News Roundup 01 July 2020
Jul 01, 2020 • 4 min Read
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Philippines now at 38,511 | PHILSTAR.COM – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines increased to 38,511 Wednesday after the Department of Health reported 999 new infections. A new study from OCTA Research projected the number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines could soar to 60,000 by the end of July as the country is still experiencing “significant” community transmission of the illness. The DOH logged 205 more recoveries, raising the number of people who have survived the severe respiratory disease to 10,438. However, four more people died from COVID-19. This brought to 1,270 the country’s fatality count.
Panel reviewing drug war deaths just a ‘ruse,’ ‘damage control’ — rights groups | PHILSTAR.COM – The Duterte administration’s creation of an inter-agency panel to look into drug war deaths is just a “ruse” to avoid international scrutiny and investigation, rights groups said. At the United Nations Human Rights Council’s 44th session on Tuesday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra delivered the Philippine government’s statement and said an inter-agency panel was created to investigate anti-drug operations that resulted in deaths. This panel is “external” to the Philippine National Police and headed by his department, Guevarra added. But the Human Rights Watch pointed out that this panel “is deeply flawed.” HRW Deputy Director for Asia Phil Robertson pointed out that the PNP and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, agencies directly implicated in the drug war, are part of the team. The Departments of Justice and the Interior and Local Government, both involved in the bloody campaign, will evaluate and finalize the review. “At a time when the Philippines needs a serious impartial investigation into ‘drug war’ killings, the panel is nothing more than a ruse to shield the country from international scrutiny,” Robertson said. “It’s also a naked attempt to discourage the Human Rights Council from starting an independent, international investigation into the ‘drug war’ killings and related violations as recommended by the UN high commissioner,” he added. HRW stressed: “Countries at the Human Rights Council should not be fooled.”
PH slipped into economic recession in first half of 2020 | INQUIRER.NET – The Philippines has slipped into a recession, as economic contraction likely deepened during the second quarter with the COVID-19 lockdown — at its peak in April and May — severely affecting production sectors, the country’s chief economist said Wednesday. “Based on the Missi (monthly integrated survey of selected industries), LFS (labor force survey) and trade statistics up to May, it will be deeper than the first quarter,” Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said in a text message, but he did not say by how much. First-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 0.2 percent year-on-year. With two straight quarters of GDP contraction, the country fell into a recession during the first half — the first time since the full-year recession in 1998 with a 0.5-percent drop in GDP.
Binay refutes Roque’s claim of victory over COVID-19 | Manila Bulletin – Senator Nancy Binay on Wednesday refuted presidential spokesman Harry Roque’s claim that the Philippines is “winning” the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. “In the first place, it’s too early to say that we are winning because if we are winning, then we should have had a semblance of normalcy, especially here in Metro Manila,” Binay said in an interview over ANC Headstart. “But the mere fact that we are still under general community quarantine, means we’re not winning the battle,” she said. Roque had earlier boasted that the Philippines is “winning” the COVID-19 battle, disputing the World Health Organization’s (WHO) assessment that the Philippines has the fastest rise in new cases in the Western Pacific region. But according to Binay, data will show that the number of coronavirus cases in the country keeps on increasing compared to other neighboring countries in Asia.
PH situation worrying – WHO exec | The Manila Times – The easing of lockdown rules contributed to the spike in coronavirus cases in several areas in the Philippines that had reached “worrying” levels, the country head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. “We are seeing areas or localities that have seen increased transmission rates, and the test positivity rate is higher than the national average,” Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO country director for the Philippines, said in a briefing aired on PTV-4. Abeyasinghe urged the Department of Health (DoH) to expand its testing capacity and invest more in contact tracing and isolation to prevent the transmission of cases. “Unfortunately, this aspect of the Philippine response needs a little more strengthening. It is not keeping pace with the expansion of testing capacity,” Abeyasinghe said.
