Duque: Poster boy for pathological incompetence amounting to criminal negligence?

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The Philippines would have secured the delivery of 10 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines as early as January next year had Health Secretary Francisco Duque III worked on the documentary requirements needed for the deal. - Inquirer 

Senator Ping Lacson said that a Cabinet secretary "dropped the ball" in the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines but still "stays in the game", adding that "the coach refuses to replace him."  

Baka naman di nadrop ang ball... talagang iba ang gusto.

Baka ito ang game plan ng coach na ilaglag ang laro...

O tapos, hanggang blind item n lng ba and call out yan? Dami ng sabit nyan walang accountability!

Lacson says the negotiation between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and DFA Sec Teodoro Locsin Jr. as arranged by US PH Ambassador to the US Babe Romualdez started as early as July. 

Sen. Lacson: A single document that DOH Sec. Duque failed to submit was cause of PH missing out on chance to acquire 10M doses of Pfizer vaccine as early as January, an opportunity that went to Singapore. 

The negligence is glaring. It’s not enough to demand resignation since Duterte keeps defending him with full trust. And it’s just sickening. With all their crimes against the masses, Duque and Duterte should be held accountable. Tangina niyo talagaaaa

And btw, just name names. Waste of bandwidth ang coyness ni Lacson.

Sino vac kasi yung talagang makikinabang? 

So we have no vaccines at naiipit tayo ngayong lahat umoorder na all because tinamad si Duque... or nanadya dahil gusto nya unahin ang China. 

Just let that sink in. 

Baka intentional ang 'failed to submit' dahil gusto nila sa Sinovac bumili. Hehe. Kaya din mabitawan ng Poon dahil personal lackey nya si Duque. Gising2x din pag may time.

Gising-gising na po mga kapwa ko Filipino. Matagal na tayong ginagago ng pamahalaan na ito. Sana naman po magka-isa tayo na baguhin ang bulok na sistema na ito.

And yet the president STILL has full trust in Duque. What say you, 91%?

The bagman (Sec. Duque) intentionally dropped the ball as his coach told him so. What can you expect from someone who works for the pleasure of the President?

Order ni Dutz na bitinin ang required documents para favor sa Sinovac. Di naman gagalaw si Duque na walang basbas ni Digong.

Tuta ng Tsina ang nag utos na wag kumpletuhin ang dokumento.

Wala din talagang delicadeza si Sec. Duque dahil ayaw pa mag resign even if the public is clamoring for it. He will be Duterte's downfall or baka si Duterte talaga nagpipilit na manatili si Duque.

Hidden agenda nila kasi yung Sinovac of China ang makuha para makinabang silang mga kurap. Lol.

Alam na! All to accomodate China' Sinovac first. Doon ba sila kikita dahil sobrang mahal?

Of course Duque will not do something that would not please PDuts. They are with China in all of this from the very start.

Scapegoat! Puppet na puppet ang galawan. Hindi natatanggal sa puwesto kahit patung-patong na mali ang magagawa.

So enraged with Duque and DDS government to prioritize China over health of Filipinos. Nakakagalit!

Nakakatulog pa ba ng maayos ang mga taong to? O puro bangungot na inaabot dahil sa konsensya?

What the hell is Secretary Duque talking about reviewing the technicalities of the Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement?! It's a freaking document that's usually 2-5pages long that basically tells the parties to not discuss any confidential info like formulation, manufacturing info.

Duque should really be held accountable. A lapse on his part may cause death/casualty to the filipino citizen.Time is a limited resource and he is definitely wasting it. It reeks incompetence.

Let's not fool ourselves that this is just a case of negligence, DOH has its own Legal Division that can easily prepare the NDA, it need not even be reviewed by the Office of the Solicitor General, meron malalim na dahilan yan di lang nasama si Sec Teddy at Amb. Babe sa usapan.

If it was intentional, he may have the intent. It means Duque or the admin MAY have fixed a deal or eyeing a vaccine other than Pfizer. Either way, they must be held accountable. But the President's soooo twisted I don't expect it.

Duque just signed up for his death wish.

This man will cower in fear every time he comes out in public after Duterte's term, if he is not in prison.

It’s sad how it’s becoming a norm for this administration to be this incompetent and corrupt.

Pahirap at pasakit sa bayan! Ang daming  kapalpakan na mga desisyon! Kaya pa ba nating sikmurain ang ganitong mga nagpapatakbo sa bansa natin? 

We dont’t need incompetent leaders!

Sabwatan nga ni Dutae at Duque yan...magnanakaw at nagnanakaw talaga ng pera hanggat meron....gaya ng PPE na overprice at yung 15billion ng Philhealth.... ang daming nakawan!

Sa Pfizer vaccine meron na salarin

Bat pa yan patatagalin

Napakalaking mali dapat sibakin

O baka naman sadya para mas maraming bilihin

Mula sa ka deal na SinoVac vaccine?

Aminin!

Kawawang Pilipinas lagi nalang kulelat ngayon. In late 50’s early 60’s first in infrastructure. Vietnam seems to be in a better situation today.

So what happens now? I’m sure there will be a program designed to deviate from this massive blunder. A feeble attempt at damage control in order to deflect from the rotten core of Philippine politics. And all this time, no one is held accountable.

Question: ano kaso pwedeng isampa to an official for failure to save lives? Negligence equal to manslaughter?

Baka wala na yung perang inuutang na nakalaan for the vaccine to give way for the favored vaccine now?

Hindi pa tapos ang listahan kung paano makaka-kickback?

Isa talaga silang mga pagong sa kangkungan?

I guess nothing should faze me now with all the costly blunders key people in the government are doing. But this hurts. Sad to say, those in power think the people are expendable.

We are worlds away in healthcare because we have out-of-this-world leaders. Pastilan!!  

Again and again Duque has proved that he is no longer fit for his position. Resign now!

Thus, #DuqueResign. Pakisali na rin si Duterte.

4th WWF assessment finds that banks in ASEAN, Japan, and South Korea need to accelerate ESG efforts amid improvements in sustainability performance

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The fourth assessment of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) integration performance shows signs of progress, but banks in ASEAN, Japan, and South Korea must step up their ambitions to match global momentum.

WWF’s 2020 Sustainable Banking Assessment (SUSBA), which now includes 5 Japanese and 5 South Korean banks together with 38 ASEAN banks, finds that the banks assessed have made progress in integrating environmental and social considerations into their financing activities, but still have large gaps that leave their portfolios vulnerable to risks arising from climate change and nature loss. The assessment is based on a framework covering 6 aspects of overall ESG integration (Purpose, Policies, Processes, People, Products, Portfolio) and a new Sectors & Issues deep-dive analysis on sector policies.

SUSBA 2020 marks the fourth assessment by WWF and it has found a significant level of progress with over 75% of ASEAN banks making some improvement, and almost 30% improving on at least 10% of the assessment criteria from 2019. While there was a doubling of ASEAN banks fulfilling at least half of the 70 criteria, from 4 to 8, this remains a small proportion. 45% of banks fulfilled less than a quarter of the criteria, compared to 51% last year. While Korean banks scored similar to the ASEAN average, Japanese banks performed above this average.

WWF’s Senior Vice President of Asia Sustainable Finance, Dr Keith Lee, said, “Besides banks in ASEAN, this year’s assessment also includes major Japanese and South Korean banks. They play a significant role in financing businesses not just in their home countries but in Southeast Asia as well. The interdependence of Asia’s economies necessitates a harmonized approach to sustainable finance in which all banks contribute to sustainable development, and we hope to facilitate this by including these banks in SUSBA this year.”

The Japanese banks tended to score well on climate-related criteria. All banks explicitly disclosed in line with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations of climate-related governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets. They also scored well on the Products pillar, with every bank achieving at least 75% of the criteria. Most not only offer green finance products and have targets to increase such financing, but also support clients more proactively with consulting services or awareness-raising activities.

The Korean banks scored well on disclosing how they have incorporated sustainability into their visions and long-term strategies, at a similar level to ASEAN banks. However, most had insufficient disclosure on the policies and processes used to manage ESG risk in their financing activities. Notably, KB Kookmin Bank (as part of KB Financial Group) is the first South Korean bank to implement a ban on all new coal-fired power plant construction projects.



The Philippine banks assessed all consider sustainable finance and/or climate change a material issue, and 4 out of 7 disclose offering green financial solutions. However, the said banks have yet to disclose any policies or requirements for specific sectors that are particularly sensitive to environmental and social (E&S) considerations. With the new BSP Sustainable Finance Framework in place, 3 Philippine banks are well-positioned to meet new regulatory requirements in terms of having standardized frameworks for E&S due diligence.

The assessment found the following key results across ASEAN, Japan and South Korea.

All 5 Japanese banks and 60% of Korean banks have a strategy to manage climate-related risks and are listed as TCFD supporters. 24% of ASEAN banks have a climate strategy - quadruple the number from 2019, which indicates progress despite ASEAN banks remaining behind the curve.

34% of ASEAN banks recognize deforestation and biodiversity risks, a modest increase of 3 more than last year. While all 5 Japanese banks recognize deforestation risks, none have made similar commitments to eradicating deforestation in their portfolios.

Only 21% of ASEAN banks and 20% of Korean banks recognize water risks beyond pollution. 1 Japanese bank and a few ASEAN banks recognize water pollution as a risk, but otherwise overlook the threats of water scarcity or flooding. No bank requires clients to conduct water risk assessments or practice water stewardship. However, water risks can be material to businesses, with up to US$425 billion of value at risk globally.

The Sectors & Issues analysis found that Korean and Japanese banks are taking steps to reduce coal-related financing. Shinhan Bank and the 5 Japanese banks have policies prohibiting financing of coal-fired power plant projects, though these policies have exceptions for certain types of technology or carbon capture. MUFG, Mizuho and SMBC have also announced timelines by which to end coal-related financing. However, 91% of ASEAN banks assessed continue to finance new coal-fired power plants. DBS, OCBC and UOB are the only ASEAN banks to have prohibited the financing of new coal-fired power plants, while CIMB has announced its intentions to issue a coal policy by end-2020. Continued financing of coal leaves banks exposed to climate-related transition risks, such as carbon taxes and technological obsolescence.

Encouragingly, 53% of ASEAN banks are now engaging with regulators on sustainable finance topics - a major increase over last year’s 31%.

In a promising sign, 35% of banks have set quantified targets to increase financing of more sustainable projects or businesses, including 4 Japanese and 2 Korean banks. Achieving these targets should help banks to generate positive impacts from their financing activities. However, banks can adopt a more strategic approach by setting science-based targets to decarbonize their portfolios, which will become ever more important as banks continue to face increasing pressure from investors to manage ESG risks. Of the 48 Asian banks assessed, Shinhan Bank (as part of Shinhan Financial Group) is the first to formally commit to setting science-based targets under the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

“Many banks made good progress this year. Maintaining this progress into 2021 will be challenging but crucial as the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic. Banks have an important role to play; just as they help businesses recover from the pandemic, they are pivotal to navigating the climate and nature emergencies. This crisis has shown that society is more exposed to nature risk than ever, but with the right corrective actions, we can emerge stronger and more resilient,” said Dr Lee.

Speech of Amir at the Eighteenth Session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Doha Carbon and Energy Forum

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Here's the full text of the Amir's speech

In the Name of God the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

Your Excellency President Emmanuel Macron,

Your Excellency Prime Minister Andrew Holness,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, it gives me pleasure to thank His Excellency the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, for his appreciated efforts in preparing and organizing this important summit.

The phenomenon of climate change is undoubtedly one of the serious challenges of our time. It is a problem that is continuously exacerbating and causing many problems which intertwine in their economic, environmental and social dimensions and have very serious negative repercussions on all forms of life including human life and on both developed and developing countries alike, especially on the tracks of the sustainable development which all peoples aspire to.

This serious phenomenon makes it incumbent upon the international community to cooperate and double efforts to confront it and reduce its repercussions. It is sufficient for us to look at the devastation caused by Hurricane Durian in the Bahamas and the suffering of its population to realize the dire need for such cooperation.

All states must fulfill their responsibilities and honor their commitments which international agreements have established to this effect.

Honorable Audience,

The State of Qatar has assumed its responsibility as an active partner in the international community to confront the climate change phenomenon. In 2012, it hosted the Eighteenth Session of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Doha Carbon and Energy Forum, in which international experts participated to develop public policy recommendations for this sector and for governments on climate change and alternative energy, and carbon capture and storage. The State of Qatar has also spared no effort to ensure the success of negotiations of the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015.

At the national level, the State of Qatar - in the light of its National Vision 2030 - has taken many measures to develop technologies taking into consideration climate change and adoption of clean energy, through the optimal use of water in order to reduce the loss of desalinated water, encouragement of recycling and reuse of water, improving air quality, promoting the efficiency of using gas and energy, waste recycling and increasing green spaces.

In the same context, and to achieve our long-term environmental goals, the State of Qatar has prepared a set of fixed goals, the most important of which are those related to renewable energy to generating 200 megawatts from solar energy within the next two years which will increase to 500 megawatts afterwards, and we are seeking to regulate carbon pricing as a means of reducing emissions and driving investments towards cleaner options.

We, as hosting country of FIFA World Cup 2022, are committed to organizing an environment-friendly tournament and the first "carbon neutral" tournament through the use of solar-powered stadiums and the use of cooling and lighting technology that is water and energy-saving.

I would also like to point out that Qatar Sovereign Wealth Fund assumes an active role in combating climate change, through Qatar Investment Authority, a founding member of the "One Planet" Global Sovereign Wealth Fund, which has been established in accordance with the initiative of HE President Macron to promote green investments and accelerate efforts to take into account climate change issues in the investment sector and management of sovereign wealth funds.

Qatar Sovereign Wealth Fund will promote and encourage green investments activities and adopt low-carbon economic growth, which helps realize climate goals of the Paris Agreement, support the Sustainable Development Goals and allocate investments in sustainable natural resources.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Within the framework of the State of Qatars keenness to assume its role as an active partner with the international community I announce the State of Qatars contribution of an amount of $100 million for the support of small developing island states and the least developed states to deal with the climate change, natural hazards, environmental challenges and to build the capacity to counter their destructive effects.

In conclusion, I wish to this summit success and the achievement of its desired goals for the good of humanity.