News Roundup 21 September 2020
Sep 21, 2020 • 4 min Read
COVID-19 cases in Philippines rise to over 290,000 as death toll nears 5,000 | PHILSTAR.COM – The total number of coronavirus infections climbed past 290,000 as the country’s death toll approached the 5,000-mark, the Department of Health reported Monday. The DOH logged 3,475 additional COVID-19 infections, pushing the nation’s caseload to 290,190. COVID-19 cases are still increasing by several thousand daily, even after strict restrictions were implemented to stem the spread of the virus. The DOH also registered 15 new deaths related to COVID-19, taking the country’s fatality count to 4,999. The country has the second highest number of COVID-19 fatalities in Southeast Asia behind neighboring Indonesia with 9,553 deaths as of Sunday. The total number of recoveries, meanwhile, rose to 230,233 after 400 more people got better from the respiratory disease.
Duterte to talk ‘drug war,’ West Philippine Sea at UN General Assembly — Palace | PHISTAR.COM – President Rodrigo Duterte is set to address the United Nations General Assembly for the first time on Tuesday, Malacañang confirmed. Duterte’s participation in the the high-level general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly or UNGA was announced by Chief of Presidential Protocol for Foreign Affairs Robert Borje during a virtual briefing on Monday. “This will be the president’s first time to address the UN General Assembly, the main deliberative board of the UN, where all 193 member states are represented,” he said. Borje also listed the following topics to be discussed by the president in his speech: the response to COVID-19; peace and security, including terrorism and geopolitical developments in the Asia Pacific; sustainable development and climate change; the rule of law; justice and human rights, including the situation of migrant workers and refugees; peacekeeping and the United Nations. According to the protocol officer, Duterte will also touch on issues relating to the West Philippine Sea and his campaign against illegal drugs. The bloody ‘war on drugs’ has been criticized in the Philippines and abroad but the government points out that “drug personalities” killed had violently resisted arrest.
VP Robredo to Filipinos: Remember the horrors of martial law, resist revisionism | INQUIRER.NET – Vice President Leni Robredo urged Filipinos on Monday to continuously push back attempts to rewrite the dark history of the Marcos regime as the country marked the 48th anniversary of the imposition of martial law. In a statement, Robredo said Filipinos must assert the truths of the many horrors that happened during the late dictator’s regime. “In a time when divisiveness is the norm and the gaps in society continue to widen, it is essential that we strive to find more spaces of commonality,” Robredo said. “We do this by telling our stories, and by asserting the truths that bind us together as one people, with one history: Maraming pinahirapan, naglaho, at pinatay noong martial law; lumobo ang utang ng bayan na binabayaran natin hanggang sa ngayon; lumalim at lumawak ang kahirapan. Dinurog ang mga institusyong haligi ng lipunan. Naging bahagi ng diwa ng pamamahala ang korupsyon at pang-aabuso,” she added. (Many suffered, disappeared, and were killed during martial law; the country’s debt ballooned which we continue to pay until today; poverty worsened. They crushed institutions that are pillars of the society. Corruption and abuse became part of the rule.) Noting these truths “know no political color,” Robredo said there is no debate that these indeed happened to the nation.
Drilon proposes inclusion of IC in PhilHealth operations | Manila Bulletin – Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon wants the Insurance Commission involved in the operations of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). Drilon raised this suggestion Monday as he reiterated the need for changes in PhilHealth to address the mismanagement of the country’s health insurance funds as bared in various investigations on the State health insurer. “We need some structural changes in PhilHealth. PhilHealth is an insurance organization. It ensures our people against unfunded health expenses. It is basically an insurance issue,” he said. The Senate Minority Leader said he agrees with the proposal of Senate President Vicente Sotto III to replace the Department of Health (DoH) Secretary at the helm of the PhilHealth Board of Directors with the Department of Finance (DoF) Secretary. “The chairman should be the Secretary of Finance and if I may add, the Insurance Commissioner should be part of the Board,” he said.
Oil firms to hike pump prices | The Manila Times – Oil companies will raise their pump prices on Tuesday, September 22. The cost of diesel will go up by 20 centavos per liter, gasoline by 60 centavos per liter, and kerosene by 55 centavos per liter. Cleanfuel, Petro Gazz, Pilipinas Shell, and Seaoil have announced their fuel price adjustments for this week.
Featured Image Source: filipinoscribe.com
