A tense situation transpired 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in Zambales last Thursday when China seized the underwater drone installed by the United States Navy. Philippine top officials were unconcerned about it.
The Duterte government’s nonchalant attitude towards China’s seizure of the United States’ underwater drone in Philippine territory reflects its hazy understanding of sovereignty.
Sovereignty is the supreme right of the state to command obedience within its territory.
By CHARMAINE DEOGRACIAS, VERA Files
In a departure from the previous administration’s support of the United States freedom- of-navigation activities in the South China Sea, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Thursday. the Philippines for will not allow the use of former American military bases – Clark and Subic -for FON patrols of the United States Armed Forces.
Lorenzana said President Duterte is not in favor of U.S. vessels venturing into disputed waters in the South China in the name of freedom of navigation.
“As he said we will avoid any provocative actions to de-escalate tension in the South China Sea. So I think it is unlikely (that Philippines will support US FON operations),” Lorenzana said in doorstop interview at the Pilipinas Conference held at the Peninsula Hotel.
Asked further to explain the Philippines’ turn-around, Lorenzana said, “We are just trying to avoid tensions because one of the things that we see there is, to the Chinese, we allow our land as base for the American’s incursion towards their area, so we will avoid that.”
• Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr is being considered to be governor of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
• Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is being eyed to be foreign secretary but she really wants to be speaker of the House of Representatives.
• Businessman and Philippine Star columnist Jose Manuel “Babes” Romualdez will be the Philippine ambassador to the United States.
The term of BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr., who has held that position since July 2005, ends in July 2017. The spokesperson of the Finance Department, Paola Alvarez, said on Nov. 22 that President Duterte has authorized Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III to ask Tetangco to stay for another term.
There’s a hitch, however. The charter of the BSP allows only two terms for the governor. Congress has to amend the charter for Tetangco to serve another term.
President Duterte must be euphoric after the seven-minute phone conversation with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump Friday night, he thought the latter invited him to visit the United States.
The Presidential Communication Office released the following notes by the President of his conversation with Trump:
“The President-elect Trump wishes the, to extend his warmest regards to the Filipino people. And in just a few minutes, we were talking a lot of things.
“He was quite sensitive also to our worry about drugs. And he wishes me well to, in my campaign and he said that… well we are doing it as a sovereign nation, the right way.
“And he wishes us well.
Update: Duterte admits ordering Marcos re-instatement
http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/02/16/duterte-admits-ordering-marcos-reinstatement
If Police Supt. Marvin Marcos has long been identified as a protector of drug lords, why is somebody high up in Malacañang protecting him?
What does this make of President Duterte’s bloody campaign to eliminate illegal drugs in the country which has claimed the lives of some 3,000 and still counting?
Marcos has been under protective custody at the Philippine National Police in Camp Crame in Metro Manila together with his team involved in the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Sr in the wee hours of Nov 5 while imprisoned in Baybay Provincial Jail in Leyte.
We are glad that Facebook has restored the account of journalist Inday Espina-Varona after it was erroneously blocked last Monday morning.
What happened to Inday’s FB account shows how things have gotten out- of -control with Facebook, the social media phenomenon with over 1.79 billion users, almost a fourth of the world’s population.
Monday evening, when I visited Inday’s vibrant FB page, I got this advisory: “Sorry, this content isn’t available right now.
Many were afraid that the Ombudsman ‘s office would just sit on the case because of Morales’ relations with the President.
Morales is the sister of lawyer Lucas Carpio Jr, the father-in-law of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of the President.
In a talk with reporters after she delivered a stirring speech at the UP Alumni Homecoming Friday, Morales said although she has inhibited herself from the case, “ it is undergoing investigation.”
By VERA Files
President Duterte welcomes media’s role as watchdog even as he considers it a partner in informing the people about what the government is doing for them, a Palace official said.
In a message he delivered in behalf of Press Secretary Martin Andanar at the launching of the Media Ownership Monitor (MOM) website ((http://philippines.mom-rsf.org/ ), Thursday last week, Press Undersecretary Enrique Tandan said, “President Duterte believes that, as partners for change, the members of the media have a huge responsibility in keeping the government institutions in check. Change happens when there is a constant voice that keeps the government up on its feet, making sure that no detail will go unknown from the public eye.”
But the President also wants media to be a partner in delivering the government’s messages to the people. ‘’For the President, this is how the media works as the government’s sidekick, so to speak,” Tandan said.
Pres. Duterte is welcomed by AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda upon his arrival at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City from Peru. Nov. 23, 2016. Malacanang photo by King Rodriguez.
So it was not jet lag that was the reason why President Duterte was absent in the gala dinner heads of state attending the 2017 Leaders Meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation in Lima, Peru last Saturday as he earlier told reporters. It’s stomach upset.
In his interview at the Wireless Catholic Cemetery in Davao City Wednesday, he was asked for his reaction to the criticism of former President Fidel Ramos about his absence in two APEC events in Peru: one was the dinner Saturday and the other was the traditional group photo on Sunday.
Ramos said the gala night could have been an opportunity for Duterte to exchange ideas with world leaders and sickness is an unacceptable alibi to skip such an important gathering. Besides, a doctor is always part of the presidential delegation if the President was not feeling well.
Here are some more of the gems from her speech which Filipino journalists can identify with:
Stop banalizing the Truth
“I believe in being truthful, not neutral. And I believe we must stop banalizing the truth.
And we have to be prepared to fight especially hard for the truth in a world where the Oxford English Dictionary just announced its word of 2016: “post-truth.”