News Roundup 26 October 2021
Oct 26, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines’ COVID count by up 4,393 new cases | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health on Tuesday reported 4,393 more coronavirus cases to bring the country’s overall count to 2,765,672. Today’s figures saw active cases down by 4,121 from the 57,763 on October 25. DOH said five laboratories did not submit screening results. “The relatively low cases today is due to lower laboratory output last Sunday, October 24,” the agency added.
- Active cases: 53,642 or 1.9% of the total
- Deaths: 135, pushing the count to 42,077
- Recoveries: 8,470 bringing the number to 2,669,953
Robredo on vote buying: Take the money, but vote according to conscience | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo gave advice on how ordinary people can handle vote buying, saying that they can accept the money being offered but still vote for the candidate they want. “Mali yung pagbibili ng boto, pero ‘yung sinasabi ko sa tao, tanggapin niyo. Parati kong sinasabi tanggapin niyo kasi galing rin naman ‘yan sa atin. ‘Yung pinambibili ng boto, pera din naman ‘yan ng taongbayan,” Robredo said Tuesday at a virtual forum with household service workers or kasambahays. (Vote buying is wrong, but I tell people, accept the money. I always say accept it since that also came from us. What’s being used to buy votes is also the money of the people.) Robredo was asked during the forum for advice on how people should deal with vote buying if they encounter it. Her response is similar to the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin’s advice on vote buying to “take the bait, not the hook.” “‘Wag kang boboto dahil pakiramdam mo mayroon kang utang na loob kasi tinanggap mo. ‘Di ba? ‘Yung sa akin, tanggapin ang pera, pero iboto sa konsensiya,” Robredo said. (Don’t vote because you feel indebted to them because you accepted the money. Right? For me, accept the money, but vote according to your conscience.) She also told kasambahays that they should not worry about the possibility of other people finding out who they voted for as there is no way for anyone to do this. The Commission on Elections has stressed that the claim that there is a way to monitor how a specific voter votes is among the persistent pieces of misinformation surrounding elections.
More local gov’t execs pick Leni-Kiko for 2022; Muntinlupa’s Fresnedi vows support | INQUIRER.NET – More local government officials are throwing their support to the tandem of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Francis Pangilinan for the 2022 national elections, the latest being Muntinlupa City Mayor Jaime Fresnedi. According to Fresnedi, Robredo and Pangilinan should lead the country as both have the “sincerity and competence to serve.” Robredo and Pangilinan would be running for president and vice president, respectively, in next year’s election. “I’m supporting VP Leni for President and Senator Kiko for Vice President, believing na silang dalawa ay karapat-dapat to be the leaders of the 110 million Filipinos,” Fresnedi said in a statement Monday. “They have the sincerity and the competence to serve and lead. Nakikita natin ‘yung love of country, and love for the Filipinos. ‘Yun ang ino-offer nila, walang reservations. They are offering their services, their lives, their time to serve the people of the Philippines for the next six years,” he added. The Muntinlupa City chief executive further noted that Robredo enjoys the trust of the people, as shown by the consistent partnership of the private sector with the Office of the Vice President which initiated many anti-poverty and COVID-19 response programs under her watch.
Robredo explains why she is angry at Marcos | Manila Bulletin – If Vice President Leni Robredo is angry at former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and apprehensive of his family’s possible return to power, it’s because of the way the Marcoses looted the country’s coffers during the Martial Law years. The son of the late dictator President Ferdinand Marcos grew up during the Martial Law years and even held government positions during its heyday. “Sa akin, tingin ko hindi dapat tayo nagagalit sa tao eh. Ang dapat nagagalit tayo sa ginagawa (For me, we shouldn’t be angry at the person. We should be angry at what they’re doing),” Robredo said during a virtual meeting with Kasambahay for Leni on Tuesday, Oct. 26. As the executor of his father’s will, Bongbong Marcos was instrumental in blocking cases that would force his family to open their accounts and has denied payments to victims of Martial Law. He continuously denies that his family stole from the country, but official records say the Marcoses looted more than $10 billion, Robredo said. The Vice President said the public should be angry not only with Marcos, but with other public officials who stray from their obligations.
