News Roundup 21 February 2024
Feb 21, 2024 • 4 min Read
US embassy ‘confident’ Quiboloy will face justice for his crimes | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The United States is confident that controversial pastor Apollo Quiboloy will eventually face the charges filed against him in the US.
In a statement on Wednesday, the United States Embassy in the Philippines said Quiboloy will face justice for his “heinous crimes.”
This comes after the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) Founder accused the United States government of plotting to “eliminate” him with the help of the Philippine government — accusations he spouted after being summoned by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Earlier this week, Quiboloy was slapped with a subpoena order by both chambers of Congress after he snubbed committee hearings related to KOJC and the television network it owns, SMNI.
Quiboloy’s 37-minute audio message posted on social media on Wednesday alleged that the Philippine government, including lawmakers, are plotting to kill him and his church leaders.
Quiboloy also alleged that a “rendition” would be conducted on him.
The US embassy reiterated that Quiboloy has been responsible for several rights abuses and is on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list.
“For more than a decade, Apollo Quiboloy engaged in serious human rights abuses, including a pattern of systemic and pervasive rape of girls as young as 11 years old, and he is currently on the FBI’s Most Wanted List,” the US embassy said.
Full Story at: US embassy ‘confident’ Quiboloy will face justice for his crimes | Philstar.com
53 Mindanaoan lawmakers reject Duterte’s calls for Mindanao secession | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Fifty-three House lawmakers from Mindanao signed a manifesto on Wednesday that expressed opposition to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s proposal to secede Mindanao, saying that the challenges that have beset the region can be solved through a “united and sovereign Philippines.”
The manifesto — signed by 57 House members overall, including some partylist representatives and one lawmaker from Visayas — rejected Duterte’s calls for an independent Mindanao as this would go against what they described as their “belief in national unity” and “the power of inclusive development.”
The manifesto also acknowledged the problems plaguing Mindanao’s development but emphasized the need for collective action and shared responsibility.
The current Marcos administration’s efforts to address disparities in the region “reinforce our conviction that the aspirations of Mindanaoans for autonomy, recognition and development can be realized more effectively with the context of a united and sovereign Philippines,” the manifesto read.
The statement also added that the path to “peace and security” is aligned with the government’s commitment to reconciliation and the empowerment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Full Story at: 53 Mindanaoan lawmakers reject Duterte’s calls for Mindanao secession | Philstar.com
WPS economic sanctions to hurt PH, but China even more | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines—The shift in policy on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) from Rodrigo Duterte’s appeasement to Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s assertiveness has raised fears, baseless or not, over the row’s impact on China’s investments in and trade with the Philippines.
Here’s why.
According to a report by the Research and Special Studies Division of the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), “research focusing on the People’s Republic of China and its use of economic statecraft, including economic coercion, has started to emerge in recent years.”
“With its increasing economic clout, being the second largest economy in the world, the world’s largest trading state, and the world’s largest holder of foreign currency reserves, it is therefore unsurprising that China is using its newfound economic power as leverage in dealing with other states,” it read.
As cited in the article, Jonathan Kirshner, a professor of political science and international studies in the United States, explained that economic coercion, especially on trade, is highly likely. As the NDCP report said, the Philippines has experienced it already after the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal standoff between the Philippine and Chinese navies in 2012.
The report pointed out that China’s retaliation was to ban agricultural products, especially bananas, from the Philippines. Chinese citizens were discouraged, too, from visiting the Philippines because of “security concerns.”
Full Story at: WPS economic sanctions to hurt PH, but China even more (inquirer.net)
38th Edsa revolution anniv ‘more meaningful’ amid Cha-cha drive — groups | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The commemoration of the 38th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution on February 25 will be more meaningful this year as it would coincide with calls to preserve the 1987 Constitution, several groups said on Wednesday.
According to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Secretary-General Mong Palatino, the Edsa People Power anniversary is especially important this year because it has a “more urgent theme.”
“Mas meaningful ang dahilan ngayon dahil ang tema hindi lang commemoration ng Edsa kundi, ang nais sana ng mga grupo ay labanan ang Cha-cha (Charter change). Iyon ang urgent issue na nagbigkis sa maraming grupo,” Palatino told INQUIRER.net.
(The reason is more meaningful now because the theme is not just the commemoration of Edsa, it is also that groups want to oppose Cha-cha. That’s the urgent issue that binds many groups.)
Full Story at: 38th Edsa revolution anniv ‘more meaningful’ amid Cha-cha drive (inquirer.net)
