News Roundup 07 April 2021
Apr 07, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines sees 6,414 new COVID-19 cases | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines on Wednesday logged 6,414 new coronavirus cases, pushing its overall count to 819,164. Health authorities said the relatively lower number of additional infections is due to the low number of samples received by laboratories on April 4. Active cases also saw a 6,139 increase from yesterday’s 152,562. The Department of Health, however, has yet to say if the significant increase in deaths are still due to backlogs.
– Active cases: 158,701 or 19.4% of the total
– Recoveries: 163, bringing the number to 646,404
– Deaths: 242, or now 14,059 in total
Opposition senators condemn red-tagging of Senate employees union | PHILSTAR.COM – Opposition senators came to the defense of the union of Senate employees after it was accused by the head of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) of being a front organization of communist rebels. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sens. Risa Hontiveros, Leila de Lima and Francis Pangilinan strongly condemned Wednesday the red-tagging of the Sandigan ng mga Empleyadong Nagkakaisa sa Adhikain ng Demokratikong Organisasyon (SENADO). “Hindi lang ito pag-atake at paninira nang walang batayan sa mga empleyado, kundi mismong sa institusyon ng Senado na kanilang kinakatawan,” Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Wednesday in a statement. (This is not just an attack and baseless defamation on employees, but also on the very institution of the Senate which they represent.) The four senators said that these “malicious attacks” against Senate employees must not be taken lightly and renewed their call for red-tagging to be criminalized. “We believe that the passage of this bill will serve as a deterrent against red-tagging. We should punish irresponsible officials who act as enablers of red-tagging,” they said.
OVP’s ‘Bayanihan E-Konsulta’ sign-up halted for now amid rush of volunteers | INQUIRER.NET – The Office of the Vice President temporarily closed sign-ups for its “Bayanihan E-Konsulta” a day after it called on volunteers to help its latest project that aims to provide easier access to medical care in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vice President Leni Robredo announced on social media that enlistment for “Bayanihan E-Konsulta” was temporarily ended after her office received more than 2,300 applications. “We are temporarily closing our sign-ups, as we bring everyone on board for our project rollout. Today, we are starting our onboarding sessions and we are doing them by batch.“ Robredo said in a Facebook post on Wednesday, April 7. On April 6, the OVP urged medical and non-medical volunteers to be part of its “Bayanihan E-Konsulta” which intends to service individuals who are not able to get medical care from overcrowded hospitals because of the prevailing health crisis. “Since our program is meant to fill in gaps, we expect it to be evolving and we want to manage it in the best way we can,” she added. “To those who have been planning to join but have not signed up yet, please stay tuned for further announcement” she concluded.
PH Navy Chief: US Theodore Roosevelt battle group’s entry in South China Sea a ‘welcome development’ | Manila Bulletin – The entry of the United States Navy’s Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) in the South China Sea came as a ‘welcome development’ in the exercise of freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) in the tension-filled waters, a top Philippine Navy official disclosed Wednesday, April 7. The US Navy’s 7th Fleet said that the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group entered the South China Sea on April 4 to conduct “routine operations.” The US battle group is consisted of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), Destroyer Squadron 23, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59). “Per UNCLOS [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea], the Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group’s entry in the South China Sea is a welcome development in the exercise of the freedom of navigation,” Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy, told the Manila Bulletin. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group’s transit in the South China Sea came two days after Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana demanded China to recall the 44 vessels monitored at the Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea. These were part of around 220 trawlers that were spotted near the reef since March 1 but some of them were already dispersed in other parts of the West Philippine Sea and Kalayaan Island Group, according to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS). While in the South China Sea, the US Navy 7th Fleet said that the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group “will conduct fixed and rotary-wing flight operations, maritime strike exercises, anti-submarine operations, coordinated tactical training, and more.”
