ICC presses drug war probe Says suspended inquiry ‘unjustified,’ Palace blasts move as political
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n By JOEL ZURBANO, VITO BARCELO AND MARICEL CRUZ
HE International Criminal Court’s prosecutor \said he intends to resume his probe into the Philippine’s deadly drug war, saying a request by Manila to defer the probe was unjustified.
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Karim Khan, the prosecutor at the Hague-based court, had suspended the ICC investigation in November 2021 after the Philippines said it would look into the allegations itself. “I have concluded that the deferral requested by the Philippines is not warranted, and that the investigation should resume as quickly as possible,” Khan said in a statement from The Hague. Khan said he had asked judges at the court for authorisation to restart the probe. CONTINUED ON 3A
PRIDE COLOR. A member of the LGBTQ community clad in a colorful half-unicorn costume draws a crowd at a Pride March event at the Quezon Memorial Circle on Saturday, June 25, 2022. Danny Pata
China ready to talk with Marcos DOH ranks 5 NCR areas under ‘moderate risk’ on oil, gas exploration in WPS CHINA said it is prepared to revive stalled negotiations on joint oil exploration and development with the Philippines under the incoming administration of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “China stands ready to work in concert with the new Philippine government to advance negotiations on joint development and strive to take early substantive steps so as to deliver tangible benefits to both countries and peoples,” Chinese Foreign
Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said. He described the joint offshore oil and gas development as the “right way” for the two countries to move forward despite maritime differences to achieve mutual gain. He said the memorandum of understanding on cooperation signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his state visit to the Philippines in November 2018 is the basis for both parties to “negotiate on an CONTINUED ON 3A
THE Department of Health on Saturday classified five areas in Metro Manila under “moderate risk” for COVID-19 after logging a “sudden” increase in cases and a growth rate of over 200 percent. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the risk level was escalated in Pasig, San Juan, Quezon City, Marikina, and Pateros based on the two-week growth rate, average daily attack rate, and hospital utilization rate. This does not mean, however, that Metro Manila will be placed under Alert Level 2 as the data do not indicate the
need yet for escalation. “They were classified as moderate risk because of the sudden rise in cases, but this is because they started at few cases and their growth rate increased by more than 200 percent,” Vergeire said in a press briefing. “That’s only the computation and there is no cause for panic, but we should always be vigilant,” she added. Vergeire said an increase in transmission is expected since COVID-19 is infectious. The DOH, however, monitors hospital admission for severe and critical
cases more closely. Of the five areas, only one recorded an increase in hospital utilization rate, Vergeire said, while the rest are “less than 50 percent.” “For now, we do not see yet an escalation to Alert Level 2, although we cannot say if by next week we see a sudden increase, then that’s the time that we are going to decide and it’s going to be the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) to decide,” she added. CONTINUED ON 3A
US leads 5-nation Pacific alliance THE United States, Japan, Australia, Britain and New Zealand on Friday launched a new initiative to step up engagement with Pacific island countries amid China’s efforts to boost its influence in the region. In launching the Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP) mechanism, the five countries vowed to pursue “more effective and efficient” ways to deal with challenges, including “growing pressure on the rulesbased free and open international order.” “As our countries—Australia, Japan,
New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States—continue to support prosperity, resilience, and security in the Pacific, we too must harness our collective strength through closer cooperation,” they said in a statement. “This new initiative builds on our longstanding commitment to the region. Australia and New Zealand are of the region and members of the Pacific Islands Forum; Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States are founding Dialogue Partners.” CONTINUED ON 3A
‘NTC can’t just block websites’
LIFE-LIKE. Dakila, an animatronic crocodile for the television show ‘Lolong,’ was spotted in the various areas in Antipolo, Marikina, Pasig and Mandaluyong on Saturday, June 25, 2022.
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THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines on Saturday said the National Telecommunications Commission does not have the authority to block news websites tagged as having links to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front. "To take down the websites is to muzzle their owners. Such a drastic move can't be
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anchored on statements that in court would be treated as hearsay," the IBP said in a statement. The group said NTC's decision to restrict access to news websites based on the request of National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. was a “shortcut” and a "drastic" move. CONTINUED ON 3A
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