News Roundup 25 April 2020
Apr 25, 2020 • 2 min Read
Ragos conferred military honors ahead of Sunday burial at Libingan ng mga Bayani | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippine Army on Saturday said that the body of late retired soldier Winston Ragos, who was shot and killed Tuesday by a Quezon City policeman, has arrived at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. The 34-year-old army veteran received military honors today ahead of his hero’s burial set tomorrow noon. “The Philippine Army honors Ragos for his service and sacrifice that defines us as an Army,” Army chief Lieutenant General Gilbert Gapay said in a Saturday release. The Army, through Gapay, sought assistance Friday from the National Bureau of Investigation in conducting an impartial investigation on the Ragos case involving Quezon City policemen due to “apparent conflicting claims of police operatives involved, witness accounts, and materials available from open sources.”
PH in talks with Japan to test drug Avigan as potential COVID-19 cure | INQUIRER.NET – The Philippines is in the initial stages of talks with Japan about the use of drug Avigan to combat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday. DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, however, noted that the two countries are still in its “initial stages of coordination” in testing the drug. Avigan, an anti-viral medication, is only used in Japan for flu outbreaks that aren’t being effectively addressed by existing medications. It is not readily available on the market, and can only be manufactured and distributed at the request of the Japanese government.
44 foreign nationals, 23 Filipinos arrested in illegal POGO operation in Parañaque | Manila Bulletin – Forty-four (44) foreign nationals and twenty-three (23) Filipinos (fourteen female and nine male) engaged in an illegal online gaming operation were arrested by the combined team of the Regional Special Operation Unit, Southern Police District, and the Parañaque City police Friday night. Police said that the suspects were arrested at about 7:30p.m. along Mayuga Compound, Barangay Tambo, Paranaque City. The police said that prior to the arrest of the suspects, members of the RSOU received a telephone call from a concerned citizen who reported that a group of armed foreign nationals were seen outside their residence violating the curfew hours imposed by the city government while the country is under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Bilibid’s first Covid case dies — BuCor | The Manila Times – On Friday night, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) declared that the person deprived of liberty (PDL), who was the first to contract the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), has died. “Today, official report reached this office that the said PDL patient expired [in] the evening of 23 April 2020,” said a BuCor spokesman. The patient, who was from the Medium Security Compound, was confined at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) on April 17 and was confirmed Covid-19 positive on Monday.
