News Roundup 14 June 2021
Jun 14, 2021 • 4 min Read
6,426 new COVID-19 cases seen ahead of new quarantine classifications | PHILSTAR.COM – Health authorities on Monday reported 6,426 new coronavirus cases, ahead of government’s decision on a new quarantine status until end of June. Today’s figures pushed the country’s overall count to 1,322,053. The Department of Health said 10 laboratories did not turn in screening results.
- Active cases: 59,096 or 4.5% of the total
- Recoveries: 7,145, bringing the number to 1,240,112
- Deaths: 57, or now 22,845 in total
With a year left in Duterte’s term, UNODC says shabu still a major problem in the Philippines | PHILSTAR.COM – With just a year left in the term of President Rodrigo Duterte, crystal methamphetamines are still behind the most arrest and treatment admissions in the Philippines, an international drug report found. The latest report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on synthetic drugs in Southeast Asia also found that admissions related to methamphetamines, colloquially known as shabu, decreased by more than half due to quarantine restrictions and the suspension of rehabilitation efforts. “Crystalline methamphetamine remains the main drug of concern in the Philippines, representing the reason for the largest proportion of drug-related arrests and treatment admissions in 2020,” the report read in its summary of major trends and emerging concerns. From almost 5,000 admissions linked to shabu in 2019, just a little over 2,000 were admitted the following year, per figures from the Dangerous Drugs Board. Some 47,000 were also arrested for shabu use in 2019, from almost 57,000 the year prior—making up over 90% of drug-related arrests. This runs counter to the consistent narrative of administration officials that the anti-narcotics campaign has made significant strides in peace and order. Former PNP chief Camilo Cascolan in September 2020 went so far as to claim that “there is no reported local production of Shabu in the country” due to pressure from the national police amid the coronavirus pandemic. But the UN report, which cited figures from the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, found that despite coronavirus restrictions, 2,196 kilograms of crystal meth were seized in 2020, an increase from the 2,071 taken the year prior.
1Sambayan to nominees: Stick to word of honor | INQUIRER.NET – The 1Sambayan coalition expects its shortlisted nominees for president or vice president to honor their pledge of uniting and rallying behind the lone standard-bearer of the opposition, even as the prospective candidates hem and haw about their plans in 2022. “That is the basis of the agreement. That is what we agreed upon: for personal interest and bias to be set aside. However, I understand politics. If they feel they should chart a different course, then we will respect that. However, I think we must stick to our word of honor,” lawyer Howard Calleja, a convener of the newly formed group, told the Inquirer on Sunday. In a phone interview, he confirmed the statement of his fellow 1Sambayan leader, former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, that all the nominees had vowed during initial talks to support whoever ended up being selected as the coalition’s official candidates. “We don’t put names just because we want them there. We put them there, as Justice Tony said and I confirm it, because there were preliminary negotiations,” Calleja said. On June 12, Independence Day, 1Sambayan released its shortlist of nominees consisting of Vice President Leni Robredo, Sen. Grace Poe, former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, House Deputy Speakers Vilma Santos-Recto and Eddie Villanueva, and human rights lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno.
Trillanes backs 1Sambayan vs Duterte; ready to support Robredo | Manila Bulletin – Though he is not the favorite to win opposition coalition 1Sambayan’s blessing as its lone candidate for president, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said he fully supports the group even it requires him not to run in any elective post in the 2022 polls. In his Monday’s virtual interview with Politiko, Trillanes revealed he has not spoken to Vice President Leni Robredo since their nomination on Saturday, June 12, but he said that his position remains the same. “The moment mag-decide si Vice President Leni na tatakbo, immediately ako po’y magstep aside para masigurado na iisa lang ang kandidato ng oposisyon (The moment that Vice President Leni Robredo decides to run, immediately I will step aside to make sure that the opposition has only one candidate),” Trillanes stressed. 1Sambayan was built on the premise of nominating a united candidate from the opposition to go against the administration’s standard-bearer.
