Philippines 'closely monitoring' more contagious variant in US | ABS-CBN

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Philippines 'closely monitoring' more contagious variant in US

Philippines 'closely monitoring' more contagious variant in US

ABS-CBN News

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Palace yet to include US in travel ban

Gabriel Cervera and a team of healthcare workers treat a patient infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas, US, Dec. 29, 2020. Callaghan O'Hare, Reuters

MANILA — The Philippines is "closely monitoring" the COVID-19 situation in the US which detected a new, more contagious coronavirus variant, Malacañang said on Wednesday, even as it has yet to include its Western ally in its recently imposed travel ban.

The US said it detected the highly infectious coronavirus variant in a Colorado man in his 20s with no travel history. The variant was first discovered in the UK.

"We are closely monitoring the situation in the United States (US) regarding the new COVID-19 strain in Colorado" said Harry Roque, spokesman of President Rodrigo Duterte and of the inter-agency task force (IATF) on infectious diseases.

"Concerned local officials are now studying this matter," he added.

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The US' inclusion in a travel ban meant to halt the spread of the new variant will depend on the joint recommendation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the health department, which chairs the IATF leading the country's pandemic response, said Roque.

Duterte earlier suspended flights from the UK, and subsequently banned the entry of foreign travelers from 19 other territories that have recorded cases of the new coronavirus variant.

With more than 472,000 infections and more than 9,200 deaths, the Philippines has the second highest COVID-19 cases and casualties in Southeast Asia, next to Indonesia.

- With a report from Reuters

Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv

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No standard of evidence required for VP Sara’s impeachment trial: experts

No standard of evidence required for VP Sara’s impeachment trial: experts

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

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Vice President Sara Duterte addresses the media at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City on November 26, 2024, regarding her remarks about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN NewsVice President Sara Duterte addresses the media at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City on November 26, 2024, regarding her remarks about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

MANILA – There is no standard of evidence required for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, as the weight of the pieces of evidence that would be shown during the trial would depend on each senator’s appreciation, legal experts said on Wednesday.

The standard of evidence is defined as the series or how much proof is needed before a particular judgement could be made.

Former Senate President Franklin Drilon noted that not all senators are lawyers.

“There is simply no standard of evidence that is required. Each senator-judge would make a judgment on the basis of his or her appreciation. There is no standard that is imposed because it is just simply not possible,” said Drilon.

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“In the first place, the impeachment court is a class of its own. From that alone you can have many consequences,” he said.

Aside from these, the former Senate president said it was difficult to impose any standard because the impeachment court is different and those who will sit in these are politicians.

“It is addressed on their conscience how they would perceive the evidence presented,” he said.

For UP College of Law Prof. Gwen G. De-Vera, Duterte’s conviction or acquittal would be “just a matter of votes.”

“That question is really addressed to each senator-judge and as (former) Senator Drilon mentioned, not all of them are lawyers,” said UP College of Law Prof. Gwen G. De Vera.

“While we are discussing the burden of proof, I think there are two important sets of strands to that question that the Senate should pay attention to: one is the crafting of rules for the impeachment trial,” De Vera added.

The role of the presiding judge is also important, the expert said, as both presiding judges in the past impeachment trials were lawyers.

“You will see how they managed… but you’ll see on one hand how previous experience in running adverse proceedings have helped expedite the proceedings and how quickly they decided on motions,” she said.

Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives last week on charges of "violation of the constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes".

Accusations spelled out in the 44-page document include an alleged plot to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, a Marcos cousin.

The Vice President earlier said that her comments – taken from an expletive-filled speech where she claimed herself to be the subject of a plot – had been taken out of context.

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