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.com T H E F I L I P I N O –A M E R I C A N C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R
Volume 29 - No. 22 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages
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DATELINE
USA
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
North Korea ‘no longer a nuclear threat’, says Trump ‘Major disarmament’ goal by 2020, says Secretary of State Pompeo TRUMP said Wednesday, June 13, that North Korea was no longer a nuclear threat, upon returning to Washington from his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that while there was still “a great deal of work to do”, the U.S. hopes to reach “major disarmament” within the next 2-½ years. Arriving in Washington, Trump tweeted, “Just landed — a long trip, but everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea.” In a following tweet, he lauded his meeting by tweeting: “Before taking office people were assuming that we were going to War with North Korea. President Obama said that North Korea was our biggest and most dangerous problem. No long - sleep well tonight!” But Trump’s judgement of his meeting was
JUNE 14-20, 2018
Philippines needs freedom from drugs, graft – Duterte by ALEXIS
ROMERO Philstar.com
PRESIDENT Duterte cited the need to liberate the Philippines from social ills like illegal drugs, corruption and crime on Tuesday, June 12. Filipinos’ forebears fought for the country’s sovereignty and freedom, but
the nation continues to “face enemies that attack from within,” he said during the first Independence Day celebration he led since assuming office in 2016. “This time, we face the modern challenges of poverty, corruption, environmental degradation, terrorism, criminality and illegal drugs,” he said. “I have made it
my personal mission to rid our nation of these ills, but I cannot do it alone. At this crucial juncture in our history, we need to draw strength from the lessons of our past to ensure that these ills do not cause any more damage to our future.” On illegal drugs, Duterte stressed that
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On PH Independence Day, former colonial master US highlights ‘enduring alliance’ by IAN
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‘PH-US alliance a model for peace in Asia’ WASHINGTON – The PhilippineU.S. relationship stands as a model for ensuring peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific and America is proud to call the Philippines a friend and ally, Secretary of State Mike Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Photo from State.gov Pompeo said. In a statement released in Washington on the eve of Philippine Independence Day, Pompeo congratulated Filipinos on the 120th anniversary of their country’s independence proclamation. On this special occasion “we remember and honor our enduring alliance,” Pompeo said. The alliance, Pompeo said, was “underpinned by a shared history, rich people-to-people ties and a strong and growing spirit of cooperation
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INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION. President Rodrigo Duterte stands at the balcony of the Museo ni Emilio Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite as he leads the celebration of the 120th Philippine Independence Day celebration on Tuesday, June 12. Malacañang photo by Richard Madelo
HISTORIC HANDSHAKE. Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un made history Tuesday, June 12, becoming the first sitting U.S. and North Korean leaders to meet and shake hands, as they seek to end a tense decades-old nuclear stand-off. The two men strode toward each other and shared the momentous handshake beneath the white-washed walls of an upscale hotel in neutral Singapore, before sitting down for a half-day of meetings with major ramifications for the world. Photo courtesy of the Department of State
NICOLAS CIGARAL Philstar.com
THE United States on Tuesday, June 12, highlighted its “enduring alliance” with the Philippines, which is celebrating its 120th Independence Day. In a message on behalf of U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington is “proud” to call the Philippines a friend and ally. “On this special occasion celebrating Philippine independence, we remember and honor our enduring alliance and wish the Philippines a happy and prosperous national day,” Pompeo said. “The U.S.-Philippines alliance is underpinned by a shared history, rich people-to-people ties, and a strong and growing spirit of cooperation on trade and security,” he added. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has made a stunning shift in his nation’s foreign policy since assuming office in June 2016, as he cozies up to
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Philippines’ withdrawal from SWS: PH democracy ICC faces new challenge at SC satisfies most Filipinos by KRISTINE JOY
Philstar.com
PATAG
MANILA — The executive department’s withdrawal of the Philippines’ membership in the International Criminal Court is facing another challenge at the Supreme Court. The Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court, chaired by Etta Rosales, on Wednesday filed a 51-page petition urging the SC to declare as void the Philippine Notice of Withdrawal from the ICC, due to lack of parliamentary approval from the Senate. The PCICC, a non-government organization whose members “campaigned for the
Philippines to become a State Party to the Rome Statue.” This is the second petition assailing the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute. Minority senators, led by Sen. Francis Pangilinan, filed in May a petition also challenging the country’s withdrawal from the international tribunal. The petitioners claim that the chief executive’s decision was “based on capricious, whimsical, ridiculous, misleading or misled, incoherent and/or patently false grounds, with no basis in fact, law or jurisprudence.” They noted that the withdrawal of the country’s
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No protest, but PH to ‘discuss’ Scarborough corals with China by PATRICIA LOURDES Philstar.com
VIRAY
AMID calls to file a new arbitration case against China for the destruction of coral reefs in Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine government insisted that doing so would “reverse” the country’s “diplomatic gains.” Seeking stronger ties with China, the Duterte administration has played down the July 2016 ruling that invalidated Beijing’s nine-dash line claim over the disputed South China Sea. The instead opted to hold a bilateral consultation mechanism with China while the latter continChinese fishermen harvesting giant clams in Scarborough Shoal destroyed coral reefs in the ues to militarize artificial islands process. Photo courtesy of Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative in the contested waters.
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by CATHERINE
VALENTE ManilaTimes.net
MAJORITY of Filipinos are satisfied with how democracy works in the Philippines, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Independence Day, June 12. The first quarter survey, conducted from March 23 to 27, showed that 78 percent of adult Filipinos were satisfied with democracy. This was two points lower than the 80 percent recorded in the June 2017 survey and a point lower than the June 2016 poll, the SWS said. Satisfaction with the way democracy works reached a record high in September 2016 at 86
percent. It hit 80 percent in June 2013. “In contrast, satisfaction with the way democracy works was a disappointing 44 percent in June 2004, after the presidential elections of that year,” the SWS said. The same survey said 60 percent of the respondents preferred democracy than any other kind of government. Preference for democracy reached a record high at 65 percent in June 2013 and 61 percent in June 2017. “It has been above 50 percent since February 2009, reaching a record-high 65 percent in June 2013,” the SWS said.
“Filing a new case against u PAGE A2 China will reverse our diplomatic gains, not to mention the cost it entails. We can therefore discuss the issue of destroyed coral reefs in Scarborough Shoal as this forms part of the area of maritime environmental protection instead of filing a new case,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Wednesday, June 13. Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, a member of the government’s legal team in the arbitration case against China, urged the government to seek compensation for Chinese fishermen’s destruction of coral reefs in the traditional fishing ground. Carpio stressed that the Philip- According to a recent survey, the majority of Filipinos are satisfied with how democracy works in
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the Philippines.
Inquirer.net photo