MILF joins war vs drugs By Florante S. Solmerin
VOL. XXX • NO. 246 • 5 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2016 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph
GOVERNMENT security forces and Muslim rebels joined forces and nabbed 13 henchmen of the notorious “Masgal drug group” in a sustained
week-long collaboration in Midsayap, North Cotabato, an official statement released Saturday by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said. Next page
WET WEEKEND. As Typhoon 'Karen' barreled toward Luzon Island, motorists were confronted with this watery skyline of Makati City as seen through a car’s windshield. Sonny Espiritu
‘Karen very destructive’ T
HE state weather bureau raised Signal No. 3 over eight areas as Typhoon “Karen” [international name: Sarika] barreled toward Luzon with weathermen fearing it could be “the most damaging” storm this year.
MILLENNIAL ATHLETICISM. Three young men show off their athleticism during their regular work-out time at Bonifacio Global City playground in Taguig City. Sonny Espiritu
“We can see from the radar that the storm is very destructive. It can destroy wooden houses, it can topple trees. It can possibly rip off roofs... This could so far, be the most damaging typhoon this year,” said forecaster Benison Estareja of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. While the storm is not the most powerful to hit the country this year, it could cause the most damage as it will cross heavilypopulated areas just north of Manila, Estareja said. “This one will have an impact because most of the people are in [that part of] Luzon. Even Metropolitan Manila will be affected,” he warned. Karen, packing maximum winds of 180 kilometers per hour, has already knocked out
Beijing to lift advisory during Rody’s state visit By John Paolo Bencito CHINA will lift its two-year-old travel advisory against the Philippines when President Rodrigo Duterte visits Beijing next week, according to Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua. “The Chinese side has already decided to lift the travel advisory,” Zhao said in a forum on Friday. Asked by reporters when the advisory will be lifted, the Chinese ambassador said: “During your President’s visit.” Zhao noted that 10 million Chinese tourists go to Thailand every year while only 500,000 Chinese people visit the Philippines. During the first half of 2016, 360,000 Chinese tourists have already visited the Philippines, he said, adding that the number is expected to go up to one million Chinese visitors by the end of the year.
With Chinese tourists estimated to be spending an average of US$1,000 per person for their trips, Zhao said this would translate to US$1 billion in income for the Philippines from Chinese tourists. The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines had earlier issued a travel warning to its citizens after the deadly Davao City explosion in early September and in 2014 when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Chinese citizens not to go to the Philippines because of an alleged plot to bomb the Chinese embassy, Chinese businesses and Manila’s international airport. The alleged bomb plot was linked to the dispute over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), which heated up in 2012 and soured relations between the Philippines and China. Zhao likewise said China is keen on forging a fisheries cooperation agreement
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CH mixing key issues, Carpio says
ANTONIO CARPIO
S
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SUPREME Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has raised alarm signals that China is attempting to reframe the South China Sea dispute between Beijing and Washington, only three days before President Rodrigo Duterte flies to Beijing for a state visit. The 66-year-old Carpio, born in Davao like the incumbent President, warned the chief executive China might ask the Philippines to concede the latter’s rights in the South China, upheld in July by an international arbitral tribunal, before agreeing on any exploration deals in the disputed maritime area. Next page
all power and telephone lines on the eastern island of Catanduanes, the civil defense office said. It is forecast to hit the province of Aurora on the east coast of the main island of Luzon before dawn Sunday and is expected to cross Central Luzon before heading out to sea Sunday evening, he added. Pagasa raised Signal Number 3 over Camarines Norte, northern Quezon including Polillo Island, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Aurora and northern Zambales. These areas will experience strong winds and heavy rains, with coastal areas at risk of storm surges of up to two meters (more than six feet), the forecaster said. Signal Number 2, on the other Next page
US: China trip ‘positive thing’ THE US Department of State conceded on Saturday that President Rodrigo Duterte’s upcoming state visit to China will be in the best interest of the Philippines and viewed the blooming relationship between Manila and Beijing as a “positive thing.” “The Philippines’ relationship with China is an important one,” US State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said in Washington D.C. “ It’s important to the region, and strong relations between China and the Philippines... is important to regional security.” “So we don’t view it as any type of slight in any way or overlooking the importance of our own relations, our own bilateral relationship with the Philippines. We view it as a positive thing,” he added. “Certainly, it’s in the Philippines’ interest to have strong relations in the region. As much as this is an effort in that direction, we would support it,” Toner said. Duterte will make the state visit with at least 250 businessmen in a bid to reverse Philippine foreign policy after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Next page
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