July 3-5, 2019 Volume 29 - No. 51 • 2 Sections - 16 Pages
Palace: China rejects third party in Recto Bank joint probe by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
briefing, said the Chinese government does not see the need for a third party investigator. MALACAÑANG on Monday, “Ang sabi nila (China), nag-ofJuly 1 said China disagreed with fer sila ng joint investigation, ‘di President Rodrigo Duterte’s ba? Tapos in-accept ng presisuggestion of involving an inde- dente. Tapos may third party. pendent body in the Philippines- Ang sabi naman nila, huwag na China joint investigation into the ‘yung third party, kailangan tayo Recto Bank collision. lang mag-usap doon (They ofPresidential Spokesperson fered a joint investigation, right? Salvador Panelo, in a media Then the president accepted.
USA
Then a third party was suggested. They said, no more third party, let’s keep the discussion between us),” he said. “Yung joint investigation, ang feeling nila, kung meron tayong separate investigations, then let’s meet. We exchange our findings, and then we decide kung anong gagawin natin dito (With DELEGATED. President Rodrigo Duterte congratulates newly appointed Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio the joint investigation, they feel Honasan II during the oath-taking ceremony at the Malacañan Palace on Monday, July 1. Also in the photo are Executive Secretary
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Salvador Medialdea and Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go.
Canada takes garbage back from Philippines, ending long dispute
DATELINE After decades of improvement, SoCal smog reduction slows down FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
Smog regulators say that the state needs $14 billion to address the problem
THE are fewer things more constant in Los Angeles than the ongoing smog problem. Although the national war on smog has led to an overall reduction in gas emissions (due to the bipartisan 1970 Clean Air Act), the air quality in Los Angeles has slipped over the last decade, according to a new study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study — which culled data from satellite measurements — found that smog formed from nitrogen oxides decreased only 1.7 percent annually from 2011 to 2015 and is increasing in some regions of the U.S.; and, by comparison, it fell 7 percent from 2005 and 2009. “Today, it feels like the future of our kids and our country is at stake,” former Obama Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Gina McCarthy told the AP. “We do not have the cleanest air and we have not crossed the finish line when it comes to pollution.”
In this file photo, protesters tell Canada to take back tons of garbage illegally shipped to a port in Manila from Canada two years ago. Inquirer.net photo by Niño Jesus Orbeta
MAYOR Eric Garcetti announced Monday, July 1, that he would lead a coalition of mayors calling on Congress to pass the Ending Homelessness Act. The legislation, sponsored by Representative Maxine Waters, would direct more than $13 billion to support the work of cities on the front lines of this crisis, deliver vital services to homeless residents, and bring our unsheltered neighbors indoors. Other mayors supporting this effort include Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot; Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh; Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney; Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan; Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson; Austin Mayor Steve Adler; Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer; Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg; Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf;
VANCOUVER — Tonnes of Canadian garbage left in the Philippines for years arrived back home on Saturday, July 29, putting an end to a festering diplomatic row that highlighted how Asian nations have grown tired of being the world’s trash dump. A cargo vessel loaded with about 69 containers of rubbish docked in a port on the outskirts of Vancouver, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. The trash will be incinerated at a wasteto-energy facility, local officials said. The conflict dates back to 2013 and 2014, when a Canadian company shipped containers mislabeled as recyclable plastics to the Philippines. The shipment actually contained a mix-
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by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
by CATHRINE
GONZALES Inquirer.net
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ture of paper, plastics, electronics, and household waste, including kitchen trash and diapers, even though Philippine law prohibits imports of mixed plastics and household trash. Some of the waste was disposed of in the Philippines, but much of it stewed in local ports for years. The issue polluted bilateral relations for years, but tensions came to a head in April when Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to “declare war” against Canada unless it reclaimed the garbage. Canada missed a May 15 deadline to repatriate the rubbish, but then made arrangements soon thereafter to move it back to Canadian soil.
First round of Senate bills filed for 18th Congress
PNP chief says police not falling short of arrest targets
MANILA — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said on Monday, July 1, that the police are not falling short of arrest targets, amid the report of the Commission on Audit (COA) that the PNP missed its 2018 goals. In a press briefing at Camp Crame, Albayalde said u PAGE A4 COA was referring to the top 10 most wanted persons arrested in 2018, and not the arrest of all wanted persons which include ordinary suspects. “I think kailangan sabihin sa COA ‘yan para maintin-
Mayor Garcetti leads coalition of mayors calling for federal action to confront homelessness crisis
Malacañang photo by Karl Norman Alonzo
PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde Inquirer.net photo
Welfare Act of 2006. It seeks to lower the MACR from 15 years old to 12 years old. THE first round of filing SenSotto also filed the Anti-False ate bills in the 18th Philippine Content bill, which prohibits the Congress commenced on Mon- publication and proliferation of day, July 1, and among the first false content on the Internet, ones to be filed were those seek- provides measures to countering to lower the minimum age of act its effects, and prescribes criminal responsibility, combat- appropriate penalties, as well ing fake news and terrorism. as the Prevention of Terrorism Senate Bill No. 5, filed by Sen- bill, which seeks to amend Reate President Vicente Sotto III, public Act No. 9372 or the Huamends the Juvenile Justice and u PAGE A2
National ID system target: 105-M Filipinos covered by 2022 by NEIL
ARWIN MERCADO Inquirer.net
MANILA – The government is targeting to have 105 million Filipinos enrolled in the national ID system once it is fully implemented in 2022, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) chief Ernesto M. Pernia said on Monday, July 1. Speaking at the pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) Economic and Infrastructure Forum at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City, Pernia said the government is currently in the process of procuring the technologies needed for the implementation of the national u PAGE A4 ID system or Philippine Identification
System (PhilSys). The national ID system would serve as a single identification which would benefit Filipinos, including those living overseas and resident aliens who are at least five years old. The ID would contain information such as biometrics (thumbprint, iris and face scanning), full name, gender, date of birth, place of birth, blood type, and address. The ID would also indicate if the holder is a Filipino or a resident alien. “We are fast-tracking the implementation of the ID system. We are now in the stage of procuring the different technologies that are needed such as the automated biometric information system,” Pernia said. ■
Several Cabinet members discuss government programs including the National ID system during the preState of the Nation Address (SONA) Economic and Infrastructure Forum at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City on Monday, July 1. Inquirer.net photo by Noy Morcoso