News Roundup 24 September 2021
Sep 24, 2021 • 5 min Read
DOH lists 18,659 more COVID-19 cases | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines on Friday logged 18,659 more coronavirus cases, pushing its total caseload to 2,453,328. Today’s figures saw active cases up by 9,534 from the 165,790 on September 23. The Department of Health said no deaths were reported today due to technical issues in is COVIDKaya system. One laboratory also failed to submit test results. “The Department of Information and Communications Technology is currently addressing issues encountered by the system,” the agency added.
- Active cases: 175,324 or 7.1% of the total
- Recoveries: 9,088, bringing the number to 2,240,599
- Deaths: 0, or still 37,405 in total
Pharmally admits selling expired, substandard face shields to government | PHILSTAR.COM – Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp., the Duterte administration’s favored pandemic supplier, admitted to the Senate blue ribbon committee on Friday that it sold expired and substandard face shields to the government meant for doctors and healthcare workers. Pharmally executive Krizle Grace Mago was forced to confirm the practice after it was bared by a Senate witness who is an employee at the firm’s warehouse. Asked by blue ribbon chairman Richard Gordon if the firm was swindling the government by doing this, Mago replied: “Yes, I believe so.” The witness, whose voice and face were distorted for security reasons, said Pharmally instructed warehouse workers to replace the certificates of face shields dated 2020 with new certificates dated 2021. He claimed this practice was still running when he was hired in August until September of this year, adding that no face shields were thrown out regardless of their condition. “Even if the face shields were dented, the boxes were dented, even though they were dirtied, ma’am would still tell us to repack them… even if they are yellowed, even if they are wet,” he said in Filipino in a recorded video presented by Sen. Risa Hontiveros. He said Mago was the boss he was referring to. A copy of a document certifying his employment signed by Pharmally corporate secretary and treasurer Mohit Dargai was also presented by Hontiveros’ office. Asked to confirm the witness’ testimony, Mago said they did repackage face shields due to “supply issues.” She also said that the order to do this came from Dargani. Dargani denied this and said he only recalled Mago asking other executives in the group chat if the practice was advisable. But Mago countered that she would have only acted upon instruction from a higher-up.
Carpio: Duterte can’t bar Cabinet members from attending Senate probe | INQUIRER.NET – President Rodrigo Duterte cannot prohibit his Cabinet members from attending a Senate investigation on the alleged overpriced personal protective equipment (PPE) bought by the government amid the pandemic, retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Friday. During an online forum of the opposition coalition 1Sambayan, Carpio said that the Senate investigations are in aid of legislation. “The President cannot bar Cabinet members from attending Senate investigations on Pharmally because the investigation is in aid of legislation,” said Carpio. “In investigations in aid of legislation, the Cabinet members attend as ordinary witnesses or resource persons. In the question hour, the Cabinet members attend as heads of department. So it’s very clear that the President has no authority to bar the Cabinet members from attending the Senate investigation of Pharmally because this investigation is in aid of legislation, not a question hour investigation,” he also explained. The Senate blue ribbon committee is investigating the procurement of allegedly overpriced PPEs bought by the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management for the Department of Health in 2020. During the hearings, senators have questioned Pharmally for bagging over P8.6 billion worth of supplies contracts despite being only several months old and having just P625,000 in paid-up capital.
Robredo hits Duterte’s leadership style; says it’ll be a ‘waste’ if he becomes next VP | Manila Bulletin – Vice President Leni Robredo said it would be a “waste” if President Duterte becomes her successor and implements his familiar style of leadership. Robredo, in an interview Friday, Sept. 24 with Ateneo Level Up of Radyo Katipunan, said she wouldn’t want the next vice president of the Philippines to be “too detached” from the job. “Pinangalagaan ko yung opisina for six years. Sana yung nakita ko na klase ng governing na ginawa niya as president, sana hindi ganun kung siya yung maging vice president (I took care of this office for six years. Hopefully the governing style that we saw him do as president won’t be his style if he becomes the vice president),” she said. “Kasi kami dito…we work as hard as yung pinakamaliit na empleyado. Sayang naman. Sayang yung aming sinimulan kung yung magiging susunod na vice president masyadong detached (As for us…we work as hard as the lowest-ranked employee. It’s a waste. It’s a waste of the groundwork we laid down here if the next vice president would be too detached),” she said. President Duterte is the vice presidential bet of ruling party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) for the upcoming May 2022 national elections. He signed his certificate of nomination and acceptance (CONA) from the party Thursday. “Sayang kasi pinagpaguran ko hoping na yung klase ng kultura dito ngayon, ito yung legacy na maiiwan ko (It’ll be a waste of my hard work as well as my hopes that the culture I will have left here would be my legacy),” added Robredo. The opposition leader has often criticized the Duterte administration for its handling of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Specifically, Robredo has said that there seems to be “no captain” in government when it comes to its pandemic response. Robredo, chairman of the Liberal Party (LP), is being urged by several sectors to run for president next year. However, she remains undecided with less than a week to go before the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) among poll aspirants.
