Month: October 2021

The local stock barometer started the week higher as overseas investors continued to worry about China’s real estate developer Evergrande issue, but the peso ended the day sideways against the greenback.

“Philippine shares were traded higher as investors sought refuge from regions being sold down due to the Evergrande debacle,” said Luis Limlingan, Regina Capital Development Corporation head of sales.

Limlingan said among the factors that will play a part in the week’s equities trading include US trade balance data, jobless claims report, and unemployment rate.

He added that onshore factors are the September inflation report and the August industrial production data.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rose by 0.54 percent, or 37.29 points, to 6,960.89 points.

All Shares inched up by 0.50 percent, or 21.68 points, to 4,348.19 points.

Most of the sectoral indexes tracked the main index with Mining and Oil rising by 2.06 percent; Holding Firms, 1.35 percent; Financials, 0.53 percent; Property, 0.52 percent; and Services, 0.14 percent.

Only the Industrial index finished the day in the negative territory after it fell 0.31 percent.

Volume totaled 955.46 million shares amounting to PHP5.89 billion.

Both the advancers and decliners ended the day at 93, while 55 shares were unchanged.

Meanwhile, the peso ended sideways against the US dollar at 50.7 from 50.79 last Friday.

It opened the day at 50.74, better than its 50.96 start in the previous session.

It traded between 50.815 and 50.68, resulting in an average of 50.744.

The average level for the day stood at 50.744.

Volume totaled USD857.54 million, lower than the USD882.16 million at the end of last week.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Department of Health (DOH) 13 (Caraga) on Monday said that a total of 864,746 doses of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) have already been administered as of Sunday.

In a report, the DOH-13 said that 423,145 individuals have already received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccines while 441,601 are already fully vaccinated.

The agency said that 118,293 front-line health workers in the region have already been vaccinated in the region, with 56,202 of them already fully vaccinated.

A total of 181,260 senior citizens have been administered with Covid-19 vaccines with 101,395 of them now fully vaccinated.

For those in the A3 priority group or those with comorbidities, 277,092 individuals have already received the Covid-19 vaccines with 191,095 of them considered fully vaccinated.

A total of 249,955 individuals under the A4 priority group or essential workers have already been vaccinated in the region with 83,430 of them fully vaccinated.

The DOH-13 also reported the 38,146 individuals under the A5 priority group or indigents have already been vaccinated with 9,479 of them now fully vaccinated.

“We continue our call on the people in Caraga Region to avail of the free vaccination program of the government for protection against Covid-19,” the agency said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The pilot pediatric vaccination in the National Capital Region (NCR) will be done through phases.

Citing the approved guidelines for the pediatric age-group vaccination eyed to begin on October 15, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III on Monday said the inoculation of 15 to 17 years old will be done first, followed by the 12 to 14 years group.

Parental or guardian consent is needed before a minor can receive a shot while the vaccination will be piloted in select NCR hospitals to closely monitor the possible adverse effects.

“Para sa ganoon, kung magkaroon man ng mga adverse event following immunization ay at least nasa loob na po ng hospital at mabilis na matugunan kung magkaroon man ng emergency (So that in case there will be adverse events, following immunization, at least we are inside the hospital and we can immediately address the emergency),” he said during a press briefing held in Clark, Pampanga where officials witnessed a mall vaccination activity.

Minors with comorbidities will be prioritized at jabs sites Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, Philippine Heart Center, Pasig City Children’s Hospital, Fe Del Mundo Medical Center, and Philippine General Hospital.

The Food and Drug Administration initially approved the emergency use authorization of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the inoculation.

National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said pediatric vaccination was closely studied before approval.

“Nagkakaroon po kami ng continuous research. Also, ‘yung mga ginagawang vaccination ng mga different countries (We are also conducting continuous research based on the vaccination held in different countries),” he said.

After the 14-day test run in the six hospitals, Galvez said the vaccination will be expanded to other local government units within Metro Manila for another two weeks.

“After 30 days, magkakaroon na po tayo ng rollout sa buong NCR at sa mga areas na meron na po tayong average na more than 50 percent ‘yung mga A2 [senior citizens] na vaccinated na (After 30 days, we will roll out this program in the entire NCR and in other areas that have vaccinated 50 percent of their A2 population),” he added.

Metro Manila Development Authority chair Benhur Abalos said NCR mayors are all set for pediatric vaccination.

“They have been doing the preregistration of minors. It’s just a matter of identifying those who have comorbidities of those in the list. All the mayors are ready. They’re very enthusiastic about the pilot, especially the children. They are very much prepared,” Abalos said in another interview.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The government is negotiating with four manufacturers to acquire between 90 and 100 million doses of the coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) vaccine next year.

National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 chief, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., also announced during an inoculation event at a mall in Clark, Pampanga that the purchase of six million doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson, to be added to the January 2022 allocation, will be finalized this week.

Last week, the NTF got confirmation of the delivery this month of 18.3 million doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and Sinovac vaccines while the United States committed to send another 5.3 million doses of Pfizer through the US-COVAX sharing agreement.

So far, the Philippines has already received 77,410,640 doses since February, with 46,380,460 doses utilized since the rollout began on March 1.

Of the total delivered vaccines, 48.7 million doses were procured by the national government, 19.6 million doses were donated through the COVAX Facility, 5.3 million were purchased by local government units (LGUs) and private sector, and 3.6 million doses were donated by other countries.

“Sa pagpasok po ng fourth quarter, inaaasahan natin ang pagdating ng malalaking delivery mula sa iba’t-ibang manufacturer (In the fourth quarter, we are expecting larger vaccine deliveries from different manufacturers),” Galvez said during a media briefing.

“Based on our latest negotiations with the vaccine manufacturers, we are confident that at least we will be receiving 100 million vaccines by end of October,” he added.

Source: Philippines News Agency

As vaccine deliveries are arriving at a faster pace and the younger age group will be included in the inoculation drive, the government has set the bar higher in its population protection goal.

From 70 percent of the country’s 110 million population or about 77 million, the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 said the goal can be increased to at least 80 percent now.

“We will be recalibrating our vaccination program and modify our critical timeline,” NTF chief Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Monday during a press briefing with Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in Pampanga.

He added the recalibrated inoculation drive is also driven by the data on the production of vaccines.

The Philippines has already received a total 77,410,640 doses of the Covid-19 jab, with 46,380,460 administered nationwide.

Of the total administered jabs, 24,579,486 were given as the first dose and 21,800,974 were second doses.

“We have enough supply, with more than 31 million [doses] in our current stockpile,” he said. “The 100 million target this October is still on track.”

Galvez said deliveries this month include about 10 million doses of Pfizer vaccines, 5 million Moderna doses, 10 million Sinovac, and another 5.9 million doses donated by the United States (US) through the COVAX Facility.

“The arrival of US-COVAX vaccines this month is very significant. The COVAX donation has accounted for more than 19,653,730 doses and then we expect to receive 6.7 million more this October,” he said.

The Germany government will likewise send 844,800 doses of AstraZeneca jabs, also via the COVAX Facility, Galvez said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Local government units (LGUs) in Western Visayas have been alerted for the possible impact of tropical depression Lannie as all provinces and highly urbanized cities in the region have been placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) 1.

“As per forecast of PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration), it is moving westward so it is expected to pass Western Visayas and bring heavy rains tonight,” Cindy Ferrer, spokesperson for the Western Visayas Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC VI), said in an interview Monday.

Ferrer said that during their Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA), the Mines and Geosciences Bureau 6 (MGB-6) reported that 1,111 barangays in the region may be affected by the typhoon, which means these are highly susceptible to heavy rains, and possible landslide for those in mountainous areas.

The state weather bureau, during the PDRA, said that areas under signal No. 1 will experience strong winds with occasional gustiness and possibly cause “very light damage” to structures and vegetation.

Further, moderate to rough seas will be experienced over the seaboards thus, small sea crafts are advised to take precautionary measures when venturing out to sea while inexperienced mariners should avoid navigating in given sea conditions.

Ferrer said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has also alerted provinces for the possible suspension of sea travels if there will be gale warning.

“The Philippine Coast Guard has advised that it will release advisories if there are cancellations of trips,” she added.

During the PDRA, the Provincial DRRM Office of Capiz reported that seven barangays from two municipalities in the province have been flooded due to heavy rains brought about by the localized thunderstorm and the tropical depression.

These are the barangays of Jagnaya, Poblacion, Agcagay, Caridad, Pangabuan, and Guintas in the municipality of Jamindan, and barangay Tumalalud in the municipality of Mambusao.

“Most of them are rice fields and residential areas,” Ferrer said.

All local DRRMCs are currently on blue alert status, which means their personnel are on standby and they have to maintain their operation center 24/7 and be active in the immediate dissemination of warnings and advisories.

“In case the situation worsens, depending on the discretion of (the) local DRRM council chair, they can raise to red alert status if their area is severely affected by the typhoon,” she added.

The public is also advised to always heed the recommendations and actions of their local DRRMCs, especially if there is a need to conduct pre-emptive evacuation.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The leadership of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Monday threw its support behind President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s daughter Mayor Sara and all other candidates that the chief executive would be endorsing for next year’s elections.

In a statement, BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim said Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has all the support of the Bangsamoro government and its leaders should she decide to abandon her mayoral bid and instead seek the highest post of the land.

“We are confident (she) will continue the legacy of peace and commitment to progress in Mindanao, especially in the BARMM,” Ebrahim said of Mayor Sara if ever she would later change her mind of joining the next presidential race.

Ebrahim issued the statement after President Duterte, during the filing of the candidacy of Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Saturday as a vice presidential candidate, hinted that Mayor Sara would seek the presidency with Go as her running mate.

Mayor Sara, for her part, has also filed on Saturday her certificate of candidacy for her third and final term as Davao City mayor.

After expressing his support for candidates President Duterte would be endorsing, Ebrahim said: “we likewise reiterate our immense appreciation to Pres. Duterte for recognizing the urgency and necessity of the postponement of the elections in the BARMM and consequently extending the transition period.”

Source: Philippines News Agency

Incumbent Mayor Carlo Jorge Reyes of Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental on Monday filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for vice governor under the Nacionalista Party (NP) at the provincial office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) here.

He is reported to be the running mate of incumbent Governor Roel Degamo in the May 9, 2022 elections, although the latter has not yet filed his COC.

This is the first time for Reyes to aim for a higher elective position.

Also filing his COC was lawyer Rommel Erames, who is seeking a comeback as 2nd district board member. He is running under the political group Promdi 4.

Meanwhile, Danilo Jimenez filed on Sunday his COC as an independent seeking election as a board member also of the 2nd district.

A re-electionist, incumbent House Rep. Arnolfo Teves of the 3rd district of Negros Oriental was the first to file his COC last Friday, Oct. 1, under the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

Comelec records showed that as of October 4, a total of 26 aspirants for various positions in the province have filed their COCs.

Lawyer Eddie Aba, the provincial election supervisor, reiterated his call to the political candidates to file early so they would have enough time to complete their requirements if some are found lacking.

Source: Philippines News Agency