News Roundup 24 December 2021
Dec 24, 2021 • 4 min Read
Robredo tells Filipinos to hold on to hope this Christmas amid challenges | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo urged Filipinos to hold on to hope this Christmas despite the difficulties they faced the past year, including the pandemic and the onslaught of Typhoon Odette. “Let us hug those we love more tightly, in the same way we hold on tightly to hope: Hope we bring to our fellow human beings every time we show our love for them, and the hope they bring us every time we accept their love,” Robredo said in her Christmas message. She said that despite challenges, Filipinos will still wrap presents, set tables for get-togethers and hang lanterns and lights to send the message of Christmas. “Hope is found in togetherness, in opening oneself to one’s fellow human beings, in letting them feel that they are not alone, that we always have someone beside us, whether in times of trial or along the path towards our dreams,” the vice president said. “So this Christmas, as a nation coming together, let us fervently give thanks for any blessings we receive,” she added. “Let us recognize how we are bound by the single color of our dreams; the single color of love, which is the color of Christmas.” The devastation brought about by Odette in parts of the Visayas and Mindanao certainly dampened Christmas celebrations as the typhoon left hundreds dead and damaged billions of pesos in agriculture and infrastructure. In response, Robredo converted the headquarters of her 2022 presidential campaign volunteers in Quezon City into a hub for relief goods to be sent to victims of the typhoon. She has also visited several areas severely affected by the typhoon and brought relief assistance.
This Christmas, CHR asks Filipinos to not leave less fortunate people behind | INQUIRER.NET – Filipinos celebrating a better Christmas this year should not forget other people going through a tough time and leave them behind. This was the core of the Commission on Human Rights’ (CHR) message for the Yuletide Season, encouraging Filipinos to set aside time to help the less fortunate, including those affected by the recent onslaught of Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai). “Bumababa rin ang naitatalang kaso ng COVID-19 sa bansa. Ikinalulugod ng CHR na muli nating natatamasa ang ilan sa mga kinagisnang tradisyon tuwing Kapaskuhan. Ngunit sa ating pagbangon, wala sanang maiiwan. Isaisip natin silang mga mahihina, isinasantabi, at mga inaabuso sa lipunan,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said in a statement. “Sa gitna ng mga pagdiriwang, nawa’y manaig din ang likas na diwa ng malasakit at bayanihan para makapagbahagi tayo sa mga kapuspalad at mga nalugmok nating kababayan, kabilang ang mga nasalanta ng iba’t ibang sakuna, tulad ng bagyong Odette na nanalasa sa Visayas at Mindanao kamakailan,” she added. The CHR spokesperson explained that while Filipinos are known to be a resilient bunch, the nation as a whole must hold the government accountable in terms of pushing for the people’s human rights and dignity amid recovery efforts.
OCTA sees ‘uptick’ in Metro Manila’s COVID-19 positivity rate | Manila Bulletin – A slight increase in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) positivity rate was seen in the National Capital Region (NCR), said the OCTA Research group on Friday, Dec. 24. In a Twitter post, OCTA research fellow Dr. Guido said that the COVID-19 positivity rate in NCR had increased slightly over the past few days. “The seven-day average positivity rate from Dec. 16 to Dec. 22 was 0.77. It was lowest at 0.62 from Dec. 12 to Dec. 18,” said David in a tweet. He said the “uptick” could be attributed to the increased number of social gatherings amid the holiday season. “Unfortunately, due to decreased testing over the holiday season, we will be unable to have a clear picture of the situation until the first week of January 2022,” David added. Meanwhile, OCTA reiterated the importance of adhering to minimum public health standards such as the proper wearing of masks, washing of hands, and maintaining social distancing while enjoying the holidays to prevent the possible transmission of COVID-19.
310 more COVID-19 cases detected –DOH | Manila Bulletin – The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday, Dec. 24, recorded 310 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases. “Of the 310 reported cases today, 272 (88 percent) occurred within the recent 14 days (Dec. 11 – Dec. 24, 2021). The top regions with cases in the recent two weeks were National Capital Region (NCR) (106 or 39 percent), Region 4-A (32 or 12 percent) and Region 3 (22 or 8 percent),” the DOH said in its latest case bulletin. The new cases brought the Philippines’ tally of infections since last year to 2,838,032. “Nine duplicates were removed from the total case count. Of these, eight are recoveries. In addition, 172 cases were found to have tested negative and have been removed from the total case count,” the DOH said. Also, the DOH recorded 69 new deaths and 227 more survivors. The country’s death toll related to COVID-19 was pushed to 51,050 while the recovery count increased to 2,777,661. The deaths and recoveries left the number of active cases at 9,321 or 0.3 percent of the total case count. It was noted that 3,295 of the active cases were mild, 474 were asymptomatic, 3,382 were in moderate condition, 1,795 were severe, and 375 were in critical condition.
