News Roundup 02 August 2021
Aug 02, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines tops 1.6 million COVID-19 cases with 8,167 new infections | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health on Monday logged 8,167 additional coronavirus cases, pushing the country’s total to 1,605,762. August 2 is the fourth straight day of authorities reporting more than 8,000 new infections. DOH said three laboratories did not turn in screening results.
- Active cases: 62,615 or 3.9% of the total
- Recoveries: 9,095, bringing the number to 1,515,054
- Deaths: 77, or now 28,093 in total
Facebook blocks lawmaker’s accounts for COVID-19 misinformation | PHILSTAR.COM – A lawmaker on Monday had two of his Facebook accounts removed after the social networking platform found a number of “community standard violations” in his content. Rep. Mike Defensor (Anakalusugan), recently in the news for touting antiparasitic drug ivermectin against COVID-19, complained about his accounts getting blocked after he posted what he claimed was an “analysis” of COVID-19 case updates in the United Kingdom, Israel, United States and in Uttar Pradesh, India. To recall, Defensor was among the organizers of a “pantry” that distributed the antiparasitic drug ivermectin, prescriptions of which did not include the required doctors’ names, license numbers, and professional tax receipt numbers when they were given out. The post in question saw Defensor bringing up the animal drug once more, arguing that Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India, has lower coronavirus cases despite having relatively lower vaccination numbers. Defensor claimed this was because the poor region, also India’s most populated, was “the first” to take ivermectin. He claimed the region “continues” to lean on the veterinary drug. The Department of Health has maintained its position not to recommend ivermectin as treatment for the coronavirus, saying the anti-parasitic drug was found not to have any effect on severe COVID-19 cases in a study in the United States. As a result of Facebook’s blocking, Defensor’s Facebook page “Anakalusugan Partylist Cong. Mike Defensor” is “at risk of being unpublished.” A warning by Facebook added that the page now has “reduced distribution and other restrictions, due to continued Community Standards violations.” The page is also no longer being suggested to other Facebook users.
Manila looks for volunteers as LGU gears to operate vaccine facilities 24/7 | INQUIRER.NET – The local government of Manila is looking for volunteers that can assist the LGU when its vaccination facilities start to operate 24/7. According to a post from Manila Mayor Isko Moreno’s Facebook page, the city government is looking for medical staffers and computer-literate volunteers who may extend their help for free once the city opens its 24/7 vaccination site. “Isang panawagan po mula sa Pamahalaang Lungsod. Nangangailangan po tayo ng mga magboboluntaryo para sa 24/7 na bakunahan sa Maynila,” Moreno said. (This is a call from the local government: we need volunteers who can work for the 24/7 vaccination facility in Manila.) “Kung sinumang lisensiyadong puwedeng magbakuna, idu-duty ko kayo sa gabi to replenish our workforce, our medical frontliners during daytime,” he added. (Whoever is licensed to make vaccinations, you would be placed on duty by night to replenish the workforce, our medical frontliners during daytime.)
Proposed P40-B NTF-ELCAC budget for 2022 an ‘election giveaway’ — Drilon | Manila Bulletin – Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Monday, August 2, scored the Duterte administration’s plan to double the budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to P40-billion in the upcoming deliberations of the proposed 2022 national budget saying the amount is clearly an “election giveaway.” “Let’s not mince words: it’s an election giveaway,” Drilon said in a statement. “It is an election year budget and it is obvious that the 100-percent increase in the NTF-ELCAC’s budget is designed to woo voters,” the minority leader added. “That would be unacceptable in the face of growing threats of COVID-19 virus. That would be an injustice to 4.2 million families who experienced hunger and 3.73 million Filipinos who lost jobs to the pandemic in May,” he lamented. According to Drilon, a source has confirmed that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) intends to double the budget of the controversial anti-insurgency task force. It’s current budget which stands at P19.2-billion includes more than P16-billion that were distributed to around 820 insurgency-free barangays nationwide. Drilon said the Commission on Audit (COA) should conduct a special audit on this year’s anti-insurgency fund, noting that some of the “soft projects” under the task force’s Barangay Development Program (BDP) are prone to corruption.
