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JULY 22-28, 2022 Serving San Diego Since 1987 • 12 Pages
T h e F i l i p i n o –A m e r i c A n c o m m u n i T y n e w s pA p e r
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DATELINE Boost now or wait? Many wonder how best to ride out COVID’s next wave
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PH Gov’t to bolster booster campaign by reD
menDoza ManilaTimes.net
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
GWYNETH Paige didn’t want to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at first. With her health issues — hypertension, fibromyalgia, asthma — she wanted to see how other people fared after the shots. Then her mother got colon cancer. “At that point, I didn’t care if the vaccine killed me,” she said. “To be with my mother throughout her journey, I had to have the vaccination.” Paige, who is 56 and lives in Detroit, has received three doses. That leaves her one booster short of federal health recommendations. Like Paige, who said she doesn’t currently plan to get another booster, some Americans seem comfortable with the protection of three shots. But others may wonder what to do: Boost again now with one of the original vaccines, or wait months for promised new formulations tailored to the latest, highly contagious omicron
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Acting Health Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire. Photo by John Ryan Valdemor
THE government will launch a major campaign to improve booster coverage that targets at least 23 million more Filipinos starting next week, the Department of Health (DoH) said. Called “Pinas Lakas,” the new campaign will be launched on July 26, with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. taking the lead in convincing Filipinos to get their booster shots. DoH Officer in Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the program aims to administer boosters to 90 percent of senior citizens and 50 percent of the target population in the remaining 80 days of the first 100 days of the new administration.
by aLeXis
romero Philstar.com
Philanthropists, 9 others receive Gawad Alab ng Lahi Award
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Marcos invites Filipinos to listen to first SONA
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NEW YORK — A Filipina lawyerphilanthropist seeking a cure for a rare degenerative disease that afflicts Visayan men and an American businessmanphilanthropist who helped bring the Balanggiga Bells back to the Philippines were among 11 individuals, organizations, and enterprises that were honored last week by the Philippine Consulate General in New York and the Hiraya Foundation for FilipinoAmerican Heritage Preservation. Also honored in the first-ever Gawad Alab ng Lahi: Pagkilala sa Mga Natatanging Dangal ng Lahing Pilipino held at the Whitby Theater in Manhattan were Filipino nurses who have been tirelessly serving in the frontline against COVID-19 and veterans seeking recognition for Filipino World War II veterans. “Our Gawad Alab ng Lahi awardees bring not only pride and honor to the Filipino race—they are the flames that should inspire all of us to work together to help us achieve
“Instead of a wider vaccination rollout, we will instead reach out to the communities so that we could increase the vaccine take-up,” Vergeire said in a briefing in Manila. She added that the campaign will target around 397,000 doses of vaccines per day to reach 39 million boosted individuals before the end of the administration’s first 100 days in October. So far, 71.4 million have received their primary series, and 15.7 million have received their booster shots. The campaign comes as the country continues to report additional subvariant cases, with 816 new detections of the highly infectious BA.5 subvariant, 42 additional BA.4 and 52 additional BA.2.12.1
REMEDIAL CLASS. Grade 6 students listen to their teacher Fe Rosal (left) during the remedial and enhancement class at San Miguel Elementary School, Congressional Avenue, City of Dasmarinas, Cavite on Thursday, July 21. Under DepEd Order No. 25, teachers are mandated to conduct remedial classes for students who failed in not more than two subjects while those with low grades of 75 to 79 in any subject must attend enrichment classes. PNA photo by Gil Calinga
MANILA — President Marcos has invited Filipinos to listen to his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25, where he will discuss his key policies and priorities as the country’s 17th Chief Executive. “Nalalapit na ang ating pinaka-unang State of the Nation Address (Our first SONA is approaching),” Marcos said in a Facebook post published last Sunday, July 17. “Samahan niyo po ako at pakinggan ang estado ng ating bansa at ang mga plano at mithiin natin bilang isang sambayanan para sa mga susunod na taon (Join me and listen as I talk about the state of our country and our plans and aspirations as a nation in the succeeding years),” he added. Marcos’ first SONA will be held more than three weeks after he assumed office and on the same day that the 19th Congress will formally open session. He is expected to enumerate his priority bills and to ask Congress to pass measures that will help his administration carry out its programs. The President will also present the details of the
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Most Filipinos trust results of May elections – Pulse Asia by Pia Lee-BraGo Philstar.com
MANILA — Most Filipino adults trust that the results of the May 2022 elections are accurate and credible, according to a Pulse Asia survey released on Monday, July 18. During a virtual forum, Pulse Asia Research president Ronald Holmes presented the results of the survey on the Filipino voter’s perception of the conduct and legitimacy of the 2022 national elections
commissioned by Stratbase ADR Institute. Holmes said the nationwide survey was conducted from June 24 to 27 using faceto-face interviews based on a sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above. The survey found that 82 percent of respondents had “big trust” in the outcome of the national and local elections. Trust is most pronounced in Mindanao as 96 percent of the respondents believed in
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Boracay Island
Inquirer.net file photo
US House agrees to block aid Senator Padilla Boracay, Palawan and Cebu to PNP until PH meets basic blames opposition hailed World’s Best Islands for ‘baseless’ US law DOT celebrates back-to-back human rights standards accolades for PHL destinations blocking PNP aid by Xave
GreGorio Philstar.com
MANILA — The House of Representatives of the United States has agreed on an amendment to a defense spending measure blocking aid, including equipment and training, to the Philippine National Police until the Philippines is deemed to have met basic human rights standards. The amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2023, introduced by Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pennsylvania) and adopted by the US House through a voice vote, provides that no funding will be made available to the State Department for assistance to the PNP until the Secretary of State certifies that the Philippines has:
• Investigated and successfully prosecuted police who violated human rights, ensured that they cooperated with judicial authorities in such cases, and affirmed that such violations have ceased • Established that the Philippine National Police effectively protects the rights of trade unionists, journalists, human rights defenders, government critics, religious leaders and other civil society activists to operate without interference • Taken effective steps to guarantee a judicial system that is capable of investigating, prosecuting and bringing to justice members of the police and military who have committed human rights abuses • Fully complied with domestic and U.S.
MANILA — Senator Robin Padilla on Tuesday, July 19 blamed the opposition for the “baseless” move by United States (U.S.) lawmakers to block the aid for the Philippine National Police (PNP). The U.S. House of Representatives has green-lighted amendments to a law that would hinder aid to the PNP unless actions are taken to investigate alleged human rights abuses by the police in the campaign against illegal drugs. Padilla, an Army Captain in the Reserve
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by Daniza
FernanDez
Inquirer.net
THE Department of Tourism (DOT) applauded the naming of the country’s three island destinations among “The 25 Best Islands in the World” by the New York-based travel magazine Travel + Leisure (T+L). Boracay Island featuring its postcard-perfect sunset ranked 9th in the T+L World’s Best Island list, followed by Palawan at 11th with a photo of an idyllic lagoon in El Nido, and Cebu at 16th with Taoist Temple, in Cebu City. According to T+L,
readers were asked to “weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Readers rated islands according to their activities and sights, natural attractions and beaches, food, friendliness, and overall value.” “The Philippines is truly blessed with the unrivaled beauty of our natural resources coupled by the warmth and endless talent of the Filipinos
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