Manila Standard - 2022 January 27 - Thursday

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(Story on A4) QUIBOLOY’S BROADCAST OUTFIT GETS ABS-CBN FRANCHISE A BROADCAST company owned by Davao-based Pastor Apollo Quiboloy has been granted by the National Telecommunications Commission a broadcast frequency formerly used by ABSCBN Corp. Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) president Dr. Marlon

Rosete confirmed this to ABS-CBN News on Wednesday, telling the network in a text message: “Yes 'yung ch43 ang binigay” [Yes, channel 43 was given to us]. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) also confirmed that it granted Swara Sug Media Corp, the operator of SMNI, provisional authority

to install, operate and maintain a digital TV broadcasting system on Jan. 5. (See related story on B4 – Editors) This was a day after the NTC also granted a company controlled by former Senator Manuel Villar a provisional license to operate TV broadcasts in Metro Manila and Mega Manila using the fre-

quencies previously held by ABS-CBN. Meanwhile, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) on Wednesday said it is "concerned" about the granting of frequencies last held by ABS-CBN to other companies, which, according to a think tank, appears to be an "almost midnight deal." Next page

Pastor Apollo Quiboloy

DTI OKs bread price hikes, SRP set for release today THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Wednesday approved a onetime increase in the prices of Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal by P3.50 and P2, respectively, after bakers announced the move over the weekend. The new suggested retail prices

(SRPs) on the bread products will be released today, January 27, as branded breads will hike their prices by the same rate – in a double-whammy for Filipino consumers after oil companies also hiked pump prices by as much as P1.90 a liter on Tuesday. Next page

VOL. XXXV • NO. 346 • 4 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Workers get vax ultimatum

DOTr issues 30-day period to get vaccinated or be barred from PUVs By Darwin G. Amojelar

T

HE government said on Wednesday that workers unvaccinated and partially vaccinated against COVID-19 can continue riding public transportation in Metro Manila for 30 days starting Jan. 26, after which they must comply with the “no vaccination, no ride” policy.

The announcement by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) – echoed by the Labor and Interior departments -- seemed to contradict Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III’s declaration a week ago that unvaccinated workers were exempted from the policy because they provide “essential services.” But Transportation Undersecretary Artemio Tuazon Jr., the department’s official representative to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), said the policy was in place to protect unvaccinated and partially vaccinated workers from developing severe COVID-19 infections. “Data show that workers who remain unvaccinated against the virus that causes Next page

PREVENTION AND CURE. A vaccinator gives a shot of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to a commuter during the MMDA mobile vaccination drive at the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange on Monday. Meanwhile, MMDA, Health and Interior Department officials turn over some of the 45,000 COVID home care kits donated by Pitmaster Foundation to residents of Pasay City (inset). Danny Pata and Norman Cruz

Daily cases below 20k for second day THE Philippines logged 15,789 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the second day that the daily tally fell below 20,000, the Department of Health (DOH) reported. The new cases brought the total number of infections to 3,475,293. The positivity rate was at 35.8 percent, based on 48,725 people tested on Jan. 24. This was still much higher than the tar-

get set by the World Health Organization (WHO) of under 5 percent. The DOH also said Wednesday that it has observed a sustained increase in COVID-19 cases in the Visayas and Mindanao. In an advisory, the DOH noted infections in the Visayas rose by 87.35 percent Next page

DOH to gov’t PH logs 3 Omicron deaths; execs: Be good WHO: Strain risk very high model, get jabs By Willie Casas

By Willie Casas THE Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday urged government officials to be good models for the public and get vaccinated against COVID-19. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire issued the statement when asked about the policy of the DOH on government workers who want to wait to get vaccinated with their preferred brands. “We just want to urge all government officials, let us try to be models so the public will follow,” Vergeire said in Filipino on ANC. “Let us show confidence in our Next page

THE Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday reported three more fatalities among the Omicron variant COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, bringing the total to five. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, in a message to reporters, said all five are individuals with comorbidities. “Three are seniors and all have comorbidities. One partially vaccinated, one unvaccinated, and the remaining three are still for verification,” Vergeire said. This developed as the World Health Organization said Tuesday the risk level related to the Omicron variant remains very high, with the numbers of new Covid-19 cases hitting another record

high last week. "Over 21 million new cases were reported, representing the highest number of weekly cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic," the WHO said in its weekly epidemiological coronavirus update. The United Nations health agency said the number of new infections increased by five percent in the week to Sunday— compared to the 20 percent rise registered the week before. "A slower increase in case incidence was observed at the global level," the WHO said. The DOH previously stressed that senior citizens, those with comorbidities, and unvaccinated individuals remain at risk against Omicron, a highly Next page

3,475,293 15,789

230,410

53,664

66

3,191,219 32,712 NEEDED FOR ENTRY. Churchgoers present their vaccination cards to the

guard on duty at the Baclaran Church and take their temperature as a requirement before attending Mass inside the popular cathedral on Wednesday. Norman Cruz

(As of 4 PM, JANUARY 26)

TRACER CARDS. Residents visit TRACE (Taguig Registry for Access and Citizen Engagement) kiosks in Brgy. North Signal in Taguig City on Wednesday to have their Trace QR Code and vaccination status printed and laminated for free. The document is a vital requirement for vaccinated individuals to go out of the city. Danny Pata


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