VOL. XXXIV • NO. 334 • 2 SECTIONS 8 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
READY FOR LOVE DAY. A woman prepares bouquets of flowers at the Tagaytay Flower Market in Tagaytay City, Cavite on Saturday, just eight days before Valentine’s Day. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, vendors expect Filipinos to come in droves for floral gifts to offer their loved ones. JR Josue
UK variant cases rise to 25
Eight more virus infections traced; Customs says no fake vaccines in PH By Willie Casas
F
OLLOWING the sustained biosurveillance efforts of the government, the Department of Health, the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC) and the UP-National Institutes of Health have confirmed the detection of eight additional COVID-19 cases positive for the B.1.1.7 or United Kingdom variant. This brings the total B.1.1.7 variant cases in the country to 25. The DOH, UPPGC, and UP-NIH further reported that no other variant of concern had been detected, the DOH said in its latest update report on the UK variant posted Friday night. Three of the eight additional cases are from Bontoc, Mountain Province. Of the three cases, two females aged 25 and 54 were identified as close contacts of a pre-
viously reported B.1.1.7 variant case who is part of the Bontoc cluster. The third case is a 31-year-old male whose link to the Bontoc cluster is still being verified. To date, the 54-year-old female has recovered, while the remaining two are active cases and are currently being managed. Meanwhile, two additional cases are from La Trinidad, Benguet. One of the two cases is a 15-year-old female and
relative of the previously identified B.1.1.7 variant case in La Trinidad. She is currently asymptomatic and in isolation as part of the management of contacts of the first B.1.1.7 variant case identified in La Trinidad. The other case is an 84-year-old male who had no known history of travel nor contact with any B.1.1.7 variant case and is part of a separate cluster of cases in the city. The said case was recorded to have died last January 24, 2021. Moreover, two of the additional B.1.1.7 variant cases are Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROF). The first is a 29-year-old female who arrived from UAE on January 7, 2021 aboard Philippine Airlines flight PR 659. The second is a 54-year-old male with a reported local address in Talisay, Cebu. Both cases of ROF have since recovered. No seizures Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs said there were no unauthorized COVID-19
vaccines so far in the Philippines despite reports of alleged illegal vaccination in the country. Customs Spokesperson Vincent Philip Maronilla said the agency had intensified screening the national borders for the entry of smuggled coronavirus vaccine jabs, with the seaports and airports on “red alert.” “There are] no seizures yet of any illicit or unauthorized vaccines . . . We have beefed up capability to screen imports for the fake vaccines, but they will in no way hamper the arrival of the legit vaccine,” Maronilla told ANC in an interview. Under the Food and Drug Administration law, the importation, sale and administering of unregistered vaccines should result in a penalty of a fine or imprisonment, but health officials earlier said they did not have information yet to hold anyone accountable.
COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE
(AS OF 4 PM FEB. 6)
535,521 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES
1,941 35,946 NEW
ACTIVE
11,110
52
488,465
234
DEATHS
NEW
RECOVERIES
NEW
Napoles to sue Sandigan justices for ‘haphazard’ ruling By Maricel V. Cruz
Christopher Plummer
’Sound of Music’ star Plummer passes at 91 LOS ANGELES—Veteran Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, whose decades-long career featured an indelible star turn in “The Sound of Music” and an Oscar win late in life, died on Friday, his manager announced. He was 91. Plummer died at his home in Connecticut with his wife Elaine Taylor at his side, his longtime friend and manager Lou Pitt said. “Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self-deprecating humor and the music of words,” Pitt said in a statement. “He was a national treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will endure for all generations to come.” AFP
THE camp of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles said Saturday it was considering filing appropriate charges against Sandiganbayan justices for what it described as “haphazard decision against (her) which used inadmissible evidence under the Cybercrime Law.” Napoles’ defense counsel led by lawyer Rony Garay said the antigraft court belatedly amended its original decision which had included Napoles in the dispositive portion in the charge for direct bribery. In a statement, Garay said the camp of Napoles would file administrative charges against the anti-graft court justices after the latter convicted Napoles of direct bribery before later on issuing an amended decision on the case, citing alleged ‘typographical errors.’ ”The original decision which they
amended had been clearly hurried and handed down haphazardly and without a sober consideration of the pending motions of Ms Napoles,” Garay said. Garay added the decision also failed to consider the motion to reopen the case filed by him, who just recently signed in as lead defense counsel. Garay had sought a reopening of the case on the grounds that the main evidence cited by the prosecution had been procured in violation of the Cybercrime Law and was inadmissible under the rules. Garay claimed that in an amended decision made by Sandiganbayan’s First Division, the name of Janet Lim Napoles was “secretly removed” in the original decision by calling it “typographical error” in a belated Resolution. “In the original wrong Decision, the anti-graft court convicted Napoles of Direct Bribery even if she is not ac-
cused of (the crime) in the Complaint filed by the State by way of Information. Under the Revised Penal Code, Direct Bribery is a crime that can be committed only by a public officer while Napoles is a private person,” Garay said. The other day, Napoles, former Cagayan de Oro Rep. Constantino Jaraula, and three others were convicted of multiple counts of graft and malversation by the Sandiganbayan in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel scam. The anti-graft court, in a 103-page decision, ruled that Napoles, Jaraula, and three others committed three counts of graft and three counts malversation charges for pocketing at least
LOVE IS IN THE AIR — LITERALLY
OWNER BEWARE: CAT FOOD NO-NOS
KRISTOFFER “Topy” Rustia and Micah Cura on Friday took their love for each other to greater heights—approximately 30,000 feet above sea level.
CATS do want some human food. But there are foods that may cause stomach problems and even illnesses in your cat.
twitter.com/ MlaStandard
YOUTH / B1 facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH
PETS / B4
S
manilastandard.net
P19.2 million of the lawmaker’s Priority Development Assistance Fund allocation or pork barrel. Janet Lim Napoles
ALDEN RICHARDS ON ‘CENTERSTAGE’ SAME month last year, GMA Network premiered Centerstage, an original singing competition where young powerhouse belters were gathered racing to get to the most coveted spot on the show.
ENTERTAINMENT / B3
Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net