Manila Standard - 2021 September 9 - Thursday

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Mayors, traders up in arms Over confusion from sudden reversal of lockdown policy

By Othel V. Campos, Willie Casas and Rio N. Araja

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ETRO Manila mayors and business leaders expressed dismay Wednesday over the government’s last-minute decision to extend tight quarantine restrictions in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Mayor Joy Belmonte of Quezon City, the biggest city in Metro Manila, said she was disappointed because the government had already announced a shift to a less stringent general community quarantine (GCQ), without complete details, before it abruptly decided on Tuesday to extend the modi-

VOL. XXXV • NO. 206 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

9 dead, 9 more missing in wake of Jolina’s fury

Pandemic unplugs Automatic Centre after 70 years plus

fied enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until Sept. 15. “The mayors had a panic attack yesterday, especially me, since I have such a large city,” she said. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said he did not know what happened during the meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on Tuesday. “The Metro Manila mayors depend on the guidelines given to us. I saw a resolution yesterday that was supposed to be implemented starting today but I don’t think it was promulgated,” Zamora said. “We were already prepared to implement GCQ with granular lockdowns starting today but as I

AFTER more than 70 years in the business, appliance store chain Automatic Centre will close its doors for good by October 10 – a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The COVID-19 pandemic has caused tremendous challenges on our business and it is with much regret and trepidation that we share this news with you today,” said Automatic Centre President and CEO Geoffrey Lim in a statement.

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Typhoon Jolina, leaving 9 dead in its aftermath, also induced heavy rains and widespread flooding whose vast stretch ranged from Eastern Visasas, battering Samar and Leyte with strong winds, making eight landfalls and down to Metro Manila, exemplified by the floodsubmerged Alabang-Zapote Road and lately, pummelling the coastal areas of Batangas. Norman Cruz, Danny Pata, PRC, PCG

By Ronald O. Reyes and Rio N. Araja AT LEAST nine people were killed, and nine others were missing after Severe Tropical Storm “Jolina” (Conson) brought strong winds and heavy rains that triggered flash flooding in Eastern Visayas provinces, authorities in the region said Wednesday. Next page

Low daily COVID count of 12,751 traced to data system ‘glitch’ By Willie Casas

TECHNICAL issues struck the Department of Health’s COVID Kaya data repository system on Tuesday, leading to a relatively low count of 12,751 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday amid record infections due to the community

2,134,005 12,751 34,672

151,135 174

1,948,198 20,151 (As of 4 PM, September 8)

transmission of the Delta variant. “This issue is currently being resolved with the Department of Information and Communications Technology. We can expect higher numbers in the next few days as we resolve the issue,” the department said in a statement. This developed as President Rodrigo

Duterte apologized to those who think he has fallen short in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. “I fulfilled my oath of office. If you think I fell short, sorry. I did the best I could. If my best was not good enough, I apologize. It was the best I could do,” the President said in a taped message

aired Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, the healthcare utilization rate (HCUR) has reached 85 percent or a critical risk level in 14 out of the 32 COVID-19 referral hospitals nationwide amid the surge in new COVID-19 cases, GMA News reported. Next page

Rody defends IATF, slaps down probe in aid of election OFFICIALS of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on Wednesday recalled the challenges in sourcing personal protective equipment sets at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, as President Rodrigo

Duterte again came to their defense amid a Senate probe on overpriced face masks and other PPEs. Duterte also reiterated that lawmakers should stop politicking, especially members of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, “in aid of elections” next

year by nitpicking about his administration’s COVID-19 response efforts. In his taped message aired Wednesday, the President renewed his call for senators to stop dictating on his administration, especially the Department of Next page

Gordon dared to step down as PRC boss PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday continued his attacks on Senator Richard Gordon, who is leading a Senate investigation into questionable government contracts to buy overpriced face masks, face shields and personal protective equipment (PPE). In a recorded national address that aired Wednesday, Duterte said Gordon should step down as chairman and president of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC). Duterte said a law mandates the PRC to Next page

Nothing irregular in purchases of PPE, face masks—officials By Willie Casas

the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) twice for the same set OFFICIALS on Wednesday denied al- of personal protective equipment (PPE). legations that the Department of Health In a statement, the DOH said that it (DOH) paid the Procurement Service of needed to procure full sets of PPEs in bulk

Lacson-Sotto tandem launches 2022 bid SENATORS Panfilo Lacson and Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday launched their bid for President and Vice President in 2022, respectively, vowing to restore order and trust in government institutions and an end to wrongs they say Filipinos have long endured. They will be running against fellow Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, who was formally nominated by the ruling PDP-Laban party yesterday to run with President Rodrigo Duterte, who accepted his vice-presidential nomination. Other fellow lawmakers, like Senator Manny Pacquiao, may battle the Lacson-Sotto tandem by the time the deadline for filing certificates of Next page

as well as order loose surgical masks and face shields separately to protect health care workers in both high- and low-risk settings. The PS-DBM maintains a virtual store, similar to online shopping plat-

forms, where common-use supplies and equipment (CSEs), like PPEs, are available for the purchase of national government agencies and local government Next page

Go, Duterte PDP-Laban standard bearer SENATOR Christopher Go on Wednesday was officially nominated as the 2022 election standard-bearer of a PDP-Laban faction backed by President Rodrigo Duterte, who was picked as his running-mate, an official of the ruling party said. Video feed from the party’s national convention held in San Fernando, Pampanga did not show the nomination of the pair. But an official of the faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi told reporters that Go and Duterte were “proclaimed as candidates.” The party also proclaimed Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade, and Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez as its Secretary Mark Villar, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission chairperson Greco Belgica, and official senatorial candidates. Its guest senatorial candidates include Presi- House Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta. Next page dential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Public Works


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