News Roundup 28 October 2021
Oct 28, 2021 • 5 min Read
DOH lists 3,694 more COVID-19 cases | PHILSTAR.COM – Health authorities on Thursday posted 3,694 new coronavirus infections, bringing the Philippines’ overall count to 2,772,491. Active COVID-19 cases continued to be on the decline by 317 from the 50,152 on October 28. The Department of Health said one laboratory failed to turn in testing results.
- Active cases: 49,835 or 1.8% of the total
- Deaths: 227, pushing the count to 42,575
- Recoveries: 3,924 bringing the number to 2,680,081
Another firm that got big pandemic deals also met with Duterte in 2017 — senator | PHILSTAR.COM – Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group, a foreign pandemic supplier that cornered deals worth P2.23 billion with the government, has ties with President Rodrigo Duterte that go back as far back as 2017, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said Thursday. XCMG is the same Chinese firm that told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee last week that it does not pay income taxes in the Philippines despite the fact that it is the Department of Budget and Management’s fourth-most favored supplier as of September 2021. The firm’s chairman Wang Min met with Duterte in Malacañang on February 27, 2017, according to a post on a Chinese automobile news website that Hontiveros’ office found. The website, Qiche-China, credits the China Truck Network as its source. That same year, Duterte met with executives of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. and his former economic adviser Micheal Yang in Davao City. “From February 23 to 27, Wang Min, Chairman of XCMG Group, led a XCMG delegation to a successful visit to the Philippines,” the news release reads in Chinese. “On the afternoon of the 27th, Philippine President Duterte cordially received Chairman Wang Min.” Photos of the meeting were also included in the post. “Chairman Wang Min also conducted in-depth and friendly exchanges with Philippine ministers and senior officials, and executives of Chinese partner companies, reached broad consensus and established new cooperative relations,” the news release further reads. “The one who was warmly received in 2017 in Malacanang, is now a tax evader,” Hontiveros said in a statement written partially in Filipino. “Why are the companies that responded to the pandemic in the Philippines all violators of the law? It is not far-fetched to imagine that we have so many COVID-19 cases due to questionable medical suppliers.” “We have repeatedly said at the hearing that it does not mean that because there is an emergency, there is no process to follow. Nor should companies be given contracts just because they are favored by the president,” Hontiveros said. “Contracts should be given based on merit and capacity.” In addition to paying no income tax in the country, XCMG is not registered with the Bureau of Customs and Securities and Exchange Commission, official documents obtained by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon show.
In her return to Bicol, Robredo gets support from two more local execs | INQUIRER.NET – Vice President Leni Robredo got more support from local government executives during her trip to hometown Bicol Region, with Mayor Joseph Ascutia of Labo town in Camarines Norte, Mayor Krisel Lagman of Tabaco, Albay vowing to back her presidential bid. In a statement on Thursday, Ascutia said that he is picking Robredo and her running mate Senator Francis Pangilinan as they are good examples of ethical leadership in the country. Robredo and Pangilinan are running as a tandem for president and vice president in the 2022 national elections. “Sila po ang nakikita ko na isang tandem na talang makapagbabago ng klase ng pamumulitika dito po sa atin sa Pilipinas,” the local chief executive said. (I see them as the tandem that can really introduce changes in the political system in the country.) “Si VP Leni at si Sen. Kiko, sila po ‘yung epitome ng good governance and ethical leadership dito po sa ating bansa. At naniniwala po ako na sila ang makakapagbigay ng maayos na panunungkulan dito sa ating bayan,” he added. (VP Leni and Senator Kiko are the epitome of good governance and ethical leadership here in the country. And I believe that they can provide us with good leadership for the Philippines.) Lagman on the other hand highlighted that Pangilinan is the best running mate for Robredo, as Robredo’s good traits can also be found in the senator. “Pagdating sa experience at serbisyo, talagang hindi naman po natin matatawaran ang ginawa na ni Sen. Kiko. Kung ano po ang pagtitiwala natin sa president, pagkatiwalaan ang kanyang napili na maging running mate,” Lagman said. (In terms of experience and service, we cannot dismiss what Senator Kiko did. Whatever trust we have for the presidential candidate, we should also trust the person she picked as a running mate.)
Senate panel chief calls two no-show Pharmally execs in probe ‘Senate fugitives’ | Manila Bulletin – Senator Richard Gordon on Thursday branded two executives of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation “Senate fugitives” after they stopped participating in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s ongoing investigation into the alleged overpriced COVID-19 supplies. Gordon said the actions of Pharmally’s Mohit Dargani, corporate secretary and treasurer and his sister, Twinkle Dargani, the company’s president, are contemptuous, especially their refusal to submit the documents subpoenaed by the Senate panel. Both siblings have yet to be arrested since the October 19 hearing of the panel. Both were a no-show in Thursday’s hearing. “Again, contemptuous yung ginawa nila. Habang siya ay nakasalang, si Mohit Dargani, nung sinabi namin na sila ay pako-contempt (what they did was contemptuous. While he, Mohit Dargani was being questioned, when he was told he would be cited for contempt) that would have been a reason for him to say magsasalita na po ako (I will speak up),” Gordon said during the resumption of the Senate blue ribbon panel’s investigation. Gordon was recalling what happened during the Oct. 19 hearing, where the Darganis left the panel’s hearing that is being held virtually. The Senate has cited the Darganis for contempt for failing to submit the documents asked by the panel and has ordered for them to be detained in the Senate. However, the Office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms has yet to find them.
