News Roundup 22 December 2022
Dec 22, 2022 • 4 min Read
Philippines orders strengthened military presence after ‘Chinese activities’ near islands | INQUIRER.NET – The Philippines’ defense ministry on Thursday ordered the military to strengthen its presence in the South China Sea after monitoring “Chinese activities” in disputed waters close to a strategic Philippine-held island. The ministry did not specify what activities those were and its statement follows a report this week of Chinese construction on four uninhabited features in the disputed Spratly islands, news that Beijing has dismissed as “unfounded.” Any encroachment or reclamation on features within the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone “is a threat to the security of Pagasa island, which is part of Philippine sovereign territory,” the ministry said in a statement, using the Filipino name for Thitu island. “We strongly urge China to uphold the prevailing rules-based international order and refrain from acts that will exacerbate tensions,” it added. The Chinese embassy in Manila reiterated that China strictly abides by a consensus reached among claimants, including not developing uninhabited reefs and islands. Asked to respond to the defense ministry’s statement, it said both countries would ”properly handle maritime issues through friendly consultations.”
‘Hefty’ funds for farm-to-market roads in home provinces of Marcos, Romualdez flagged | INQUIRER.NET – A congresswoman flagged on Thursday the “hefty” farm-to-market road funds allotted in the home provinces of the Marcoses and the Romualdezes. House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro pointed out that the Ilocos Region and Eastern Visayas “are the top recipients” of farm-to-market roads under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) budget. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who is the concurrent DA chief, hails from Ilocos Norte. Marcos’ cousin House Speaker Martin Romualdez, meanwhile, is the representative of the first district of Leyte, a province in Eastern Visayas. “[I]t seems that this is political payback in the way of a hefty budget allocation for the politicians in these regions,” Castro said in a statement. According to the solon, farm-to-market road funds swelled from P568 million this year to P2.038 billion next year in Ilocos Region. The number of farm-to-market roads to be built in Ilocos Norte next year is 79, higher than the current year’s seven. In Eastern Visayas, the farm-to-market road budget ballooned from P513 million this year to P1.612 billion in 2023, Castro said. The congresswoman also raised that there is a similar case for 959 barangays, which are beneficiaries of the Barangay Development Fund (BDP) under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. “It seems that the general pork serves as a pork gift for [barangays],” she said. The Department of Budget and Management, Castro said, “should be more transparent and release documents and information on what projects are these” as only two percent of BDP projects are accounted for this year.
Philippines inks $3B loan agreement with South Korea for infrastructure projects | PHILSTAR.COM – The Philippines has signed an agreement with the Republic of Korea that allows Manila to borrow up to $3 billion from 2022 to 2026 for infrastructure and road projects. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the newly signed deal is worth three times more than the 2017 to 2022 term agreement. “As we welcome commitments in infrastructure and road network developments, the Philippines also welcomes the ROK’s intention to significantly increase its ODA (Official Development Assistance) on climate and green-related areas by 2025,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said during the signing ceremony held Wednesday. “This runs along our country’s trajectory for green projects that will provide more focused support to climate change response for economic development.” The agreement will help fund the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island bridges project, which would connect the three islands via two bridges spanning 32.47 kilometers in total. It will also be used to build the road along the coastal areas of Mandaue, Consolacion, and Liloan in Cebu province. The loan will also finance the Ilocos Norte and Abra Irrigation Project. South Korea was the Philippines 6th largest ODA partner in 2021. With Seoul’s help, the country was able to fund projects such as the P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multipurpose Dam, the P9.2-billion construction project in the Cebu International Port to help with congestion, and the two-lane bridge across the Panguil Bay worth P7.4-billion that helped connect Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte.
