HEADS UP: Gov't Vaccine Sites Stop Publicizing Brands (May 21)

Here's a Heads Up from reportr on news that you need to know today, May 21:

VACCINE NEWS

• The DILG directed local officials to stop advertising the vaccine brand when calling on people to get immunized against COVID-19.
• Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, however, makes his case: 'transparency is important' to alleviate vaccine mistrust.
• Quezon City has opened a drive-thru option for vaccinations.
• The country received 500,000 more Sinovac jabs yesterday, bringing the total inventory to eight million.

POLITICS EXPLAINED

• Is the Senate still a springboard for Malacanang? We examine why senators often seek the presidency or the vice presidency and how this may have changed because of last elections.

CULTURE EXPLAINED

• Pop star Demi Lovato came out as non-binary. She uses the pronoun “they” since she does not identify exclusively as a man or woman. Here’s a guide to gender pronouns.

MONEY EXPLAINED

• Adulting 101: How to build an emergency fund and why you should have one.

NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Twitter has explained why it killed off its photo-cropping algorithm: it takes the point of view of a white man, with a fixation for legs and breasts.
• PhilHealth said it had enough money to reimburse hospitals for COVID-19 claims, it’s just that the processing takes time.
• Four Filipino cadets graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and will soon join the Philippine Coast Guard.
• Europe will soon open its borders to the fully vaccinated.
• The pandemic has minted nine new billionaires, as calls mount to break big pharma’s monopoly control over vaccine technology.
• Blame climate change: the world's largest iceberg has broken off Antarctica.