News Roundup 06 July 2022
Jul 06, 2022 • 4 min Read
PNP files direct assault, illegal possession of guns vs ex-Batangas vice gov | INQUIRER.NET – After initially being tagged only as a suspect for a cybercrime connected to violence against women and children (VAWC), former Batangas Vice Governor Richard “Ricky” Recto finds himself in deeper trouble after being charged for direct assault and illegal possession of firearms. Police Lieutenant Michelle Sabino, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police – Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG), on Wednesday detailed the arrest which first sparked from a complaint from Recto’s former partner. “Iyong ex-girlfriend niya, nagreklamo na allegedly case of VAWC. Ang complain niya is allegedly ni-threaten siya nitong si suspect na i-expose ang kaniyang explicit photos and videos,” Sabino told INQUIRER.net in an interview. (His ex-girlfriend complained about an alleged case of VAWC. The suspect was allegedly threatening to expose the woman’s explicit photos and videos.) The PNP-ACG on Sunday raided Recto’s Pasig residence by virtue of a warrant to search, seize, and examine computer data (WSSECD), originally with the sole intention of seizing electronic devices that may be used in the investigation. But police authorities also found unregistered firearms in his residence which according to Sabino, adds to the charges against the former government official. “Kukunin lang namin iyong mga gadget pertaining to the case. But we found firearms scattered around the room before the eyes noong operatives natin. Iyong 11 ‘yong nakita namin. Out of these 11, five are unregistered. So illegal possession rin,” she added. (We were just going to confiscate the gadgets pertaining to the case, but we found right before the eyes of our operatives, 11 firearms scattered around the room. Out of this 11, five are unregistered so there’s an added case for illegal possession [of firearms].) The PNP-ACG listed a 12-gauge shotgun and four pistols — two nine millimeters, one caliber .25, and one caliber .40 among those taken from the suspect. According to Sabino, charges of direct assault upon a person of authority have also been lodged against Recto after he resisted the confiscation of his gadgets and harmed an officer while doing so.
AFP deploys more troops in Northern Samar after NPA attack | INQUIRER.NET – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has deployed more troops to Northern Samar following the New People’s Army (NPA) landmine offensive the other day, which injured seven soldiers. AFP’s Joint Task Force Storm spokesperson Captain Ryan Layug said the military sent more troops to the province as part of the ongoing pursuit operations against the communist guerillas. “Since our teams are being targeted by NPAs, it would be better that we send additional forces,” Layug said in a statement. Layug said that the forces deployed for election duty were redeployed to Northern Samar. He, however, said he cannot give the exact number of soldiers sent to the area. The seven soldiers — all members of the Alpha Company 20th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army – were on their way to their immersion camp in Barangay Magsaysay on Tuesday morning (July 5) when they stepped on landmines allegedly set up by communist rebels.
Philippines detects more cases of Omicron subvariants | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines has detected 70 additional cases of fast-spreading Omicron BA.5, BA.2.12.1, and BA.4 subvariants, the Department of Health said. Of the total, 43 were BA.5 cases, 20 were BA.2.12.1 cases, and four were BA.4 cases. Sixty-five of those Omicron subvariant cases are local, the health department said. In total, there were 190 cases testing positive for the Omicron variant of concern and all of its sublineages out of the 211 samples sequenced by Philippine Genome Center from June 29 to July 4. The Philippines is facing another increase in COVID-19 cases, which is fueled by the presence of more transmissible variants with immune escape characteristics. Cases are also rising amid waning vaccine immunity of the public and increased mobility. Latest data from the DOH showed that the national weekly positivity rate increased to 6.8%. The World Health Organization recommends that the proportion of COVID-19 tests coming back positive should remain below 5% to ensure that the spread of the virus is under control. Metro Manila showed the “steepest” increase in infections, exceeding 500 cases per day. Despite the renewed spike in infections, the total hospital bed utilization nationwide remained at low risk, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said. “There were no deaths among the cases testing positive for the Omicron subvariants. Nevertheless, maintaining minimum public health standards and being up-to-date on vaccination should still be practiced,” she added. Since April 2021, 70.89 million Filipinos have completed vaccination against COVID-19. However, only 15 million individuals have gotten boosters.
