El Niño also blamed for rise in dengue cases
The El Niño is an abnormal weather pattern caused by the warming of the Pacific Ocean.
The DOH has recorded 67,000 dengue cases so far, most of them in Metro Manila. Of this number, 435 had died.
Dengue is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with any one of the four dengue viruses.
Punzalan advised patients with symptoms of dengue fever to drink a lot of liquids and avoid taking aspirin as it can decrease the platelets that could result to internal bleeding.
In Malacañang, Presidential Communication Operations Office head Herminio Coloma said there is no need to place the country under a state of national calamity despite the declaration of outbreak in several areas, including Quezon City.
Interviewed by Radyo ng Bayan, Coloma said the DOH is still on top of the situation.
"Wala pang katibayan kung bakit kailangan magdeklara ng national state of calamity, sa pakiwari nila kontrolado pa ang sitwasyon (There is no need to declare a national state of calamity. The DOH says the situation is still under control)," he said.
He added that there is continued close monitoring of the situation to ensure that appropriate actions would be taken at the right time.
Dengue scare forces hospital to boost facilities
ASIDE from buying additional beds and air-conditioning units, the Cebu City Govern-ment's hospital will hire five new doctors.
Councilor proposes P8T monthly honoraria for volunteer nurses at CCMC
CEBU City officials reassured yesterday that services at the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) will not be hampered by the impending departure of several nurses.
DOF wants senior citizens' exemption from VAT recalled
According to a finance official, this is one of the proposals that the DOF has been preparing related to the possible amendment of revenue-eroding laws that were bleeding the government by as much as P86 billion in foregone revenues annually.
During recent hearings conducted by the Senate committee on finance, finance officials reiterated the need to address the effects of at least 14 laws given the government's continually high deficit-spending.
The government expects to spend P325 billion over the national budget this year, which it is financing through more borrowings from local and foreign lenders.
Finance Assistant Secretary Lourdes B. Recente said in an interview that the DOF might submit to the Senate within the month proposals on how to change the laws.
Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima told senators earlier that Congress should amend the Expanded Senior Citizens Act—signed into law last February—that exempted the elderly from paying the value-added tax on certain goods and services.
The DOF had opposed VAT exemption for the elderly while these were still pending in Congress, preferring instead that the 20-percent discount for senior citizens' purchases be raised to 30 percent.
Finance officials had said that such an exemption would present a logistical nightmare for the Bureau of Internal Revenue, which has been short of resources to implement existing tax measures.
DOF documents showed that the Treasury could lose P1.68 billion in tax collections yearly due to the new law.
Other laws that the DOF wanted changed are the corporate income tax reduction law (costing the government P15 billion to P20 billion a year); individual income tax relief law (P26 billion); personal equity and retirementaccount law (P12 billion); the law that imposed a franchise tax on power transmission instead of all other taxes (P9 billion), and the tourism incentives law (P6 billion).
There are also the law that abolished the documentary stamp tax (DST) on secondary trading of stocks (P1.4 billion); law on incentives under the Pag-IBIG Fund charter (P1 billion); law creating the Bataan freeport zone (P3 billion), and law on incentives for real estate investment trusts (P2.7 billion).
Further, the DOF is also pushing changes in the law that make free legal services rendered by lawyers tax deductible (P100 million); law that reduced the tax on life insurance premiums and restructured the DST on life insurancepolicies (a total of P2 billion); law that removed the DST on remittances from overseas Filipinos (P1 billion), and the law that exempted local water utilities from income tax and condoned their unpaid taxes (P800 million).
DBM releases P3 billion for Barangay, SK polls
The Department of Budget and Management has released P3 billion to the Commission on Elections for the conduct of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in October.
Evaluation result of May 10 polls out this week
MANILA, Philippines - Whether or not the country's first automated elections was a success will be finally known this week.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rene Sarmientro said initial assessment report on the May 10 automated elections will be out on Tuesday.
Sarmiento said the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is scheduled to submit an initial assessment report to the Commission during its meeting en banc.
"IFES will be submitting its report, initially, on September 14. They will be coming to the Comelec for their initial post-election assessment," Sarmiento said.
According to Sarmiento, IFES technology expert Michael Yard would present the report, which will focus on the voters' registration and post-election assessment.
Comelec told: Probe projects
FOLLOWING reports the projects are substandard and may even be overpriced, former senator John Henry "Sonny" Osmeña urged the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas to investigate projects in the south district of Cebu City.
City, Capitol need to reconcile lot occupants' unpaid balance
SOME Cebu City councilors worry that the urban poor occupying the lots covered under Provincial Ordinance 93-1 will be made to pay more.
Amid protest: Davide takes oath as head of Truth Commission today
Amidst legal questions surrounding the creation of the Truth Commission, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. will take his oath today as chairman of the investi-gating body, palace spokesman Erwin Lacierda confirmed to The FREEMAN yesterday.
Hostage crisis report to name accountable officials
Aquino wants 'unassailable' report on hostage-taking by Wednesday—De Lima
Sen. Santiago defends Robredo, scores Puno and PNP
'Insulting' letter damaged RP-HK ties, says Miriam
RP maids remain in demand in Hong Kong –recruiters
OFWs cancelling contracts for HK jobs—recruiters
Bishop links moves to oust Robredo to jueteng
Solons eye 'full-blown inquiry' into 'jueteng' expose
Palace: No sacred cows in exposing jueteng protectors
Santiago: Local exec close to Aquino is key to 'jueteng' operations
Truth body a go despite pending SC case - Miriam
Palace encourages support for Arroyo bill vs drunk drivers
Apostol says P7-M pay for SSS post 'too small' to be called obscene
Sen. Recto tells GSIS to invest in RP not abroad
'Juicy' Posts Still Open
MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino is racing against time to appoint hundreds of people to positions in government offices, including state-run corporations, to ensure uninterrupted public service.
The President plans to appoint trustworthy and responsible people to occupy government posts as soon as possible after careful scrutiny of credentials, according to Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma.
"We are processing the recommendations for the appointments because we need to put responsible officials in these government agencies.
We are doing everything to complete the process," Coloma said.
Three months after he assumed office, the President has yet to fill a number of top positions in the national government, including government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), vacated by officials who are co-terminous with the past administration.
Aquino has not yet named the replacement of Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) President Winston Garcia, an appointee of former President now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo.
The President also has to make appointments in some government offices, including the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), the Mindanao Development Authority (MDA), the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the National Youth Commission (NYC), the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO), the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), the National Printing Office (NPO), the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), and the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG).
Aquino could also follow his predecessor's steps in picking numerous advisers and assistants for almost every concern in his government.
But Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ramon "Ricky" Carandang already said the Chief Executive would rather have only a few advisers as part of fiscal prudence.
Among the vacant posts are Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs, Presidential Adviser for Constituency Affairs, Presidential Adviser for Provincial Affairs, Presidential Adviser for Special Concern, Presidential Adviser for New Government Centers, Presidential Adviser on Cooperatives, Presidential Adviser for Mindanao; Presidential Adviser for Muslim Communities, Presidential Adviser on Culture, Presidential Adviser on Military Affairs, Presidential Adviser For Police Affairs, Presidential Adviser for Revenue Enhancement, Presidential Adviser for Subic-Clark Alliance for Development, Presidential Adviser for External Affairs, and Presidential Assistant on Media Affairs and Religious Affairs.
Apart from having an adviser for almost every region, the former leader also had assistants for military affairs, education, foreign affairs, youth affairs, mining, anti-smuggling, culture, veterans affairs, entertainment industry, among others.
The President also has not yet named individuals to serve as Special Envoy for Transnational Crimes, Special Envoy to the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Phil. East ASEAN Growth Area, Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
The President recently said he intends to fill more than 4,000 government positions this month, or three months after he assumed office last June 30, as provided in the Constitution.
"Under the Constitution, we have a deadline for filling up all of the posts, all the appointments, three month period. I think that will end by September. So, that has to be the priority," he said.
For the GOCCs alone, he has to fill up more than 100 officials, as well as members of their respective boards.
The President previously admitted having difficult to recruit qualified people to serve in government. "It is not that easy to find all of these qualified people that we can trust, that who are willing to sacrifice for the duration of that task," he said.
Senators Advise Aquino on Nominees
MANILA, Philippines - Senators said on Saturday that President Aquino should not, as a matter of ''delicadeza'' (propriety), re-appoint his nominees once they have been by-passed by the bicameral Commission on Appointments (CA) two or three times. The issue cropped up as the CA, based on the instructions of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, concurrent CA chairman, meets on Wednesday to formally elect its officers in the current 15th Congress. Senators raised the issue of non-reappointment citing the decision of the nine-year Arroyo administration to re-appoint Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales 25 times after he was by-passed 25 times. Other Arroyo administration nominees by passed by the CA several times were Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes and Environment Secretary Lito Atienza. They were re-appointed every time they were by passed in less than two years until June 30, the end of the last 14th Congress. Some senators who were CA members in the 14th Congress tried but failed to convince their colleagues in the commission that they, by moral suasion, force the President not to re-appoint those who had been by-passed, at least three times. ''Prudence dictates that after two or three by passes, they should already withhold such appointments. They should change horses,'' Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III told Bulletin. Sotto is a CA member. Sen. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said that two or three by passes meant that the CA has sent its sentiments clear that it does not want to confirm a particular nominee.
Testimony of Rosebud flawed, says Acop
Militant groups want US troops to leave Mindanao
9-hour power outage to hit Mindanao - NGCP
For his part, Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco) spokesperson Felix Canja said the temporary shutdown is also necessary to fix the Maramag-Bunawan 230-kilovolt transmission line.
State of calamity considered in Koronadal due to flooding
Kids of couple sentenced to death in Malaysia seek Aquino's help
Health dep't hales cigarette pack graphic warning case to SC
'Ukay-ukay' tax eyed
Ex-PNP spokesman endorsed for key BOC post - report
Aquino issues EO 8 creating Public-Private Partnership Center
South Korea to propose flood aid to North Korea
South Korea will send a list of proposed relief aid to flood-stricken North Korea and hold talks on reuniting families separated by war six decades ago, the government said Sunday, in signs of easing tensions on the divided peninsula.
Clinton resuming `last chance' Mideast peace talks (AP)
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is shepherding Mideast talks this week that she says may be the last chance for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Clinton and former Sen. George Mitchell, President Barack Obama's special envoy to the region, planned to be in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, for talks Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
They're scheduled to shift to Jerusalem for a second day of talks Wednesday, and it's likely that Obama will resume negotiations with Abbas and Netanyahu in New York the following week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
No comments:
Post a Comment