News Roundup 22 July 2021
Jul 22, 2021 • 4 min Read
5,828 new infections bring Philippines coronavirus caseload to 1.53M | PHILSTAR.COM – Local health authorities on Thursday reported 5,828 more COVID-19 infections, bringing the national caseload to 1,530,266.
- Active cases: 50,562 or 3.3% of the total
- Recoveries: 3,257, pushing total to 1,452,813
- Deaths: 17, bringing total to 26,891
4 jailed, charged under anti-terror law for ‘protecting’ NPA combatants | PHILSTAR.COM – Four people from Occidental Mindoro were jailed and slapped with charges under the highly-contested anti-terrorism law for allegedly protecting New People’s Army combatants. The individuals, identified by rights group Karapatan as farmers, were said to have kept NPA rebels under their protection before a July 5 encounter with government troops. Miguel Domingo Manguerra, Fe Serna Mariñas, Sherlito Casidsid and Allen Delafuente were all charged on July 7 for allegedly providing material support to terrorists and for being an accessory to terrorism. Manguerra and Mariñas were also charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives after troops supposedly recovered a homemade shotgun in their house and an anti-personnel mine attached to the fence of their residence. Casidsid and Delafuente, meanwhile, were charged with obstruction of justice. Karapatan said this is the first time that charges under the anti-terrorism law were pursued in the southern Tagalog region. It added that the families of the four farmers condemn the military’s accusations.
Robredo’s silence on 2022 plans not due to fear of trolls — spox | INQUIRER.NET – A spokesperson for Vice President Leni Robredo said that her silence on her political plans for the 2022 elections should not be misconstrued that she is afraid that she would be swarmed by attacks by trolls of the administration. Atty Barry Gutierrez refuted claims of former Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio that potential candidates like Robredo have been hesitant to publicize their plans for fear of the Duterte administration’s supposed army of trolls swarming them online. Gutierrez noted that Carpio’s allusion seemed not applicable to Robredo as she had been on the receiving end of widespread attacks since the start of this administration. “Well no, kahit naman mag-declare kami or hindi binabanatan na si VP Leni ‘di ba, parang tinataanong ‘yon na kapag nag-declare ka mauulanan ka. Eh grabe, limang taon na kaming nasa gitna ng bagyo eh,” he explained during an exclusive interview with INQUIRER.net last Thursday, “Hindi na namin concern ‘yon sa totoo lang, hindi na concern ‘yong mabasa ka pa dahil talaga namang limang taon na kaming binabagyo di ba. So as far as the Vice President is concerned that’s not the consideration,” he added. Gutierrez said that they have become so accustomed to trolls — a sad thing, he says — that they are no longer afraid of the dangers it may bring. Since the 2016 elections, Robredo has suffered a deluge of attacks on social media allegedly propagated by supporters of the administration. “Sanay na kami dyan, sa totoo lang. Malungkot mang sabihin, nasanay na kami doon sa paninira at sa trolls na walang tigil mula pa 2016 elections,” he said. However, Gutierrez also noted that Carpio’s hunch may be true for other potential candidates as not one of those rumored to run have announced their plans — except for former senator Antonio Trillanes whose statements were also conditional. Carpio said that most of the candidates would probably announce their next move around September, or one month before the filing of certificates of candidacy — which also coincides with the self-imposed deadline by Robredo.
SC ruling upheld ICC jurisdiction over Duterte ‘crimes’ even before his presidency -Lagman | Manila Bulletin – Senior members of the House of Representatives lauded as victory for justice and rule of law the Supreme Court (SC) ruling that upheld the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the cases of crimes against humanity allegedly committed under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. In separate statements, Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman congratulated the SC for the 15-0 ruling on the issue that was reached in March, 2019 but whose ruling was released only on July 21. Both Zarate and Lagman declared that the decision proves judicial independence. “We welcome the decision of the Supreme Court na nilinaw ang limitasyon ng kapangyarihan ng Presidente patungkol sa withdrawal sa ICC, (that clarified the limitations of the president’s power in connection with the withdrawal from the iCC),” said Zarate during the Makabayan virtual news conference on Thursday, July 22. Zarate pointed out that while the SC dismissed the petition as moot and academic because the ICC had recognized the Philippines withdrawal of membership, the court nonetheless acknowledged that the ICC had jurisdiction on matters it investigated prior to the date government cancelled its relationship with the international court of justice. Lagman said the court threw out Duterte’s “repeated posturing of withdrawal” from the Rome Statute on March 16, 2018 at his sole behest.”
