News Roundup 27 April 2020
Apr 27, 2020 • 2 min Read
Army wary of police ‘prejudgment’ in Ragos shooting | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippine Army said it is concerned by remarks by police officials that the shooting death of a former soldier by a Quezon City policeman that contradict those of witnesses and give the impression that the officials had already prejudged the incident. In the wake of the shooting by a police officer, allegedly in self-defense, of retired Cpl. Winston Ragos last week, police leadership had called the shooting a “judgment call” and had said Police MSgt. Daniel Florendo was only “following instructions.” Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, Army spokesperson, said the judge advocate general—the lawyer of the Army—found inconsistencies in statements from the police and from witnesses. “The testimonies were different between the witnesses and the police. The statements given, there was an image of prejudgment,” Zagala told the ABS-CBN News Channel on Monday.
Guidelines of general community quarantine or ‘new normal’ being finalized — Palace | INQUIRER.NET – Guidelines on the general community quarantine (GCQ), including whether or not barbershops and salons would be allowed to operate, are already being finalized, Malacañang said Monday. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases are already discussing the GCQ or the “new normal” to be implemented in several low-risk areas starting May 1.
New confrontation reported as cops implement ECQ in gated communities | Manila Bulletin – The strict implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in posh communities led to another unpleasant confrontation between a policeman and a resident, this time, at the Dasmariñas Village in Makati City. A video of a confrontation between a policeman and a foreign-looking resident of Dasmariñas Village went viral over allegations that the cop trespassed and physically assaulted the latter.
Robredo seeks bigger funding for S&T | The Manila Times – Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo has sought bigger funding for science and technology (S&T). Robredo stressed that the discovery of vaccines would not only depend on the skill of scientists but also on the available resources and funding. “Ito sanang nangyayari sa atin ngayon maging eye-opener sa pamahalaan — hindi lang sa executive [branch] pero siguro lalo na sa kongreso — na taasan iyong budget sa science and technology, kasi ito talaga iyong parating napapabayaan (What is happening to us should be an eye-opener to the government to grant a higher budget for science and technology, because this sector has always been neglected),” she said in her weekly radio program on Sunday. Robredo said the importance of science was only realized during crises such as the coronavirus pandemic.
