News Roundup 07 November 2021
Nov 07, 2021 • 4 min Read
DOH: COVID-19 tally up by 2,605 new cases, but 2 labs without data | PHILSTAR.COM – Health authorities reported 2,605 more coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the national caseload to 2,803,213. In its latest bulletin released Sunday afternoon, the DOH reported a positivity rate of 5.2% out of 48,450 tests.
- Active cases: 33,526 or 1.2% of the total
- Recoveries: 3,901, new additions, bringing the number to 2,725,257
- Deaths: 191, now 44,430 in total
According to the Department of Health, two labs were not able to submit their tallies for Sunday’s final count.
Veritas poll: Robredo leads in upholding Catholic values | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo led in a survey that asked 2,400 respondents who among those running in the presidential race adhere to “Catholic values and beliefs” centered on the sanctity of life. The poll, dubbed as “Veritas Truth Survey” (VTS) and initiated by the Catholic church-run Radyo Veritas, showed 37 percent of respondents saying Robredo will follow Catholic values and beliefs. She is followed by former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (27 percent), Sen. Panfilo Lacson (19 percent) and Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno (nine percent). Other presidential aspirants – Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Manny Pacquiao – got one percent each. Four percent of the respondents said they were undecided. Radyo Veritas said the results of the survey, which was conducted from Oct. 1 to 31, were based on the people’s perception of the “servant leadership persona” of the presidential hopefuls in the May 2022 national and local elections. VTS head Bro. Clifford Sorita said the survey does not serve as a “voting preference survey” but an insight on how the Catholic faithful reacts to the values and beliefs of the 2022 presidential candidates.
Robredo camp questions proposed ‘no vax, no subsidy’ policy for 4Ps beneficiaries | INQUIRER.NET – The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo questioned on Sunday the proposed “no COVID-19 vaccination, no subsidy” for beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) recently suggested the policy, citing that “many” of the four million beneficiaries of the antipoverty program are unvaccinated against COVID-19 or are hesitant to receive the shot. “Si VP Leni sinabi na niya na ito ilang beses, sa kanyang pananaw, hindi dapat pilitan ang ginagawa, hindi dapat pananakot,” Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said during the BISErbisyong LENI program on DZXL. (Leni said this many times already, people should not be forced or threatened.) “Madaming solusyon na hindi kailangang pwersahan, ‘yun ang sinasabi ni VP Leni batay sa kanyang sariling karanasan,” he said. (There are many solutions that don’t require force, Leni says, based on her experience.) Gutierrez explained that based on the experience of the Office of the Vice President’s vaccine express, there are individuals who are skeptical in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. This is rooted in their fear of skipping work when side effects emerge as this could lead to loss of income and failure to provide food on the table. To address this issue, an incentive should be provided instead of threats, the spokesman pointed out.
Poll watchdogs support ‘public vetting’ of new Comelec appointees | Manila Bulletin – Poll watchdogs said the public should be vigilant during the selection of four officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in 2022. Both Kontra Daya and the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) expressed their support for the proposal of public’s participation of vetting candidates for the positions of chairman and commissioners of Comelec. “Public vetting of Comelec vacancies should be a mechanism for consultation, not cooptation. There should be clear guidelines to make the process transparent, especially in the case of choosing the next commissioners,” said Kontra Daya Convenor Danilo Arao. “Public vetting is transparency and inclusiveness when it comes to governance. Its good side is that the public can help in vetting and dissecting those who will be appointed,” said Lente Executive Director Atty. Ona Caritos for her part. Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas, Commissioners Rowena Guanzon and Antonio Kho Jr. are set to retire in February 2022, three months before the conduct of the national and local elections. Also, there is one vacancy in the Comelec en banc. President Duterte will appoint a new Comelec chairman and three commissioners to fill the said positions before the end of his term. Arao said that “public pressure” is also important aside from public vetting. “It is not enough. Public pressure is key to a more responsible appointment of the next commissioners, as in the case of voter registration extension,” he said.
