News Roundup 13 October 2020
Oct 13, 2020 • 4 min Read
1,990 new COVID-19 cases bring Philippine tally to over 344,000 | PHILSTAR.COM – The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Philippines reached 344,713 Tuesday after the Department of Health reported 1,990 new COVID-19 infections. The department also registered 327 new recoveries, with the country’s recovery count rising to 293,383. The death toll, however, reached 6,372 as 40 more people succumbed to the disease.
Paolo Duterte gets plum post in House as dust settles from speakership row | PHILSTAR.COM – Rep. Paolo Duterte (Davao City) received a plum post Tuesday as the dust from the speakership row begins to settle. The presidential son was elected to chair the House Committee on Accounts upon motion of Rep. Juan Pablo “Rimpy” Bondoc (Pampanga), which no one objected to. Duterte is replacing Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino (Cavite). His election to the panel that handles the budget of the House of Representatives came after his resignation as deputy speaker amid the bitter speakership squabble between the two lawmakers he calls his friends, Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano (Taguig-Pateros) and Rep. Lord Allan Velasco (Marinduque). Duterte said he would not take sides between Cayetano and Velasco, but the latter thanked the presidential son, along with his sister, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, and Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, for their support in his speakership bid.
Manila Court allows detainee-mom to visit wake of Baby River | INQUIRER.NET – Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 47 Judge Paulino Gallegos has allowed political detainee Reina Mae Nasino to visit the wake of her three-month-old child Baby River. The order was granted in open court during the hearing of the very urgent motion filed by the National Union of People’s Lawyers who represents Nasino. The prosecutors no longer opposed the urgent motion. They only asked the court to impose a condition. These conditions include: submission of the death certificate, itinerary and shoulder expenses of the escorts. The court gave Nasino three days to stay with her child beginning Wednesday up to baby River’s burial on Friday.
‘We’ll pray about it’ — Leni, on running for President in 2022 | Manila Bulletin – Vice President Leni Robredo said she will pray for guidance from God before making any decision on whether to run for 2022 presidential elections. Robredo maintained she has currently no plans to seek the highest post in the land, noting that the Presidency is more of a pre-destined position. “Pagdadasal natin. Kung what God wants us to do, iyon naman iyon (We will pray about it. If what God wants us to do, that would be it),” she said in an interview with G3 San Diego over Instagram. Robredo also pointed out that her political stint was not something she had planned. The vice president recalled that her first candidacy for Congress was last minute. She won a seat as Camarines Sur representative in 2013, a year after her husband, former Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, died in a plane crash. Her vice presidential bid in the 2016 elections also had similar circumstances. “Hindi ko sya masabi ngayon (I can’t say anything about it now). A lot can happen between now and 2022. Maiintindihan mo iyong sinasabi ko (You’ll understand what I’m saying) if you look into the two fights I have been in. Pareho iyon (Both were) last minute,” she said.
Aerocity’s P118-B tax perks may be rescinded – senators | The Manila Times – THE P118-billion tax perks granted to San Miguel Aerocity Inc. (SMAI) under its newly-approved franchise may be rescinded in the next Congress because these are contrary to the proposed Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (Create) bill, some senators said. The senators said that SMAI’s Bulacan airport franchise bill might be amended and the perks given to the corporation could be rescinded if its provisions are not defined clearly. “Can the next Congress rescind and remove all these incentives?” Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon asked. Drilon on Tuesday said the franchise’s provisions should not be subject to amendments and must be considered a contract between San Miguel and the government. Sen. Panfilo Lacson also voiced concern on the repercussions of the airport franchise bill’s approval ahead of the passage of the Create measure. “That was exactly the point I’ve raised when we are discussing that it will be in conflict with our tax measure under the Create bill,” the senator said. “We should be very clear on this issue,” he added. Sen. Francis Tolentino said that the general law’s contracting provisions with the recently approved airport franchise measure would create a controversy. He said the law on property right should prevail, stressing that the tax incentives could not be forfeited without due process.
