News Roundup 08 August 2022
Aug 08, 2022 • 5 min Read
Activist, former VP bet Walden Bello arrested for cyberlibel | PHILSTAR.COM – The police authorities served former vice-presidential candidate Walden Bello a warrant of arrest at around 4 p.m. in his house in Quezon City on Monday in relation to the cyberlibel charges filed against him by a former Davao City employee. Bello is facing two charges and his team said they plan on posting bail of P48,000 for each count. Speaking to the media present during his arrest, Bello said he is “innocent of the charge.” Press freedom and freedom of expression advocates have long called for the decriminalization of libel, which is often used to harass and silence journalists and dissenters. In a Facebook post on Sunday, Bello recalled meeting a supporter at a neighborhood McDonald’s and called the encounter a “good omen to begin the week,” just before he is served the “long-awaited warrant of arrest for cyberlibel.” Bello is facing charges filed by former Davao city information officer Jefry Tupas in March this year after Bello called her a “drug dealer.” Tupas was working under for Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio — since elected vice president — when she was relieved from her post at the local government. She was found attending a party in Davao de Oro in November last year, where P1.5-million worth of illegal drugs were later seized in the raid.
Blinken calls on countries to ‘play by the rules’ in West Philippine Sea | PHILSTAR.COM – When it comes to maritime disputes, particularly on the West Philippine Sea, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington hopes that all countries would “play by the rules” to ensure stability. “From our perspective, it’s very important to uphold the law, uphold the rules, uphold the norms countries agree to together because even if it’s something we’re not directly in,” Blinken told the ABS-CBN’s News Channel. “If we allow these things to erode, if international law is violated with impunity then everything risks eroding and falling apart.” He emphasized that the global community has been following the international rules-based order, which is influenced by the United Nations Charter and international law. Blinken mentioned that ensuring that the Philippines is able to secure its maritime domain is important to the US as “allies, friends, and partners.” The disputed waters has been the source of tensions between China and the Philippines. While a 2016 arbitration ruling already states that Manila has a stake in the disputed waters, China refuses to recognize the award and has harassed Filipino vessels treading the waters. The Philippines has so far filed 152 diplomatic protests against China this year, putting the total number of protests against its neighboring country to 412 since 2016. The US previously said that commitments under its Mutual Defense Treaty with Manila will be activated if external forces attack on any Philippine ships or any of its armed forces. Blinken reaffirmed the US’ “iron-clad commitment” to the security pact during his quick stop to Manila over the weekend. Under the treaty, Manalo said that the two countries may launch joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea. Asked about the possibility of conducting joint patrols in the waters, Washington’s top diplomat said “there are lots of things that we can do together beyond what we’ve done in the past.” He said the two countries can collaborate more beyond the security domain to other areas such as addressing climate change and health.
Ramos rejected power grab twice – Almonte | INQUIRER.NET – The late former President Fidel V. Ramos had twice rejected calls to take over the government during critical periods which also imperiled the country, according to his former national security adviser. Because of this refusal to seize power when he could have, Ramos deserved to be revered as a national hero along with the likes of Dr. Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, and Antonio Luna, “who helped the birth of a new sovereign nation,” Jose Almonte said in his eulogy to his former boss at Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City on Saturday. Ramos died on July 31 at the age of 94. Almonte, 90, recalled that when Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and his family fled to Hawaii in February 1986 after the Edsa People Power Revolution which toppled his regime, “there was a vacuum in terms of national leadership.” Almonte said there were debating “voices” on who should replace Marcos, as they considered the dictator’s challenger Corazon Aquino, or any of the key players in the withdrawal of support for Marcos — then vice chief of taff of the Armed Forces Ramos, or then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile. But Ramos balked at that proposal, Almonte said, as he quoted him saying: “I don’t want to be a part of a decision or action that will make this nation a banana republic ruled by the barrel of a gun.” After Aquino became president, at least nine coups were mounted against her government. But Ramos, who served as her military chief and later defense secretary, stood by her government. Almonte recalled that during the 1989 coup, considered the deadliest in Aquino’s presidency as the mutineers came close to seizing power, some Cabinet members had suggested to Ramos that he take over “because Cory could no longer govern [or] even protect herself.” The former adviser of Ramos quoted him as saying in response: “I don’t want to preside over the dissolution of the republic. If there’s anybody in the military, police, or the civilian government who would like to be president, let them resign or retire, whichever it may be, then submit themselves to elections.” Almonte said further, quoting Ramos: “Tell your friends that I, as secretary of defense, will defend the government of Cory Aquino and ensure her personal safety is in place.”
