News Roundup 06 August 2022
Aug 06, 2022 • 5 min Read
Blinken, Bongbong Marcos reaffirm defense treaty; President says it’s ‘in constant evolution’ | INQUIRER.NET – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) during the latter’s courtesy call at the Malacañang Palace on Saturday morning. Signed in August 1951, the MDT between the Philippines and the US tied the two nations together to support each other should one of them be on the receiving end of external aggression. “The Mutual Defense Treaty is in constant evolution. I’d like to think of it,” Marcos Jr. said during the courtesy call. “As I spoke with your Ambassador some time when she came, is that we cannot, we can no longer isolate one part of our relationship from the other. We are too closely tied because of the special relationship between the US and the Philippines, and the history that we share.” Marcos Jr. also noted that the assistance and help the US has extended to the Philippines over the years “can no longer be categorized as one thing or another because they cover such a large scope.” Blinken later assured Marcos Jr. that the US remains committed to its relationship with the Philippines on multiple fronts, particularly on issues concerning the economy and defense. “We’re also working together as partners in so many areas particularly economically, and of course, the alliance is strong… We’re committed to the mutual defense treaty. We’re committed to working with you on shared challenges,” the US official said. Blinken then pointed out: “What’s so striking to me, Mr. President, is that [we’re] working together on bilateral relations between us. We’re working together in the region, and increasingly, we’re working globally.” Blinken, upon arriving in the Philippines on Friday night, shared his hopes to strengthen US-Philippine relations by reaffirming their “shared commitments to democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and prosperity” during his first visit to the country under Marcos Jr.’s administration.
PNP chief recalibrating ‘drug war’ in villages | INQUIRER.NET – The newly installed chief of the Philippine National Police wants an audit of the deployment of police officers on the field, as it boggles his mind why they are still conducting anti-narcotics operations in areas already declared “drug-free.” Police Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. wondered, for instance, why law enforcers were still ordered to operate recently against drug suspects in the municipality of Adams, Ilocos Norte, when supposedly it had already been swept clean of drug users and pushers. Adams, the smallest town in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s home province, was categorized as drug-free in March 2018, two years after then President Rodrigo Duterte launched his war on illegal drugs, which killed thousands of suspects and prompted the filing of cases accusing him and his subordinates of crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court. In his speech during the command turnover ceremony at Camp Crame, Quezon City, on Wednesday, August 3, Azurin said he would order a review of the requirements to deploy police units on the field, saying compliance rates reported by lower units were apparently “no longer applicable in some areas.” Under Duterte, the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) classified barangays as either low or high priority in determining whether they would be subjected to “clearing operations” by the PNP or the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). For a barangay to be considered cleared of drugs, there should be a total absence of drug dens or laboratories, as well as zero drug users, pushers, dependents, protectors and financiers, among others, according to DDB Board Resolution No. 4, Series of 2021. The village must also have an active Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council, which implements programs on drug awareness, preventive education and information, and processing desks for voluntary and compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation. Barangays that meet these requirements are declared “drug-cleared.” They will only be certified “drug-free” once they consistently show zero illegal drug incidents on record. Drug-cleared and drug-free barangays are supposed to undergo vetting by the Regional Oversight Committee on Barangay Drug Clearing, with the PDEA regional director sitting as its chair.
Philippines welcomes possible WPS joint patrols with US | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines welcomes the possibility of holding joint patrols with the United States in the West Philippine Sea citing the two countries’ Mutual Defense Treaty. Responding to a query at a joint press briefing with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo said the joint patrols may be “continued to be explored bilaterally.” “In our view, joint patrols between the Philippines and the United States can take place, they are under the ambits of the MDT, and also within the context of the Mutual Defense Board and Security Engagements Board,” Manalo said at the virtual briefing. Last year, former top diplomat Albert del Rosario called on both the US and the Philippines to show “political will and commitment” to enforce the treaty in the context of the South China Sea. Blinken arrived at Villamor Airbase late Friday night, following his participation in the U.S.-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum in Phnom Penh in Cambodia over the past week. For his quick stop in Manila, Blinken paid a courtesy call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Manalo to underscore Washington’s commitment to its bilateral relationship with the Philippines and also expressed interest in further enhancing economic ties in areas such as renewable energy and agriculture.
