News Roundup 07 January 2021
Jan 07, 2021 • 4 min Read
Coronavirus cases in Philippines rise to 482,083 | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines recorded 1,353 additional infections Thursday, taking the country’s total case count to 482,083. The recovery tally increased to 449,052 after a new batch of 360 recoveries was registered. Meanwhile, the death toll reached 9,356 after nine more people succumbed to the disease. The department noted that three testing centers failed to submit results on time. Experts warned that if the variant sweeping the United Kingdom reaches the Philippines and becomes prevalent, it will result in spike in the number of infections. There is no evidence that the variant is more deadly than others.
‘Mousetrap, waste of time’: Some senators oppose charter change talks | PHILSTAR.COM – Senators on Thursday voiced their unwillingness to reboot charter change discussions, citing several uncertainties and more pressing priorities. This comes after a lawmaker revealed the day before that Speaker Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque) called for talks on amending the 1987 Constitution to resume at the House of Representatives even though he said just three months prior that there was not enough time for such discussions. As early as December 7, two administration allies in the upper chamber, Sens. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino, filed Senate Resolution of Both Houses No. 2 which seeks to convene the 18th Congress as a Constituent Assembly to amend several provisions of the 1987 Constitution citing “mounting economic & health concerns brought about by the pandemic.” “Without the certainty that both chambers of Congress will be voting separately, and there is none due to the vagueness of that particular provision in the 1987 Constitution – and only the Supreme Court can make such interpretation – it’s like taking one big step into a mousetrap, or even quicksand for that matter,” Sen. Panfilo Lacson said. “Having said that, I think all of us 24 senators should discuss this matter very carefully before we even consider plenary debates on the said resolution if indeed there is one filed,” he added. But Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said he and Sens. Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, and Leila de Lima will oppose any charter change discussions on the Senate floor. “It will be a total waste of time. It won’t fly. Our history tells us that Cha-cha has a zero chance of success in any administration that is already in the home stretch,” he said. “It is a sin to be even talking about changing the Constitution when there is still no end in sight to the pandemic, when the government is struggling to secure funding for [COVID]-19 vaccines, and when the country is still reeling from the continuing impact of the pandemic and the recent typhoons,” Drilon added.
‘Lesson learned’ from US Capitol protests? ‘Don’t vote for insanity’ — Lacson | INQUIRER.NET – For Senator Panfilo Lacson, if there is a lesson learned from supporters of President Donald Trump storming the U.S. Capitol in protest of the election results there, it is that the public should “not vote for insanity.” Lacson said this after the U.S. Congress postponed a session that would have certified President-elect Joe Biden’s victory as Trump supporters surged through the halls of the Capitol in protest of the election results.
‘Why Cha-cha? Why not COVID-19 vaccine first?’ —Robredo spokesperson | Manila Bulletin – The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo is bemused why some lawmakers are focused on changing the Constitution at a time when the country is still securing a vaccine against the coronavirus disease. Robredo’s spokesman Ibarra Gutierrez said in a statement that government leaders should first ensure that every Filipino will have access to the COVID-19 vaccine , rather than focus on amending the 1987 Constitution. The Robredo camp believes the renewed talk on Charter change is ill timed because there is still a lot of work to do in addressing the pandemic. “It’s amazing that even as we continue to struggle with COVID-19, lost jobs, and a shrinking economy, we have ‘leaders’ who still find ways to waste our people’s time and money,” Gutierrez said. “Can’t we make sure that every Filipino will be inoculated with the vaccine before we waste our time on Cha-cha?” he asked, referring to the petition for Congress to convene as constituent assembly (Con-ass) to introduce “limited amendments” to the 1987 Constitution.
AstraZeneca applies for emergency use | Malaya Business Insight – The British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca yesterday applied for emergency use authorization (UAE) in the Philippines as the Food and Drug Administration said it could come out with a decision next week on the application of another COVID-19 vaccine maker, the US firm Pfizer Inc. On AstraZeneca, Domingo said it could take the FDA three to four weeks to complete an assessment, “depending on the completeness of their submission.” AstraZeneca has obtained UAEs from the UK and India. It can be recalled that AstraZeneca signed a tripartite agreement with the Philippine government and the country’s private sector last November for the supply of 2.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Domingo said the process to grant UAEs is being hastened due to the public health emergency but without sacrificing stringent screening procedures. “The process is going fast but still goes through each and every step to make sure of the quality, safety, and efficacy of the vaccines,” he said.
