CABSEC. NOGRALES: Magandang tanghali po sa ating mga kababayan at sa mga miyembro ng Malacañang Press Corps.

Humarap si Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte para sa kaniyang regular Monday Talk to the People address kahapon. Ito po ang ilan sa naging highlights:

• Masayang ibinalita ng Pangulo na better days ahead dahil sa pagbaba ng kaso ng COVID-19 sa bansa. Nagpasalamat din ang Pangulo sa mga doktor at volunteers sa katatapos lamang na matagumpay na National COVID-19 Vaccination Days kung saan mahigit na sampung milyong doses ang na-administer mula November 29 hanggang December 3.
• Kaugnay nito, binanggit niya na magkakaroon ng second round ang Bayanihan Bakunahan mula December 15 hanggang December 17.
• Inanunsiyo rin ng Pangulo ang pagsisimula ng pilot limited face-to-face classes sa 28 paaralan sa Metro Manila subject to observance of strict safety and health protocols.

Nagkaroon din ng presentasyon si Father Nic Austriaco tungkol sa current assessment ng COVID-19 situation sa Pilipinas. Ayon sa kaniya, ang Pilipinas ay may substantial population immunity from natural infections and vaccinations. Ito po ang datos:

“We have the most infectious variant, the Delta variant, in 20 months. We also now have the highest mobility levels in the past months and yet we have the lowest level of cases and hospitalizations in the past 20 months.

This, in our view, is a testament to the contributions of everyone from our frontliners down to each individual involved in the country’s efforts to contain COVID-19 and to prevent its spread.”

Sa inyong lahat, maraming, maraming salamat po.

Meanwhile, the Philippines leaped to 57th place in November from 103 rd in October ayon sa 2021 Nikkei Asia COVID-19 Asia Recovery Index. According to the Tokyo-based publication, we are better off compared to Australia, United States, Thailand, Russia, Singapore, Germany, Switzerland, and Vietnam.

As we previously stated, rankings such as this should factor in country specific COVIVD-19 context. Our 121st September and 103rd October rankings were done when the Philippines was experiencing a spike of cases brought about by the Delta variant.

This latest Nikkei Asia COVID-19 Recovery Index is a clear indication that we have successfully contained the highly transmissible Delta variant. That being said, we urge our people to remain vigilant especially during the holiday season when everyone is looking forward to seeing their loved ones.

Totoo po, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel but the only way we can get to the end is if we continue to carefully watch our steps; ituloy po natin ang mask-wearing, paghuhugas ng kamay, ang social distancing at ang pagbabakuna. Let us do this not just for ourselves but especially for our loved ones.

Mayroon pa pong good news: The Philippines has improved its ranking in the 2021 Global Hunger Index with a score of 16.8 compared to 25.0 in year 2000; 20.4 in 2006; and 20.5 in 2012. The Philippines now ranks 8th among the 21 economies in South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia, the Global Hunger Index uses four indicators namely:

• Under nourishment;
• Child Wasting;
• Child Stunting;
• Child Mortality

Kung inyong matatandaan, nilagdaan ni Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte noong 2018 ang dalawang mahalagang batas para matugunan ang mga bagay na ito:

• Una, ang Republic Act No. 11037 o ang Masustansiyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act kung saan inaatasan ang mga ahensya ng pamahalaan na magpatupad ng National Feeding Program para sa mga undernourished na mga bata.
• Pangalawa, ang Republic Act No. 11148 o ang Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act o mas kilalang bilang First 1,000 Days Law kung saan inaatasan ang Department of Health, ang National Nutrition Council at iba pang ahensya na tiyaking makakatanggap ng maternal neonatal child health and nutrition service sa first 1,000 days of life.

Clearly, these measures have had an impact in addressing the areas of concern cited by the Global Hunger Index.

Kaugnay sa issue na ito, we are encouraged by the results of the third quarter 2021 Social Weather Station’s (SWS) Survey which show a decline – a decline of Filipino families experiencing involuntary hunger which dropped from a high of 30.7% in September of 2020 to 10% in September of 2021 or a decrease of 20.7% from the same period last year.

The current figures are likewise the lowest registered during the pandemic. Malinaw po ang palatandaan nito, the strategies we have in place and the interventions being undertaken by your government are working.

Maraming salamat sa inyong patuloy na suporta at pakikipagtuwang!

While we have implemented lockdowns and restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus, we have nonetheless allowed people to work, permitted businesses to operate and deployed a vaccination rollout that has resulted in reduced hunger and reduced poverty. We have also implemented hunger mitigation strategies which include the distribution of financial assistance or cash aid to eligible households in areas with the most stringent lockdowns.

We attribute the drop in self-rated hunger in September 2021 to efforts to ensure the safety of our people while reviving the economic health of our nation. The progress made in reducing hunger in our view is consistent and dovetails with this year’s third quarter economic growth of 7.1%.

While there has been a marked improvement in the number of those who experienced hunger, we recognize that more work needs to be done to return hunger to pre-pandemic levels and even lower. As the concurrent head of the government’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger, we have sphereheaded the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty or EPAHP.

Ang layunin ng EPAHP ay matugunan ang kagutuman, tiyakin ang seguridad sa pagkain at nutrisyon, at bawasan ang kahirapan sa mga komunidad. Hindi pa po tapos ang trabaho, tuluy-tuloy pa po ito para lalo pang mapababa ang self-rated hunger sa ating bansa.

To those who have helped in efforts to address hunger, sa mga kasaping ahensiya ng gobyerno, mga LGU, mga international agencies, mga development partners at mga kaibigan natin sa private sector maraming, maraming salamat po.

Sa usaping bakuna naman:

• Dumating kagabi, December 6, ang 1,085,760 doses ng Pfizer vaccine na binili ng pamahalaan.
• Samantalang noon hapon naman ay natanggap natin ang 1,497,200 doses ng government-procured Moderna vaccine.

Pumunta naman tayo sa COVID-19 update:

• Nasa 543 ang mga bagong kaso ayon sa December 6, 2021 COVID-19 Case Bulletin ng Department of Health.
• Ito na ang 13th consecutive day na below 1,000 ang ating mga bagong kaso.
• Nananatiling mababa din ang positivity rate natin, nasa 1.7% na lamang ito.
• Nasa 97.8% naman po ang porsiyento ng gumaling.
• Nasa mahigit 2.7 million ang naka-recover habang nasa 1.75% naman po ang ating fatality rate.
• Malungkot naming binabalita sa inyo na kahapon 113 ang naidagdag sa bilang ng mga pumanaw dahil sa coronavirus.
• Nasa below 30% naman po ang ating hospital utilization rate.

On the economic front, there are reasons to be hopeful this coming New Year. New York based think tank Global Source Partners projected the economic growth of the Philippines to surpass the government’s 4% target ceiling. Ang projection po nila ay 5.5% – it added and I quote: “The Philippine economy withstood a Delta-driven surge in quarter 3 and is set to end the year on a high note.”

Marami pa tayong magandang balita sa usapin ng ekonomiya:

• Inflation is from 4.6% in October 2021 to 4.2% in November 2021. Bumaba ang presyo ng gulay, isda at karne.
• Ayon sa Philippine Statistics Authority, ang pagbaba ng inflation ay dahil sa pagbagal ng pagtaas ng presyo ng pagkain at non-alcoholic beverages index. Patuloy nating babantayan ang presyo ng bilihin kasama na ang mga paborito ninyong noche buena products lalo na ngayong papalapit na ang Kapaskuhan.

Pagdating naman sa ating labor force, mayroon din tayong magandang balita. Ayon sa Philippine Statistics Authority October 2021 Labor Force Survey – bumaba ang ating national unemployment rate mula 8.9% noong Setyembre 2021 to 7.4% noong Oktubre 2021. Dagdag pa ng Philippine Statistics Authority, mas dumami ang nagkaroon ng trabaho – mula 39.84 million noong October of 2020, ito ay tumaas sa 43.83 million noong October 2021.

Kung inyong matatandaan, nasa Alert Level 4 po tayo noong unang bahagi ng Oktubre bago mag-relax sa Alert Level 3 at ngayon na nasa Alert Level 2 po tayo ay mas maraming industriya at negosyo ang nabuksan kaya mas maraming trabaho ang madadagdag.

To quote our economic managers: “The country’s economic performance has exceeded expectations in 2021. The road ahead remains challenging but we assure the Filipino people that we have all the elements in place to recover quickly and strongly from the pandemic and grow rapidly in the years to come.”

Asahan ninyong habang patuloy na dumarami ang nagtatrabaho ay patuloy nating iingatan ang buhay sa pamamagitan nang pagpapaigting ng mask, hugas, iwas at siyempre bakuna.

May good news din po tayo sa turismo. Kinilala ang Bojo, isang barangay sa Aloguinsan, Cebu bilang isa sa ‘Best Tourism Villages in the World’ ng United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Pitumpu’t limang (75) bansa ang nagsumite nang mahigit isandaan at pitumpung nominasyon at ang Bojo ang isa sa napili.

Sa mga kababayan natin sa Bojo, congratulations po. Padayon kamo sa pag-uswag. Mabuhay kamo and God bless kamo diha sa Bojo.

So we will now go to questions from our friends from the media and MPC. Usec. Rocky, please do the honors…

USEC. IGNACIO: Yes. Good afternoon, Secretary Nograles.

Ang una pong tanong mula po kay Mela Lesmoras ng PTV: Will President Duterte accept the invitation of Manila Mayor Moreno to join his senatorial line-up? Similar question with MJ Blancaflor ng Daily Tribune, Kris Jose ng Remate/Remate Online, Rosalie Coz ng UNTV, Triciah Terada ng CNN Philippines at Maricel Halili ng TV-5.

CABSEC NOGRALES: Ito po ay patunay sa maraming nagawa ni Pangulong Duterte sa kaniyang panunungkulan at sa marami niyang ginagawa at gagawin pa; at patunay ito sa kumpiyansa ng marami sa ating mga kababayan sa kaniya na kapag binigyan po siya ng pagkakataon na makapagpatuloy ng kaniyang serbisyo sa Senado ay maipagpatuloy niya ang lahat ng mga ito.

Pero ayaw ko rin pong pangunahan kung ano ang mangyayari sa susunod na araw at sa susunod na buwan at ayoko ring pangunahan ano magiging desisyon ng iba’t ibang mga kandidato na tumatakbo at iba’t ibang mga partido na nais pang mag-endorse kay Pangulong Duterte.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Second question mula po kay MJ Blancaflor ng Daily Tribune: May we get Palace’ reaction on Mayor Isko Moreno’s statement that he is willing to adopt President Duterte in his ticket? Similar question with Kris Jose ng Remate, Rosalie Coz ng UNTV, Triciah Terada ng CNN at Maricel Halili, TV-5.

CABSEC NOGRALES: Again, ayokong pangunahan ano ang magiging developments ‘no tungkol diyan, sa mga political develops na iyan. But siyempre si Pangulong Duterte ay tumatakbo sa partido ng PDDS at sinusuportahan din po siya ng PDP-Laban. Kung mayroon mang mangyayari pagkatapos nito na mga pag-adopt or hindi kaya magkaroon ng alliances ay ayoko pong pangunahan kung anong mangyayari sa mga susunod pang mga araw at linggo at maging sa susunod na mga buwan.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Tanong naman ni Karen Lema ng Reuters: Any reaction about po doon sa jailing ni Aung San Suu Kyi?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Opo. Well this is an internal matter and this is part of their domestic affairs and so we would rather not comment on the domestic affairs and processes of a sovereign state.

USEC. IGNACIO: Thank you, Secretary.

CABSEC NOGRALES: Can we go to Mela Lesmoras ng PTV?

MELA LESMORAS/PTV4: Hi. Good afternoon, Secretary Nograles. Good afternoon, Usec. Rocky. Secretary Nograles, tanong ko lang po, una muna sa schedule ni Pangulong Duterte. Kailan po kaya iyong next Talk to the People niya at ngayong nalalapit na Pasko at Bagong Taon, may mga naka-line-up na po ba siyang activities?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Well, iyong Talk to the People niya is usually Mondays, ano. So presumably magkakaroon na naman siya sa next week – I don’t know if it will be a Monday or a Tuesday. But he has this weekly Talk to the People. Of course nothing stops the President kung gusto niya mag-Talk to the People within the next few days this week. So abangan na lang po natin iyong next announcements niya.

MELA LESMORAS/PTV4: Opo. And, Secretary Nograles, given the good numbers ngayon sa COVID-19 situation ng Pilipinas, kailan po kaya iyong nakikita ng IATF na tamang panahon para maging Alert Level 1 na either iyong NCR or iba pang panig ng bansa?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Well, we are monitoring Omicron very closely ‘no at inaabangan din po namin kung ano iyong magiging final findings mula sa WHO at mula sa ating mga health experts internationally as well ‘no. Because everyone is monitoring kung ito bang Omicron is more fatal ‘no, iyon ‘yung pinakainaabangan natin – if it is more fatal, if it is more severe, if it is indeed more transmissible. So we still await the final word from the WHO. Samantalang pina-finalize din po namin ano iyong magiging final parameters natin for Alert Level 1.

So right now magkakaroon din kami ng meeting ng IATF sa Thursday, so abangan na lang po natin kung ano man. Baka possibly may mga developments na pagdating ng Huwebes.

MELA LESMORAS/PTV4: Opo. And panghuli na lamang po, Secretary Nograles. Just a follow up doon sa ibinahagi ninyo pong ulat mula sa Nikkei Asia. Sa same report kasi sinasabi rin doon na kahit talagang gumanda iyong COVID-19 recovery ranking ng Pilipinas, nakasaad din na iyong case fatality rate naman ng atin bansa ay second highest in the world. Do you agree po at ano po kayang masasabi natin dito? Paano kaya mapapaigting pa, mapabababa pa iyong case fatality rate ng Pilipinas?

CABSEC NOGRALES: You know I think iyong sa fatality rates po natin, ang dapat nating tingnan diyan iyong month-per-month ‘no. Iyong mga nakikita natin na fatality reports ‘no, number of deaths per day, iyong attribution niyan is not necessarily death on that day itself. Mayroon po tayong tinatawag na late reporting or late attributions. So hindi po iyan necessarily na kapag ni-report iyan on this day, those are deaths that occurred on this day. Sometimes those are deaths that occurred previously pero bago lamang na-attribute sa COVID but did not occur necessarily on that day.

So ang dapat mong tingnan diyan really is the number of deaths kapag na-attribute na siya, kung anong date namatay iyong tinamaan ng COVID-19, so dapat tingnan mo iyong average deaths per month. And in November, I think the average death is very low, mga 70 or 70 plus iyan for the month of November, ang average deaths for November. So again, hindi necessarily na kapag sinabi at ni-report iyong deaths on that day, hindi iyan necessarily noong araw na ‘yun namatay. It could be late attribution or late reporting.

MELA LESMORAS/PTV4: Okay. Thank you so much, Secretary Nograles/Usec. Rocky.

CABSEC NOGRALES: Usec. Rocky, for additional questions…

USEC. IGNACIO: Yes. Thank you, Mela.

Secretary, mula po kay Jason Gutierrez ng NYT: Is the Philippines sending anyone to the US government’s Democracy Summit? May we know who and if not, why so?

CABSEC NOGRALES: We’ll defer that to the Department of Foreign Affairs to answer the question.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Second question ni Leila Salaverria ng Inquirer: Given Father Austriaco’s statement that the country appears to have a substantial population immunity since it now has the lowest level of cases and hospitalizations, how likely is it that Metro Manila or other parts of the country will be placed under Alert Level 1 this month? Is this an option for December or will the IATF maintain the Alert Level 2 out of caution?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Pinag-aaralan pa namin and magkakaroon kami ng IATF meeting this Thursday para to assess ‘no and hopefully we can get something more substantial from the WHO with regards sa Omicron. If not, then we have to continue iyong pag-aaral ng IATF with regards sa anong mga final parameters natin sa Alert Level 1. Pero ayoko ring pangunahan ang IATF sa desisyon na iyan at ayoko ring pangunahan kung anuman ang magiging findings ng WHO with regards sa Omicron variant.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Mula kay Leila Salaverria, may pinahabol lang po siya: Secretary Duque says he prefers to be conservative and would rather keep Alert Level 2 this December. Does the Palace agree?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Again, we will discuss that in the IATF this coming Thursday kasi the IATF necessarily being inter-agency, we have to get the inputs from the different Cabinet members and from the different agencies and departments also of government then we’ll come up with a consensus decision.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. From MJ Blancaflor ng Daily Tribune: Is there a last ditch effort on the part of the ruling PDP-Laban to convince Senator Bong Go to push through with his candidacy?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Sa panig ng PDP-Laban, we have always been supportive of Senator Bong Go in his quest to be of service to the people. So kami po ay nirirespeto po namin anuman ang magiging desisyon ni Senator Bong Go. But in support to his advocacies to serve the Filipino at pagserbisyo niya sa bansa at sa bayan ay patuloy ang suporta ng PDP Laban sa kaniya.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. From Rosalie Coz ng UNTV. Ano po ang update sa susuportahang presidential candidate ni Pangulong Duterte sa 2022? Ano po ang hinihintay ng Presidente bago siya magdesisyon?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Siyempre maraming wini-weigh si Pangulong Duterte sa desisyon na iyan. Pero ang talagang number one diyan, kung ano po at sino po ang makakapaglingkod ng tunay sa ating bayan.

USEC. IGNACIO: From Sam Medenilla ng Business Mirror: Napag-usapan na kaya sa IATF ang proposal ng House Committee on Labor to suspend the implementation of IATF Resolution 148-B and 149 requiring vaccination for onsite workers? If yes, ano kaya ang naging desisyon ng IATF on the said request?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Alam mo, Usec. Rocky, we received reports na mayroon daw diumano nag-file ng case, nag-elevate ng kaso patungkol diyan sa issue at concern na iyan. So, kung totoo nga na mayroon na pong nag-file ng kaso on that issue and that concern, then mag-a-apply na po ang sub-judice rule.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Mula pa rin kay Sam Medenilla ng Business Mirror: Nakapag-submit na kaya ng projection model ang IATF sub-Technical Working Group on data analytics ng potential impact ng Omicron? If yes, paano ito makakaapekto d sa existing policies?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Abangan na lang po natin sa meeting ng IATF on Thursday, kung handa na ba iyong grupo na mag-present ng kanilang findings.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. From Sam Medenilla pa rin ng Business Mirror: Ano po ang Palace reaction sa pag-slow down ng inflation rate last month to 4.2%?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Well, we join our economic managers in stating na mayroon po tayong mga policies and interventions that we have put in place and it appears to be working at patuloy rin po iyong aming pagmu-monitor ng mga presyo ng bilihin lalung-lalo na po ngayong panahon ng Kapaskuhan. This December and January, we will continue to monitor ang presyo ng mga bilihin to make sure na hindi Ialong mahihirapan ang ating mga kababayan. But the numbers look good and our interventions and policies are working.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. From Red Mendoza ng Manila Times: Ngayon pong nagbibigay na ng booster doses ang Pilipinas sa lahat ng 18 pataas, irirekomenda ba ng DOH at IATF na irebisa ang depinisyon ng fully vaccinated mula sa dalawang doses at tatlong doses? Ginagawa na ito ng Singapore kung saan ang definition nila ng fully vaccinated ay three doses?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Well, wala pa kaming pinag-uusapan na ganiyan sa IATF. Subalit, tandaan po natin na ang pina-prioritize po natin of course ngayon ay mabakunahan pa ang hindi pa naka-first dose at siguraduhin na iyong mga naka-first dose ay makakapag-second dose na po. So, ito iyong mga pina-prioritize po ng ating IATF, pina-prioritize din po ng ating NTF at pina-prioritize din po ng ating vaccine cluster.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Third question po: Sinabi po ni NEDA Secretary Karl Chua na dapat daw ang binibilang lang ng DOH case bulletins ay ang mga severe at ang mga namatay. Ikukonsidera ba ito ng IATF?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Well, we look at all the numbers para to provide us also complete context and complete picture. But of course si Secretary Karl Chua, being a member of our economic managers is also a member ng IATF. So we obviously and seriously consider iyong mga inputs po ni Secretary Karl, tulad ng inputs ng iba’t ibang mga miyembro ng IATF. Again, necessarily dahil ito ay inter-agency ay kailangan nating makuha ang inputs ng lahat ng ating mga miyembro ng IATF para makita ang entire picture and we come up with a consensus afterwards. So, ito po iyong process po ng IATF.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Question mula sa Madz Recio ng GMA News: Ayon po kay BuCor Assistant Secretary Gabriel Chaclag kahapon, walang PDL na may COVID. Papayagan na ba ng IATF and face-to-face dalaw sa New Bilibid Prison?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Sa IATF po, mayroon din po kaming tinatawag na technical working groups. So sa technical working group po na iyan, dito po sina-submit iyong mga proposals ng mga ahensiya ng gobyerno, especially that we are now transitioning into the new normal. So, ang mabuti diyan is makita po ng technical working group po ng IATF iyong proposal ng BJMP para mapag-aralan ng mabuti at mabigyan din po ng inputs mula sa iba’t ibang ahensiya ng gobyerno bago namin pagdesisyunan sa loob ng IATF. So ganoon po ang magiging proseso po niyan.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Tanong naman mula po kay Ace Romero ng Philippine Star: What is the vaccination target for the second round of mass vaccination this month? What will be done to meet, if given that the government fell short of its target during the first three-day campaign?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Well, right now, pina-finalize pa namin kung ano ba iyong magiging indicative targets natin for that the next three days. And the reason why, I am saying we are finalizing it, is because siyempre we have to categorize iyong targets natin. Unang-una na diyan siyempre iyong mga kailangan mag-second dose ay kailangan lagyan natin ng target iyong mga kailangang mag-second dose. Then of course another target para sa mga those na hindi pa nakapag-first dose na kailangan nating i-first dose.

Then based on that also, iyong nakikita natin na we have to also put up a system for walk-ins. So kailangan din po pagdating sa ground, mayroon din po tayong gagawing sistema para sa mga walk-ins, kasi hindi naman lahat ay makakapag-register online or for whatever reasons. We have to accommodate also all of the walk-ins na pupunta sa mga vaccination sites natin. So, I will leave the last word to the vaccination cluster natin and to the national task force. But right now, we are finalizing iyong indicative targets per category.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Tanong ni Maricel Halili ng TV5: How serious is the President in offering Father Austriaco the DOH post? Is he actively looking for a replacement? Does he mean that he is now willing to let go of Secretary Duque?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Alam ninyo nagsalita naman si Father Nick Austriaco kagabi ‘no at malinaw na malinaw na sinabi niya is that si Secretary Duque is doing a good job at your government officials are doing a good job sa pag-manage ng COVID-19 at ang taumbayan, ang sambayanang Pilipino. Lahat naman po tayo ay kasali dito. Itong tagumpay natin ay tagumpay nating lahat ‘no, hindi lamang ng ganito o ng ganiyan, pero lahat po tayo ay magkasama po dito sa laban against COVID-19.

So, si Father Nick was very, very clear at ang sinabi po niya ay maganda iyong nakikita nating mga numer0 ngayon at ipinagmamalaki nga po niya ito maging doon sa United States at kung sinu-sino pa man ang mga nakakausap niya. Ipinagmamalaki niya po ang bansang Pilipinas.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Iyong second question po ni Maricel Halili ay natanong na po ni Mela Lesmoras about doon sa COVID recovery index. Tanong naman po ni Llanesca Panti ng GMA News online: Kung aware daw po kayo ng complained filed before the Ombudsman by GenSan residents against IATF on mandatory vaccination in areas with enough supply. They are saying that this is against vaccination law which states that a vaccine cards will not be considered an additional mandatory requirement for educational, employment and other similar transaction purposes?

CABSEC NOGRALES: Opo. Again, tulad ng napakalinaw at malinawag naman po sa ating IATF resolution ay hindi po natin mina-mandate, wala pong mandatory diyan. And again, if mayroon pong nag-file ng kaso then that falls under sub-judice rule na po.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. May pahabol lang pong tanong mula kay Jena Balaoro from GMA News: Reaksiyon daw po sana sa sinabi ni Senator Hontiveros na “There is just seem to be a pattern of the entry of the Udenna Group through DITO Telecoms, through Comelec logistics contract and now here in Malampaya entry into our critical industries or critical sectors of our economy”. Dahil ba ito sa special friendship ni Mr. Dennis Uy kay Presidente?

CABSEC NOGRALES: I will leave it to the respective agencies to make a statement, kasi mukhang marami yata iyong ahensiyang tinutukoy dito. But I would like to assure the public na lahat po ay dumadaan sa tamang proseso ng inyong gobyerno. Lahat po iyan ay dumadaan sa proseso ng iba’t ibang agencies of government.

USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Thank you, Secretary Nograles.

CABSEC NOGRALES: Thank you, Usec. Rocky.

Unti-unti ng bumabalik sa normal ang Pilipinas habang pababa ng pababa ang COVID-19 infections. Nagsimula na kahapon sa NCR ang muling pagbubukas ng limited face-to-face classes sa Metro Manila. Kasama sa gradual expansion ng una na nating ipinatupad na pilot implementation. At habang papunta tayo sa new normal, nanatili ang ating panawagan: Kailangan nating magtulungan – mask, hugas, iwas, bakuna.

Maraming salamat po. Ingat po lagi at God Bless.

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News and Information Bureau-Data Processing Center