News Roundup 21 July 2021
Jul 21, 2021 • 5 min Read
Philippines logs 6,560 new COVID-19 cases | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health on Wednesday said there were 6,560 more individuals who contracted the COVID-19, pushing the country’s total to 1,524,449. Today’s numbers saw active cases up by 1.190 from July 20’s 46,806. The Department of Health said four laboratories failed to submit testing results.
- Active cases: 47,996 or 3.1% of the total
- Recoveries: 5,364, bringing the number to 1,449,579
- Deaths: 32, or now 26,874 in total
Robredo questions ‘uncertain’ gov’t messaging vs COVID-19 pandemic | PHILSTAR.COM – Ahead of President Rodrigo Duterte’s final State of the Nation Address, Vice President Leni Robredo urged the chief executive to address what she said was the doubt caused by the uncertainty in how the administration communicated its pandemic response. Speaking in an interview aired over ANC’s “After the Fact,” the vice president pointed to the readjustment of the national government’s target from herd immunity to population protection as one example. To recall, the government now favors “population protection” as a target since herd immunity, which would require vaccinating at least 70% of an area’s population, “has a lot of attached criteria,” the health department said in May. “When we talk of targets, let’s say with vaccination, the first target was herd immunity by the end of 2021. And then we kept on adjusting our targets,” she said. “It doesn’t contribute to appeasing the anxieties of people if they do not really know. So for me, firstly, one of the weaker links that we have had in the past year and a half was the delivery of the message and the message itself. It has been very apparent that a lot of government agencies have been working in silos,” she said. Robredo said that beyond just being uncertain, she added that the responses of government agencies have also been largely fragmented, which only caused more public confusion. She added that a lot of targets and promises went unfulfilled before they were ultimately scrapped altogether, pointing to Duterte’s promises of controlled transmission for a “better Christmas” by December 2020. Earlier in June, the Palace once again expressed hope for a “maskless Christmas” this year. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III later said achieving this was doubtful. “It’s not that they are not working. We know there has been a lot of effort poured into the government response initiatives. But there are government agencies who say one thing, then the others say another. It’s like it contributes to the state of helplessness.” “There have been reports of government accomplishments. We were able to open more than 200 laboratories already, more than a thousand isolation facilities. But the fact remains that cases really aren’t going down…I think it doesn’t help that government conveys these messages that in a way adds to the anxiety already of the public.” Asked for her honest assessment of the government’s pandemic response, Robredo praised the “creative” efforts of local government units, but said she held issue with the “coherence and interoperability” of the overall response. “Since last year, we have been in the middle of the pandemic. And for me, it’s the people who want to be heard, because [the pandemic] top of mind. It’s the anxiety that’s been eating all of us up,” she said.
Senators urge gov’t to take quick action on rising Delta variant cases | INQUIRER.NET – Saying the Philippines is nearing the “tipping point,” senators are urging the government to take quick action and address the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country involving the more contagious Delta variant. Senator Nancy Binay said the national government should focus on imposing stricter border controls and saving the healthcare system amid the continued threat posed by the Delta variant. “With the potential brunt of the Delta variant, dalawang bagay sa ngayon ang kailangan bigyan ng focus ng gobyerno: Stricter border controls, and save the healthcare support system from a possible collapse,” Binay said in a statement. “The [Department of Health] has to prepare for the possibility of our fully vaccinated healthcare workers acquiring the Delta variant,” she added. Binay said the government should find practical ways to protect healthcare workers who are more prone to infections. “Ramdam mo sa kanila (HCWs) ang frustration at desperation,” Binay said. Senator Francis Pangilinan, meanwhile, said it may be time to place the National Capital Region (NCR) under enhanced community quarantine—the strictest quarantine status—to avoid the high number of COVID-19 cases. “Upang maiwasan ang sinapit ng Indonesia baka kailangan ng ECQ sa NCR. Pakinggan natin ang mga health experts,” Pangilinan said. Senator Risa Hontiveros, for her part, said that should another lockdown be implemented, there should also be assistance for those who will be affected by it. “’Yung pagtakda rin ng mga particular protocols for particular sectors tulad ng mga bata, pakinggan din ng Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) ‘yung mga LGUs dahil maaring iba iba ang nakikita nilang kakailanganing para sa mga bata doon sa kanilang area,” Hontiveros said. The national government should also boost its testing and contact tracing capabilities, she added.
Robredo spox belies Roque’s claim on VP’s gov’t role | Manila Bulletin – The spokesman of Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday, July 21, debunked the allegations made by Presidential spokesman Harry Roque that Robredo chose to be an opposition leader rather than serve in President Duterte’s Cabinet. Lawyer Barry Gutierrez posted on Twitter a photo of the text message by one “CabSec Jun” who asked the vice president to stop attending Cabinet meetings. “Ayoko na sanang patulan pero sobrang sinungaling eh. ‘Pinili’ daw ni VP Leni na umalis sa Gabinete para maging lider ng oposisyon. Hay naku, magsisinungaling na lang andali pang hulihin. Resibo: (I actually don’t want to react anymore, but he’s a liar. VP Leni apparently ‘chose’ to leave the Cabinet to be the leader of the opposition. Oh my, the lie is so easy to spot. Receipt:),” he said in a tweet. Resibo or receipt in English is a slang for “proof” or “evidence.” The photo showed a text message sent presumably by former Cabinet Secretary Leoncio “Jun” Evasco Jr. It said: “Gd afternoon Madam Vice President. Mayor Rody Duterte through Bong Go asked me to relay to you his instruction for you to desist from attending all Cabinet mtngs starting This Monday Dec 5, 2pm. Ty.” The text was referring to Robredo who was asked not to attend Cabinet meetings back in December 2016 when she was still the chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). She eventually resigned.
