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ROBERTO S. CAPULONG to the rank of Major General, PA

25 NPA killed in clash with govt

By Ronald O. Reyes and Francisco Tuyay

TACLOBAN CITY—At least 25 suspected members of the New People’s Army were reported slain following a military airstrike in the hinterland barangay of Osmeña, Dolores, Eastern Samar Monday, initial military reports said.

Authorities said an operating unit from the Philippine Army’s 52nd Infantry Battalion, eventually aided by the Philippine Air Force, encountered several communist rebels at the barangay around 4 a.m. Monday, resulting in a firefight.

“Our troops acted on information received from the community identifying the terrorists’ hideout where they manufacture their explosives,” the Philippine Army said in a statement.

As of press time, the military has yet to disclose the full details on the exact number of dead rebels due to “operational security matters.”

“We will be sure to release an update once our troops complete the operations,” said the Army while lauding the “commitment of our troops for their outstanding resolve in our mission to protect the people from the threats of the communist terrorists.”

Sketchy reports said at least 16 bodies were already retrieved from the area.

No one was hurt from the government side.

Army troopers also recovered from the enemy 20 long firearms, laptop, and a caliber .45 pistol.

In a radio interview, Major General Pio Dinoso, Commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said the running gun fight started at about 4 a.m. Monday.

At sundown, AFP Spokesperson Col. Ramon Zagala said the NPA suffered initial deaths of at least 16 fighters.

Dinoso said the area where the NPAs were spotted was a hideout used as a bomb-making area. The bombs being produced in the said area were antipersonnel mines.

Lambda...

experiments found that the Lambda variant’s mutations help it resist neutralization by vaccine-induced antibodies.

“It is not more transmissible compared to the Delta variant… There is no evidence of its supposed resistance against the COVID-19 vaccine,” she said.

In a separate briefing, Vergeire said the patient is from Region 6 (Western Visayas). Her vaccination status is still being determined.

Vergeire said that the patient tested positive for COVID-19 on July 22.

Vergeire also said the patient is pregnant and was expected to give birth in July, but the DOH has yet to confirm the current status of her pregnancy.

Vergeire said the patient would not transmit COVID-19 to her baby since the virus does not cross the placental border.

The DOH earlier said the patient was asymptomatic and tagged as recovered after completing the 10-day isolation period.

The Lambda variant is currently classified as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization.

However, Dr. Rontgene Solante, an infectious disease expert, said it has the potential to become a variant of concern like the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma variants.

In an interview on radio dzBB, Solante said the Lambda variant’s mutations are similar to the Delta variant first detected in India.

The Lambda variant, first found in Peru, was classified as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization on June 14.

The WHO said a coronavirus variant as a “variant of interest” (VOI) if, among other criteria, it “has been identified to cause community transmission...or has been detected in multiple countries.”

A variant of interest becomes a “variant of concern” (VOC) when it is associated with an “increase in transmissibility or detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology; [an] increase in virulence or change in clinical disease presentation; or [a] decrease in effectiveness of public health and social measures or available diagnostics, vaccines, [and] therapeutics.”

Solante said the Lambda variant could be more transmissible and become resistant to vaccines.

“We don’t have a lot of data yet on the Lambda variant because the countries that have experienced it are South American countries—Peru, Argentina—and it is one of the variants that is being monitored as it may become a variant of concern,” he said.

Solante urged the public to get vaccinated and strictly follow health protocols.

He said the approach to the Lambda variant was the same used for other variants.

“The approach is the same. We must protect ourselves. We have to be careful,” Solante

Delta...

From A1

going up,” she said in Filipino.

During the Palace briefing, Saloma made a presentation showing a rapid increase of Delta variant cases globally from April to August this year. She said 42 percent of samples submitted to them are Delta variant cases.

“The rise in Delta variant cases is fast,” Saloma said.

The Philippines has recorded 807 Delta cases so far.

Saloma said the last two batches of specimens sequenced on Aug. 11 and 12 detected 359 Delta variant cases, way higher than the 142 cases of Alpha variant, 125 cases of Beta variant, and 54 cases of P.3 variant found during the same two days.

Of the 807 Delta variant cases in the country, 771 have recovered while 17 have died. There are still 14 active Delta variant cases.

The Department of Health (DOH) has said that one Delta variant patient can infect up to eight other people in one setting.

The Philippines on Monday logged 14,610 new COVID-19 cases, the third highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic, bringing the total number of infections to 1,755,846.

This was the third straight day that more than 14,000 fresh cases were reported.

Active cases climbed to 106,672, the country’s highest in nearly four months, or since April 21 when 114,210 active infections were recorded.

The COVID-19 death toll increased to 30,366, with 27 new deaths on Monday.

Some 10,674 additional people have recently recovered, pushing the total recoveries to 1,618,808.

Of the 106,672 active cases, 96.1 percent are mild, 0.9 percent are asymptomatic, 0.89 percent are moderate, 1.3 percent are severe, and 0.7 percent are in critical condition.

The COVID-19 positivity rate of the Philippines reached 23 percent while the total number of tests conducted was at 58,471.

The international standard for positivity rate must be less than 5 percent of COVID-19 samples.

Nationwide, 71 percent of the country’s intensive care unit beds are utilized, while 50 percent of the mechanical ventilators are also in use.

In Metro Manila, 72 percent of ICU beds are occupied while 53 percent of mechanical ventilators are in use.

Enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), which imposes several movement restrictions, was imposed over Metro Manila, the country’s center of economy, until Aug. 20. Authorities have yet to declare an extension for the lockdown.

Recently, the Philippines also documented the first case of the Lambda variant, a coronavirus variant first detected in Peru.

Experts said there is no cause for alarm yet for the newly-detected variant in the Philippines as Delta variant is still the most concerning threat during the pandemic.

Independent researchers tracking the pandemic said the coronavirus reproduction number in the Philippines rose to 1.5 on Sunday.

The reproduction number, which refers to the number of people that each COVID-19 case can infect, was at 1.46 for the whole country from August 8 to 14. This was when the average new COVID-19 cases per day reached 11,000, the OCTA Research Group said on Sunday.

On Sunday, a health expert said more children are now being hospitalized with COVID-19 at the San Lazaro Hospital.

Dr. Rontgene Solante, chairman of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine unit of the San Lazaro Hospital, said this may be caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant.

“The transmissibility has now extended not only for adults but also to younger age groups. And most of the sources of these younger age groups are also coming from their parents or from their caretakers,” Solante said.

Earlier, the Department of Health (DOH) said an increase in COVID-19 infections in the country has been recorded in all age groups and not just among children.

The DOH issued the statement amid concerns over the reported increase in the number of children contracting COVID-19.

Dr. Jocelyn Eusebio, chief of the Philippine Pediatric Society, said children have strong resistance against COVID-19 but they could still be more vulnerable against the more transmissible Delta variant.

Parents or guardians should bring children to the hospitals when they experience high fever and difficulty in breathing, the Philippine Pediatric Society said Monday.

Around 10 percent of the country’s 1.7 million COVID-19 cases are children, the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) earlier said.

Children must be taught to wear masks and wash their hands using soap and water or use sanitizer or alcohol, said Dr. Cynthia Cuayo-Juico, pediatrician and fellow at the Philippine Pediatric Society.

“Let’s stay at home for now. Be vigilant if there are members of the household who go out and acquire symptoms because that may be the reason for getting infected,” she said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.

Parents must be on the lookout for the following symptoms, especially if any of the household members go outdoors or have been exposed to COVID-19: cough; fever; colds; and diarrhea.

They must also recall if their child has been vaccinated against flu or pneumonia, she said.

“What are the symptoms that a child must be brought to a hospital?

When the fever does not go down and has gone on for three days.

Secondly, when they experience difficulty in breathing,” she said.

If a child has fever, they must be given plenty of water, paracetamol, and be kept cool, Cuayo-Juico said.

“Don’t give them antibiotics. They don’t work for viral infections,” she said.

Biden...

From A1

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the world to work together Monday to “suppress the global terrorist threat in Afghanistan” after the Taliban took control of the war-torn country.

“The international community must unite to make sure that Afghanistan is never again used as a platform or safe haven for terrorist organizations,” Guterres told an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan.

The meeting was hastily convened at the UN’s headquarters in New York after Taliban militants entered the capital Kabul on Sunday, leading Afghan president Ashraf Ghani to flee abroad.

“I appeal to the Security Council — and the international community as a whole — to stand together, to work together and act together,” Guterres added.

Earlier, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told ABC that the country “can expect to hear from the president soon. He’s right now actively engaged with his national security team. He is working the situation hard.”

All weekend the Democrat, who took office with more foreign policy experience than any new president in decades, stayed hunkered down at the secluded Camp David.

As stunning images played out of Kabul, where a frantic US evacuation echoed the 1975 fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War, Biden was near invisible.

His only statement came in written form on Saturday, insisting that the sudden US withdrawal from Afghanistan, triggering a Taliban total takeover, had been the only possible choice.

Then as pressure mounted Sunday for Biden to demonstrate he was in charge, the White House issued a single photograph, showing the president in a polo shirt seated alone at a table while listening to advisors on a large monitor screen.

Biden was elected last year on a promise to bring back expertise and responsibility after the turbulent Donald Trump years.

Now the questions are piling up and how Biden answers could determine his presidency’s fate.

How could the Afghan army, created, funded, and trained by the United States at the cost of more than $80 billion over 20 years, have folded so quickly against the rag-tag Taliban?

32 Filipinos...

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international partners” to assure the immediate and safe passage of Filipino evacuees.

“Last night, 32 Filipinos were evacuated and are now in Doha awaiting their confirmed flights to the Philippines. A group of 19 Filipinos are also set to leave immediately,” the department said.

Manila raised Alert Level 4, which calls for mandatory evacuation, for the whole of Afghanistan due to the uncertain security situation there.

Filipinos needing assistance were asked to immediately contact the Philippine Embassy in Pakistan or OFWHelp.

Malacañang on Monday urged Filipinos in Afghanistan to prepare for repatriation.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque urged Filipinos to coordinate with the Philippine embassy in Pakistan, which has jurisdiction over Afghanistan, to facilitate their repatriation.

Roque said he would leave it to the DFA to release a statement on matters concerning the entry of Taliban forces in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan on Sunday.

“I do not know what will be the decision of the government when it comes to the Taliban regime, but in the field of international law, recognition is not an element of statehood,” he said.

Pump price cut: Diesel by P0.30

By Alena Mae S. Flores

THE country’s oil firms cut the price of kerosene by P0.40 per liter and diesel by P0.30 per liter effective 6am Tuesday but did not move gasoline prices.

“Petron will implement the following price rollback effective 6 a.m. on Aug 17 - P0.30 per liter rollback for diesel; and P0.40 per liter rollback for kerosene,” Petron Corp., the country’s biggest oil firm said in a statement.

“These reflect movements in the international oil market,” Petron said.

Aside from Petron, Flying V, Cleanfuel, PetroGazz, Phoenix Petroleum and Seaoil Philippines also cut pump prices.

Over the weekend, Unioil Petroleum Philippines said fuel prices will likely go down this week by P0.20 per liter for diesel and gasoline by P0.30 per liter.

This will be the second consecutive oil price rollback in domestic pump prices due to the global softening of world oil prices.

On August 10, the oil companies implemented a price decrease in domestic oil products, namely P0.65 to P0.80 per liter for gasoline, P0.70 per liter for diesel and P0.75 per liter for kerosene.

These resulted in the year-to-date adjustments to stand at a total net increase of P13.25 per liter for gasoline, P10.40 per liter for diesel and P8.70 per liter for kerosene.

A report by the International Energy Agency for August revealed that growth for the second half has been downgraded more sharply due to new COVID-19 restrictions imposed in several major oil consuming countries, particularly in Asia.

These restrictions will reduce mobility and oil use thus dampening demand.

IEA also said the recovery in global refinery activity slowed in July as new waves of COVID-19 cut into fuel demand while margins remained under pressure.

Let Congress...

From A1

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the Palace could not do anything because conducting investigations was part of Congress’s functions.

“There’s nothing we can do about Congress’s decision because it is an independent branch of government. It is really their duty and responsibility to conduct that kind of an investigation,” he added.

This developed as the group Filipino Nurses United said its mass resignation plan was still in place along with a mass protest if the congressional probe failed to ensure the delivery of the delayed claims and benefits for health workers from the government.

In an interview with CNN Philippines, FNU secretary general Jocelyn Andamo said the group did not count on their dialogue with the DOH to get their benefits since the agency already knows the issues health workers, including nurses, have raised since the start of the pandemic.

Andamo said they had met with Health officials several times, including a meeting in the presence of President Rodrigo Duterte and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, “but still our demands remained unmet.”

FNU is hoping their complaints are taken up in the Senate hearing scheduled today, and in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

“Many nurses in the provinces are already tired of not receiving their benefits from the government. They are still scared of being at risk for COVID-19. During the whole pandemic, we have experienced problems like understaffing, a lack of proper protection, contractualization, and insufficient benefits,” Andamo said in Filipino.

“Not giving health workers our special risk allowances is just a precipitating factor,” she added.

Laptop...

From A1

similar specifications at current market prices -- according to a document from the agency dated August 4, 2021.

“The transaction was put on hold pending further market study,” said Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega in an online press conference.

The laptops were intended “for the use of the knowledge management and information technology” team of the DOH, he said.

Vega confirmed the postponement, days after the DOH drew flak online for allegedly choosing either overpriced or costly equipment in the middle of the global pandemic.

Last week, the COA flagged several transactions within the DOH calling some expenditures as “excessive.”

Purchases worth P5.038 billion were found to lack documentation and had procedural deficiencies, acts that violated the Government Procurement Reform Act, according to government auditors.

The deficiencies noted were purchases found to be disadvantageous to the government amounting to P194.403 million, as well as defects in the sworn statements in contracts, non-posting of procurement information on government website and non-provision of technical specifications in contracts.

Duterte...

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Affairs, Roque said there were no Filipinos affected by the quake that claimed the lives of 1,297 people.

Earlier, Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez of the DFA Office of Public and Cultural Diplomacy said the agency was monitoring the situation in Haiti.

To date, there are an estimated 470 Filipinos in Haiti.

Reports showed the earthquake, followed by aftershocks, struck eight kilometers from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, about 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 10 km.

Some 13,600 buildings were destroyed and over 13,7000 damaged, trapping hundreds under rubble and leaving more than 5,700 injured.

The strong quake exacerbated the challenge of battling the COVID-19 pandemic as Haiti’s hospitals were swamped by thousands of injured residents.

This happened as Haiti was recovering from the most devastating temblor that killed roughly 250,000 people 11 years ago and reeling from the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse last July 7.

Meanwhile, crews desperately dug through collapsed buildings for survivors in the Caribbean nation still reeling from its president’s assassination.

In Les Cayes, as in other hard-hit cities on the southwestern peninsula, most of the population spent the night sleeping outdoors in front of their houses -- or what remained of them -- amid fears of new aftershocks.

The streets there were filled with the grinding of heavy equipment lifting debris from collapsed buildings, as well as the quieter sounds of people pulling away rubble by hand while searching for the missing.

“Thanks to God and also to my phone, I’m alive,” said Marcel Francois, who was rescued from his collapsed two-story home in Les Cayes.

His younger brother Job Francois said a desperate-sounding Marcel had called to say, “’Come save me, I’m under the concrete’... He told me he couldn’t breathe, that he was dying.”

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