TOP STORIES – Wednesday, 21 June 2023

TODAY’S TOP STORIES (from online and print media monitoring)

21 June 2023, Wednesday, as of 5:00 p.m.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa gets his bivalent COVID-19 jab. Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News

1. Bivalent vaccine rollout:

-Marcos tells LGUs: Make sure vulnerable Filipinos get bivalent COVID-19 shots

-Herbosa gets first bivalent vaccine jab in NCR

[ABS-CBN News, Rappler, CNN Philippines, GMA News, Manila Times]

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/21/23/philippines-rolls-out-bivalent-covid-vaccine

2. Marcos says PHL making progress in talks with China, downplays recent Chinese coast guard shadowing [Business Mirror, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Pilipino Star Ngayon, Manila Bulletin, Manila Standard, Manila Times]

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/06/21/news/ph-making-progress-in-talks-with-china

3. Zubiri signs Maharlika Investment Fund bill [ABS-CBN News, CNN PHL, GMA News]

http://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/6/21/migz-zubiri-signs-maharlika-investment-fund-bill.html

4. PBBM vows bonus for DA personnel, cites agriculture role in development  [Bulgar, Daily Tribune, Manila Standard]

https://manilastandard.net/news/national/314341950/pbbm-vows-bonus-for-da-personnel-cites-agriculture-role-in-development.html

5. Sandiganbayan junks bid to present addt'l witness testimony in Marcos ill-gotten wealth case [Abante Tonite, Manila Standard, CNN PHL]

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/6/20/sandiganbayan-etpi-case-marcos-family.html

6. Senators reject DOH chief’s plan to hire nursing board flunkers [Philippine Daily Inquirer, Pilipino Star Ngayon, Manila Bulletin, The Philippine Star, CNN Philippines]

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1790966/senators-reject-doh-chiefs-plan-to-hire-nursing-board-flunkers

7. AFGHAN REFUGEES

-PHL decision on housing Afghan refugees seen next month

-Duterte weighs in on Afghan refugee issue

-Bishop calls for compassion for Afghan refugees

-Housing Afghans in PHL the highest form of compliance to human rights – senator

[GMA News, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Pilipino Mirror, ABS-CBN News]

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/873552/ph-decision-on-housing-afghan-refugees-seen-next-month-amb-romualdez/story/

8. Impending LRT fare hike opposed [Bulgar, Manila Bulletin, Business Mirror, Philippine Daily Inquirer]

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1790948/impending-lrt-fare-hike-opposed

9. ‘FE.1’ COVID-19 Omicron subvariant:

-FE.1 variant may cause severe COVID infections

-New Omicron sublineage FE.1 no cause for alarm –expert

[GMA News, Manila Times, The Philippine Star, Manila Standard, Manila Bulletin]

https://manilastandard.net/news/top-stories/314342004/fe-1-variant-may-cause-severe-covid-infections.html

© Philippine Information Agency Monitoring Unit