News Roundup 06 March 2020
Mar 06, 2020 • 1 min Read
ePassport system ‘secure’ amid Chinese alleged use of PH passport – DFA | INQUIRER.NET – Amid reports of Chinese nationals using Philippine passports, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday assured the public that the country’s ePassport system is secured. “The Department wishes to reiterate that the Philippine ePassport system remains secure and its frontline consular personnel are vigilant when it comes to detecting attempts by non-Filipinos to obtain a PH passport,” the foreign affairs department said in a statement.
Chinese militia presence slowed down Pag-asa Island repairs — think tank | PHILSTAR.COM –The continuous presence of Chinese militia ships near Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea likely played a role in the delay of repairs on the island, a Washington-based think tank reported. Philippine officials, however, blamed severe sea conditions due to stormy weather as the cause of delay of construction projects on one of the largest features in the Spratly Islands.
Locsin defends choice in WIPO vote | Manila Bulletin – Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has chided his Filipino counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., for voting a Chinese candidate instead of supporting an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bet from Singapore during the just-concluded election for the post of Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva.
‘Plug loopholes in money-laundering law’ | The Manila Times – Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Thursday raised the need to plug loopholes in the Anti-Money Laundering Act and Bank Secrecy Law to prevent foreigners and even Filipinos from turning the Philippines into a haven for money laundering. The senator made the remark following the revelation of Sen. Richard Gordon that 47 Chinese and Filipinos sneaked in over $447 million or P22.6 billion “dirty money” to be laundered in the country through Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
