NORTH COTABATO – Nasa 104 na mga pulis sa Rehiyon 12 ang sinampahan ng iba’tibang paglabag sa kasong administratibo ang ngayon ay isinailalim sa summary hearings. Ayon kay Brig. Gen. Bernard Tambaoan, ang
deputy regional director for administration ng Police Regional Office (PRO12), ang nasabing pagdinig ay bahagi ng tinatawag nilang due process bilang paglilinis sa hanay ng Pambansang Pulisya. Sa ngayon nasa 173 na kasong administratibo
ang naihain sa kanyang tanggapan at 69 dito ang ibinasura na dahil sa kawalan ng merito. Sinabi pa ni Tambaoan na ang ibang mga pulis na akusado ay nakapagsumite ng mga ebedensiya na hindi nila Continue on page 7
Militants, rebels urged to yield, live peacefully A Philippine Army photo released to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner shows Abdullah Lumzed Arumpac, alias Afghan, with Colonel Jose Maria Cuerpo II during the ISIS sub-leader’s surrender recently in Marawi City.
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Covid Vaccine
‘Russia may be the first to finish coronavirus vaccine trials’
T
HE FINAL, phase 3, trials of a Russian vaccine against coronavirus developed by the Gamalei National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology may be completed quicker than in other countries, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, told the Vesti news program on Rossiya-1television. “This is the final phase phase quicker than other Human trials will involve that is necessary to put the countries,” Dmitriev said. thousands of people in vaccine into active use. And He noted that phase 3 Moscow, “and we will also we believe that Russia will trials implied switching over start conducting phase 3 in possibly go through this to large-scale human trials. Continue on page 3
Duterte meets with troops anew in South Mindanao health workers at work. (Mindanao Examiner)
Most of China claims on SCS unlawful U.S. SECRETARY of State Michael Pompeo slammed China for its continued
claims in most of the South China Sea. “We are making clear: Bei-
jing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the Continue on page 3
Sulu suspends entry of LSIs SULU PROVINCE in southern Philippines has temporarily suspended the entry
of locally stranded individuals or LSIs following the sudden increase in the number
of Covid-19 there. The provincial task force Continue on page 3
President Rodrigo Duterte and Gov. Sakur Tan, seated in front. (Senator Bong Go)
PRESIDENT RODRIGO Duterte again spoke to soldiers for the second time after flying to Sulu province in southern Philippines just to meet with military commanders and Governor Sakur Tan. The influential and highly respected Tan, a strong political ally of the president, welcomed Duterte last week who arrived with senior military and Continue on page 7
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Online ESL platform ‘51Talk’ marks 9th year CHINA-based 51Talk (COE) looks back as it celebrates its 9th founding anniversary from its humble beginnings to becoming a NYSE-listed online English education platform that has delivered over 100 million lessons with the help of their 20,000 home-based online English teachers in the Philippines. It has been more than ten years since the idea of setting up an online English school brewed in the mind of 51Talk founder and CEO Jack Huang. In his hometown Nantong, a city in East China’s Jiangsu Province, the now 35-year old visionary recalled meeting some friends who were eager to learn English, but did not have easy access to an English education school. And back then, the only way one could learn how to speak the English language was by enrolling in traditional brick and mortar schools which were also very expensive. “Back then, people from my town couldn’t afford English classes. Only well-off families could enroll their children in English language schools. That’s when I realized I have to do something to help my fellow Chinese people to speak to the world,” Huang said. English language education is highly valued in China as it opens up doors to higher education and better career opportunities. Even the Chinese government has started heavily promoting the study of English language in schools because of its importance in international trade and business. Huang said the traditional model had its shortcomings due to its inaccessibility to the great number of potential learners and the fact that students were only able to practice their English skills whenever they were inside the classroom. Proficient English-speaking teachers were also scarce in China, posing a problem for parents who wanted to hire cost-effective yet competent teachers who would tutor their children. Challenged by the current landscape at that time, Huang thought of making English learning available anytime, anywhere with the use of technology. Students need not go to a physical school to learn; they could learn anytime, anywhere through a computer, with a live teacher facilitating the lesson remotely. Learning how to communicate in English is given utmost importance in China with parents enrolling their children as early as 2-3 years old to give them an early start. Before setting up the platform, Huang and his co-founders engaged in a lot of research which included looking for the best English teachers who would be a good fit for the young learners in China. Their research led them to the Philippines, a neighboring Asian country with a high proficiency for speaking English. With the Filipino’s jolly attitude, patience and familiarity with both Asian and Western cultures,
A Filipino online English teacher from 51Talk interacts with a Chinese student using the platform’s mascot named Max. Huang found the perfect fit and, soon after, the 51Talk platform was launched. Since then, Huang embarked on a journey with a mission to make English language education affordable and accessible to everyone. From that point onward, Huang, through 51Talk, started promoting Filipino teachers in China. Setting up a fully-online English program took more than just collating English lessons and presenting them to students in a virtual classroom. As an educator, Huang knew the importance of designing modules that catered to the context, comprehension level, age and learning style of the students. He said 51Talk lesson modules were carefully crafted by more than 100 experts for each age and learning level. Every teacher on the platform would then have to attend a series of training sessions before they are launched as a teacher. And 51Talk made its presence in the Philippines in 2012. At that time, the concept of home-based livelihood was not considered mainstream nor was it taken seriously. Not everyone could grasp that one could legitimately work from the comfort of their own home with just an up-to-spec computer, a webcam and a reliable wired internet connection. Another challenge was promoting Filipinos as the best English teachers to the Chinese market because at that time, the Chinese considered native English speakers like Americans as the best teachers. “When we first started years ago, it took a while to convince the Chinese people that Filipinos are as good as or even better English teachers than native English speakers. However, it did not take a lot of convincing because the Chinese parents who enrolled their children to 51Talk realized that Filipinos are hard-working, passionate and are also effective teachers,” Huang explained. Teacher Nelli, who has been with the platform for seven years, was previously a primary school teacher and an office-based ESL teacher. She decided to teach English from home with 51Talk after realizing the long hours she spends in the office, traffic woes, and having less time with her husband took a toll on her life. Since she started, Nelli has
tutored thousands of students, including achievers who have joined oral English contests in China. “Seeing my students become good English speakers has definitely motivated me to be the best teacher I can be for my students,” said Nelli. Through the years, she has continuously attended training sessions offered by the platform for free. These allowed her to move up in both her ranking and teaching capability. Huang said 51Talk also partnered with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for the Digital Jobs PH Training which was intended to create meaningful ICT-enabled jobs in socio-economically disadvantaged areas in the country. A local cluster of the DICT would allow the usage of their facilities, internet and equipment for free, while 51Talk conducted the free training sessions with the goal to launch digitally-equipped teachers from the countryside. One such example is Teacher Ivy Rosey, who is based in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. Ivy started as a scholar of the Digital Jobs Ph Training at the DICT Zamboanga Digital Hub where she learned the basics of online freelance work, including the teaching opportunity offered by 51Talk. After graduating from the program, Ivy utilized the digital hub’s facilities to conduct her online English classes until she was able to earn enough to buy her own equipment and start teaching from home. DICT is just one of many partners of 51Talk in supporting and developing the online ESL industry in the Philippines. Through its alliances and cooperation with the government, business communities, academe, and other stakeholders, 51Talk is well on its way to achieving its mission of empowering Filipinos by providing livelihood opportunities and by promoting them in the global stage as the best English language educators. Huang said China remains to be the biggest and fastest-growing market for English language studies and the strong demand for online English lessons for children will continue to grow. (With a report from Mindanao Examiner.)
SEC working on new regulatory framework THE SECURITIES and Exchange Commission or SEC said it is working on a new regulatory framework for the development of a capital market where closed-end investment companies primarily invest in corporate debt papers of large and medium enterprises, as part of government efforts to cushion the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. SEC has released the draft rules providing the minimum requirements and guidelines in the creation and operation of such investment companies called Corporate Debt Funds (CDFs). A CDF is a closed-end investment company that offers for sale a fixed number of non-redeemable units of participation or shares and has a limited offer period. Its objective is to invest in the portfolios of corporate debt papers of large corporations and medium-sized enterprises operating or deriving income in the Philippines, or any company guaranteed by a large or medium-sized domestic corporations or by the government or its
agencies. “With the proposed regulatory framework, we hope to help avert credit and liquidity crises that may arise from the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and support the recovery of businesses and the overall economy therefrom,” SEC Chairman Emilio Aquino said. He said the CDFs will be particularly helpful in providing for the liquidity needs of large- and medium-sized corporations for repayments, emergency spending and investments necessary to sustain their operations and preserve jobs in these challenging times. The CDF may offer different share or unit classes with similar investment objectives but are managed as separate asset pools. Each class shall correspond to a distinct part of the assets and liabilities of the CDF, according to Aquino. He said subscription in a CDF is done only on initial public offering and redemption is at maturity although it can make periodic distribution of income to investors on
a pro-rata basis. It may also pay out the proceeds of the underlying investments of each share or unit class upon their liquidation until the termination and maturity of its securities. To incorporate, the CDF shall have a minimum subscribed and paid up capital of P50 million. But as an exception, Aquino said, the subscribed and paid up capital shall not be lower than P1 million, if the CDF forms part of a group of investment companies to be created or already in existence to be managed or under management by the same fund manager with a track record of at least five years. He said the CDF shall be exempt from the registration requirements prescribed under Section 8.1 of Republic Act No. 8799, or The Securities Regulation Code. However, such exemption must be confirmed or approved by the SEC and, for such purpose, the CDF shall submit a simplified prospectus and a product highlight sheet. (With a report from the Mindanao Examiner.)
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Covid Vaccine
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‘Russia may be the first to finish coronavirus vaccine trials’ Most of China claims on SCS unlawful
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo Continued from page 1 South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them,” Pompeo said. He said the U.S. seeks to preserve peace and stability, uphold freedom of the seas in a manner consistent with international law, maintain the unimpeded flow of commerce, and oppose any attempt to use coercion or force to settle disputes. “We share these deep and abiding interests with our many allies and partners who have long endorsed a rules-based international order,” he said. Pompeo said these shared interests have come under unprecedented threat from China, adding, Beijing uses intimidation to undermine the sovereign rights of Southeast Asian coastal states in the South China Sea, bully them out of offshore resources, assert unilateral dominion, and replace international law with “might makes right.” He recalled that in 2010, then-Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told his ASEAN counterparts that “China is a big country and other countries are small countries and that is just a fact.” Pompeo said the Chinese predatory world view has no place in the 21st century. He said China has no legal grounds to unilaterally impose its will on the region. “Beijing has offered no coherent legal basis for its ‘NineDashed Line’ claim in the South China Sea since formally announcing it in 2009,” he said. He said in a unanimous decision on July 12, 2016, an Arbitral Tribunal constituted under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention – to which China is a state party – rejected the maritime claims as having no basis in international law. The Tribunal sided squarely with the Philippines, which brought the arbitration case, on almost all claims.
“As the United States has previously stated, and as specifically provided in the Convention, the Arbitral Tribunal’s decision is final and legally binding on both parties. Today we are aligning the U.S. position on the PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) maritime claims in the SCS with the Tribunal’s decision. Specifically: The PRC cannot lawfully assert a maritime claim – including any Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claims derived from Scarborough Reef and the Spratly Islands – vis-a-vis the Philippines in areas that the Tribunal found to be in the Philippines’ EEZ or on its continental shelf. Beijing’s harassment of Philippine fisheries and offshore energy development within those areas is unlawful, as are any unilateral PRC actions to exploit those resources. In line with the Tribunal’s legally binding decision, the PRC has no lawful territorial or maritime claim to Mischief Reef or Second Thomas Shoal, both of which fall fully under the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction, nor does Beijing have any territorial or maritime claims generated from these features. As Beijing has failed to put forth a lawful, coherent maritime claim in the South China Sea, the United States rejects any PRC claim to waters beyond a 12-nautical mile territorial sea derived from islands it claims in the Spratly Islands (without prejudice to other states’ sovereignty claims over such islands). As such, the United States rejects any PRC maritime claim in the waters surrounding Vanguard Bank (off Vietnam), Luconia Shoals (off Malaysia), waters in Brunei’s EEZ, and Natuna Besar (off Indonesia). Any PRC action to harass other states’ fishing or hydrocarbon development in these waters – or to carry out such activities unilaterally – is unlawful. The PRC has no lawful territorial or maritime claim
to (or derived from) James Shoal, an entirely submerged feature only 50 nautical miles from Malaysia and some 1,000 nautical miles from China’s coast. James Shoal is often cited in PRC propaganda as the “southernmost territory of China.” International law is clear: An underwater feature like James Shoal cannot be claimed by any state and is incapable of generating maritime zones. James Shoal (roughly 20 meters below the surface) is not and never was PRC territory, nor can Beijing assert any lawful maritime rights from it. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsion said the 2016 ruling clearly marks out who would be in the wrong to insist on claims contrary to the award. He said the Hague pronouncement is a victory not only for the country, but for the entire community of consistently law-abiding nations. “Compliance in good faith with the award would be consistent with the obligations of the Philippines and China under international law, including UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) to which both parties are signatories,” Locsin said. Pompeo’s Filipino counterpart, Secretary Defense Lorenzana said it is in the best interest of regional stability that China heed the call of the community of nations to follow international law and honor existing international agreements. “We strongly agree with the position of the international community that there should be a rules-based order in the South China Sea. We urge China to comply with the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, and abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas to which it is a signatory,” he said. Pompeo said the world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire. “America stands with our Southeast Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law.” “We stand with the international community in defense of freedom of the seas and respect for sovereignty and reject any push to impose “might makes right” in the South China Sea or the wider region,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)
Continued from page 1 other countries,” Dmitriev said. Phase 2 trials of this vaccine will be completed on August 3, Dmitriev said, adding, the regulatory approval of the Russian vaccine for the use is expected in August-September. According to forecasts from the Direct Investment Fund, some 30 million doses of the vaccine will be produced in Russia in
2020, or even 50 million if necessary. The vaccination of Russian nationals may be completed early in 2021. In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been report-
ed in every corner of the globe, including Russia. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 13,717,900 people have been infected worldwide and more than 587,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 8,172,400 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe. (TASS)
Militants, rebels urged to yield, live peacefully From page 1 CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Philippine Army urged pro-ISIS militants and rebels to return to the fold of the law and live peacefully with their family. The call was made after a Filipino ISIS sub-leader involved in bloody battle with security forces in the southern Philippines surrendered recently to the military in the battle-scarred city of Marawi in the Muslim province of Lanao del Sur. Officials said Abdullah Lumzed Arumpac, alias Afghan, also yielded an automatic rifle when he surrendered to the 103rd Infantry Brigade. Brigade commander, Colonel Jose Maria Cuerpo II, said Arumpac was among those who laid siege on Marawi in 2017 and battled troops alongside other pro-ISIS groups, including the Abu Sayyaf, for 5 months until he escaped the massive military assault that killed most of the terror leaders, among them the Maute Brothers. “Afghan was involved in numerous terroristic activities in Lanao del Sur province that include
encounters against military troops at Barangay Sandab, Butig sometime on 2015 and in Barangay Ragayan, Poona Bayabao town in Lanao del Sur in 2017 where he suffered gunshot wound in his lower right abdomen while three of his members died during the encounter. He was also involved in the planning of the devastating Marawi Siege which claimed thousands of lives and destroyed millions worth of properties,” Cuerpo said. He said Arumpac sought the help of Mayor Allan Lao of Lumbatan town to arrange his peaceful surrender. Cuerpo also quoted Arumpac as saying: “I realized that the best option for me is to return to the folds of the law and sought the help of the local government of Lumbatan led by Mayor Allan Lao.” Cuerpo praised the surrender and urged other militants to return to the fold of the law. “I am grateful that he chose to return to the fold of the law and to help in the peace and development of the area. I am hoping that this surrender would encourage other terrorist members
to follow. The government is always ready to help former rebels to return to their normal lives,” he said. Major Jeorge Jallona, Civil-Military Officer of the 1st Infantry Division based in Zamboanga del Sur province, said the terrorist leader is tired of fighting and wanted to live peacefully with his family. “Afghan is tired of fighting and he wanted to live peacefully with his family. Now, the provincial government has this reintegration program for rebel returnees so Afghan can fully return to normalcy,” he told the Mindanao Examiner regional newspaper. Security forces had killed at least a dozen foreign militants - some of them were from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Saudi Arabia - along with over 600 local ISIS fighters in Marawi during the siege, but over 150 soldiers also died in the battle when militants occupied the city and declared it a province of the Islamic State. The war, which began in May ended in October. (With a report from Rhoderick Beñez.)
Sulu suspends entry of LSIs Continued from page 1 on Covid-19 chaired by Governor Sakur Tan said it will announce when it would resume the entry of LSIs. “Sulu Task Force Covid-19 temporarily suspends the entry of Locally Stranded Individuals to Sulu effective July 16, 2020. Resumption of inbound travel to Sulu of the LSI’s shall be announced by the Sulu Task Force Covid-19,” it said. However, the task forces
said the entry of front liners and other authorized persons whose travel to Sulu is indispensable are allowed, provided they have the necessary travel documents and medical certificate. Sulu, one of 5 provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, has 7 active Covid-19 cases from 1 in the previous month. But the arrival of LSIs from Manila, Cebu and other places in the country, and those deport-
ed from Sabah in Malaysia resulted in the spike of new contamination. “The Sulu Task Force Covid-19 is taking all necessary measures, based on protocols to contain the spread of the virus. We request the people of Sulu to remain calm and not to panic. Please continue to stay home to prevent the infection and spread of the virus,” the task force said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Sulu Pictures in the News Sulu provincial government at work. This is where your taxes go. (Photos from the Office of the Provincial Governor, Task Force Covid-19, and Jolo Municipal Government)
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Across : 1. Get by 4. Petticoat 8. Mimicker 12. Dad’s partner 13. Singer ___ Turner 14. Citi Field predecessor 15. Globe 16. Opposing 18. Tantalize 20. A Great Lake 21. Sincere 23. Walk heavily 27. Appraises 28. Fight 29. Pass, as time 31. Dishonor 34. Had been 35. Peeler 36. Snaky shapes 39. Gathered 42. Wail 44. Transparent 45. Instantaneous 49. Memorable period 50. ___ -do-well 51. Mix 52. Border 53. Is unable 54. Roosters’ mates 55. Briny deep
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Duterte meets with troops anew in South Continued from page 1 defense officials, including Senator Bong Go, and headed to the Camp General Teodulfo Bautista in the capital town of Jolo where he spoke to the troops. Duterte said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been ordered to conduct immediate and impartial investigation on the incident. “As your Commander-in-Chief and as President of the Republic of the Philippines, I assure you that I will see to it that the truth will come out be it in favor of the police or the military. Ang hinihingi ko lang ang totoong nangyari. So you can rest assured that justice will be done to the family at sa mga tao dito sa — ang mga tropa dito sa Jolo,” he said. Duterte also expressed his condolences to the families of the slain soldiers, one of them a native of Sulu, and assured Tan that the truth will come out after the NBI completes its investigation. “You know Sakur, alam ko na masakit rin sa iyo. Alam ko, hindi ko na sasagutin ng puso ko, alam ko na right or wrong, basta may isang Tausug na namatay dumudugo rin ang kasing-kasing mo kasi alam ko na ayaw mo, pero kapag may nangyari at namatay patay is patay. At alam ko as a Tausug, kahit papaano ay masakit sa iyo, alam ko yan kaya ang magarantiya ko sa iyo ang totoo lalabas at lababas in fairness to the Tausug policemen and to the soldiers who died.” “Kaya lang wala tayong option, hindi natin pwedeng taguin hindi, pwedeng laruan ito kasi hindi maganda ang labas. We will have a more serious trouble if we play with the people’s lives, mga buhay ng sundalo so tangapin mo rin my condolences para sa nangyari,” he told Tan, who was the only government official, invited in
the meeting with troops. Duterte also witnessed the awarding of medals - the Order of Lapu-Lapu, Rank of Kampilan - on two soldiers Staff Sergeant Ramonito Diapolet and Corporal Maynard Cabote, who were wounded in a clash July 6 with pro-ISIS militant group Abu Sayyaf in Patikul town. Western Mindanao Command chief, Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, and Major General Corleto Vinluan, commander of the 11th Infantry Division, conferred the award. Duterte praised the soldiers deployed in Sulu, one of 5 provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region, for their gallantry and dedication to their sworn duty, even in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. “To our brave soldiers who are with us today, I personally came here to thank you on behalf of the Filipino people for your undying service, especially during these trying times. As we fight the Covid-19 pandemic, lawless elements still take advantage of and ravage across our land, disrupting public order. Recently, it has been a difficult time for our men and women in uniform due to the escalating tensions between the military and the terrorist groups,” he said. He told troops that the country’s progress has been hindered for decades by insurgency and terrorism and also thanked Tan for supporting the new anti-terror law. “That is why you have my utmost respect as you risk your lives in the name of peace, security, and development efforts in our region,” Duterte said. Just early this month, Duterte also came to Zamboanga City where he spoke with military commanders and infantrymen in an effort to defuse brewing tension between policemen and soldiers in Sulu.
Duterte appealed to the military to stay calm as he ordered an investigation into the June 29 killings. The soldiers, all clad in civilian clothes, were driving a car on a covert mission to capture 2 suicide bombers, when policemen intercepted them in Jolo town and ordered the agents to come with them to the police headquarters so they can verify their identities. But policemen eventually shot the soldiers after they allegedly tried to flee, an allegation strongly denied by the military. In that meeting, Duterte promised for an impartial investigation, assuring justice for the slain soldiers. “Pumunta ako dito hihingi ako ng tulong ninyo. I am pleading. Nakikiusap ako. Nihangyo ko ninyo na tabangan ko ninyo pagpakalma to keep the waters in the meantime calm and we wait for the result of the investigation. I am giving you my word of honor that the investigation will proceed to find out the truth unfettered, unbridled by anybody except ‘yung sa trabaho. Walang makialam at ‘yung totoo lang. Iyon ang maasahan ninyo. At kung sino man ang may kasalanan, then he has to pay for it.” “What I’m saying is we’re trying to figure out how we can in the meantime do something to give you the assurance that justice will be done. So I’m giving it to you, I said, as a word of honor of a President na I will find out the truth from the investigators and I hope that it would satisfy all,” he told the military. Duterte said he was saddened by the incident and started reminding soldiers all the benefits and increase in salaries he gave them and ensured the welfare of the police and the military has always been his top priority since becoming president in 2016. (Zamboanga Post and Mindanao Examiner)
100 pulis, nahaharap sa kasong administratibo! Continued from page 1 nagawa ang nasabing mga paglabag at ginagawa lamang nila ito bilang bahagi ng kanilang trabaho. Hindi na ibinanggit pa ng opisyal ang ilang mga nakabinbing mga kaso pero batay sa mga inilabas na ulat ng PRO-12 kabilang sa mga paglabag
na ito ay ang absences without official leave at mga may kaugnayan sa administrative breaches. Maliban pa sa mga pulis na sinampahan ng kasong administratibo dahil sa pambabae. “This is part of the continuing internal cleansing program of the PNP,” dagdag
pa ni Tambaoan. Simula noong nakaraang taon, nasa 11 mga pulis na ang sinibak sa pwesto sa Rehiyon 12 at sampu naman ang nakatanggap ng suspension matapos na madesisyunang guilty of administrative offenses. (Rhoderick Beñez)
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Cebu City now under MECQ President Rodrigo Duterte (PCOO)
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RESIDENT DUTERTE placed Cebu City under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine or MECQ; and the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue and the towns of Talisay, Minglanilla, and Consolacion under General Community Quarantine or GCQ until end of the month. He said the National Capi- Zambales, Angeles City; Region Duterte said remains under tal Region, meanwhile, contin- IV-A – Batangas, Quezon, Lucena MGCQ. ues to remain under GCQ same City; Region IV-B – Oriental MinIn a bid to intensify as Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal; doro, Occidental Mindoro, Puerto Covid-19 response measures, Ormoc City, Southern Leyte, Princesa City; Region V – Albay, the government also designated Zamboanga City, Butuan City, Masbate, Camarines Norte, Ca- four so-called anti-Covid czars marines Sur, Catanduanes, Sorso- to lead each of the components Agusan del Norte, Basilan. The President placed the fol- gon, Naga City; Region VI – Iloilo, of the government’s health lowing areas under MGCQ with Negros Occidental, Capiz, An- strategy - testing, tracing, isozoning containment strategy and tique, Aklan, Guimaras, Iloilo City, lation, and treatment. The four strict local action: CAR – Benguet, Bacolod City; Region VII – Negros are Secretary Vivencio Dizon as Baguio City; Region I – Ilocos Oriental, Bohol, Cebu Province; Chief Testing Czar; Baguio City Sur, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Region VIII – Western Samar, Mayor Benjamin Magalong as La Union, Dagupan City; Region Leyte, Biliran, Tacloban City; Re- Chief Tracing Czar; Public Works II – Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Viz- gion IX – Zamboanga del Sur, and Highways Secretary Mark caya; Region III – Bataan, Nueva Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboan- Villar as Chief Isolation Czar, Ecija, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, ga del Norte; Region X – Misamis and Health Undersecretary LeoOccidental, Bukidnon, Lanao del poldo Vega as Chief Treatment Norte, Cagayan de Oro City, Iligan Czar. All will be directly under City; Region XI – Davao Oriental, the National Task Force against Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Covid-19 led by Chief (policy) Davao de Oro, Davao City; Region Implementer Secretary Carlito XII – Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato, Galvez Jr. South Cotabato, General Santos Villar came out publicly City; and BARMM – Lanao del recently to say that he was men affected by the health crisis. Sur, Maguindanao. tested positive for Covid-19. (John Rey Saavedra) The rest of the country, (Cebu Examiner)
Cebu guv mulls resuming whalewatching tourism in Oslob CEBU CITY – To stir the ecotourism economy in the whale shark watching town of Oslob, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said she will issue an executive order outlining protocols in allowing certain tourism activities, but subject to health and safety standards. Garcia said she met with whale shark watching operators and local officials in Barangay Tan-awan in Oslob to gather inputs for her plan to open up tourist attractions in the southern corridor and churn back the economy in towns that are dependent on tourism. She highlighted the heavy losses of the local governments because of the stoppage of their operations, saying Oslob lost P100 million and Barangay Tanawan also lost about P30 million in shares in tourism revenue because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Garcia said her attempts to appeal to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to allow tourism-re-
lated businesses to open were denied twice due to the rising Covid-19 cases in Cebu City. “Until six Cabinet secretaries headed by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu came to Cebu to oversee the Covid-19 response. During the meeting, I thanked them for coming over and see for themselves the real situation and that I have no jurisdiction over Cebu City,” she said. When IATF-EID placed Cebu province (excluding the city of Talisay and the municipalities of Minganilla and Consolacion), under MGCQ in June, Garcia issued Executive Order (EO) No. 20 which laid down protocols to be observed under the downgraded quarantine classification. Garcia said that EO No. 20 identified tourism activities to be allowed such as diving, island-hopping, canyoneering, whale watching, snorkeling and para-sailing. Those activities, she said, are “subject to mandatory health standards such as physical distancing”. Shalimar Tamano, Department of Tourism (DOT)-Central
Visayas regional director, who joined the dialogue, said they will continue to gather feedback from the tourism stakeholders on how they can open up under the new normal. Tamano said they have been visiting tourism towns and cities in the province so that they can continuously consult players in the sector. He also thanked Garcia for helping tourism-dependent towns in the southern corridor of Cebu including Oslob, Badian and Alegria, to resume operations with observance of certain protocols to prevent virus contagion. Assistant Secretary Asteria Caberte, Department of Trade and Industry regional director, informed tourism players present during the dialogue about the agency’s assistance to village-based micro and small entrepreneurs under the Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay program. She said the DTI, which is now helping entrepreneurs affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, will partner with the provincial government in providing assistance to business-
Opening of classes in Cebu may be delayed CEBU CITY – Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on basic education, arts, and culture, said the scheduled opening of classes in Cebu City on August 24 - using Self-Learning Modules (SLM) as an alternative modality - might still be postponed. He said because of the “very unpredictable” situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there could be a possibility that even the start of distance learning will be delayed. Gatchalian, who recently visited Cebu City Hall to donate over P2 million worth of goods by his family, said the education sector has been considering the improvement of the Covid-19 situation in some localities in the country in deciding on the opening date of class-
es for the school year 2020-2021. “May mga lugar na nag-improve ang situation. For example, in Regions 2 and 3, ang improvement nila ay napakabilis. In other words, doon sa mga lugar na low risk puede ituloy ang distance learning,” he said. Although no face-to-face classes will be held, Gatchalian said the risk of exposing teachers or parents to the virus should also be taken into consideration as the new modality requires teachers to go house-to-house to deliver the learners’ modules. “Ngayon, of course, if an area will continue to have high infection rate, there is a possibility to postpone even the distance learning because we have to remember, yung SLM ide-deliver yan sa bahay ng bata
or pick up ng magulang. Ngayon kung ang lugar talaga grabe yung infection even that pick up and delivery of SLM will become a problem,” he said. He said if the situation worsens, “we will see in areas where distance learning is impossible, we will recommend postponing to a further date”. Department of Education regional director Salustiano Jimenez said all school divisions are now readying for the August 24 opening of classes using SLMs as an alternative learning delivery modality to various types of students across the region. Jimenez said they will do a trial run on SLM between the last week of July until the second week of August. (John Rey Saavedra)
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