News Roundup 17 October 2021
Oct 17, 2021 • 3 min Read
DOH logs 6,913 new COVID-19 infections, but three labs without data | PHILSTAR.COM – Health authorities reported 6,913 more coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the national caseload to 2,720,368. In its latest bulletin released Sunday afternoon, the DOH reported a positivity rate of 12.5% out of 53,669 tests.
- Active cases: 81,641 or 3.0% of the total
- Recoveries: 10,237 new additions, bringing the number to 2,598,052
- Deaths: 95, now 40,675 in total
According to the Department of Health, three labs were not able to submit their tallies for Sunday’s final count.
Robredo wants conditional stimulus package for MSMEs, small businesses amid pandemic | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday called on the government to allow micro, small, and medium enterprises or MSMEs and other small businesses struggling to keep up with the government’s quarantine restrictions a conditional stimulus package to allow them to pay their employees. Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of her visit to Malaybalay’s Choice Handicraft in Bukidnon, the vice president stimulus could include grants for businesses that keep their workers. According to the latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority released in early October, the unemployment rate amid the coronavirus pandemic in the Philippines jumped to 8.1% from the 6.9 % first recorded in July. “I have always advocated for the government to put up a stimulus package — not a loan — stimulus package for MSMEs so that they have the ability to keep employing their employees, including giving them 13th month [pay]. Because for me, it’s not enough to ask for 13th-month pay because so many people have lost their jobs,” Robredo said in mixed Filipino and English. “Many others have [already lost their jobs]. So hopefully for me, [the solution is a] conditional stimulus package. You can be given a grant as long as you keep your employees so that your employees can have a job. Then give them the remuneration that they deserve… if it’s a stimulus package that you don’t have to pay but you promise the government to keep people employed, it’s a bigger thing.” MSMEs constitute 99.6% of businesses in the Philippines. Per figures from the Department of Trade and Industry at the end of September, the number of MSMEs in the country shot up to 2.081 million despite the coronavirus-induced lockdowns.
Robredo expects little local support; Duterte rallies bets | INQUIRER.NET – Vice President Leni Robredo on Saturday admitted that her presidential bid in 2022 was facing daunting challenges, not least of which was caused by the decimation of the Liberal Party (LP) she leads as chair. Another big obstacle, she said, was the “disinformation” campaign against her over the past five years under President Rodrigo Duterte which characterized her as a do-nothing Vice President.
Duterte pledge
In nearby Iligan City, Duterte welcomed new members of the PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi who took their oath on Saturday. “I may not really be able to attend all your political meetings, but I have committed to campaign for PDP candidates all over the country. So, I can only afford one [event in] each city,” he said.
Universities illuminate in pink to rally behind Robredo | Manila Bulletin – Two universities illuminated their buildings in pink in a show of support for Vice President Leni Robredo’s bid for presidency. On Friday, Oct. 15, Robredo’s alma mater Universidad de Sta. Isabel lit up the facade of its building using the color pink, the fresh campaign color of the Vice President, as “a bright effort in support of its esteemed alumna.” Robredo spent her grade school and high school at the University. Adamson University (AdU) recently lit up its facade “to show solidarity with the cause of Vice President Leni Robredo.” “She has shown resistance to corruption, disdain for injustice, and an untainted love for the poor reflected by her wholehearted service,” AdU wrote on its Facebook page. “We have had strongmen and political dynasties lead our nation. It’s time we don’t settle for less. Let us choose genuine servant-leadership.” Right after Robredo’s declaration on Oct. 7, her supporters, who dubbed themselves as “kakampink,” flooded social media with pictures in pink frames or messages written in the color.
