"No to the Vape Bill" online rally will be held to urge Senators to prioritize public health and the welfare

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As Senate deliberations for Senate Bill No. 2239 (Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act), more commonly known as the “Vape Bill”, come to a close, hundreds of medical frontliners, doctors, parents, health advocates and young people gather online to denounce the measure as “anti-health, anti-youth, and anti-children”.

An online rally will be held to urge the Senators to prioritize public health and the welfare of young people and children over industry profit by voting ‘NO’ to the Vape Bill. Speakers include former Health Secretaries Paulyn Ubial and Jimmy Galvez-Tan, Philippine Medical Association (PMA) President Dr. Benito Atienza, and Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) President Dr. Maricar Limpin.


The event is organized by the PMA, Philippine Pediatric Society, ImagineLaw, HealthJustice, Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, Philippine Cancer Society, Child Rights Network, and the Asian Medical Students’ Association, among others.


Musical performers and spoken word artists will also be featured in the rally. Photo-ops and interviews will be made available.

Two Filipino Films To Compete in the Sundance Film Festival

 

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The largest independent film festival in the United States selects a Filipino feature film and a short film to take part in its 38th edition of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah to be held from January 20 to 30, 2022.

Competing in the prestigious World Cinema Dramatic section is Martika Escobar’s feature film Ang Pagbabalik ng Kwago (Leonor Will Never Die), while short film The Headhunter’s Daughter by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan is part of the Shorts Program 4 section. Both films will have their world premiere and onsite delegates at the festival.

“The selection of two Filipino films chosen to participate in the Sundance Film Festival, one of the world’s largest and most influential independent film festivals, is already a huge win for Philippine Cinema. We are proud that our country’s delegation to Sundance will be led by two promising independent filmmakers, especially Martika and her film which were part of the Agency’s Full Circle Lab Philippines and CreatePHFilms funding program,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño.

A Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) CreatePHFilm fund grantee and a Full Circle Lab alumni, Ang Pagbabalik ng Kwago (Leonor Will Never Die) is about retired screenwriter Leonor, who becomes the action hero in her own screenplay after falling into a coma. The film’s delegation, including director Escobar and producers Monster Jimenez and Mario Cornejo, will fly to Utah to attend the festival onsite.

The Headhunter’s Daughter tells the story of Lynn, an aspiring country singer and her trusty brown horse July, who endure an arduous descent along the Cordilleran highlands to make it on time for the audition of her dreams in the city. Her journey leads her to a path where her indigenous identity is confronted by the unseen forces of the landscape’s colonial American past. Director Eblahan will be attending the festival together with US-based producer Hannah Schierbeek.

Since 1978, the annual Sundance has brought artists and audiences together from all over the world, championing stories that inspire new ideas and amplify original voices in support of independent storytelling.

The Sundance Film Festival 2022 organized by Sundance Institute will be held in a hybrid format that will run from January 20 to 30, 2022.

SSS reminds members of guidelines in filing of UMID Card applications

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The Social Security System (SSS) is reminding its members who would want to apply for a Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) Card to follow the application guidelines implemented in its branches to minimize their risk of exposure to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Under the guidelines, members may submit their UMID Card applications at SSS branches following the number coding system. They may also set first an appointment with their preferred branch using the Appointment System in the My.SSS Member Portal.

The list of SSS branches accepting UMID Card applications can be accessed at https://bit.ly/UMIDAppFacilities.

“We encourage our members to accomplish the UMID Card Application Form before going to their preferred SSS branch to lessen the time they will spend in them,” SSS President and CEO Aurora C. Ignacio said.
Together with the properly accomplished UMID Card Application Form, members are also required to bring one primary valid ID, or in its absence, two secondary valid IDs.

UMID Card Application Forms can be downloaded through the SSS website at https://bit.ly/UMIDAppForm.

Starting September 27, 2021, the SSS gradually resumed the acceptance of UMID Card applications in its branches.

Qualified to apply for SSS-issued UMID Cards are members with at least one posted contribution. It is free of charge for first-time applicants, but for those who lost their UMID Cards or need to update them, they will have to pay a P200 replacement fee at the SSS branch.

“The SSS is the only authorized institution that accepts applications and issues UMID Cards for its members working in the private sector. The biometrics data capturing, which is an important process in the issuance of UMID Cards, is currently done only through our branches. We are reminding our members to refrain from transacting with fixers to avoid any inconvenience,” Ignacio added.

Meanwhile, members who applied for an SS Number online beginning December 10, 2020, will no longer need to fill out a UMID Card Application Form. They just need to set an appointment with their preferred SSS branch for biometric data capture and present their printed SS Number application and transaction number slip.

The SSS advises its members that there will be delays in the production and availability of UMID Cards until further notice. A notification will be issued to UMID applicants when their cards are available for pick-up. For members who are applying for work in Taiwan, the SSS will continue to issue certification in lieu of the SSS-issued UMID Card to facilitate their visa application.

For more information, visit the uSSSap Tayo Portal at https://crms.sss.gov.ph, follow the SSS on Facebook at “Philippine Social Security System - SSS,” Instagram and YouTube at “mysssph,” Twitter at “PHLSSS,” or join its Viber Community at “MYSSSPH Updates.”