News Roundup 04 April 2022
Apr 04, 2022 • 5 min Read
Zubiri dropped from Lacson-Sotto Senate slate after endorsing Marcos | PHILSTAR.COM – The tandem of Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said Monday that Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, who is running for another term, is no longer part of their slate after the Bukidnon lawmaker openly endorsed another candidate for president. Lacson — an independent — and Sotto — chair of the Nationalist People’s Coalition — are running for the presidency and vice presidency in the May elections. They made their decision after Zubiri was seen raising the hand of presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during a campaign rally in Bukidnon. On Monday, Lacson confirmed to reporters that he and Sotto were no longer backing Zubiri. “Hindi na, hindi na (Not anymore, not anymore),” Lacson said. He explained his rule on endorsing candidates. “They can be endorsed by others or adopted [as bets], but once they endorse another team, another tandem, then so be it. That’s it,” Lacson explained in Filipino. This comes around two months after the tandem dropped reelectionist Sen. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian from their slate, also after endorsing Marcos during a proclamation rally at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. At present, Lacson and Sotto are backing the bids of six senatoriables.
‘Grabe naman ‘yan:’ Robredo denies claim they planted ‘paid attendees’ at rivals’ rallies | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo is bewildered at an accusation that their campaign team planted people at a UniTeam event to make it appear that attendees were paid to participate. Robredo countered: We don’t have such history; the other camp does.Asked about the accusation on Sunday night, she said: “Grabe naman, sa lahat ba naman kami pa ‘yung bibigay ng pera kasi siya kaya ‘yung may record na ganun, hindi kami.” (That’s absurd. Of all, we are the ones accused of giving money? But they have that record, not us.) The question did not specifically mention the rallies in Tarlac, which happened a day earlier and where ABS-CBN and News5 reported that attendees admitted to receiving money for attending. News5 interviewed a man who said he and his entire family will vote for Robredo but that people from different barangays went to the rally in exchange for P500. “Sayang eh (It would have been a waste to turn it down),” he said.
Ikaw Muna Pilipinas shifts support to Leni Robredo’s candidacy | INQUIRER.NET – A group endorsing Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso’s presidential bid announced Monday its decision to shift its support to Vice President Leni Robredo. In a press conference, Ikaw Muna (IM) Pilipinas Visayas lead convenor Nick Malazarte said it is only Robredo who will have a chance to prevent a comeback of the Marcoses to power. Malazarte said the national leadership of IM Pilipinas has already shifted to Robredo since Moreno is not doing any good in the surveys. “There is a danger of the Marcoses getting back to power, that is why if we believe Yorme (Moreno) is the best, we have somebody better (Robredo) because the alternative is the worst, who is BBM (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.),” he said. The group has already also talked with the camp of Robredo to signify their intention to support her campaign. They have also sent a letter to Moreno’s campaign manager about their decision. IM Pilipinas was one of the first groups last year that called for Moreno to run for President. The announcement, according to Malazarte, was a consensus among its different leaders in a series of meetings since last week and until Sunday night.
A first for Balikatan: US Patriot missiles in PH | INQUIRER.NET – The United States has deployed its state-of-the-art air and missile defense system to the Philippines for the first time as part of an annual joint war games and a major display of American force. The US Army in the Pacific carried out the first amphibious insertion of a Patriot missile system — the first time that the United States deployed the system overseas by land and sea — in Aparri in the province of Cagayan, located in the northern Philippines facing south of Taiwan. The deployment was apparently meant to showcase the United States’ capabilities to move around the Indo-Pacific region when needed. “Air defenders from Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment based out of Okinawa, Japan, made history this week as they conducted the first-ever amphibious insert of Patriot Minimum Engagement Package in Aparri, Philippines, as part of #Balikatan22,” the US Army Pacific said on Twitter on March 31. For maritime security expert Collin Koh from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, the Americans appeared to be testing out new concepts for future Pacific theater operations, and this fits into the patterns of their recent exercises around the region. “The Patriot deployment would specifically imply the Americans’ concerns about augmenting defenses for its forces in the theater against US adversaries’ growing missile threat,” he told the Inquirer.
DOH records 2,679 new COVID-19 cases in the past week, 329 deaths | Manila Bulletin – Monday’s weekly case bulletin was recorded from March 28 to April 3. There was one additional case tagged under critical and severe cases. According to the case bulletin, the seven-day average daily cases is currently at 382, which is two percent lower than cases from March 21 to March 27. DOH also reported that there are 692 patients or 11.9 percent of the total Covid-19 admissions with severe and critical Covid-19 infections. The health agency also reported 329 more deaths due to COVID-19. This is a sharp decline from last week’s 729. Of the 329 deaths, 116 occurred in March 2022 (35.3 percent), 81 in February 2022 (24.6 percent), 50 in January 2022 (15.2 percent), five in December 2021 (1.5 percent), four in November 2021 (1.2 percent), 16 in October 2021 (4.9 percent), 14 in September 2021 (4.3 percent), nine in August 2021 (2.7 percent), 13 in July 2021 (4.0 percent), 19 in June 2021 (5.8 percent), one in May 2021 (0.3 percent), and one in March 2021 (0.3 percent). Meanwhile, DOH said that 66 million individuals or 73.47 percent of the target population has been vaccinated against Covid-19 while 12.1 million have received booster shots. Also, a total of 6.6 million senior citizens or 75.83 percent of the target A2 population has so far received their primary series.
