News Roundup 04 November 2022
Nov 04, 2022 • 4 min Read
Recanting witness Ragos says ‘really sorry’ to de Lima: ‘I got scared’ | INQUIRER.NET – “I am really sorry,” former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos told former senator Leila de Lima in a brief encounter at the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Friday. Ragos was a witness against de Lima in a drug charge before the Muntinlupa City RTC. But he recanted his testimony. As he testified in court during Friday’s hearing, Ragos said he was coerced into signing prepared affidavits on three occasions in 2016 and 2017 to say that de Lima, a former Justice Secretary, has been receiving bribe money from drug lords at the New Bilibid Prison. The prosecution previously blocked Ragos’ testimony saying it was “untrustworthy and frowned [upon in] our jurisdiction.” But the court said it would be best to test the witness’ credibility and cross-examine the recanting witness. Atty. Michael de Castro said Ragos told the court that he got scared for his and his family’s safety and career when he was given a warning for hesitating to sign the affidavit. At the trial break, de Lima was going back inside the court when Ragos standing at the door, told the former senator: “I am really sorry. Natakot talaga ako [I got really scared].” Ragos accused former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre of coercing him to sign the affidavit. Aguirre denied the allegations and said he had a video to prove it.
Philippines inflation near 14-year high; more rate hikes seen | INQUIRER.NET – Philippine inflation accelerated to its fastest pace in nearly 14 years in October and the rate is likely to rise further, the statistics agency said on Friday, backing expectations the central bank will keep tightening monetary policy. The consumer price index climbed 7.7 percent in October from a year earlier, the fastest rise since December 2008, driven by price gains in key commodity groups, particularly food and non-alcoholic beverages. It outpaced the 7.1 percent median forecast in a Reuters poll. The headline figure also came in near the top end of the central bank’s 7.1 percent to 7.9 percent forecast for the month. Inflation in January-October averaged 5.4 percent, well outside the central bank’s full-year target range of 2 percent to 4 percent. Indicating broadening price pressures, core inflation – which strips out volatile food and fuel – hit 5.9 percent in October from an upwardly revised 5 percent in September, the Philippine Statistics Authority said. The statistics agency sees a “substantial probability” that inflation could increase further in November, partly because of the impact of a recent destructive tropical storm. Reacting to the data, the economic planning agency said the government was committed to providing immediate relief to cushion the impact of rising inflation. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Felipe Medalla said on Thursday the central bank will hike its key interest rates by 75 basis points at its Nov. 17 policy meeting to match the latest monetary tightening by the U.S. Federal Reserve. The BSP intended to maintain the interest rate differential prevailing before the most recent Fed rate hike, in order to temper any impact on the country’s exchange rate, he said. The peso, Southeast Asia’s worst-performing currency, has lost more than 13 percent against the U.S. dollar so far this year.
Nearly 4,000 youths get COVID-19 in schools before full face-to-face classes, voluntary masking | PHILSTAR.COM – Even before the government mandated full face-to-face classes in public schools and dropped the mask mandate, 3,939 people aged 12 to 17 contracted COVID-19 in schools, according to the Department of Health. DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said Friday in a news briefing that she received reports that from September 1 to November 3, there were around 3,900 cases of COVID-19 that were logged in different schools across the country. But Vergeire said that none of the cases were severe and no one among those who were infected died. Despite recording infections even before the resumption of full in-person classes and the national government’s move to make mask wearing optional in both indoors and outdoors, Vergeire said this should not be an obstacle for students to return to their classrooms physically. “All of these infections does not outweigh the benefit if we open up the classes because it is very much essential for the mental health, wellness of our students and our children,” Vergeire said. Learners in public schools have returned to full in-person classes since November 2, nearly a week after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. lifted the mask mandate in an effort to spur economic recovery. But the DOH itself is hammering down on the importance of mask wearing as it highlighted its importance in preventing infections, which it said may surge up to 18,000 per day under the current laxer masking rules.
