News Roundup 08 July 2023
Jul 08, 2023 • 4 min Read
PCG: Actions vs Beijing brought ‘positive changes’ in West Philippine Sea | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard clarified that while Beijing’s behavior in the West Philippine Sea continues to be “concerning,” positive changes have been noted in recent months — which they claim to be a result of Manila’s transparency about the Asian giant’s actions.
“I wanted to emphasize that our efforts to expose China’s aggressive actions in recent months have resulted in some changes in the behavior of the Chinese Coast Guard, particularly in terms of how they shadow our PCG vessels,” said Jay Tasrriela, PCG’s spokesperon, in a tweet last Friday.
“Before we started being transparent about their actions, the CCG would closely shadow our vessels alongside, but now they trail behind them because they are concerned about being caught on camera engaged in their aggressive behaviors.”
Tasrriela was referring to his earlier interview with ANC that came a few days after two Chinese ships aggressively shadowed and obstructed Philippine Coast Guard vessels on a resupply mission near Ayungin Shoal — an area within Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Ayungin is within the West Philippine Sea, an area thought to be rich in natural resources. China continues to assert its sovereign right within the area even after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 invalidated Beijing’s nine-dash line claim to the entire South China Sea, effectively siding with the Philippines.
“However, I made it clear that their behavior is still concerning when it comes to Ayungin Shoal. Unfortunately, my statements were misinterpreted and taken out of context,” continued Tarriela.
“Additionally, it is important to mention that the Chinese continue to employ the Chinese Maritime Militia to swarm various maritime features in the West Philippine Sea.”
The PCG says that it’s essential for Manila to persist in exposing China’s unlawful presence in order to compel the latter to cease occupying waters that rightly fall within the Philippine’s EEZ as prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral ruling.
Full Story at: PCG: Actions vs Beijing brought ‘positive changes’ in West Philippine Sea | Philstar.com
David given fresh term as CBCP head | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines – Bishop Pablo David of the Diocese of Kalookan on Saturday was reelected president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
David’s reelection came during the first day of the CBCP’s 126th plenary assembly at the Marzon Hotel in Kalibo, Aklan, per the CBCP’s official website.
It will be David’s second and last two-year term as head of the CBCP, which counts in its ranks 87 active bishops, three diocesan administrators, and 43 honorary members who are retired bishops.
Full Story at: David given fresh term as CBCP head | Philstar.com
YouTube shuts down channels affiliated with Quiboloy | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — All YouTube channels affiliated with religious leader and alleged sex trafficker Apollo Quiboy have been terminated.
This termination came two weeks after Quiboloy’s channel was shut down by the video hosting website after finding out that it was in violation of the platform’s Community Guidelines.
In a statement on Friday, YouTube said Google, its parent company, is “committed to compliance with applicable United States sanction laws and enforces related policies under its Terms and Service.”
“After review and consistent with these policies, we terminated the Laban Kasama ang Bayan, Kingdom of Jesus Christ, and Sonshine Media Network International YouTube channels,” YouTube added.
Full Story at: YouTube shuts down channels affiliated with Quiboloy | Inquirer News
2 rogue cops nabbed for extortion try of Egyptian in Cavite | INQUIRER.NET – LUCENA CITY — Two police officers have been arrested in Dasmariñas City, Cavite for allegedly attempting to extort money from an Egyptian national, police said Saturday.
In a belated report, Cavite police said operatives from Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) nabbed Staff Sergeant Randy Batonginog, who is assigned at Imus City police station, and Corporal Roderick Bajado, a member of Dasmariñas police, during an entrapment operation inside a subdivision in Barangay (village) Salitran 4 on Thursday, July 6.
The operation stemmed from a complaint by an Egyptian national, who was unidentified in the report, for alleged robbery extortion against the two policemen.
Full Story at: 2 rogue cops nabbed for extortion try of Egyptian in Cavite | Inquirer News
