safe Thursday ahead.