News Roundup 20 February 2022
Feb 20, 2022 • 6 min Read
PH posts 1,712 new COVID-19 cases; lowest daily tally since Dec. 30 | INQUIRER.NET – The Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday logged 1,712 new COVID-19 cases, along with 3,686 more recoveries. This marks the lowest daily count the country has tallied this year, replacing Saturday’s 1,923. Based on the DOH’s case bulletin, 94 percent or 1,611 of the new infections were logged within the last 14 days, with NCR listed as the top region posting the highest number of new COVID-19 cases at 316 (20 percent) in the last two weeks. The DOH also posted an 8.8 percent positivity rate in the 28,500 tests conducted nationwide, also the lowest since the 6.6 percent of December 30, 2021. It should be noted, however, that tests conducted on average in February were generally much lower compared to the number of tests conducted in January, or during the height of the COVID-19 surge caused by the Omicron variant of concern. The new recoveries, on the other hand, further reduced active infections to 60,532, of which 92.4 percent currently suffer mild or asymptomatic cases, specifically, 55,102 individuals suffer mild cases, 856 are asymptomatic, 2,848 moderate, 1,421 severe, and 305 critical. The DOH also said that it added the deaths of 77 people — 51 of which happened in February, to the total COVID-19 death count. With this, the total confirmed infections are now at 3,652,203, while recoveries sit at 3,535,987 and the death toll at 55,684. The health agency likewise said 257 duplicates were removed from the total case count, 246 of which were recoveries. Moreover, the DOH said 61 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation.
Sister finds red-tagged Dr. Naty Castro in Agusan del Sur jail | INQUIRER.NET – More than 24 hours after a community health and human rights advocate who had been linked to communist rebels was arrested in San Juan City, one of her sisters found her in jail more than 800 kilometers away in Agusan del Sur province. About 10 police officers, only two of them in uniform, raided the home of Dr. Maria Natividad “Naty” Castro, on Friday morning and left with her without informing other members of the household where they would be taking her, her elder brother Delfin “Jun” Castro Jr. told the Inquirer. He said his sister, known to her patients and indigenous communities as Doc Naty, was charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention. Maj. Dorothy Tumulak, the spokesperson for the Caraga Police Regional Office, said Castro was involved in the “felonious kidnapping of a member [of the] Civilian Active Auxiliary (CAA) and detained the victim in an unidentified location, and threatened him last Dec. 29, 2018, in Barangay Kolambungan, Sibagat, Agusan del Sur.” The CAA is the government-backed militia that is helping the military’s anti-insurgency campaign. Castro’s brother said the family wasn’t given a copy of the arrest warrant, which they later found to have listed her name only as “Dra. Maria Natividad,” along with three pages containing scores of other names and aliases of wanted persons. Police Maj. Aldrin Salinas, Sibagat police chief, said there were 400 other accused in the case.
Robredo wants reintegration program, pension fund for OFWs | PHILSTAR.COM – Presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo has committed to strengthen reintegration programs for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who wish to return and work in the Philippines. Speaking to OFW supporters during a virtual program on Friday, the Vice President recognized the desire of many overseas workers to stay in the country and be with their families. She stressed that working abroad should be a choice and not a necessity for Filipinos. “I believe that we can achieve this dream… If the government is honest, our economy will grow. Adequate jobs will be created and Filipinos will get salaries and benefits that are appropriate for their skills,” she said in Filipino “How can we achieve this? First, we have to fix our economy so we will have many job opportunities… Second, the benefits that you get from the countries that you are working in should also be offered here,” she added. Robredo pushed for the creation of a reintegration pension fund and programs that will provide skills training to returning OFWs to help them find jobs in the Philippines. She also stressed the need for a task force on reintegration that will address the needs of those who will return to the country, including those affected by a crisis such as the pandemic. “We need to have a coordinated stepladder reintegration preparedness training program based on existing best practices,” said the Vice President. “We have to make sure that if you choose to go home to the Philippines, there is an assurance that you have equal if not better chances of success,” she said. For those who will choose to work abroad, Robredo said the Philippine government must ensure that they are protected and provided with a strong support system.
‘Pink Ribbon’ confrontation: Lorenzana orders camp personnel to refrain from meddling in politics | Manila Bulletin – Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has directed all camp personnel nationwide to stop interfering with any political activity after a now viral post on social media narrated the encounter of a supporter of Vice President Leni Robredo with a military officer in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. “If your car has a ribbon representing the color of a candidate or a sticker of a candidate that you support and you come inside any camp without violating regulations, that’s fine,” Lorenzana said on Saturday night, Feb. 19. “I have directed the commanders to implement this policy strictly,” he added. The issue stemmed from a Facebook post of a supporter of Robredo, who is running for president in the May elections, after he was confronted by a military officer at the Camp Aguinaldo Golf Course inside the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Apparently, Robredo’s supporter, a digital marketing executive, went to Camp Aguinaldo Golf Course to play last Friday when he was stopped at the gate by a military officer. The officer allegedly flagged him since his car carried a pink ribbon, a color associated with Robredo’s campaign. “Walang ribbon dito (There should be no ribbon here),” the military officer “arrogantly” said, according to Robredo’s supporter. The military officer then supposedly asked Robredo’s supporter to cut the ribbon tied to his wind shield before he was allowed to enter the camp premises. “Tama pa ba ito? Okay pa ba kayo? Or takot na takot na? (Is this even right? Are you all okay? Or are you afraid now?),” the supporter said. Lorenzana reiterated that all military personnel should not involve thenselves in any political activity, whether it would be in favor or against a certain candidate.
