Here’s a Heads Up from reporter on news that you need to know today, Aug. 19:
HAPPENING TODAY
- The IATF will decide today on the fate of Metro Manila’s lockdown or ECQ, which is scheduled to last until tomorrow. Whether the ECQ stays or is downgraded one notch to MECQ, vaccinations will be ramped up, said the MMDA.
- The cap suring infections, the DOH recommended surgical or medical-grade masks instead of cloth face coverings. Yesterday saw 11,000 new COVID cases.
2022 ELECTIONS
- Why is the poor balimbing fruit the symbol of political turncoatism in the Philippines? And will the merry-go-round of flimsy party allegiances ever end?
- Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno is on TikTok for life advice on anything from law school to cauliflower rice. He has declared his intention to run in next year’s polls.
- The Comelec refused to extend the Sept. 30 deadline for voter registration but extended the sign-up hours.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR AFGHANISTAN?
- The Taliban signaled their desire for peace with other nations and pledged respect for women’s rights under Islam. They said full body coverings or burqas will not be required.
- However, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said she still feared for her Afghan sisters given the Taliban’s long history of violence and oppression.
PIXEL WORLD
- Too many notifications got you anxious? We tried the revamped notification controls in iOS 15 Beta to see how it can help you keep your sanity with the flurry of digital alerts that are begging to be opened.
- Tonik rolled out a physical debit card that’s missing the client’s name and number inscribed on it for added security.
- Twitter has rolled out a new feature that will allow some users to flag misleading content with a single tap.
TODAY I LEARNED
- Watch this video for everything you need to know about the latest coronavirus variant to be detected in the Philippines -- Lamba.
TRENDING NEWS
- Why do COA reports easily trigger Filipinos? Ex-COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza, a corruption whistleblower, puts recent findings into context.
- Twitter can't stop talking about DOH Sec. Francisco Duque and the deficiencies that COA found in his department's P67 billion COVID budget. State auditors were just doing their job, no need to be “sadboi”, netizens said. Sen. Grace Poe said Duque’s suspension was long overdue.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
- Here’s a directory of government services that are available at Robinsons Malls’ Lingkod Pinoy.
NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Absolute Divorce Bill has hurdled a House panel. Here are its provisions and what it will mean for those who want out of their marriage.
- A beach party on Camotes Island, where politicians allegedly mingled with maskless revelers, is under investigation, the PNP said.
- Jollibee is opening its first store in Spain, betting on the Chickenjoy to expand its footprint in Europe.
- Former UP President Jose Abueva, who signed the DND Accord in the 1980s restricting troop access to the state university, has died at 93.
- Health Sec. Francisco Duque said he would look to the DOH savings to fund the special risk allowance for health workers.
- Pope Francis is urging the Catholic faithful to get vaccinated against COVID-19, calling it “an act of love”.
- Sen. Francis Pangilinan has filed a bill to make permanent six additional benefits for health frontliners during emergency situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Half of respondents in a SWS survey found the vaccine rollout slow while a third said they had no access to the jabs.
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