News Roundup 08 September 2020
Sep 08, 2020 • 4 min Read
Philippines logs 3,281 new COVID-19 cases as total reaches 241,987 | PHILSTAR.COM – The country’s coronavirus caseload rose to 241,987 Tuesday after the Department of Health reported 3,281 new confirmed infections. The DOH said that of the total case count, 52,893 or around 22% were active infections. A total of 185,178 people are now considered recovered in the country after 286 recoveries were recorded. But 26 more people were added to the death toll, which stood at 3,916.
PNP told: Cooperate with investigations if EJKs do not exist | PHILSTAR.COM – Instead of defending its purported gains in the so-called war on drugs, the national police should cooperate with the bodies investigating its lapses and well-documented human rights abuses, an international rights monitor said Tuesday. In a statement issued Tuesday, Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of the New York-based Human Rights Watch called on the Philippine National Police to provide these investigating bodies, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the country’s own Commission on Human Rights, full access to police records on its anti-drug operations. This comes after Police Gen. Camilo Cascolan, the newest chief of the PNP denied that the extra-judicial killings linked to these operations even existed. “Cascolan’s outright denial that extrajudicial killings took place in the government’s ‘drug war’ is a blatant attempt to whitewash the sordid record of the PNP. Respected human rights groups and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have comprehensively documented these EJKs since the start of Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’,” Robertson said. “Numerous victims, their families, and witnesses have repeatedly pointed out police misconduct during drug raids where police not only illegally killed suspects but manufactured and planted bogus evidence, such as guns, to claim that victims were armed when they were killed,” he also said.
Robredo joins outrage over pardon for Pemberton: ‘Kapag mayaman at nasa poder, malaya’ | INQUIRER.NET – “Kapag mahirap, may parusa; kapag mayaman at nasa poder, malaya.” Vice President Leni Robredo said this Tuesday, lending her voice to the growing opposition to the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to grant “absolute pardon” to US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton, who was convicted for the death of Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude. Robredo questioned the fairness of the move, pointing out the disparity in the stature of the US serviceman and the thousand other Filipinos who do not have access to or the resources to secure legal services languish in detention. “Ang tanong nga natin: Patas at makatarungan ba ang naging desisyong ito? Libo-libo ang nakakulong pa rin dahil walang pambayad sa abugado. Hindi malitis-litis ang kanilang mga kaso,” Robredo said in a statement. “May mga pamilya silang nagugutom, nagkakasakit, at naghihirap. Pemberton had lawyers, special detention facilities, a quick, public trial, and an appeal. Ngayon, lalong luminaw na mayroon din siyang resources para masigurong mabibigyang-pansin ng mismong Pangulo ang kaso niya,” she added. Further, Robredo said that many Filipinos, who have committed less serious crimes, do not enjoy the same privileges.
Villanueva wants clear policy on deployment ban of healthcare workers | Manila Bulletin – Senator Joel Villanueva on Tuesday appealed to the executive department to clarify its policy on the deployment ban for healthcare workers to avoid confusion among concerned stakeholders. The chairperson of the Senate labor committee issued the appeal following the reported offloading of Filipino nurses bound for United Kingdom on Sunday night. A report by Rappler on Monday said the Bureau of Immigration (BI) prevented seven Filipino nurses from departing the country despite securing their contracts before March 8, although their visas were only issued in July and August because of the lockdowns.
Malaysia bars Filipino travelers | The Manila Times – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday said Filipino travelers werre barred from entering Malaysia. Long-term pass holders from the Philippines, India and Indonesia would no longer be allowed amid the reported rise in the number of “imported” coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in Malaysia, the department added. The travel restriction was imposed beginning September 7 because of “serious concerns” over the recent increase in the number of confirmed, imported Covid-19 cases detected at the international points of entry of Malaysia among travelers from the said three countries.
