Speaker Velasco welcomes Comelec heeding Congress, public clamor to extend voter registration

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has welcomed the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to extend the voter registration period for the May 2022 elections until October 31 this year.

Velasco said he was glad the Comelec has finally heeded the clamor of Congress and the public to give voters, who face the prospect of being disenfranchised because of the COVID-19 pandemic, more time to register and vote in the coming polls.

“We thank the Comelec for seeing the wisdom of extending the voter registration to allow more Filipinos to exercise their right of suffrage, which is one of the most important rights and responsibilities we have as citizens of the Philippines,” Velasco said.

The Comelec decision came two days after the House of Representatives and the Senate approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to compel the poll body to extend by one month the voter registration period, which was supposed to end on September 30.

Principally authored by Speaker Velasco, House Bill 10261 sets the deadline for voter registration to “30 days after the effectivity” of the proposed measure.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, the main sponsor of the counterpart measure in the Upper Chamber, reportedly said the Senate will adopt the House version of the bill.

This will allow the legislature to do away with the bicameral conference committee meeting as the final version will be sent straight to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for his signature.

Velasco maintained that extending the voter registration would prevent “massive voter disenfranchisement” given the “extraordinary circumstances” brought about by the pandemic.

“Again, we hope the Comelec will use the extension to ramp up voter registration and ensure that more people can vote next year because we cannot afford to disenfranchise Filipino voters,” Velasco said.

The Speaker noted that the six-month suspension of voter registration during the height of the health crisis in 2020 prevented a lot of Filipinos from taking the crucial first step in participating in the May 2022 polls.

He noted that registrations were suspended further in 2021 as the nation was placed under different community quarantine classifications.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that 73 million voters are qualified to participate in the May 2022 polls.

The Comelec has reported that as of last August 23, there are around 61 million registered voters in the country. This could mean that there are still around 12 million Filipinos who have yet to register. 

Sara Duterte not running for national position

 

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio with Speaker Lord Allan Velasco. File photo

Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio said she will no longer run for the presidency in the 2022 national elections after her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, accepted his nomination as the vice presidential candidate of PDP-Laban.

On the Facebook post of Davao PIO Jef Tupas, the details of the conversation of Mayor Sara with reporter RG Cruz is posted.

1) Good Morning Mayor! What do you think of the outcome of PDP Laban's convention yesterday?

I think it turned out the way the Cusi Faction wanted it to go down.

2) With PRD firming up his plans for VP, how does it affect your own plans for 2022? 

It does not affect any of my plans but as we both agreed only one from the family will run for a national position.

3) What do you think of SBG's positioning when it comes to his nomination by the party? 

From the last time PRRD and I talked this was their Plan A. The Plan B was for SBG to run as VP.

4) What do you think of their senate slate?

No comment

5) And will you help the PDP Laban the way HNP helped in 2019?

No. I will not share my light this time.

6) Dyu have any message to your supporters?

Yes, I am happy we are united in our desire to see a better Philippines in the future. I will be eternally thankful for your trust and confidence.

7) What is the nature  of your relationship with PRD now?

The same as it was before. Our politics do not interfere with our familial relationship. Iba ang trabaho, iba ang pamilya. Walang personalan.

—

To clarify,  with regards to question #2--can you categorically say you're no longer running for President because of PRD's declaration?

Yes, I am not running for a national position as we both agreed only one of us will run for a national position in 2022.

(Credits to FB: Jef Tupas)

Tropical Cyclone #JolinaPH moves west northwestward over Sibuyan Sea, expected in the vicinity of Mogpog at 5:00 AM Sept 8

 

Maximum sustained winds of 100 km/h near the center, gustiness of up to 125 km/h, and central pressure of 996 hPa

TROPICAL CYCLONE BULLETIN NO. 12 STS “#JolinaPH” (CONSON) Issued at 8:00 PM, 7 September 2021 Next bulletin at 11:00 PM today. STS “JOLINA” MAINTAINS ITS STRENGTH AS IT CONTINUES TO MOVE WEST NORTHWESTWARD OVER THE SIBUYAN SEA

Pandemic deaths 1918-1919 at 2020-2021 sa Marinduque; Covid-19 updates at mga pagsisikap ng mga namumuno

Ang pinakahuli lamang na turnover Aug 30 ng medical supplies, equipment, ambulances, service vehicles para sa Marinduque sa inisyatibo ni Speaker Lord Allan Velasco ay tinanggap ni Gov. Presby Velasco. Pinasalamatan ang DOH, OCD at Pilipinong May Puso Foundation at marami pang iba.
 

Sa Marinduque ay 979 ang namatay sa Spanish Flu noong 1918. 

Datos mula sa The Philippines in the World of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918–1919, F Gealogo. 

Naganap sa mundo at Pilipinas kasama na ang Marinduque ang isang pandemya noong 1918. 

Spanish Flu ang tawag nila dito. 40% ng mga Pilipino ang tinamaan, 88,906 ang pumanaw. 10 buwan ang inabot ng 3 waves noon, yung ikalawa mas nakamamatay kaysa nauna. 

Sa Marinduque ay 979 ang namatay. Panahong ang naitalang populasyon ng ating islang-lalawigan ay 56,868 pa lamang.

Ang populasyon ng Marinduque sa kasalukuyan ay 239,207 ayon sa 2020 Census.

Sa mga karatig lalawigan naman natin sa ngayo'y kilala bilang MIMAROPA ay ito naging death toll sa Spanish Flu: Mindoro, 1,003; Romblon, 279; Palawan, 1,640.

Sa kasalukuyang pandemya ng COVID-19 sa Marinduque makaraan ang 1 at kalahating taon (Marso 2020-August 2021) ay ito naman ang naging record: 1,919 ang inamaan ng sakit at 89 lamang ang sumakabilang-buhay.

Sa kasalukuyan, pinaghirapan na ng husto ng ating mga iginagalang na mga pinuno ng pamahalaan at ang mga frontliners, ay patuloy na ginagawa ang lahat ng kanilang makakaya. 

Walang sino man sa kanila angt nagpapabaya, mula sa punong-lalawigan, Gov. Presbiterno Velasco, Jr., lahat ng opisyales ng pamahalaang panlalawigan, lahat ng opisyales ng anim na bayan at lalong-lalo na ang kongresista ng Marinduque na ngayo'y nakatayo bilang Speaker of the House Lord Allan Velasco.

Unang naganap sa lokal na kasaysayan ng lalawigan ang ganitong pagkakataon.

Di katakatakang lahat ng available resources sa loob at labas ng lalawigan ay kayang-kayang gawan ng paraaan para iparating dito.

Ayaw kang talikuran kahit pagod na pagod na sila at ang panganib na nakaamba ay naiisantabi pa rin dahil sa kanilang dedikasyon at pagkalinga sa pinagsisilbihan.

Hindi maitatanggi na isa itong uri ng inspiradong pamamalakad at paninilbihan sa bayan ng mga lider natin.

Spanish Flu death toll 

Ayon sa isang panulat, “America’s Forgotten Pandemic” ni Alfred W. Crosby sa nabanggit na "1918 Spanish Flu" na basta ang tawag lamang sa atin ay "Trancazo" ay ganito: “Ang flu morbidity at mortality statistics ng Pilipinas, na may populasyon na 9 hanggang 10.5 million, depende na sa kung anong awtoridad ang iyong kinokonsulta, ay di maaasahan. Mga 40 porsyento ng mga Filipino ang nahawa sa sakit, at 70,000-90,000 ang nangagkamatay. 

“Kahit pa gamitan ng pinaka-konserbatibong pagtatantiya, ang pandemic ay pumatay sa 2 porsyento ng mga nagkasakit nito. 

“Sa maraming barangay sa pinakamatinding panahon, walang supisyenteng mga taong may kakayahang maglibing sa mga patay. Ang pandemya ay tila pinakamatinding perwisyo ang ginawa sa malalayong lugar, tulad ng Cotabato sa Mindanao, kung saan 95 porsiyento ang nagkasakit.”