News Roundup 04 July 2024
Jul 04, 2024 • 4 min Read
Philippines hopes to sign key defense pact with Japan | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ military chief said Thursday he hoped a key defense pact with Japan allowing for the deployment of troops on each other’s territory will be signed at security talks next week.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa are set to meet their Philippine counterparts in Manila on Monday.
The Philippines and Japan — longtime allies of the United States — have been boosting ties in the face of an increasingly confrontational China, which is locked in maritime territorial disputes with both countries.
“We are hoping that during that meeting, the RAA, or the reciprocal access agreement, will be signed,” military chief General Romeo Brawner told reporters.
“RAA is important because it will allow Japanese forces, Japanese troops to come into our country to conduct training with us. It will also allow our troops to go to Japan to train with them.”
The Philippines and Japan began negotiating the pact in November.
The accord would create the legal basis for the countries to send defense personnel to each other’s territory for training and other operations.
Tokyo has signed similar reciprocal access agreements with Britain and Australia in recent years.
The Philippines has equivalent pacts with the United States and Australia and plans to pursue one with France.
Full Story at: Philippines hopes to sign key defense pact with Japan | Philstar.com
Binay mulls ethics complaint vs Cayetano after name calling, accusation vs media | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Nancy Binay said she is considering the filing of an ethics complaint against Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano after he called the female senator “buang” (crazy) and “Marites” during their tense exchange in Wednesday’s committee hearing into the new Senate building.
Besides lamenting the breakdown in decorum at the Senate accounts committee hearing, which Cayetano chairs, Binay also took exception with his accusation that she had fed questions to radio anchors to connect the issue to the Makati-Taguig political rivalry.
Cayetano replaced Binay as accounts committee chairperson in May after the Senate leadership shakeup when then-Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri relinquished his post to Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero.
Wednesday’s hearing was conducted after Escudero ordered a review of the cost of the new Senate building, which he learned from Cayetano has already reached P23 billion.
“The never-ending name calling that happened yesterday, for a senior senator to be saying those words… it’s a reflection of a person that is not a statesman,” Binay said in an interview with ANC on Thursday.
Binay said she is currently waiting for the official transcript from Wednesday’s Senate accounts committee hearing to determine if there is enough basis to file an ethics complaint.
The tense exchange centered on Binay and Cayetano’s disagreement over whether the true cost of the Senate building was P21 billion or P23 billion, including the the cost of land acquisition (P1.6 billion).
Binay walked out after receiving a confirmation from the Department of Public Works and Highways that the P23 billion never appeared in their records. Cayetano then called Binay “buang ka day” as she was leaving.
Cayetano also earlier called Binay “Marites,” a derisive term for someone who engages in gossip and rumor-mongering.
Full Story at: Binay mulls ethics complaint vs Cayetano after name calling, accusation vs media | Philstar.com
PNP warns public: Con artists pose as cops to solicit money | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police – Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS) on Thursday warned the public against con artists posing as its personnel to solicit money in exchange for protection and facilitation services.
According to IAS inspector Gen. Brigido Dulay, his office received reports about individuals “running a protection racket involving establishments suspected of illegal activities.”
“Based on records available at its human resource management section, however, the reported personalities do not appear in the roster of PNP-IAS,” Dulay said in a statement.
“We are now working with other PNP units to arrest these fake cops. We do not and will never tolerate or condone such egregious deception that not only tarnishes the integrity and reputation of the PNP but also seriously hinders the performance of its mandate,” he added.
The IAS official also encouraged the public to cooperate with authorities and report “any person who falsely misrepresents himself to be an officer, agent, or representative of any department or agency of the government.”
Full Story at: PNP warns public: Con artists pose as cops to solicit money (inquirer.net)
Vietnamese nabbed for making scene at Naia | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Authorities arrested a Vietnamese woman at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on Monday for unruly behavior.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) identified the woman as Ban Thi Van, a 19-year-old Vietnamese who initially presented herself for immigration clearance to board a Cebu Pacific Air flight to Hanoi.
Upon inspection, however, the BI said Ban “aggressively snatched” her passport from the immigration officer and caused a scene when she threw herself on the floor and screamed.
“She reportedly streamed her outburst on social media, and caused [a] disturbance in the immigration departure area,” the bureau reported.
BI officers sought help from the bureau’s border control and intelligence unit, airport police, and the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group to pacify Ban.
Full Story at: Vietnamese nabbed for making scene at Naia (inquirer.net)
