Rody ‘abhors’ Ayungin attack Blasts Beijing for unfriendly act in remarks at Asean-China Summit
Xi vows China won’t be a ‘bully,’ seek hegemony
By Vito Barcelo, Rey E. Requejo and Maricel V. Cruz
P
RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday condemned the latest flare-up in the West Philippine Sea after Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannons at Filipino boats.
CHINA’S President Xi Jinping told leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that Beijing would not “bully” its smaller regional neighbors, two weeks after Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons at Filipino boats inside Philippine waters. In the face of Beijing’s growing aggressiveness in the South China Sea, Xi told the ASEANChina summit “we must jointly maintain the stability of the South China Sea and build the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation.” But Xi said China would never seek hegemony nor take advantage of its size to coerce smaller
Duterte made the remarks at the ASEAN-China summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who vowed his country would “never seek hegemony, and certainly not bully the small.” (See story below.) “We abhor the recent event in the Ayungin Shoal and view with grave concern other similar developments,” Duterte told the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, using the Filipino name for the shoal. “This does not speak well of the relations between our nations and our partnership.” Duterte’s remarks were unusually strong for a leader who has fostered warmer ties with Beijing since taking power in 2016 in the hope of extracting
Next page
THE GOOD OLD DAYS. In this file photo, President Rodrigo Duterte and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, shake hands after a signing ceremony in Beijing in October 2016. Five years later, they meet again virtually during the Asean-China Summit where Duterte criticized roundly the attack on Philippine boats by Chinese Coast Guard vessels in Ayungin Shoal last week. AFP
Next page VOL. XXXV • NO. 281 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
DOH classifies 89% of PH as low or minimal risk, all Alert Level 2 By Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta
HOLIDAY FEELS. Officials from the City of Manila led by Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ light a giant Christmas tree and lanterns at the Kartilya ng Katipunan beside the city hall building on Monday, Nov. 22, 2021. Danny Pata
THE Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said 89 percent of the country is already under Alert Level 2 as the government rolls out the nationwide implementation of the alert level system piloted in Metro Manila. “Starting Nov. 22, all areas under the phased implementation of the alert level system will start. For the current week, 89 percent or 108 out of the 121 provinces, highly urbanized cities, and independent component cities are under Alert Level 2 and with minimal to low risk classification,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire. Catanduanes remains under Alert Level 4, which Gov. Joseph Cua said was due to the high hospital occupancy rate and cases of the more transmissible Delta coronavirus variant in the province.
Twelve areas were under Alert Level 3: Apayao, Baguio City, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Batanes, Nueva Next page
2,826,853 984
19,798
47,288
218
2,759,767
2,229
(As of 4 PM, NOVEMBER 22)
Lacson, Sotto ‘walk the talk,’ submit to drug test PARTIDO Reporma chairman and who initiated that they both take the and explained it was due to the many presidential standard-bearer Panfilo drug test yesterday. challenges they were hearing from so Lacson and his running mate, Senate The Senate President confirmed it Next page President Vicente Sotto III, underwent a voluntary multi-drug test procedure, Monday, the first political tandem to accept the random drug test. NEWS / A2 They went to an unscheduled screening of their urine samples at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) office in Diliman, Quezon City at around 1:00 pm. Lacson told reporters their decision to undergo a random drug test was their “way of walking the talk.” Five hours later, both yielded negative results. “Because there were a lot of challenges [for candidates to undergo voluntary drug testing]. No more words necessary, we just came here today” Lacson told reporters who caught him and Sotto for a brief interview at the PDEA lobby after they took the test. According to Lacson, it was Sotto
DU30 HITS BET ON DRUGS ANEW
THE GOOD KIND OF NEGATIVE. Partido Reporma
standard-bearer Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson and his running mate, Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III, subject themselves to a random voluntary drug test at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency office in Diliman, Quezon City on Nov. 22, 2021. Both tested negative for illegal drugs.
Lawyer’s group asks ICC: Recall EJK probe halt Price cut for gas, diesel, kerosene By Rey E. Requejo
THE Free Legal Assistance Group has asked the International Criminal Court to recall its decision to suspend its investigation of the alleged extrajudicial killings arising from the ongoing anti-illegal drug war of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. Next page
rolls out today; fuel subsidy Wed.
By Alena Mae S. Flores
the movement of oil prices in the world market as the government said it will THE country’s oil firms cut pump begin distributing the P1 billion fuel prices by as much as P1.30 per liter ef- subsidy for jeepney drivers this week. Land Transportation and Franchising fective 6 a.m. today (Tuesday) to reflect
Next page
BOOSTER JAB.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III administers a COVID-19 vaccine booster to a senior citizen during the ceremonial rollout for the booster shot program held at the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City on Nov. 22, 2021. Manny Palmero