Manila Standard - 2017 April 28 - Friday

Page 1

BRUNEI, PH FIRM UP TRADE, CULTURE DEALS By Sandy Araneta

VOL. XXXI • NO. 73 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

THE Philippines and Brunei signed two agreements Thursday during a meeting in Malacañang between President Rodrigo Duterte and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. The first seeks to promote cooperation in culture and arts by enhancing institutional networking and people-to-people exchanges, a statement from Malacañang said. The second seeks to foster cooperation in developing Halal products, reducing technical barriers to trade, and facilitat-

ing trade in Halal products. During his opening statement before the signing, Duterte welcomed Bolkiah and the delegates from Brunei. “Your majesty is the first Asean head of state to visit the Philippines under my administration and this to me imbues our meeting today with great significance,” said Duterte. “Since my state visit to Brunei in October last year, we have been looking forward to this occasion to reaffirm a Next page

PH presses for sea code Duterte sets aside decision vs China By John Paolo Bencito and Sandy Araneta

T

HE Philippines will not be raising the landmark arbitration ruling that gave Manila a victory over Beijing’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday.

Saying that Manila’s arbitration victory over Beijing is a “nonissue” when he meets with nine other Southeast Asia leaders this week, Duterte said that only the thing he would be raising as Asean chair would be the Code of Conduct for Parties in the South China Sea, which Manila wants completed this year. “We cannot, on our own, enforce the judgement of the arbitral tribunal. Stop dreaming about [the] arbitral [ruling.] You cannot… Unless we are prepared to go to war,” Duterte said at the sidelines of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah’s state visit this year. “I will skip the arbitral ruling. It is not an issue here in the Asean,” he said, adding that the arbitral tribunal’s ruling was a matter between China and the Philippines. He added that Beijing has already decided to ignore the arbitration ruling. “If you go there and make noise, will they listen?” he said in Filipino. “China said it’s completely ignoring the arbitral. So what more can you ask of it? Make noise? For what?” the President said. Duterte made these pronouncements as the National Security

GUARD OF HONOR. President Rodrigo Duterte (left) and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (right) salute

as they walk past a guard of honor during a welcome ceremony at Malacañang Thursday, ahead of the Asean Summit today. Below, Malaysian Prime Minister Rajib Razak arrives at the Naia Terminal 2 on board a Malaysian Airlines special flight Thursday with Peace Panel Secretary Jess Dureza representing the Philippine government in welcoming the Malaysian officials attending the Summit. AFP/Eric Apolonio

Abaya faces plunder Navy acquires over ‘unusable trains’ Korean ship for $100 only By John Paolo Bencito

Next page

Digong vows to ‘unplug’ ABS-CBN By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday he will block the renewal of the franchise of broadcast giant ABS-CBN, which he accuses of estafa for accepting payment for his campaign ads but not airing them during the elections. He said he will not renew ABSCBN’s franchise which will ex-

pire on March 30, 2020. “[The franchise] has been there for 25 years. The law says it’s okay only if you adhere to journalistic standards,” Duterte told reporters. “What did you do to us? Estafa, swindling, not only me but Chiz Escudero, many of us. Son of a bitch, you collected outright then you commit estafa.” Duterte said he will be blocking

the attempts to renew the franchise of the Lopez family-owned media giant. “So I will file a complaint. Congress, no need to renew it. But to operate is something else, so I will point this out, your garbage, then we’ll see,” he said. “If ganoon ka kaano, you’re engaged in swindling for all we Next page

FORMER Transportation secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya will have his day in court, his successor vowed Thursday after a lawmaker insinuated that Abaya might be liable for plunder after 48 new light rail vehicles purchased under the Aquino administration would remain unusable for the next three years. “Am I calling for my predecessor to explain his side? Number one, he will have his day in court. When that moment comes, when that time arrives, then so be it. Period,” Transportation Secretary Arturo Tugade told reporters. “Investigations are ongoing right now. I assure you, sir, once there are substantive proofs to justify the case, then we will do it. But these hanky-pankies, once they are proven, will not go unpunished.” In a radio interview Thursday, Senator Grace Poe said Abaya “doesn’t deserve any rest” following the onerous purchase of the 48 unusable light rail vehicles from China. She said Abaya could be held liable for plunder and graft charges. On Sunday, Tugade’s assistant secretary for rails Cesar Chavez said the 48 LRVs purchased for P3.8 billion would remain unusable until 2020 for lacking any signaling system. Tugade said he would be getting “international independent party certificates” for the 48 LRVs before the public could ride on them.

By Francisco Tuyay THE Philippines’ maritime patrols are expected to be boosted with its acquisition of a destroyer-type vessel from South Korea, Defense Department spokesman Arsenio Andolong said Thursday. He said the South Korean government will donate the Pohang-Class Flight III anti-submarine corvette within the year for a token fee of $100. “The transfer will be in the form of a donation, but we will pay a token fee of 100 dollars,” Andolong said. “We have sent a letter to the government of South Korea expressing our intent to acquire one Pohang-class corvette and we are hoping to receive the vessel within the year.” The Pohang-class corvette served during the Cold War era when 24 were built. Eighteen are still in commission. During the incumbency of Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, the government attempted to acquire a Pohang-class vessel, but the plans were scuttled as the ship they claimed as too old. The South Korean government has already donated two ships to the Philippine Navy that it now uses for its maritime patrols.

‘If I go to prison, so be it’ By Sandy Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday played down a complaint filed before the International Criminal Court accusing him of committing crimes against humanity. “Let him be. Nobody can stop him from filing,” Duterte said of the lawyer who filed the case. “If I go to prison, so be it,” Duterte said. Duterte said he was given a copy of the complaint filed by lawyer Jude Sabio, the legal counsel of confessed hitman Edgar Matobato, who said the President started the Davao Death Squad when he was still a mayor of the city. In a letter to the ICC, Sabio accused Duterte and 11 govern-

ment and police officials of committing crimes against humanity for the spate of deaths under the administration’s drug war. The complaint cited testimonies from Matobato, another self-confessed DDS assassin Arthur Lascañas, and various reports from human rights groups and media organizations. Matobato and Lascañas earlier tagged the President in DDS murders, reportedly carried out during his years as Davao City mayor. Duterte has given varying answers to the existence of the death squad, but the two selfconfessed hitmen have maintained that the long-time city chief ordered killings of petty criminals, drug dealers, and even political enemies. Next page

Gina bans open-pit mining By Rio N. Araja and Anna Leah E. Gonzales

IT’S SUMMER. Filipinos know the country’s blazing season is up when melon fruits, like these ones displayed at the Edsa Market in Balintawak, Quezon City, crowd the stalls for the expected high demand, which is also experienced in hotels in the metropolis, particularly with the three-day Asean Summit starting today. Lino Santos

ENVIRONMENT Secretary Regina Lopez on Thursday banned new open-pit mining. She blamed open-pit mines for the serious degradation of the environment. “Each open pit is a financial liability for government and for life. It kills the economic potential of the place,” she said. Her administrative order came before another hearing on her confirmation by the Commission on Appointments is set on May 2, where she is expected to face strong opposition. Next page


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.