Enrile thanks God, well-wishers as he turns 99

by JANVIC MATEO Philstar.com

MANILA — Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile expressed gratitude to well-wishers as he turned 99 on Tuesday, February 14, Valentine’s Day.

“To everyone who greeted me or will greet me on my 99 years on this planet, thank you very, very much, and happy Valentine’s Day to all of you. I love you all,” the former Senate president wrote on his Facebook page.

Enrile added in his post: “99 years are, indeed, long in term of years, and I thank God for granting me those years. But in terms of eternity, those seemingly long years are but a fleeting moment. Nonetheless, thank you Lord for the years you gifted me; for the protection you blessed me and for all the blessings you have generously given to me and to my family; and the friends you, Lord, allowed me to have during my lifetime. Thank you dear the Ren'ai Reef (Ayungin Shoal).

On Tuesday, February 14 the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against China’s recent aggressions, while President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. also summoned Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian over “the increasing frequency and intensity” of China’s actions against the PCG and the Filipino fishermen.

Comply with UNCLOS

China already claimed that its actions were in accordance to local and international laws, namely the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), but other countries are still calling on  PAGE A2

HOUSE Senior Deputy Speaker and former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Thursday, February 16 led other lawmakers in urging the House of Representatives to support former president Rodrigo Duterte, who may come under investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity.

Arroyo was joined by 15 other representatives and her fellow Pampanga lawmakers.

In May 2021, the ICC prosecutor at that time, Fatou Bensouda, requested the court's authorization to launch a preliminary investigation into the extrajudicial killings conducted during Duterte's war on drugs.

Under the Rome Statute, the ICC can investigate and prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights estimated in a 2020 report that at least 8,000 people were killed during the campaign on drugs implemented under Duterte.

In November 2021, the Philippine government requested the ICC to defer the probe, saying that it had begun its own inquiry into the killings.

In June last year, the court's prosecutor, Karim Khan,