News Roundup 17 June 2021
Jun 17, 2021 • 5 min Read
Philippines sees 6,637 new COVID-19 cases | PHILSTAR.COM – Health officials on Thursday logged 6,637 new coronavirus cases, pushing the total to 1,339,457. Active cases were up by 2,237 from June 16’s 56,170. The Department of Health said five laboratories did not turn in screening results.
- Active cases: 58,407 or 4.4% of the total
- Recoveries: 4,585, bringing the number to 1,257,774
- Deaths: 155, or now 23,276 in total
COVID-19, uncooperative Philippines seen to slow down ICC probe | PHILSTAR.COM – An uncooperative Philippine government and an International Criminal Court whose resources have also been hit by the pandemic may prolong the wait for justice for families who have lost loved ones in alleged summary killings linked to President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs”, experts said. While human rights watchdogs and advocates hailed the Office of the Prosecutor – ICC’s request to launch an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, challenges still lie ahead. It took more than three years for ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s preliminary examination into the Philippines to be concluded, and on what has been called as her valedictory, she made public a 57-page request to the pre-trial chamber to be allowed to proceed with investigation. Bensouda said her office found “a reasonable basis to believe that the crime against humanity of murder has been committed… in the context of the Government of the Philippines’ ‘war on drugs’ campaign.”
PH officials ordered drug war killings – ICC prosecutor | INQUIRER.NET – The road toward an actual trial is still far ahead, but outgoing International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s request for a full investigation of the brutal conduct of President Duterte’s war on drugs holds clues as to who might possibly be charged with crimes against humanity: Duterte himself and former Philippine National Police chiefs Ronald dela Rosa and Oscar Albayalde. In a scathing 57-page report released on Monday, her last day as ICC prosecutor, Bensouda said she had “reasonable basis to believe” that the crime against humanity of murder “was committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against a civilian population pursuant to or in furtherance of a state policy.” Specifically, the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) cited the “plethora of public statements made by Mr. Duterte and other Philippine government officials encouraging, supporting and, in certain instances, urging the public to kill suspected drug users and dealers” as evidence of a state policy to attack civilians. Bensouda noted, among others, Duterte’s “distinctive rhetoric” claiming criminals were legitimate targets for killing, and his repeated “shoot-to-kill” orders even when he was mayor of Davao City in 1988-1998, 2001-2010, and 2013-2016.This pattern of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) observed in Davao during Duterte’s tenure mirrored that during the 2016-2019 war on drugs with him as president, prompting Bensouda to expand the scope of the probe to include Davao EJKs from Nov. 1, 2011, to 2016, or from when the Philippines first became a signatory to the Rome Statute. Bensouda estimated that the number of drug suspects killed during the period July 1, 2016, to March 16, 2019, ranged from 12,000 to 30,000—much higher than the official 7,000. Duterte himself is the main respondent of the case filed by the families of drug war victims at the ICC nearly three years ago. But Bensouda also said the two former PNP chiefs were “responsible for ordering, directing and organizing the overall conduct of war on drugs operations in which a large part of the alleged crimes were committed.” Dela Rosa, who was the police chief of Davao when Duterte was mayor there, is widely seen as the architect of the “Oplan Tokhang” (knock-and-plead) campaign in which thousands of drug surrenderers were killed. Police claimed they had fought back (“nanlaban”) during operations or were shot dead by vigilantes. Albayalde later succeeded Dela Rosa as PNP chief, during which he “confirmed his commitment to continuing the programs of the previous leadership,” Bensouda noted.
Robredo-Isko ‘jab cab’ for Manila trike drivers rollout set | Manila Bulletin – The Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Manila city government are only waiting for the vaccine supplies to arrive before they roll out a drive-thru vaccination program for all the Tricycle Operators’ and Drivers’ Association (TODA) in Manila. The program was supposed to start on Friday, June 18, because the local government unit (LGU) of Manila expected the vaccines to arrive last June 15, Tuesday. The delay moved the vaccination activities this weekend as they expect the vaccines to arrive today, June 17. “So, kung dumating on time, matutuloy kami sa June 20. Kung mayroon may delay, mag-a-announce na lang po kami ng—mag-a-announce na lang po kami ng date (So, if the vaccines arrive on time, we’re pushing through with it on June 20. If there is a delay, we will announce—we will announce a new date),” Robredo said over dzXL. The program is in line with the government moving to vaccinate the A4 category, or the essential workers such as drivers and vendors. “Pero ang registration po ongoing na. Ang registration ongoing para sa mga TODA. Kabahagi nito iyong ano— iyong lahat ng TODA sa City of Manila (But the registration is ongoing. The registration is ongoing for the TODA. This is part of the—all the TODA of the City of Manila),” she added. The vice president said that drivers of ride-sharing services like Grab are also included in the inoculation program. “Ano ito, drive thru. So hindi sila bababa sa kanilang mga sasakyan (This is drive-thru. So, they don’t need to go down from their vehicles),” Robredo explained, adding that those with questions should inquire with the Manila City Hall. The lady official thanked volunteer doctors and nurses who enlisted to help in the inoculation program.
