News Roundup 19 April 2021
Apr 19, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines logs 9,628 new COVID-19 cases, pushing total to 945,745 | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health on Monday reported 9,628 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the country’s overall count close to a million. Today’s development saw fatalities crossing the 16,000th mark. Active cases also saw an increase of 286 or from the 141,089 on April 18.
- Active cases: 141,375 or 14.9% of the total
- Recoveries: 9,266, bringing the number to 788,322
- Deaths: 88, or now 16,048 in total
University professors reject ‘asserting sovereignty constitutes war’ argument on West Philippine Sea | PHILSTAR.COM – A group of college and university professors called on the Philippine government to take concrete actions to stand up against China’s incursion into the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Professors for Peace pointed out that the presence of over 200 Chinese vessels in Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef and other features in the West Philippine Sea present a threat to the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We reject the argument that asserting our sovereignty, protecting our fisherfolk and managing and protecting our own natural resources constitutes a declaration of war,” the Professors for Peace said in a statement. This has always been the argument of President Rodrigo Duterte on why he cannot assert the Philippines’ arbitral award on China: “We have to go to war and I cannot afford it.” The professors cited Vietnam and Indonesia as examples for maintaining economic ties with China while also taking concrete efforts to stand up against Beijing’s expansive maritime claims. “We join the overwhelming majority of the Filipino people who have consistently called for a more decisive foreign policy and national security stance to protect our territory and our people, and to regain lost ground,” they said. As of Monday morning, a total of 528 professors from different colleges and universities such as the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University, Miriam College, among others have signed the statement.
5 policemen relieved over radio reporter’s arrest | INQUIRER.NET – Five policemen involved in the arrest of a radio reporter were relieved from their posts, the Manila Police District (MPD) said Monday. According to Lt. Col. Roberto Mupaz, of the MPD Public Information Office, among the five relieved policemen is Pandacan’s Beata Police Community Precinct commander Lt. Joel Piñon. The other four police officers are Senior Master Sergeant Jonathan Hernandez, Corporal Charles Bronzon Dela Torre, Patrolman Marvin Anthony Comboya, and Patrolman Jonathan Abad. All five policemen were transferred to the MPD Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management Division while an investigation is ongoing. Based on a statement of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines on Monday, Lorenz Tanjoco, a radio reporter from Radyo Pilipinas under PTV 4, was arrested and harassed by cops after he failed to wear his mask properly while riding his motorcycle in Pandacan, Manila City, on April 16. When Tanjoco tried to film his arrest, the police confiscated his phone, and was told that he will face a resisting arrest complaint. He was then handcuffed and detained for almost 10 hours.
Robredo bats for ‘hybrid’ COVID-19 vaccine registration | Manila Bulletin – Noting that not everyone can register online for the country’s vaccination program, Vice President Leni Robredo urged local government units (LGUs) to conduct house-to-house vaccine registration to enjoin more Filipinos to have themselves inoculated with the available coronavirus vaccines. Right now, the country hasn’t even used up its meager supply of only two million vaccines. Confidence in getting vaccinated is low across the country, Robredo noted. But aside from the low vaccine confidence, she said the reason why there is a problem in the inoculation program is because a lot of people do not know how to register online for the vaccine. The vice president said it’s important for the LGUs to reach out to their constituents right in their own homes. “Parang puwede naman iyon lalo na ngayon na grabe iyong resistance sa vaccine. Ngayon, marami pa ring takot magpabakuna (That’s possible especially now that there is such a strong resistance to the vaccine. Now, many are still scared to be vaccinated),” she said over dzXL. “Kung naghihintay ka lang na mag-register siya—lalong hindi iyan pupunta (If you are going to wait for them to register—the more that they will not go),” Robredo added. The Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) can conduct the house-to-house survey. The lady official also said that out of the allocated number of vaccines, the LGU should reserve a number for those who cannot register online.
