News Roundup 06 May 2021
May 06, 2021 • 4 min Read
Philippines sees 6,637 more coronavirus infections | PHILSTAR.COM – Local health officials on Thursday recorded 6,637 additional COVID-19 infections, bringing the national caseload to 1,080,172.
- Active cases: 63,170 or 5.8% of the total
- Recoveries: 6,091, pushing total to 999,011
- Deaths: 191, bringing total to 17,991
Alarm raised over Duterte’s ‘piece of paper’ remark on Philippines’ arbitral win | PHILSTAR.COM –Maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal sounded the alarm on President Rodrigo Duterte’s remarks comparing the Philippines’ award in the West Philippine Sea arbitration to a piece of paper he will throw away. In a tweet video report by News5, Batongbacal noted Duterte’s statement echoed what China said when it lost in the international tribunal in 2016. “Nakakabahala po iyan (That is worrying),” he said. “Nakakalungkot na madinig na kung sino pa yung nanalo siya pa yung nagpawalang bahala sa kung gaano kahalaga itong sinasabi niyang papel na ito… Nakakabahala po iyan,” Batongbacal, currently a University of the Philippines College of Law professor, said. Referring to the Philippines’ win, Duterte said on Wednesday night in Filipino: “That paper in reality between nations, that paper is nothing. Whoever is tough, the United States, the United Kingdom, they can do whatever they want. We won. When I came into office the ships where already in the West Philippine Sea, Chinese boats, we have nothing.” He added that he “pursued” the arbitral ruling but “nothing happened.” But Batongbacal noted that in the past years, Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, referred to this arbitral award as basis to challenge the excessive claims of China. “It is not right that who won is the one saying that this is just all trash,” he added. Rep. Manuel Cabochan III (Magdalo party-list) also slammed Duterte’s “defeatist stance” on the West Philippine Sea.
Carpio dares Duterte to keep ‘word of honor’ to resign amid WPS claims | INQUIRER.NET – Retired Supreme Court Associated Justice Antonio Carpio on Thursday turned the tables on President Duterte, saying the latter “should now resign immediately to keep his word of honor.” Carpio issued the challenge to Duterte after making a statement under oath that he has no hand in the decision to withdraw Philippine Navy ships from the West Philippine Sea in 2012. Duterte, in his pre-recorded briefing Wednesday night, accused Carpio and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario of involvement in the decision to withdraw Philippine Navy ships from the West Philippine Sea. “That’s the truth, my countrymen. You can ask any lawyer. That’s what happened. Now, if I’m lying, then I would resign—immediately, tomorrow,” Duterte said. Carpio, in a statement, said at the time of the withdrawal of the Philippine Navy ships, he was a Supreme Court Associate Justice and learned only of such an event over the news. “President Duterte should now resign immediately to keep his word of honor. I state under oath that I was never involved in the decision to withdraw Philippine Navy ships from the West Philippine Sea during the 2012 Scarborough standoff,” Carpio said in a statement. “At that time and all I knew about the withdrawal of Philippine Navy ships was what I read in the newspapers. I call as my witnesses former President Benigno Aquino III and the Defense Secretary, Foreign Affairs Secretary and the Chiefs of the Philippine Navy and the Coast Guard at that time,” he added. Last month, more than 200 Chinese maritime militia vessels were seen from the Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef. The country has lodged a diplomatic protest. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said, “the continued presence of Chinese maritime militias in the area reveals their intent to further occupy features in the West Philippine Sea.”
Solon on Duterte’s rejection of the WPS ruling: ‘He’s out of his mind” | Manila Bulletin – Clearly disgusted at President Rodrigo Duterte’s latest pronouncement on the West Philippine Sea controversy, a partylist lawmaker said the chief executive has gone “out of his mind” for denigrating the Hague ruling on the issue. Magdalo Partylist Rep. Manuel Cabochan’s daring statement against Duterte was issued by the opposition lawmaker on Thursday, May 1. He chided the president for his pronouncements that “are detrimental to our claims” over the WPS. Earlier, Duterte belittled the 2016 arbitral ruling in the Hague that rejected China’s claims over the WPS, saying that he can throw it in the “waste basket”. Observers said the president’s current position contradicted his speech at the United Nations General Assembly wherein he stressed that he would “reject attempts to undermine” the ruling. Addressing the nation the other day, Duterte said the ruling that Filipinos hailed as a resounding legal victory against China, is a mere piece of paper because he pursued it and nothing happened. Cabocan wondered whether or not Duterte has been taking counsel from his advisers, saying that the president’s stand on the WPS issue was unexpected coming from the head of a country that is being robbed of its territory.
