News Roundup 08 March 2021
Mar 08, 2021 • 3 min Read
COVID-19 cases in PH now nearing 600K | Manila Bulletin – The nationwide count of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases is now nearing 600,000. The Department of Health on Monday, March 8, recorded 3,356 new cases, bringing the total number of cases to 597,763. The case bulletin of the DOH also showed 61 new recoveries and five new deaths. This means there are now 545,913 total recoveries and 12,521 total deaths. The DOH said there were 39,330 active COVID-19 cases in the country.
Robredo and European envoys celebrate International Women’s Day together | Manila Bulletin – Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday, March 8, met with foreign ambassadors from Europe to talk about the Philippines’ shared advocacies with their countries in terms of women empowerment and gender equality, as well as the countries’ coronavirus initiatives and diplomatic relations. The vice president was the guest of honor of Swiss Ambassador Alain Gaschen for a luncheon he hosted in commemoration of International Women’s Day. Robredo is the country’s highest-ranking female official. “It was a very productive time as we also discussed and shared our Covid-19 Response Initiatives and many other things concerning our shared advocacies and diplomatic relations,” she said in a Facebook post. During the “working lunch,” Robredo said she and the ambassadors talked about “our initiatives on women empowerment and gender equality.” Aside from Gaschen, Robredo also met with Ambassadors Bita Rasoulian of Austria, Jana Šedivá of Czech Republic, Saskia De Lang of the Netherlands, Anke Reiffenstuel of Germany, Grete Sillasen of Denmark, Michèle Boccoz of France, Harald Fries of Sweden, and Bjørn Jahnsen of Norway.
Biden’s national security strategy silent on Philippines, warns against authoritarianism | PHILSTAR.COM – For the first time since 1996, neither the Philippines nor its alliance with the United States was mentioned in a new president’s national security strategy as he warned against the “global march” of authoritarianism that threatens democracy. Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden issued his Interim national security strategic guidance on how America will engage with the world to signal that “America is back, diplomacy is back and alliances are back.” The strategy seeks to have the U.S. working with its closest allies and partners to amplify its power and its ability to disrupt threats “before they can reach our shores.” The document referred anew to China’s assertiveness as a threat, as it has done so consistently over the years. “Our democratic alliances enable us to present a common front, produce a unified vision, and pool our strength to promote high standards, establish effective international rules, and hold countries like China to account,” Biden said in a 24-page interim guidance titled “Renewing America’s Advantages.” Biden vows to reinvigorate and modernize U.S. alliances and partnerships around the world – including with Australia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea – that he underscored are “America’s greatest strategic asset.” “We will deepen our partnership with India and work alongside New Zealand, as well as Singapore, Vietnam and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, to advance shared objectives,” Biden listed in his national security strategic guidance. Although it is a member of the ASEAN, the Philippines was not particularly mentioned in the context of its treaty alliance with the U.S.
Amnesty Int’l raises alarm over ‘tokhang-style’ police, military raids on activists | INQUIRER.NET – Amnesty International (AI) has expressed alarm over the “tokhang-style” raids supposedly being conducted against activists and human rights defenders following the killing of nine alleged members of advocacy groups and arrest of six others in the Southern Tagalog region on Sunday. “We are deeply alarmed that ‘tokhang’-style raids during anti-drug operations – where targets are killed by the police allegedly for fighting back – are increasingly being used against activists and rights defenders,” AI Philippines Section Director Butch Olano said in a statement on Monday. Olano noted that various organizations, including the United Nations, have cast doubt on the “nanlaban” or self-defense narrative by the police and that AI has documented testimonies from witnesses and families contradicting police reports.
Photo: Hundred Island National Park, Alaminos, Pangasinan, Philippines
Photo Source: By Elmer nev valenzuela – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68991577
