News Roundup 12 June 2021
Jun 12, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines sees 8,027 new coronavirus infections | PHILSTAR.COM – Local health authorities on Saturday reported 8,027 more COVID-19 infections, bringing the national caseload to 1,308,352.
- Active cases: 60,341 or 4.6% of the total
- Recoveries: 8,940, pushing total to 1,225,359
- Deaths: 145, bringing total to 22,652
1Sambayan reveals 6 nominees for president, vice president for 2022 | PHILSTAR.COM – Opposition coalition 1Sambayan unveiled on Independence Day six nominees for president and vice president for the 2022 elections. The list includes some of the staunchest critics of President Rodrigo Duterte, like Vice President Leni Robredo, former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Free Legal Assistance Group chairman Chel Diokno. It also includes some moderates from Congress, namely Sen. Grace Poe, and Deputy Speakers Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Vilma Santos-Recto. Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, one of the convenors of 1Sambayan, said more names may be added to the list. Noticeably absent from the list are Sen. Nancy Binay and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, who had previously been floated as potential presidential or vice presidential candidates of 1Sambayan. Binay had said that she does not want to seek higher office in 2022, citing the hurt politics has caused her family, while Moreno stressed the need to continue to focus on the pandemic instead of politics.
VP Robredo enjoins Filipinos on Independence Day to unite amid challenges | INQUIRER.NET – The Filipino people must unite and draw strength from each other amid various challenges, Vice President Leni Robredo said in her 123rd Philippine Independence Day message on Saturday. In a statement, Robredo underscored how Filipinos faced numerous challenges and sacrifices in its journey to independence. “Saksi ang kasaysayan sa layo ng kaya nating marating, at sa tayog ng mga pangarap na kaya nating abutin— basta sama-sama at tulong-tulong tayo, basta iisa ang direksyong tinatahak natin,” Robredo said. (History is a witness to how far we can go, and the lofty aspirations we can reach — as long as we are together and help each other, as long as we move in the same direction.) “At kung magbubuklod tayo, kung pagsasamahin natin ang ating lakas sa likod ng iisang layunin, masisiguro nating wala nang muling makaaagaw ng ating kalayaan,” she added. (And if we unite, if we combine our strength behind a common goal, we can be sure that no one can take away our freedom again.) Robredo urged Filipinos to unite to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic along with other challenges that the Philippines is facing. “Paalala ang Araw ng Kalayaan: Walang Pilipinong nag-iisa,” Robredo noted. (A reminder this Independence Day: No Filipino is alone.) “Tayo ang lakas ng ating kapwa. Anuman ang tawag ng panahon, mukha mang imposible ang sitwasyon, kakayanin natin, magtatagumpay tayo, dahil iisang bayan tayo— humihirang sa iisang lupain, duyan ng magiting, hinding-hindi pasisiil.” (We are our countryman’s strength. Whatever is the call of the times, no matter how impossible the situation may seem, we will succeed because we are one people — one in this land, cradle of the brave, people who will never be conquered.)
Robredo on 1SAMBAYAN nomination: ‘Unity above all else’ | Manila Bulletin – Vice President Leni Robredo’s belief is that the country’s problems can be solved if people will unite instead of focusing on their differences. Robredo made the statement following the announcement of her nomination as one of opposition coalition 1SAMBAYAN’s choices for its candidate for president on Saturday, June 12. In a video message, Robredo said she believed that the answer to the country’s problems does not lie on only one person, but on each one of them. “Iisang bayan pa rin tayo. At walang ibang makalulutas ng ating mga suliranin kundi ang nagkakaisang tayo (We are still one country. No one can resolve its problems but us as one),” she said. She said the first step to resolving these problems was to recognize their root causes and not fight over them because this only divides the nation even more. “Maraming pangangailangang ‘di napupunan. Maraming pangarap na parang hindi matupad-tupad (Many needs are not being answered, many dreams are not fulfilled),” she said. “Matagal nang frustrated ang Pilipino, at ginagamit ng iba ang frustration na ito para pagwatak-watakin tayo. Para idiin ang pagkakaiba natin, kaysa sa mga bagay na nagbibigkis sa atin (Filipinos have long been frustrated and this has been used to divide us. To insist on our differences instead of our similarities),” she added. The Vice President pointed out that unity was the key to resolve the country’s problems. “Hindi lang sa pagbibigkis kasama ang mga taong tugma ang paniniwala sa atin, pero sa pagbubukas, pakikinig, at pag-unawa sa pinanggagalingan ng lahat— kabilang na ang mga taong salungat sa mga paniniwalang ito (It’s not just to unite us with the people who share the same ideals as us but in opening to, listening, and understanding everyone including those who have different beliefs than us),” she said.
