Senate Resolution 718: An act of patriotism

While a lot of people agree that continued engagement with China would be helpful, there is no denying the fact that an extremely large percentage of Filipinos are angered over the unrelenting harassment by Chinese Coast Guard vessels, shadowing and blocking Philippine Coast Guard ships on supply missions and harassing Filipino fishermen who said they feel like thieves in their own territory, chased away and deprived of their livelihood.

This is why the adoption of Senate Resolution 718 principally authored by Senate President Zubiri and Senator Risa Hontiveros condemning the continued harassment of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea and the persistent incursions by Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels reverberates very well and is getting strong support from Filipinos.

“We have to show them how angry we are at what they are doing in our territory,” Senate President Migz said in a recent interview, adding that the Senate has to make a stand on issues regarding national trillion; down to $2.86 trillion in August. Apple sells toys (or gadgets) like iPhones, laptops, tablets and mini speakers.

In 2022, with 137,000 employees, Apple reported profits of $99.8 billion, up 5.4 percent from 2021 and up 73 percent from 2020.

Selling brains and brawn, the Philippines has deployed its best, brightest and most skilled workers abroad, 12 million of them, but made only $32 billion in OFW remittances, 32 percent of Apple’s yearly profits.

Simply by selling us toys, Apple makes in just four months what the 12 million Filipinos earn in one year. Our 12 million OFWs sell their blood, sweat, tears and their souls to make a third of what Apple rakes in yearly.

According to The Economist, “Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft lord it over American business. The five firms dominate the S&P 500 stock market index, collectively accounting for 9 percent of its sales, 16 percent of its net profits and 22 percent of its market capitalization. Last year, their capital spending of $360 billion made up over a tenth of all American business investment.”

“It is their sustained growth sovereignty. that makes them unique in the history of capitalism. When ExxonMobil and GE were the titans of America Inc. in the 1990s and 2000s, their revenues were rising at an average annual rate of 5-6 percent and their net profits at 5-10 percent or so. The tech giants have been growing at 16 percent and 13 percent, respectively, for a decade or more,” adds The Economist.

“The reckless, unrepentant and continuous incursion of Chinese vessels into the heart of the West Philippine Sea strikes at the very core of our nation’s sovereignty, the integrity of our country’s maritime zones and the rights of our people,” Senator Risa said in her sponsorship speech to an earlier resolution that has been merged with SR 718.

The statements of SP Migz and Senator Risa articulate the sentiments of many Filipinos who are dismayed at the relentless incursions, harassment and aggression displayed by China despite professions that it wants peace, and the continuing disregard for the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling that there was “no legal basis” for China to claim “historic rights” to resources within the sea areas falling within the socalled nine-dash line.

A lot of Filipinos see SP Migz and Senator Risa as patriots, so it is no wonder why there is growing admiration for these legislators as evidenced by the results of surveys conducted by independent groups.

“Investors expect the tech giants, with their deep technological insights and even deeper pockets, to capture the spoils of artificial intelligence (AI). The share prices of Alphabet, Amazon and Meta are all climbing back towards their peaks of 2021,” says the magazine.

AI, machines that think, act, talk and solve problems (and lie) like humans, is feared this year as an existential threat to mankind.

Can you imagine machines that lie their way to power and cheating, running the Philippine government?

Asks The Economist: “Can anything stop Big Tech?”

The Warren-Graham Digital Consumer Protection Commission Act would create a new federal commission to oversee major technology

In the recent survey conducted by the Institute of Popular Opinion of the University of Mindanao, Senator Hontiveros had an 83 percent awareness rating and came out as “the most trusted” senator in Davao City – which is no mean feat considering that she did not win in the city during the May 2022 elections and had a negative 30 trust rating in a June 2022 survey. An independent “Boses ng Bayan” survey released by the RP-Mission and Development Foundation recently showed Senate President Migz with an approval rating of 69 percent. Under his leadership, the Senate has been getting record high trust and satisfaction ratings. China’s claims run contrary to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the resolution read – which is also what other nations have expressed in their submissions to the United Nations. The resolution urged the government to take appropriate action in asserting and securing the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, and one of the options presented to address China’s companies operating in the US. The commission would increase consumer safety, protection and privacy, improve competition and bolster national security. It will have the legal authority to investigate and prosecute misconduct by major technology companies when it comes to violating American’s personal data, privacy and online activity. The structure, functions and scope of the new Digital Commission would be similar to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which oversee radio and television outlets and nuclear power production, respectively, in the United States. incursions is the filing of a resolution before the UN General Assembly (UNGA) calling on the cessation of all activities that harass Philippine vessels.

Says Senator Graham: “I have heard too many stories from families who feel helpless in the face of Big Tech. Stories about children being bullied to the point of committing suicide. Human trafficking. Exploitation of minors. All the while the social media platforms look the other way. Today, we take the first step and provide consumers with the tools they need to begin leveling the playing field. A regulatory commission will give consumers a voice against Big Tech and the power to punish them when appropriate.

As reiterated by former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who was a key figure in the maritime case filed at the PCA against China, the “locus of world opinion is the UNGA.”

No country would like to be considered an outcast in the community of nations, which is why if one wants to influence world opinion, the UNGA is where you start, he said.

The Philippines is also open to working together with like-minded nations – even those that have overlapping maritime claims – to ensure maritime peace and security.

The Philippines and Vietnam signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2016 covering several fronts, including defense and maritime security. Both are now stepping up cooperation amid growing security threats in the region, recognizing that disputes must be managed and resolved peacefully in accordance with

The creation of a regulatory commission to oversee Big Tech is the first step in a long journey to protect American consumers from the massive power these companies currently wield.”

“For too long, giant tech companies have exploited consumers’ data, invaded Americans’ privacy, threatened our national security and engaged in anti-competitive practices that hurt our economy,” adds Warren.

“Reining in Big Tech is a top priority on both sides of the aisle.”

In an essay published in The New York Times, Graham and Warren write:

“Digital innovation has had a dark side. Giant digital platforms have provided new avenues of proliferation for the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, human trafficking, drug trafficking and bullying and have promoted eating disorders, addictive behaviors and teen suicide. Parents like Kristin Bride, whose teenage son killed himself after being mercilessly cyberbullied, have shared heartbreaking stories with Congress and the public about the potentially deadly consequences.”

“A few Big Tech companies generate a majority of the international law, including the UNCLOS and the 2016 PCA ruling. Both also want to speed up the creation of an effective Code of Conduct, which is still the best option to reduce the risk of conflict in the South China Sea.

The Philippines and Indonesia also have a 2014 “delimitation agreement” that took effect in 2019. In October 2022, both countries signed the principles and guidelines outlining their continental shelf boundaries since both have overlapping exclusive economic zones. President Marcos described the agreement with Indonesia as a template that can be presented to the ASEAN and can also be done with other nations. When all is said and done, we must continue to hope that issues with China will still be resolved in a peaceful manner – as civilized nations should. (Philstar.com)

* * * The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. * * * babeseyeview@gmail.com world’s internet traffic and essentially control nearly every aspect of Americans’ digital lives. Platforms are protected from legal liability in many of their decisions, so they operate without accountability.

“Big Tech companies have far too much unrestrained power over our economy, our society and our democracy.

“Google uses its search engine to give preference to its own products. Amazon sucks up information from small businesses that offer products for sale on its platform, then uses that information to run its own competing businesses.

“Apple forces entrepreneurs (and thereby consumers) to pay crushing commissions to use its App Store. A few Big Tech companies stifle all competition before it poses any serious threat.

“Big Tech companies vacuum up our personal data, often with little care for whether their practices are responsible or even legal.” (Philstar.com)

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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

* * * Email: biznewsasia@gmail.com