News Roundup 15 December 2023
Dec 15, 2023 • 4 min Read
China is ‘converting South China Sea into a lake of China,’ says Teodoro | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro on Friday said China is attempting to convert the entire China sea into its own lake.
To back his statement, Teodoro noted China’s use of massive coast guard vessels while navigating Philippine waters is a testament to its attempt to enforce domestic presence in the whole South China Sea.
“China is trying to [unilaterally change] the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and international law by letting other countries submit [to] the unilateral claim of the whole South China Sea as its internal waters,” said Teodoro in an interview over ANC.
“Meaning to say, it’s converting the South China Sea into a lake of China,” he observed.
“And that is why it’s using coast guard vessels which are huge and massive — equivalent to naval vessels – to enforce domestic and criminal Chinese law in the whole South China sea,” he explained.
Full Story at: China is ‘converting South China Sea into a lake of China,’ says Teodoro | Global News (inquirer.net)
Drilon backs P450-B hike in 2024 unprogrammed funds | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Former senator Franklin Drilon defended the increase in the proposed 2024 national budget’s unprogrammed funds.
“I find no constitutional violation in the increase of funding for unprogrammed funds. It becomes a non-issue as long as they adhere to the conditions outlined for releasing the funds,” said Drilon in a statement issued on Friday.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III earlier flagged the bicameral conference committee’s decision to add a P450 billion to the unprogrammed appropriations of the 2024 budget, which he said is unconstitutional.
With this supposed hike, Pimentel said the national fund for next year would be running under a P6 trillion appropriation.
Drilon, who used to chair the Senate committee on finance, explained that unprogrammed funds are only standby appropriations that are are distinct from the approved fiscal program of the national government.
Full Story at: Drilon backs P450-B hike in 2024 unprogrammed funds | Inquirer News
Transport strike ‘until New Year’ set vs 2024 prohibition on unconsolidated jeepneys | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Transport groups Piston and Manibela are set to link arms again for a two-week transport strike starting December 18 to protest the widespread prohibition of unconsolidated PUVs starting January.
The announcement comes after officials from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) signed the controversial Memorandum Circular 2023-051 on Thursday.
“In all routes WITHOUT CONSOLIDATED [Transport Service Entities], all Provisional Authorities (PA) issued to INDIVIDUAL OPERATORS are DEEMED REVOKED effective 01 January 2024, and the units authorized therein shall not be confirmed for purposes of registration as public utility vehicles.
“Our transport strike, our protest, had only begun. Next week, Piston and Manibela are going to continue with the tigil-pasada one week until Christmas or until the end of the year,” said Manibela president Mar Valbuena in Filipino on Friday.
“Transport strike starting Monday… It might even be extended until January.”
Valbuena gave the announcement after joining Piston’s latest transport strike, which is currently on its second day.
Piston, who claims to have paralyzed 90% of Metro Manila’s major routes on Thursday, earlier called for the junking of the December 31 deadline for consolidation under cooperatives — a move that could take away the livelihood of 140,000 jeepney and UV Express drivers, excluding 60,000 operators.
“On January 1, we are planning to wage a nationwide transportation strike,” said Piston president Mody Floranda.
Full Story at: Transport strike ‘until New Year’ set vs 2024 prohibition on unconsolidated jeepneys | Philstar.com
Amid MSU bombing, defense chief urges review of campus ban on security forces | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Department of National Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro has maintained that there was no “failure of intelligence” that led to the fatal bombing of a gymnasium inside the Mindanao State University in Marawi City on December 3.
Defending the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Teodoro stressed that what happened was officials’ “failure to appreciate” the intelligence sent to them, but he did not categorically name the institution or authorities who did so.
“We have been very vigilant in trying to track down these people. Naturally, there are weak links in the chain in areas beyond our control,” Teodor told ANC’s Headstart on Friday.
The defense chief said that there is a need for the “appropriate authorities” to review the policy of the MSU that restricts the entry of police and military personnel — a policy that Teodoro said was similar to that of the now-dead defense accords of the University of the Philippines.
“It’s safe for me to say that had there been police or military inside the compound, there would have been appropriate measures that could have forestalled this incident,” Teodoro said, adding that MSU keeps its own security force.
Full Story at: Amid MSU bombing, defense chief urges review of campus ban on security forces | Philstar.com
