News Roundup 09 May 2024
May 09, 2024 • 5 min Read
AFP, DFA warn public vs China’s ‘false’ claims on Ayungin arrangement | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) cautioned the public against falling for false narratives following China’s claim about a supposed agreement to ease tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
In a statement late Wednesday, Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., chief of staff of the AFP, said the organization will “not dignify” the claim of the Chinese Embassy in Manila that Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, commander of the military’s Western Command, had agreed on a “new model” arrangement on the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
Brawner said that China’s claim of an audio recording allegedly between Carlos and a Chinese diplomat “does not merit significant concern as it appears to be a malign influence effort from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”
“Transcripts can easily be fabricated, and audio recordings can be manufactured by using deep fakes,” he added.
The DFA earlier said the Philippine had not made any deals with China concerning the Ayungin Shoal. The agency stressed that only President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. can authorize agreements entered into by the government on matters pertaining to the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año also denied Beijing’s claim.
Full Story at: AFP, DFA warn public vs China’s ‘false’ claims on Ayungin arrangement | Philstar.com
Philippine, US troops sink China-made vessel in war games | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Philippine and US forces sank a decommissioned China-made Philippine Navy ship Wednesday during South China Sea war games simulating an attack on an enemy vessel, officials said.
The exercises are being held near the city of Laoag, around 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of Taiwan, amid a backdrop of increased confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels around South China Sea features claimed by Manila and Beijing.
The BRP Lake Caliraya, a small tanker decommissioned by the Philippine Navy in 2020, slowly dipped below the water after being struck by waves of anti-ship missiles, rockets, cannon fire and land-based artillery off Laoag, they said.
A navy fast attack craft and frigate, an air force fighter and helicopter and land-based artillery from the Philippine military as well as a US F-16 fighter and an AC-130 gunship took part in the attack on the simulated enemy vessel, they added.
The participants had “a mission of trying to prevent an aggressor from landing on the Philippine soil,” Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Al Assaf, lead Philippine planner for Wednesday’s activity, told reporters.
“The ability of both the US and the Filipino army and air force to work together to achieve this is extremely lethal,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Matt Cahill, commander of a US Army unit taking part in the war games.
He compared it to team sports in which “you don’t take the field with a new team, right before the big game” but must practice together beforehand.
Full Story at: Philippine, US troops sink China-made vessel in war games | Philstar.com
Bamban mayor’s background dubious, says Hontiveros | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday sounded the alarm over Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s supposedly “dubious” legal status, maintaining that the local official has repeatedly told lies during the chamber’s investigation on her supposed link to a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo).
“She lied. There were several questions where she lied. The very stark and shocking example was the fact that she denied having a connection with Hong Sheng when it was already indicated in the document from the municipal government that she is the current head,” Hontiveros told reporters in a press conference on Wednesday.
Controversies surrounding Pogos
The Senate panel on women, headed by Hontiveros, conducted on Tuesday an investigation into the controversies surrounding Pogos. Among the resource persons during the probe was Guo who repeatedly denied involvement in Pogos.
“I am not connected with Pogo, I am not an operator, and I am not a protector of Pogo. I am not related to any operation or activities within or outside Pogos, said Guo then.
The panel’s Tuesday hearing bared that Guo was homeschooled and that there had been a delay in the registration of her birth.
Both of these information do not seem suspicious at first, but Hontiveros pointed out that Guo couldn’t even name her homeschool provider, adding that there is no hospital record of Guo’s birth as she only got registered when she was already 17.
“It catches one’s attention especially because based on our research, there is a similar modus operandi wherein foreigners enter into certain countries. Eventually, they pretend to be locals and then do various tasks — some of which are not desirable,” said Hontiveros.
Full Story at: Bamban mayor’s background dubious, says Hontiveros (inquirer.net)
Palace on ICC membership: It’s DOJ’s duty to ‘explore all legal avenues’ | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The position of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the Philippines’ return to the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the same, but all options must still be explored, said Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil on Thursday.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently said it was studying the possibility of returning to the ICC.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte previously withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019 after it criticized his bloody war on drugs.
“The President’s stance on the ICC remains clear and consistent. However, it is the duty of the Department of Justice to explore all legal avenues and ensure that the President is fully informed of his options,” said Garafil in a message to reporters.
“This is standard procedure, not a change in position, ensuring that our administration remains prepared for any scenario,” she added.
Full Story at: Palace on ICC: It’s DOJ’s duty to explore all legal avenues (inquirer.net)
