News Roundup 18 April 2023
Apr 18, 2023 • 4 min Read
‘His legacy must be upheld:’ Aquino Cabinet mourns passing of ex-DFA chief Del Rosario | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Members of late President Benigno Aquino III’s Cabinet mourned on Tuesday the passing of their colleague, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, who was best remembered for pushing the arbitral case against China over the West Philippine Sea dispute.
“We join so very many Filipinos and foreigners from all walks of life who received the sad news of Albert del Rosario’s passing with that sense of loss that comes when someone deeply admired passes away,” members of the Aquino Cabinet said in a statement.
“We were privileged to have him as a cabinet colleague who always challenged us to be tireless in the fulfillment of duty, unyielding in defense of the national interest, gentlemanly in all aspects of private and public conduct, and unflinching in seeking to bring aid and assistance to our fellow citizens in danger areas,” they added.
Under the late president’s administration, Del Rosario served as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary from 2011 to 2016. During his service, Del Rosario helped bring China to court over the disputed islands within the West Philippine Sea. The country won the case in 2016.
Full Story at: ‘His legacy must be upheld:’ Aquino Cabinet mourns passing of ex-DFA chief Del Rosario | Inquirer News
US arrests two for setting up Chinese ‘secret police station’ in New York | INQUIRER.NET – NEW YORK — US law enforcement officials on Monday arrested two New York residents for allegedly operating a Chinese “secret police station” in Manhattan’s Chinatown, part of a crackdown on Beijing’s alleged targeting of US-based dissidents.
Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, face charges of conspiring to act as agents of China’s government without informing US authorities and obstruction of justice. They were released on bond following an initial appearance in Brooklyn federal court.
The Department of Justice has been ramping up probes into what it calls “transnational repression” by US adversaries such as China and Iran to intimidate political opponents living in the United States.
“We cannot and will not tolerate the Chinese government’s persecution of pro-democracy activists who have sought refuge in this country,” Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, told reporters.
Prosecutors on Monday unveiled charges against 34 Chinese officials for allegedly operating a “troll farm” and harassing dissidents online, including by disrupting their meetings on US technology platforms.
They also added eight Chinese government officials as defendants in a case announced in 2020 charging a former China-based executive of Zoom Video Communications Inc with disrupting video meetings commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
Full Story at: US arrests two for setting up Chinese ‘secret police station’ in New York | Inquirer News
Senior high graduates not job-ready? Senator points out government’s own lapses in hiring | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said Tuesday that the government itself is defeating the purpose of the K to 12 law as it continues to lump together senior high school students with graduates of the old high school curriculum in its job hiring process.
At a joint Senate hearing led by the basic education committee, which Gatchalian chairs, the lawmaker questioned a representative from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) over the qualifications it requires in entry-level government positions, which accepts both graduates of senior high school and the 10-year high school curriculum.
“Government is the one that is not accepting senior high school students. And this is actually the most unfair practice being done by the government. Because government mandated senior high school, they promised them employment, but (they are) not even hiring senior high students,” Gatchalian said.
“Government itself is the greatest violator of the K to 12 law,” Gatchalian added.
Gatchalian was referring to the qualifications listed in a 2019 memorandum circular of the CSC that enumerates government positions open to senior high school graduates.
Full Story at: Senior high graduates not job-ready? Senator points out government’s own lapses in hiring | Philstar.com
After scrapping import plan, DA promises enough rice supply despite El Niño threat | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture assured the public on Tuesday that the country’s rice supply remains sufficient amid concerns about a possible rice shortage from the looming El Niño phenomenon.
While the El Niño Watch of the country’s weather bureau has raised concerns about the country’s remaining stock of rice, a study by the DA – National Rice Program estimated that the ending stock of palay for the first quarter of 2023 — about 5.66 million metric tons — is good for 51 days, according to the DA.
This figure includes 3.12 million metric tons of locally produced rice, 1.77 million metric tons of beginning stock, and 774,050.44 metric tons of imported rice, according to reports from the Bureau of Custom and the DA – Bureau of Plant Industry.
“We should sustain the rice needs of our country, which is pegged at 37,000 metric tons a day,” DA Assistant Secretary Rex Estoperez said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Full Story at: After scrapping import plan, DA promises enough rice supply despite El Niño threat | Philstar.com
