1 June 25-July 1, 2021
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION
www.pnewstoday.com
THE PREMIER FILIPINO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IN THE U.S. SINCE 1961
Vol. 60 No. 46 June 24-30, 2021
NEWS AND VIEWS YOU TRUST
EX-PRESIDENT AQUINO DIES, NATION MOURNS 3-way presidential race in 2022 looms By ALFRED GABOT Editor in Chief
DAVAO CITY/MANILA – The goal of the opposition coalition 1Sambayan for one common slate to trounce President Rodrigo Duterte’s candidate may just be a dream now as at least a three-way presidential race loomed large as the October filing of certificates of candidacy nears. Page 9
DFA warns public anew vs. passport appointment scams LENI-ISKO IN 2022? Vice President Leni Robredo meets with Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso during a vaccina�on project fueling specula�ons that the two could be an ideal president-vice president tandem in 2022.
Deadlier COVID-19 variant heads for Duterte country By Be�ng Laygo Dolor, Editor
MANILA – The Delta coronavirus variant, considered as deadlier than the original COVID-19 strain, has started to appear in the southern part of the Philippines, specifically in Davao City in the island of Mindanao. Not only is President Rodrigo Duterte’s hometown of Davao City the site of the highest number of coronavirus cases
in recent weeks, it also has the highest fatality rate. So said the UP-based think tank OCTA Research Team, which said this week that Davao City – one of the biggest cities in the world in terms of size – “has the highest number of fatalities from COVID-19 at 3.43 percent case fatality rate.” This makes the city where presidential daughter Page 8
PASAY CITY – Needing a new passport? The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has warned the public against advertisements on social media perpetrated by unscrupulous individuals that offer passport appointment slots and fake or tampered appointment documents in exchange for payment. Several cases of fake documents from unwitting applicants who have claimed to have secured them through social media have turned up at the DFA in recent weeks. Demand for passport services has become pronounced as the DFA’s consular offices in the region, mostly located inside malls, have had to cease
QUEZON CITY Former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III passed away on Thursday, June 24, at the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City. Aquino He was 61. Reports said Aquino, who was a chain smoker, had been undergoing blood transfusion and was hospitalized Thursday, but this has not been confirmed. Malacanang and the nation readily mourned Aquino’s passing. Presidential chief legal adviser Salvador Panelo, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., former Senator Mar Roxas and Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leon were among the first to expressed their grief about the untimely demise of Aquino.
San Francisco, Colma raise Philippine flag By Jun Nucum
operations in line with the declaration of enhanced community quarantine and modified ECQ in the NCR Plus area in March and April, resulting in limited passport appointment slots. While the DFA was able to offer over 13,000 passport appointment slots per day before the pandemic, only 6,100 slots per day are available now because of restrictions in venue capacity and strict Page 8
SAN FRANCISCO - The Philippine Center in San Francisco also held a flag-raising ceremony like city halls in some major San Francisco Bay Area cities and a Panunumpa sa Watawat (Pledge of Allegiance to the Philippine Flag) was recited to highlight the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco commemoration of the 123rd Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence. Leading the Consulate commemoration was Page 8
US embassy cancels non-immigrant visa appointments to July 30
P2
PHL to get more US-donated vaccines VIEWS & COMMENTS
Protect yourself from wage garnishment Page 14 By A�y. Lozano
SHOWBIZ
Rabiya Mateo shines in New York, Washington DC Page 18
SPORTS
FilAm sprinter Kristina Knott, others going to Olympics Page 21
PESO-DOLLAR RATE
$1.00= P48.71
as of June 24, 2021 1:00am
P3
P2
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