News Roundup 30 January 2022
Jan 30, 2022 • 4 min Read
Robredo: Probe allegations that a senator is behind delay in Marcos DQ case | INQUIRER.NET – The allegations that a certain senator is trying to delay the release of the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) resolution on the disqualification cases against Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should be investigated, said Vice President and presidential hopeful Leni Robredo on Sunday. “Seryoso kasi ‘yung allegations. Seryoso ‘yung allegations lalo pa kasi mag-eeleksyon, and alam natin na ‘yung integrity ng eleksyon, nakasalalay siya, to a very large extent, sa integrity ng Comelec as an institution,” said Robredo after being asked by reporters on what she felt about the claims during a Swab Cab initiative in Lingayen. (The allegations are serious. The allegations are serious especially that it is election season, and we know that integrity of the election is riding on, to a very large extent, the integrity of the Comelec as an institution.) “So, sa’kin, kailangan na imbestigahan ano ba ‘yung nangyayaring pag-impluwensya sa pagdedesisyon kasi hindi lang naman dito apektado ‘yung mga parties to the case, pero lahat na mga Pilipino na boboto sa eleksyon,” she added. (So, for me, it is necessary to investigate what is influencing the decision-making because it is not only the parties to the case that are affected, but also all Filipinos voting in the election.) Robredo then reiterated that the integrity of the Comelec should not be trampled on as it carries the voice of the people in the elections. “And if hindi buo ‘yung confidence ng tao, apektado tayo lahat,” said Robredo. (And if the confidence of the people is not solid, we are all affected.) This came after Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon on Friday alleged that an “influential and powerful senator” was behind the delay in the release of the resolution on the consolidated disqualification cases filed against presidential aspirant Marcos Jr.
Guanzon: Senator behind delay in Marcos DQ case | INQUIRER.NET – Election Commissioner Rowena Guanzon on Friday said she suspected that an “influential and powerful senator” was behind the delay in the release of the resolution on the consolidated disqualification cases filed against presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Guanzon, 65, who is retiring on Feb. 2 after serving seven years as a member of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), declined to identify the senator but told the Inquirer it wasn’t Marcos Jr.’s sister, Sen. Imee Marcos. “The plan is to delay the resolution of this case until after I retire so that my vote will not be counted. This is a conspiracy to defeat my vote,” she said in an interview. “This is unfair to me and unjust to the Filipino people. The voters have to know if their candidate is qualified or not,” Guanzon said.
DOTr to lift ‘no vaccination, no ride’ policy under Alert Level 2 | PHILSTAR.COM – With Metro Manila reverting back to Alert Level 2 starting February 1, the Department of Transportation said it would also be lifting its controversial and highly-contested “no vaccination, no ride” policy in public transportation starting that same day. “Once we de-escalate to Alert Level 2, the no vaxx, no ride policy shall automatically be lifted,” Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Libiran said in a Viber message to reporters on Sunday afternoon. To recall, the DOTr announced the policy in early January “to prevent a repeat of the public transport shut down [and] safeguard those that are most at risk.” Groups were quick to question the wisdom, legal basis, and constitutionality of the approach, pointing out that only 67.8 percent of Metro Manila residents are fully vaccinated, while 88% or almost nine out of ten households in Metro Manila do not own private vehicles and have to rely on public transportation. The National Capital Region Police Office eventually acknowledged the difficulty in vetting passengers’ vaccination cards one by one and proposed a “uniform medical certificate” instead of vaccination cards issued by local government units.
VP Leni to submit memo to Comelec regarding request on pandemic response | Manila Bulletin – Presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo is hopeful that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will recognize the importance of her COVID-19 response initiatives and grant them exemptions from the ban on publicly-funded programs during the campaign season. In a media interview, Robredo said that they are expected to submit a memorandum to the poll body after the hearing she personally attended last Friday, Jan. 28. “Ano naman, pinakita natin na marami kasi ‘yung hindi natin maseserbisyuhan pag hindi nagpatuloy ‘yung mga (We showed them that a lot will not be given services if we will stop the) services, pero nag-pledge tayo na pag binigay ‘yung (but we pledged that if we will be given) exemption ay (is) definitely hindi na ako makakapunta like kung anong ginagawa ko ngayon (I cannot go anymore like what I’m doing now),” she told reporters in Lingayen, Pangasinan. The aspiring president or any members of her family will not likewise attend the activities.
