Sara Running for President, President Duterte Confirms

 President Rodrigo Duterte just confirmed on Saturday that Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio will be running for President. The President told the media that Sara's running mate will be Senator Bong Go, who already filed his CONA under the PDP-Laban, Cusi faction. 

Sara Running for President with Bong Go as VP

Mayor Sara earlier said that she will not be running in a national position because the President will be running for Vice-president. Moreover, she already filed her reelection bid for Mayor in Davao City. However, many are skeptical about her statement since she is leading in the recent surveys. A lot of supporters are urging her to run for the Presidency and certain groups are going around the country to get the support of local politicians. 

Supporters of former Senator Bongbong Marcos will not be happy with this development. They are hoping for a Sara-BBM or Bongbong-Sara tandem, which they believe is a sure win tandem in the 2022 National Elections.

Netizens and other critics were not surprised with the announcement of the President. They already know that it is a tactic of the Duterte's. President Digong also did this strategy when run for the Presidency last 2016.

It is not yet clear if Mayor Sara will leave her Hugpong party and join the PDP-Laban. 

Is Sara-Go a sure win in the 2022 Elections?

More updates on this breaking news later....

photo credit: PNA

Pacquiao Ousted from PDP-Laban, Cusi New Party President

Senator Manny Pacquiao was ousted by Cusi-led faction of PDP-Laban. The position was held vacant during the national assembly last Saturday and member attendees elected Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi as the new President of the party. President Duterte attended the national assembly and led the oath taking of newly elected officers. In his speech, he belittled Senator Pacquiao saying that the Senator knows nothing and only follows the advice of people around him.

Sen Pacquiao Ousted as PDP-Laban President

Secretary Cusi, who is now the party President, claims that their actions are legitimate and within the party's constitution. On the other hand, former party President Koko Pimentel insisted that the national assembly is a farce and illegal. Pimentel told a news media outlet that they will elevate the issue to the Commission on Elections. It is now clear that two factions can't reconcile their differences and all are determined to pursue their plans this coming 2022 Presidential Elections. 

Sen Pimentel supports the possible presidential bid of Manny Pacquiao while the Cusi faction is supporting Mayor Sarah Duterte for President and President Rodrigo Duterte as Vice President. A possible Duterte-Duterte tandem is being pushed by some PDP Laban members, particularly those who support Cusi and the President Duterte.

The newly elected PDP-Laban Officers are as follows:

President: Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi

Executive Vice President - Cabinet Secretary Carlo Nograles

VP for NCR - Edwin Olivarez

VP for Luzon - Raul Lambino

VP for Visayas - Ben Evardone

VP for Mindanao - Charito Plaza

National Treasurer Rianne Cuevas

Auditor General - Senator Bong Go

Committee Chairpersons:

Membership- Astravel Naik

Education - Noel Felongco

Finance -Antonio Kho

Legal -Richard Nethercot

Public Information - Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya

Livelihood- Reymar Mansilungan

Youth Affairs - Maria Katrina Nicole Contacto

Philippines Recorded the Highest COVID19 Cases on Good Friday

The highest single-day tally for COVID-19 positives was recorded on Good Friday (April 2, 2021). The Department of Health (DOH) announced that there are 15,310 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, the highest since the pandemic started last year. The surge of positive cases were attributed to the opening of the economy  and the failure of the people to follow minimum health standards.

Out of the 15,310 new cases, 3,709 were backlogs due to system technical issues. The more than 3k cases should be reported last March 31. The DOH also said that there were 17 new deaths and 434 recoveries. 

HOSPITALS IN CRITICAL LEVELS

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines rose to 771,497. Some hospitals in the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces are now in critical level due to the sudden spike of cases. Right now, the country has 153,809 active cases which is equivalent to 19.9% of the total number of reported COVID cases.

SLOW COVID19 VACCINATION

Meanwhile, the government's vaccination program is still moving at a very slow pace compared to other countries in the region. In India, for example, its government were able to administer more than 3.6 million doses of vaccines in a single-day, the highest among countries with active COVID vaccination programs.

ANOTHER ECQ EXTENSION

Local government units in NCR and nearby provinces are now mulling another week of ECQ in the NCR+ to control Covid19 infections. Aid to the affected cities and municipalities is now underway.

Vaccines for Filipinos Enough to get Herd Immunity?

The Philippine government wants to achieve herd immunity by the end of 2021 by ordering at least 148 million doses of vaccines from various pharmaceutical companies.  To achieve herd immunity, at least 70 percent of the population should be vaccinated against COVID-19.

According to Carlito Galvez Jr., the country's vaccine czar,  the bulk of deliveries will start on April.  The government can now start massive vaccination on the 2nd quarter of the year, assuming that there will be no more hurdles in the procurement, delivery, and supply. During this period, they expect that all frontliners and those in the priority list already received their first shot of the vaccine. The supply will come from  Sinovac (China), AstraZeneca, Novavax, Moderna,  Johnson and Johnson (Janssen Pharmaceutical), and the Gamaleya Research Institute (Russia). 

Here's the breakdown of the number of vaccines that were delivered (Q1) and additional vaccine doses for the succeeding quarters:

There will be at least 3,504,800 doses for the 1st quarter.

February 28 - 600,000 Sinovac doses donated by China 

March 4 - 487,200 AstraZeneca doses from COVAX

March 7 - 38,400 AstraZeneca doses from COVAX

March 24 - 400,000 Sinovac doses donated by China 

March 24 to 26 - 979,200 AstraZeneca doses from COVAX

March 29 - 1 million Sinovac doses purchased by government 

At least 26,294,000 doses of vaccines are expected to arrive on the 2nd quarter of the year.

April 2021

Sinovac - 1.5 to 2 million doses 

Gamaleya’s Sputnik V - 3 million doses

COVAX vaccines - 1 million doses

May 2021 

Sinovac - 2 million doses

Gamaleya - 3 million doses

AstraZeneca -2.6 million doses

COVAX vaccines - 1 million doses

Moderna - 194,000 doses

June 2021  

Sinovac -4.5 million doses

Gamaleya - 4 million doses

Novavax - 1 million doses

AstraZeneca - 2 million doses 

A total of 53.5 million doses of vaccines will arrive in the country on the 3rd Quarter.

July 2021

Sinovac - 3 million doses 

Gamaleya - 4 million doses 

Moderna - 1 million doses 

Novavax - 2 million doses 

J&J - 1.5 million doses 

AstraZeneca - 2 million doses 

August 2021

20 million doses 

September 2021

20 million doses 

For the 4th quarter, the government will received at least 60 million doses. No breakdown yet on the sources of these vaccines.

October 2021

20 million doses 

November 2021

20 million doses 

December 2021

20 million doses 

The Philippines is way behind its Asian neighbors when it comes to the number of people who already got their first vaccine dose. Skeptics are now saying that the government will not be able to achieve herd immunity because of the delays in the procurement of the government. #NasaanangBakuna even became a trending topic in popular social media sites.

New COVID-19 UK Variant Already in PH

The DOH has confirmed the entry of the more contagious COVID19 variant from the UK. A returning Filipino businessman test positive for the B.1.1.7. SARS-CoV-2 variant (UK variant). He arrived on January 7 aboard Emirates Flight No. EK 332 from United Arab Emirates (UAE).  The 29-year old businessman  left the country last December 27 and went to Dubai for business purposes. As part of the existing health protocols, he was tested at the airport and mandated to undergo a 14-day quarantine. 

According to news report, the patient has pneumonia and currently taking medications. Contract tracing is now underway, particularly in Kamuning Quezon City, where the patient is residing. The DOH will also focus its effort in finding the patient's fellow passengers in Emirates Flight No. EK 332.

With the confirmation from the  Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Genome Center (PGC), the Philippine government should be more vigilant in implementing health protocols in airports and close monitoring of other entry points in the country. 

The B.1.1.7. SARS-CoV-2 variant replicates more than 2x, increasing its transmissibility. 

Several countries have already imposed travel ban to travelers from countries with reported Covid19 UK variant.