News Roundup 13 July 2021
Jul 13, 2021 • 4 min Read
Coronavirus cases in the Philippines hit 1.48M with 3,604 new infections | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Health on Tuesday reported 3,604 more COVID-19 infections, bringing the national caseload to 1,481,660.
- Active cases: 46,934 or 3.2% of the total
- Recoveries: 5,840, pushing total to 1,408,634
- Deaths: 77, bringing total to 26,092
China’s comments on 5th year since arbitral win ‘unnecessary, unfortunate’ — Robredo | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday hit back on China’s remarks on the country’s arbitral win, and urged the Duterte administration to show grit in asserting rights in the West Philippine Sea. Manila and the international community on July 12 marked the fifth year since a United Nations-backed tribunal invalidated China’s nine-dash claim in a landmark ruling. Beijing’s foreign ministry continued to reject the award, and considered it still as illegal, void and “nothing more than a piece of waste paper.” Robredo scored the comments as unnecessary and unfortunate, but added she was no longer surprised. Seemingly taking a jab on Beijing, she said: “After all, governments are expected to assert their nation’s interests, even if sometimes they have to bend logic in the process.” The vice president said she hopes the Duterte administration would show a little courage in addressing the issue. Many have long criticized President Rodrigo Duterte’s stance on matters involving China, which he sought to befriend during his term that approaches its final months. Similar to how Beijing called the arbitral ruling as a waste of paper, Duterte in May also said the same that he can just “throw away.”
Senators press Duterte to ‘complete’ arbitral victory vs China | INQUIRER.NET – Senators on Monday marked the fifth anniversary of the 2016 arbitral ruling that recognized the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) by pressing President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration to “complete” the country’s legal victory against China. But Malacañang in response said the administration had done all it could to assert the Philippines’ claim in its maritime dispute with China. In a statement, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the country should “see this day for what it truly is: Commemorating a hard-won battle, but a victory still incomplete. We must, therefore, press on to… complete the victory we achieved five years ago today.” “Our country needs a foreign policy that is neither pro-China or pro-US. It must only be pro-Filipino. We need a foreign policy that unites us as Filipinos, not divides us into red and yellow,” added Lacson, who heads the Senate committee on national defense. In her statement, Sen. Grace Poe said, “We should make use of our victory in the tribunal to undertake a determined, focused and unflinching defense of our maritime entitlements and jurisdiction.” “Much is at stake in the huge maritime area that is rich in fish, oil, gas and other natural resources. Thousands of fishermen also rely on the catch area in the WPS for their food and livelihood,” Poe said. On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, the Netherlands, issued a unanimous decision on the Philippines’ arbitral case against China, invalidating China’s sweeping claims on the South China Sea, part of which the Philippines calls the West Philippine Sea to assert its rights to areas within its exclusive economic zone. The case was filed in 2013 by the administration of the late President Benigno Aquino III, following China’s incursions into the West Philippine Sea and a standoff at Scarborough Shoal the preceding year.
‘Duterte-Duterte tandem won’t win’ — Trillanes | Manila Bulletin – Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is confident that a Duterte-Duterte tandem will not win in the May 2022 national polls because Filipinos have already experienced their “brand of service.” “Let them be rejected. Ako, mas prefer ko ‘yan tumakbo as vice president para dalawang Duterte ire-reject totally ng mga Pilipino (Me, I prefer him to run as vice president so Dutertes will be rejected totally by the Filipinos),” he said on Tuesday, July 13, over Teleradyo. The former senator is a staunch critic of President Duterte, who is said to be mulling the possibility of running as vice president next year. His daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, backtracked on her earlier statements that she doesn’t want to run as president. Instead, she said recently that she will heed what the people want, but maintained she will not run with her father. Duterte-Carpio has been topping pre-campaign presidential surveys. Trillanes alleged that Duterte wants to run as vice president to protect him from the cases that will be filed against him for human rights violations under his administration. There’s an ongoing case against the Chief Executive at the International Criminal Court (ICC) because of his alleged bloody war on drugs. “It will not protect him pero alam n’yo ang attitude ko diyan is, sige patakbuhin sila, patakbuhin si Sara, presidente. Siya, as vice president, kasi naniniwala naman ako na ‘yung mga Pilipino, hindi na ito pauulitin (but my attitude there is, let them run, let Sara run, president. Duterte, as vice president, because I believe that the Filipinos will reject them),” he said. “Kasi sinampolan na sila ng kanilang brand of service. Wala eh, talaga lang palpak (Because the Filipinos already had a taste of their brand of service. It’s really a failure),” Trillanes added. He cited that opposition is not being overconfident, citing an internal survey that shows Duterte lagging.
