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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Ex-DFA chief: Scarborough deal holds By Rey E. Requejo
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ORMER Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario insisted on the existence of an agreement between the Philippines and China, as brokered by the United States, on the simultaneous withdrawal of ships to resolve the impasse at Scarborough Shoal in 2012.
Del Rosario lamented that while the Philippines agreed to the US proposal to withdraw the former’s only one ship from Scarborough Shoal, the Chinese side did not comply.
Whole of nation plan for good governance, Duterte says PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has approved a national plan to integrate the efforts to deliver goods and services to the communities affected by conflict, Malacañang said Tuesday. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte will assign Cabinet members to oversee the peace and development efforts in those areas. He said Duterte approved the “wholeof-nation plan” during the first meeting of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or NTFELCAC in Malacañang on Monday night. “PRRD today rallied all instrumentalities of government, the private sector and the entire Filipino nation to actively work together in a whole-of-the-nation movement to address violent conflicts as well as build a culture of peace and development throughout the country,” Panelo said. “The President approved a national plan that would integrate and harmonize the various efforts of the whole of government and of all sectors of society in delivering goods and services as well as in providing for peace and security especially in conflict-affected communities.” Panelo said Cabinet members and other government heads agreed that the “whole-of-nation movement” was not directed at defeating the communist insurgency, but rather to demonstrate genuine good governance for the betterment of the lives of the people. “To effectively manage the wholeof-nation movement, the President will assign each of his Cabinet members to oversee the peace and development efforts in all regions of the country,” Panelo said. “The designated Cabinet officer for the region will be supported by a unified, an integrated Regional Development Council and Regional Peace and Order Council. “By effectively managing barriers and challenges to peace and development, the whole-of-nation movement envisions to build resilient and robust communities that promote the welfare and the well-being of the Filipino people.” Under Executive Order 70, Duterte established the NTFELCAC “to provide an efficient mechanism and structure for the implementation of the Wholeof-Nation Approach to aid in the realization of the collective aspirations for inclusive and sustainable peace.” NatM ariano
CHR... From A1
In a statement, CHR lawyer-spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said: “We recognize that these companies present an option to lighten one’s skin, but they may do so without perpetuating colorism, particularly discriminating against those with darker skin.””Instead, we hope that they use their respective platforms to encourage greater acceptance of our diversity and oneness as part of one humanity,” she added. While advertisements are tools of the trade for businesses to sell, De Guia said these businesses, including advertising agencies, “must operate within the bounds of ethical guidelines to ensure that earning profit does not come at the expense of other people’s rights, identities and dignity.” “As such, the CHR reminds businesses, as a secondary duty bearer, of their moral obligation to ensure respect and protection of the rights of all, given their capacity to influence how others would enjoy their rights and their ability to shape people’s worldview,” she said.
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Over a five-month period in 2017-2018, an average of 365 tiny bits of plastic settled every day on each square meter of an uninhabited, high-altitude area in the Pyrenees straddling France and Spain, they reported in the journal Nature Geoscience. “It is astounding and worrying that so many particles were found in the Pyrenees field site,” said lead author Steve Allen, a doctoral student at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. The study focused on microplastics mostly between 10 and 150 micrometers
“During the impasse at Scarborough Shoal with China in 2012, we were approached by the US, an honest broker for both China and the Philippines, to agree to a simultaneous withdrawal of ships from the shoal,” the former top diplomat said, noting that China had over 30 ships while the Philippines had a total of one ship, at that time. “We ultimately agreed to the US proposal. At the appointed time, we withdrew, whereas China—acting with duplicity—did not,” he said. “When confronted with the non-withdrawal of their ships, Beijing’s response was a denial of the existence of such an agreement,” Del Rosario added. Del Rosario also disputed the claim of Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo that the Duterte administration did not shelve the arbitral ruling that upheld the Philippine sover-
eign rights over the West Philippine Sea, part of the disputed South China Sea. Del Rosario cited the Aug. 29, 2016 speech of President Rodrigo Duterte during the National Heroes’ Day where the Chief Executive declared: “I will not use the judgment [on the] arbitral [ruling] now. But I would one day sit in front of your representative or you and then I will lay bare my position. And I would say that, ‘this paper, I cannot get out of the four corners of this document.’” He also cited the President’s statement made on Dec. 17, 2016 after his arrival from state visit to Cambodia and Singapore, and on March 19, 2017 where Duterte declared that “. . . I would like to tell you now that during my term, there will be a time where I have to confront you about this paper, the arbitral ruling. It will not go beyond the four
PH slams... From A1
27 this year. He will also have a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has been asked to issue a writ of Kalikasan to compel concerned government agencies to rehabilitate and protect the West Philippine Sea, particularly Panatag Shoal, Ayungin Shoal, and Panganiban Reef from environmental damage due to poaching and other illegal extraction and fishing activities being undertaken by Chinese nationals. In a petition, the members of the Kalayaan Palawan Farmers and Fisherfolk Association and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines sought the issuance of the same relief that the SC issued in 2008 when it ordered all concerned government agencies to coordinate for the cleanup, restoration, and preservation of the Manila Bay. The petitioners used as basis the documents submitted by the Philippine government in the inter-state arbitration proceedings under Annex VII to the 1982 United National Convention on the Law of the Sea (“UNCLOS”) as well as the 2016 award by the tribunal in the South China Sea Arbitration, which established that foreign poachers and foreign construction and land reclamation entities have caused massive environmental damage in Philippine waters and the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Philippines won the arbitration on July 12, 2016, but the administration of President Duterte shelved the enforcement of the ruling to the detriment of the Filipinos, particularly fishermen, the petitioners said. “The fishing communities in Palawan, together with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, now seek a Writ of Kalikasan and Writ of Continuing Mandamus from this Honorable Court, in assertion of their constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology, their public right to obtain the prosecution of violations of Philippine environmental laws in the Philippine EEZ, and their right to prevent the further destruction of the marine environment in the Philippine EEZ,” the petition stated. The petitioners accused foreign fishermen and other entities of harvesting threatened and endangered species and using cyanide and explosives in Panatag Shoal and Ayungin Shoal as well as undertaking illegal construction activities in Panganiban Reef. They said the UN-backed arbitral ruling upheld the Philippine government’s claim that Ayungin Shoal, Panganiban Reef and Panatag Shoal are well within the Philippine EEZ, thus, the country’s environmental laws are required to be enforced in these areas. “Chinese fishermen harvested endangered and threatened species and used cyanide and explosives in their fishing. Foreign entities engaged by Chinese authorities constructed and damaged coral reefs in the process. The marine environment and resources in the areas were damaged severely and extensively in spite of adequate Philippine laws to protect them. Clearly, the damage is brought upon by lack of enforcement of Philippine environmental laws by respondents,” they argued.
Moreover, Filipino fishermen revealed in the report that for years, they have been observing the acts of Chinese vessels harvesting giant clams in the Scarborough Shoal, which remains a traditional fishing ground located 124 nautical miles from Zambales. According to local fishermen, Chinese Coast Guard speed boats hamper Filipino and other fishing vessels from fishing in the area. Sought for comment, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the Philippine government is already seeking legal actions against China’s supposed extraction of giant clams in Philippine waters. “We just caught them doing that recently, filed a diplomatic note, and will be taking legal action with our legal department now,” Locsin said on Twitter. The Palace official then said the government would wait for China to respond. “We will wait for their official response, and then act on it. One way or the other,” he said. “The fact that we have already issued a diplomatic protest or note verbale is already a statement of the position of this government.” Asked if the government has plans to seek the aid of the United States, the country’s military ally, to address China’s persistent presence in the Philippine waters and territories, Panelo said: “We’ll wait for the President’s decision on that. These are very serious matters and require serious study.” The report about the mass extraction of giant clams in the Scarborough Shoal came amid strong exchanges about conflicting territorial claims. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintained that Beijing’s claim over the Nansha or Spratly Islands remains backed by “sufficient historical jurisprudential evidence,” arguing that Chinese fishermen’s rights over the SCS “should not be challenged.” The Palace made it clear that the country’s claim over the West Philippine Sea is backed by the 2016 arbitral ruling, “accepted principles of public international law but consistent with the directives of our Constitution and the aspirations of the Filipino people.” “It is our principled stand that the peace in the WPS should be maintained and that China should avoid performing acts that will place at risk the Filipino fishermen fishing in the disputed areas and at the same time cause irritants that will disrupt the current friendly relations of the two countries as well as imperil future bilateral negotiations on matters of mutual concern,” Panelo said in a statement over the weekend. He then told China that the country’s sovereignty is “non-negotiable.” The Palace also did not discount the possibility that issue in the contested waters might be discussed during the visit of President Rodrigo Duterte to Beijing. The President is expected to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in China on April 24 to
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plant shutdowns at the time that drove electricity rates up. The measure—which has been pending at the committee level—warned that these massive maintenance shutdowns “would definitely cause immense electricity rate hikes to the detriment of… consumers.” He said reforms were needed “to protect the consumers from these seemingly collusive and manipulative practices.” “Since the advent of EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act), the power oligarchs have been ‘electrocuting’ hapless consumers with the unbridled and non-stop rise in the cost of electricity through collusion and market manipulation. And, for decades, too, our regulators are also held captive by these power players,” the Davaobased lawmaker said. Last week, Zarate voiced his concern over the continued simultaneous maintenance shutdowns of power plants during the summer season, which end up hurting power reserves in Luzon at a time when power demand is at its highest. That same week, system operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines placed the Luzon grid on red alert status for three across, including fragments, fibers and sheet-like pieces of film. By comparison, a human hair is, on average, about 70 micrometres in width. “We would never have anticipated that this study would reveal such high levels of microplastic deposits,” added co-author Gael Le Roux, a researcher at EcoLab in Toulouse, in southwestern France. Plastic litter has emerged in the last few years as a major environmental problem. Up to 12 million tons of plastics are thought to enter the world’s oceans every year, and millions more clog inland waterways and landfills. AFP
straight days to warn consumers, including those in the franchise area of the Manila Electric Company, of rotating brownouts. “Why is it that they always have to break down at the same time when demand is highest?” Zarate asked. “We really can’t blame the consumers for thinking that the power plants are colluding in order to raise the cost of electricity,” he added. Zarate said that since 2012, power plants such as the Sual power plant, Calaca power plant, Pagbilao power plant, and Malaya thermal power plant have bogged down annually during summer. He said that it is high time for Congress to investigate the matter. “Its the owners of these plants who should be shouldering the additional cost in electricity since it’s their fault that these plants keep bogging down, and not the consumers. That’s why they shouldn’t ask us to pay,” Zarate said. Meanwhile, a party-list group expressed doubts about the ability of the Department of Energy to ensure there would be no power interruptions during the May 13 midterm elections. At a news conference in Quezon City, Gerry Rances, Murang Kuryente party-list second nominee, expressed his disappointment over the government’s inability to provide affordable and reliable energy to consumers.
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SWS also found “good” the net trust ratings for Japan and Australia at +34 and +33, respectively, with little increases from the previously recorded figures in December 2018. “The net trust rating stayed good for Japan at +34 in March 2019, similar to the +34 in December 2018,” SWS said. “SWS first surveyed public trust in Japan in December 1994 and found neutral net ratings from December 1994 to December 1996, ranging from -2 to +9. It rose to a moderate +17 in June 1997 and has since been at moderate to good, reaching as high
corners of this document.” The former foreign affairs official also disparaged Panelo’s declaration that the Duterte administration never shelved the arbitral tribunal ruling and that it only remained unenforceable because no foreign force seemed persuaded to help us enforce it. “The aforementioned as expressed by the presidential spokesperson is absolutely mindless. It is mindless as our presidential spokesperson appears to be in surrender without lifting a finger to peacefully defend what is ours. On threat of war to the deep dismay of our people, by continuing to shelve the tribunal outcome, our government has persisted in allowing China to deprive our citizens of what is ours. We are still succumbing to threats of force including a threat of war,” Del Rosario lamented.
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In a separate statement, Panelo said the 2019 GAA reflects “the administration’s vision of genuine change for the Philippines, where effective and efficient delivery of programs, projects and public services for our people will be its hallmark.” The Palace official, however, said that President Rodrigo Duterte, who remains true to his commitment to...fealty to the constitutional directives, rejected items of appropriation that are “either considered by law and jurisprudence as rider provisions not being related to a particular appropriation or they seek to amend the Constitution and certain statutes.” “The Chief Executive also vetoed items of appropriations under the Department of Public Works and Highways for falling outside the government’s programmed priorities which are in the total amount of P95,374,241,000,” Panelo said. Meanwhile, President Duterte placed certain provisions in the P3.7-trillion expenditure plan under “conditional implementation” to ensure conformity with existing laws. These items include the allowance and benefits of teachers and creation of teaching positions, construction of evacuation centers, funding for foreign-assisted projects, “revolving fund,” lump-sum appropriations for capital outlay, financial assistance to local governments, and funding requirements for the foreign service. Also, Panelo said, he so-called lastminute insertions made by the House of Representatives during the budget deliberations were included in the President’s vetoed P95.3-billion items. In a statement after transmitting the enrolled spending bill to the Office of the President, Senate President Vicente Sotto III had warned Duterte of the P75 billion worth of public works and projects, believing that the realignments were unconstitutionally made by the House after both chambers ratified the bicameral conference committee report. Panelo, on the other hand, did not confirm nor deny reports that the remaining ₱20 billion in Duterte’s vetoed amount included the alleged insertions made by the Senate. Senator Panfilo Lacson has earlier claimed Senate finance committee chair Loren Legarda might have inserted ₱23 billion to ₱25 billion for the supposed funding of projects in Antique province. For Panelo, the President’s vetoing of certain provisions in the expenditure plan sends a clear message to government officials that Duterte does not tolerate corruption under his watch.
’53 drivers,... From A1
Aquino said out of the 53 employees, 35 were bus drivers, 17 were bus conductors, and one was a dispatcher. They tested positive for the use of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu. Out of the total 7,729 public transport workers who were subjected to the drug tests, 4,460 are bus drivers, 2,727 are conductors, 18 inspectors, 26 dispatchers, nine canvassers, 29 van drivers, and 460 were other transport workers. “We are also doing this to curb incidents of vehicular accidents caused by drugged drivers and to make the roads safer, especially this Lenten Season,” Aquino said. The operation was implemented in accordance to the provisions of Republic Act 10586 (Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013). Aquino ordered the mandatory drug testing on drivers due to the increasing number of road traffic accidents blamed on drivers under the influence of illegal drugs. Based on PDEA’s data monitoring from January 2018 to January 2019, 3,654 drivers, bus conductors, and dispatchers were arrested for violation of RA 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002). In the second semester of 2018, 1,902 of them were arrested, an increase of 37 percent from the 1,386 arrests in the first semester. Philippine Coast Guard units, meanwhile, are now on heightened alert as tens of thousands of passengers flock to ports nationwide for Holy Week. PNA as a very good +54 in Dece 2017.” The net trust rating also stayed good for Australia at +33 this March, a two-point increase from +31 four months ago. “The Net trust in Australia was a moderate +11 when SWS first surveyed it in April 1995,” the pollster saud. “It ranged from a neutral +3 to a moderate +25 from September 1995 to March 2008. It rose to a good +31 in September 2008, and has since been at +30 and above, except for the moderate +19 in September 2009.” SWS found a neutral -6 net trust rating for China as the tensions grow in the West Philippine Sea.
Postal voting policy rejected by Migrante By Nat Mariano FILIPINO migrant rights group Migrante has called on the Commission on Elections to adopt personal voting instead of postal voting for the absentee voters abroad for this year’s midterm elections. “This new voting policy and procedure by the Comelec may result in disenfranchisement and non-participation of thousands of registered Filipino voters in Europe,” said Herbert Fadriquela Jr., chairman of Migrante Europe. He said they were “strongly protesting” the postal voting, adding that “many registered voters don’t have stable addresses and there is no guarantee that they will receive their ballots, or if the returned ballots will be received by the embassies or consulates.” Meanwhile, the Philippine government’s statements against China on its intrusion in Philippine territory have nothing to do with the midterm elections, the Palace has said. In a virtual press conference with foreign reporters on Monday, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Philippine government’s assertions over the West Philippine Sea had nothing to do with the coming midterm elections. “[It has] nothing to do with the elections,” Panelo told the foreign reporters. Meanwhile, officials said Tuesday the national government is exerting all efforts to ensure a peaceful and orderly conduct of the May 13 mid-term elections. Several ranking officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police and the Commission on Elections made the assurance during a high-level meeting at the AFP Commissioned Officers’ Club in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, to fine-tune all coordination and security plans for the coming polls. “This morning we had a high-level tri-agency meeting among the Comelec, AFP and the PNP to polish all our preparations, coordination and security plans to ensure the peaceful, orderly honest and secure National and Local Elections 2019 this coming May 13,” AFP Chief Benjamin Madrigal said. Panelo said the Duterte administration’s responses to China’s movements in the South China Sea were “studied and calibrated.” “We just don’t issue reckless statements when we receive reports on this and that. We have to validate. If we validate the same as true, then we make our statements,” Panelo said. “With respect to whether it will affect the election, the survey of the President shows a very high rating for him. So I don’t think it has anything to do with the elections.” Even though President Rodrigo Duterte’s name was not included in the sample ballot for the May 13 elections, foreign political analysts have viewed the Philippines’ “shifting” stance on the West Philippine Sea issue to “gain public trust from citizens.” “The recent statements from the government seem to serve more as a tactic to gain public trust from citizens ahead of the midterm elections rather than an actual statement of intent,” Borja Fernandez, a geopolitics and economics analyst, said in GlobalRiskInsight.com. With Ronald O. Reyes and PNA
Road... From A1
The program says the number of deaths caused by road accidents went down in 2018, when it recorded 394 deaths compared with 434 in 2017. The City of Manila followed Quezon City with the highest number of road accidents in 2018 with 11,448, and Makati City was next with 11,382. The Municipality of Pateros had the lowest number of reported road crashes followed by Navotas and Malabon, and mainly because they have lesser arterial roads and do not have a central business district like the other cities in Metro Manila. The program also recorded 98,632 cases of damage to property caused by road crashes last year. The MMRAS says motorcycle accidents remain one of the three leading causes of death and injury on the roads in the metropolis with a total of 224 the deaths, followed by trucks (100) and private cars (95). Motorcycles also topped the list of vehicles with the most number of injuries, posting 13,594 followed by cars (8,121), vans (1,797) and public utility jeepneys (1,717). The MMRAS also showed road crash statistics on what it described as the “three key roads” in Metro Manila: Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Circumferential Road or C-5 and Commonwealth Avenue.
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“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of France as well as in solidarity with the rest of the world for this heartbreaking incident,” Panelo said. “We wish the French nation all the best as they undertake efforts to rebuild this great monument in Paris restored to its majestic sight.” The iconic cathedral has been deeply enmeshed in Paris’ history since construction began at the end of the 12th century—historians generally ascribe the date 1163—and lasted more than two centuries to 1345. It was in Notre-Dame that Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself emperor of France. AFP