PTV Rewind brings you the highlights of the latest and relevant issues in the country this fifth week of April 2022.
First BA.2.12 case in PH detected
The Department of Health (DOH) announced Wednesday afternoon, April 27, the detection of the country’s first case of the highly transmissible BA.2.12 Omicron subvariant in Baguio City.
The DOH said the patient is a fully vaccinated asymptomatic 52-year-old Finnish female who arrived from Finland last April 2. The case was discharged after completing her seven-day isolation and was tagged recovered. She left the country on April 21.
The DOH identified the 44 close contacts, including nine in Quezon City, five in Benguet, and 30 were from the plane that transported them to Manila.
Second booster for immunocompromised begins
The DOH has begun administering fourth doses or COVID-19 vaccine second booster shots of COVID-19 vaccine on April 25 to immunocompromised persons aged 18 and above.
Immunocompromised individuals are those with cancer, HIV/AIDS, immunodeficiency, those who underwent organ transplant, as well as bed-ridden patients.
Less than 1,000 individuals received their second booster as of April 27.
Meanwhile, the COVAX Facility said it will replace 3.6 million doses that are set to expire for free.
Comelec launches online precinct finder
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) launched its online precinct finder on Friday, April 22, allowing the voting public to search their voting precincts.
Upon entering the website, voters are asked to provide their location, name, and place of registration. This will show the voter’s status along with the location and number of the precinct.
Marcoleta drops senatorial bid
SAGIP Partylist Representative and House Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta withdrew from the senatorial race on April 27 due to the “poor” standing on various poll surveys.
“The fighter in me should also be brave enough to read the writings on the wall,” he said.
Local absentee voting starts April 27
More than 84,000 uniformed personnel, government officials and employees, and members of the media cast their votes ahead of the May 9 polls as the local absentee voting began on April 27.
The Comelec said over 80 voting precincts were set for government officials and personnel, including members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, as well as members of the media.
PH new longest bridge inaugurated
President Rodrigo Duterte led on April 27 the inauguration of the new longest bridge in the country, the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).
The 8.5-kilometer CCLEX will link Cebu City to Mactan Island through the municipality of Cordova which is expected to serve at least 50,000 vehicles daily.
August 30 is World Press Freedom Day in PH
President Duterte has declared August 30 of every year as “National Press Freedom Day” through the signing of Republic Act No. 11699 on April 13, to honor Marcelo H. del Pilar, the father of Philippine Journalism.
Del Pilar, who wrote under the pen name “Plaridel,” was born on August 30, 1890. August 30 of every year is considered a working holiday.
DOLE to offer 12-K jobs on Labor Day job fair
Around 12,000 job opportunities will be offered at the Labor Day Job Fair organized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), of which 2,000 will be hired on the spot (HOTS).
Supreme Court affirms ruling on Anti-Terror Law
The Supreme Court has affirmed on Tuesday, April 26, its decision on the constitutionality of the Philippine Anti-Terror Law except for its two provisions.
Last year, the Court ruled that a provision under Section 4 of the law pertaining to the definition of terrorism was unconsitutional, together with a portion of Section 25 on the designation of terrorists. This renders almost the majority of the law retained.
Int’l tourist arrival balloons to 300-K+
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the country has received around 313,050 international arrivals since February this year, mostly from the United States, Canada, and South Korea.
Puyat said this is still far from pre-pandemic figures of 8.26 million tourists in 2019.
MRT-3 libreng sakay extended ’til May 30
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced that it will extend the Metro Rail Transit-Line 3 (MRT-3) free rides until May 30 from 4:40 a.m. to 10:10 p.m.
Free rides were supposed to end on April 30, but were extended to aid commuters affected by the continuous fuel hike and inflation.
