DUTERTE: MAYORS HAVE TO DO MORE IN PH PANDEMIC FIGHT; COPS TO BE STRICTER IN

IMPLEMENTING COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS

"We'll have to ask our police to be more strict," he told Interior Secretary

Eduardo Año.

He added that he hates to arrest people for a "mere violation," but sees

such a move as necessary to ensure cooperation.

The chief executive also called out local governments, saying that "mayors

have to do more."

"There are mayors who refuse to abide by the rules. You want COVID to slow

down or stop, wear a mask or do not go out if you do not want to wear one.

[Thats all, along with] social distancing. There is no other way that you

can prevent COVID from transferring from one person to another."

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año told the president that he met with local

officials along with Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier Monday to

talk about how to impose quarantine protocols more uniformly.

Just last week, doctor Tony Leachon, former adviser to the COVID-19 task

force against COVID-19, revealed that he personally suggested to the

president that the government provide face masks to poor Filipinos who may

not be able to afford them.

"We think the poor don't behave but if they can't even buy food, what more

masks? They want to wear masks, we have to provide access. We should

shoulder the cost of the masks, particularly for the urban poor, because the

middle class and upper class can afford it," Leachon told CNN Philippines in

a mix of English and Filipino.

"Masks, this is what's really important. If you don't have any, I will try

to buy as many as I can afford. We will give it to you, but wear it,"

Duterte told the public in a mix of English and Filipino.

However, he offered no further details on the initiative even as arrests of

quarantine violators which have been flagged by lawmakers as "overzealous"

and "disproportionate" are ongoing.

As of Monday, the Philippines had 68,898 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which

43,991 were active.

DUTERTE APPROVES LIMITED FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES IN AREAS WITH LOW-RISK OF

COVID-19 SPREAD

MANILA-- President Rodrigo Duterte has approved a proposal to hold limited

face-to-face classes in modified general community quarantine areas

classified as having low-risk of coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

transmission.

Duterte gave the green light during a meeting with the government's pandemic

task force on Monday night after Education Secretary Leonor Briones

presented the proposal.

"I'm with you on this one...Okay ako," the President told Briones during the

meeting.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque also confirmed the chief executive's

approval of the proposal.

From August this year until January 2021, Briones said the Department of

Education would assess schools to see if these have enough facilities to

cater to limited classes with the observance of minimum health standards.

"The next is, we were thinking that up to January 2021, during the third

quarter, we can start allowing between August and at present, we will be

assessing the schools," she said.

The education chief stressed that face-to-face classes would only be allowed

in select areas for around 1 or 2 days a week.

Areas that will be allowed to hold limited physical classes should also be

scrutinized by the government's inter-agency task force (IATF) on pandemic

response, she added.

"We are saying that maybe we can allow limited face-to-face learning but to

be strictly regulated in light of present conditions," Briones told the

President.

She cited as examples areas that have requested for limited face-to-face

classes such as Siquijor, Dinagat Islands, and Siargao.

LAWMAKERS FLOAT MORE SANCTIONS VS ABS-CBN: P1.97-T FINE, SEIZURE OF

HEADQUARTERS

MANILA — Although ABS-CBN's employees and supporters have promised the fight

for the embattled network is not over, its troubles also seem far from over,

based on an online discussion by its accusers at the House of

Representatives.

In an online forum which has since gone viral, Deputy Speaker Rodante

Marcoleta (Sagip party-list), Deputy Majority Leader Jesus Remulla (Cavite)

and Rep. Michael Defensor (Anakalusugan party-list) proposed imposing a

P1.97-trillion fine on the network and seizing ABS-CBN's headquarters in

Quezon City.

Although government agencies invited to a series of hearings on the

network's pending franchise addressed allegations hurled against ABS-CBN,

the House Committee on Legislative Franchises voted to deny the application

for a new franchise as if the allegations had been proven true.

Still based on the unproven allegations, Marcoleta said he came up with the

P1.97-trillion figure based on a daily P200 fine, for alleged violations of

the terms of the network's lapsed franchise, compounded over a period of

more than five years.

He also claimed that ABS-CBN's headquarters situated along Mother Ignacia

Street in Quezon City does not rightfully belong to the Lopez family because

they only presented titles for a 42-sq.m. lot and not the entire 44,000

-sq.m. complex complex housing the network.

The network at the time explained that it could not present the original

title because it was up for reconstitution but Marcoleta alleged that the

network would not present the title because it was forged.

These new threats from administration allies come as the Palace has publicly

backed a proposal in the House to use ABS-CBN's frequencies for distance

learning.

Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte (Camarines Sur), who filed a House resolution

suggesting the same, also called on the Lopez family to sell the network "if

they really love their 11,000 employees."

This call was an echo of one made by Presdent Rodrigo Duterte, who in 2019

warned the Lopez family that it should just sell the network, vowing to give

them an episode they wouldn't forget.

The president previously issued emphatic threats to shut down ABS-CBN for

its alleged biased coverage and for failing to air all his election campaign

ads in 2016.

PALACE ADMITS SLOW DISTRIBUTION OF AID

MANILA — Malacañang yesterday admitted that the distribution of the second

tranche of aid for sectors affected by the coronavirus pandemic has been

slow, but officials remain hopeful that it would be completed by the end of

the month.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said only P20.1 billion out of the P100

billion allocated for the second tranche of the Social Amelioration Program

(SAP) has been distributed.

The financial assistance has so far benefited 3.3 million households out of

18 million intended beneficiaries.

“It’s really slow. Even the Palace finds the process of the second tranche

slow,” Roque said in Filipino at a press briefing.

Roque, however, admitted recently that duplicates in the names of

beneficiaries are delaying the distribution.

SENATE EYES PROBE ON BILIBID DEATHS

Jaybee, 8 other drug dealers died of COVID – BuCor chief

MANILA — The Senate wants to determine if high-value convicts linked to drug

trafficking from behind bars are more susceptible to the coronavirus disease

2019 (COVID-19) following the deaths of several inmates at the New Bilibid

Prison (NBP).

Senate President Vicente Sotto III pushed for the investigation as he filed

a resolution yesterday seeking an inquiry into the deaths of 21 inmates due

to the coronavirus plus 24 others suspected to be COVID cases amid rumors of

body-switching and failure of NBP officials to follow protocols in cremating

bodies.

“Due to unclear, inaccurate and unverified reports, speculations are now

being made as to whether or not these NBP inmates actually died due to

COVID-19,” Sotto said in his Resolution 468.

He cited reports that no autopsies were conducted on the bodies, and these

were cremated without being removed from body bags.

Sotto also cited a report from a police official who theorized that the

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) could have simply declared the death of a

high-value inmate and had the body of another inmate cremated.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday confirmed that high-value convict

Jaybee Niño Sebastian, who testified against Sen. Leila de Lima in her

alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade in the NBP, had died of

COVID-19.

DOJ Undersecretary Markk Perete said that during a two-hour meeting of

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra with BuCor director general Gerald

Bantag, it was disclosed that the 40-year-old Sebastian died of the severe

respiratory disease on July 17.

“As to Jaybee Sebastian, yes, BuCor has confirmed that he was cremated,”

Perete said.

However, as to the eight other rumored high-profile inmates or persons

deprived of liberty (PDLs), who reportedly also died of the virus, Perete

did not reveal their identities since the agency is still waiting for

documents to confirm their deaths.

DEATH OF WITNESS INSIDE BILIBID WILL NOT AFFECT DE LIMA CASE: LAWYER

MANILA - The death of high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian, one of the

accusers of detained Sen. Leila de Lima, will not affect her drug-related

cases, the senator's counsel said Tuesday.

The Department of Justice earlier confirmed Sebastian's death as it ordered

an investigation into the sudden demise of high-profile inmates at the

national penitentiary.

Sebastian was a witness in 2 criminal cases filed against De Lima and an

accused in a third complaint, according to one of her lawyers Boni Tacardon.

Sebastian had claimed he collected money from drug lords in the New Bilibid

Prison to fund De Lima's supposed senatorial run in 2013, Tacardon said.

"We believe that Mr. Sebastian will not in anyway bolster the prosecution's

evidence against Sen. De Lima. We believe that all the evidence against the

good senator are weak from the very beginning simply because they are mere

fabricated stories devoid of any factual basis," he told ANC.

"Whether the fabricator is dead or alive doesnÂ’t change the fact that the

stories are all lies and that the case against me are all fake," Tacardon

read from the senator's official statement.

He added that De Lima's legal team has been "exposing the fabricated nature

of the testimonies" presented by prosecutors for the past 3 years.

"Any follower of the hearings can easily observe how incredible their

stories are and how they actually contradicted each other. There was even 1

witness who intimated to the senator herself in open court that he will be

killed if he did not testify," he said.

"With this as background, if and when Jaybee Sebastian takes the witness

stand, we will be just doing the same thing, we will be exposing how

fabricated his testimony would be and how it would contradict other

statements given by the witnesses of the prosecution."

The senator last month filed a petition for bail in one of her cases due to

"hearsay" evidence.

De Lima has rejected allegations against her, claiming she had been locked

up to stop her from criticizing the administration's war on drugs that has

seen thousands of suspected criminals killed.

DOH: COVID-19 CASE CLUSTERING IN 600 AREAS

MANILA — More than 600 areas in the country have a clustering of cases of

the coronavirus disease 2019, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

In a press briefing, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said a total

of 638 areas were observed by the agencyÂ’s Epidemiology Bureau to have

clustering of COVID-19 patients, which means that these places have more

than two cases of the illness.

“From July 15 to 17, 79 additional cases of clustering were reported by our

epidemiology team. There was a total of 513 community clustering,” she

noted.

Clustering was also recorded in 49 hospitals and 24 detention facilities.

The National Capital Region topped the list with 170 clustering cases,

followed by Central Visayas with 122; Calabarzon with 55; Eastern Visayas

with 36; Central Luzon with 25; and the Davao and Western Visayas regions

with 20 each.

PHILIPPINES EYES 10 MILLION CORONAVIRUS TESTS, CAN'T TEST ALL FILIPINOS:

HEALTH SECRETARY

MANILA — The Philippines might screen a bigger percentage of its population

for the novel coronavirus than the US can, Health Secretary Francisco Duque

said in an inter-agency task for meeting aired Tuesday.

Authorities have run some 1.120 million tests as of July 20. The health

department eyes testing 10 million people or about a tenth of the country's

100 million by 2021, said Duque.

"Hindi naman po natin puwede i-test ang bawat mamamayan. Walang bansa po ang

nakakagawa nito, kahit po ang pinakayaman tulad ng United States of

America," he said in the task force's Monday meeting with President Rodrigo

Duterte.

The US, which has the highest COVID-19 case count and death toll worldwide,

has tested some 40 million people or "close to 9 percent of the total

population", said Duque.

"Malalagpasan po natin iyon. Magiging mga 10 percent po tayo of the total

population of the Philippines at 109 million. We might be able to reach 10

million Filipinos by 2021," he said.

The local screening system has a capacity of 74,000 daily tests and is

yielding an actual output of 20,000 to 23,000 tests every day. Authorities

eye increasing this to 32,000 to 40,000 tests a day, said Duque.

THE REST

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FDA: VALVED MASKS WON'T STOP COVID-19 SPREAD IN ENCLOSED SPACES

MANILA - The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday advised the public

against using face masks with valves in enclosed spaces as it does not

prevent the spread of COVID-19.

FDA director-general Eric Domingo said the mask may be used in open areas or

places where people are 1 to 2 meters part.

Some hospitals have also prohibited its use as it leaves patients more

vulnerable to the virus, he added.

"Karamihan po kasi sa masks na may valve, hindi po registered iyan as a

medical device. Designed po sila for industrial use, sa mga construction

workers, karpintero. Ang talaga kini-keep out niya 'yung abo o particles.

Hindi siya designed for infection control," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

"Ang virus at bacteria (na papasok) nasasala niya, ang palabas po hindi."

The use of surgical and cloth face masks is advised to prevent the virus'

spread, Domingo said.

SUNDALO SUGATAN SA SAGUPAAN KONTRA NPA SA PALAWAN

Sugatan ang isang sundalo sa engkuwentro ng Marines at New People's Army sa

bayan ng Brooke's Point, Palawan nitong Lunes.

Ayon sa Western Command, nagsasagawa umano ng community support program ang

tropa ng Marines sa lugar nang magsumbong ang mga residente na may armadong

grupo na nananakot at nangingikil sa mga sibilyan.

Pinuntahan ito ng mga sundalo at pagdating sa lugar ay nakasagupaan nila ang

communist terrorist group sa loob ng 10 hanggang 15 minuto, ayon kay Col.

Stephen Penetrante, tagapagsalita ng Wescom.

"Yung nakita po ng ating mga tropa, 'yung area of withdrawal ng mga CTGs ito

marami pong mga bloodstains, mayroon po tayong isang wounded, nadaplisan

lamang po," aniya.

Patuloy ang pagtugis sa mga rebelde.

MINDANAO ANTI-POLIO VACCINE DRIVE STARTS

MANILA — As the country strives to contain the spread of coronavirus disease

2019 or COVID-19, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday started the mass

anti-polio vaccination campaign for children in Mindanao.

This developed as the countryÂ’s vaccination rate for polio dropped to a

record low of seven percent during the first quarter of the year, the DOH

said.

The campaign, titled Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio, is being implemented with

the help of the World Health Organization and United Nations ChildrenÂ’s

Fund.

“Polio is a vaccine-preventable disease and we cannot let our gains over the

years go to waste by deprioritizing our polio response,” Health Secretary

Francisco Duque III said.

The program covers children below five years old.

In select areas of Mindanao, children below 10 years will also be given

anti-polio drops.

Meanwhile, children below five years old in Central Luzon will be vaccinated

in a phased approached, according to the DOH. The program started yesterday.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

CATRIONA GRAY TO FILE CASE IN NBI VS UPLOADER OF FAKE NUDE PHOTO

MANILA — Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray is set to appear before the

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to file a complaint against the

uploader of the fabricated topless photo of her that circulated in different

social media sites.

According to The STAR, the Filipino-Australian beauty queen will meet with

NBI deputy director Vicente De Guzman for the possible filing of charges

against the person who maliciously uploaded the photo.

Boyfriend Sam Milby is said to accompany Catriona in filing the complaint.

"Me and my team are taking the actions that we need to do to address the

issue on that," Catriona told the press earlier today following her launch

as the new ambassador of "One Town, One Product," the Department of Trade

and Industry's program, which, according to the singer, "is a great way to

promote the beauty of our fabric, support local communities and their

livelihood and the best way to celebrate our handcrafts, arts and culture

through weaving."

CatrionaÂ’s legal counsel Joji Alonso recently announced that the hunt is on

for the people behind the fabricated topless photo of the beauty queen.

SPORTS

PBA RETURN: SO NEAR YET SO FAR

MANILA — The PBA is likely to push back its target date of resumption

pending official clearance from the government.

The pro league has initially eyed the practices to restart tomorrow. But

commissioner Willie Marcial said they would need to wait for the

implementing guidelines from the IATF first.

“Hopefully we get it this week,” Marcial told The STAR yesterday.

“Otherwise, we will make adjustments on our schedule.”

Although the approval for the resumption of practices has been announced,

authorities said the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) of the Games and

Amusements Board (GAB), Department of Health (DPH) and Philippine Sports

Commission (PSC) remains to be signed and officially issued.

Marcial said he made an inquiry and was told by GAB chairman Baham Mitra the

JAO is expected to come out this week.

The JAO will “govern the conduct of professional and non-professional sports

physical conditioning” while the country is under community quarantine.

Marcial said the pro league is also deferring the mandated PCR-swab testing

for the 12 teams until after the IATF document is formally received.

“There may be a little delay but we’re positive we’ll have our training

return soon,” he said.

The PBA hopes the incident involving Blackwater recently wonÂ’t have an

adverse effect on training resumption.

Marcial fined the squad P100,000 for a premature workout and ordered swab

testing and seven-day quarantine for its personnel.

Mitra met with Blackwater team owner Dioceldo Sy yesterday and has accepted

the latterÂ’s apology.

“It was a cordial meeting,” said Sy.

INDICATORS

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you

didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away

from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.

Discover. – Mark Twain