News Roundup 21 December 2022
Dec 21, 2022 • 4 min Read
Philippines ‘concerned’ over report on China’s construction activities in Spratlys | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines said it is verifying a report that detailed how China is ramping up construction of artificial islands in unoccupied features of the Spratly Islands. “We are seriously concerned as such activities contravene the Declaration of Conduct on the South China Sea’s undertaking on self-restraint and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement sent to reporters late Tuesday evening. “We have asked relevant Philippine agencies to verify and validate the contents of this report.” Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Beijing started building land formations in the unoccupied northern part of Spratlys, over Eldad Reef (Malvar Reef), citing unnamed Western officials. Reports dating back 2014 also took note of China’s reclamation activities in the area. The unidentified sources also said similar construction activities are taking place over at Lankiam Cay (Panata Island), Whitsun Reef (Julian Felipe Reef), and Sandy Cay. When reporters sought comment from the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, Beijing called Bloomberg’s report “fake news” on Wednesday and instead told reporters to refer to the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative which, according to its website, is an “international research network and not affiliated with any institution.” Manila has claims over parts of the Spratly Islands. The 2016 Hague ruling also noted Beijing violated clauses under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for its island-building activities and after the state failed to warn Chinese vessels against activities engaged in the islands.
To whom might CPP’s helm fall? PNP intel suggests 3 to 5 names to fill in for Joma Sison | INQUIRER.NET – Will the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) find a new leader to replace Joma Sison? The Philippine National Police (PNP) intelligence has indicated the CPP is looking into three to five individuals that may replace deceased Sison as its new leader, an official said Wednesday. PNP spokesman Police Col. Redrico Maranan said the agency is still studying the names and cannot yet divulge their personalities. “Mayroon tayong mga personality na tinitingnan, kung hindi ako nagkakamali ay mayroong tatlo hanggang lima na tinitingnan, subalit sa ngayon, I am not in a liberty to divulge those names dahil patuloy pa nating pinag-aaralan,” he said in a public briefing. (If I am not mistaken, we are looking at three to five individuals, but I am not at liberty to tell you those names because we are still studying them.) Sison died at the age of 83 in a hospital in Utrecht, Netherlands, last December 16. He lived in a self-imposed European exile ever since peace talks with the government bogged down in 1987. According to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, Sison died due to “heart failure” after almost three weeks of hospital treatment. The PNP is not receiving or monitoring any “serious threats” despite the death of Sison and the upcoming anniversary of the CPP on December 26. However, the police force remains on high alert and is ready for any offensive launched by the New Peoples’ Army — the armed leg of the CPP, Maranan said.
Desperate for rides, Metro Manila folk book movers | INQUIRER.NET – Desperate about the Christmas traffic and the lack of rides in Metro Manila, some commuters have resorted to asking at least one app-based mover to “deliver” them to their destinations. Alas, it is not yet the policy of the courier company to accommodate such transactions. Anna (not her real name) recalled how she tried, for two hours, to book a Grab ride from her Makati office to her Quezon City residence. That was in November, a month before the Christmas rush, but already the traffic was “terrible,” she said. “I didn’t want to take the MRT (Metro Rail Transit) because the line was too long and it was just too crowded,” she told the Inquirer, adding that she also did not want to risk being infected with COVID-19. When she couldn’t even get a ride through motorcycle platform Angkas, Anna thought of contacting delivery service Lalamove, selecting a four-wheel vehicle. Upon the driver’s arrival, she told him that she actually had no item for delivery—except, well, herself. The driver agreed. “He then told me during our trip that I wasn’t the first to try getting a ride through Lalamove,” she said. She paid P550, including a P200 tip, for that ride—in contrast to her typical Grab fare of about P800. Lalamove must have gotten wind of such resourcefulness among commuters that on Tuesday it issued an advisory informing patrons that it was “not licensed” to transport people. “Our Lalamove Bossings have the right to refuse since this is illegal and is not allowed in our platform,” the company said. “Let us help each other by allowing our partner drivers to focus on fulfilling your Christmas rush deliveries,” it added. Traffic and mobility in the country’s capital have gained notoriety worldwide, if international studies are any indication. In the 2022 Urban Mobility Readiness Index of the Oliver Wyman Forum and the University of California in Berkeley, Manila ranked 58th among 60 cities, with Nairobi and Lagos completing that list.
