As of October 5, 2020, 11:00 PM, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte addressed the nation through a recorded speech to provide updates on the COVID-19 situation. Below are the highlights of the briefing:
- PRRD started off his speech by expressing his frustrations over his critics and the Opposition who work hard to discredit the government and its efforts. He also dwelled issues that his critics have continued to harp on including extrajudicial killings.
- On corruption in the government, PRRD admitted that it would be a mistake to cover it up when the issue with PhilHealth remains true. He added that after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) concluded its investigation and submitted its findings to the Office of the Ombudsman, they made a recommendation to prosecute those involved in court.
- On the budget used for Bayanihan Act 1 and 2, PRRD assured the public that it was spent wisely and properly. He added that there will be an upcoming Bayanihan 3 where funds will be provided to the people, especially those in the marginalized sector.
- PRRD defended Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Duque from critics who have called for his resignation. He also said that he will not prosecute Sec. Duque because he is innocent.
- He also reflected on himself, saying he has not killed or ordered to kill someone, but has admitted to the casualty of police and soldiers during the Marawi siege.
- PRRD also discussed how he intends to go about the ongoing problem on drugs in the country, which includes coordination with the police, NBI, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and local courts.
- On the implementation of Beep Cards for public transportation, PRRD shared some of the concerns and challenges faced by different commuters and advised Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade on having proper personnel deployed to ensure that the public is made aware of how the system works and also provide real-time assistance.
- PRRD mentioned that he would raise the possibility of making the Beep Cards free, especially for Filipinos who do not have the budget to sustain it.
- Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones started her updates with her recent address about beating COVID-19 and how the government is not allowing it to intervene with education.
- DepEd recorded 24.7 million enrolled learners on the first day of classes which accounted for 89 percent of last year’s numbers. It is also higher than the 80 percent assigned target by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
- 22.5 million are from public schools, which Sec. Briones said is close to 100 percent of last year’s enrolled students.
- Sec. Briones shared that there are low numbers in terms of the Alternative Learning System (ALS), which is a program for workers and out-of-school youth who only go to school during weekends. She explained that this was caused by job losses, which meant they could not afford to support their education.
- Sec. Briones also expressed her worries on the decline of enrollees in private schools which dipped to 2.1 million or half of last year’s enrollment.
- She reflected on the correlation of education and the economy, which saw that because people were unemployed, they could not afford to send their children to private schools. Thus, pushing them to enroll in public schools and halt taking ALS.
- She further explained that as the economy started to recover, more people were able to secure jobs and provide support for their children in going to private schools.
- Sec. Briones thanked PRRD, the Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), civil society organization, Senator Bong Go, and the Senate for their support of the education sector.
- Sec. Briones was also happy to share that during her address for the opening of classes over 1.5 million viewers tuned in over Facebook and had 371,000 engagements. She also equated the 24.7 million learners to over almost 50 million family members who have supported not just the government and DepEd, but the education sector overall.
- DOF Secretary Carlos Dominguez III reported on its collections of funds and has identified three sources in the Philippines.
- The first source is from taxes from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) which amounted to Php 1.821 trillion from January 1, 2020 to September 31, 2020
- The second source is from loans from the domestic market. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) provided liquidity to banks and the local market, enabling DOF to borrow funds. Sec. Dominguez shared that 70 percent of borrowings were from the domestic market while 30 percent from abroad. Overseas loans amounted to USD 9 billion with very low interest rates and long-term payments.
- The third source is the government’s dividends from state-owned companies. In 2019, DOF collected about Php 65 billion from these companies. This year, Php 130 billion have already been collected.
- With this, Sec. Dominguez said that they are in a good financial position and can finance the deficit they have. He also mentioned that various legislation like the TRAIN Law, Rice Tariffication Law, and others approved by PRRD helped the DOF manage the ongoing crisis and maintain good financial position.
- Sec. Dominguez expressed that the country has a good economy, but the strict quarantine is holding it back.
- Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año reported on the rollout progress of telecommunications companies. He mentioned that local government units (LGUs) now have faster approval of permits and clearances — 574 last week and 1,171 this week. There are also 428 new applications. He added that Manila Mayor Isko Moreno did a one-time approval of all applications, and hoped that other LGUs will follow suit as well.
- In relation to Bayanihan 2, Sec. Año shared that requirements were waived, except for building permits and night clearance permits, to help telcos put up Passive Telecom Tower Infrastructure (PTTI). He shared that this has been in effect for the past three months and will continue to do so in the next three years.
- Sec. Año also shared that they have a Memorandum of Agreement with the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), DILG and other agencies to streamline the rollout of towers.
- Senator Bong Go added that there is a Senate bill which seeks to authorize the President during times of national emergency to suspend the requirements for national and local permits, licenses, certifications, and to streamline and expedite the processing for the issuance of the same.
- PRRD questioned why the prolonged process existed and endured for a long time. He also cited Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, who reduced the processing of applications to one day.
- PRRD concluded the presser by thanking the public for tuning in and listening to their discussions and updates.
DOH Advisory
As of October 5, 2020, 4:00 PM, the Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 324,762 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 45,799 of which are active cases. Recoveries have been recorded to reach 273,123 while the local death toll has reached 5,840. Overall, the DOH also reported to have tested 3,675,938 individuals.
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