News Roundup 09 June 2021
Jun 09, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines sees 5,462 new coronavirus infections | PHILSTAR.COM – Local health authorities on Wednesday reported 5,462 more COVID-19 infections, bringing the national caseload to 1,286,217.
- Active cases: 54,000 or 4.2% of the total
- Recoveries: 7,854, pushing total to 1,210,027
- Deaths: 126, bringing total to 22,190
Robredo condemns use of landmines behind death of Absalon cousins | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday condemned the killing of an athlete and a labor leader by landmine earlier this week. This comes after the Communist Party of the Philippines took responsibility for the “unnecessary” killings of football player Kieth Absalon and his cousin Nolven Absalon, who accidentally ran over an improvised explosive device when they were out biking. In a statement sent to reporters, Robredo slammed the use of landmines in the killings, calling it a violation of human rights and international humanitarian law. “It is a violation of the law, of human rights, of the rules of war, and of our very understanding of the limits of what man can do to his fellow man,” Robredo said in Filipino. “It is not a struggle; it is out of the question of our desire to end the conflict. Landmines are murder. We condemn this incident without qualification.” Under International Humanitarian Law, the use of landmines is restricted “to minimize their indiscriminate effects.” Absalon, 21, represented the country when he played for the national team in the 2018 ASEAN Football Federation Under-19 Youth Championship held in Indonesia. “Whatever the cause of the explosion, there were not any accidents in the matter of landmines. There is a reason why there has long been a global consensus on these types of violence,” the vice president also said. “It is prohibited under the Ottawa Treaty, as there is no place in civilized society for a non -lethal weapon. It is not humane. No goal or ideology can justify the use of such devices.”
Pacquiao hits back at Duterte: ‘I’m a Filipino voicing what needs to be said on WPS issue’ | PHILSTAR.COM – The exchange of barbs between President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Manny Pacquiao did not show some signs of abating, with discussion now shifting to the latter’s knowledge on foreign policy. Duterte on Tuesday night chided Pacquiao, an administration ally and president of the ruling political party PDP Laban, for his “shallow” understanding of the issues regarding the West Philippine Sea, with an advice for the senator to “study” first on foreign policy to understand his actions, as well as his administration’s pivot to China. Smarting from the rebuke, Pacquiao said Wednesday that he was merely echoing the sentiments of fellow Filipinos, especially in light of his failure to deliver on his campaign promise. “I respect the President’s opinion but humbly disagree with his assessment of my understanding of foreign policy. I am a Filipino voicing out what needs to be said in defense of what has been adjudicated as rightfully ours,” he said in a statement. The senator further said that Duterte was “misinformed regarding his (Pacquiao) statement on the WPS issue.” “I regret that the President was misinformed regarding my statement on the West Philippine Sea issue. I firmly believe that my statement reflects the sentiment of the majority of the Filipinos, that we should stand strong in protecting our sovereign rights while pursuing a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the dispute,” he claimed.
CA affirms RTC order denying warrant of arrest vs Trillanes | Manila Bulletin – The Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed a Makati City regional trial court (RTC) ruling that denied the government’s plea for the issuance of a warrant of arrest and hold departure order against former Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV on his coup d’etat case in the so-called Oakwood Mutiny in 2003. In a decision promulgated last May 31, the CA dismissed the petition filed by the government, through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), which challenged the ruling issued by RTC Judge Andres Bartolome Soriano in 2018. The CA decision, written by Associate Justice Edwin D. Sorongon, ruled that the OSG failed to show grave abuse of discretion on the part of Judge Soriano in issuing the assailed orders. In his ruling, Judge Soriano upheld the validity of President Duterte’s Proclamation 572 which revoked the amnesty granted to Trillanes. But, he said, the coup d’etat case has been dismissed since Sept. 21, 2011 by virtue of Proclamation No. 75 which was issued by former President Benigno Aquino III granting Trillanes’ plea for an amnesty. Thus, Soriano said that based on established doctrine, a final and executory judgment can no longer be reversed.
