🙋‍♂️ Little injection as presidential pardon, going off corps

Today's briefing is about President Duterte's inoculation for COVID-19 and why it means more than just getting the shot. Plus, the country's top diplomat foregoing Twitter tact.

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PHILSTAR.COM’S WEEKDAY NEWSLETTER Together with By Camille Diola Good morning. Today's briefing is about President Duterte's inoculation for COVID-19 and why it means more than just getting the shot. Plus, the country's top diplomat foregoing Twitter tact.

1   Little injection as presidential pardon President Duterte who's 76 finally received a COVID-19 vaccine shot. Thing is, the dosage he received is not on the approved list of the Food and Drug Administration. What happened: A Facebook Live airing last night shows Health Secretary Duque administering Sinopharm vaccine to Duterte. The first dose, Malacañang said, is covered by the FDA's compassionate use permit issued to the Presidential Security Group in February. Why it matters: Smuggling is an outright violation of customs law but Duterte's use of Sinopharm's drug shot by Duque himself is seen as a tacit imprimatur on the smuggling of vaccines earlier this year, which was supposed to be probed by both the DOH and the FDA. Vaccine priority rules were also skirted as members of his security entourage plus a few Cabinet officials and lawmakers took smuggled jabs. No one has been held responsible for the violations.   2   Going off corps Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin Jr. doesn't find the repeat filing of diplomatic protests a strong enough statement for a top diplomat. Yesterday, he fired off his objections on Twitter and they were not exactly worded the way the esteemed diplomatic corps would imagine: "China, my friend, how politely can I put it? Let me see... O... GET THE FUCK OUT." Giphy Zoom out: Locsin, who often uses expletives on the social networking site, was visibly frustrated over the continuing presence of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea. "Usual suave diplomatic speak gets nothing done," he tweeted. In new diplomatic protests, the DFA accused China's coastguard of "belligerent actions" against Filipino civilian vessels near Scarborough Shoal.

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HITTING THE MARKET ► Bill and Melinda Gates announce divorce after 27 years. ► Dennis Uy still keen on opening his Cebu casino despite swelling debt. ► Pandemic funding pushed up BSP-approved foreign debt in Q1. ► Lockdowns demonstrate impact with factory output back to red. ► Pandemic costs bloat government debt to new record-high in March. ► Federico Pascual returning to Philippine National Bank as new chairman. ► FDC-led Clark airport consortium is unfazed by competition.

IT SHOWS 'Wag magpalunod sa agos Sa panahon ng sunud-sunod ang breaking news at naglilipanang maling impormasyon, madaling malunod sa agos ng balita't hindi ito maintindihan. Sisikapin ng programang "Anyare?" na mailapit ang mga nagbabaga't "hebigat" na isyu sa pinakasimple't kwelang paraan. Ayos, 'di ba? Ipapalabas simula ngayon araw, May 4.

ELSEWHERE ON PHILSTAR.COM A convincing recovery is unlikely for the Philippines this year and any rebound would be “fragile” and vulnerable to quarantine swings. A doctor at the ivermectin pantry last week where violative prescriptions were given out claimed he made an "honest mistake" in forgetting to indicate the drug. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that an increasingly powerful China is challenging the world order, acting "more repressively" and "more aggressively" as it flexes its influence. The first doses of Sputnik V vaccines are set to be used in vaccination centers in five Metro Manila cities. The World Press Freedom Day message of President Duterte is a departure from the Philippines' dip in global rankings, the rise in threats and journalist killings.   Tweet me your thoughts about today's START or pitch possible topics you'd like us to send out a briefing on. I'd be thrilled to hear from subscribers so don't be shy. 💭 To see the rest of our coverage, visit www.philstar.com. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for free. You received this message because you signed up for Philstar.com's daily newsletter. If you no longer wish to receive our emails, unsubscribe here.