Dispatch from Crame No. 762: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Politicking amid the COVID-19 Crisis
Sabi ni Inday Sara Duterte sa kanyang Facebook page “Blame the LGUs!” Na-release na raw ang 200 billion (na dapat 275 billion, ang aga namang nakotong nung 75 billion) sa mga LGUs. So Sara says don’t blame his father. It is no longer his fault if the billions did not reach the masses. She says […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 761: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s statement on Duterte’s latest threats
Sa loob ng tatlong taon, wala na tayong ibang narinig mula sa pangulong ito kung hindi gulo, barilan, patayan. Puro pananakot! Puro panggigipit! And now that we are confronted with a life-threatening crisis — an existential threat indeed — all he can offer is more VIOLENCE. Who gave him the right to threaten and instill […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 760: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the Need for Clear Guidelines from DSWD re: distribution of food and cash assistance
All eyes – especially those of the 18 million families – are on the DSWD now. In Duterte’s speech last night, he said: “Ibinigay ko kay Secretary Bautista lahat na yan [pera at pagkain] kasi itong DSWD may sariling distribution network na yan, ‘yung Pantawid.” Yes, DSWD has the distribution network, but is it an […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 759: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on NBI’s probe on Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto’s Alleged Violation of Bayanihan to Heal as One Act
NBI sounds pathetic in trying to explain their action in requiring Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto to explain an alleged violation. NBI is defending an indefensible position. Quite justified is the indignation from many netizens. There is no case here. Didn’t the Mayor promptly comply when the national authorities put their foot down on the […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 758: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Denouncing the Harassment of Health Workers
Araw-araw sinusuong ng ating mga health workers ang nakakatakot at delikadong laban kontra COVID-19. Umaalis sila sa kani-kanilang mga bahay na walang kasiguraduhan kung makakabalik silang ligtas. Ni hindi mayakap ang pamilya sa kanilang pag-uwi kung kailan mas kailangan rin sana nila ng kalinga matapos ang buong araw na pakikipagbak-bakan sa delubyong ito. Ngunit sa […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 757: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on the need for more testing facilities
Last Friday, RITM discovered that Rep. Erick Go Yap of ACT-CIS Partylist is actually negative for COVID-19, and later adopted the political version of “proper handwashing technique” by attributing the mistake to an individual who was “enlisted as augmentation staff outside regular workforce of the laboratory.” In another news report, RITM admitted that it is […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 756: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on Urging the Attention to Mental Health during COVID-19 Crisis
We are in Week 3 of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). And while the initial period set expires in two weeks, there is still no end in sight. As the global COVID-19 pandemic pushes further into 2020, the collective feelings of fear, anxiety and sorrow are beginning to affect many of our countrymen. A new […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 755: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Push for Mass Testing
It’s stupefying to note that our health authorities seem to be downplaying, if not actually scoffing at, the idea of mass testing. The DOH Secretary himself was quoted as saying: “Do we have to test each and every Filipino? That’s 104 million. I think no country would be able to do mass testing to the […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 754: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on the Martial Law tactics employed during the Enhanced Community Quarantine
The Human Rights Watch has expressed their concern on Section 6 (f) of the recently enacted “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.” This section seeks to penalize “individuals or groups creating, perpetuating, or spreading false information regarding the COVID-19 crisis on social media and other platforms, such as information having no valid or beneficial effect […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 753: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Supplemental Message on the Urgency of a Mass Testing Program
The urgency of a mass testing program cannot be overemphasized. I am frustrated and alarmed that the national government deferred the COVID-19 testing initiative of Marikina City. Here is a local government unit that is ready to operate and start testing, but what do we do? Delay the efforts to contain this outbreak with too […]