Isa pang cabinet member ni P-Du30, pumanaw na

ni Ronalyn Seminiano Reonico | April 16, 2021

Pumanaw na si Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) Chief Adelino Sitoy sa edad na 85, ayon sa Malacañang noong Huwebes nang gabi.

Pahayag ni Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, "The Palace expresses its deep condolences to the family, loved ones and colleagues of Secretary Adelino Sitoy of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office.

"We pray for the eternal repose of the good secretary. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”

Saad pa ni Roque, “Sec. Sitoy was instrumental in the passage of the key legislative reform measures of the Duterte administration. As head of PLLO, he made sure that there is stronger Executive-Legislative collaboration to bring about genuine and lasting change through legislation.

“We pray for the eternal repose of the good Secretary. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”

Walang binanggit ang Palasyo na dahilan ng pagkamatay ni Sitoy.

Inanunsiyo rin ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa kanyang public address noong Huwebes ang pagkamatay ng kalihim.

Aniya, “I’m very sad to relay to you the death of a second Cabinet member. First was [Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chair] Danny Lim, second was Secretary Sitoy of the Legislative Liaison Office. I will call for a break for about a minute and request to stand and we pray in silence.”

Taong 2007 hanggang 2016, nagsilbing Cordova, Cebu mayor si Sitoy. Noong Agosto, 2016 naman ay itinalaga siya bilang PLLO secretary.

ECQ, wala nang extension — Roque

ni Mary Gutierrez Almirañez | April 5, 2021

Itinanggi ni Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque ang posibilidad na i-extend hanggang tatlong linggo ang enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) sa NCR Plus Bubble, batay sa pahayag niya ngayong umaga, Abril 5.

Aniya, “Considering the statement of Secretary Avisado and that Congress is in recess so we will have to request for a special session for a supplemental budget, I don’t think we will have an ECQ for a third week. The model that the DOH is looking at is two weeks of ECQ and another week of MECQ.”

Nilinaw din niyang isang beses lamang maaaring matanggap ang financial assistance na P4,000 kada pamilya at ang P1,000 cash o in-kind goods para sa low-income individuals. Paliwanag pa niya, “Traditional naman po na ang pasok lang naman talaga ay Monday to Tuesday, kaya dalawang araw lang po talaga ang nawala na kita sa ating mamamayan. The P4,000 per family… that will never be enough, but the nature of ayuda is to help pass this period na hindi makakapagtrabaho. ‘Yun na po ‘yun.”

Pinatotohanan naman iyon ni Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Bernardo Florece, "Tinanong din natin 'yan kay Secretary Wendel Avisado ng DBM, ang sabi niya, one-time lang ito kasi parang emergency relief assistance lang."

Ngayong araw ay inaasahang matatanggap na ng mga alkalde ang relief funds na inilaan sa kanilang lungsod para ipamahagi sa mga empleyadong naapektuhan ng lockdown.

Sa pagpapatuloy ng ECQ ay inaasahang mababawasan ng mahigit 4,000 ang mga nagpopositibo sa COVID-19 kada araw.

Ayon pa kay Roque, “We expect to reduce the COVID-19 cases by 4,000 a day by May 15.”

Misa, kapag itinuloy… Simbahan, ipapasara!

ni Ronalyn Seminiano Reonico | March 23, 2021

Magsasagawa ng religious service ang Archdiocese of Manila simula sa Miyerkules na lilimitahan lamang sa 10% ng church capacity, ngunit pinalagan ito ng Malacañang dahil paglabag umano ito sa ipinapatupad na guidelines kaugnay ng mass gatherings sa mga lugar na nasa ilalim ng general community quarantine (GCQ).

Sa Facebook post ng Archdiocese of Manila Office of Communications para sa pastoral instruction sa Holy Week, mababasa ang pahayag ni Apostolic Administrator of Manila Bishop Broderick Pabillo na: “We will not have any religious activity outside of our churches such as senakulo, pabasa, processions, motorcades, and Visita Iglesia. “But within our churches starting March 24, we will have our religious worship within 10% of our maximum church capacity.

“Let the worshippers be spread apart within our churches, using the health protocols that we have been so consistently implementing.”

Naunang ipinagbawal ng Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases ang pagtitipun-tipon kabilang na ang religious gatherings sa mga GCQ areas kabilang ang Metro Manila hanggang sa April 4 dahil sa patuloy na pagtaas ng kaso ng COVID-19 sa bansa.

Ayon naman kay Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, ang planong pagbubukas ng simbahan ay "would be contrary po to the decision of the IATF.”

Aniya pa, "We ask Bishop Pabillo not to encourage disregard of IATF rules. Ito naman po ay para sa kabutihan ng lahat.”

Kung sakaling ituloy ng simbahan ang planong pagbubukas, saad ni Roque, "In the exercise of police powers, we can order the churches closed.

"Huwag sana pong dumating doon, Bishop Pabillo. Wala po tayong makakamit na kahit anong objective if you will defy and you will force the state to close the doors of the church.”