Opinion-Editorial NEWS

This must be the longest countdown held for the Olympics.

This year’s Labor Day observance is different from last year. As the government continues to search for the right combination of health and safety protocols that would complement the measures to reopen the economy, the significant contribution of Filipino workers to the overall national welfare comes to the fore.

Health professionals are understandably relieved that President Duterte has decided to extend until May 14 the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) in the NCR Plus bubble that continues to bear the brunt of a raging pandemic.

After shepherding the enactment of new laws that would spur economic recovery, the Duterte administration lifted a nine-year moratorium on new mining projects with the recent issuance of Executive Order Number 130. 

US President Joe Biden heralded America’s return to the center stage of global diplomacy as he hosted 40 leaders in a summit on climate change to mark this year’s celebration of Earth Day.  He declared the US’ goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50 to 52 percent by 2030 based on 2005 levels, a target described by World Resources Institute (WRI) as “ambitious, achievable, affordable, necessary, foundational, and inspirational.” Climate resilient infrastructure and leadership of the world’s electric vehicle market are two initiatives that are highlighted in his $2 trillion America Jobs Plan.

Simultaneous morning flag-raising activities in all local government units (LGUs) will highlight the celebration of the 500th or quincentennial anniversary of the victory of Datu Lapulapu over Magellan in the battle of Mactan today, April 27. Heralded as the first Filipino hero, his image is on the badge of every member of the Philippine National Police and Bureau of Fire Protection.

At a special summit convened in Jakarta over the weekend, ASEAN leaders issued an urgent call for an end to violence in Myanmar and for steps to be taken to restore democracy following a military coup last February 1.

Rolando de la Cruz, a 67-year-old balut vendor, died the other day while waiting with hundreds who lined up to answer actress Angel Locsin’s birthday invitation to the community pantry she had set up in Barangay Holy Spirit, Quezon City.  As early as 3 a.m., a long queue had formed; stubs were reportedly given out to the first 300 in the line. But many had come from as far as Pasig City so that barangay tanod were hard-pressed trying to enforce social distancing in a sea of people wearing face masks and face shields.

After the historic Paris Agreement on climate change entered into force in November 2016 when 55 parties accounting for at least 55 percent of global greenhouse gases (GHG) had ratified it, notable progress has been made.

The tug-of-war between private hospitals and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) rages on.  Amid a surging pandemic and calls from the Department of Health (DOH) for provision of more beds and facilities, hospital owners report that they are constrained to lay off health workers as PhilHealth receivables have reportedly ballooned to about P30 billion.

While few would dispute Secretary Carlos Dominguez’s latest assertion that sound macroeconomic management has enabled the country to weather the severe impact of the pandemic in 2020, there is widespread skepticism about the government’s ability to nurse the economy back to health in 2021.

On April 14, 2021, 26-year-old Ana Patricia Non, a furniture designer, took out a bamboo cart and installed two signs on a tree in front of a shuttered food park along Maginhawa street in Quezon City.  The first sign read: Maginhawa Community Pantry.  The second sign pleaded: “Magbigay ayon sa kakayahan, kumuha batay sa pangangailangan (From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs). From the initial supply of vegetables, eggs, rice and canned goods, donors have poured in biscuits, drinks, medicines and other essential items.

At a Senate hearing last year, the Department of Education (DepEd) reported that enrollment from kindergarten to senior high school for school year 2020-2021 was estimated at 23 million or 83 percent of the 27.7 million enrolled previously.  When Senator Nancy Binay asked DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan if this meant there would be millions more out-of-school youth, the answer was, “Yes, Madam Senator.”

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic moved back the commemoration of 500 years of Christianity by a year. Instead of a culmination, what was marked last Easter Sunday was the start of year-long activities. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma pointed out that there are two important milestones: The first mass in Limasawa, Leyte on March 16, 1521 and the first baptism in Cebu on April 14, 1521. Among the first to be baptized were Rajah Humabon and his wife Hara Humamay who were gifted by Magellan with an image of the Sto. Niño that has become one of the most popular icons of Filipino Christianity.

In a virtual economic briefing to mark the 75th anniversary of the post-war bilateral relations between the Philippines and the United States, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez delivered his message right off the bat: “This pandemic is a test of fiscal stamina and it was fortunate that when it hit us, the Philippines was financially ready.”

Faced by continuing economic doldrums and a raging pandemic, President Duterte certified as urgent the immediate enactment of Senate Bill No. 2094 amending the Public Service Act, Senate Bill No. 1156 amending the Foreign Investments Act of 1991, and Senate Bill No. 1840 amending the Retail Trade Liberalization Act of 2000.

Lost in the transition from Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to MECQ in the NCR-Plus bubble were twin moves of the national government to address the effects of the African swine fever (ASF) that has greatly affected the supply of pork, a staple item in the Filipino family’s daily menu.

As businesses are literally squeezed from all fronts, downsizing is one alternative to ensure survival. In any downsizing, the number one casualty is people.