MORONG, Bataan. Natagpuan ng mga mangingisda ang ilang piraso ng rocket debris na pinaniniwalaang mula sa bansang China na palutang-lutang sa karagatan ng Brgy. Nagbalayong ng bayang ito. Ang natuklasang debris ay nagdulot ng pag-aalala at pag-uusap sa mga lokal at awtoridad.
Ayon kay Morong Municipal Police Chief Captain Ernesto Clemente, natagpuan ang mga piraso ng bakal noong Hunyo 5 ng mga mangingisda bandang alas-8 ng umaga. Ang mga ito ay natagpuan may sampung milya ang layo sa baybaying dagat ng Brgy. Nagbalayong sa nasabing bayan.
Nang makita ng mga mangingisda ang mga debris, agad nilang hinatak ang mga ito gamit ang kanilang motorized bangka patungo sa pampang. Sa simula, inakala nilang mga scrap metal lamang ang kanilang natagpuan na ibebenta sana nila sa junk shop. Ngunit sa pag-aaral ng Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), lumitaw ang posibilidad na ito ay bahagi ng isang malaking spacecraft.
Sa ulat ng PCG, sinabi ni Alvin Menez, isa sa mga mangingisda, na ang natagpuang palutang-lutang na debris sa dagat ay malaking bakal maaaring nauugnay sa Tianzhou, isang automated cargo spacecraft ng China.
Hinatak ni Menez ang metal debris patungo sa baybayin at kaagad nagpaabot ng impormasyon sa mga awtoridad. Sa kasalukuyan, nasa pangangalaga na ng PCG ang nasabing debris.
Ayon kay PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela, ang debris na ito ay kamukha ng itaas na bahagi ng Tianzhou spacecraft na isang cargo spacecraft ng China. Sa kanyang tweet, sinabi ni Tarriela na, “Natagpuan ng isang mangingisda sa Morong, Bataan ang mga pinagkakamalang nawawasak na bahagi ng Tianzhou, isang Chinese automated cargo spacecraft. Ito ay kasalukuyang nasa pangangalaga ng PCG sa Limay, Bataan.”
Dahil sa insidente, nakipag-ugnayan na ang PCG sa Chinese Embassy sa Maynila at sa Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) upang talakayin ang mga natuklasang metal debris sa karagatan. Layunin ng pag-uusap na mapag-aralan ang posibleng epekto nito at ang pangkalahatang kalagayan ng mga rocket debris na nadiskubre na rin sa iba’t ibang lugar sa Pilipinas.
Ayon sa kamakailang report ng Reuters, naglunsad ang China ng Long March 7 rocket na nagdadala ng Tianzhou-4 spacecraft mula sa Wenchang Space Launch Center sa Hainan province noong Mayo. Ito ang naging batayan ng mga awtoridad sa pagsusuri ng posibleng pinanggalingan ng debris.
Nauna dito, sinabi ng PhilSA na binabantayan nila ang mga debris na hindi pa nasusunog na maaaring lumapag sa tatlong tinukoy na drop zone area na humigit-kumulang 65-79 kilometro ang layo mula sa Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), isang teritoryo ng Pilipinas. Gayunman, sinabi rin ng PhilSA na malabong bumagsak ang debris sa lupa o mga residential area sa Pilipinas.
Sa kasalukuyan, patuloy ang imbestigasyon ng mga awtoridad upang matukoy ang eksaktong detalye ng pinanggalingan at mga rocket debris na natagpuan sa Bataan. Samantala, ang PhilSA ay mananatiling nakaalerto at nakikipagtulungan sa mga kinauukulang ahensya para sa kaligtasan at seguridad ng bansa sa mga ganitong mga insidente.
WASHINGTON. Health advisers on Friday unanimously backed the full approval of a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug, a key step toward opening insurance coverage to U.S. seniors with early stages of the brain-robbing disease.
The drug, Leqembi, received conditional approval from the Food and Drug Administration in January based on early results suggesting it could slow Alzheimer’s progression by several months. The FDA now is reviewing more definitive results to decide whether the drug should receive the agency’s full endorsement.
The decision carries extra significance because insurers have held off on paying for the infused treatment until it has full FDA approval.
The FDA panel of outside advisers voted 6-0 that a large company study confirmed the drug’s benefits for patients with mild or early Alzheimer’s. The nonbinding vote amounts to a recommendation for full approval, and the FDA is scheduled to issue a final decision on the matter by July 6.
The FDA’s initial OK for Leqembi came via the agency’s accelerated approval program, which allows early access to drugs based on laboratory or biological measures suggesting that they might help patients. The drug, marketed by Eisai and Biogen, helped clear a brain plaque that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
The FDA panel reviewed more recent data from an 1,800-patient study in which people taking the drug showed a modestly slower rate of decline on measures of memory, judgment and other cognitive tests.
“For an illness like this where we don’t have very much, these are meaningful changes for patients with Alzheimer’s,” said Dr. Merit Cudkowicz of Harvard Medical School. “A couple more months in the highly functional state is really meaningful.”
Drugs approved via the accelerated pathway can technically be withdrawn by the FDA if their benefits aren’t confirmed, though regulators rarely take that step. Gaining full approval allows medications to stay on the market indefinitely.
Normally the process of converting an accelerated approval attracts little attention, and FDA rarely convenes its advisers to weigh in on such decisions.
But concerns about the cost and effectiveness of new plaque-targeting drugs like Leqembi have attracted new scrutiny to the process from academics, members of Congress and health insurers.
Medicare, the federal health plan that covers 60 million seniors, has essentially blocked coverage of Leqembi and a similar drug, Aduhelm, pending full FDA approval. That policy, which has little precedent, was announced last year amid concerns that Aduhelm, priced at $28,000-a-year, would drive up costs for Medicare recipients.
The federal program provides health insurance for the vast majority of people with Alzheimer’s, and private insurers tend to follow its lead.
Leqembi is priced similarly at $26,500 per year and the handful of patients who have received it to date have mainly had to pay out of pocket.
Facing pressure from Alzheimer’s advocates and patients, Medicare’s administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, has made clear the program will immediately begin covering the drug if it gets FDA’s full OK.
But last week she announced extra requirements even after Medicare coverage begins: All patients receiving the drug will need to be enrolled in a federal registry to track Leqembi’s safety and effectiveness. That approach is occasionally used for complex new medical devices, but rarely for drugs.
The move was criticized by advocacy groups, including the Alzheimer’s Association, which has lobbied the federal government for months to begin paying a drug that they say could potentially help many thousands of Americans.
Leqembi is the first drug that’s been convincingly shown to slow Alzheimer’s by targeting the underlying biology of the disease. The delay in progression amounts to about five months, and some experts disagree on whether that difference is enough to meaningfully improve people’s lives.
But most FDA panelists were impressed by Eisai’s results, which they said showed significant differences in patients’ cognitive abilities and functionality, as well as reduced burden for caregivers.
The study tracked patients for 18 months using a scale measuring key indicators of cognitive function. At the end of the trial, patients receiving Leqembi declined more slowly — a difference of less than half a point on the scale — than patients who received a dummy infusion.
The drug was also associated with potentially serious side effects, including swelling of the brain and small bleeds in brain vessels.
Three patients taking Leqembi died during the study, two after experiencing a stroke linked to brain bleeding. But FDA reviewers said it was unclear whether the drug played a role in the deaths due to other underlying factors affecting the patients, including the use of blood-thinning medications that can increase the risk of bleeding.
“There are adverse effects,” said Dr. Robert Alexander of the University of Arizona, who chaired the panel. “But they’re monitorable and I think the benefit is clear.”
LUCENA CITY. Nakakulong ngayon ang isang security guard na suma-sideline bilang drug pusher matapos maaresto sa anti drug operation kahapon ng madaling araw sa Purok Maligaya, Barangay 5 sa lungsod na ito.
Kinilala ni PLt. Col. Ruben Ballera Jr. Chief of Police dito, ang nadakip na si Arnelo Padillo alyas “Rigor”, 33 anyos na binata at residente ng Purok Silangan, Brgy. Ibabang Dupay. Kabilang siya sa Quezon Police Provincial Office (QPPO) Suspected List Individual (SLI) at dati nang may kinakaharap na kasong paglabag sa RA 9165.
Ayon kay Ballera, nakatanggap sila ng impormasyon na naipatawag na ang suspek sa kanilang barangay at binalaan na muling aarestuhin kapag nasangkot pa sa dating gawain ngunit binabalewala niya ito.
Dahil dito, ikinasa ng City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) ang operasyon laban sa suspek at nang magpositibo sa deal ay agad siyang inaresto dakong alas-2:22 ng madaling araw.
Nakumpiska sa suspek ang isang coin purse na naglalaman ng tatlong transparent sachet ng hinihinalang shabu na nagkakahalaga ng P40,800 at isang piraso ng P500 marked money.
MIAMI. Follow along for live updates on former President Donald Trump, who has been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate. The indictment marks the first time in U.S. history that a former president faces criminal charges by the federal government he once oversaw. Trump faces the possibility of prison if convicted.
SECRET SERVICE PREPARES FOR TRUMP COURT APPEARANCE
The U.S. Secret Service is preparing for Trump’s appearance at a federal court in Miami on Tuesday after a grand jury indicted him on 37 felony counts related to his handling of classified documents.
Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the agency “will not seek any special accommodations outside of what would be required to ensure the former Presidents continued safety” in connection with Trump’s appearance.
He added: “As with any site visited by a protectee, the Secret Service is in constant coordination with the necessary entities to ensure protective requirements are met. We have the utmost confidence in the professionalism and commitment to security shared by our law enforcement partners in Florida.”
Trump’s April 4 arraignment in his New York case, where he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, attracted a crush of media and protesters, involved multiple street closures, extra security screenings and shut down non-Trump court business for an afternoon.
LAWS APPLY TO ‘EVERYONE’ TRUMP SPECIAL COUNSEL SAYS
The Justice Department special counsel who filed charges against Trump says in his first public statement that the country has “one set of laws and they apply to everyone” while he outlined the charges against the former president.
Jack Smith spoke to reporters briefly in Washington on Friday but did not take questions.
“Adherence to the rule of law is a bedrock principle of the Department of Justice and our nation’s commitment to the rule of law sets an example for the world,” Smith said.
He said prosecutors would seek a speedy trial and “very much look forward” to presenting their case.
TRUMP KEPT CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS IN BATHROOM, SHOWER OF CLUB, INDICTMENT SAYS
The indictment alleges Trump kept classified documents in the bathroom and shower at his Florida estate, as well as various other locations that included a ballroom, storeroom, office and bedroom.
Prosecutors noted that “tens of thousands of members and guests” visited the “active social club” of Mar-a-Lago between the end of Trump’s presidency in January 2021 through the August 2022 search. They argued that “nonetheless” Trump stored documents “in a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, and office space, his bedroom, and a storage room.”
The indictment claims that, for a two-month period, some of Trump’s boxes were stored in one of Mar-a-Lago’s gilded ballrooms. A picture included in the indictment shows boxes stacked in rows on the ballroom’s stage.
The indictment also shows photographs of boxes that spilled over in the storage room, including a document marked SECRET/REL TO USA, FVEY” which means information releasable only to members of the intelligence alliance of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. In the photo the classified document is redacted.
LAWYER SAID TRUMP SUGGESTED HE REMOVE DAMAGING DOCUMENTS
The indictment unsealed Friday also says that, unaware of any records being moved, Trump’s attorney on June 2, 2022, identified 38 documents with “classified” markings and placed them in a folder, which he sealed with clear duct tape handed to him by Trump valet Walt Nauta. The valet then took the attorney to see the former president.
“Did you find anything? Is it bad? … Is it good?” the lawyer said Trump asked.
The attorney told federal authorities that he discussed the folder of classified material with Trump and how the material should be handled. The attorney told authorities that as they discussed the attorney taking the materials with him, Trump gestured in a way that suggested he wanted the attorney to identify “anything really bad” and “you know, pluck it out.” The lawyer clarified that Trump did not articulate such instructions beyond making that “plucking motion.”
The attorney told authorities that he did not take anything out of the folder and that he instead immediately contacted the FBI and another Trump attorney. On June 3, according to the indictment, the second Trump attorney acted as the official custodian of records on Trump’s behalf and turned the material to the FBI.
INDICTMENT ALLEGES VALET MOVED BOXES AT TRUMP’S DIRECTION
The indictment alleges that Nauta acted “at Trump’s direction” to move move “approximately 64 boxes” of documents from the Mar-a-Lago storage room to the former president’s residence. Nauta’s actions occurred between May 23, 2022, and June 2, 2022, according to the indictment.
That total includes “approximately 30 boxes” Nauta allegedly moved on June 2, the same day Trump’s legal team was expected to examine the cache. Nauta’s actions that day came hours after he talked briefly via phone with Trump, prosecutors allege. Neither Trump nor Nauta, according to the indictment, disclosed to the former president’s attorneys that Nauta had moved any of the storage room contents.
According to prosecutors’ timeline, Trump met later that day with one of his attorneys and Nauta escorted the attorney to the storage room for his review of the documents.
INDICTMENT ALLEGES TRUMP SHOWED DOCUMENTS TO OTHERS
The indictment unsealed Friday outlined two circumstances in which Trump allegedly showed the documents to others.
One occurred in a meeting with a writer at his Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he described federal officials’ “plan of attack” against him and purportedly acknowledging that he knew the information “is still a secret.”
In a later meeting with a representative from his political action committee, Trump displayed “a classified map related to a military operation,” acknowledging he “should not be showing it to the representative and that the representative should not get too close,” prosecutors said.
In the next paragraph, prosecutors note how Trump, at a press conference while president in 2017, addressed media leaks and said that leaking classified information is “an illegal process” and that people involved “should be ashamed of themselves.”
TRUMP FACES 37 FELONY CHARGES
Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents.
An indictment unsealed Friday also alleges that he described a Pentagon “plan of attack” and shared a classified map related to a military operation.
The document marks the Justice Department’s first official confirmation of a criminal case against Trump arising from the retention of hundreds of documents at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago.
Charged alongside with Trump was Walt Nauta, a Trump aide who was seen on surveillance camera removing boxes at Mar-a-Lago.
The indictment accuses Trump of having improperly removed scores of boxes from the White House to take them to Mar-a-Lago, many of them containing classified information.
Trump described a Pentagon “plan of attack” and shared classified map related to a military operation, according to an indictment unsealed Friday.
The document marks the Justice Department’s first official confirmation of a criminal case against Trump arising from the retention of hundreds of documents at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago.
Trump disclosed the existence of the indictment in a Truth Social post Thursday night as well as in a video he recorded.
The indictment accuses Trump of having improperly removed scores of boxes from the White House to take them to Mar-a-Lago, many of them containing classified information.
BIDEN STAYS MUM ON TRUMP INDICTMENT; PENCE THINKS TRUMP SHOULD STAY IN PRESIDENTIAL RACE
President Joe Biden is steadfastly refusing to comment on Trump’s indictment and says he has not spoken to attorney general Merrick Garland about it, as the White House continues to shy away from the political implications of the case.
Traveling in North Carolina on Friday, Biden said of Garland shortly after the indictment against Trump was unsealed and released to the public, “I have not spoken to him at all. I’m not gonna speak to him.”
The president added, “I have no comment on what happened” and repeated similar replies when pressed.
Trump is the early front-runner in the Republican presidential primary for the right to challenge Biden, who is seeking reelection. At least one of Trump’s rivals, meanwhile, doesn’t think the case should prompt the former president to bow out of the primary race.
Mike Pence, who was Trump’s vice president, was asked by a reporter while campaigning at a diner in Derry, New Hampshire, if Trump should suspend his campaign and replied, “No.”
“I think any consideration of that is premature,” Pence said. “Everyone is innocent until proven guilty in America. I think the former president has a right to make his defense.”
This image, contained in the indictment against former President Donald Trump, shows boxes of records being stored on the stage in the White and Gold Ballroom at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents according to an indictment unsealed Friday, June 9, 2023. (Justice Department via AP)
An early bird El Nino has officially formed, likely to be strong, warp weather worldwide and give an already warming Earth an extra kick of natural heat, meteorologists announced.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Thursday issued an El Nino advisory, announcing the arrival of the climatic condition. It may not quite be like the others.
It formed a month or two earlier than most El Ninos do, which “gives it room to grow,” and there’s a 56% chance it will be considered strong and a 25% chance it reaches supersized levels, said climate scientist Michelle L’Heureux, head of NOAA’s El Nino/La Nina forecast office.
“If this El Nino tips into the largest class of events … it will be the shortest recurrence time in the historical record,” said Kim Cobb, a climate scientist at Brown University. Such a short gap between El Ninos leaves communities with less time to recover from damages to infrastructure, agriculture, and ecosystems like coral reefs.
Usually, an El Nino mutes hurricane activity in the Atlantic, giving relief to coastal areas in states from Texas to New England, Central America and the Caribbean, weary from recent record busy years. But this time, forecasters don’t see that happening, because of record hot Atlantic temperatures that would counteract the El Nino winds that normally decapitate many storms.
Hurricanes strengthen and grow when they travel over warm seawater, and the tropical regions of the Atlantic Ocean are “exceptionally warm,” said Kristopher Karnauskas, associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. So this year, NOAA and others are predicting a near-average Atlantic hurricane season.
In the past, a strong El Nino has led to record global warmth, like in 2016 and 1998. Scientists earlier this year had been saying next year is more likely to set a record heat, especially because El Ninos usually reach peak power in winter. But this El Nino started even earlier than usual.
“The onset of El Nino has implications for placing 2023 in the running for warmest year on record when combined with climate-warming background,” said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd.
An El Nino is a natural, temporary and occasional warming of part of the Pacific that shifts weather patterns across the globe, often by moving the airborne paths for storms. The world earlier this year got out of an unusually long-lasting and strong La Nina — El Nino’s flip side with cooling — that exacerbated drought in the U.S. West and augmented Atlantic hurricane season.
What this in some ways means is that some of the wild weather of the past three years – such as drought in places – will flip the opposite way.
“If you’ve been suffering three years of a profound drought like in South America, then a tilt toward wet might be a welcome to development,” L’Heureux said. “You don’t want flooding, but certainly there are portions of the world that may benefit from the onset of El Nino.”
For the next few months, during the northern summer, El Nino will most be felt in the Southern Hemisphere with “minimal impacts” in North America, L’Heureux said.
El Nino strongly tilts Australia toward drier and warmer conditions with northern South America — Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela — likely to be drier and Southeast Argentina and parts of Chile likely to be wetter, she said. India and Indonesia also tend to be dry through August in El Ninos.
While traditionally El Nino means fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic, it often means more tropical cyclones in the Pacific, L’Heureux said.
El Nino hits hardest in December through February, shifting the winter storm track farther south to the equator. The entire southern third to half of the United States, including California, is likely to be wetter in El Nino. For years, California was looking for El Nino rain relief from a decades long megadrought, but this winter’s seemingly endless atmospheric rivers made it no longer needed, she said.
The U.S. Pacific Northwest and parts of the Ohio Valley can go dry and warm, L’Heureux said.
Some of the biggest effects are likely to be seen in a hotter and drier Indonesia and adjacent parts of Asia, L’Heureux said. Also look for parts of southern Africa to go dry.
On the other hand, drought-stricken countries in northeast Africa will welcome beneficial rainfall after enduring drought conditions for several years due to prolonged La Nina events, said Azhar Ehsan, associate research scientist at Columbia University.
Some economic studies have shown that La Nina causes more damages in the United States and globally than El Nino.
One 2017 study in an economic journal found El Nino has a “growth-enhancing effect” on the economies of the United States and Europe, while it was costly for Australia, Chile, Indonesia, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.
The United States also faces hazards from El Nino despite some benefits. Ehsan noted that the increased rainfall in California, Oregon, and Washington heightens the risk of landslides and flash flooding in these areas. “While El Nino brings benefits in terms of water resource recharge, it poses certain hazards that need to be considered and managed,” he added. (AP)
Itinalaga ni bagong Health Secretary Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa ngayong araw si Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire upang mamuno sa lahat ng mga undersecretary na nangangasiwa sa mga operasyon sa Department of Health (DOH), at si Undersecretary Eric Tayag bilang punong chief information officer.
Nagsilbi si Vergeire bilang officer-in-charge ng DOH bago ang pagtalaga ni Herbosa.
“I gave her a position of chief of all the undersecretaries that are in charge of our operations of all the different regions, because we have four undersecretaries taking care of the DOH activities in Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” ayon kay Herbosa sa isang panayam ng ANC.
“She will be helping me, helping me deliver the goals. Her experience and previous job of caretaker of DOH will continue in that segment of operations,” dagdag niya.
Dahil ang pangunahing prayoridad ni Herbosa bilang kalihim ng kalusugan ay ang overhaul DOH, sinabi niya na ang pagpili kay Tayag chief information officer ay napapanahon.
Binanggit niya ang termino ni Tayag bilang direktor ng Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service mula 2016 hanggang 2022.
“Ang digitalisasyon ng DOH ang aking prayoridad at kikilos siya upang tiyakin na ating dadalhin sa digital ang serbisyong pangkalusugan upang maging abot-kamay ito sa mga pinakamalalayong lugar sa bansa,” pahayag ni Herbosa.
Ipinaliwanag niya na ang digitalisasyon ng DOH ay isa sa kanyang mga medium-term na layunin, partikular na upang i-digitalize kung paano inilalabas ng kagawaran ang serbisyong pangkalusugan, kung paano ginagastos ang badyet, at kung paano sinusubaybayan ang mga operasyon ng DOH.
Inanunsyo ng Presidential Communications Office ang pagtalaga kay Herbosa bilang kalihim ng kalusugan noong Lunes, Hunyo 5. Nanumpa siya kinabukasan kay Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
CANDELARIA, Quezon. Isa ang namatay at dalawa ang nasugatan matapos magbanggaan ang dalawang traysikel sa Candelaria-San Juan road sa Brgy. Malabanban Sur dito, kagabi.
Agad namatay sa aksidente ang traysikel driver na si Romulo Lopez, 58 taong gulang at kasalukuyang naninirahan sa Brgy. Sta. Catalina Sur dahil sa malalang tama sa ulo at iba’t ibang bahagi ng katawan.
Samantala, ginagamot ngayon sa Candelaria District Hospital sina Arman Adano, 26 taong gulang na driver ng traysikel mula sa Brgy. Malabanban Sur, at si Romeo de Torres ng Barangay Masin Norte na isa sa mga pasahero.
Ayon sa pulisya, bandang alas-7:00 ng gabi nang pareho nilang minamaneho ang kanilang traysikel at patungo sa magkahiwalay na direksyon. Nang makarating sila sa nasabing lugar, nagbanggaan ang dalawang sasakyan na nagresulta sa pagkawasak ng mga traysikel.
Itinaas ng Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs)ang Alert Level ng bulkang Mayon sa Alert Level 3 matapos ang patuloy na pagtaas ng mga insidente ng pagguho ng bato
Indikasyon ito ng pagsisimula ng posibilidad ng pagputok, ayon sa Phivolcs dahil sa patuloy na pagtaas ng mga insidente ng pagguho ng bato.
Ayon sa Phivolcs sa isang abiso na inilabas nitong Huwebes, ang sunud-sunod na pagguho ng lumalaking bunton sa tuktok ng Bulkang Mayon ay nagdulot ng mas maraming bilang at dami ng mga insidente ng pagguho ng bato simula noong Hunyo 5 nang itaas ang alert status sa Antas 2.
Mula Hunyo 5 hanggang Hunyo 8, naitala ng Phivolcs ang 267 na insidente ng pagguho ng bato at dalawang bulkanikong lindol. May 54 na insidente ng pagguho ng bato mula Hunyo 1 hanggang Hunyo 4.
Sa ilalim ng Alert Level 3, ipinapakita ng Bulkang Mayon ang isang malagumang pagputok ng isang bunton ng lava sa tuktok nito, na may mas mataas na tsansa ng pagdaloy ng lava at mapanganib na pyroclastic density currents na maaring makaapekto sa mga itaas hanggang gitnang bahagi ng bulkan at posibleng pagsabog sa loob ng mga linggo o araw.
Iminungkahi ng Phivolcs ang paglikas ng mga residente na nasa loob ng 6-kilometrong radius na permanenteng panganib na lugar dahil sa panganib ng mga pyroclastic density currents, pagdaloy ng lava, pagguho ng bato, at iba pang mapanganib na epekto ng bulkan.
Samantala, mahigit 100 residente sa bayan ng Laurel, Batangas ang nagkasakit na dahil sa ibinubugang sulfur dioxide, isang mapanganib na gas, ng Taal Volcano, ayon sa isang local health official.
Karaniwang idinadaing ng mga residente ang ubo at sipon, pananakit ng dibdib, at pangangati ng mata.
Sinabi ng Phivolcs na hindi pa nito itataas ang alert level para sa Taal Volcano, na kasalukuyang nasa Level 1 o “low-level unrest” category, dahil walang ibang indicators maliban sa smog.
Ang sulfur dioxide ay nakakaapekto sa baga at sa mataas na antas ay maaaring magresulta sa pagkasunog ng ilong at lalamunan, mahirap na paghinga, at malubhang sagabal sa daanan ng hangin, ayon sa US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gayon pa man, hindi kasing panganib ng Mayon ang sitwasyon ng Taal, ayon sa Phivolcs.
Sinabi ng Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) kanina na nagdaos sila ng mga kumperensya sa paghahanda at koordinasyon kasama ang Phivolcs, Department of Health, at Environment Natural Resources dahil sa patuloy na pagtaas ng alert level ng bulkang Mayon at Taal.
Kaugnay nito, handa ang pamahalaan na magbigay ng tulong sakaling pumutok ang dalawang bulkan, ayon kay Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ngayong Huwebes.
Sinabi ni Marcos sa isang panayam sa media sa Manila Hotel, na mahigpit na binabantayan ng pamahalaan ang Bulkang Mayon at Taal.
ROME. Pope Francis’ was in “good general condition” Thursday, alert and breathing on his own, following a three-hour operation to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the Vatican said.
The 86-year-old Francis rested “extensively” during a peaceful night at Rome’s Gemelli hospital and was spending his first full day after the surgery observing the “necessary post-operative rest,” the Vatican said in a statement.
“The pope is informed of the messages of closeness and affection that have come in the last few hours and expresses his gratitude, while asking for continued prayers for him,” the statement said.
Francis was admitted to Gemelli on Wednesday for his second major abdominal operation in two years, following a 2021 procedure to remove part of his colon. During the procedure, doctors removed adhesions, or internal scarring, on the intestine that had caused a partial blockage. They also repaired a hernia that had formed over a previous scar, placing a prosthetic mesh in the abdominal wall.
Dr. Sergio Alfieri, director of abdominal and endocrine sciences at Gemelli who performed the surgery, said the operation was a success, that there were no complications and that Francis was suffering from no other pathologies. He said the tissue removed was benign and that after he recovers, Francis should be fine.
He revealed that in addition to that 2021 operation, Francis had undergone previous abdominal surgeries sometime before 2013 in his native Argentina, which had also caused intestinal scarring.
Alfieri, who also removed part of Francis’ colon in 2021, told an evening press conference that the pope was awake, alert and even joking. “When will we do the third one?” he quoted Francis as saying.
The pontiff was expected to remain in the 10th floor papal suite at Gemelli for several days, and all papal audiences were canceled through June 18.
The operation was scheduled after Francis had complained about increasing bouts of pain and intestinal blockages. After going to Gemelli on Tuesday for checks, Francis was admitted Wednesday following his general audience and underwent the procedure a short time later.
The surgery was likely scheduled now to give Francis plenty of time to recover before embarking on planned travel later this summer: an Aug. 2-6 trip to Portugal for World Youth Day, an Aug. 31-Sept. 4 trip to Mongolia and a Sept. 23 day trip to Marseille, France.
A feared protrusion, or bulging of the intestine through the hernia tear, was apparently not found.
“It appears they operated on him in a timely fashion with no compromise to his intestine,” said Dr. Walter Longo, chief of colon and rectal surgery at Yale University School of Medicine, who did not participate in the surgery and commented after consulting the Vatican statement on the procedure.
Dr. P. Ravi Kiran, chief of colorectal surgery at Columbia University, said the fact that there were adhesions removed “suggests that the small intestine might take some time to recover.”
“It is good news that bowel did not need to be removed and the surgeon was able to place prosthetic mesh to bridge the defect in the abdominal muscle,” Kiran said in an email. “There is always a risk of mesh infection when placed in a situation such as this, but factors such as any contamination seen at surgery, type of mesh and antibiotics used also impinge on this risk.”
Francis remained in charge of the Vatican and the 1.3-billion strong Catholic Church, even while unconscious and in the hospital, according to canon law.
In July 2021, Francis spent 10 days at Gemelli to remove 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his large intestine. In an interview with The Associated Press in January, Francis said the diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall, that prompted that surgery had returned.
Dr. Manish Chand, a professor of surgery at University College London who specializes in colorectal surgery, said the greatest issue going forward will be pain management and making sure the wound heals properly.
“In the first six weeks after this type of surgery, you’re at risk of getting a recurrence again,” he said. To avoid that, patients are advised not to do anything strenuous.
One of the last people to see Francis on Wednesday before he left the Vatican for the hospital was the Rev. Enzo Fortunato, spokesman of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
“He was very serene, very tranquil, and he encouraged us to go on,” Fortunato recalled. “This really hit me because it means he is not a man who is self-centered but focused on others. We said to him ‘Courage, and we will support you with our prayers.’”
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Associated Press first reported the story
Surgeon Sergio Alfieri, left, speaks to reporters about Pope Francis’ health conditions after operating on him at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Pope Francis underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the latest malady to befall the 86-year-old pontiff who had part of his colon removed two years ago. At right, Pope’s spokesperson Matteo Bruni.(AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
A university president said in a gathering that the progress of countries continues despite the problem of understanding the true state of the world. He said there are narratives that confuse the people. He considered fake news, dis/misinformation, and deep fakes on social media as just some of the things that are confusing the situation in the Philippines and other countries
Governments find it hard to focus on learning crises because they are too systemic, causing us to fall into confusion about who to believe, where to really start change, and when to fight against the excess of power. Is it really giving hope to people to get out of poverty? In perception alone, that hope is already vague. It is unclear because instead of anti-corruption drives getting better, corruption is getting worse. It is the same with peace and order, with the police being criticized left and right, in lower and upper houses of Congress, that is why we say that as a matter of awareness, we have failed in giving hope to the poor.
In the conduct of surveys by legitimate firms, are people satisfied with the resolutions to the Pharmally scam, the “Pastillas” bribery scheme at the Bureau of Immigration, the lowering of commodity prices, and even the hope that the promises made when the politicians were campaigning in 2022 will be fulfilled? Most of the reactions are: “pare-pareho lang ang mga iyan;” “wala na tayong aasahan sa mga iyan;” and “lagi naman tayong nganga sa mga pangako ng mga pulitiko.”
Studies cannot ascertain whether Filipinos are doing something to change the poor living conditions of many of their countrymen, but only one thing is clear: there are also many who benefit from the wrong ways of leaders.
In the depth of the problem, it cannot be fathomed by the poor who only focus on whether they will have something to eat tomorrow, or if the parents will earn something assuming they have decent jobs. This is where the role of universities comes into play, according to Fr. Marcelo Manimtim, CM. It was only fitting that those who were in front of him listening – alumni who are mass communicators and media practitioners out of Adamson University on June 3, 2023 – be reminded of this crucial role.
The alumni group led by its newly elected president, GMA Interactive News senior admin specialist Teejay Pusong, joined the call of duty of the university, especially in the matter of making people understand that there is still hope for poor people to get out of poverty, that there are individuals and institutions representing them in the matter of good governance, who are fighting for a better future for their children in the field of truth-telling, raising awareness not to follow wrong practices of some public and private institutions, and setting a good example of more decent and more disciplined citizens. In this mobilization of active alumni, said Fr. Manimtim, trust in the government can be restored, private citizens can equally be trusted as they care for disadvantaged members of society (hindi nanggugulang or not taking advantage), and there will be more meaningful and sustainable projects such as scholarship grants, improvement of curricular programs, support for student-athletes, building more classrooms and laboratories complete with equipment, etc.
The role of universities is substantial, according to the Adamson president. In his conversation with those who attended the homecoming of mass communicators and media practitioners, he felt that something could be done to correct the narratives of poverty, development, and good governance. Correct narratives will awaken people’s senses that there is truth in every story, and that is when solutions to society’s problems will begin to be formulated. This should be highlighted on Twitter and other platforms, according to Fr. Manimtim, who was deeply aware of the social media problem that can destroy the nation’s moral fiber if fake news and lies are neglected and not fought. “What is essential with what has happened on Twitter,” he said, “was that (it) not only tells us what is happening, but what people say about what is happening.”
There are mga pantas from universities (mga pamantasan, the root word of which is pantas) so that people will not be fooled. There are mga pantas (not necessarily experts based on 1 Kings 4:30; Matthew 2:1; Job 34:2) who prioritize the welfare of others, instead of themselves, because they have been blessed with resources and wisdom and it is time to just give back to the community, according to the president of Adamson.
Pusong and his fellow officers who are active in media and mass communication, with the guidance of the university’s Office for Institutional Advancement, the Communication Department, and the Adamson University Alumni Association, Inc., responded to the tough challenges of the new organization. Although most of the practitioners were young, they were also enlivened by the presence of big names in radio, TV, newspapers, independent journalism, film, and media companies. Their big ideas mattered to the young practitioners, too, including valuable industry lessons (and life lessons to boot) from Manila Broadcasting Company managing director Ed Montilla.
Communicators and media practitioners may help universities realize their university social responsibility (USC) undertakings, or they may simply conduct webinars and conferences about journalists’ creeds, battling fake news, fact-checking, among others.
There is a growing call for universities, scholars, and other stakeholders to become more active because otherwise, online and face-to-face evil will spread. And as painful as it is to accept, we already know what follows learning crises in the world: stupidity and defending it without realizing it.
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