HEADS UP: How Presidential Candidates Kicked Off Official Campaign (Feb. 9)

Here’s a Heads Up from reportr on news you need to know today, Feb. 9:

ELECTION NEWS

• Social media is the key battleground in the Philippine presidential elections as the official campaign period started yesterday with big rallies and motorcades.
• Mayor Isko Moreno showcased Manila as he made the case for voters to transfer him to Malacanang from city hall.
• Manny Pacquiao went back to his General Santos roots to show voters that a president Pacquiao knows what it’s like to be poor.
• Leni Robredo painted her Naga City bailiwick pink as her supporters held noise barrages to make the case for honest and competent leadership.
• Bongbong Marcos flexed his political muscle at the Philippine Arena owned by the bloc-voting Iglesia ni Cristo, with the rally hosted by vlogger Toni Gonzaga.
• Sen. Ping Lacson launched his presidential bid in his hometown Imus, Cavite, positioning himself as the leader who will uplift the lives of millions by eradicating corruption.
• The petition seeking to block the presidential candidacy of Bongbong Marcos on the grounds that he's an impostor has been dismissed, Comelec said.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• Here are the travel requirements you need to know if you are flying out of the Philippines.
• Here are the price caps for rapid antigen, including self-test kits from the DOH that will take effect Feb. 20.

TRENDING NEWS

• Have you played Saltong yet? We caught up with the creator of the Tagalog language answer to Worlde.

NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• One in 9,000 kids aged 5 to 11 who got vaccinated against COVID-19 suffered from a “minor” side effect – rashes that immediately subsided, according to the DOH.
• Meralco is cutting power rates in February, the second time this year, to reflect the lower cost of electricity that it buys from producers.
• A problem as big as plastic pollution in the oceans needs a coordinated global response, the World Wildlife Fund said.