News Roundup 04 April 2024
Apr 04, 2024 • 5 min Read
Philippines to hold joint naval drills with US, Japan, Australia | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will hold joint naval drills with the United States, Japan and Australia, two diplomatic sources told AFP Thursday, as the four countries deepen military ties to counter China’s expanding influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
The exercise will be held Sunday in the disputed South China Sea — which Beijing claims almost entirely — days before US President Joe Biden is due to hold the first trilateral summit with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan.
The diplomatic sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the drills have not yet been officially announced.
Earlier this week, the Australian warship HMAS Warramunga arrived at the Philippine island province of Palawan, which faces the hotly contested waters.
The Philippine military said the visit was “aimed at strengthening military relations with partner nations”.
Regional tensions have escalated in the past year as China has become increasingly confident in asserting its claims over waters also claimed by the Philippines and Japan, as well as over self-ruled Taiwan.
In response, the United States has sought to strengthen its alliances in the region, including with treaty allies Japan and the Philippines.
Biden’s planned April 11 summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House will be the latest in a series of meetings with Asia-Pacific partners.
Full Story at: Philippines to hold joint naval drills with US, Japan, Australia | Philstar.com
SC strikes down Duterte’s proclamation revoking Trillanes’ amnesty | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) ruled in favor of former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, affirming the validity of his amnesty and deeming the proclamation revoking it unconstitutional.
In a press release by the High Court on Wednesday evening, it said that then President Rodrigo Duterte cannot revoke an amnesty without the concurrence of Congress.
“The Court also grounded its ruling on the primacy of the Bill of Rights and reaffirmed that neither the Government nor any of its officials, including the President, are above the law,” the SC’s press release read.
“The Court ruled that the revocation of Trillanes’ amnesty long after it became final and without prior notice violated his constitutional right to due process,” it added.
The decision of the SC was penned by Associate Justice Filomena Singh.
In 2018, Duterte revoked the former lawmaker’s amnesty through Proclamation No. 572.
The proclamation sought to revive the rebellion charges against Trillanes over the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny and the 2007 Manila Peninsula Siege.
However, Duterte’s proclamation was struck down by the High Court as it violated Trillanes’ right to due process.
In nullifying the proclamation, the High Court said that reviving cases against Trillanes, previously dismissed with finality, violated his constitutional rights against double jeopardy and “ex-post facto” laws.
Full Story at: SC strikes down Duterte’s proclamation revoking Trillanes’ amnesty | Philstar.com
PNP appeals to Quiboloy to face the charges vs him and calmly surrender | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has appealed to Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) founder and alleged rapist Apollo Quiboloy to surrender before the authorities in a “calm” manner.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo also appealed to Quiboloy’s friends and supporters to urge the religious leader to turn himself in.
“We would also like to take this opportunity na manawagan na rin po kay pastor Quibol0y […] Pakiusap din natin sa mga supporters at mga kaibigan ni pastor ay tulungan nyo po kami na makiusap kay pastor na harapin na lamang po ito at maging mahinahon sa proseso ng kanyang pagsuko,” Fajardo said in a press briefing on Thursday.
(We would like to take this opportunity to appeal to pastor Quiboloy. We also urge his supporters and friends to convince him to face this and surrender calmly.)
“Re-respetuhin po natin yung judicial process and on the part of the PNP ay si-siguraduhin natin dun sa mga supporters at mahal sa buhay ni pastor na re-respetuhin naman natin ang karapatang pantao ni pastor at dadalhin natin sya sa jurisdiction ng korte para sagutin din nya yung mga reklamong isinampa sa kanya,” she added.
(We will respect the judicial process, and on the part of the PNP, we assure his supporters and friends that we will respect his human rights and we will bring him to the jurisdiction of the court where he will answer the complaints filed against him.)
Full Story at: PNP to Quiboloy: Face the charges, calmly surrender (inquirer.net)
CHR welcomes appointment of new PNP chief Marbil | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Thursday said it supports the appointment of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil.
“CHR looks forward to the new leadership of PNP Chief Marbil, who expressed his commitment to improve the current progress of the agency in reducing the crime rate in the Philippines through innovative practices in the law enforcement,” the CHR said in a statement.
The agency said that it was “hopeful” of the PNP’s use of new technologies in accomplishing its duties and to secure the safety of the people.
“We commend the PNP’s plans to progress towards the use of emerging technologies to further widen its reach across communities and develop their capability to address new forms of criminality,” it said
“Emerging threats, such as cybercrime and transnational crimes, highlight the evolving landscape of security concerns in today’s society. By acknowledging and seeking to address these challenges, we are hopeful of the new PNP leadership’s commitment to safeguarding the safety and security of all citizens,” it added.
Full Story at: CHR welcomes appointment of new PNP chief Marbil (inquirer.net)
