News Roundup 20 November 2020
Nov 20, 2020 • 4 min Read
COVID-19 infections in the Philippines breach 415,000, deaths now at 8,025 | PHILSTAR.COM – The health department confirmed 1,639 mores cases of novel coronavirus on Friday, bringing the national caseload to 415,067. Of the total cases recorded, 31,805 — or 7.7% are active, which means these patients are still undergoing quarantine or treatment. Recovered patients are at 375,237, after 305 more people were reported to have survived the deadly virus. However, the Department of Health logged 27 new fatalities, bringing the country’s total death toll to 8.025.
Robredo decries bullying of daughters amid Palace anger over hashtag they didn’t use | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo decried the bullying of her daughters, whose tweets presidential spokesperson Harry Roque presented at an official Palace briefing as supposed justification for linking the vice president to social media posts asking where President Rodrigo Duterte was when Typhoon Ulysses was ravaging Luzon. The vice president’s daughters are not in government. “Now, my children are being bullied. I have always been proud of the persons my daughters have become. They are their own persons. What they have accomplished, so far, are all borne out of their hardwork,” Robredo said in a Facebook post. “Yes, they’re outspoken and rightfully so. We have trained them to stand up for themselves and what they believe in,” the vice president added.
Drilon questions AFP’s P9.6B fund ‘sleeping in coffers’ of PITC | INQUIRER.NET – Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Friday questioned the P9.6 billion fund of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) “sleeping in the coffers” of the Philippine International Trading Corp (PITC). During Senate debates on the proposed 2021 national budget, Drilon asked Senator Panfilo Lacson, who was defending next year’s budget of the Department of National Defense (DND), about how much fund from contracts or arrangements of the AFP is pending in the PITC. “We understand it and we can be corrected on this. The AFP would transfer funds to PITC for the PITC to do the procurement,” Drilon noted. “Don’t be horrified with the figures. The outstanding balance as of 30 June 2020 with PITC is a total of P9.623 billion,” Lacson then responded. He said the amount is broken down as follows: Philippine Army at P6.3 billion; Philippine Air Force at P736 million; Philippine Navy at P1.99 billion, and; AFP General Headquarters at P582 million. Drilon subsequently asked Lacson if, under this system, the financial records of AFP would show that the funds have been obligated because the amount has been transferred to PITC for the purchase of certain services or goods. Lacson answered in the affirmative. “That is correct. So the obligation rate of the agency concerned would be quite misleading because ang treatment dyan (the treatment there) is obligated na when in fact the funds are lying idle with the PITC,” he said.
VP Leni on trolls: ‘Don’t engage, just block them’ | Manila Bulletin – Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday said that the best way to deal with “trolls” in social media is to refrain from engaging and just have them blocked. Robredo, in a Twitter post, said that while the Office of the Vice President (OVP) continues its initiatives to help communities that were severely affected by the recent string of typhoons that hit the country, “others are still busy trolling.” Social media trolls refer to those who provoke others online deliberately by posting statements that intend to offend or upset a specific individual or group. Robredo is among those usually targeted by “trolls” on social media – especially coming from self-proclaimed supporters of the current administration. Instead of engaging, she believes that it would be best to “just block them.”
House kicks out Cayetano allies from posts | Malaya Business Insight – More allies of Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano lost plum posts at the House of Representatives on Wednesday night after the new leadership replaced them with supporters of new Speaker Lord Alan Jay Velasco. The House leadership elected as deputy speakers Reps. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan De Oro City, Jose Atienza of Buhay party-list and Camille Villar of Las Piñas City, a party mate of Cayetano’s in the Nacionalista Party. Villar later sent a letter to Velasco declining the position, saying she would rather focus on her work as an ordinary member of the House to help approve measures that would provide assistance to typhoon victims while the country is battling a pandemic.
