News Roundup 04 September 2021
Sep 04, 2021 • 5 min Read
Philippines records 20,741 more COVID-19 cases | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines on Saturday tallied 20,741 new coronavirus infections, the second highest daily increase since the pandemic began. The additional infections brought the nation’s caseload to 2,061,084. The country is battling a resurgence in cases driven by the hyper contagious Delta variant, which has ravaged neighboring countries.
- Active cases: 157,646 or 7.6% of the total
- Recoveries: 21,962 or, bringing total to 1,869,376
- Deaths: 189, raising toll to 34,062
In its latest bulletin, the DOH reported a positivity rate of 28% out of 74,034 tests.
Gordon: Duterte tirades distracting public from scandals | PHILSTAR.COM – Sen. Richard Gordon remained unfazed yesterday by President Duterte’s attacks, saying the latest tirades were another attempt to distract the people from corruption scandals rocking the administration. Gordon said he was wondering why Duterte was making claims about his 2022 electoral campaign – supposedly using funds from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) – when he has not made any announcement on future political plans. “First of all, it is an honor to be attacked for doing my job and for doing my job both at the Senate and at the Red Cross,” Gordon told an online forum organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “You know I’ve not even announced anything yet. I may not even run for the Senate anymore. I may not run for president or vice president or even run for mayor. Why am I being tainted?” he said. “This is really tragic. I think it is an attempt by the President to try and distract the people once again,” he added. He said he agreed with Sen. Panfilo Lacson that Duterte was now in panic mode as the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, which he chairs, is getting more and more evidence of wrongdoing in the government’s handling of COVID-19 funds. “I’ve been at the Red Cross and my mother was there for 63 years. I’m trying to break her record, I have nothing to be ashamed of,” Gordon said, adding he stands by the track record of PRC. “So it is not about him or me. Am I flattered that he is paying attention to me? No, I should not be flattered, I can carry my own load,” he said. Gordon said the President was quarrelling with the Senate to make the chamber “lose focus on things we must do so we can catch those who stole (money).” “You (Duterte) said corruption is prohibited… So to my mind, I’m sorry Mr. President, I’m not here to please you, I’m here to protect the Filipino people,” Gordon said.
Health groups: gov’t COVID response ‘still not enough’ | INQUIRER.NET – With health-care workers protesting the delayed release of their benefits amid “unspent or misspent” billion-peso funds, health professionals have coalesced into a unified front, calling out the government for its insufficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic after more than a year. Dr. Antonio Dans, convener of Health Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19 (HPAAC), said he and his colleagues were not trying “to pick a fight” but had to speak out after the Philippine College of Emergency Medicine (PCEM) and 60 other alliances sounded the alarm. The government should show “moral support” by ensuring that hospital workers are fairly compensated, said Dr. Benito Atienza, president of the Philippine Medical Association. Dr. Aileen Espina, in reading the HPAAC message to the government, said: “What we are doing now is still not enough. The data that you are getting are not aligned with what is happening in the communities and hospitals.” Espina said health professionals had kept open communication lines with the government, “but [after] more than one year, where are the solutions we have long been pushing?” For one, Espina said, she and her colleagues had yet to see “digitized, connected and interoperable” contact tracing. She said the poor coordination between the One Hospital Command Center of the Department of Health (DOH) and the local governments had resulted in patients hospital-hopping and ending up dying at home or in a hospital parking lot. “We have a huge amount of unspent or misspent money. That is why we do not understand why, until now, the hospitals are unpaid and health-care workers have yet to receive the benefits promised them,” Espina said. She also said the overall response lacked the “political will” to strictly implement guidelines, especially in workplaces and mass transportation.
Creation of new anti-corruption body another diversionary ploy – Zarate | Manila Bulletin – House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate on Saturday, Sept. 4 slammed the creation of the Inter-Agency Anti-Corruption Coordinating Council (IAACCC) amid the controversy over reports of massive overpricing of vital COVID-19 prevention gadgets and paraphernalia. Created by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, the IAACCC was launched on Friday while President Duterte and the Senate continued to exchange words over the latter’s on-going investigation into the alleged overpricing of face shields, face masks and other anti-COViD 19 supplies and equipment procured by the Procurement Services-Department of Budget and Management. Former Undersecretary Christopher Lao, who used to work at the Presidential Management Staff and the Davao City government, has been undergoing intense grilling in the Senate as reported proofs of multi-billion peso irregularities at the PS-DBM surfaced. Zarate said he creation of the IAACCC could be a mere ploy to deflect media and public attention from the corruption issues confronting the Duterte administration. At the same time, Zarate said the new body can also used as a demolition machine by the regime against its political rivals and the opposition.”
