News Roundup 10 September 2021
Sep 10, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines sees 17,964 more COVID-19 cases | PHILSTAR.COM – Health authorities on Friday logged 17,964 new coronavirus cases to bring the country’s total to 2,179,770. Today’s figures saw active cases up by 8,798 from the 166,672 on September 9. The Department of Health said four laboratories did not submit test results.
- Active cases: 175,470 or 8.0% of the total
- Recoveries: 9,067, bringing the number to 1,969,401
- Deaths: 168, or now 34,899 in total
‘Uncalled for’: Roque under fire over outburst on doctors in IATF meeting | PHILSTAR.COM – Groups on Friday condemned Palace spokesman Harry Roque after a leaked video showed him berating a doctor who pleaded to retain Metro Manila under hard lockdown, saying his remarks were uncalled for and were “anti-health workers.” Parts of a September 7 virtual meeting of the pandemic task force were first reported by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. In it, Roque was seen throwing a fit said to be directed to Dr. Maricar Limpin of the Philippine College of Physicians. It came after the PCP president, at one point emotional, appealed against downgrading the capital region to general community quarantine amid continued rising COVID-19 cases that was pushed back to September 15. “Let me point out to everyone,” Roque said while pointing his finger, “this group, they have never said anything good about the government’s response.” Health workers’ groups have since called out Roque for his outburst and demanded that he apologize. “His behavior is uncalled for,” said Dr. Leni Jara of Shape Up in a briefing in Filipino. “Medical professionals are only giving advice and that’s what he tells them? Does he lack sleep?” For Robert Mendoza of the Alliance of Health Workers, the Palace spokesman’s action reflected his boss, President Rodrigo Duterte. “Roque has already had many statements that are anti-health workers,” he said in Filipino. “For us in AHW, Secretary Roque should already resign.” In the said IATF meeting, Limpin warned that a GCQ in Metro Manila at this time could lead to daily infections going up even further. Just on Thursday, the country saw its new record-high cases at 22,820. Authorites also reported more than 20,000 additional infections since the beginning of the week.
OVP’s 2022 budget cut by 21%; lawmakers want it to have at least P1 billion | INQUIRER.NET – Lawmakers call for an increase in the 2022 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to at least P1 billion as it suffered a 21 percent slash compared to this year’s allocation. But sticking to tradition, the House committee on appropriations immediately terminated deliberations on the OVP’s 2022 budget. Camarines Sur 3rd District Rep. Gabriel Bordado said OVP’s funding should be at least P1 billion and not just P713 million, as proposed, pointing out that the office of Vice President Leni Robredo has consistently received a high audit rating from the Commission on Audit (COA) over the past years. This means, he added, that OVP under Robredo has been “judiciously and honestly handling its budget in order to pursue the objective of protecting the welfare and well-being of the Filipino people.” “On top of its multiple programs and projects aimed at improving the lives of our marginalized countrymen, the OVP has been at the forefront of the fight against the deadly COVID pandemic,” Bordado said. “I am therefore proposing once again that the P713 million budget of the OVP for 2022 representing a substantial cut of more than 21 percent be increased to at least P1 billion,” he added.
Robredo urged to run for president in 2022 by insurance workers | Manila Bulletin – Agents and executives of life- and non-life insurance companies across the country have displayed a united front in calling on Vice President Leni Robredo to run for president in the 2022 elections. In a statement, the group, which called itself “Insurers for Leni”, declared that Robredo’s brand of values-based leadership is what the country needs to secure a better life for all Filipinos. Insurers for Leni convenor Anna Blanco said the group currently has 1,400 members from 24 life and non-life insurance companies. She called on their fellow co-workers in the industry to join the cause. In a manifesto, Insurers for Leni declared it wants government leaders to have competence, professionalism, honesty, integrity, and genuine concern for people so they can continue to enjoy the public’s trust and confidence amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “The COVID-19 crisis has shown how the current government failed us,” the group said. “The data on the pandemic, the impact on the livelihood of many Filipinos, and the heartbreaking plight of frontliners coupled with allegations of corruption make us desperate for better governance,” it furthered. The group said it wants a new leader “we can trust and be proud of” and who can inspire the Filipino people to believe in themselves and work together to uplift the lives of everyone. “We believe that leader to be Leni Robredo. To us, she exemplifies the values we need in a leader,” the group stressed.
