News Roundup 29 April 2021
Apr 29, 2021 • 4 min Read
With 8,276 new infections, COVID-19 cases in the Philippines climb to 1,028,738 | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines on Thursday recorded 8,276 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 1,028,738.
- Active cases: 69,354 or 6.7% of the total
- Recoveries: 6,636, pushing total to 942,239
- Deaths: 114, bringing total to 17,145
Filipinos deserve a president who will defend West Philippine Sea — Carpio | PHILSTAR.COM – Filipinos should demand for a leader who will defend the West Philippine Sea, retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said on Thursday. Carpio was responding to President Rodrigo Duterte who asked him and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario why the Philippines “lost” the West Philippine Sea. “Filipinos deserve, and should demand, a President who loves Filipinos first and foremost and who will uncompromisingly defend Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea,” Carpio said in a statement. The retired magistrate also stressed that he was the one who recommended to the Aquino administration to file a South China Sea arbitration case following the 2012 Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal standoff. Pointing out that the Philippines won a landmark victory with the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s nine-dash line claim, Carpio noted that Duterte announced that he was “setting aside” the ruling in favor of seeking loans from Beijing. “Today, less than 5 percent of those loans and investments have materialized even as President Duterte is already leaving office next year,” Carpio said. Carpio also stressed that Duterte allowed China to fish in the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. “We even import galunggong now from China, the same galunggong that Chinese fishermen take in the West Philippine Sea,” he added. The retired justice also narrated how the Duterte administration remained silent when the Chinese seized Sandy Cay, a sand bar located two nautical miles from Pag-asa Island in Palawan.
Don’t you see Parlade’s appointment is illegal? Drilon, Lacson tell Esperon | INQUIRER.NET – Two senators on Thursday urged the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Eclac) vice-chairman Hermogenes Esperon Jr. to review the 1987 Constitution when deciding whether or not controversial spokesman Antonio Parlade Jr. can continue working for a civilian organization. Parlade drew backlash for his controversial remarks deemed as red-tagging, with many demanding his resignation or removal as the government’s counter-insurgency spokesperson. Esperon, however, sought to wiggle out of that, saying Parlade would continue in his position throughout the review process of his designation based on Section 5 of Paragraph 4 of the Constitution. It states that “No member of the armed forces in the active service shall, at any time, be appointed or designated in any capacity to a civilian position in the Government, including government-owned or controlled corporations or any of their subsidiaries.” But Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senator Panfilo Lacson said a reading of the charter is clear, leaving no room for debate as far as Parlade’s role in a civilian organization is concerned. “Yes, Sec. Esperon should review, but insofar as Gen. Parlade is concerned, there are no options to consider,” Drilon said in a message shared to reporters when sought for a comment on the matter.
Ivermectin still not allowed for human use, particularly vs. COVID – Guevarra | Manila Bulletin – Ivermectin, the anti-parasitic drug for animals, is still disallowed for human use in the country, particularly against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said on Thursday, April 29. “It’s not registered, particularly as a drug against COVID-19, and going by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) law, on its face, it would appear that the distribution of Ivermectin as possible treatment for COVID-19, apparently, violates the FDA law,” he said. He stressed that under existing laws “the importation, sale, distribution or administration of unregistered drugs or vaccines are prohibited and accordingly punished.” “We know that Ivermectin is not registered for use by humans because, apparently ginagamit sya (it is being used) for animals known for parasitic diseases ,” he noted. The status on the use of Ivermectin and the provision of existing laws were pointed out by Guevarra in reaction to reports that Anakalusugan Party-List Rep. Mike T. Defensor and Sagip Party-List Rep.Rodante D. Marcoleta would start distributing Ivermectin to the public on Thursday, April 29, in Quezon City.
