READ: 'Probe should not derail Covid drive'
SEN. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go said the congressional inquiry into Covid-19 funding can be conducted without hampering the government's pandemic response efforts. In an interview on Saturday, September 4, Go urged the government to pull together to overcome the public health emergency caused by the pandemic. He said he was willing to act as a bridge between the executive and legislative branches in finding ways to strengthen the pandemic response. The Senate has been investigating allegations the Department of Health (DoH) misused the P67-billion pandemic fund. In a related development, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said he will look into the tax records of Pharmally. Drilon cited the "glaring red flags" in the financial statements of Pharmally. He said the firm bagged over P10 billion deals from the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) when it was headed by former Budget undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao.
READ: Duterte yet to approve granular lockdowns
The concept of granular lockdowns that was supposed to take effect beginning Wednesday is still up for approval by President Rodrigo Duterte. Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. made the clarification Sunday after Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez announced granular lockdowns will be imposed in Metro Manila. Lopez said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the same quarantine restriction for other areas, which may be implemented in the "next phase after September." Under a granular lockdown, specific streets, villages, and even establishments with rising cases of Covid-19 will be subject to restrictions. The President usually approves the IATF's recommendations. But he could also overrule them, like what he did in January when he reversed the task force's decision to allow minors in shopping malls.
READ: Eleazar to public: Look at PNP's good side
The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) has urged the public to stop highlighting the negative side of the force. In the past months, the PNP has come under heavy criticism for supposedly tolerating abusive police officers. Guesting at a roundtable with The Manila Times, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, the PNP chief, acknowledged there will always be bad eggs in any organization, and the police is no exception.
READ: Marcos to NTC: Probe telcos
THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) should audit the performance of all telecommunication companies (telcos) to assess the quality of internet service in the country, former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said on Sunday. He made the call amid the "disparity" between the country's reported gains in internet speed and the "real-world" experience of teachers and students using the internet for their online classes. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said that in July, the average download speeds for fixed broadband reached 71.17 megabits per second (Mbps) versus 66.55 Mbps in June.
READ: Robredo questions cut in DoH Covid budget
Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo questioned the reduction in the Department of Health's (DoHs) proposed budget for Covid-19 response. During the 2022 budget deliberations of the House of Representatives last week, Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said the DoH proposed to the Department of Budget and Management a budget of P73.99 billion for Covid-19 response. In the budget proposal, the Special Risk Allowance (SRA) for health care workers was cut to P19.6 billion. The DoH budget did not include a budget for SRA. Robredo said in her weekly radio program Sunday it was surprising the budget for programs that were key to fighting the Covid pandemic had been slashed. During the budget hearing, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) Director Celia Carlos said P170 million was deleted "from the line item of national reference laboratories." Robredo said she does not recall a bigger cut in RITM's appropriation.
BUSINESS: August inflation seen higher
In business, inflation likely accelerated in August on the back of higher food and energy prices, analysts polled by The Manila Times said. Projections for the month ranged from 4.3 to 4.4 percent with a 4.35-percent average, higher than the 4.0 percent recorded in July and the 2.4 percent in August last year. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has forecast 4.1 to 4.9 percent inflation for August. Official data will be released on Tuesday, September 7, by the Philippine Statistics Authority. HSBC Global Research and a Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) analyst both forecast August inflation of 4.4 percent.
SPORTS: PBA postpones Meralco-Ginebra tiff
In sports, for the second straight day, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has postponed a scheduled game, as Covid-19 has continuously disrupted teams' preparations and put uncertainties in their participation in the ongoing Philippine Cup. The PBA Commissioner's Office announced hours before the scheduled triple header Sunday that the game between the Meralco Bolts and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, originally set at 4:35 p.m., has been postponed in compliance with the league's health and safety protocols. The game was rescheduled at a later date following league's guidelines. On Saturday, the game between Alaska and San Miguel Beer was likewise reset.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino are today's columnists for the front page. Tiglao says the United States spent an astounding $6.4 trillion in post-9/11 wars, while Fr. Aquino discusses the breadth of academic freedom.
Today's editorial believes the country should enhance its defense cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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On behalf of The Manila Times, this is Aric John Sy Cua reporting. Have a safe week ahead.