News Roundup 18 June 2024
Jun 18, 2024 • 4 min Read
Philippines says navy officer severely injured in China Coast Guard ‘ramming’ | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines said Tuesday one of its navy personnel was severely injured after the China Coast Guard rammed a Philippine vessel near Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
“A Philippine Navy personnel sustained severe injury after the CCG’s (China Coast Guard’s) intentional high-speed ramming during the rotation and resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre (LS57) on June 17,” a military statement said.
The shoal, which hosts a tiny Philippine garrison stationed on a deliberately beached old warship, has been a focus of escalating confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships in recent months as Beijing steps up efforts to push its claims to the disputed area.
Shortly after the incident, the Chinese coast guard reported that a Philippine resupply ship in the area had “ignored many solemn warnings from the Chinese side”.
It “approached the… Chinese vessel in an unprofessional way, resulting in a collision”, Beijing said, accusing the ship of having “illegally broken into the sea near Ren’ai Reef”.
“The Chinese Coast Guard took control measures against the Philippine ship in accordance with the law,” it added.
But the Philippine armed forces called China’s version of events “misleading”, decrying “the illegal presence and actions of Chinese vessels within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone”.
Manila’s national task force on the West Philippine Sea later said the Chinese vessels had “engaged in dangerous manoeuvres, including ramming and towing”.
“Their actions put at risk the lives of our personnel and damaged our boats,” it said.
Full Story at: Philippines says navy officer severely injured in China Coast Guard ‘ramming’ | Philstar.com
Senator bares papers suggesting Alice Guo was born in China | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — New documents obtained by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian indicate that suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo first entered the Philippines when she was already a teen, contrary to her claim and her birth certificate that she was born in Tarlac.
The documents Gatchalian sent to reporters came from the Board of Investments from the Guo family’s application for Special Investors Resident Visa (SIRV) and the Bureau of Immigration.
Gatchalian said the embattled mayor “might be Guo Hua Ping, who entered the Philippines on Jan. 12, 2003 when she was 13 years old.”
To recall, in May, social media users noted an article on World News, a Chinese-language newspaper based in Binondo, Manila, that said Guo is also known as “Guo Huaping, the daughter of Mr. Guo Jianjiang of Chaodai Village, Jinjing Town, Jinjiang City, Fujian Province.”
The senator said the documents show that Guo’s real birth date is Aug. 31, 1990, and not July 12, 1986, as stated in her official birth certificate.
One document sent by Gatchalian is a photocopy of a passport with the name “GUO HAPING.” The place of birth indicated in the passport is Fujian, China, with the date of birth being Aug. 31, 1990.
In the document labelled SIRV, Guo Haping’s nationality was stated as Chinese.
Gatchalian also pointed out that similar to the findings his office earlier gathered, Guo Huaping’s registered mother is named “Lin Wenyi.”
Full Story at: Senator bares papers suggesting Alice Guo was born in China | Philstar.com
Cop arrested in Parañaque drug sting | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — A 31-year-old police officer was arrested in Parañaque City, the Southern Police District (SPD) reported on Tuesday.
According to a June 17 report, the police officer, given the alias “Macling,” was apprehended on Sunday in a buy-bust operation.
Authorities said they discovered four pieces of plastic sachets containing a substance suspected to be shabu, or illegal methamphetamine, in Macling’s possession.
The SPD said the substances weighed around 20 grams and had a standard drug price of P136,000.
Aside from the suspected drugs, Macling also had a P1,000 bill, a caliber pistol without a serial number with three pieces of live ammunition, a sling bag, a police identification card, and a cellular phone.
Full Story at: Buy-bust operation in Parañaque results in the arrest of a cop (inquirer.net)
Guo tells Bersamin: Accusations against me totally baseless | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Alice Guo, the suspended mayor of a Tarlac town, asserted her innocence directly to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and denied all allegations hurled against her.
In a June 18 letter addressed to Bersamin, she said: “Mariin kong pinabubulaanan ang anumang pagkakasangkot sa mga umano’y kaso ng kidnapping, illegal detention o human trafficking. Ang mga paratang na ito ay ganap na walang batayan at walang kahit anong katotohanan.”
(I strongly deny any involvement in the alleged cases of kidnapping, illegal detention, or human trafficking. These allegations are entirely baseless and void of any truth.)
According to Guo, the accusations lodged against her are baseless. She reiterated her denial pronouncements during a Senate panel investigation of her alleged ties with Philippine offshore gaming operators.
On Monday, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said Guo may be slapped with human trafficking charges.
Full Story at: Guo tells Bersamin: Accusations against me are baseless (inquirer.net)
