News Roundup 24 August 2021
Aug 24, 2021 • 3 min Read
DOH logs 12,067 new COVID-19 cases, 10 labs without data | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines on Tuesday posted 12,067 new coronavirus infections to push its total to 1,869,691. New figures reported by the Department of Health brought active cases down by 2,647 from the 130,350 on August 23. DOH said 10 laboratories did not turn in screening results. “The relatively low number of cases today is due to lower laboratory output last Sunday,” authorities added.
- Active cases: 127,703 or 6.8% of the total
- Recoveries: 14,565, bringing the number to 1,709,724
- Deaths: 303, or now 32,264 in total
Mandaluyong, Pateros open COVID-19 vaccination to non-residents | PHILSTAR.COM – The local governments of Mandaluyong and Pateros have opened their vaccination services to residents from other cities in Metro Manila, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said on Tuesday. Through the program called “We Vax As One,” Metro Manila residents can now try to book a slot for inoculation in other LGUs in the region which are close to vaccinating their target population. “There are LGUs who are almost done inoculating their target population. Instead of closing the vaccination sites down or slowing down, the operations will continue and will be opened to their neighbors in NCR,” MMDA chair Benhur Abalos told ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo in Filipino. Interested vaccine applicants must first secure appointments online. Walk-ins will not be allowed. The cities of Marikina and San Juan may soon open slots for inoculation to non-residents, Abalos added. Over 4.2 million residents in the capital region have completed COVID-19 vaccination, out of the target 9.8 million population, according to the MMDA.
‘Transport bubble’ idea good but may be ‘violative of equal protection clause’ – DOJ chief | INQUIRER.NET – Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday said now is not the time to only provide greater mobility to people already vaccinated against the coronavirus. “The proper time to push for the proposal is when the vaccines have become readily available to anyone anywhere and the majority of the people have been fully vaccinated,” Guevarra told reporters. Earlier, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion has proposed the deployment of buses in Metro Manila dedicated to vaccinated individuals. Concepcion said the so-called “transportation bubble” seeks to protect vaccinated passengers as they travel to and from their workplaces. Guevarra, however, said that “the idea is good but may be challenged as violative of the equal protection clause by those who have remained unvaccinated but are nonetheless complying with mandatory health protocols.”
Robredo bats for inclusion of ‘ayuda,’ MSME grants in 2022 budget | Manila Bulletin – Vice President Leni Robredo is proposing to include the ayuda or cash aid and the conditional cash grant to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the 2022 national budget to curb the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Filipinos and small businesses. She believes that the pandemic and other related issues should still be the government’s concerns “in the next year or so” because the number one enemy is still “hunger” and “unemployment.” “Pinupush natin na sana for the 2022 budget nasa GAA na iyong tulong na ayuda para handa na tayo (We are pushing that hopefully the cash aid will be included in the GAA so we are ready) just in case na may masama na naman mangyari (that something bad happens) next year,” Robredo said during the virtual Archer Talks and Eagles’ Meet Our Leaders forum. “Hindi na tayo maghihintay sa Congress na magpasa ng panibagong batas pero meron nang nakaset aside para diyan (We would no longer wait for Congress to pass a new law because there’s there something set aside already),” she added. The GAA refers to the General Appropriations Act which will define the annual expenditure program of the national government and all of its instrumentalities. If the cash aid is already included in the GAA, there will be no need to wait for Congress to pass a law as what happened with the Bayanihan 1 and 2 that allocated cash aid for those affected by the lockdowns. Congress passed in the third and final reading the P410-billion Bayanihan 3 which hopes to help the country recover from the pandemic. The measure includes a proposed P2,000 cash aid to all 108 million Filipinos.
