7 May 27-June 2, 2021
NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS
SC Associate Justice delos Santos retires early
ASSOCIATE JUSTICE Edgardo Delos Santos
MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) has approved the optional retirement of Associate Justice Edgardo Delos Santos effective by the end of June, or one year ahead of schedule. In a notice, Clerk of Court Marife Lomibao-Cuevas said the SC en banc on May 12 “approved Delos Santos’ request for optional retirement effective June 30, 2021 for reasons pertaining to his current state of health”. The Leyte-born Delos Santos, who turns 69 on June 12, was appointed to the SC in December 2019 following the re-
tirement of Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. He was the Court of Appeals (CA) executive justice of the Visayas station at that time. Before his appointment to the SC, he had been with the CA since 2008. He started in the judiciary as a Court Legal Researcher while completing his studies at the University of San Carlos College of Law. He was also a municipal trial court judge, appointed in 1983, before becoming a regional trial court judge in 1993.
CHED adopts flexible learning as norm, groups air protest
flexible learning in the years to come, “What will happen is a flexible system It would also “jeopardize the qualprompting parents, students and teachers where universities will mix and match ity education that is their right,” Roperos to protest. flexible learning methods appropriate to said in an ABS-CBN report. Bringing back face-to-face classes their situation,” De Vera said. “The more “Face-to-face classes remain to be the will expose educational stakeholders prepared universities will continue in- most inclusive and accessible option for to the “same risks if another pandemic vesting and moving ahead using online education. If CHED wishes to pursue procomes in,” CHED Chairman Prospero de platforms. Others will be allowing some longed flexible learning, do they at least Vera said last week in a webinar, adding of their students to come back at specific give gadget and connection assistance to it also “would have wasted all the invest- periods and do more synchronous versus those in need?” she said in a statement. ments in technology, in teacher training, asynchronous learning.” “It has been a month since lockdown, in the retrofitting of our facilities.” Youth groups slammed the CHED de- and frankly, the bursts of calls for academ“From now on, flexible learning will cision to continue implementing flexible ic breaks and academic ease are taking be the norm. There is no going back to learning in the coming years, saying it place as a reflection of how exhausting and the traditional, full-packed would exacerbate problems that students unsustainable the current set-up in learning face-to-face classrooms. and teachers face under the new setup. is,” she added. CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera The commission has adNational Union of Students of the PhilThe Kabataan Party-list described the QUEZON CITY - Philippine uniopted a policy that flex- ippines National President Jandeil Rope- new policy as a “gross negligence of duty versities and colleges will no longer re- ible learning will continue in School Year ros said the new policy would worsen the to the education sector.” turn to traditional face-to-face classes as 2021 and thereafter,”de Vera said. financial, mental and emotional hardships “Teachers and students struggle with the Commission on Higher Education The “old paradigm of face-to-face ver- that confront students with flexible learn- lacking internet infrastructure and modu(CHED) adopted a policy to continue sus online will now disappear,” he added. ing. lar learning,” the group said. said. reimpose “stricter” quarantine measures, in the event that (From page 1) In a related development, those found illegally selling Filipinos continue to disregard the protocols. Duterte’s latest warning came, as he said it is a “crime” Duterte aired the warning and order in his taped public COVID-19 vaccination slots will be dealt with the full address after Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año’s force of the law, according MMDA Chairman Benhur Aba- for a Covid-19 carrier to infect “innocent” Filipinos. report about three “super spreader” events that contributed los as one allegedly involved in the scam has surrendered. Año, in a meeting in Malacañan Palace, told Duterte to the spike in Covid-19 cases in the country. that two people who were seen swimming at the Ciudad At the same time, Duterte ordered the arrest of local officials, especially the barangay chairmen who fail to en- sa Gubat resort in Valenzuela on May 9 tested positive for force the ban on parties, picnics, and other mass gatherings Covid-19, while 54 others got infected with coronavirus after attending a pool party in Nagkaisang Nayon village in to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Meanwhile, the independent OCTA Research called for Quezon City from May 9 to 11.The DILG chief added that the extension of the general community quarantine (GCQ) the government is now tracing people who went on a picnic in NCR Plus until June as it urged that the country should in Norzagaray, Bulacan on May 23. Duterte lamented that many Filipinos continue to be target to vaccinate 50% of the population in Metro Manila “stubborn” and do not mind catching the coronavirus and and six other areas at high risk for COVID-19 to achieve infecting others. herd containment. “Huwag niyo akong pilitin na talagang pahirapan ko In a report, the independent team of experts said 50% kayo (Do not force me to put you in a difficult situation),” of the population must be vaccinated in Metro Manila and he said. “Kapag nagpositive ka, dadamputin ka talaga, banthe cities of Tuguegarao, Santiago, Baguio, Cainta, Cebu, and Imus due to their high COVID-19 attack rates. At press tay kayo (If you tested positive for Covid-19, you will retime, more than four million have been vaccinated in the ally be arrested. Watch out). And I make it mandatory.” In his briefing, Duterte said barangay chairs would be country, including 80 percent of medical workers. liable for dereliction of duty under the Revised Penal Code As of May 26, a total of 4,495,375 Filipinos have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, 1,029,061 if they failed to prevent the gatherings in their respective of them now fully protected, said Health Undersecretary jurisdictions. Duterte gave the order to the Philippine National Police and National Vaccination Operations chairperson Myrna and all law enforcement agencies after Interior Secretary Cabotaje. OCTA Research Group fellow Professor Guido David Eduardo Año reported the recent incidents of mass gathersaid “the numbers are still high” despite a decline in the ings including picnics and parties. Earlier, a Filipino crew member of MV Athens Bridge average of new Covid-19 cases per day was seen in NCR, who was found carrying the B.1.167 coronavirus variant Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal. “While we believe we can relax restrictions, we think first detected in India has passed away, Health Undersecrewe should try to retain the GCQ at this time because the tary Maria Rosario Vergeire reported. The seaman, who was confined in a hospital in Metro cases are still significant. We want to avoid situations Manila, died on May 21 after his bout with severe COVwherein people become very complacent because they feel that the situation has improved significantly, that there are ID-19 infection, she said. On May 17, Duterte warned that he might be forced to no more cases when in fact there are still cases,” David
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