News Roundup 23 February 2021
Feb 23, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines logs 1,414 new COVID-19 cases as total hits 564,865 | PHILSTAR.COM – The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines climbed to 564,865 Tuesday, with 1,414 new infections recorded. The number of people who are still undergoing treatment or quarantine stands at 29,817 or 5.3% of the total, the Department of Health reported. Nearly 94% are mild and asymptomatic cases. Sixteen more patients died from the respiratory illness, raising the fatality count to 12,107. The DOH also logged 72 additional recovered patients. To date, 522,941 have survived COVID-19 in the Philippines.
De Lima lawyers want prosecution witness Capones charged in same drug case | PHILSTAR.COM – Sen. Leila De Lima’s legal team is moving to implead inmate and prosecution witness Joel Capones as among the accused in the third drug case she is facing. Lawyer Boni Tacardon, De Lima’s counsel, told reporters that they had filed a motion before the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 265 to include Capones in the case as he had admitted that he participated in the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison. “We filed a motion to include him (Capones), because if the ‘war on drugs’ of the government is genuine, then all of those involved in drugs should face cases. Why is it that Sen. De Lima is said to be the only one involved in drug trade inside Bilibid?” Tacardon told reporters after the hearing on Tuesday. The conspiracy to commit illegal drug trading pending before the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256 is the third case against De Lima. She has since been acquitted in one, while trial continues in a second case pending before Branch 205.
Citing ‘alarming developments,’ SC asked to halt anti-terror law’s implementation | INQUIRER.NET – Due to what is described as “alarming developments,” petitioners against Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 again called the Supreme Court to stop its implementation temporarily. “Petitioners respectfully reiterate their respective pending motions praying for the immediate issuance for a temporary restraining order/writ of preliminary injunction, and/or status quo ante order,” read the joint reiterative motion for TRO filed on Feb. 22 but made public Tuesday. The joint reiterative motion is signed by all the 37 petitioners questioning the Anti-Terrorism Act’s legality. “Indeed, ‘a continuous violation of constitutional rights is by itself a grave and irreparable injury that this or any court cannot plausibly tolerate’ and that in cases of violation of constitutional rights, courts, are ‘duty-bound’ to act ‘intrepidly’ and grant injunctive relief posthaste to protect constitutional rights,” the motion stated. The Anti-Terrorism Act was signed into law on July 3, 2020 and took effect on July 18. It is the subject of 37 petitions before the Supreme Court. In the joint reiterative motion, petitioners told the high court that the law violates at least 15 fundamental rights under the 1987 Constitution: 1. freedom of speech and expression; 2. freedom of religion; 3. freedom of assembly; 4. freedom of association; 5. freedom of the press; 6. the due process of law; 7. freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures; 8. right to privacy; 9. right to travel; 10. right to bail; 11. presumption of innocence; 12. freedom of information; 13. right against ex post facto laws and bills of attainder; 14. right against torture and incommunicado detention and 15. academic freedom. Among the incidents petitioners described as “alarming developments” was the arrest of petitioners Chad Errol Booc, a volunteer teacher, and Windel Bolinget, chair of the Cordillera People’s Alliance. Booc and 25 other people at the University of San Carlos were arrested following a rescue operation for lumad children.
Anti-tyranny alliance calls for release of detained De Lima | Manila Bulletin – The Movement Against Tyranny (MAT) on Tuesday, Feb. 23, renewed its call for the release of Senator Leila De Lima who has been detained for almost four year now over drug charges. The alliance of groups against tyranny said the senator “has been held in unjust police detention despite the absence of any evidence against her.” “Sen. De Lima has been denied not only her right to bail but all the rights of the free citizen that she deserves to be,” MAT said. “Indeed, she is a victim of the most egregious case of vengeance and abuse of state power by the draconian regime of Rodrigo Duterte,” it added. De Lima has been in police detention since Feb. 24, 2017.
Photo: Coron Island rock formation, Palawan, Philippines
Photo Source: By Sailko – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68464113
