News Roundup 08 September 2023
Sep 08, 2023 • 4 min Read
Philippines condemns Chinese boats’ ‘illegal’ actions in Ayungin Shoal | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines condemned “illegal” actions by Chinese vessels on Friday after the boats allegedly interfered in another resupply mission to a remote military outpost in the disputed South China Sea.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, which includes key Philippine government agencies, said it “strongly deplores and condemns the continued illegal, aggressive, and destabilizing conduct” of Chinese coast guard and “militia” vessels in the waters.
On Friday morning, the Philippine Coast Guard escorted supply vessels to Second Thomas Shoal, also known as also known as Ayungin Shoal, in the Spratly Islands, where a handful of troops are stationed on a crumbling navy ship, the task force said.
While the mission was successful, the task force said it was informed that “China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia” vessels had carried out “harassment, dangerous maneuvers, and aggressive conduct” towards the Philippine boats.
China claims almost the entire waterway, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, and has ignored an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
Full Story at: Philippines condemns Chinese boats’ ‘illegal’ actions in Ayungin Shoal | Philstar.com
DOTr ramps up security after MRT-3 receives ‘bomb threat’ | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) heightened its security after it reportedly received an alleged “bomb threat,” necessitating the activation of an Inter-Agency Task Force.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the threat was recieved through e-mail on Friday morning.
“The task force was immediately directed to enhance security deployment in all transportation sector,” said the DOTr in a statement on Friday.
“We are taking the necessary precautionary measures to ensure the safety and security of the riding public.”
The task force brought together various organizations, including the DOTr Office for Transportation Security (OTS), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, Philippine National Police (PNP), and Railway Security.”
The DOTr also appealed to netizens to refrain from circulating and sharing unverified information so as not to cause unwanted panic.
Full Story at: DOTr ramps up security after MRT-3 receives ‘bomb threat’ | Philstar.com
Castro: Quimbo spreading misinformation by claiming secret funds existed for OVP in 2022 | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro has accused Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo of spreading misinformation when the latter claimed that a line item for confidential funds existed in the 2022 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Castro said this on Friday at the Makabayan bloc’s virtual press briefing, reacting to Quimbo’s statements about the issue in a previous interview.
The Makabayan bloc has been calling out the OVP and Vice President Sara Duterte for requesting — and eventually receiving — P125 million worth of confidential funds in 2022, even if the agency’s budget crafted under former Vice President Leni Robredo did not contain any secret funding.
“So first of all, I was shocked that it seems misinformation is being spread — with due respect to our colleague — she is spreading misinformation about the confidential fund that there is a line item at the GAA [General Appropriations Act] 2022,” Castro said in Filipino, referring to Quimbo who is the senior vice chairperson of the Committee on appropriations.
“So we beg to disagree. If we say line item, this means there is an expressly provided budget allocation. Okay, so there is an amount. You cannot say that it’s a zero funding because that means it’s non-existent although it is under the category of confidential, intelligence, extraordinary expenses, but there is really no confidential fund under OVP for 2022,” Castro added.
Full Story at: Castro: Quimbo spreading misinformation by claiming secret funds existed for OVP in 2022 | Inquirer News
Official document shows DOF Usec. Magno’s tenure ‘expired’ | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — An official document from the Palace showed that the Department of Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno’s tenure had “expired.”
Magno posted the document on her Facebook, adding that she received the paper Friday morning.
“May nanalo na po. Hindi po sya resignation or termination. Expiration po pala ang tamang term,” said Magno.
(Someone has already won. It’s not resignation or termination. Expiration is the correct term.)
Magno previously said she was “forced to resign” but did not elaborate on why she was forced to step down from her post.
However, the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) said Magno’s appointment was “terminated” for allegedly not supporting the administration’s programs for nation-building, with Magno’s views on social media being cited as a contributing factor.
The OES did not specify which social media posts it was referring to; however, a few days following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s implementation of a price cap at P41 per kilogram for regular-milled rice and P45 for well-milled rice, Magno shared a chart illustrating the concept of price ceilings on Facebook.
The chart depicted how supply, demand, and commodity prices interact.
Full Story at: Official document shows DOF Usec. Magno’s tenure ‘expired’ | Inquirer News
