News Roundup 08 May 2021
May 08, 2021 • 4 min Read
Coronavirus cases in Philippines climb to 1,094,849 | PHILSTAR.COM – Health authorities on Saturday reported 6,979 additional COVID-19 infections, bringing the national caseload to 1,094,849.
- Active cases: 63,376 or 5.8% of the total
- Recoveries: 10,179, pushing total to 1,013,204
- Deaths: 170, bringing total to 18,269
Carpio to debate anyone on West Philippine Sea ‘possession’ | PHILSTAR.COM – With a verbal square-off with President Duterte now out of the question following the latter’s change of heart, retired Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio said he is still willing to push through with the debate – even only with the Chief Executive’s alter egos. “I am ready to debate with the President or with anyone he may designate on the factual accuracy and adverse legal implications to the Philippines of the President’s repeated claim that ‘China is in possession of the West Philippine Sea’,” Carpio said in a statement. “I will debate with anyone on the false claim of Duterte that ‘China is in possession of the West Philippine Sea.’ I will take the negative side,” Carpio yesterday told The STAR. “The US has returned the Balangiga bells in 2018. Now the biggest question is, when will China return Duterte’s balls?” Carpio issued the statement shortly after Duterte backed out of his debate challenge to the former magistrate and assigned his spokesman Harry Roque to represent him instead. The retired magistrate emphasized he would only agree to a debate with Duterte’s officials on issues that would benefit the Filipino people. “I will not engage in a useless exercise that will only detract the public’s interest on the vital outstanding issues on the West Philippine Sea, like the President’s continuing false claim that ‘China is in possession of the West Philippine Sea’. This false claim is conceding more than what China is claiming – for China has never claimed that it is in possession of the West Philippine Sea,” he said.
IS-linked gunmen seize Maguindanao town center; commuters, motorists stranded | INQUIRER.NET – Heavily armed members of the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) occupied the center of Datu Paglas town in Maguindanao on Saturday. Hundreds of motorists and passengers were stranded along the Cotabato-Maguindanao border as the highway passing through Datu Paglas to Tulunan town in Cotabato province was closed to traffic beginning at 4 a.m. Saturday. Lt. Colonel John Paul Baldomar, speaking for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said about 200 heavily armed BIFF fighters under the Kagi Karialan faction occupied the town’s public market and established defensive positions. Also in the market were vendors and civilians who were prevented by the BIFF from leaving, making them human shields. Baldomar said the Army and the police have surrounded the area where the BIFF are located. “We are giving the civilian leaders to negotiate with the BIFF for a peaceful end of the standoff,” Baldomar told reporters. “When necessary, we will use force, right now we are assessing the situation,” he said. Abu Jihad, speaking for the BIFF, confirmed that the gunmen who occupied the town public market belong to the Karialan faction of the BIFF. He refused, however, to reveal why they occupied the town center.
‘Fear and anger:’ Worry, rage of journalists a year after ABS-CBN shutdown — NUJP | Manila Bulletin – “Takot at galit (fear and anger).” This is the common sentiment of most journalists since television network ABS-CBN Corporation was shut down a little more than a year ago, said Jonathan De Santos, chairperson of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). “What happened to ABS-CBN was a message to us also,” De Santos lamented. During the Commission on Human Rights’ (CHR) radio program “Tanggol Karapatan” hosted by Radyo Veritas last Saturday, May 8, De Santos said that since the shutdown of ABS-CBN, members of the media have expressed “fear and anger” over the loss of thousands of jobs amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. De Santos said that while the production of news still continues, media personnel are worried that they may receive calls or complaints and they fear that something bad might happen to them. Published reports stated that four journalists were killed last year. “Hindi natin masasabi na walang alinlangan ang pagbabalita sa ngayon, (We cannot say that there is no doubt in delivering the news these days),” he said. Journalists are enraged over what happened to the employees of ABS-CBN, answered De Santos when asked by program host CHR Commissioner Gwen Pimental-Gana. Last May 3 during the observance of the World Press Freedom Day, the CHR said that Filipino journalists deserve to exercise their profession without any fear of violence, intimidation, and harassment.
