News Roundup 21 January 2023
Jan 21, 2023 • 3 min Read
Philippines, US vow to boost security ties to address ‘flashpoints | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and the United States vowed Friday to “invigorate” defense cooperation to address shared security concerns including disputes over the South China Sea.
Manila hosted a high-level security dialogue with its top defense ally as part of efforts by President Ferdinand Marcos to restore a seven-decade partnership that was unsettled by his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.
The allies agreed “to invigorate defense and security cooperation and ensure the alliance adapts effectively to face new and emerging challenges”, a joint statement said.
“I can assure you that during our conversations, the important issues related to the South China Sea were central to our conversations,” US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink told a news conference.
China and the Philippines are at odds over the South China Sea, with Beijing claiming sovereignty over almost the entire area despite an international court ruling that its claims have no legal basis.
Full Story at: Philippines, US vow to boost security ties to address ‘flashpoints | Philstar.com
CHR seriously alarmed by ‘surveillance,’ ‘forced entry’ into Anakbayan office | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed “serious alarm,” Saturday, after a CCTV footage circulated this week documenting an alleged breach into the Manila office of a youth-led activist organization.
“The youth-led organisation released a CCTV video reportedly taken during the day of the said incident showing a man looking into the window of their office for about a minute and a half,” said the commission in a statement Saturday.
“According to Anakbayan’s post, they eventually found their office disorganized with their office door showing signs of forced entry. By noon and evening of the next day, 16 January 2023, Anakbayan members reports the unusual presence of multiple police mobiles near their national office.”
The incident happened just a few days after two activists from Cebu, Dyan Gumanao and Armand Dayoha, went missing after spending the holidays with their families after a series of suspected surveillance dating back to 2020.
Full Story at: CHR seriously alarmed by ‘surveillance,’ ‘forced entry’ into Anakbayan office | Philstar.com
Briones should also be charged after P979 million laptop deal, says solon | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker said on Saturday that former education chief Leonor Briones should also face administrative and criminal charges following the results of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s probe into the procurement of overpriced laptops for teachers.
The committee recommended the filing of cases against officials from the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Budget and Management who were involved in the P979 million laptop deal.
“Though we welcome the Senate committee report on this issue, we believe that former DepEd [Secretary] Leonor Briones should also be charged for signing a pro forma Memorandum of Agreement without even reading it,” said Alliance of Concerned Teachers partylist Representative France Castro in a statement.
Full Story at: Briones should also be charged after P979 million laptop deal, says solon | Inquirer News
Risa: P100K paid per trafficked Pinoy at Clark | INQUIRER.NET – Miles, not her real name, left the country in October last year supposedly for a career in a call center company in Thailand.
But she ended up being trafficked by a Chinese syndicate operating a cryptocurrency scam in Cambodia which also victimized other nationals, mostly Americans, Canadians and Singaporeans.
Last week, Miles and other victims under forced labor by that syndicate were rescued by Cambodian authorities in Kep province, where they had been toiling in a makeshift office, glued to their computers, as they tried to bait potential clients through WhatsApp and dupe them to shell out money.
The work was almost nonstop, she said.
Full Story at: Risa: P100K paid per trafficked Pinoy at Clark | Inquirer News
