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LUCENA CITY ---- The novel child health care program "First 1000 Days of Life" or Q1K in Quezon province has been cited as the "Best New Social Technology" in 2019 by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Gov. Danilo Suarez led the provincial officials in receiving the award during the "PaNata Ko sa Bayan" awards held at the DSWD central office on Tuesday. In his speech, Suarez said Q1K was the provincial government's contribution to preparing for the bright future not only of the next generation of Quezonians but of the entire Filipinos. The DSWD recognized that Q1K was responsible for the improvement of the lives of the direct beneficiaries. Suarez said ...

Keep on reading: DSWD cites Quezon’s child health care program

MANILA, Philippines --- Two-time Olympian and current TNT KaTropa consultant Mark Dickel has been tasked to lead the campaign of Gilas Pilipinas Men for the upcoming first window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers as interim head coach. The Philippines will be opening its campaign with a home game against 2019 Southeast Asian Games silver medalist Thailand on February 20, followed by a road game against Indonesia at the Britama Arena in Jakarta on February 23. "In his short stint in the Philippines, coach Mark has performed creditably well,"Manny V. Pangilinan, Chairman Emeritus of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), said in a statement Wednesday. In his young PBA c...

Keep on reading: SBP taps Dickel as Gilas interim coach for Fiba 1st window

MANILA, Philippines -- The prosecution in the plunder case against former Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile will start presenting their evidence on February 11, the Sandiganbayan said. This was set by Third Division chair and Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang during the hearing on Wednesday --- which Enrile attended after being required to sign the pre-trial order for the case. After this, hearings on one of the controversial pork barrel scam cases would be held every Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. Enrile is accused of receiving kickbacks worth P172.8 million from pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles for allocating part of his Priority Development As...

Keep on reading: Prosecution to start presenting evidence vs Enrile on February 11 — Sandigan

Key players in the insurance industry, including the government regulator, are planning to seek Congress' nod to make it mandatory to insure privately-owned assets against quakes, storms and flooding. At the Insurance Commission's 71st anniversary celebration on Tuesday (Jan. 28), the agency signed a memo of understanding with the Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association (Pira) and National Reinsurance Corp of the Phils (NatRe) to put in place a Philippine catastrophe insurance facility. Pira is a group of companies offering non-life insurance. "With this, we aim to provide the framework for greater financial resilience to the vulnerable sectors of our society," said IC he...

Keep on reading: Compulsory insurance for private assets taking shape

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur ---- The rise in the number of prostitution and abduction cases involving Chinese nationals came as the number of Chinese tourists and workers in the country increased. This was the observation by Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Brigadier General Bernard Banac. "There was a sudden influx of Chinese nationals who visit and work in the country. There was also a rise in the incidents of prostitution and abduction of Chinese nationals,' Banac told reporters in a press briefing here Wednesday. "The victims are Chinese nationals and the suspects are also Chinese nationals, even in the prostitution (operations), the ones running the dens ...

Keep on reading: PNP: Prostitution, abduction rise in PH with Chinese influx

MANILA, Philippines --- Upon orders of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the National Police Commission (Napolcom) said it will stop payment of benefits for policemen who have become permanently incapacitated, or have died while in the performance of duty or killed in action. In a letter to the Napolcom dated Nov. 19, 2019, the DBM said that payment of police benefit claims by the commission is tantamount to "double payment of pension" considering that the Philippine National Police (PNP) also grants the same benefit. The payment of the benefit claims, the DBM said, is inconsistent with Section 8, Article IX-B of the Constitution which prohibits the grant of additional...

Keep on reading: DBM orders Napolcom to stop paying ‘redundant’ police benefits

  MANILA, Philippines --- A 29-year-old Chinese man, who is under investigation for suspected novel coronavirus infection has died of pneumonia while undertaking treatment at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, an official from the hospital announced on Wednesday.   San Lazaro Hospital director Dr. Edmundo Lopez said the victim, who is from Yunnan, China, died on Wednesday at 7 a.m. The patient was admitted last Monday.   "Early this morning around 7 a.m., We have person under investigation, hindi pa confirmed for nCoV, na namatay. [He]was admitted last Monday," Lopez said in a press briefing.   (Early this morning around 7 a.m., ...

Keep on reading: Chinese under watch for novel coronavirus dies in San Lazaro Hospital

A chartered flight with about 210 Americans aboard arrived in Alaska to refuel on its first US stop since leaving the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China.

A bright pink slug species, found only on one mountain in Australia, has survived the devastating bushfires that ripped through much of its habitat.

Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) once again became the first Philippine bank to launch a smart branch that leverages world-class 5G technology for seamless connectivity with IOT (Internet of Things)-enabled services. Partnering with Globe Business, the enterprise arm of Globe Telecom, UnionBank deployed 5G-grade connectivity at its Dasmarinas, Cavite branch -- the first of its ARK 2.0 branches - for faster speeds, higher bandwidth, and a more stable internet connection. Twenty times faster than other networks available, 5G technology will allow branch employees to connect 32 devices at the same time without sacrificing performance. Researchers say that 5G banking will ...

Keep on reading: UnionBank becomes first Globe 5G powered bank in PH

MANILA, Philippines --- Amid the threat brought by the novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV, a lawmaker has filed a bill for the creation of a council that would formulate a plan for the prevention, detection, management, and containment of public health emergencies. Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano Rufino "Ruffy" Biazon filed on Tuesday House Bill No. 6081, which seeks the establishment of the Public Health Emergency Council. Biazon said that the government, more often than not, has responded to public health emergencies in a "knee-jerk manner," thus underscoring the need for a plan to address these emergencies. "There is lack of coordination among vital and concerned agencies in order to eff...

Keep on reading: Biazon pushes for creation of Public Health Emergency Council

The Philippines' debt standing grew at almost the same pace as its economy in 2019, leading to an improved debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio of 41.5 percent. In a report on Wednesday (Jan. 29), the Bureau of the Treasury said 2019's actual debt-to-GDP ratio was lower than both the year's target of 41.7 percent and 2018's record of 41.9 percent. The Treasury said this was the "result of prudent cash and debt management backed by steady economic growth." Total debt, foreign and domestic, as of end-2019 amounted to P7.73 trillion, up by 0.3 percent from P7.71 trillion and 6 percent higher than P7.29 trillion in 2018. The year-on-year increase in the national government'...

Keep on reading: PH debt ratio to GDP improves to 41.5 percent

  MANILA, Philippines --- The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Wednesday said it is imposing stricter measures on the importation of used clothing or "ukay-ukay" amid the outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus (nCoV).   "Human transmitted ito so right now we're very high on alert especially on used clothing. May premium ang ukay-ukay kasi diba, may nahuhuli pa kami paminsan-minsan and that's one of the easiest way na ma-transmit mo 'yang sakit na 'yan," BOC Assistant Commissioner Vincent Maronilla told reporters in Malacaang.   (This is human transmitted so right now, we're on high on alert especially on used clothing. There is premium on 'ukay-ukay' that ...

Keep on reading: BOC monitors entry of ‘ukay-ukay’ amid novel coronavirus scare

After being bestowed the rank of lieutenant commander by the Philippine Navy, Dingdong Dantes noted that the ability to serve and love the country is not caged by one's uniform or profession. The marine reservist shared an excerpt from his speech during the donning of ranks ceremony held last Monday, Jan. 27 at the Philippine Navy headquarters via Instagram the next day. "Hindi lang sa pagiging sundalo o kasapi ng unipormadong hanay nasusukat ang pagmamahal sa bayan at [pagtutulong] sa kapwa," he said. (One's love for country and service to others is not only measured by being a soldier or being a member of the military.) https://www.instagram.com/p/B72WyA9DJhe/ Dantes com...

Keep on reading: Dingdong Dantes proud of ‘OOTD that’s earned’, says heroism goes beyond uniform

MANILA, Philippines --- Four out of 10 Filipinos believe that their lives have improved in the last 12 months, according to the fourth quarter 2019 survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released on Tuesday. Based on its nationwide survey conducted from Dec. 13 to 16, 2019, SWS reported that the lives of 39 percent of Filipinos have improved, while 21 percent of Filipinos say theirs have worsened in the past 12 months. This translates to a net gainers score of +18, which SWS classified as "very high" It is higher than the +11 in September, +13 in June and +17 in March, all classified as Very High (+10 to +19). The pollster said that the seven-point increase in the na...

Keep on reading: SWS: 39% of Filipinos believe quality of life improved

Mumbai, India | AFP | Wednesday 1/29/2020 - 11:43 UTC+8 | 722 words By: Udita Jhunjhunwala   Saif Ali Khan, bonafide Bollywood royalty and star of Netflix hit "Sacred Games", says India's massive film industry does not need international audiences to thrive. But that may not be a good thing, he cautions.   The 49-year-old actor, whose latest film "Jawaani Jaaneman" ("Youthful Lover") is out on Friday, has starred in multiple blockbusters over the years, from "Dil Chahta Hai" ("The Heart Desires") in 2001 to "Tanhaji", released earlier this month.   Yet even as foreign films --- like South Korean hit "Parasite" --- find viewers and awards overseas, Boll...

Keep on reading: Saif Ali Khan: A star in Bollywood — and on Netflix

MANILA, Philippines --- The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Wednesday warned oil companies to comply with the fuel marking program by February or else their fuel stocks will be confiscated and their gasoline stations may face closure. "All fuel that are going to be for the consumption of the public, that are intended to be tax-paid, should be marked by February 9, 2020," BOC Assistant Commissioner Vince Maronilla said in a press briefing in Malacaang. "Kung mahuhulihan ang mga kumpanya ng hindi markado o hindi pasadong langis, maaaring kumpiskahin ng gobyerno ang mga ito dagdag pa ang pagsampa ng kaukulang kaso, pagbabayad ng multa o posibleng pagpapasara ng gas station," he said. (I...

Keep on reading: BoC warns oil firms to comply with fuel marking program by February

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Keep on reading: LIVE: DOH provides update on novel coronavirus

Budapest, Hungary | AFP | Wednesday 1/29/2020 - 13:31 By: Peter Murphy   Drawing inspiration from enigmatic British artist Banksy, a sculptor of tiny bronze statues has gained a cult following in the Hungarian capital Budapest by placing his quirky works around the city for the public to discover.   "I look for places which are a little hidden but still easy to find if you know where to look," Mihaly Kolodko, 41, told AFP in his workshop in Vac, north of Budapest.   "I never tell anyone in advance where I have put them," he grinned while working on a new figure, bearded beneath a beanie-hat.   While his statues don't have the biting satire o...

Keep on reading: Budapest’s Banksy disciple sparks treasure hunts and nostalgia

Senate Republicans are wrestling with a momentous dilemma over whether to call witnesses in Donald Trump's trial in a closed-door tussle that risks antagonizing the President and fueling Democrat claims of a cover-up.