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Mindanao reels under COVID OCTA urges gov’t to reinforce frontliners as surge likely to last a month By Willie Casas
A
N INDEPENDENT group of researchers on Wednesday urged the government to send health workers and equipment to Mindanao, which is fighting a surge in COVID-19 cases that they say could last a month.
OCTA Research fellow Guido David said areas reporting an increase in infections include Davao City, South Cotabato, General Santos City and Cotabato City. “This is very concerning because some local government units in Mindanao have high hosp;ital utilization rate, hospital
VOL. XXXV • NO. 115 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 THURSDAY,, JUNE 10, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
SHINE THE SHRINE. Workers at the Aguinaldo Shrine spruce up the monument of Emilio Aguinaldo on Wednesday ahead of the celebration of the 123rd anniversary of Philippine Independence on Saturday, June 12. Aguinaldo, the country's first President, proclaimed the country's independence from Spain from one of the windows of his house in Kawit, Cavite. The theme for this year's celebration is 'Kalayaan 2021: Diwa ng Kalayaan sa Pagkakaisa at Paghilom ng Bayan.' Danny Pata
occupancy and ICU occupancy,” David said in a mix of English and Filipino. In the same briefing, OCTA's Ranjit Rye said hospitals will bog down if the surge is significant. Based on the Philippines' previous experiences, a COVID-19 surge may last for a month, "even with heightened restrictions," said Rye, a professor at the Next page
COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE
(AS OF 4 PM JUNE 9)
1,286,217 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES
5,462 54,000 NEW
ACTIVE
22,190
126
1,210,047
7,854
DEATHS
RECOVERIES
NEW
NEW
DUTERTE, XI VOW ‘WIN-WIN’ RESULTS NEWS / A2
No big reversal in virus trends seen due to low vaccination rate By Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta
30 percent to 50 percent of the population have been vaccinated against the coronavirus disease, a fellow of the OCTA ReEXPECT no significant changes in the search Group said Wednesday. Prof. Ranjit Rye, during a Laging Handa Philippines’ COVID-19 trends, not until
briefing, said the current number of vaccina- Department of Health said, or around 4 tions was still too small to have an effect on percent of the population. the country’s COVID-19 figures. Only 1.6 million people have received The Philippines has vaccinated over both doses, or around 1.4 percent. 4.6 million individuals as of June 8, the Next page
By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rey E. Requejo THE 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China have vowed to avoid activities that could escalate tension in the contested South China Sea. This was agreed on during a special assembly on Monday among foreign ministers of the largely regional alliance and the East Asian giant, according to a statement by the meeting’s co-chairs, Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Four ASEAN states, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia, as well as self-governing Taiwan, have asserted rights in the resource-rich waterway, over which China has sweepNext page ing claims.
US eases trip notice on PH with caution
Carlos Conde, in a statement, said the use of anti-personnel landmines is prohibited in the Philippines under the Mine Ban Treaty, and is considered a war crime. "The killing of a labor leader and a Next page
Next page
ASEAN, China Rights group tags as ‘war crime’ NPA’s bomb attack agree to keep cool on SCS hind the bomb attack in Masbate using an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on the ground committed a war crime, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday. HRW senior Philippine researcher COMMUNIST rebels who were be-
NEWS / A2
THE United States government has lowered its travel alert for the Philippines from Level 4 to 3. In an advisory posted on June 8, the US State Department advised Americans to still reconsider travel to the country due to "high level" of COVID-19. Under Level 3, US citizens are encouraged to get fully vaccinated before travel, while those unvaccinated travelers were told to avoid non-essential travel. In April, Americans were advised against all travel to the Philippines after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised to "Level 4: Very High" its COVID-19 advisory for the country, the highest of its pandemic warnings. America's "do not travel" notice, meanwhile, remains in place in Marawi City and the Sulu archipelago, including the southern Sulu Sea due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping. A "reconsider travel" warning also covers other parts of Mindanao. "The Philippine government maintains a state of emergency and greater
VAX SCENES. Bacolod City Mayor Bing Leonardia (left photo, in striped shirt) oversees the vaccination flow at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central on Wednesday as the city received 17,000 additional doses of Sinovac vaccines. Meanwhile, a long queue forms outside the Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo, Manila as workers belonging to the A4 group line up -- some as early as 1 in the morning -- to get their jabs. Bacolod PIO and Norman Cruz
By Willie Casas, Rio N. Araja, Rey E. Requejo and Maricel V. Cruz
FRANCE’S MACRON SLAPPED IN FACE
Palace now floats Go-Duterte tandem By Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s former aide Senator Christopher Go will definitely run for president in the 2022 national elections should the President decide to run for vice president, Malacanang said. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that should a Go-Duterte tandem push through, Presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio would never run against Go. In a television interview, Roque said that Duterte might decide to reinforce his political plan in December since he was still fo-
cused on beating the COVID 19 crisis. But Go said there would be no "face off" between Duterte-Carpio and himself, with the former standing pat that he would not seek the presidency – the two of them among possible contenders in next year's presidential elections. Go has repeatedly insisted he did not have any plan to run for president in 2022 but added he "would leave his fate to God" if President Duterte asked him to be his running mate. Several sectors, including his own PDP-Laban Party, are pushing for Duterte to run for vice president. Roque earlier said the President Next page
SENATE PROBE. Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, chairman of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, confers with his vice chairman, Sen. Panfilo Lacson (left), during the panel’s hybrid public hearing Wednesday on the gruesome killing of Calbayog City Mayor Ronald Aquino and his two security aides last March 8, 2021. (See story on A4) Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB