News Roundup 22 July 2024
Jul 22, 2024 • 4 min Read
Marcos: West Philippine Sea not an imagination, it will always be ours | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines —The Philippines’ ownership of the West Philippine Sea is not an imagination but a reality that will stay forever, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said during his third State of the Nation Address (Sona).
Marcos’ remarks about the WPS in his speech on Monday drew a standing ovation from lawmakers and guests, after he insisted that the Philippines will continue to own the region as long as Filipinos love their motherland.
“The West Philippine Sea is not merely a figment of our imagination. It is ours. And it will remain ours as long as the spirit of our beloved country, the Philippines, burns brightly,” Marcos said in Filipino.
“We will strengthen and expand the awareness and knowledge of the entire nation, and we will ensure that it is passed on to our youth and future generations,” he said.
Marcos also appeared emotional while thanking the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the country’s fisherfolk for their sacrifices in guarding the country’s territory.
“To our entire Armed Forces, the Coast Guard, and our fishermen in the West Philippine Sea, accept the heartfelt gratitude of the entire nation for your vigilance and sacrifices,” he said.
Full Story at: Marcos: West Philippine Sea not an imagination, it will always be ours | INQUIRER.net
Marcos on drug war gains: No killings involved | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday highlighted his administration’s achievements in its fight against illegal drugs, emphasizing that there was no extermination involved.
In his third State of the Nation Address, Marcos said that the government has seized more than P44 billion worth of illegal drugs and arrested more than 97,000 drug personalities in over 71,500 drug operations under his term.
“Our bloodless war on dangerous drugs adheres, and will continue to adhere, to the established ‘8 Es’ of an effective anti-illegal drugs strategy. Extermination was never one of them,” Marcos said.
He said that more than 6,000 of those arrested were high-value targets, 440 were government officials, and 42 were uniformed personnel. Seventy-seven were elected officials.
“To further paralyze their operations, dirty money and assets worth more than P500 million have been frozen and preserved,” Marcos stated. “With strong case build-up and efficient prosecution, the drug conviction rate is at a high of 79 percent.”
The President also reported a 32 percent reduction in the number of drug-affected barangays.
Full Story at: Marcos on bloodless drug war gains: No exterminations involved (inquirer.net)
‘Effective today’: Marcos declares POGO ban in SONA | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines (Updated 5:53 p.m.) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the ban of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) during his third State of the Nation Address.
“Effective today, all POGOs are banned,” said Marcos.
The declaration was met with cheers from members of Congress, with lawmakers rising to their feet and chanting “BBM! BBM!”
Marcos said that he heard the call of his countrymen clearly.
“Disguising as legitimate entities, their activities have ventured into illicit areas, furthest from gaming, such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, and murder,” Marcos said.
The president called POGOs a grave abuse of Philippine law, saying that this must stop.
Marcos gave the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation a tight deadline to wind down the controversial POGO activities by the end of the year.
“I hereby instruct PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) to wind down and cease the operation of POGOs by the end of the year,” he said to an approving crowd.
In addition to this, Marcos ordered the Department of Labor and Employment will help look for new jobs for Filipinos affected by the banning.
Full Story at: Marcos declares POGO ban in SONA | Philstar.com
Marcos: Low crime rate, crime-solution efficacy ‘not enough’ | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stressed the need for law enforcers to earn public trust by working closely with the criminal justice system and the judiciary.
Marcos said this in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) as he noted the country’s decreased crime rate and improved crime-solution efficiency. “The strong pillars of our criminal justice system, especially in light of the new rules on criminal investigation and our independent Judiciary, function in unison,” the president said.
Marcos referred to new rules introduced by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) National Prosecution Service, which will govern criminal procedures and the preliminary process for determining if there is sufficient evidence to believe that a crime has been committed.
In April, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) reported that the crime rate during the first 21 months of the Marcos administration was lower compared to the same period under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The average monthly crime rate decreased from 21.92 to 15.04, according to the DILG.
Focus crimes such as theft, physical injury, robbery, rape, murder, carnapping and homicide also dropped from 196,420 to 71,133—a decrease of 63.79%.
Full Story at: Marcos: Low crime rate, crime-solution efficacy ‘not enough’ | Philstar.com
