News Roundup 27 July 2020
Jul 27, 2020 • 3 min Read
Coronavirus cases hit 82,040 as Duterte addresses pandemic-battered Philippines | PHILSTAR.COM – The novel coronavirus pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down in the Philippines after health authorities reported over 1,000 new cases Monday. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case count reached 82,040 after the Department of Health reported 1,657 additional infections. The number of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 also increased by 359 to 26,446. Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 1,945 after 16 people succumbed to the severe respiratory illness. The Philippines has 53,649 active cases—the highest in Southeast Asia.
Protesters call for better COVID-19 response, end to ‘tyranny’ at ‘SONAgkaisa’ protest | PHILSTAR.COM – Various groups converged at the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman to stage a protest action Monday hours before President Rodrigo Duterte’s penultimate State of the Nation Address. The city government of Quezon City prohibited public protests on the day of Duterte’s SONA, in line with the government’s restrictions on mass gatherings. Demonstrations, however, are allowed inside UP Diliman. Groups from the sectors of health, labor, education, transport and youth participated in the protest action dubbed as “SONAgkaisa” to voice their criticism of the government’s handling of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, the denial of a legislative franchise for media giant ABS-CBN and the enactment of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, which is feared to infringe on people’s fundamental rights. Protesters strictly adhered to minimum health standards such as observing physical distancing and wearing of face coverings.
2 execs tied to PhilHealth ‘cash-slapping bonanza’ | INQUIRER.NET – Resident auditors of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) have linked one of its senior executives and a “former acting president and CEO” to the questionable release of “cash bonanza” from a P30 billion financial package for hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. In an internal audit report obtained by the Inquirer, the state auditors also took issue with the P100 million “advance payment” to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), which used the funds for launching a massive testing program for the new coronavirus disease. The audit revealed that PhilHealth Senior Vice President Renato Limsiaco Jr., who heads the Fund Management Sector, may have had a hand in granting P9.6 million to Catarman Doctors Hospital, a private hospital in Catarman, Northern Samar, on April 15. The amount, along with the funds given to the Philippine Red Cross, were drawn from PhilHealth’s Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM), a P30 billion financial package that the government-owned insurance corporation has allotted for hospitals attending to people infected with COVID-19.
Gov’t failure to protect Filipinos from COVID scored | Manila Bulletin – The Church People-Workers Solidarity has denounced the Duterte administration’s failure to address the miserable condition of the Filipino people amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The group said the administration particularly failed to protect the Filipino workers amid the coronavirus crisis. It cited as an example the suspension of mass transportation. “Many frontliners were made to walk for hours, even as they are already overworked and severely exposed to the disease due to the lack of manpower and provision of protective equipment,” CWS said. It also lamented the administration’s lack of concrete and effective plan for mass testing, contact tracing, isolation, and treatment of COVID-19 infected persons half a year into the global health emergency.
Bayan Muna lawmakers don protest at SONA | The Manila Times – Representatives from the Bayan Muna party-list donned their protest against the issues plaguing President Rodrigo Duterte at his 5th State of the Nation Address on Monday. Ferdinand Gaite wore a Barong that showed individuals rising up against a figure wearing iron claws and a shirt bearing the flags of the United States and China. The back portion was a statement denouncing the Anti-Terrorism Act, which the President signed recently. In his tweet, Gaite said he was “ready to march” and thanked two artists for the design. Eufemia Cullamat wore a traditional Lumad attire with a sash that read: Lupang Ninuno depensahan! Ipaglaban! Terror law ibasura” (Defend the land of our ancestors. Fight. Trash terror law.)
