News Roundup 21 March 2021
Mar 21, 2021 • 4 min Read
COVID-19 cases in Philippines rise to 663,794 after third day with over 7K cases | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health recorded 7,757 additional COVID-19 infections Sunday, bringing the national caseload to 663,794.
- Active cases: 73,072 or 11.0% of the total
- Recoveries: 15,288, pushing total to 577,754
- Deaths: 39, bringing total to 12,968
Duque must go for mismanagement of COVID-19 response, senator says | PHILSTAR.COM – The administration should let Health Secretary Francisco Duque III go amid a surge in COVID-19 cases that has seen the highest single-day increase since the pandemic began, a senator said Sunday. An ongoing surge that has shown no signs of slowing down has pushed the Philippines’ overall count to 656,056 as of Saturday. Sen. Francis Pangilinan said over radio dzBB that the Duterte government’s continued backing of Duque amid previous calls for him to resign has led to apparent consequences. “Sa akin, sana magkaroon ng kaliwanagan ang Malacañang at aminin na kinakailangan na maghanap ng iba gaya ng ginawa naman nila sa PhilHealth,” he said, referring to the leadership shakeup that the President ordered in the state health insurer amid corruption allegations. (We hope Malacañang will be enlightened and finally admit that there is a need to look for someone else like what they did with PhilHealth.) A majority of senators called for Duque’s resignation in April 2020 over the health department’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the health secretary had shown “poor planning, delayed response, lack of transparency and misguided and flip-flopping policies” in addressing the crisis.
China must stop incursion in PH territorial waters — Lorenzana | INQUIRER.NET – China must stop its incursion into Philippine territorial waters and recall its vessels that were spotted in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement on Sunday. Lorenzana issued the call following reports that over 200 Chinese militia boats were spotted in the Juan Felipe Reef — an area within the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of the Philippines, and which “Filipinos have the sole right to resources under international law.” “We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory. We are committed to uphold our sovereign rights over the WPS,” Lorenzana said in his statement. “We view with grave concern the presence of 220 Chinese militia boats in the Julian Felipe Reef (Union Reef) in the West Philippine Sea. This is a clear provocative action of militarizing the area. These are territories well within Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Continental Shelf (CS) where Filipinos have the sole right to resources under international law and the 2016 arbitral ruling,” he added. A report early Sunday from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) showed that 220 vessels were found in line formation at the Juan Felipe Reef last March 7 — leading the National Task Force West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) to warn against the possibility of overfishing and destruction of the marine environment.
Zarate: Instead of ‘red-tagging’, AFP should defend country against real “Reds” at WPS | Manila Bulletin – House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate on Sunday, March 21, dared the Duterte administration to “strongly denounce China’s continued aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).” Zarate aired the challenge amid reports that at least 220 Chinese vessels have swarmed the reef west of Palawan, which clearly belongs to the Philippines. The vessels, were reportedly manned by Chinese maritime militia. “Ang ginagawang ito ba ng China ang kapalit ng donasyon nilang bakuna, na lapastanganin muli ang ating soberanya? (Is China violating our sovereignty in exchange of the vaccines it donated),” asked Zarate, referring to the shipment of Sinovac vaccines donated by the Chinese government to the country. Zarate noted that while China is flexing its muscles at Philippine territories over WPS, the military and police have turned a blind eye on these incursions and instead continued harassing and red-tagging activist and government critics. The NTF-WPS received verified reports from the Philippine Coast Guard that about 220 Chinese fishing vessels were sighted near the Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun Reef) on March 7. “China’s coast guard and maritime militia has continously harassed our fisherfolk and barricaded our traditional fishing grounds like Bajo de Masinloc or Panakot Shoal,” said Zarate.
