News Roundup 30 September 2022
Sep 30, 2022 • 5 min Read
US, Philippines defense leaders discuss strengthening MDT, maritime cooperation | PHILSTAR.COM – Priority areas for the alliance of the Philippines and the United States included strengthening mutual defense treaty commitments, and enhancing maritime cooperation, the top defense officials of the two countries said Friday. Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr., officer-in-charge of the Department of National Defense, and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III met at Camp Smith in Hawaii to discuss ways to deepen the cooperation between Manila and Washington. “We discussed several priority areas for the alliance including strengthening our mutual defense treaty commitments and enhancing maritime cooperation, building on our mutual defense posture, and improving interoperability and information sharing,” Austin said. “By deepening our cooperation and modernizing our alliance, we can help secure the Philippines’ future, tackle regional challenges, and promote peace and security in the Indo Pacific,” he added. Under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, the two countries recognized that “an armed attack in the Pacific on either of the parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declared that it would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.” According to Faustino, officials from the two countries tackled “forward-looking, practical, and tangible ways on how to empower our partnership to improve defense cooperation across various lines of effort […] with the end view of further enhancing the credibility of our alliance.” When asked if Manila would help Washington in defending Taiwan in case of Chinese aggression, Faustino said the Philippines adheres to the One China Policy. “We urge all concerned parties to exercise restraint, and diplomacy and dialogue must prevail,” the former military chief said. “We continue to update and enhance our contingency plans. It is also imperative to regularly update and exercise the Philippines-US mutual defense concept plan under the ambit of the MDT based on our dynamic security environment,” he added.
Lawyers, universities condemn ex-Palace official’s threats vs judge | INQUIRER.NET – Lawyers and universities condemned the threats made by former anti-insurgency spokesperson Lorraine Badoy-Partosa against a Manila Regional Trial Court judge who dismissed the government’s case to judically declare communist rebels as terrorists. Some 485 lawyers signed a statement deploring the “grave and disturbing threats and scurrilous statements” that Badoy made against Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar. Badoy-Partosa insinuated that Malagar, whom she called communist cadre, as well as her husband University of the Philippines Cebu Chancellor Leo Malagar, and members of the National Union of People’s Lawyers are connected to the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army. She also posted a hypothetical scenario where she said: “If I kill this judge and I do so out of my political belief that all allies of the CPP NPA NDF must be killed because there is no difference in my mind between a member of the CPP NPA NDF and their friends, then please be lenient with me.” “These baseless allegations against Judge Malagar and members of the Philippine Bar are beyond the bounds of fair and reasonable criticism,” the lawyers said in a statement sent to the Supreme Court on Friday. The lawyers called on the Supreme Court to take concrete and firm action to protect judges and lawyers, and hold those who threaten and malign justice actors accountable. “Lies, spins, and libelous accusations amounting to criminal contempt against judges, if left unchecked, erode the people’s faith in our courts and justice system. We must not stand idly by while justice actors are attacked by those who work to spread fear and paranoia,” they said. The SC en banc has earlier discussed “possible actions” over statements made by Badoy against Malagar. It also issued a “stern” warning that it will consider attempts on social media and elsewhere to incite violence against judges a contempt of the court. In a separate statement, the Ateneo Law School community said the call for violence in response to Malagar’s dismissal of the petition not just irresponsible, but also “contemptuous for instigating repugnance on a judge’s faithfulness to her sworn duty to uphold the law.” “This statement goes beyond standing with and for one of our own. This, too, is a reminder that an attack against a dutiful member of the court is an attack against a free judiciary mandated to safeguard our inherent rights through the rule of law,” it said. The UP President’s Advisory Council also condemned the threats against Malagar and her husband. “This is not the first time — nor, we believe, will it be the last — that Ms. Badoy has overstepped the bounds of human decency with her rabid and reckless assaults on free speech, human rights, and now, the judicial process itself, one of our last democratic recourses,” the UP PAC said.
‘Babalik tayo’: New LP president Lagman vows to lift party from ashes of poll defeats | INQUIRER.NET – Veteran lawmaker and Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman, who has been elected as the new president of the Liberal Party (LP), vowed to restore the party from the ashes of electoral setbacks. During the National Executive Council Meeting of the party held in San Juan City earlier, Lagman said the party would be looking forward to the 2025 midterm elections and other succeeding polls, saying “babalik tayo” (we will be back). He also said that hiatus would not be an option because the present times call for more action from the Liberal Party. “With the myriad challenges faced by the Liberal Party today, hiatus is not an option. In fact, now is the time to perpetuate the legacies of LP. We may be small in numbers now, but we are far from insignificant. For what we lack in numbers we compensate with the unquestionable quality and excellence of our members,” Lagman said. “We look forward to the 2025 mid-term elections and beyond. Babalik tayo. As your President, I am not ready to incant the requiem of the Liberal Party. I assume the presidency to lift up the Liberal Party from the ashes of the May 2022 elections,” he added. Lagman said the approach to ensure an increase in membership would be to still focus on the grassroots to know the actual struggles of people and eventually link with the youth leaders who would invigorate LP.
