News Roundup 10 December 2021
Dec 10, 2021 • 4 min Read
Robredo: Lines open for consolidation of forces in 2022 elections | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo said Friday that she remains open to talking about the possibility of consolidating forces for the 2022 elections to ensure victory for the opposition. “We haven’t stopped talking to many groups, in fact that’s what we’ve been doing everyday from the time when I was not yet a candidate up to now,” Robredo said in Filipino. Robredo, who is running for president in next year’s polls, said she has been in talks with various groups, including those who are not exactly aligned with her beliefs to find commonalities from which they can build their relationship on. The vice president was responding to a question about her fellow presidential aspirant, labor leader Leody de Guzman, who has said that he is open to speaking with other hopefuls to resolve the people’s problems and thwart a victory of the Marcos-Duterte tandem.
Robredo to go after wrongdoers in gov’t, but won’t single out political foes | PHILSTAR.COM – People can expect punishment for those who err under a Robredo administration, but the vice president, who has joined the 2022 race to Malacañang, said she would not be singling out political foes. “Ang ie-expect nila na ‘yung mga nagkasala ay mapaparusahan,” Vice President Leni Robredo said. “Hindi tayo mamimili na dahil kalaban sa pulitika, hindi na tayo magse-spend ng oras at political capital para balikan ‘yung mga kalaban sa pulitika.” (All those who sin will be punished. We will not single out political enemies or spend time and political capital to get back at foes in politics.) Robredo is running for president as an independent candidate, but still chairs the Liberal Party, which was the ruling party back when Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III was president. There was a perception that only Aquino’s political nemeses were slapped with charges during his administration, but some LP politicians also faced raps during his term. President Rodrigo Duterte, meanwhile, has been accused of weaponizing the law against his critics, including the Liberal Party’s Sen. Leila de Lima, who has been detained for four years on drug charges.
Restoring ‘nobility of public service’ drives choice of Leni, says CDO exec | INQUIRER.NET – The desire to see public service regarded again as a noble profession is what drove Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno to choose to support Vice President Leni Robredo for president in the 2022 elections, even over a party mate. “Public service is a public trust. The need to bring public service on the table is very important,” Moreno told a gathering here of Mindanao leaders of the volunteer corps for Robredo’s campaign. Moreno is the first mayor in Mindanao, and the second throughout the country after Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, to declare support for Robredo’s presidential bid. Moreno is completing a third term in office and is running for governor of Misamis Oriental next year. He lamented that the current divisive political culture is not a good model for future generations to emulate.
Hontiveros: Safeguard freedom of expression | Manila Bulletin – Hontiveros issued the statement on the occasion of journalist Maria Ressa being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I call on Filipinos to renew our own commitment to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy. ‘’Her win is a milestone, not just for the Philippines, but for all freedom-loving nations whose “fourth estate” are also under attack,’’ she said. Hontiveros recalled that over the years, Philippine democracy has been hit by terrible blows: the jailing of critics, killing of innocents, revision of history, ignoring human rights, and plundering of the nation’s wealth. ‘’It will now take the commitment of a whole nation to flush out those who have harmed us and our future,’’ she said. ‘’My fervent hope is that Maria’s award will push many more Filipinos to finally take a stand on the right side of history,’’ she stressed. ‘’So, let us not be afraid. Like Maria, we should keep our #CourageON,’’ she added.
DOH reports over 300 new COVID-19 cases | Manila Bulletin – The Department of Health (DOH) recorded more than 300 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases nationwide. In its latest case bulletin, 379 new cases were confirmed on Friday. Since Nov. 24, the Philippines has been recording fewer than 1,000 cases. Active cases stood at 11,905 or 0.4 percent of the country’s cumulative total which is at 2,836,200. Of the active cases, 4,860 have mild symptoms, 3,797 are in moderate condition, 2,060 have severe symptoms, 757 are asymptomatic, and 431 are in critical condition. The death toll also climbed to 49,961 or 1.76 percent of the COVID-19 case count after 25 more people died due to the viral disease. However, 631 more patients were able to beat the illness. These brought the recovery tally to 2,774,334 or 97.8 percent of the overall case tally.
