Philippine News

MANILA -- President Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed a law on the mandatory reporting of epidemics and other health emergencies.The "Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Evens of Public Health Concern Act" was signed into law on April 26 but a copy of the document was only released to reporters on Tuesday (July 16).Under the law, "the DOH, though the Epidemiology Bureau, shall issue the official list of institutionalized public health information system, disease surveillance and response systems for mandatory reporting of notifiable diseases and health events of public concern.”The DOH and its local counterparts are mandated to implement the mandatory reporting of notifiable diseases and health events of public concern, the law read.It should also establish and maintain functional disease surveillance and response systems.All public and private physicians, allied medical personnel, professional societies, hospitals, clinics, health facilities, laboratories…

LOS ANGELES, California – A Filipino American (Fil-Am) Cerritos City official admitted he was moved by the stories of indigenous peoples’ (IPs) leaders and vowed to share them after meeting with him at the City Hall here on July 15.“As a Filipino American who is very proud of my heritage, it is important that I hear their stories like these,” said Council member Mark E. Pulido, referring to the eight IP leaders who met with him at the Cerritos City Hall to share the latter’s narrative of struggle and deception against the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) back in their tribal communities in the Philippines.Pulido, who is former two-term mayor of an affluent suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, United States in 2014 and 2018, said he always had a natural interest and curiosity about things happening in the Philippines.“But growing up in America, we are not offered a lot of information and one would have to seek them out,” he …

DAVAO CITY (PIA) - The Department of Education in Davao region (DepEd-11) clarified reports that it has closed 55 Salugpungan schools in the region, saying the order issued by the department only suspended the release of permits to the operator of the schools.“We have not yet closed the schools because we are starting to get the truth about this matter,” Jenielito Atillo, DepEd-11 spokesperson, said.Atillo was referring to the statement of non-government organization (NGO) Save Our Schools which claimed that DepEd had issued a closure order against Salugpungan.“We are making sure that the democracy will grind through due process, so there is no truth to that confirmation from the group Save Our Schools Network that we have closed their schools,” Atillo said.He said the department was looking at the allegations of National Security Adviser Sec. Hermogenes Esperon and the affidavit of Melvin Mansalood Loyod, a former volunteer teacher of Salugpungan.The three allegations of Esperon were…

COTABATO CITY – The Department of Health in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) has recorded a 151 percent increase in dengue cases, with 42 deaths for the first six months of this year.

Jenny Ventura Panizales, DOH-12 focal person for dengue and measles prevention program, said that the number of dengue patients increased to 9,363 from January 1 to July 6 this year, compared to 3, 727 cases in the same period in 2018.

“The figure is 151 percent higher compared to that of last year and this is quite alarming for the Soccsksargen area,” she said over DXMY radio station here Wednesday.

Panizales said South Cotabato recorded 15 dengue fatalities; North Cotabato (14); Sultan Kudarat (8); Sarangani (3); and one each for the cities of Cotabato and General Santos.

She said the youngest dengue fatality was a two-month-old baby while the oldest was 97 years old.

Meanwhile, the province of North Cotabato listed the highest number of dengue cases at 3, 314; followed by South Cotabato (2,976); Sultan Kudara…

VIGAN CITY, July 17 (PIA) -- Legislative awareness among the youth, communer leaders, partner agencies and other stakeholders through various activities – this is what the 3rd Legislative Awareness Week (LAW) of the Ilocos Sur Sangguniang Panlalawigan  (SP) is all about."Established by Provincial Ordinance No. 011-18, series of 2018, declaring the second week of July of every year as LAW of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Ilocos Sur, the yearly activity that began in 2017 is held this year from July 14 to 19," said Vice Governor Jeremias Singson.“Since last year, we have particularly held various activities to make the public, the youth and the community adept with legislation.  And this year, we sustain our intent to elucidate the people. Thus, we are here today on this hall to extend our task to legislate,” said Singson, addressing about 50 students from the three divisions of the Department of Education - Candon City, Vigan City and Ilocos Sur; and from the state universi…

LAOAG CITY — Classes, mostly in public and private schools from pre-school to secondary levels in Ilocos Norte, are suspended today due to inclement weather brought about by typhoon “Falcon” (Danas).As of Thursday morning, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported tropical storm Falcon is moving towards Babuyan Group of Islands with a maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kilometers.Moderate to heavy rains will continue to prevail in Ilocos region until tomorrow evening.The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council is urging residents to take precautionary measures as the province is now under typhoon signal 1.In Laoag City, the city government of Laoag led by mayor Michael Keon is among the first to announce classes suspension followed by other local government units and private schools in the province.Classes in affected areas are automatically suspended base…

MANILA — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) developed an open-source automated election system (AES) that AES providers, especially local ones, may adopt and improve on.During the AES technology fair at the DICT office in Diliman, Quezon City Monday, DICT Undersecretary Eliseo Rio, Jr., said the department was tasked to suggest an alternative AES to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the 2022 elections.“Secretary (Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II) is the chairman of the Comelec advisory council. So 'yung DICT it’s a department under kay Presidente (So, DICT is a department under the President), we were tasked to come up with a concept. 'Yun lang naman ang gusto namin, na magbigay ng mga konsepto taking into consideration 'yung mga concern ng tao sa automated election system natin (That's what we want, to give a concept that takes into consideration the concerns of the people in our AES),” Rio said.The DICT presented on Monday the syst…