KAKAMMPI News

Around 66,000 repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were stranded in Metro Manila due to restrictions implemented amid the COVID-19 pandemic are already in their home provinces. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said in a forum on Monday that 34,000 of them were seafarers, while 32,000 were land-based workers. “Ang huling tala natin ay mga 66,000 na ang nakauwi sa kani-kanilang home local government units (LGUs) since May 15,” Cacdac said. “Majority of those nakinabang sa libreng transport — charter planes, buses, voyages — ay seafarers,” Cacdac added. Bangsamoro Inter-Agency Task Force earlier said locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and returning OFWs, who were assisted by Hatid Probinsya Program, were  among the latest COVID-19 cases  in the region. Because of this and similar reports, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the government will  suspend for two weeks  the trips of LSIs to Regions...

Published  June 29, 2020 3:43pm By JOVILAND RITA, GMA News Most of the 8,000 stranded aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), who were withheld from going abroad due to the COVID-19 situation, have been refusing to go back to their provinces. At a forum on Monday, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said these aspiring OFWs were already abandoned by their manning agencies. “Meron tayong humigit kumulang  ng 8,000 na binibigyan ng pagkain, pinapakain araw. Ito ‘yung mga hindi nakaalis at hindi na nila nadidinig ang kanilang manning agencies,” he said. “Either hindi nakasampa ng barko, meron nang POEA contract, tapos meron pang mga trainees na inabanduna na ng kanilang manning agency,” he added. According to Cacdac, OWWA already spent around P80 million to provide food for the stranded OFWs since March 15. “Karamihan sa kanila, ayaw na umuwi ng probinsiya, ng Mindanao o ng Visayas kasi inaabangan din nila ...

Agence France-Presse Posted at  Jun 30 2020 01:36 PM Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong announces his plans to run for legislature, in Hong Kong, China June 19, 2020.  Tyrone Siu, Reuters HONG KONG - Four young leaders of a Hong Kong pro-democracy political party announced their resignations on Monday, hours after Beijing passed a sweeping national security law for the city. Joshua Wong, Nathan Law, Jeffrey Ngo and Agnes Chow said they were ending their involvement in Demosisto, a party that has infuriated Beijing by campaigning for universal suffrage and for foreign countries to sanction China for rights abuses. All four said they would continue to campaign in a personal capacity, a move that suggests they might be hoping to shield Demosisto from being prosecuted or disqualified once the new security law comes in. "I will continue to defend my home -- Hong Kong -- until they mute me and eliminate me from this land," Wong wrote on Facebook. Both Wong a...

Reuters Posted at  Jun 30 2020 11:50 AM BEIJING - China's military has received the greenlight to use a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by its research unit and CanSino Biologics after clinical trials proved it was safe and showed some efficacy, the company said on Monday. The Ad5-nCoV is one of China's eight vaccine candidates approved for human trials at home and abroad for the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. The shot also won approval for human testing in Canada. China's Central Military Commission approved the use of the vaccine by the military on June 25 for a period of one year, CanSino said in a filing. The vaccine candidate was developed jointly by CanSino and a research institute at the Academy of Military Science (AMS). "The Ad5-nCoV is currently limited to military use only and its use cannot be expanded to a broader vaccination range without the approval of the Logistics Support Department," CanSino said, refer...

Reuters Posted at  Jun 30 2020 07:06 AM DUBAI - Abu Dhabi will allow people to enter the emirate if they have tested negative for COVID-19 in the previous 48 hours, the local government media office said on Monday. Abu Dhabi, the largest and wealthiest member of the United Arab Emirates federation, has had a ban on people entering since June 2. It eased some restrictions a week ago to allow movement between its cities for residents. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates will partially reopen mosques across the country starting July 1, with a reduced capacity of 30%, the spokesperson of the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said on Monday. Saif Al Dhaheri said that mosques will remain closed for Friday prayers, but some will be open at other times while those located in industrial areas, shopping malls and public parks will stay closed for now.  (Writing by Lisa Barrington; Additional reporting by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Catherine...

The Philippines’ tally of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases topped 36,000 on Monday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 985 more infections—643 “fresh” or newly validated and 342 reported late—bringing the total to 36,438. Total recoveries also rose to 9,956 after 270 more patients recovered from the respiratory disease, while the death toll climbed to 1,255 with 11 new fatalities. Among the fresh cases, 223 are from Metro Manila, 106 are from Region VII, while the remaining 314 are spread out across the country. Among the late cases, 96 are from Metro Manila, 29 are from Region VII, while the 217 other patients came from various areas nationwide. There are also 24,525 active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, 23,451 or 95.6 percent of which are mild, 922 are asymptomatic, while 126 are severe and 26 are in critical condition. The DOH also said it removed two duplicate cases from the total tally of infections. As of June 28, the Philippines has 53...

Agence France-Presse  Posted at  Jun 30 2020 06:38 AM WASHINGTON — Researchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic, according to a study published Monday in the US science journal PNAS. Named G4, it is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009. It possesses "all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to infect humans," say the authors, scientists at Chinese universities and China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2011 to 2018, researchers took 30,000 nasal swabs from pigs in slaughterhouses in 10 Chinese provinces and in a veterinary hospital, allowing them to isolate 179 swine flu viruses.  The majority were of a new kind which has been dominant among pigs since 2016.  Disease that killed millions of China's pigs poses global threat The researchers then carried out various experiments including on ferrets, which are widely used in...

Agence France-Presse Posted at  Jun 30 2020 06:04 AM Chinese authorities are carrying out forced sterilizations of Uighur and other ethnic minority women in an apparent campaign to curb the population, a study said Monday, triggering swift international condemnation. China called the allegations baseless but the United States demanded an immediate end to the campaign described in the report, which was based on a combination of official regional data, policy documents and interviews with ethnic minority women. China is accused of locking more than one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in re-education camps. Beijing describes the facilities as job training centers aimed at steering people away from terrorism following a spate of violence blamed on separatists. Now a report by Adrian Zenz, a German researcher who has exposed China's policies in Xinjiang, says Uighur women, among other ethnic minorities, are being threatened with internment in the c...

Arianne Merez, ABS-CBN News Posted at  Jun 22 2020 03:40 PM PhilHealth President Ricardo Morales.  Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File MANILA-- Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) President Ricardo Morales belied Monday allegations of P154 billion in missing funds, and a supposed large-scale syndicate defrauding the state health insurance firm. The Commission on Audit could not substantiate claims of P154 billion in missing PhilHealth funds, Morales said, contrary to the claims of Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque. "Hindi totoong may nawawalang P154 billion," Morales said in a virtual press briefing. (It's not true that there's P154 billion missing) Roque, among principal authors of the Universal Health Care Law during his time as a sectoral lawmaker, had said Morales "failed" to clean up corruption in PhilHealth as he alleged that there are still crooks within the state health insurance firm. \ Morales however denie...

Reuters Posted at  Jun 22 2020 03:44 PM A woman wearing a face mask amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) observes a partial solar eclipse on the Mahanakhon Skywalk Glass Tray at the King Power Mahanakhon building in Bangkok, Thailand, June 21, 2020.  Athit Perawongmetha, Reuters BANGKOK — Thailand hopes to ease some coronavirus restrictions on foreigners entering the country after going for 28 days without recording any domestic transmissions, a senior official said on Monday. Those who will benefit from the easing of restrictions will include business executives, skilled workers and foreigners who live in Thailand. "The first 3 groups will be able to return to Thailand and stay in 14-day state quarantine," said the spokesman for the government's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, Taweesin Wisanuyothin. Medical tourists will also be allowed back for treatment in hospital, he said. Short-term business travelers and tourists...

Agence France-Presse Posted at  Jun 22 2020 07:35 AM Posted at  Jun 22 2020 07:35 AM A security man checks the worshipers before they perform the Friday prayers inside the Al-Rajhi Mosque while practicing social distancing, after the announcement of the easing of lockdown measures amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia June 5, 2020.  Ahmed Yosri, Reuters RIYADH - Saudi Arabia on Sunday ended a nationwide coronavirus curfew and lifted restrictions on businesses, including hair salons and cinemas, after 3 months of stringent curbs, despite a spike in infections. Prayers were also allowed to resume in mosques in the holy city of Mecca, state media reported, just weeks before the annual hajj pilgrimage is due to start. International flights and religious pilgrimages, however, remain suspended and social gatherings of more than 50 people are prohibited, according to the interior ministry. But Saudi Arabia's General Co...

Agence France-Presse Posted at  Jun 22 2020 06:36 AM  | Updated as of  Jun 22 2020 07:42 AM An employee measures the temperature of a customer as he holds an alcohol spray bottle at the entrance of a shop store amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 19, 2020.  Amanda Perobelli, Reuters RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil on Sunday said it had registered more than 50,000 deaths from the coronavirus outbreak as well as about 1 million infections, as the second worst-affected country in the world struggles to control the disease.  The Ministry of Health reported 641 new deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 50,617, with 1,085,038 recorded infections. Brazil is the  second most-affected country  behind the United States, which accounts for nearly 120,000 deaths and more than 2.2 million cases. President Jair Bolsonaro, who has famously compared the virus to a "little flu," has clashed with state and loca...

A total of 353 remains of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who died of various causes in Saudi Arabia are up for disposition, Ambassador Adnan Alonto said Monday. In a televised briefing, Alonto said 107 deaths of 246 OFWs were mostly because of natural causes and some crime incidents. Previously, the government said the oil-rich kingdom asked the Philippines to retrieve the remains of 282 OFWs. On Sunday, Malacañang said the Filipinos who died due to COVID-19-related illnesses will be buried in Saudi Arabia while those who died because of other reasons will be sent home to the Philippines. Alonto attributed the delay of the repatriation of the remains to travel restrictions meant to slow the spread of COVID-19. “Nagkaroon po tayo ng backlog, so iyon po largely ang naging cause. Even up to now the flights are very limited and I understand ang isang plane full of passengers can only accommodate not more than three human remains dahil napakainit po ngayon dito sa Saudi Ara...

WASHINGTON - In a withering behind-the-scenes portrayal, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton accused him of sweeping misdeeds that included explicitly seeking Chinese President Xi Jinping's help to win re-election. Bolton, a longtime foreign policy hawk who Trump fired in September over policy differences, also said that the U.S. president had expressed a willingness to halt criminal investigations to give "personal favors to dictators he liked," according to a book excerpt published in the New York Times. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on excerpts from "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir" published on Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Washington Post. The accusations are part of a book that the U.S. government on Tuesday sued to block Bolton from publishing, arguing it contained classified information and would compromise national secu...

By Karl Lester M. Yap The number of Filipinos going hungry has doubled in the past six months and more than 90% of its residents are experiencing stress as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey released Friday. About 4.2 million people can’t afford to eat, soaring from December, while 91% of Filipinos aged 15 or older are feeling anxious, according to a Social Weather Stations poll conducted May 4 to 10. Anti-virus lockdown restrictions since March have devastated jobs and hurt incomes in the Philippines, with the jobless rate surging to a record 17.7% in April. The country’s economy will contract this year, the World Bank forecast. While some businesses have been allowed to restart, many curbs remain in place particularly in the greater Manila region, which is the main driver of the economy. President Rodrigo Duterte is set to decide on Monday whether more restrictions will be loosened. Transportation is still very limited in Manila, as the gover...

To provide relief from the financial challenges as a result of the CoViD-19  pandemic , the Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth) has extended anew the deadline of payment of contributions for self-paying members  until June 30, 2020, while its flexible and deferred payment scheme remain an option for Overseas Filipino Workers. In its Advisory No. 2020-038, the Agency sets the payment extension  for self-earning individuals, professional practitioners and those belonging to group enrolment schemes  until June-end this year  without interest .  They may pay their contributions at any of its accredited collecting agents (ACAs) and PhilHealth local health insurance offices (LHIOs) nationwide. Employers in the public and private sectors have also been advised that their premium remittances for the applicable months of February, March and April 2020 can be paid until June 22, 2020 without interest, in line with the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act...

Arianne Merez, ABS-CBN News Posted at  Jun 10 2020 11:11 AM President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands prior to their bilateral meetings at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 20, 2016.  King Rodriguez, Malacañang Photo/File Duterte assures China's Xi of 'firm commitment' to diplomatic ties MANILA- The COVID-19 pandemic shows the "greater significance" of nourishing the Philippines relationship with China, President Rodrigo Duterte told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as the two nations marked 45 years of diplomatic ties. Duterte, in a June 9 letter to Xi, affirmed Manila's commitment to strengthen the relationship with Beijing as the pandemic, which began in China, continues to upend the stability of the world. "As the entire world continues to face challenges to security and stability and the rule of law and with the rise of non-traditional and emerging threats such as the COVID-19 pandem...