News Roundup 02 March 2022
Mar 02, 2022 • 5 min Read
Kakampinks show up for Robredo in Isko’s Manila | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo’s supporters mounted a show of force in the Philippines’ vote-rich capital led by one of her opponents in the presidential race — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso. Organizers said around 5,000 people turned up for the “Pink Magic of Hope” rally at Plaza Noli in Sampaloc, Manila graced by Robredo and her running mate, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan. One of them was 24-year-old Edrian Santollano, who brought with him a sign that reads “Ang tunay na bilis kilos ay na kay Leni,” a swipe at Domagoso’s campaign tagline. “I’ve proven that the real bilis kilos (quick action) is with the Office of the Vice President under Leni Robredo’s leadership,” Santollano told Philstar.com in Filipino, recalling his experience using the OVP’s teleconsultation service when he caught COVID-19. “When I called Bayanihan E-Konsulta, they were the first to respond to me. They gave me medicines and they monitored me,” he said. Despite the outpouring of Kakampinks in Manila, Robredo has her work cut out for her in the capital city, where she lost to her archrival, former Sen. Bongbong Marcos, in the 2016 vice presidential race. Marcos enjoys a wide lead over Robredo in pre-election surveys, while Domagoso remains the top second choice for president. In her speech, Robredo acknowledged the uphill climb to Malacañang and counted on her supporters to take her to the highest elective seat. “Marami po tayong ihahabol, pero gaya noong nangyari noong 2016, basta sama-sama tayo sa laban, walang imposible,” she said. (We have a lot of catching up to do, but just like what happened in 2016, as long as we stick together in this battle, nothing is impossible.)
Gov’t should have allotted budget to Oil Price Stabilization Fund — Pacquiao | INQUIRER.NET – The government should have allocated a budget to the Oil Price Stabilization Fund to alleviate the public’s woes on soaring fuel prices, Senator Manny Pacquiao said Wednesday. Aside from this, the presidential candidate raised that the Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) should have imported oil when its price was cheap. “Kailangan talaga pagdating sa oil price, may say ang ating gobyerno. Unang-una, nandiyan ang PNOC, na-establish ‘yan. Dapat ang PNOC habang mura pa ‘yung fuel, lahat, ‘yung oil, nag-import sila nang mag-import para may reserve tayo in case na magmahal,” said Pacquiao in a press conference in Pangasinan. (When it comes to oil prices, our government has a say. First, the PNOC was established. When the fuel and oil, among others, were cheap, the PNOC should have imported so we will have a reserve in case it becomes expensive.) “Pwede namang maglagay tayo ng funding. Ilagay natin doon sa tinatawag nating emergency Oil Price Stabilization Fund du’n natin para—to subsidize the consumers ng oil,” he continued. (We can also put funding in what we call the emergency Oil Price Stabilization Fund to subsidize oil.) According to Pacquiao, the government should prepare in case these kinds of situations arise, so the public will not complain. “Kailangan may plano, may preparation in case na may ganyang dumarating, handa tayo at hindi magreklamo nang reklamo ‘yung taumbayan,” the senator said. (There should be a plan, a preparation in case something like this comes, we are ready and the people will not complain.)
TOWNS demands release of De Lima | Manila Bulletin – Five years since her detention, members of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Foundation demanded on Wednesday, March 2, for the release of Senator Leila de Lima. TOWNS, a non-profit organization of women spearheading projects and initiatives in the Filipino nation’s service, maintained that charges against the senator are “dubious and unfounded,” and her continued incarceration is “unjust, unconstitutional, and a blight on our justice system.” “It has been five years since she was arrested and detained, after being unjustly maligned, slut-shamed, her womanhood denigrated, her integrity questioned for her pursuit of the truth behind the Davao Death Squad and the extrajudicial killings of President Rodrigo Duterte’s War on Drugs,” TOWNS Foundation’s statement read. De Lima, who had investigated extrajudicial killings in Davao City when
(COVID-19) cases on Wednesday, March 2 goes below 900, based on the Department of Health’s (DOH) latest case bulletin. DOH reported 866 new COVID-19 President Rodrigo Duterte was its mayor, has been under detention since Feb. 24, 2017. She is the most high-profile detainee under Duterte’s government. “She was falsely charged with three counts of illegal drug trafficking and has been detained in virtual isolation in Camp Crame, deprived of liberty, access to radio, TV, Internet, and allowed only limited visits, even by family members. She has also been repeatedly denied bail,” they lamented.
PH’s new COVID-19 cases drop below 900 | Manila Bulletin – The country’s new coronavirus disease cases bringing the total number to 3,663,920. Active cases stood at 50,827 or 1.4 percent of the total number of cases. Among the active cases, 45,862 are mild; 2,776 are moderate; 1,417 are severe; 474 are asymptomatic; while 298 are in critical condition. DOH said that of the 866 reported cases reported, 757 or 87 percent occurred within the recent 14 days from Feb. 17 to March 2. The top regions with cases in the recent two weeks were Metro Manila with 176 or 23 percent, Region 6 with 119 or 16 percent and Region 3 with 82 or 11 percent. DOH said that all labs were operational on Feb. 28. However, 8 labs were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System (CDRS). The agency also reported 1,622 new recoveries bringing the total number to 3,556,589 or 97.1 percent of the total number of cases while 53 more have died from COVID-19 bringing the death toll to 56,504 or 1.54 of the total number of cases.
