News Roundup 14 September 2023
Sep 14, 2023 • 4 min Read
‘Lessons on Marcos dictatorship cannot be mysterious and nameless’ | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education memorandum dropping “Marcos” from “Diktadurang Marcos” in the curriculum could be the start of efforts to fully clear the Marcos name from their record of rights violations and corruption, advocates dedicated to defending historical truth said.
Condemning the word change in the revised K to 10 curriculum, the Network in Defense of Historical Truth and Academic Freedom said that the education department is muddying “indisputable historical facts” on the Marcoses by detaching them from the “dictatorship.”
“Because of these changes, indisputable historical facts such as human rights violations and large-scale corruption and robbery suddenly become ‘effects’ of a mysterious and nameless ‘Dictatorship,’” the group said.
Disassociating the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. from his authoritarian regime could also obfsucate Filipinos’ “heroic struggle to recover their rights and freedoms” by making it seem like they fought a “murky abstraction called ‘Dictatorship’,” the group added.
The group said: “Like a natural catastrophe, ‘Dictatorship’ becomes unaccountable on human terms, with the difference that even the weakest typhoons have names.”
Full Story at: ‘Lessons on Marcos dictatorship cannot be mysterious and nameless’ | Philstar.com
Philippine military concerned over increased swarming in West Philippine Sea | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Thursday raised concern over a “resurgence” of Chinese swarming activity in the West Philippine Sea.
Aerial patrols conducted by the AFP’s Western Command on September 6 and 7 detected 23 Chinese fishing vessels in Rozul (Iroquois) Reef, located south of oil- and gas-rich Recto Bank.
The Philippine military also spotted the presence of five Chinese vessels in Escoda (Sabina) Shoal and two vessels in Baragatan (Nares) Bank.
Sabina Shoal serves as a navigational marker indicating the approach to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, where Chinese shadowing of Philippine vessels typically takes place.
“The increased presence of Chinese fishing vessels raises concerns regarding the potential implications for Philippines’ maritime security, fisheries conservation, territorial integrity, and preservation of the marine environment,” the Western Command said.
It added that swarming activities have been a “source of tension” in the WPS and have contributed to instability in the region.
Full Story at: Philippine military concerned over increased swarming in West Philippine Sea | Philstar.com
Teodoro on presence of US plane in WPS: ‘We need the assistance’ | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teoforo admits Philippines needs the help of allies in guarding its territories and in asserting its sovereign rights over areas that are subjects of dispute.
He, however, emphasized Philippines is not dependent on any country for protection.
“This time, we are asserting our sovereign rights, our sovereign jurisdiction in a proactive way, not in a passive way,” the defense secretary said in an interview on ANC.
“Because we feel that being passive just means that our territory will just be eaten up,” he explained.
“So now, we try to proactively assert our rights in the West Philippine Sea. So now we need the assistance,” he confessed.
Teodoro also said Philippines is acting proactively in protecting its maritime interests in West Philippine Sea (WPS)
He said government is doing this by “heavily engaging” not only the United States, but “a coalition of like-minded countries” like Japan, South Korea, Australia, and other Asean countries.
Full Story at: Teodoro on presence of US plane in WPS: ‘We need the assistance’ | Global News (inquirer.net)
Hontiveros tells Sara: I don’t need your respect, just your accountability | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said she’s not begging for Vice President Sara Duterte’s respect, making it clear that she just wants the latter’s accountability especially in handling public funds.
In a statement on Thursday, Hontiveros advised Duterte to simply justify where the Office of the Vice President’s funds are going to rather than resort to personal attacks.
“If you can’t respect your co-workers, you should at least respect the spending of public money. It’s been more than a week since the hearing about the confidential funds, but you have [issued more attacks] than explanations,” said Hontiveros in Filipino.
Full Story at: Hontiveros tells Sara: I don’t need your respect, just your accountability | Inquirer News
