News Roundup 19 February 2021
Feb 19, 2021 • 4 min Read
COVID-19 cases in Philippines rise to 557,058 | PHILSTAR.COM – Coronavirus cases in the Philippines climbed past 557,000 Friday after the Department of Health recorded 1,901 additional infections. Of the 557,058 total confirmed cases, 32,440 or 5.8% are active. Recoveries rose to 512,789 after 537 additional patients recovered from the respiratory illness. Meanwhile, 157 more COVID-19-related deaths were registered—the highest since September 14, when 259 fatalities were recorded This pushed the fatality count to 11,829.
‘Clearly not off to a good start’: Senator scores gov’t for delayed vaccination program | PHILSTAR.COM – Commit to a vaccination timeline before making public statements, Sen. Risa Hontiveros told the National Task Force Against COVID-19, amid several delays in the shipment of the badly-needed jabs. Four days past February 15, which authorities previously said was the “indicative date” for the “mini rollout” of Pfizer vaccines to hospitals, there are no jabs on the way and there seems to be no official starting date for the government’s inoculation program. The 600,000 Sinovac vaccines donated by China are also stalled and are unlikely to arrive by the promised date of February 23, Malacañang said Thursday, owing to the lack of emergency use authorization from local regulators. “The only thing they are achieving at this point is confusing the public,” Hontiveros said. “It’s as if they are playing darts on the calendar, not caring where it lands. They should have some accountability for the [dates] they announce,” she added in Filipino. Amid all these delays, the national government is further easing restrictions, taking heat for allowing the reopening of cinemas and for floating a nationwide shift to a more relaxed modified general community quarantine next month. “As long as the cases of COVID-19 are rising, we cannot relax health protocols and we cannot fully open up the economy,” Hontiveros said. “Any delay in the vaccination rollout means people will have to face tremendous suffering in the pandemic for even longer.”
CHR: No evidence of ‘lumad’ kids’ indoctrination | INQUIRER.NET – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Thursday said it found “no evidence” that the 19 Manobo children “rescued” by armed policemen from the University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu City had been indoctrinated in communist thought or coerced to be there, contrary to police claims. No less than a Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) worker assigned to the children “categorically stated that the children were never indoctrinated,” Leo Villarino, CHR chief investigator for Central Visayas, told the Inquirer. Even the parents who originally sought the DSWD’s help in getting reunited with their children said they never expressed concern that they were being recruited by communist rebels, Villarino added. The CHR wrapped up the first phase of its investigation of the Feb. 15 raid by Philippine National Police and DSWD personnel on a retreat house on USC’s Talamban campus. Videos of the “rescue” mission, which were posted online, showed the Manobo children, their teachers and “lumad” (indigenous peoples) leaders screaming and crying while being taken away by the armed policemen. Lawmakers have denounced the raid and sought a House inquiry into the “Gestapolike” police operation. They also called for the relief of all policemen involved in the raid and the release of the students and their companions.
Robredo lawyer tells Marcos camp: Accept defeat | Manila Bulletin – A lawyer of Vice President Leni Robredo told the camp of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to just accept defeat and stop playing their favorite game of revisionism. Lawyer Emil Marañon made the statement after Marcos lawyer Vic Rodriguez said the electoral protest of the former senator against Robredo does not include the annulment of elections. In an interview with reporters, Marañon said Marcos’s camp should not try changing the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) rules, noting that the election protest of the defeated vice-president wannabe includes the dismissal of all incidents relating to his case, including his cause of action for annulment. “Ang hirap kasi sa kampo ni Mr. Marcos ay hindi talaga marunong tumanggap ng pagkatalo (What’s unfortunate is that the camp of Mr. Marcos doesn’t really know how to accept defeat),” he said Friday. “Halatang sanay sa revisionism hindi lang ng kasaysayan, ngayon pati PET Rules gusto baguhin just to suit his interest (It just proves that they are used to revisionism– not just history but also PET Rules just to suit his interest),” he added. Marañon said it would be better if Marcos camp accepts defeat in the poll protest case.
Photo: Actual site where Jose Rizal was executed.
Photo Source: By Julan Shirwod Nueva – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82343479
