News Roundup 11 September 2020
Sep 11, 2020 • 3 min Read
Philippines passes 250,000 COVID-19 infections | PHILSTAR.COM – Coronavirus cases in the Philippines climbed past a quarter of a million Friday after the Department of Health recorded 4,040 additional infections. Total coronavirus cases in the Philippines reached 252,964. The DOH also logged 566 more recovered patients, pushing the number of recoveries to 186,606. But there were 42 new fatalities taking total deaths to 4,108.
On Marcos’ birth anniversary, anti-torture advocates ask SC to nullify law ‘reminiscent’ of dictatorship | PHILSTAR.COM – On the birth anniversary of ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., torture survivors and families of involuntary disappearances asked the Supreme Court to nullify the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, a law that is “reminiscent” of the “dictatorship of Marcos,” they said. Led by the United Against Torture Coalition-Philippines, the petitioners argued that provisions of Republic Act 11479 or the ATA run contrary against the Constitution and the anti-torture law, “particularly those that value the dignity of every human person and guarantee full respect for human person and guarantee full respect for human rights of all persons, including suspects, detainees and prisoners.” Dr. Benito Molino, a forensic expert and petitioner in the case, stressed: “What makes torture abhorrent is not only what it does to the victims but how the system condones and hide it.” “The ATA brings back memories of gross human rights violations of the Marcos regime,” he added. Retired SC Justice Antonio Carpio earlier said that with the anti-terrorism law in our statute books, “it is as if the Philippines is permanently under a situation worse than martial law.”
DOH: WHO ‘solidarity trials’ for COVID-19 vaccine may start by end-October | INQUIRER.NET – The World Health Organization’s (WHO) “solidarity trials” for potential coronavirus disease vaccines may start in the Philippines by the last week of October, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Friday. Information from the Department of Health (DOH) showed that WHO will identify the vaccines to be included in the trials by the third or fourth week of September, then identify the sites where the trials will be conducted by end of September. Vergeire said the dates were disclosed during a meeting of the country’s sub-technical working group for the vaccines where WHO provided details on the timeline of the trials. However, she noted that the dates could still be subject to changes due to possible “intervening factors.” WHO has yet to decide which among the 34 vaccines will be included in this initiative, according to Vergeire. The government has already identified eight zones for the vaccine trials, which is composed of six in Metro Manila and one each in Calabarzon and Cebu, according to Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña.
Makabayan dares Badoy again: Make your accusations under oath | Manila Bulletin – The Makabayan Bloc has reiterated its dare for Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy to spell out her accusations against the militant congressmen while under oath. “Make your accusations under oath, but, make no mistake about it because you will be made accountable by your malicious accusations,” Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Carlos Zarate said Friday. It was only last Wednesday when another Makabayan stalwart, ACT-Teachers Party-List Rep. France Castro first challenged Badoy to substantiate her claims that the six-member House faction were linked to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA). But Castro required her to take an oath first before the House of Representatives.
40% of Filipinos see dark future | The Manila Times – Two in five adult Filipinos expect the economy to worsen in the next 12 months as the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic lingers, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. The mobile phone survey, conducted from July 3 to 6 among 1,555 adult Filipinos nationwide, showed 40 percent of respondents believe that the country’s economy would get worse, while 24 percent of Filipinos expect it to stay the same and 30 percent expect it to improve. SWS said the 40-percent “pessimists” is the highest in over 12 years since the 52 percent recorded in June 2008.
