News Roundup 29 May 2020
May 29, 2020 • 3 min Read
Drilon suggests repeal of penal provisions of Bayanihan Act | PHILSTAR.COM – Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said he wants to repeal the provision of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act that punishes violations of the said law. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said he wants to repeal the provision of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act that punishes violations of the said law. Drilon said that provisions of the law have been cited to “justify illegal arrests.” Among the cases he cited are the arrest of Cebu-based artist Ma. Victoria Beltran and the fatal shooting for former soldier Winston Ragos. “That is why my proposal is to delete the enter section 6 of the Act,” he added. The senator also pointed out that those arrested as quarantine violators were driven by their hunger and lack of jobs. “The quarantine violators are motivated and driven by reason of hunger, income, not because they are criminals,” Drilon added.
Pharma chiefs see coronavirus vaccine by year-end, but challenges ‘daunting’ INQUIRER.NET – Pharmaceutical company executives said Thursday that one or several COVID-19 vaccines could begin rolling out before 2021, but warned the challenges would be “daunting” as it was estimated that 15 billion doses would be needed to halt the pandemic. Well over 100 labs around the world are scrambling to come up with a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, including 10 that have made it to the clinical trial stage. It can take years for a new vaccine to be licensed for general use, but in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, experimental vaccines shown to be safe and effective against the novel coronavirus could likely win approval for emergency use. The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), which organized Thursday’s briefing, highlighted the “daunting” challenges facing the industry in the push for a vaccine.
Duterte approves GCQ for Metro Manila starting June 1 | Manila Bulletin – President Duterte has announced that Metro Manila, along with other areas, will shift to the general community quarantine (GCQ) starting June 1 as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). “You know, the NCR (National Capital Region) will now be placed under the general community quarantine or the GCQ starting June 1. Davao City will remain GCQ,” he said in a public address Thursday evening. President Duterte likewise announced the other regions that will be placed under the GCQ starting next week: Region II; Region III; Region IV-A; Pangasinan; and Albay. Meanwhile, President Duterte said the rest of the country will be placed under the modified GCQ (MGCQ) starting June 1.
DepEd to implement remote enrollment for AY 2020-2021 | Malaya Business Insight – Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Thursday said next month’s enrollment for academic year 2020-2021 will be done remotely so teachers, parents and students do not have to flock to schools. “There will be no face-to-face will happen during the enrollment dates in order to observe the physical distancing”, as she emphasized during the virtual press conference Briones said teachers will reach out to parents through text, call, online and other means of communication. She said parents will likewise be asked to answer a survey, the results of which will be used by the Department of Education (DepEd) to plan and develop the educational system, including new learning modalities, as the country faces a “new normal.” The DepEd released on Thursday Department Order 008, series of 2020, which contains the guidelines for enrollment for SY 2020-2021in the context of the public health emergency prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
