News Roundup 17 September 2021
Sep 17, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines sees 20,336 new COVID-19 cases, active cases at 188,108 | PHILSTAR.COM – Health authorities on Friday reported 20,336 more coronavirus cases, pushing the country’s total to 2,324,475. Today’s figures saw a huge increase in active cases or up by 10,162 from the 177,946 on September 17. The Department of Health said four laboratories did not turn in screening results.
- Active cases: 188,108 or 8.1% of the total
- Recoveries: 10,028, bringing the number to 2,100,039
- Deaths: 310, or now 36,328 in total
After assailing Senate probe, Duterte told: You are not a president Filipinos can respect | PHILSTAR.COM – Senate Blue Ribbon chairman Richard Gordon on Friday called out President Rodrigo Duterte for incessantly attacking the panel and its hearings on reported deficiencies in pandemic spending that have closed in on individuals linked to the chief executive. Duterte has sought to discredit the Blue Ribbon probe since it began. He has accused senators, Gordon, especially, of politicking ahead of the 2022 elections and lambasted the Commission on Audit for flagging the “deficiencies” which spurred the hearings in the first place. Duterte also threatened to audit the Philippine Red Cross, which Gordon chairs, even though it is a non-governmental organization. Earlier this week, the president also required members of his Cabinet to seek his permission before attending congressional hearings. “Today, I tell you, you are not the president the Filipino people can respect,” Gordon said, addressing Duterte directly in his opening statement. “You are a cheap politician.” “The truth does not mind being questioned, Mr. President,” he added. “Those who really mind [being questioned] are liars.” Gordon also took aim at Duterte’s continued defense of his former economic adviser Michael Yang and former Budget Usec. Lloyd Christopher Lao who worked on his presidential campaign.
Robredo still hopeful about forming unity ticket before October 8 deadline | INQUIRER.NET – Vice President Leni Robredo is not giving up on creating a united ticket for the opposition before October 8 — the final day for the filing of certificates of candidacy — as she continues talking with other sectors. Robredo said on the sidelines of her office’s Vaccine Express initiative with the local government of San Fernando, Pampanga that forming an alliance has not been easy given that it would ultimately entail one of the perceived presidential candidates for 2022 to step back from their presidential ambitions. So far, Robredo has talked to Senators Panfilo Lacson, Richard Gordon, Manny Pacquiao, and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno. However, no clear plan has been established. “Tuloy-tuloy pa rin iyong effort na magkaroon ng, sana unity ticket before October 8. Iyong inaasahan—hindi naman natin inaasahan na iyong negotiations magiging madali,” Robredo told reporters on Friday. (Efforts to have a unity ticket, hopefully before October 8, are still continuing. We are not expecting the negotiations to be easy though.) “Siyempre nanggagaling kasi sa iba’t ibang mga kampo na may kaniya-kaniyang supporters. Siyempre kung ang isasaalang-alang iyong supporters namin, iyong supporters namin gusto kami iyong kandidato. So maraming mga gusot na inaasikaso pero hindi ako nawawalan ng pag-asa,” she added. (Of course we would be coming from different camps with different supporters. Of course we are also considering our supporters, because our supporters want us to be the leading candidate. So there are some things that need to be ironed out, but I am not losing hope.) The Vice President also admitted that whatever alliance they may create would not be perfect as they come from different backgrounds. But with the future of the country at stake, she hopes people can decide on what would be the best interest of the country.
Groups welcome ICC probe on alleged crimes committed under Duterte’s drug war | Manila Bulletin – Militant groups welcomed the probe to be conducted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the alleged crimes related to extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, including the deaths under the controversial war-on-drugs campaign of the Duterte administration. “This may be Duterte’s ultimate nightmare yet a welcome development for the Filipinos seeking justice and accountability from his terror reign,” militant fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said. “The ICC full probe is a critical step towards recovering the many counts of the Duterte regime’s high crimes against humanity that stemmed from the bloody war on drugs among other state policies that fuel grave human rights abuses,” it added. In a statement, Pamalakaya national chairperson Fernando Hicap said the ICC investigation “deserves the full support of the Filipino people who are being terrorized by the mass murderer government.” Meanwhile, farmers’ group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said the investigation is an initial step in our long quest for truth, accountability, and justice. “We share the hope of the families of ‘war on drugs’ victims as we are also seeking justice for more than 300 peasant leaders and farmers killed under Duterte,” the KMP said in a statement.
