News Roundup 20 June 2021
Jun 20, 2021 • 4 min Read
DOH logs 5,803 more COVID-19 cases | PHILSTAR.COM – Health authorities on Sunday said 5,803 more individuals contracted the COVID-19, bringing the country’s overall count to 1,359,015. Today’s development saw active cases down by 1,760 from June 19’s 59,439. The Department of Health said two laboratories did not submit screening results.
- Active cases: 57,679 or 4.2% of the total
- Recoveries: 7,652, bringing the number to 1,277,715
- Deaths: 84, or now 23,621 in total
VP Robredo joins calls for increased vaccine supply outside of Metro Manila | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo echoed calls on Sunday for the national government to deploy more coronavirus vaccines outside of Metro Manila. As it currently stands, nine economic centers dubbed as “focus areas” are set to receive 42% of the incoming vaccine supply, the Palace disclosed earlier this week. Speaking on her weekly radio show, the country’s No. 2 pointed to high infection rates all over the country in areas beyond the so-called NCR+ bubble. “Our request right now, is not just at Metro Manila, but also for areas of concern all over the Philippines to be given support,” she said in mixed English and Filipino. Earlier this week, the League of Cities of the Philippines appealed for the government’s coronavirus task force to include more areas in the priority recipients of COVID vaccines following the recent surge of infections in other high-risk cities. “We deem that the preemptive action of distributing vaccines to a broader number of cities will prevent a potential new wave of case surges throughout the Philippines,” Bacolod City Mayor Bing Leonardia and Calapan City Mayor Arnan Panaligan said in the letter addressed to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. Robredo pointed to the slow progress of the national vaccination program outside of Metro Manila as one factor that could be solved with better vaccine allocation. “That’s really the problem. For example, here in NCR, they’re already vaccinating the A5 group, but in the provinces, they’re not even done with the A2,” she said. “We’re getting so many requests already. Our problem is we can only do so much, because we have to work within the protocols of the [Inter-Agency Task Force] and the local government units too.”
Robredo: No errors in learning modules If DepEd has ‘proper system’ in place | INQUIRER.NET – Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday said errors would not have appeared in learning modules issued by the Department of Education (DepEd) if the agency has a “proper system” in place. Robredo, in her weekly radio program, also noted that errors in learning modules happen when there is a lack of attention to detail. “Ito iyong problema ng sistema na kapag hindi talaga, hindi masusi iyong pag-asikaso ng lahat, may mga makakalusot talagang ganito, may mga makakalusot na hindi dapat,” she said in her DZXL radio program. (This is the problem with a system that does not pay attention to details. Things like this will happen.) “Kung maayos iyong sistema, nakikita sana early on. Naa-arrest iyong mga ganitong mga hindi naman dapat nakasaad sa kanilang modules. (If they have a good system, this would have been noticed early on. What are not supposed to be in their modules would have been arrested.) Robredo said the appearance of errors in learning modules highlights the importance of supervision by tutors and teachers of students answering the modules. “Naging controversial iyong aming Community Learning Hubs kasi may pagkontra iyong DepEd, pero buti na lang tinuloy namin, kasi, halimbawa — may mga problema iyong mga modules. Pero kung may nagsu-supervise na tutors or teacher, nakikita agad ito, eh. Nagagawan ng paraan, nare-report kaagad.” (Our community learning hubs became controversial because of DepEd’s disagreements. And it’s a good thing that we still carried on, because for example, if there is a problem with the modules. But if there is someone who supervises, like tutors or teachers, this will be noticed immediately.
Makabayan bloc seeks probe of ‘troll farms’: Unmask their financiers, organizers | Manila Bulletin – The Makabayan bloc has called for a congressional investigation into the activation of “troll farms”, saying that their activities are a threat to democracy, especially if used to malign and harass critics of the Duterte administration. In House Resolution 1900 filed recently, the six members of the Makabayan bloc said the congressional inquiry should also look into the fund sources for the operations of troll farms. House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate recalled that earlier this week Senator Panfilo Lacson disclosed that an incumbent undersecretary has started building at least two troll farms per province. Troll farms are capable of undermining the holding of free elections like next year’s presidential polls. “We have to know whether public funds are being used in these operations and whether these are also the ones spearheading the massive red-tagging campaign against progressives, media, church people, lawyers, critics and the opposition,” said Zarate. “If public time and resources are involved, these are not just wasting taxpayers money but even criminal acts just to malign and harass anyone who criticizes the Duterte administration,” he explained.
