News Roundup 20 November 2021
Nov 20, 2021 • 4 min Read
DOH logs 1,474 more COVID-19 infections | Manila Bulletin – The Department of Health (DOH) recorded 1,474 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases on Saturday, Nov. 20. The newly reported cases brought the country’s COVID-19 tally since last year to 2,824,499. Active infections stood at 22,070 or only 0.8 percent of the overall case count. Of the active cases, 58.1 percent were listed as mild, 4.1 percent asymptomatic, 5.3 percent critical, 12.5 percent severe, and 20.2 percent moderate. The DOH also logged 2,565 new recoveries and 205 additional fatalities. DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire also reiterated the importance of getting vaccinated against the viral illness.
NUPL urges ICC to continue investigation on Duterte’s drug war | INQUIRER.NET – The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) on Saturday urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to continue its investigation on the Duterte administration’s drug war. The government, through its Netherlands ambassador, earlier asked the ICC to defer the probe so as to give way to domestic efforts to investigate the alleged crimes against humanity. The ICC later suspended its investigation “while it assesses the scope and effect of the deferral request.” But for the NUPL, the Hague-based court should instead deny the plea of the Philippine government. “The NUPL entreats the ICC Prosecutor to deny any such deferral request and, instead, continue with the conduct of a full-blown investigation into the drug-war atrocities,” the lawyers’ group said in a statement. The NUPL said that domestic remedies described by the Philippine ambassador in his letter have proven “utterly ineffective in stopping wave after wave of drug-related killings, the imprisonment of thousands of poor Filipinos on questionable charges, and the commission of countless human rights violations during the anti-drug campaign.” The lawyers questioned why the Duterte administration is “suddenly waving” the Department of Justice’s investigation on 52 incidents of questionable police anti-drug operations as an indicator that domestic efforts are working. “We know better,” they said. “This belated action on the part of the Philippine government is nothing but an attempt at white-washing its blood-soaked flagship program. It conspicuously excludes the possibility of investigating President Duterte and other high-ranking officials who are most responsible for these crimes against humanity,” they added. NUPL also noted that the ICC Prosecutor and the Pre-Trial Chamber were absolutely on point in their previous assessments when they said that these crimes are the result of an established state policy.
US warns China after Ayungin incident | PHILSTAR.COM – The United States on Friday accused China of an escalation against the Philippines and warned that an armed attack would invoke Washington’s mutual defense commitments after an incident in the West Philippine Sea. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the US stands with its ally, the Philippines, “in the face of this escalation that directly threatens regional peace and stability, escalates regional tensions, infringes upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law, and undermines the rules-based international order.” Washington issued the statement after the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Chinese Coast Guard fired a water cannon against supply boats en route to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, forcing the vessels to abort their mission. “The People’s Republic of China should not interfere with lawful Philippine activities in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone,” Price said. “The United States stands with our Philippine allies in upholding the rules-based international maritime order and reaffirms that an armed attack on Philippine public vessels in the South China Sea would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S. Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” he added.
Robredo vows to return coco levy fund to farmers if elected President | INQUIRER.NET – Vice President and 2022 presidential aspirant Leni Robredo promised Saturday that if elected President, she will address the injustice against the millions of coconut farmers and distribute the controversial multi-billion pesos coconut levy fund to them. “If I would be lucky to win the presidency, we will propose and consider a priority bill the changes that should be made on the objectionable provisions in the law (Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act, or Republic Act No. 11524),” Robredo declared in an interview held Saturday at the DCG Radio-TV Network studio at Maharlika Highway in Barangay Isabang in neighboring Tayabas City. The interview was conducted by Tito Ojeda, an icon in the broadcast industry in Southern Tagalog, and station manager Violet Cabral. The vice president has been here since Friday for her two-day consultation with her multi-sectoral supporters in the province. Robredo said she was not in favor of RA 11524. She argued that that were provisions in it that did not address the “heart and soul” of the coconut levy fund.
