PHILIPPINES ADDED TO HUMAN RIGHTS WATCHLIST DUE TO MEDIA CLAMPDOWN,

ANTI-TERROR BILL

MANILA — The Philippines was added to a watchlist of countries which have

seen worsening civic space conditions due to attacks on press freedom and

the controversial anti-terrorism bill.

CIVICUS Monitor, a global alliance of civil society organizations and

activists, said the Philippines is among the countries that have seen a

“rapid decline” in fundamental democratic freedoms in recent months.

It rated the state of civic freedoms in the Philippines as “obstructed”—when

civic space is heavily contested by those in power who impose legal and

practical constraints on the full enjoyment of fundamental rights.

“Attacks on press freedom and use of the pandemic to crackdown on dissent

[have] contributed to a narrowing civic space in the country,” CIVICUS

Monitor said.

The organization noted the forced shutdown of broadcasting giant ABS-CBN

Corp. in May and the cyberlibel conviction of Rappler CEO and executive

editor Maria Ressa and former researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr, which it said

has created a “chilling effect” among journalists.

It also cited the provision in the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which

penalizes spreading “false information” on social media and other platforms.

This led to arrests of several social media users.

CIVICUS Monitor also sounded alarm on the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of

2020, which is feared to infringe on peopleÂ’s basic rights and fundamental

freedoms.

“There are concerns that the law has been designed to target critics of the

government, not terrorists. Protests against the bill have been met with

police force,” it said.

Other countries on the current watchlist include Azerbaijan, Hungary, Niger

and the United States.

CEBU CITY IS PHILIPPINES' NEW COVID-19 EPICENTER: AÑO

MANILA - Visayas urban hub Cebu City is the new epicenter of COVID-19 in the

Philippines, the vice-chairperson of the national task force against the

pandemic said Monday.

The city tallied 131 new cases as of Sunday compared with Metro Manila's 356

new cases from 17 local government units, according to Interior and Local

Government Secretary Eduardo Año.

"Somehow weÂ’re able to contain in the whole country but of course in the

National Capital Region and Cebu we have to do more. Particularly Cebu, itÂ’s

the epicenter now compared to Metro Manila in area and population," he told

ANC.

"Yes, more likely because of the rate of infection in Cebu City. Just 1 city

if you compared with Metro Manila where we have 17 LGUs... WeÂ’re referring

to Cebu City. Cebu City is getting a lot of new cases and weÂ’re worried on

the number of deaths also," he added when asked if the city was the new

virus epicenter in the country.

Government officials will be going to the city to look for more sites for

isolation facilities as most of the infections in the community were due to

positive patients staying at home, Año said.

"We canÂ’t be sure if those patients are observing proper protocols of home

quarantine. So better to extract them out of the community to ensure safety

of the families and neighborhood," he said.

WHO: PHILIPPINES COVID-19 CASES RISING FASTEST IN REGION

MANILA — The Philippines has the fastest increase in coronavirus disease

2019 or COVID-19 cases in the Western Pacific, according to the World Health

Organization, prompting the Department of Health (DOH) to urge the WHO not

to “cherry pick” countries for comparison.

Data from the WHO showed that the Philippines recorded a total of 8,143 new

cases from June 16 to June 27 the highest among 22 countries in the region.

Singapore came in second with 2,351 new cases, followed by China with 302 in

the same period.

The DOH yesterday recorded 653 more confirmed positive cases of COVID-19,

bringing the countryÂ’s total to 35,455.

In its bulletin, eight more deaths and 258 new recoveries were recorded,

bringing the totals to 1,244 and 9,686, respectively.

The DOH clarified the increase in COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, saying

the comparison made with Singapore and other countries required a deeper

understanding of population ratio versus number of cases.

The agency explained that Singapore has a population of only 5.9 million and

a case load of 43,246, while the Philippines has 109 million people and

34,803 cases.

For every one million people, Singapore has a higher rate of 7,393 cases

compared to the PhilippinesÂ’ 318 cases, the DOH stressed.

While Singapore is able to manage its cases with a lower case fatality rate

of 0.06 percent or 26 deaths per one million population, the Philippines

registers a 3.6-percent CFR, or 1,236 per one million population, which is

low compared with the global CFR of 5.1 percent.

Singapore has 4.4 deaths per million while the Philippines has 11.34 deaths

per million.

“Our socioeconomic context, particularly living conditions, as well as

health system capacity, even prior to COVID, is different from Singapore.

Please take that into account when we do our analysis. Let us not cherry

pick the countries we want to compare ourselves to,” the DOH said.

Meanwhile, Global infections from the novel coronavirus passed 10 million

Sunday, an AFP tally showed, as California ordered bars in LA and some other

parts of the state to quell a surge in cases there.

The worldwide death toll from the disease that first emerged in China six

months ago is also nearing 500,000 as fears grow of a full-blown second

wave. The rate of contagion has doubled since May 21.

GOVERNMENT TARGETS 10 MILLION COVID-19 TESTS IN NEXT 8 TO 10 MONTHS

An official of the National Task Force against COVID-19 on Monday said the

government is now aiming to test 10 million Filipinos in the next eight to

ten months.

"[Now] that we have the labs, we have now 68 labs, we have the capacity, we

have the supplies, we should and we can now expand [testing] to other

segments of the population that are important, that need to be tested," NTF

Deputy Chief Implementer and testing czar Vince Dizon told CNN Philippines.

He added that the government would specifically be expanding testing into

two sectors: non-medical front liners and those working in critical economic

zones.

DOJ LIFTS 10-DAY LOCKDOWN

MANILA — The lockdown enforced for 10 days at the Department of Justice

central office in Manila to curb the transmission of the coronavirus disease

2019 or COVID-19 will be lifted today, DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra

announced yesterday.

Guevarra placed the DOJ building on lockdown after 72 employees initially

tested positive for the virus during antibody rapid testing last week.

Of the number, five DOJ personnel and a security guard were found positive

for COVID-19 after undergoing confirmatory swab tests.

Guevarra said he decided not to extend the lockdown to four more days based

on the recommendation of Justice Undersecretary Lean Sunga.

“During the lockdown period, we conducted daily disinfection of the entire

DOJ building and premises,” Sunga said.

The DOJ implemented skeletal and work-from-home arrangements to ensure the

agencyÂ’s continued operations during the shutdown.

RETURNING RESIDENTS NOT REQUIRED TO UNDERGO SWAB TESTS: DILG

MANILA - Residents returning to their home provinces do not yet need to

undergo swab testing for the coronavirus, the vice-chairperson of the

national task force against the COVID-19 pandemic said Monday.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año said the proposal for

locally stranded individuals to undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

tests at their home provinces is not yet approved.

"Nagkaroon lang siguro ng miscommunication. Hindi required 'yung PCR testing

sa kanila. Hindi pa naman na-approve 'yung bagong pino-propose nating

protocol na maga-undergo ng PCR testing ang mga LSI pero ito ay doon na sa

kanilang point of destination," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

Año issued the clarification following the announcement of Joint Task Force

COVID Shield Commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar in a separate Teleradyo

interview that travelers bound for other areas in Visayas and Mindanao on

board ships are required to present the results of their nasal swab test.

Government will shoulder the returning residents' PCR test and is preparing

to distribute more test kits, according to Año.

He added that government has yet to setup a molecular laboratory in some

regions such as Caraga.

VOLUNTEER BARRIO DOCTORS OPPOSE TRANSFER ORDER TO PRIVATE HOSPITALS IN CEBU

CITY

MANILA - Doctors who volunteered to serve in rural areas in the Western and

Central Visayas regions are opposing an order to pull them out of their

assigned municipalities and transfer them to private hospitals in Cebu City,

which is undergoing one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the country.

In a joint position paper released Sunday, Doctor to the Barrios (DTTB)

Batches 36 (ALAB) and 37 (MANDALA) criticized what they call an "abrupt

exploitative order" to transfer doctors.

According to the group, the doctors involved were not suitably informed of

the said transfer. There was also no proper consultation with the

stakeholders, and no detailed guidelines to protect the doctors were not

provided.

The group also argued that the transfer of barrio doctors is against the

thrust of the DTTB program.

"The absence of proper communication, justifying the temporary reassignment

of rural health physicians serving in Geographically Isolated and

Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) to serve in private hospitals in Cebu City is a

clear violation of the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers. This

reassignment shall be made, ultimately, in the interest of public service,"

the group said.

They likewise said the local government units served by the doctors involved

should have been informed and consulted prior to the directive.

'SOMETHING VERY WRONG': SOTTO CONCERNED OVER SPIKE IN COVID-19 CASES

MANILA - Senators on Sunday expressed concern over the recent surge in the

number of COVID-19 cases, with several lawmakers saying the government needs

to do more to contain the spread of the virus.

This was after data from the World Health Organization showed that in nearly

two weeks, the Philippines had the fastest rise in COVID-19 cases in the

Western Pacific region.

WHO data showed that while the Philippines ranked third behind China and

Singapore in terms of number of cases, the Philippines, however, also added

almost 10,000 new cases in just 2 weeks from June 14 to June 28. This was in

contrast to Singapore, which added less than 3,000 new cases during the

period.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the Inter-Agency Task Force on

Emerging Infectious Diseases needed to “address the health protocols and

programs being done by the DOH (Department of Health).”

“Something is very wrong! I think it's the delay in actions and responses.

That includes contact tracing and aggressive research on medications,” Sotto

said in a statement.

Sen. Joel Villanueva said in the past weeks the government lost focus on its

primary goal of containing the virus.

“We reopened the economy drastically, even for the non-essential sectors

like POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations). We did not prohibit malls

from extending their operating hours. We terminated social assistance, sent

people back to work even without sufficient modes of public transportation,”

Villanueva said.

Senator Francis Pangilinan meanwhile said WHO data showed that the

Philippines had “the worst pandemic response.”

Senator Bong Go meanwhile said the government needs to do better with its

COVID-19 strategy.

AT LEAST 14 FILIPINOS MISSING IN BOAT COLLISION WITH HONG KONG VESSEL:

OFFICIAL

MANILA — At least 14 Filipinos were missing early Monday after a collision

between their fishing boat and a Hong Kong cargo flag vessel, authorities

said Monday.

The collision between the fishing boat Liberty 5 and the cargo vessel MV

Vienna Wood of the semi-autonomous Chinese territory happened Sunday about

15 miles from Paluan town, said Occidental Mindoro Governor Eduardo Gadiano.

A strong current interrupted the search on Sunday evening, said Paluan

disaster officer Albert Dimaano.

The Philippine Coast Guard said it was preparing an islander plane to help

search for the missing 11 fishermen, 2 passengers and the captain of the

fishing vessel.

The coast guard's BRP Boracay was deployed Sunday for the rescue, said PCG

spokesman commodore Armando Balilo.

Nearby towns were notified of the incident in case the 12 missing Filipino

fishermen wash up on their shores, said Gadiano.

The Filipino Liberty 5 was on its way to the Navotas fish port, while the MV

Vienna Wood was bound for Australia from Subic, Zambales when the collision

occured.

THE REST

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REPATRIATION OF STRANDED PEOPLE SUSPENDED

MANILA — The government has heeded a call by local government units (LGUs)

to suspend the return of stranded individuals to the provinces due to the

surge of coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 cases in the Visayas.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said over the weekend that he approved

the suspension of returning stranded individuals to some provinces in

Western Visayas.

The repatriation of stranded people to Negros Occidental and Iloilo is

suspended for two weeks starting yesterday, Lorenzana said.

“We have to do this because the LSIs could be the carriers of the virus to

the provinces. Data from the cities of Bacolod showed this,” Lorenzana said,

referring to locally stranded individuals who are currently in Manila and

seeking to go home to their provinces.

Lorenzana said the government needs to iron out the procedure in

repatriating stranded people as well as overseas Filipino workers, who also

want to return to their hometowns.

DILG TO FILE CASES VS ORGANIZERS, LOCAL OFFICIALS INVOLVED IN CEBU CITY

PROCESSION

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Monday that they intend to file

complaints against organizers and officials involved in the religious

activity held in a Cebu City barangay last weekend.

Cebu City was reverted back to enhanced community quarantine after health

officials recorded a spike in COVID-19 infections in the locality. But over

the weekend, there were reports that a sitio in barangay Basak, San Nicolas

held a fiesta.

The FREEMAN reported that a religious procession, which ended with a Sinulog

dance, took place in Sitio Alumnos, Barangay Basak, San Nicolas in Cebu City

on the evening of June 27.

SARA ON TUOB: FOLLOW DOCTORSÂ’ ORDERS

DAVAO CITY — Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has called on Davao residents to

follow doctorsÂ’ advice in the effort to prevent and treat the coronavirus

disease 2019 or COVID-19.

President DuterteÂ’s daughter over the weekend pushed for people to follow

what the doctors ordered amid encouragement of some local government units

to use steam therapy or tuob to cope with the pandemic.

Carpio explained that the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department

of Health (DOH) know best to handle the situation even with the absence of a

vaccine against the disease.

She cited the need to strike a balance between the scientific method in

dealing with COVID-19 and personal beliefs on the use of traditional

medicine.

“The city government follows the doctors’ advice. When the patient is

admitted in the hospital, the doctor writes on the chart putting in there

the medication and dosage, plus vitamins and exercise,” Carpio said.

6 DOKTOR SA ILOILO CITY POSITIBO SA COVID-19, OSPITAL ISINAILALIM SA

LOCKDOWN

ILOILO CITY – Ipinatupad ang lockdown sa St. Paul’s Hospital sa Iloilo City

matapos magpositibo sa COVID-19 ang 6 na doktor dito.

Isinailalim na sa strict quarantine ang lahat ng personnel ng ospital at

agad nagsagawa ng contact tracing, ayon kay Mayor Jerry Treñas. Isasailalim

din sa COVID-19 test ang lahat ng nagtatrabaho rito.

"We need to have a close coordination with them because all of them are at

risk. Protecting them is one of our major obligations because we can't

afford to lose our frontline armies in this battle," aniya sa isang Facebook

post.

Simula Linggo ng gabi, sarado na ang operating room, emergency room at

outpatient department ng ospital, ayon kay Roy Villa ng Regional

Inter-Agency Task Force for COVID-19.

HPG ISSUES VIOLATION TICKETS TO 400 MOTORISTS

MANILA — Around 400 motorists have been issued citation tickets for

violating traffic and quarantine rules along major roads in Metro Manila,

the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday.

The violators were accosted since the general community quarantine or GCQ

was imposed in the National Capital Region on June 1, according to Highway

Patrol Group NCR director Col. Wilson Doromal.

Doromal said most of the traffic infractions committed by the motorists

involved the use of wrong lanes.

He urged the motorists to use the designated lanes for their vehicles.

Traffic enforcers observed that a majority of private vehicle drivers and

motorcycle riders encroached on bus and bicycle lanes along EDSA, Doromal

said.

“Maybe they think these lanes remain empty due to limited public

transportation,” he said.

The HPG also apprehended bus drivers and conductors for violating social

distancing measures while in transit.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

PILOT EPISODE OF BL SERIES 'HELLO STRANGER' GETS OVER 1M VIEWS

MANILA – The pilot episode of Black Sheep’s first boys' love (BL) series

"Hello, Stranger" is off to a good start.

Aside from topping the Philippine trends on Twitter when it aired on

Wednesday, the opening salvo of the series continues to gain traction online

by recording a strong viewership.

As of writing, the series starring Tony Labrusca and JC Alcantara already

has more than 1 million total views on YouTube, Facebook and iWant.

In the lockdown-set first episode, Mico (Alcantara), the top student of his

class, is assigned to partner with a varsity basketball player Xavier

(Labrusca) for a class project.

At first mischievous and apparently carefree, Xavier admits to Mico he has

been struggling with his subjects, risking his slot in the varsity team.

Mico promises to help him, while Xavier promises to cooperate and be a

diligent partner.

Their frequent video calls for their task lead them to get know each other.

Mico learns that Xavier has a girlfriend, and lives alone because his family

is in the US. Xavier, meanwhile, is amused with Mico's formal demeanor — and

choice of outfits — and gets glimpses of his being a responsible son,

juggling chores with his studies.

"Hello, Stranger," written by Patrick Valencia and directed by Petersen

Vargas, comes amid a wave of BL productions in the Philippines, following

the massive success of the Thai series "2gether" early this year. For the

creative team, this signaled that the Filipino audience is now ready for gay

love stories with mainstream treatment: that is, through romcom lens, and

more importantly, normalized.

A new episode of "Hello, Stranger" will be released every Wednesday via the

Facebook page and YouTube channel of Black Sheep.

The cast also includes Gillian Vicencio, Vivoree Esclito, Patrick Quiroz,

and Migs Almendras.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Everyone wants answers until they get one they don't like. - Unknown