News Roundup 10 January 2023
Joseph Guerrero in News and Updates
Jan 10, 2023 • 3 min Read
SC rules Arroyo-era joint exploration with China, Vietnam unconstitutional | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court declared the Tripartite Agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) among companies from China, Vietnam and Philippines — signed by the administration of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo — as unconstitutional and void.
Voting 12-2-1 on Tuesday, the SC en banc held that the JMSU by and among China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (PETROVIETNAM), and the Philippine National Oil Company that covers 142,886 square meters in the South China Sea is unconstitutional.
“The Court ruled that the JSMU is unconstitutional for allowing wholly-owned foreign corporations to participate in the exploration of the country’s natural resources without observing the safeguards provided in Section 2, Article XII of the 1987 Constitution,” the statement from the SC Public Information Office read.
Full Story at: SC rules Arroyo-era joint exploration with China, Vietnam unconstitutional | Philstar.com
Transport officials now deny calling air traffic management system ‘outdated’ | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — After having called the air traffic management system that failed on New Year’s Day “outdated,” transport officials claimed Tuesday before a House of Representatives panel that they never characterized the equipment as such.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General Manuel Antonio Tamayo both denied during the hearing of the House transportation committee that they called the Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems for Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) outdated.
“I did not say that the equipment is outdated,” Bautista said in Filipino. “There was a technical problem. Although I mentioned that this system is in its midlife.”
Rep. Romeo Acop (Antipolo City), who chairs the transportation panel, read an Inquirer.net story on the news briefing of transportation officials on the night of the outage and asked Tamayo to confirm if it is true that the air traffic equipment is “outdated.”
Full Story at: Transport officials now deny calling air traffic management system ‘outdated’ | Philstar.com
Faustino: ‘I cannot allow AFP’s reputation to be tarnished, maligned, or politicized’ | INQUIRER.NET –MANILA, Philippines — Resigned officer-in-charge of the Department of National Defense (DND) Jose Faustino Jr. on Tuesday said he decided to leave his post to protect the reputation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
In a statement issued a day after Malacañang announced that he has resigned and has named former AFP chief of staff Carlito Galvez Jr. as his replacement, Faustino explained that he “cannot allow the AFP’s reputation to be tarnished, maligned, or politicized.”
According to the retired military general, he submitted his “irrevocable letter of resignation” on January 6, only after learning about the swearing-in of a new AFP chief in Malacañang from the news and social media.
Full Story at: Faustino: ‘I cannot allow AFP’s reputation to be tarnished, maligned, or politicized’ | Inquirer News
At least nine DND officials tender courtesy resignation — spox | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — At least nine officials of the Department of National Defense (DND) have tendered their courtesy resignation after Jose Faustino Jr. stepped down as the department’s officer-in-charge, its spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said on Tuesday.
Andolong also said that five undersecretaries and four assistant secretaries have tendered their courtesy resignations.
Full Story at: At least nine DND officials tender courtesy resignation — spox | Inquirer News
