News Roundup 30 July 2021
Jul 30, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines coronavirus cases hit two-month high | PHILSTAR.COM – Coronavirus cases in the Philippines hit a two-month high with the Department of Health reporting on Friday 8,562 new coronavirus infections, pushing the national total to 1,580,824.
- Active cases: 61,920 or 3.9% of the total
- Recoveries: 2,854, pushing total to 1,491,182
- Fatalities: 145, bringing death toll to 27,722
Chinese weightlifting team upset with Hidilyn Diaz’s Chinese coach for not tipping them off | PHILSTAR.COM – China’s team in the weightlifting competition in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was upset with the Chinese coach of weightlifting champ Hidilyn Diaz for not tipping them off about the eventual gold medalist, she said Thursday. Speaking in an interview aired over ANC, the Zamboanga-born Olympic medalist said that the Chinese side did not expect her to lift as heavily as she did during the competition. Diaz dominated the women’s 55kg weightlifting competition in Tokyo to beat China’s Liao Qiuyun and become the first Filipino athlete to bring an Olympic gold medal home. “The China team was a little angry with [my coach] because he didn’t share where my strength was,” she said in Filipino. “Of course Coach didn’t share that with China…I thought ‘why would he share?’ He’s here to work for me and make me stronger. There are mixed feelings, with the political, international issue [with] our sea. While there’s no war, I was able to represent the Philippines and beat China.” She was referring to the still-brewing tensions over Philippine-owned territories in the West Philippine Sea, where Chinese vessels remain moored to this day despite the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruling in the Philippines’ favor on the issue. Asked what ran through her mind as she hoisted her medal with the Philippine national anthem playing, Diaz said: “I thought, ‘it’s possible after all.’ At one point I didn’t think it was. But finally, I did it. I said, we Filipinos can do it after all.” But weightlifting coach Gao Kaiwen, though proud of his prized ward, could not be as proud after watching China fall to the Philippines. In an interview aired over state-run Chinese outlet Xinhua News was careful to praise Diaz but expressed mixed feelings over the loss of his compatriot.
Robredo’s COVID-19 antigen test negative but still under 7-day quarantine after Naga visit | INQUIRER.NET – Despite her COVID-19 antigen test coming out as negative, Vice President Leni Robredo still went through a seven-day home quarantine after her official trip to Camarines Sur recently. According to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) spokesperson Barry Gutierrez, Robredo also got an RT-PCR COVID-19 test — considered the gold standard of COVID-19 testing — but the results have yet to return. “Dahil nagpunta si VP Leni sa Naga noong weekend, siya ay nag-undergo din ng test, ng antigen test so negative naman. Right now nag-undertake siya ng RT-PCR test at hinihintay namin ang resulta pero so far wala,” Gutierrez told One News PH’s Sa Totoo Lang on Thursday, transcripts of which were sent out by OVP. (Because VP Leni went to Naga during the weekend, she also underwent a test, an antigen test which came out negative. Right now she also took an RT-PCR test and we’re waiting for the result but so far there’s none yet.) “Kailangan niyang mag seven-day quarantine. So ngayon naka-quarantine siya and so far iyong resulta naman ng antigen test ay negative,” he added. (She needs to do a seven-day quarantine. So now, she is under quarantine, so the result of that antigen test was negative.)
US acted with ‘good faith’ in addressing PH concerns over VFA, says Locsin | Manila Bulletin – On instructions of President Duterte, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Friday handed over the diplomatic note recalling the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) to United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III after the US have addressed “with good faith” issues arising from the security relationship between the two countries. In a statement, Locsin said the United States has shown its commitment to fulfill its obligations to the Philippines under the alliance. Austin was in the country for a two-day visit as part of this three-nation Southeast Asian swing. “They have addressed issues arising from our security relationship with good faith. Together, we have moved forward on the basis of common interest, shared values and mutual respect,” the DFA chief said. Locsin further said that the alliance has stayed strong and “overcome challenges” since VFA abrogation was served to the US government via the US Embassy in Manila in February 2020. “It is vital to maintaining stability in the Asia-Pacific region. All the protagonists in the region, without a single exception, see a strong US presence as imperative to peace and stability in Southeast Asia. They are the precondition for mutually beneficial cooperation rather than destructive conflict among themselves,” he said.
