Dateline PhiliPPines Marcos on son Sandro’s birthday: ‘You will continue to shine’

by Catherine S. Valente ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, March 7 took to his Facebook to greet his son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander "Sandro" Marcos, on his special day.

Sandro, eldest son of the President, is celebrating his 29th birthday today, March 7.

In a statement, the President expressed confidence that his son will continue to shine and inspire others.

"Happy Birthday, Sandro!

We have no doubt that you will continue to shine and inspire those around you!" the President said.

Sandro, who was born and raised in Laoag City, is now senior deputy to Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe of Zamboanga City, whose primary function, aside from being the spokesman of the majority bloc, is to direct the deliberations on the floor.

As senior deputy majority leader, Sandro will be a member of the House Committee on Rules, which deals with the Rules of the House of Representatives, Rules of Procedure Governing Inquiries in Aid of Legislation, Rules of Procedure in Impeachment Proceedings, Order of Business, Calendar of Business, the referral of bills, resolutions, speeches, committee reports, messages, memorials and petitions, and the creation of committees inclusive of determining their respective jurisdictions.

The younger Marcos had said that he was excited to take on his new job.

"I am very excited. I want to learn as much as I can. It feels weird to be here, not as a staff member but as a congressman," he said during the seminar for new lawmakers.

"I want to build on my twoyear experience in the House," he added.

Prior to his foray in politics, Sandro served as member of the legislative staff of then House Majority Leader and now Speaker Martin Romualdez, who was his mentor on the daily grind at the House during the 18th Congress. Sandro also served as an economic consultant of the Province of Ilocos Norte under Gov. Matthew Joseph Manotoc. Among his tasks was ensuring the swift and smooth distribution of food and other assistance to the people of Ilocos Norte, including Covid-19 recovery assistance program for sari sari store owners, food packs and fishing gears to fisherfolks, tablets to aid students in distance learning, and many others. He has been instrumental in providing livelihood opportunities to thousands of Ilokanos who were most affected by the sudden loss of income and livelihood amidst the continuing pandemic. g

MANILA — Different national government agencies on Tuesday expressed their support for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (Sogie) equality bill during a House hearing on Tuesday, March 7.

According to Rep. Geraldine B. Roman, 12 hours have already been devoted to listening to resource persons both for and against the current House version of the Sogie equality bill, which is the unified version of House Bills 222, 460, 3418, 4277, 5551, 6003 and 7036.

“The Department of Health supports the house bills which seek to protect the fundamental rights of all individuals against any form of discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sexual characteristics,” said Adriel Pizarra, a medical officer speaking on behalf of the Department of Health (DOH).

According to Pizarra, the passage of the bill will only enforce the existing health laws and DOH policies. The Department of Labor and

Employment (DOLE) also backed the bill, as it also has measures that protect a person from gender-based discrimination in the workplace.

“This is really an opportune time to further strengthen the DOLE’s thrust in ending discrimination in the workplace,” said DOLE Officer Donnalyn Calipay.

The Technical Education And Skills Development Authority shared the DOLE’s stance, with the authority’s Clefford Pascual assuring “ the agency’s readiness to provide support should this bill be passed into law.”

According to Suzette Ganaban from the Department of Education (DepEd), the agency also supports the Sogie Equality Bill.

“With the emphasis on the education sector, the enactment of such bill will provide much needed support for DepEd’s advocacy promoting anti-discriminatory practices in schools and offices,” said Ganaban.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said that it is ready to enforce the bill if it is passed.

by Zacarian Sarao Inquirer.net

MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, March 7 said that COVID-19 cases in the country remain manageable, as no significant rise in infections has been observed.

“It fully supports measures that protect the dignity of all persons regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics. If these bills are legislated, the PNP has the operating mechanisms in place to ensure its enforcement,” said Isagani Fetizanan, the assistant chief of the PNP’s women and children center.

However, the PNP has reservations about House Bill 3702, which establishes a help desk for the LGBTQ+ in all PNP stations, suggesting instead that the role could be integrated with the Women and Children’s Helpdesk.

“Perhaps ‘women, children, gender rights protection desk’ is more appropriate,” Fetizanan said.

The Civil Service Commission and the Commission on Population also showed approval of the bill during the hearing. The Department of Justice and the Commission on Higher Education did not have resource personnel during the hearing. (Inquirer.net)

According to DOH officer-incharge Maria Rosario Vergeire in a press briefing, only 133 average cases per day have been reported nationwide in the past week.

“Wala pa po tayong nakikitang significant, kung meron man during the past weeks may tataas by five cases by three cases, and this is not significant if we try to compare that for our weekly average number of cases,” said Vergeire.

(We have not seen anything significant yet, if there is anything during the past weeks, there would be an increase of five cases or three cases, and this is not significant if we try to compare that to our weekly average number of cases.)

She then assured the public that the DOH continues to monitor the pandemic situation in the country, reiterating that recorded infections in Metro Manila remain minimal.

“Sa ngayon we can say that everything is manageable, our hospitals are able to manage our cases. Wala pong masyadong mga kasong naitatala na dito mula sa iba’t ibang lugar dito sa Metro

Manila,” said Vergeire.

(Right now we can say that everything is manageable, our hospitals are able to manage our cases. There are not many cases recorded from different places here in Metro Manila.)

However, Vergeire noted that the health department is closely keeping an eye on Mandaluyong, which only has three intensive care unit (ICU) beds in the city.

“So ‘pag nagkaroon ng isa lang na laman tumataas na po ang percentage (when there is only one admission, the percentage increases),” she explained. As of March 6, the country’s COVID-19 caseload is at 4,077,109, with 4,002,009 recoveries, 66,160 deaths and 8,940 active cases. g