News Roundup 24 February 2022
Feb 24, 2022 • 4 min Read
‘Near consensus’ of living 1987 Constitution framers endorse Leni-Kiko tandem | PHILSTAR.COM – A “near consensus” of all living framers of the 1987 Constitution endorsed on the eve of the 36th anniversary of the People Power Revolution the presidential candidacy of Vice President Leni Robredo and her running mate, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan. Nine Constitution framers said the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem “indeed strongly conform to the imperatives expressed in the Basic Charter.” They also said that among all the presidential candidates, Robredo “best embodies the principles and values found in the Basic Charter of the land.” “[Robredo] embodies the constitutional vision of leaders who live modest lives and are transparent in the use of the powers of office,” the framers said. In endorsing Robredo and Pangilinan, the framers recalled their record of public service which they said “demonstrate their competence, capabilities and the qualities of servant leaders who can inspire generations of our people to bring our country to its greatness.” The following members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission who signed the statement endorsing Robredo and Pangilinan are:
- Felicitas Aquino-Arroyo
- Teodoro Bacani
- Florangel Rosario Braid
- Hilario Davide Jr.
- Edmundo Garcia
- Christian Monsod
- Rene Sarmiento
- Jaime Tadeo
- Wilfrido Villacorta
Garcia told Philstar.com in an email that Adolfo Azcuna would have also signed, but had to inhibit as he is currently affiliated with the Philippine Judicial Academy. Garcia added that he and Azcuna initiated the framers’ endorsement of Robredo and Pangilinan, which got the support of a “near consensus” of all living members of the Constitutional Commission, three of whom were either ill or unavailable. This is just the latest endorsement that Robredo has received.
Common denominator on missing cockfight players: No CCTV videos — Lacson | INQUIRER.NET – There are common denominators in the disappearances of 31 cockfight players: There is no closed-circuit television (CCTV) that monitored their alleged abduction, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Thursday. “The thing is kung isa o dalawa lang ang nawala pwede natin sabihing personal. Pero 31? And there are common denominators,” he said during a Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs hearing. (The thing is if there are just one or two persons missing, we can say that it is personally motivated. But, 31 of them?) Lacson asked Philippine National Police (PNP) – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director General Albert Ferro what the similarities of the disappearances are. Ferro said that some of the missing persons went to cockpits with the same owner. Lacson then said that there are no CCTVs in the incidents. “Another common denominator, wala lahat (there are no) CCTV for the pattern,” the senator said. He likewise added that the crime is seeming “far from perfect.” “Hearing all the testimonies from your investigators and the other resource persons, parang far from perfect itong crime na ito,” said Lacson. (Hearing all the testimonies from your investigators and the other resource persons, it seems that this crime is far from perfect.)
Ukraine-Russia conflict a ‘cause of concern’ for OFWs, oil price impact — Robredo | Manila Bulletin – The ongoing full-scale invasion by Russia of neighboring Ukraine is a “cause of concern” because of some 320 Filipino workers there, most of whom refused to be repatriated, and the economic impact on the prices of oil and goods, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Thursday, Feb. 24. Reports reached her that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) already offered to bring home the 320 Filipinos in Ukraine, but most of them refused to be repatriated because they still feel safe there. The Vice President said this is a “cause of concern” and that the government must focus on this because conditions can “shift” any time. “So, kailangan talaga ‘yung mga plano kung saan sila dadalhin ay maayos na (we need to plan and fix where to take them),” she stressed. “Pero (But) more than this, kailangan din nating paghandaan, ano ba ‘yung epekto nito sa halimbawa sa presyo ng– ‘yung world prices ng halimbawa, langis, ng marami pang ibang produkto, na ‘yun ‘yung (we need to be ready for what are the effects of this, for example, on the prices — the world prices of, example, oil, and many other products, that are the) natural consequence na meron ganitong (when there’s an) upheaval,” Robredo added.
PH’s daily COVID-19 cases still below 2K | Manila Bulletin – For six consecutive days, the Philippines has maintained a daily number of new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases to just less than 2,000. A total of 1,745 new COVID-19 infections were confirmed on Thursday, Feb. 24. This was slightly higher to the cases recorded on Wednesday at 1,534. For 10 days straight, the number of infections daily was below 3,000. Also, since Feb. 1, the Philippines has been recording less than 10,000 cases. The regions that registered the highest number of new cases were the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, and Central Visayas. The country’s cumulative number of confirmed cases stood at 3,657,342. Of the total cases, only 55,079 are active or individuals who are sick. The figure includes 49,927 who are experiencing mild symptoms; 2,788 with moderate symptoms; 1,428 are severe; 637 are asymptomatic; and 299 are in critical condition. The DOH also recorded 188 new deaths, pushing the death toll to 56,165. Meanwhile, there were 2,045 new recoveries. This figure brought the recovery count to 3,546,098.
