News Roundup 13 June 2021
Jun 13, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines sees 7,302 new COVID-19 cases | PHILSTAR.COM – Health authorities on Sunday said 7,302 more Filipinos contracted the COVID-19, pushing the total to 1,315,639. Today’s development comes ahead of government’s decision on a new quarantine status for “NCR Plus” this week. The Department of Health said one laboratory did not submit screening results.
- Active cases: 59,865 or 4.6% of the total
- Recoveries: 7,701, bringing the number to 1,232,986
- Deaths: 137, or now 22,788 in total
Robredo to 1Sambayan: Create spaces for unity, inclusivity in opposition | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday called on the 1Sambayan coalition to make spaces for other voices for a more unified opposition in the coming 2022 polls. Speaking on her weekly radio show Sunday morning, the country’s No. 2 said that the opposition cannot thrive without genuine inclusivity. “Real unity has always been the challenge for me. That’s my recommendation to the group: for them to give a space [for other voices],” Robredo said in Filipino. “We can’t say, ‘I want unity, but I only want you.’ Because if everyone thinks like that, we won’t be able to unite. When we talk about unity, that doesn’t just mean unity among people with shared beliefs. That is giving space for others who believe differently than we do.” She made the remark a day after the 1Sambayan unveiled six nominees for the president and vice president positions. Robredo’s name was on the list, which also included:
- Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno
- Sen. Grace Poe
- House Deputy Speaker Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto (Batangas 6th District)
- Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV
- House Deputy Speaker Rep. Eddie Villanueva (CIBAC Party-List)
The coalition was careful to point out that the current roster was only an initial list. Coinciding with the country’s 123rd Independence Day, Team Leni Robredo, a group of the vice president’s supporters urging her to convince her to run for president, held its online launch that same day. “We are grateful to the organizers of 1Sambayan, because they are the ones who came forward to try to unite the people,” Robredo said, though she was careful to reiterate that she had not made a decision yet as she had her hands full focusing on the pandemic. “For me, I hope — and this is not just for 1Sambayan, but for all our supporters — that, I don’t want to say that because others believe differently, they are bad. It shouldn’t be that way. We must understand why they believe this.” Robredo acknowledged this as she called on her supporters to understand why the general public was attracted to politicians like President Rodrigo Duterte in the last elections.
Accept PhilID card as single requirement for all transactions | INQUIRER.NET – All local government units (LGUs) and private establishments have been ordered by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to use and accept the Philippine Identification (PhilID) card as a single official government-issued identification card for all types of transactions within the country. In a memorandum, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año instructed all LGUs to accept the PhilID card as enough proof of identity, without requiring the public to provide any other identification documents.
1Sambayan on 4 nominees declining invitation: ‘No expectations’ | Manila Bulletin – There are “no expectations” from its nominees to make “firm decisions” to run for national posts, opposition coalition 1Sambayan said on Sunday, June 13, after four of its nominees declined the offer to join its ticket for the 2022 polls. Senator Grace Poe, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, and Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto said they were honored to be chosen by the coalition to run as either president or vice president, but they declined the invitation as they are busy with their own programs and responsibilities. Senator Joel Villanueva also denied his father, religious leader Bro. Eddie Villanueva, has plans to run for the highest elective post next year. He said that the evangelist is “not interested” to run as president. In a statement, 1Sambayan said that “there was no objection by the nominee after initial discussion,” which led to the list of six nominees they revealed on Saturday, June 12, in time for the country’s 123rd commemoration of Independence Day. “There were no expectations of firm decisions to run for specific positions at this point in time,” the group said, stressing that “no one—not even the administration’s ‘anointed ones’—have openly declared their ambitions for Public Office, even as some have already embarked on ad campaigns.”
