Manila Standard - 2021 June 16 - Wednesday

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(Story on A4) Rody hits ICC, won’t cooperate DUTERTE TO KEEP POLICE RECORDS FROM CHR in probe on drug war—Palace By Rey E. Requejo, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will never cooperate with an International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into the country's deadly drug war, his spokesman said Tuesday, branding the process "legally

erroneous." Outgoing ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on Monday asked judges at the world's only permanent war crimes court to authorize an investigation into allegations that Philippine police unlawfully killed as many as tens of thousands of civilians between 2016 and 2019. Duterte was elected in 2016 on a Next page

By Vito Barcelo and Rey E. Requejo

ALREADY in the crosshairs of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for human rights abuses in his bloody war on drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night warned the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) not to threaten the police and said he would block the opening of records detailing police

VOL. XXXV • NO. 121 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

operations. The President made the warning in his public address Monday night, added that law enforcement records and state secrets cannot be divulged to the public as this could hinder police drug operations and investigations. He said the proliferation of illegal drugs has been going on for years and there are current surges in the number of Next page

UNPERTURBED. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte holds a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Malacañang Golf (Malago) Clubhouse in Malacañang Park, Manila on June 14. Presidential Photo

Visayas sprints in virus cases DOH logs region’s ‘steepest’ COVID spike to outpace Luzon, Mindanao

By Willie Casas

T

HE Visayas has outpaced Luzon and Mindanao with the steepest increase in COVID-19 cases, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.

In the last two weeks, Western Visayas recorded a 63 percent growth, Central Visayas logged a 59 percent increase and Eastern Visayas reported a 118 percent spike in COVID-19 infections, the DOH said. "Visayas now has the steepest increase in cases among the island groups, surpassing numbers in NCR Plus areas," DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Alethea De Guzman said in an online press conference. Next page

ACTIVITIES / BUSINESSES ALLOWED IN GCQ AREAS WITH RESTRICTIONS (NCR AND BULACAN) Indoor tourist attractions—30% operational capacity, increased to 40% with a Safety Seal issued by the Department of Trade and Industry Personal care services not requiring mask removal—50% operational capacity, increased by 10 % with a Safety Seal Outdoor tourist attractions—50% operational capacity Indoor dining—40% operational capacity, increased by 10 % with a Safety Seal; Religious activity—0% operational capacity, which can be increased by LGU to as high as 50%. Activities allowed in NCR Plus (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal) also include non-contact sports, lottery, leisurely travel and outdoor dining at 50% operating capacity.

ACTIVITIES ALLOWED IN GCQ AREAS WITH HEIGHTENED RESTRICTIONS (CAVITE, LAGUNA, RIZAL) Indoor dining—20% operational capacity, can be increased to 30% with a Safety Seal Personal care services not requiring mask removal—30% operational capacity, plus 10% with a Safety Seal; Outdoor tourist attractions—30% operational capacity Religious activities —10% operational capacity, which LGUs can increase to 30%.

NCR Plus lockdown curbs out; 2 rules for gyms, fitness hubs By Vito Barcelo, Joel E. Zurbano and Maricel V. Cruz GYMS and fitness centers will remain closed in Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, which are under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions until the end of June, according to a matrix on guidelines on quarantine restrictions released by Malacañang Tuesday. As for Metro Manila and Bulacan, both of which are under GCQ with restrictions, gyms and fitness centers are allowed to open at 20-percent capacity, but it can be increased to 30 percent if the establishment secures a Safety Seal Certificate. The same matrix also states that indoor tourist attractions as well as operations of venues for meetings, conferences and exhibitions remain prohibited in areas under GCQ with heightened restrictions. Activities permitted in areas under

GCQ with heightened restrictions include: - 20 percent operational capacity for indoor dining, which can be increased to 30 percent if the establishment secures a Safety Seal issued by the Department of Trade and Industry; - 30 percent operational capacity for personal care services not requiring mask removal, which could be increased by 10 percent if the establishment secures a Safety Seal; - 30 percent operational capacity for outdoor tourist attractions; - religious activities at 10 percent operational capacity, which local government units can increase to 30 percent. Meanwhile, other businesses allowed in areas under GCQ with restrictions include: - indoor tourist attractions at 30 percent o p e r a t i o n a l c a p a c i t y, w h i c h c a n Next page

PHYSICALLY PRESENT. Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Health

Secretary Francisco Duque III, and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año take their oaths during a hybrid inquiry of the Committee of the Whole into the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program on June 15. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez (inset) was also at the hearing. Senate PRIB

Jabs for minors need P25b outlay By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Julito G. Rada and Joel E. Zurbano AN ALLOCATION of P25 billion to cover the inoculation of children aged 12 years old and above might be needed by the government, Budget Secretary Carlos Dominquez said Tuesday. He also told the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing that pending confirmation by the country's health

authorities, they were preparing for the purchase of booster shots of one dose for roughly 85 million adults and teenagers. "This could cost roughly P60 billion. The proposal is to include such supplemental amounts in the 2022 budget," he told the Senate hearing. He also disclosed that the country's total debt as a share of GDP was expected to rise to 58.7 percent in 2021. This figure was 54.6 percent in 2020 and a historic low of 39.6 percent in 2019. Next page

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM JUNE 15)

1,327,431 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

5,389 58,063 NEW

ACTIVE

22,963

118

1,246,405

6,667

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

US carriers sail in South China Sea as it hails holding off VFA end Visiting Forces Agreement with the US, saying the continued alliance between the two countries would strengthen “the rules-based order that benefits all nations THE United States on Tuesday welcomed in Indo-Pacific.” the decision of the Philippines to hold off The US government made the the suspension of the abrogation of the statement after Foreign Secretary Teodoro

By Rey E. Requejo and Maricel V. Cruz

Locsin Jr. on Monday announced that President Rodrigo Duterte decided to again suspend the decision to scrap the VFA, Manila’s bilateral agreement with Washington, governing the status of visiting American soldiers participating in Next page

NAVAL MIGHT. In these photos

posted on Twitter by the US Pacific Fleet, the USS America Amphibious Ready Group and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force tank landing ship JS Shimokita (LST 4002) team up for amphibious operations in the Philippine Sea, while US Navy aircraft attached to Carrier Air Wing CVW5 launch from the USS Ronald Reagan during flight operations in the South China Sea on Monday.


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