INQToday: Aghon death toll at 7; VP Sara asks SC to junk petitions vs P125-M OVP confidential funds

Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:

Aghon death toll at 7; Over 51,000 affected

The death toll from Typhoon Aghon (international name: Ewiniar) rose to seven as four more fatalities were reported by the police and local governments in Quezon and Misamis Oriental provinces on Tuesday. The national disaster response agency, however, has so far confirmed only one storm-related death pending verification of its field reports.

In his remarks before he left for a state visit to Brunei Darussalam on Tuesday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said six regionst were worst hit by the typhoon, which triggered floods and landslides, cut electricity supply and displaced thousands over the weekend.

Sara asks SC to dismiss petitions vs P125-M OVP confidential funds

Vice President Sara Duterte, through her counsel, has asked the Supreme Court (SC) to dismiss the petitions to declare the release of the P125 million confidential funds to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in 2022 unconstitutional and void.

In a consolidated comment, Duterte, through former Solicitor General Estelito Mendoza said the petitioners “simply made a blanket allegation that they are taxpayers or concerned citizens.”

DOH: No budget for new vaccines vs ‘FLiRT’ variants of COVID-19

The government has zero budget set aside this year to procure updated doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to protect vulnerable Filipinos from the new “Flirt” variants driving a wave of infections around the world, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

The jabs are seen as crucial to the safety and protection of the elderly as well as people with compromised immune systems from the fast-spreading Flirt variants, which, while not considered deadly, are sparking concerns of a COVID-19 resurgence four years since the advent of the pandemic.