News Roundup 14 September 2021
Sep 14, 2021 • 5 min Read
Philippines sees 18,056 new COVID-19 cases, 12 labs without data | PHILSTAR.COM – Health authorities on Tuesday posted 18,056 new coronavirus cases, bringing the Philippines’ total to 2,266,066. Today’s figures saw active cases down by 2,623 from the 180,293 on September 14. The Department of Health said 12 laboratories did not turn in screening results. “The relatively low cases today is due to lower laboratory output last Sunday, September 12,” DOH added.
- Active cases: 177,670 or 7.8% of the total
- Recoveries: 20,542, bringing the number to 2,052,867
- Deaths: 222, or now 35,529 in total
‘Poor track record’: UP Diliman officials oppose Roque’s bid to international law body | PHILSTAR.COM – University of the Philippines Diliman administrators on Tuesday were the latest to oppose Palace spokesman Harry Roque’s nomination to the International Law Commission, citing his “very poor” record of defending human rights under the Duterte administration. The strongly-worded yet concise statement of UPD’s executive committee bordered on disowning Roque, who had taught in the College of Law there for 15 years. “Atty. Roque has a very poor track record of promoting, defending, and fulfilling human rights and the rule of law,” the committee said, “especially during the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte in which he serves as a Cabinet member.” That position was reached after the committee held its 314th meeting on Monday, where it arrived at opposing a possible seat for Roque in the ILC. University Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo sits as chairman of that committee. Its members include UP’s vice chancellors, deans and directors of colleges and schools, as well as the University Registrar and three members at large elected by the University Council. “His inclusion in the Commission would not serve its purposes,” the committee said, “but instead, diminish the reputation of the body.” Opposition to Roque’s bid for the ILC mounted on Tuesday, with UP officials’ statement just now and that from the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers this morning. NUPL said while Duterte’s spokesman may have the academic and professional background, “he is morally undeserving to be part of this august international legal organ.” The group also scored Roque for how they said he publicly “rationalized extrajudicial killings” in Duterte’s bloody anti-drug campaign. Before UP and NUPL, the Free Legal Assistance Group also directly objected to Roque’s nomination before the ILC.
Senators suspect ‘ghost deliveries’ in Pharmally contracts | INQUIRER.NET – Documents proving the delivery of billions of pesos worth of medical supplies bought by the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. were prepared and signed even while the goods were still to be shipped from China, officers of the government agency told senators on Monday. This admission from the PS-DBM personnel raised suspicion among members of the Senate blue ribbon committee investigating the alleged misuse of pandemic funds on the possibility that the supply contracts involving Pharmally were ghost deliveries. Jorge Mendoza III, former chief of the PS-DBM inspection division, testified that on at least two occasions, he was told to sign inspection reports even without having seen the actual delivery of the items. “There was that time that there was no delivery yet, but we were advised or instructed to prepare the inspection documents, considering that it will be an attachment for the China suppliers as an assurance that they will get paid once the items arrive in the Philippines,” he said.
Gordon assails Duterte gag order on Cabinet as act of inciting to sedition | Manila Bulletin – President Duterte maybe guilty of inciting to sedition for his plan to prohibit his Cabinet members from attending Senate committee hearings. Senator Richard J. Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, issued this statement after presenting his side to attacks made against him by President Duterte in his now bi-weekly public address on various issues. These include the continued appearance of Health Secretary Francisco Duque in Gordon’s hybrid public hearings and a long list of resource speakers on the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) ‘’scandal’’, Gordon’s supposed political ambitions and former Duterte’s economic adviser, Michael Yang, who was pictured as capital lender to Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation and as having alleged connection to the illegal drug trade. ‘’I will limit what you can do with the Executive Department,’’ Duterte in addressing senators conducting hearings on his COVID-19 responses that involves tens of billions of pesos. Gordon cited a Supreme Court decision of Executive Order 464 of then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that directs Cabinet officials to get her permission to attend congressional hearings. He said that this decision ‘’clearly delineates the matters of confidentiality on matters that is vital to national interest that includes national security, within the military, diplomatic secrets, and documents between the President and her Cabinet, and vital officials.’’ ‘’Hindi naman kasama dito yun e (That is not included in the decision). Hindi naman total yan (It is not total). Again, he’s skirting sedition, although I think that’s the cover para sabihin na hindi (so that it cannot be told that it is) sedition for the Cabinet not to attend,’’ he pointed out. ‘’Kasi (because) you are restraining legislative, co-equal branch of government from performing its work and telling them don’t attend, that’s sedition, I mean, incitement to sedition yan,’’ he added. Asked what would he do if that happens, Gordon replied: ‘’Well, I’m not going to telegraph what I’m going to do but obviously any lawyer can tell you anybody can go to the Supreme Court and say ‘this is beyond the purview of what that was stated in the case in the Supreme Court, 464, I think that was Secretary Ermita…’’
