News Roundup 16 March 2021
Mar 16, 2021 • 4 min Read
Coronavirus cases in Philippines climb to 631,320 with 4,437 new infections | PHILSTAR.COM – The country’s coronavirus disease caseload reached 631,320 Tuesday after the Department of Health recorded 4,437 new infections.
– Active cases: 57,736 or 9.1% of the total
– Recoveries: 166, pushing total to 560,736
– Deaths: 11, bringing total to 12,848
OCA: Manila court got 63 search warrant applications on same day for Calabarzon raids | PHILSTAR.COM – Amid increasing scrutiny of a perceived “weaponization” of search warrants against activists, the Office of the Court Administrator found the Manila Regional Trial Court received 63 applications for warrants on the same day, all to be served in the Calabarzon region. Court Administrator Midas Marquez, in a two-page memorandum for Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta, said they learned that a total of 63 applications for search warrants were filed before the Manila RTC on March 1. Marquez said the memorandum is in compliance with Peralta’s directive to file a report on search warrants issued by Manila courts served on March 7, the day of the bloody Calabarzon raids. Due to the number of applications, the executive judge of Manila distributed these to three vice executive judges. After two days of hearings, 42 search warrants were issued, 19 applications were denied while two applications were withdrawn. Also in preparation for the raids, nine applications were filed in Antipolo, Rizal. Of these, four were granted, four were denied, while one remains pending, Marquez said. On March 7, police served a total of 42 warrants, which led to nine deaths and six arrests.
SMC, TRB clash over Skyway 3 toll collection | INQUIRER.NET – A row erupted between conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) over the regulator’s “inaction” on the SMC petition to collect any toll and a disagreement on completion milestones of the massive Skyway Stage 2 elevated expressway in Metro Manila. This culminated in SMC unit Skyway O&M Corp. announcing on Twitter late evening on Monday (March 15) that it would indefinitely close the Skyway 3 until it met government requirements, surprising thousands of motorists, who use the expressway, and even the TRB, which had been blamed for issuing the directive to the conglomerate. SMC recalled the announcement on Tuesday (March 16) before implementing the closure, branding the incident as a “misunderstanding” while scoring the TRB for stopping the collection of toll because SMC has yet to hit its target completion level for Skyway 3. At the same time, TRB spokesman Julius Corpus denied that the board issued a closure directive and said Skyway 3 should remain open to serve motorists. A TRB member said the collection of toll would be taken up at a meeting next week. SMC president Ramon S. Ang said on Tuesday that losses have been mounting “because TRB keeps delaying the start of toll collection.” “We need sufficient funds for the toll road’s daily maintenance, proper long-term upkeep and to keep it safe and efficient for the motoring public,” Ang said in a statement, adding he had explained the situation to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.
Opposition senators slam President’s “maliit na bagay” remark | Manila Bulletin – Opposition senators on Tuesday took turns criticizing President Duterte’s remark the COVID-19 pandemic is only a “small thing” saying his attempt at assuring a people disgruntled at the government’s handling of a nationwide health crisis is bereft of a legitimate plan and diligent leadership. “Kung maliit na bagay yung 10 libo nating mga kababayan ang namatay, kalahating milyon ang nagkasakit, milyon-milyon ang nawalan ng trabaho at trilyong piso ang nabura sa ekonomiya, ano kaya ang malaking bagay? (If the 10,000 citizens that have died, the half a million who contracted the disease and the millions of people who lost their jobs and the trillions of pesos lost from the economy is a small thing, what, to him, is a big thing?)” Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan pointed out. Senator Risa Hontiveros said that if President Duterte wants to assuage the fears of the Filipino public, he should do so by being transparent and accountable on how the government spent the $14-billion foreign loan supposedly to “flatten the curve” on COVID-19. “The President’s statement is out of proportion, because beyond what he said, the COVID-19 is a big deal for Filipinos who lost so much during the pandemic. If he really wants to allay the fears of each Filipino, he should help poor Filipinos find jobs, and have access to basic commodities like food whose prices are increasing,” she said. “He should also be ready to distribute standby cash aid for the poor,” she stressed. Detained Senator Leila de Lima said the COVID-19 “fatigue” being experienced by the country is borne of a year od corruption and failure by the Duterte administration to stay on top of the situation. “The disorganized efforts of the different government departments and local government units (LGUs) smack of weak and ineffective leadership by the President,” de Lima said.
