News Roundup 28 August 2021
Aug 28, 2021 • 5 min Read
Philippines logs record-high 19,441 new COVID-19 cases | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health on Saturday reported 19,441 COVID-19 infections—the highest daily rise since the pandemic began—as the country battles a fresh surge driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. This brought the country’s total caseload to 1,935,700.
- Active cases: 142,679 or 7.4% of the total
- Recoveries: 19,191 or, bringing total to 1,760,013
- Deaths: 167, raising toll to 33,008
In its latest bulletin, the DOH reported a positivity rate of 27.5% out of 71,620 tests.
Former SC spokesman joins lawyers for Robredo run | PHILSTAR.COM – Former Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te has joined hundreds of lawyers urging Vice President Leni Robredo to run for president next year. In a message during the virtual launch of “Lawyers for Leni” yesterday, Te said the Vice President has shown her heart, skill and knowledge in every opportunity given to her to lead. “This is also what she shows in her day-to-day service despite the lack of budget and clear position in this administration. She does not complain, but instead continuously serves. She is open to criticism and her response to this is good leadership,” he said in Filipino. Over 300 lawyers have signed a unity statement urging Robredo, a human rights lawyer before joining politics, to run for president. “As the entire country bears the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, we see how the brazen disregard for the rule of law kills all hope and undermines efforts to save lives and bring our country back on its feet,” it read. “In these very challenging times, we need a President who understands that the restoration of respect for the rule of law is crucial. We need a President who believes that the rule of law cannot be brushed aside on a whim, or for the sake of expediency. We need a President who values human rights and human lives. We need a President who is for the law, for the country and for the people,” it added. The group also launched a free online legal assistance program and information desk to show their solidarity with Robredo’s efforts to address various issues. Labor leaders and members of the LGBT community also launched their respective campaigns to urge Robredo to run for president. Workers from the health care and business process outsourcing sectors will also launch similar initiatives over the weekend.
P8.7-B med supply deals went to tiny company | INQUIRER.NET – A whopping P8.7 billion worth of contracts to supply “overpriced” face masks, personal protective equipment (PPE) sets and COVID-19 test kits to the government last year went to a little-known trading company with fictitious addresses, senators learned on Friday. Under the contracts with the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. priced its face mask at P27.72 apiece in May 2020, when other suppliers sold them for about half the amount at P13.50 to P17.50 each, according to Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon. The company test kit was P1,720 each, nearly double the P925 sold by other companies. Its PPEs were P1,910 apiece, more than double the market price of P945 at the time, Drilon said, citing the PS-DBM’s own figures. When the government purchases were made in May last year, the company had been in existence for only about eight months since its incorporation in September 2019 with a paid-up capital of only P625,000, the senator said. On its Facebook page, the company said its “main line of business” was the importation and distribution of pharmaceutical products and medical devices. It was issued a two-year license to operate by the Food and Drug Administration as an importer-wholesaler of medical devices only in January this year. Two of Pharmally’s top executives, CEO Huang Tzu Yen and treasurer and corporate secretary Mohit Dargani, listed what turned out to be a fake address in the company’s 2020 general information sheet filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Senate blue ribbon committee had summoned the company executives to attend the resumption of the Senate inquiry into the alleged deficiencies in the use of pandemic response funds by the Department of Health (DOH). The subpoenas, however, could not be served at the company address in a Taguig condominium because the unit had been vacant for the past three years. Senators also were informed that Pharmally president Twinkle Dargani had left her residence at a condominium unit in San Juan City in May.
Robredo for President draft boosted by health workers, BPO employees, other sectors | Manila Bulletin – Despite being mum about her political plans next year, hundreds of Vice President Leni Robredo’s supporters from the health sector and business process outsourcing (BPO) industry are urging her to run for president in the 2022 polls. “Healthcare Workers for Leni” and “BPO Employees for Leni” launched their respective groups on Facebook Live on Saturday, August 28, to air their support for the vice president, calling her the leader the country needs amid the pandemic. “During this pandemic, we, the medical frontliners, realized the importance of a strong and inclusive leadership in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Gia Sison, one of the members of Healthcare Workers for Leni, said. “We know that our sacrifices in the frontlines will be worthwhile if we have leaders capable of and determined in restoring good governance, decency, and respect among Filipinos. We believe that Leni Robredo is this kind of leader. We believe that she will lead us to a healthier Philippines,” she added. Healthcare Workers for Leni is currently composed of more than 600 volunteers of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, medical technologists, and other healthcare professionals. During the virtual launch, the doctors issued their statement of support for Robredo’s candidacy next year.
