News Roundup 02 February 2024
Feb 02, 2024 • 4 min Read
Duterte-appointed ex-AFP chief urges Filipinos: Reject calls for Mindanao secession | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Carlito Galvez Jr., presidential adviser on peace, reconciliation and unity on Friday urged Filipinos to reject any movement calling for an independent Mindanao to separate from the Philippines.
Galvez issued a statement days after former President Rodrigo Duterte put forward the idea of a Mindanao secession from the Philippines through a people’s initiative signature campaign.
“Let us therefore turn away from any call or movement that aims to destabilize our beloved nation, especially to separate Mindanao from the rest of the country,” Galvez said in a statement.
Galvez was appointed as the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in 2018 during Duterte’s presidency. He was also first appointed in his current post as presidential adviser on peace, reconciliation and unity in the same year and was reappointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2023.
The former AFP chief slammed the idea of Mindanao secession as it is unconstitutional.
“For one, this call for separation is anathema to the letter and spirit of the Philippine Constitution, which is the bulwark of our nation’s identity as a people,” Galvez said.
Full Story at: Duterte-appointed ex-AFP chief urges Filipinos: Reject calls for Mindanao secession | Philstar.com
UN rapporteur calls for abolition of NTF-ELCAC | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — United Nations special rapporteur Irene Khan has called on the Philippine government to scrap its anti-insurgency task force — the second UN rapporteur to flag the body for overstepping its mandate by red-tagging civilians.
The UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion said that the government must disband the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) — a Duterte-era body that was created “six years ago in a different context” and is now “outdated.”
Khan made the recommendation to the Philippine government following a 10-day visit that included meetings with government officials, human rights groups, political prisoners, media practitioners and press freedom advocates.
“The abolition will not only address some of the most critical drivers of red tagging, but it will also allow this administration to modernize peace-building approaches,” Khan said during a press conference on the results of her mission on Friday.
“Based on this changing political landscape, the abolition will allow for a more inclusive peacemaking platform or platforms with the participation of women, peacemakers and communities as a genuine whole-of-nation approach to peace,” the UN rapporteur added.
Khan said that the victims of red-tagging in the Philippines span a diverse range of groups, including human rights defenders, humanitarian workers, teachers, youth, priests, health workers, and indigenous leaders.
Full Story at: UN rapporteur calls for abolition of NTF-ELCAC | Philstar.com
PH to receive supersonic missiles by March, says Malaya | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will get a delivery of supersonic missiles by March, according to National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya on Friday.
In an ambush interview in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Malaya said that the ground system for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles will arrive in February.
“It is also a deterrence on the part of the Philippines, so now that parating na ‘yung BrahMos missiles natin — this month, actually, parating na ‘yung ground systems. Next month dadating na ‘yung missiles,” said Malaya.
(It is also a deterrence on the part of the Philippines, so now the BrahMos missiles will arrive — actually, the ground systems will arrive this month. The missiles will arrive next month.)
Full Story at: PH to receive supersonic missiles by March, says Malaya (inquirer.net)
Khan: Marcos admin ‘sets new tone’ on rights issues but still ‘not enough’ | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has done a better job than its predecessor in terms of respect for human rights, but it still has a lot to do, according to United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Irene Khan.
Khan, in a briefing on Friday to share her observations and recommendations for the Philippines, acknowledged that the country has improved from its status when former President Rodrigo Duterte was still in charge, as the Marcos regime shows a willingness to cooperate with international bodies.
However, Khan also admitted that more effort is needed to truly go against the past.
“I am very fortunate to be coming to the Philippines at a critical moment for the country, the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has set a new tone on many issues […] the decision to reopen peace talks, the release of former senator Leila de Lima, the acquittal of Nobel laureate Maria Ressa on tax fraud charges,” Khan told reporters in Mandaluyong.
Full Story at: Khan: Marcos admin ‘sets new tone’ on rights issues but still ‘not enough’ (inquirer.net)
