News Roundup 13 August 2023
Aug 13, 2023 • 4 min Read
NCIP issues cease-and-desist order vs miner in Palawan | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples ordered a mining firm to stop its operations in southern Palawan after failing to secure the required certification precondition and consent from indigenous peoples affected by the extraction of nickel ore from their ancestral lands.
In an order dated August 11, NCIP Mimaropa Regional Director Marie Grace Pascua ordered Celestial Nickel Mining Corp. and its operator, Ipilan Nickel Corp., to immediately cease and desist from mining nickel ore in Brooke’s Point town.
They were given five days after the receipt of the cease-and-desist order “to wind up operation and install safety protocols so as not to endanger the community” and “completely cease operation.”
According to the NCIP, the order will only be lifted once CNMEC/INC submits proof that it secured certification precondition and the free, prior, and informed consent of Pala’wan indigenous peoples.
In June, the commission received a resolution of non-consent from Pala’wan indigenous peoples, citing as grounds the alleged lack of respect of INC, material misrepresentation during FPIC process, and bribery of community leaders and members.
The NCIP also said the results of their validation activities “clearly show the true sentiments of the indigenous peoples against the operation of CNMEC/INC within their ancestral domain and their dissent to the earlier memorandum of agreements that were executed.” It added that CNMEC/INC is not exempted from royalty payment.
Full Story at: NCIP issues cease-and-desist order vs miner in Palawan | Philstar.com
Verde Island Passage advocates urge Marcos to halt Batangas reclamation, too | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should also stop coastal reclamation activities in Batangas province for the construction of liquefied natural gas terminals and power plants, a coalition of groups advocating for the protection of Verde Island Passage said.
In a statement, the Protect Verde Island Passage urged Marcos to order the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to review the status of gas terminals around the extremely rich but already fragile marine corridor, the displacement of coastal communities, and the destruction of marine habitats.
“The ongoing reclamation projects in VIP for the construction of fossil gas projects result in turbid waters and make seagrasses, coral reefs, and marine fauna vulnerable to stressors,” Protect VIP lead convenor Edwin Gariguez said.
VIP contains the highest concentration of marine life per unit area, making it the center of marine shore fish diversity in the world. It encompassses the coastlines of Batangas, Romblon, Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, and Oriental Mindoro.
Protect VIP said the marine corridor is at risk of hosting more than 20 gas facilities. Five of the country’s existing gas plants are located in Batangas City.
Full Story at: Verde Island Passage advocates urge Marcos to halt Batangas reclamation, too | Philstar.com
China condemns visit of ‘troublemaker’ Taiwan VP to US | INQUIRER.NET – BEIJING — China’s foreign ministry on Sunday condemned a brief U.S. visit by Taiwan Vice President William Lai, saying he was a separatist and “troublemaker through and through” and Beijing would take strong steps to protect its sovereignty.
Lai, front-runner to be Taiwan’s next president at elections in January, arrived in New York late on Saturday for what is officially a transit on his way to Paraguay for the inauguration of its president.
China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly denounced Lai’s trip, which includes another stopover in San Francisco on Wednesday on his way back to Taipei.
In a statement issued shortly after Lai landed in New York on a scheduled flight from Taipei, China’s foreign ministry said it opposed any form of visit by “Taiwan independence separatists” to the United States.
“Lai stubbornly adheres to the separatist position of Taiwan independence and is a troublemaker through and through,” the ministry said.
Taiwan is the “core of China’s core interests” and facts have shown again and again that the reason for the rise in tensions in the Taiwan Strait is Taiwan trying to “rely on the United States to seek independence”, it said.
Full Story at: China condemns visit of ‘troublemaker’ Taiwan VP to US | Inquirer News
US, Japan to develop hypersonic missile interceptor–Yomiuri | INQUIRER.NET – TOKYO — Japan and the U.S. will agree this week to jointly develop an interceptor missile to counter hypersonic warheads being developed by China, Russia and North Korea, Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper said on Sunday.
The agreement on interceptors to target weapons designed to evade existing ballistic missile defenses is expected when President Joe Biden meets Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the U.S. on Friday, the report said, without giving any source for the information.
Officials at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not be reached for comment outside business hours.
Unlike typical ballistic warheads, which fly on predictable trajectories as they fall from space to their targets, hypersonic projectiles can change course, making them more difficult to target.
Biden and Kishida are to meet the sidelines of a trilateral summit with South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, the Yomiuri said.
Full Story at: US, Japan to develop hypersonic missile interceptor–Yomiuri | Inquirer News
