News Roundup 11 February 2024
Feb 11, 2024 • 5 min Read
China has no say in Batanes military plans — DND | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — China has no business dictating the Philippines’ actions within its territory, the Department of National Defense (DND) said after Beijing warned against boosting Manila’s military presence in Batanes.
The DND responded to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s statement last week, in which he warned the Philippines to “tread carefully and don’t play with fire” after Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said he wanted increased military presence in the country’s northernmost province
“The defense department stresses that Batanes is Philippine territory and China has no business warning the Philippines about what it does within its territory,” the DND said in a statement Saturday.
The DND stressed that it is mandated to secure the sovereignty of the Philippines’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Last week, Secretary Teodoro called for an increased military presence and infrastructure development in Batanes, calling the province the “spearhead of the Philippines.”
This prompted Wang’s response that “the Taiwan question is at the heart of China’s core interests and is a red line and bottom line that must not be crossed.”
Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to take the democratic island one day—by force, if necessary.
Batanes province lies less than 200 kilometers from Taiwan.
“China should refrain from engaging in provocative rhetoric and activities if it truly wants to earn the widespread trust and respect that it is trying so hard to gain but has, so far, been unable to,” the DND said.
Story at: China has no say in Batanes military plans — DND | Philstar.com
PCG patrol in Bajo de Masinloc detects 8 Chinese vessels | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines (Updated 3:12 p.m.) — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported Sunday that it had monitored the presence of eight Chinese vessels during a patrol earlier this month in Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea.
Throughout its nine-day patrol in Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, PCG’s BRP Teresa Magbanua detected the presence of four China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels.
According to the Coast Guard, the CCG vessels shadowed BRP Teresa Magbanua “on more than 40 occasions,” coming as close as 176 meters.
“The CCG vessels performed dangerous and blocking maneuvers at sea against BRP Teresa Magbanua four times, with the CCG vessels crossing the bow of the PCG vessel twice,” PCG said.
It also observed four Chinese maritime militia boats during its patrol.
“BRP Teresa Magbanua professionally engaged the Chinese maritime ships through radio, reiterating the clear and principled position of the Philippines in accordance with international law,” the PCG said.
BRP Teresa Magbanua, a 97-meter patrol vessel, was deployed to safeguard Filipino fishermen in the area. The Coast Guard also distributed food packs to over 100 Filipino fishermen operating in Bajo de Masinloc.
“The Coast Guard’s white ships will consistently ensure Filipino fishermen’s safety and welfare,” said Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, commandant of the PCG.
Full Story at: PCG patrol in Bajo de Masinloc detects 8 Chinese vessels | Philstar.com
Groups say enforcing ICC arrest warrant in PH ‘not impossible’ | INQUIRER.NET – The enforcement in the Philippines of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) is “not impossible,” according to the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL).
Although the country is no longer a member of the ICC, the Philippine National Police may still be compelled to enforce the warrant under certain circumstances, the NUPL said on Saturday in a joint statement with the group Rise Up for Life and for Rights.
“The PNP may be ordered to implement the warrant on orders of the President—upon an extradition request, out of comity, or in compliance with international obligations,” the groups said.
Lawyer Kristina Conti, ICC assistant to counsel, explained that “comity” is the “recognition and respect for the processes of one court to another.”
The two groups also noted that the Philippines is a member of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). The ICC has an agreement on data exchange and cooperation with that agency.
They said the Interpol “could be requested to provide information and share communications about fugitives.”
Full Story at: Groups say enforcing ICC arrest warrant in PH ‘not impossible’ (inquirer.net)
Use facts, not opinions to back Cha-cha, Escudero tells resource persons | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Present facts rather than opinions in arguing for support of Charter change, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero reminded resource persons attending the hearings on the issue.
On Feb. 5, a Senate subcommittee led by Sen. Sonny Angara deliberated on the Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 (RBH6), which seeks to amend three economic provisions in the Constitution, particularly on public utilities, education, and advertising.
But on Sunday, Escudero lamented the lack of a data-driven approach among Cha-cha supporters who spoke during the session.
“I hope that our invited resource persons will not only express opinions. I hope whatever they say is based on solid research and solid data because each of us has our own opinion on whether those amendments are necessary or not. So that we can at least compare between data and not opinions alone,” Escudero said, speaking partly, in Filipino in a radio interview.
“‘He who alleges must prove the same. The one who claims that we need to do something, he should be the one to prove that we really need to do it,” he added.
No data
During the Senate deliberation, resource persons Orion Dumdum, former Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, and Former National and Economic Development Authority Director General Gerardo Sicat voiced support for Cha-cha.
Escudero noted that among them, Dumdum and Teves only talked about their opinions and did not cite actual studies for their claims.
Full Story at: Use facts, not opinions to back Cha-cha, Escudero tells resource persons | Inquirer News
