News Roundup 06 August 2023
Aug 06, 2023 • 4 min Read
US says China’s ‘dangerous’ actions in Philippine waters threaten regional stability | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The United States condemned China Coast Guard’s blocking and water-cannoning of Philippine vessels on a supply mission, saying these directly jeopardized peace and stability in the region.
In a statement Sunday, the US State Department said Washington stands with the Philippines following the “dangerous” actions by Chinese coast guard and maritime militia in the West Philippine Sea.
“Firing water cannons and employing unsafe blocking maneuvers, PRC ships interfered with the Philippines’ lawful exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and jeopardized the safety of the Philippine vessels and crew,” the US State Department said.
“By impeding necessary provisions from reaching the Filipino service members stationed at Second Thomas Shoal, the PRC has also undertaken unwarranted interference in lawful Philippine maritime operations,” it added.
The US stressed that China has no lawful claim to the maritime area around Ayungin Shoal—also known as Second Thomas Shoal—as it is located well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Full Story at: US says China’s ‘dangerous’ actions in Philippine waters threaten regional stability | Philstar.com
Philippines condemns China’s use of water cannons at its vessels | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines (Updated 5:58 p.m.) — The country’s coast guard and military condemned on Sunday what they called the China Coast Guard’s “dangerous” actions after it fired water cannons at Philippine vessels, the latest of Beijing’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea.
“The Philippine Coast Guard strongly condemns the CCG’s dangerous maneuvers and illegal use of water cannons against the PCG vessels escorting the indigenous boats chartered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” the PCG said in a statement.
The incident happened Saturday as the Coast Guard escorted boats carrying food, water, fuel and other supplies for military personnel stationed on BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
The PCG called on CCG to restrain its forces, respect the sovereign rights of the Philippines in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, refrain from hampering freedom of navigation, and take appropriate actions against those involved in the incident.
In a separate statement, the AFP said a second boat was unable to unload supplies and could not complete the rotation and resupply mission following the incident. It called the CCG’s actions “excessive and offensive.”
Full Story at: Philippines condemns China’s use of water cannons at its vessels | Philstar.com
President doesn’t appear to treat PH territory issues with importance — ACT solon | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Following the Chinese Coast Guard’s (CCG) water cannon attack in the West Philippine Sea, Makabayan lawmaker and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. does not seem to treat the issue of territory and sovereignty as important.
“Pres. Marcos did not even mention the issue during his last State of the Nation Address and even in his budget message, is the issue of our territory and sovereignty not important to [him]?” Castro said in a statement issued on Sunday.
The lawmaker questioned the chief executive’s silence on the issue after CCG blocked and used water cannon on PCG vessels en route for a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea on August 5.
“Patuloy ang ganitong harassment at pag-atake sa mga Filipino lalo na ang ating mga mangingisda, tapos may gana pa ang China na mag-alok daw ng joint military exercises pero ganito naman ang kanilang ginagawa. Ano bang tingin nila sa atin uto-uto at susunod na lang sa gusto nila tulad ni Duterte?” Castro said.
(This kind of harassment and attacks on Filipinos, especially our fishermen, continues, and China even has the appetite to offer joint military exercises, but this is what they are doing. What do they think of us as idiots and next time they want to be like [former President Rodrigo] Duterte?)
Full Story at: President doesn’t appear to treat PH territory issues with importance — ACT solon | Inquirer News
1/5 of OVP budget are intel, confidential funds | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Over a fifth of the proposed budget for the Office of Vice President (OVP) will be used for its “confidential” expenditures in 2024, the second year in a row that the OVP would be seeking a fund that does not require public disclosure of its accounting, unlike other regular government spending.
As education secretary, Vice President Sara Duterte again proposed a P150-million confidential fund for next year, the same amount that was given by Congress to the Department of Education (DepEd) in the 2023 budget.
The P500-million confidential fund sought by the OVP would account for 21 percent of its proposed 2024 budget of P2.374 billion, which is 1 percent higher than its budget of P2.343 billion for 2023.
It is more than the P471.29 million in confidential funds that the Department of Justice is asking for next year.
DepEd’s budget totals P712.44 billion, the second-biggest proposed allocation behind the P822.2 billion for the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Opposition lawmakers and critics of confidential and intelligence funds, particularly for agencies not directly involved in national security, say the money should instead be allocated for services, projects and programs that directly benefit the people.
Full Story at: 1/5 of OVP budget are intel, confidential funds | Inquirer News
