Manila Standard - 2021 December 7 - Tuesday

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PH JUMPS TO 57TH IN NIKKEI ASIA’S COVID-19 RECOVERY RANKINGS

NEWS / A2

ISKO TO ADOPT DU30 AS PARTY’S 4TH SENATE BET

BIG OIL PRICE ROLLBACK OVER OMICRON FEARS

NEWS / A2

NEWS / A2 VOL. XXXV • NO. 295 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 •TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Rooms to test F2F classes for all levels CLASSROOM availability must be considered when students from all grade levels return to schools to conduct limited face-to-face classes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education (DepEd) said Monday. The pilot implementation of limited “F2F” classes in 28 public schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) “went smoothly” according to Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan. Next page

BACK TO SCHOOL. Pupils from Aurora A. Quezon elementary school in San Andres, Manila line up before entering the school during the first day of their face-toface pilot class on Monday. Danny Pata

Omicron stalls Alert Level 1

DOH admits no ‘foreseeable’ shift yet despite PH at minimum risk By Willie Casas

T

HE Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said the country’s quarantine status will not go down to Alert Level 1 anytime soon due to threat of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, despite its being classified as “minimal risk.”

“We’re not yet easing to Alert Level Duque III said in Filipino over radio 1. I don’t like it, let’s remain under Alert dzBB. Level 2 for now. Let’s observe and monThis developed as the World Health itor first,” Health Secretary Francisco Organization appealed to governments

to intensify sequencing tests to detect Omicron in their countries. Early indications of the severity of the Omicron COVID-19 variant are “a bit encouraging,” top US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci said Sunday, while cautioning that more information was still needed. The WHO previously warned it could take weeks to determine how infectious the variant is, whether it causes more Next page

Next pandemic ‘more lethal’ THE lead developer of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine warned the next pandemic could be “more lethal,” urging better preparedness in a speech set to be aired Monday. Sarah Gilbert, who is credited with saving millions of lives through her

role in designing the jab, said the world must build on key lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. “This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods. The truth is, the next one could Next page

Immigration reopens airport e-gates to cut process time By Vito Barcelo

2,835,154 543

13,548

48,499

113

2,772,107

830

(As of 4 PM, December 6)

THE Bureau of Immigration will reopen e-gates in all international airports in the country in time for the Christmas holiday break, when an influx of international travelers is anticipated. BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said he wanted the electronic gates revived to assure returning Filipinos of faster immigration processing, saying the e-gates cut the processing time for passengers “from the present 45 seconds to just eight seconds.” Launched in August 2018, the BI’s e-gates were in operation until March last year when the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the bureau to suspend the scheme. The suspension was prompted by Next page

BICAM PANEL. The Bicameral Conference Committee deliberating the 2022 national budget gathers for a photo at the Garden Ballroom of the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong on Monday. Pictured are (from right) House Minority Leader Stephen Paduano, Deputy Speaker Michael Romero, House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, Senator Joel Villanueva, Senator Sonny Angara, House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Eric Yap, Senator Imee Marcos, Senator Cynthia Villar, Rep. Michael Aglipay, Rep. Edcel Lagman, and Senator Ronald De La Rosa. Ver Noveno

Romualdez sees Duterte’s budget OK by yearend sign into law the proposed P5.024 tril“It is to the best interest of our peolion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) ple that the 2022 General AppropriaHOUSE Majority Leader and Leyte before the year ends to strengthen gov- tions Act (GAA) be signed by PresiRep. Martin Romualdez is expecting ernment’s fight against COVID-19 and dent Duterte before the end of the year that President Rodrigo Duterte would push the country’s economic recovery. Next page

By Rio N. Araja

Suu Kyi, ally meted 4 years in jail Basilan mayors for breaking military, health rules ambushed; one died, other hurt

YANGON—Myanmar’s junta jailed ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday for four years for incitement against the military and breaching Covid rules, the first of a series of possible sentences that could see the Nobel laureate imprisoned for decades. Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained since the generals staged a coup and ousted her government on February 1, ending the Southeast Asian country’s brief period of democracy. She has since been hit with a series of charges, including violating the official secrets act, illegally importing walkie talkies and electoral fraud.

Next page Aung San Suu Kyi

TWO mayors from Basilan province were ambushed Monday as they were traveling together to Zamboanga City, police said. One of the mayors, Darussalam Saguindilan Lajid of Al-Barka town, was killed. The other, Alih Awal Sali of Akbar town, is in critical condition, Police Lt. Mary Agnes Miro of the Zamboanga City Police said. Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Miro said Sali’s driver was Next page

Makati Med no COVID cases, first in 20 months THE Makati Medical Center now has zero in-patient cases of COVID-19 after battling hundreds of coronavirus infections for nearly two years, its

chief confirmed Monday. “Yes, I validate the report,” Dr. Saturnino Javier, MMC MediNext page