News Roundup 13 December 2020
Dec 13, 2020 • 4 min Read
‘Despite 9 months passing by,’ OVP spox still thankful Duterte realized testing is important | INQUIRER.NET – Even if it took some time for President Rodrigo Duterte to realize that testing is an important part of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) is still happy and thankful with his admission. Speaking on their regular Sunday radio program, OVP spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said that this affirms Vice President Leni Robredo’s long call for a mass testing to curb the coronavirus transmissions. During his pre-recorded briefing last December 7, Duterte announced that he realized that testing is a vital part of pandemic response — prompting angry and perplexed reactions from people who have long advocated for mass testing. However, Malacañang assured that testing has always been a priority even with the President’s late admission. “Well I am thankful that somewhat, he said that testing is important. As early as March VP Leni has been calling for the need to do mass testing,” Gutierrez said in Filipino during a radio interview with DZXL. “So I am still happy that despite nine months passing by, the President accepted that it is right for us to do testing. Because that has been a long resounding call of VP Leni that the testing is needed to provide a clear picture of how many Filipinos have COVID-19 — where they are, what areas, and how much,” he added.
Imee Marcos told: Address claims on inserting ‘dangerous’ provision on 2022 polls | PHILSTAR.COM – Sen. Imee Marcos should address the report that had multiple sources pointing to her as the one who inserted a provision in the 2021 budget that would have allowed Comelec to waive procurement safeguards in the next elections, a spokesman for Vice President Leni Robredo said Sunday. Election lawyer Emil Marañon III took to Twitter on November 29 to warn that someone from the Senate had sought to put in a provision in next year’s spending plan giving the poll body “a carte blanche authority” to disregard safeguards in the country’s automated election law. Marañon added that this was “very dangerous” as it would allow the Comelec to adopt a new untested system or waive all safeguards for the upcoming national elections in May 2022. Such was later on confirmed to be true after Senate finance committee chairman Sonny Angara said the insertion was pulled out per orders of Senate President Vicente Sotto III. A report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Sunday had tagged Marcos, who heads the chamber’s electoral reforms committee as the one behind the move, citing various sources from both the Senate and Congress.
Solon to DOH: Stop hiding cost of swab tests | Manila Bulletin – The Department of Health (DoH) ought to stop “hiding” the cost of COVID-19 real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests, or swab tests. Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel stressed this as he blamed lack of pricing transparency for the high cost of the particular test, which is considered the most accurate when it comes to detecting the new coronavirus. “We cannot understand why up to now the DoH’s Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Bureau has not bothered to publish the cost of every COVID-19 PCR test in every licensed laboratory, for all to see. They should stop hiding the cost,” said Pimentel, a COVID-19 survivor. “We want absolute pricing transparency to protect consumers – to safeguard patients – and to help them identify, compare and choose the best provider that offers their desired level of value,” added the former deputy speaker. If the Mindanaoan would have his way, he would have the Health department publish on its website the exact prices of the COVID-19 PCR tests being offered by the 191 licensed public and private laboratories across the country.
Lawmaker faces raps over PhilHealth funds | The Manila Times – A complaint has been filed before the Department of Justice Task Force Against Corruption against a lawmaker of the House of Representatives whose family-owned hospital allegedly benefitted from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM). Quezon Fourth District Rep. Angelina “Helen” Tan and her husband, Department of Public Works and Highways Region 1 Director Ronnel Tan, were cited in the complaint filed by Lopez, Quezon Councilor Arkie Manuel Yulde. Yulde presented evidence that Rakkk Prophet Medical Center, a level 2 category hospital in Gumaca, Quezon, allegedly owned by Tan’s family had received P12.06 million from PhilHealth’s IRM from March 25 to June 9.
