News Roundup 11 December 2020
Dec 11, 2020 • 4 min Read
Philippines adds 1,504 new COVID-19 cases; total now over 447,000 | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health reported 1,504 new COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 447,039. Recoveries reached 409,329 after 273 more people were given a clean bill of health. But deaths due to the respiratory disease rose to 8,709 up by 8 from the previous count. Friday’s count did not include results from 12 testing laboratories that failed to submit on time.
Vaccine budget sans funding source hit | PHILSTAR.COM – The bulk of Philippines’ funding for coronavirus vaccines next year remain unfunded, raising questions over the speed by which inoculation can be purchased and how quick can people be immunized. Out of the P72.5-billion funds for vaccine procurement under the proposed 2021 budget, only P2.5 billion can be quickly released as it is a line item under the health department’s budget and therefore can easily be financed. The huge balance of P70 billion, however, is considered “unprogrammed” which means government must certify either revenues collected are beyond target or that borrowings are there to fund the outlay. “It is like we issue a check without adequate funding. Hopefully it won’t bounce,” Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said in a statement on Friday. “It is unfortunate that in these uncertain times, the budget is creating additional uncertainty. This makes Filipinos wary about the future,” he added.
Lacson says House wouldn’t have OK’d 2021 budget sans hiked ‘pet’ projects funds | INQUIRER.NET – Senator Panfilo Lacson on Friday claimed that the House of Representatives would not have ratified the final version of the budget if the P28-billion increase in the 2021 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had not been adopted. “I would like to think that way na mas marami yung na-adopt dun sa House contingent kasi ang cinite na reason ni [finance committee chair] Senator (Sonny) Angara…masa-sacrifice yung buong budget kung hindi niya pagbibigyan yung House contingent, implying na baka hindi approve-an o baka hindi i-ratify ng House yung version kung saan hindi madadagdagan yung kanilang realignment, insertions ng P28 billion, at least sa DPWH,” Lacson told reporters in an online interview. (I would like to think that way that more House amendments were adopted. The reason cited by Senator Angara to me was that the whole budget would have been sacrificed if he did not grant the amendment of the House contingent, implying that the House would not have approved or ratified the version that would not have the P28 billion increase in the DPWH budget.) “So yun nga yung nakakalungkot,” he added. (That’s what’s sad about it.)
Sotto says ‘RFID to all a bad idea’; Senate calls DOTr to hearing | Manila Bulletin – Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Friday criticized the cashless payment system being implemented on expressways. “RFID to all is really a bad idea! Silly, to say the least!” Sotto tweeted. The Senate chief said he understands the experience of motorists who had to go through slow traffic and problems in the contactless payment policy using the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. “I drive my car daily. I know the experiences encountered daily,” Sotto said in a separate text message. “I do not use bodyguards, escorts or driver. I know what the public is suffering from. I’m only escorted when I go to Malacañang. Now, all toll gates are cramped.” “They should have prepared for it before they implemented the proposal,” Sotto lamented. Several public officials and motorists have complained about the poor implementation of the cashless payment system earlier imposed by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to lessen physical interaction and prevent COVID-19 transmission.
House to press jurisdiction over Leonen impeach case | The Manila Times – The House of Representatives will insist on its jurisdiction over cases against impeachable officials as provided under the Constitution, Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez said on Thursday. Rodriguez raised the jurisdiction issue after an impeachment complaint was filed before the House last Monday against Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Mario Victor Leonen. Rodriguez, a vice chairman of the House Committee on Justice, said he will not allow a situation similar to the ouster in 2018 of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno through a quo warranto petition while an impeachment case against Sereno was being heard in Congress. “That cannot happen because the Constitution is very clear. Impeachable officials like Supreme Court associate justices can only be removed by impeachment. And the Constitution is supreme over the rules of court, definitely. And so, I believe that it was a mistake for the Supreme Court to proceed with the quo warranto especially because at that time Congress had already been hearing the impeachment,” Rodriguez told reporters.
