News Roundup 28 April 2021
Apr 28, 2021 • 3 min Read
Philippines sees 6,895 new coronavirus infections | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines on Wednesday recorded 6,895 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 1,020,495.
- Active cases: 67,769 or 6.6% of the total
- Recoveries: 10,739, pushing total to 935,695
- Deaths: 115, bringing total to 17,031
Gov’t lawyer quizzed on how anti-terrorism law could affect charities, community pantries | PHILSTAR.COM – In next Supreme Court debates on the constitutionality of the anti-terrorism law, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon may have to explain the basis of government officials’ accusations that community pantry organizers have links to communist rebels. In the fifth session of oral arguments on Tuesday, Associate Justice Rosmari Carandang brought up the “hot issue of community pantries.” The magistrate asked Assistant Solicitor General Raymund Rigodon on what the basis government officials is for associating community pantry organizers, whom Carandang said are “people with good heart,” to the New People’s Army. Rigodon admitted that he doesn’t know. “Perhaps we can consult [National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr.,” the government lawyer said. “We can question him later. We will toss to him the questions later on. I have questions for General Esperon,” Carandang added. Although unidentified in the interpellation, National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict spokespersons Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade and Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy made the claims—with Parlade even comparing pioneering organizer Patricia Non to biblical figure Satan. The claims were echoed by at least one official police social media account.
15 senators push reprimand of Parlade over ‘stupid’ quip | INQUIRER.NET – In a show of unity, 15 proadministration and opposition senators on Tuesday moved to reprimand Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. for calling them “stupid” in response to their threat to defund the anticommunist task force over the military officer’s “Red-tagging” of some community pantry organizers. Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Minority Leader Franklin Drilon led their colleagues in filing proposed Senate Resolution No. 709 to censure the spokesperson for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) for his “disrespectful and demeaning statements.” Human rights groups say that red-tagging, or the labeling of critics of the government as members or supporters of the communist insurgency, has led to deadly attacks against activists.
Certify anti-red-tagging bill as ‘urgent’, Drilon asks Duterte | Manila Bulletin – Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Wednesday, April 28, called on President Duterte to certify as urgent the bill that would criminalize red-tagging. Drilon said it is “imperative” that Duterte endorse the approval of his Senate Bill No. 2121, after Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra expressed support for the measure. Guevarra was quoted as saying in a report that making red-tagging a criminal offense in the Philippines “may help reduce the problem of reckless endangerment” by state agents. He asked Congress to consider passing a law that would define and punish red-tagging. “With the opinion of the Secretary of Justice, we urge President Duterte to certify as urgent the passage of Senate Bill [No.] 2121,” Drilon said in a text message. “The opinion of the Secretary of Justice that there is a gap in the law, i.e., that red tagging is presently not a criminal offense under our laws, makes the passage of SB 2121, which we filed, imperative,” he added. The minority leader lauded Guevarra for pushing for the enactment of an anti-red-tagging law.
