HEADS UP: Nas Academy PH On Pause After Whang-Od Row (Aug. 9)

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

TRENDING NEWS

• Nas Academy has paused its operrations in the Philippines following the controversy involving Kalinga’s oldest mambabatok Apo Whang-Od.
• What’s the deal with Nas Academy and Apo Whang-Od? An anthropologist gives the big picture.

TOKYO 2020

• Carlo Paalam bagged the Philippines’ second silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics, cementing the country’s best performance ever in the summer games.
• Paalam said his silver medal, made partly from recycled tech, reminded him of his childhood days when he used to scavenge through trash.
• The Tokyo Olympics officially closed on Sunday. Here are some memorable moments from the sporting event, and here’s how the pandemic affected it.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• Here’s how you can make your digital wallets ready for the two-week lockdown.
• If you are an Authorized Person Outside Residence or APOR, here’s what you need to bring when going out.
• Heading out for essentials? Check out mall hours here. Be reminded that some outlets of the SM Department Store are closed during the ECQ.
• Plan your transactions accordingly as some banks have adjusted their operating hours during the ECQ.

LOCKDOWN NEWS

• The government has released the for the release of COVID-19 cash aid or ayuda for eligible Metro Manila beneficiaries, allowing for distribution this week.
• The National Kidney and Transplant Institute has declared full capacity due to the rise in COVID-19 and leptospirosis cases in the facility.
• On Sunday, on the third of lockdown in Metro Manila, the Philippines reported a total of 9,671 new cases of COVID-19. It even went up to over 11,000 on Saturday.
• The highly contagious Delta variant has been detected in all 17 areas of the National Capital Region, the Department of Health said.

VACCINE NEWS

• The Philippines received an additional 326,400 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine as it continues vaccination efforts despite stricter quarantine protocols.
• The city of Manila has started holding 24/7 vaccination as part of its broader campaign to inoculate its residents.
• Unvaccinated people are twice as likely to be reinfected with COVID-19 compared to those fully vaccinated, a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

2022 ELECTIONS

• Vice President Leni Robredo said she declined the “unification formula”  offered by Sen. Panfilo Lacson for the 2022 elections as it called for candidates to yield to the one ranking high on surveys, which she didn’t want to do.
• A PDP-Laban faction endorsed the tandem of Sen. Bong Go and President Rodrigo Duterte for the 2022 elections, but the senator said he would only consider running if the chief executive would seek the vice presidency.
• Former Sen. Bongbong Marcos said he would also seek a national post in the 2022 elections.

NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Naelah Alshorbaji of Parañaque City was crowned Miss Philippines Earth 2021.
• A Filipino fisherman rescued two Chinese fishermen whose boat laid adrift off Palawan province.
• To protect children from sexual predators, Apple announced that iPhones and iPads would soon start detecting images containing child sexual abuse.