News Roundup 23 August 2021
Aug 23, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines logs new record-high 18,332 COVID-19 cases | PHILSTAR.COM – Health authorities on Monday reported 18,332 new coronavirus cases in what became the highest daily rise for the Philippines since the pandemic hit. Today’s numbers pushed the country’s total to 1,857,646. Active cases were up by 4,450 from the 125,900 on August 22. The Department of Health said three laboratories did not submit test results.
- Active cases: 130,350 or 7.0% of the total
- Recoveries: 13,794, bringing the number to 1,695,335
- Deaths: 151, or now 31,961 in total
DOH cautions vs ivermectin use anew after US FDA warning | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health on Monday doubled down on its advice against treating coronavirus patients with ivermectin, following authorities in the United States’ reminder also not to use it. Select groups and individuals in the Philippines have been touting the anti-parasitic drug as a treatment or preventive measure against COVID-19. But that’s against repeated warnings by officials that there remains no evidence that ivermectin would work in that way, and could instead pose harmful effects. “DOH is not recommending ivermectin and we continue to remind the public against its use,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told a briefing in Filipino. The comments came after the US Food and Drug Administration sought to address reports of people being poisoned after taking ivermectin pills for treating worms in horses. “Evidence has shown it does not give you any benefit in preventing, shortening the duration of hospitalization,” Vergeire said, “or the progression of your disease when you have COVID-19.” She added in Filipino: “This medicine has side effects that could be harmful to your body.” Vergeire said, too, that the public should only take registered medicines and those recommended by the DOH. Ivermectin’s use in the Philippines has been encouraged by certain individuals, particularly by some lawmakers who led a distribution of the drug to locals.
PH debt by time Duterte is gone: P13.42 trillion | INQUIRER.NET – The national government’s outstanding debt will further climb to a record P13.42 trillion by the end of 2022 even as next year’s gross borrowing was expected to be a smaller P2.47 trillion in accordance with the narrower budget deficit program. Documents on the proposed P5.024-trillion 2022 national budget showed that outstanding debt next year will further rise from the P11.73 trillion programmed by the end of 2021. Debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP), which reflected a country’s capacity to repay its obligations, was estimated to hit a 16-year high of 59.1 percent by end-2021 and inch up to 60.8 percent in 2022. The share of debt to the economy was projected to ease to 60.7 percent in 2023 and 59.7 percent in 2024. Debt-to-GDP stood at 60.4 percent as of end-June, slightly above the 60-percent threshold, which credit rating agencies considered a manageable public debt level for emerging markets, as the government borrowed more for its COVID-19 war chest. The national government’s gross borrowings for 2022 will be smaller than this year’s P3.07-trillion program. Borrowings for 2023 would further decline to P2.31 trillion. The government will continue to borrow more from the domestic debt market, with a share of 81 percent this year, 77 percent next year, and 75 percent in 2023. Gross external borrowings sourced from Philippine bonds sold offshore as well as program and project loans extended by multilateral lenders and bilateral development partners would decline to P560.58 billion in 2022 from P581.37 billion this year. Domestic borrowings mainly from the sale of treasury bills and bonds would also drop to P1.91 trillion next year from this year’s P2.49 trillion. The budget documents did not specify an amount of short-term loan from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for 2022, but National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon said the national government “did not say there will be no more BSP borrowings—it depends.” De Leon said the BSP facility was “still available” next year. This year, the national government availed itself of a P540-billion zero-interest loan from BSP.
Robredo urged to run for president by UP alumni group | Manila Bulletin – A group of former student leaders from the University of the Philippines (UP) has joined the calls urging Vice President Leni Robredo to run for president in the 2022 elections. In a statement, Nagkaisang Tugon, a group established in 1981, declared and proclaimed its choice of Robredo to be their presidential candidate in 2022. The group expressed that Robredo was the right person to lead the nation as she possesses the qualities of a good leader the Philippines needs. “Kami ay naniniwala at nagpapahayag na si Leni Robredo ang tawag ng panahon para mamuno ng bayan (We believe and express that Vice President Robredo is what the situation requires to lead the country),” the group declared. JJ Soriano, lead convenor and co-founder of Nagkaisang Tugon and former Vice Chairman of the UP Student Council 1985-1986, said Robredo actively supported the group while she was taking up Economics at UP from 1982 to 1986. “Kaya’t nakita na natin na ang ikabububuti at ikauunlad ng ating bayan ang kanyang hangarin sa Makatao, Makabayan at Maka-Diyos na paraan (This is how we thought that she aspires to achieve the prosperous Philippines through a humane, patriotic, and God-fearing ways),” Soriano said. Samasa Alumni Association, Inc., a former rival group of Nagkaisang Tugon, recently reaffirmed its commitment to rebuild an effective and efficient government with Robredo at the helm. Samasa was also formed about 40 years ago to fight the Marcos dictatorship and helped end a regime that caused widespread poverty and misery among the Filipino people.
