Herbosa: Bivalent jabs expiring Nov., must be administered soon

By Mervin Lopez

HEALTH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Tuesday said the newly delivered bivalent COVID-19 vaccines should be administered immediately as the medicines were set to expire this coming November 23.

Herbosa said the responsibility is now in the hands of the local government units (LGUs) since the vaccines have been already distributed to them.

“Its shelf life is only six months. So if you buy that out of the shelf, like this one, this donation, they end on November 23, that’s the expiry date. So, I need to start vaccinating people immediately.” Herbosa said at a Malacañang press briefing.

“That should push through with the LGUs. Once it’s there, they can already do that in the center. So, I will check after this meeting, that’s a very important question. I will check if the distribution has been done.” he added More than 390,000 doses of bivalent vaccines donated by Lithuania have already been rolled out, mostly in the National Capital Region (NCR), the Department of Health (DOH) earlier said. Herbosa said identified the priorities for the bivalent vaccines as the elderlies, people with comorbidities, and the health care workers.

Currently, only adults belonging to A1 (healthcare workers) and A2 (senior citizens) categories are allowed to receive the

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CERVICAL

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Female students of the La Paz Elementary School in Makati City are administered vaccines meant to insulate them against cervical cancer in the future. The immunization drive dubbed “Sa Aking Paglaki, Walang HPV” is launched to ward off human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer among women. Danny Pata

In Brief

BI bags Chinese fugitive at NAIA

Pfizer bivalent vaccine as third booster dose.

They need to wait at least four months after receiving their second booster shot before they are administered the next one.

Herbosa also said the vaccines roll-out would provide protection for the medical frontliners.

During the same briefing, Herbosa said he would work on the long-delayed compensation for the health workers during the pandemic

“I will get on top of this because I feel the nurses are our real priority. And I’m going to tell this on national TV; I really love the nurses because they are our healthcare system.” He said.

“They are the ones taking care of all hospitalized (people). They are at your side 24/7; we doctors, we are not. So, I really think that if nurses need to be paid, they should be paid.” he stressed.

IMMIGRATION agents have arrested a Chinese woman wanted by the authorities in Beijing for alleged involvement in human trafficking.

BI intelligence chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. identified the suspect as 39-year-old Zheng Yuyu, who was intercepted as she was about to leave for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia through the NAIA Terminal 2.

Manahan said members of the BI’s border control and intelligence unit (BCIU) arrested Zheng before she could board a Philippine Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur..

BI chief Norman Tansingco ordered the woman’s commitment to the BI warden facility at Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City where she would remain while undergoing deportation proceedings.

The BI board of commissioners, which Tansingco chairs, is expected to issue an order for Zheng’s summary deportation and her inclusion in the bureau’s blacklist of undesirable aliens. Vito Barcelo

Borongan Airport up for enhancement

THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Tuesday sealed an agreement with the Borongan City government for the maintenance and development of Borongan Airport in Eastern Samar.

CAAP director general Capt. Manuel Antonio Tamayo and Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the project at the agency’s central office in Pasay City.

DREAM HOMES FOR OVERSEAS WORKERS. Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, Housing Secretary Jose

Rizalino Acuzar , and Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive officer Marilene Acosta show copies of an accord they have signed, meant to enable overseas Filipino workers realize their dream homes for the family. The partnership paves the way for the inclusion of eligible OFWs in the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development’s (DHSUD) Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH), a flagship housing program of the Marcos administration. Manny Palmero

Gabriela picks up cudgels for Pinoy millennials, Gen Zs taking odd jobs

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE Gabriela Women’s Party on Tuesday voiced concern over the increase of Filipino millennials and Gen Zs taking on additional jobs just to make ends meet, as indicated by the Deloitte 2023 Millennial and Gen Z survey.

The group’s nominee in Congress, Rep. Arlene Brosas, made the statement in response to the survey showing that more than half of Filipino millennials and Gen Zs “live paycheck to paycheck and worry about not being able to cover their expenses.”

“The results of the survey highlight the economic uncertainty that Filipino youth face, especially during this period of economic crisis. It is imperative that the government and employers address this issue by providing higher wages and job security for all workers, includ- ing millennials and Gen Zs,” Brosas said.

On March 13, 2022, the Gabriela filed House Bill 7568 which proposes a ₱750 across-the-board and nationwide wage increase for employees and workers in the private sector to address the longstanding call of Filipino workers. Several bills which seeks to impose wage increase were also filed and still pending in both Congress and Senate.

BOC-Clark seizes P2.5-m high-grade cannabis from US

By Vito Barcelo

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has seized at the Port of Clark in Pampanga more than 1.5 grams of smuggled kush or high-grade marijuana worth P2.5 million.

Clark district collector Elvira Cruz said that Customs agents discovered the kush in a shipment declared as “men’s t-shirts, men’s trousers, men’s windbreaker” from Kentucky, USA.

“We received tips that the shipment contains illegal drugs and we conducted X-ray Inspection Project (XIP), including K9 sniffing by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) K9 Unit, which indicated the presence of dangerous drugs,” Cruz said.

A physical examination was immediately conducted by the assigned customs examiner in the presence of the media, a barangay kagawad, and representatives from the Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force, Enforcement and Security Service, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, XIP, and PDEA.

It was later discovered three jogsealed bags concealed dried marijuana leaves and dried fruit tops.

“A Warrant of Seizure and Detention against the shipment was issued after finding probable cause for violation of Section 118 (g), 119 (d), and 1113 par. (f), (I), and (l)-(3) and (4) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act in relation to R.A. No. 9165,” the BOC official said.

Recognizing the increasing demand for air travel in the region, the local government of Borongan initiated the partnership with CAAP and air carriers as the airport launched commercial flights last year.

The city government proposed a comprehensive plan to undertake and finance various development and maintenance projects at the Airport, including the construction of a new passenger terminal building (PTB) and other essential infrastructure.

Tamayo said the partnership is a significant milestone in the partnership between CAAP and the Borongan City government, adding that it is a “testament to our dedication and joint efforts to improve and develop the airport and would hopefully serve as a blueprint for our continuous cooperation going forward.”

Joel E. Zurbano

LONG-LOST MASTERPIECE.

Visitors view Juan

Luna’s painting “Hymen, oh Hyménée” during the “Splendor:

Juan Luna, Painter as Hero” exhibit at Ayala Museum in Makati City on Tuesday. Dubbed by art collectors as the “Holy Grail of Philippine art,” the painting was last seen in Paris in the late 19th century and is now displayed in the country after 132 years.

Danny Pata