News Roundup 14 February 2021
Feb 14, 2021 • 4 min Read
1,928 new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health reported 1,928 new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Sunday, February 14, bringing the number of total cases to 549,176. Of the total caseload, 25,918 or 4.7% are still classified as active cases, or patients who have neither passed away nor recovered and are still in hospitals and quarantine facilities. The department in its latest case bulletin also reported 8 new deaths, bringing the total death toll to 11,515 or 2.1% of total cases. Exactly 511,743 have so far recovered after the DOH added 10,967 more recoveries, good for a 93.2% recovery rate.
Robredo: Money shouldn’t be main consideration in keeping, scrapping VFA | PHILSTAR.COM – President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent demand for Washington to pay the Philippines if it wants the Visiting Forces Agreement to remain is in bad taste, Vice President Leni Robredo said, adding money should not be the reason to stay in or leave the deal. “It sounds just like extortion,” Robredo said in Filipino on her weekly radio show. “It’s embarrassing because it looks like we’re extorting from them.” “If we say we want to abrogate the VFA, we should explain why we don’t feel it will benefit us. Money shouldn’t be the main consideration. It should be based on the mutual benefit of both parties involved. It can’t be, ‘you’re my friend if you give me money’,” the vice president also said. At the onset of his campaign, Duterte was not shy about his intent to pursue an independent foreign policy and distance from the United States, the country’s treaty ally and former colonizer. In February last year, the Philippines expressed its intent to terminate the VFA, after the cancellation of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa’s US visa earned Duterte’s ire. The termination of the VFA has been suspended twice since.
Robredo on delayed Covid-19 vaccination: ‘Naunahan pa tayo ng Bangladesh’ | INQUIRER.NET – Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday scored the delayed arrival of vaccines in the country, saying that even Bangladesh, a developing country, has already started its mass inoculation against Covid-19. “Iyong ano sana, Ka Ely, iyong bakuna malaking bagay. Kung masiguro na natin—nagulat ako, Ka Ely, noong isang araw Bangladesh…Bangladesh nagsimula nang magbakuna. Naunahan pa tayo. Akala natin noong una, Ka Ely, nauunahan lang tayo noong mga mayayamang bansa, pero iyong Bangladesh nag-umpisa na,” Robredo told radio anchor Ka Ely Saludar over Biserbisyong Leni at RMN DZXL 558. (The vaccines would be a big help. If we can ensure its rollout, I was surprised when Bangladesh already started inoculation. We thought that only rich countries can beat us and yet Bangladesh has started vaccination.) “Pero may aasahan naman yata tayo, Ka Ely. Dapat sana—dapat sana bukas, ‘di ba. Parang iyong unang announcement bukas na mag-uumpisa iyong vaccination pero mayroon yatang delay,” she added. (But we already expect vaccines soon. It was supposed to arrive tomorrow but there was a delay.) Last week, Bangladesh already launched its immunization campaign using the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca. It aims to vaccinate 3.5 million people in February.
Opposition solon demands transparency in oil pricing amid planned ‘big time’ hike | Manila Bulletin – House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate on Sunday, February 14, dared oil companies to withdraw their opposition to the unbundling of their prices amid reports that they will implement a “big time” hike in oil products. In a press statement, Zarate said there is a need for the public to be informed about the pricing scheme of oil firms in the spirit of transparency and fair play. “In the midst of this crisis gravely affecting our people, especially the poor, we strongly urge the Department of Energy (DOE) to be more pro-active in pushing for ways to lighten their burden, including pushing for the immediate resolution of the unbundling of oil prices,” said Zarate. Based on reports oil companies will hike diesel prices by P1.20-P1.30/L, gasoline P0.75-P0.85/L and kerosene P1.10-P1.20/L. “The big time oil price hike again brings to the fore the issue of possible overpricing by oil companies. This also shows the need to unbundle or detail their price of fuel per liter,” the opposition solon stressed.
