News Roundup 22 July 2020
Jul 22, 2020 • 3 min Read
1,594 new COVID-19 cases push Philippines’ tally to 72,269 | PHILSTAR.COM – The Health department on Wednesday logged 1,594 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the national caseload to 72,269. The department also registered 6 new deaths and 342 new recoveries, bringing their total to 1,843 and 23,623 respectively. Accounting for recoveries and deaths, the number of active cases in the country stands at 46,803.
Urban poor face evictions even as pandemic requires them to stay at home | PHILSTAR.COM – Even as thousands of Filipinos have been forced to live in precarity by the COVID-19 pandemic, evictions by government agencies have rendered more than a dozen families homeless in the past week, a non-government organization said. In two statements sent to Philstar.com, non-profit Urban Poor Associates said that 25 families living along the Philippine National Railways Southrail in Cabuyao, Laguna have already been evicted with the last remaining household due to be demolished soon.
Ex-SC justices Carpio, Morales file 11th petition vs Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 | INQUIRER.NET – Retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to declare as unconstitutional Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. The two legal luminaries also asked for a special raffle of the petition, a restraining order to stop the law’s implementation pending the ruling of the Supreme Court, and an oral argument. They were joined in by Constitutional Law professors from the University of the Philippines, College of Law: Associate Dean and Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea Director Jay L. Batongbacal, Institute for the Administration of Justice Director Dante B. Gatmaytan, former Supreme Court Public Information Office chief Theodore Te, and Senior Professorial Lecturers Victoria V. Loanzon and Anthony Charlemagne C. Yu. Also joining the Carpio Petition are former Magdalo Party-list Representative and Security Analyst Francisco Ashley L. Acedillo, and incumbent UP University Student Council councilor Tierone James M. Santos. The case, which was filed online, is the 11th petition against the controversial law that was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on July 3, 2020, despite broad opposition. The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (ATA) effect on July 18.
OVP sets up 4 testing booths in Cebu | Manila Bulletin – The Office of the Vice President (OVP) has set four swabbing booths in Cebu City to aid in the testing of suspected coronavirus patients. This is the latest initiative that the OVP has extended to the city as part of its COVID-19 response operations. The use of testing booths to take swab samples will lessen the exposure of health workers to droplets from people infected with virus. “Ang turn over nito this week kasi nakasakay siya sa barko, kakarating lang. Mayroon na tayong beneficiaries (Its turn over is set this week because the ship carrying them just arrived. We already have beneficiaries),” Vice President Leni Robredo said. Robredo’s office identified the Cebu hospitals and clinics that will receive the swabbing booths namely: Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Cebu Doctor Hospital, West Cebu Clustered Clinic Swab Center. The vice president said she would also source locally-made personal protective equipment (PPEs) for medical personnel and other frontliners in Cebu City. “Natatagalan lang ito sa umpisa kasi kailangan isiguro na ma-test iyong quality, tela, design, etc. pero may kausap na tayong communities (This may take a while at first because its quality, fabric, design, etc. have to be tested, but we have already talked to the communities),” she said. As of now, Robredo’s team and its private partners have provided seven free dormitories, ferry and shuttle service to aid Cebu frontliners in the fight against COVID-19.
Parish priest taken hostage in Marawi siege succumbs to cardiac arrest | The Manila Times – Father Teresito “Chito” Suganob, who was taken hostage during the Marawi siege in 2017 by the terrorist Maute and Islamic State groups, has passed away. Suganob, 59, parish priest of the St. Mary’s Cathedral in Marawi City, succumbed to cardiac arrest on Wednesday morning at his residence in Noralah, South Cotabato. “It is with sadness that we make this announcement in behalf of the Prelature of Marawi,” Bishop Edwin Dela Peña of Marawi said. “Please include him in your prayers.”
