Flying high with Cope Thunder exercises

Water sources such as rivers and lakes may also experience degradation, impacting aquatic ecosystems and the livelihoods of fishing communities.

Additionally, El Niño can contribute to elevated sea surface temperatures, leading to coral bleaching and the degradation of marine ecosystems.

The Philippine economy heavily relies on the agricultural sector, with over 20% of the labor force engaged in farming.

El Niño’s impact on agriculture can result in substantial economic losses. Crop failures and reduced yields not only affect the livelihoods of farmers but also disrupt the supply chain, leading to price hikes and inflation.

These ripple effects extend to other sectors, as higher food prices strain household budgets and limit consumer spending on non-essential goods and services.

Furthermore, reduced hydropower generation due to low dam water levels can result in power shortages and higher electricity prices. Industries dependent on a stable and affordable energy supply may face production challenges, potentially hindering economic growth.

To mitigate the impacts of El Niño, proactive measures need to be implemented. Government agencies like PAGASA play a crucial role in monitoring and forecasting El Niño events, enabling timely response and preparation.

The recent announcement by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) regarding an impending El Niño episode and its potential intensification highlights the importance of understanding and addressing its effects.

This article explores the challenges associated with El Niño in the Philippines, both in terms of the environment and the economy.

El Niño often leads to below-normal rainfall, dry spells, and droughts in the Philippines, which have a profound impact on the environment.

Insufficient precipitation results in water scarcity, reduced water levels in dams, and decreased agricultural productivity.

Droughts damage crops, leading to lower yields and reduced food production. In previous El Niño events, rice production has declined by up to 20 percent, exerting pressure on food security and causing price increases.

Moreover, diminished water flow affects hydropower generation as some power plants rely on dams for electricity production.

After the official announcement of the start of El Niño, the United Nations and meteorologists from various countries issued a cautionary notice about a wellknown consequence that millions of Filipinos are already familiar with: water scarcity.

On July 4, the World Meteorological Organization of the United Nations officially declared the emergence of El Niño conditions in the Tropical Pacific, marking its return after a seven-year hiatus. Experts estimate a 90 percent likelihood of these conditions persisting until the latter half of 2024.

The adverse environmental effects of El Niño extend beyond agriculture.

The dry conditions contribute to an increase in forest fires, endangering wildlife habitats and exacerbating air pollution.

By Gustavo Gonzalez

THE challenge of preventing unlawful killings is global. We just need to look at the most recent news on media to understand the dimensions and social impact.

I have in mind the killing in 2017 of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos, at the hands of police.

In this case, investigations resulted in the conviction of the responsible police officers. But in most cases, there is no CCTV footage, basic elements of investigations are lacking, and families of victims are left without the truth of what happened to their loved ones, while perpetrators walk free and are not held accountable.

Last week, from July 3 to 7, the Government of the Philippines, with the United Nations under the UN Joint Program for Human Rights, took a significant step to help address this.

In partnership with global and Philippine experts, 26 participants, including representatives of government agencies, senior level prosecutors, security forces, the Commission on Human Rights and civil society met in a week-long intensive training to discuss how to implement the so-called “Minnesota Protocol” on the investigation of potentially unlawful death (2016) in the country.

Internationally, the Minnesota Protocol is considered to be the gold standard in such investigations.

It sets out the relevant legal framework, and elaborates on the conduct of an investigation, including the investigation process, witness interviews and protection, recovery of human remains, identification

NOT many know there is an ongoing “defensive counterair” or DCA exercise over the military training area east of the country’s main island of Luzon.

Philippine Air Force spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo, in a statement said the DCA took place last July 8 – it started on July 2 and ends July 21 – and is part of the second iteration of the Cope Thunder exercises between the PAF and the US Pacific Air Forces. This underscores President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s earlier statement on July 7 his administration’s commitment to the Armed Forces of the Philippines extends beyond the acquisition of modern equipment.

“Be assured that the government’s dedication to your advancement and welfare goes beyond providing modern equipment alone. We continue to prioritize retooling and retraining to arm you with intellectual fortitude, tactical prowess, and strategic acumen to thrive on the modern battlefield,” President Marcos told 106 graduates of the Officer Candidate Course Class 58-2023. The exercise coincides with the vow by Japan

Diversifying the agricultural sector by promoting resilient crop varieties and sustainable farming practices can help farmers adapt to changing climatic conditions. Investments in irrigation infrastructure and water management systems can enhance water availability during dry periods. Additionally, promoting renewable energy sources and energy conservation can reduce dependence on hydropower and mitigate electricity supply disruptions.

The one consolation I have is that three of the Cabinet officials in charge of agencies that must address the impacts of El Niño— Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga, Energy Secretary Popo Lotilla, and Science and Technology Secretary Rene Solidum –are also the most qualified persons to lead such agencies.

President Marcos, who is his own Secretary of Agriculture, has good officials in the Department of Agriculture, among others Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, Undersecretary for Policy Mercedita Sombilla, and Assistant Secretary for Regulations Paz Benavidez.

These officials know climate change well and can advise the president properly on how to protect our agriculture and food security from El Niño.

El Niño presents significant environmental and economic challenges for the Philippines, including below-normal rainfall, droughts, and reduced agricultural productivity.

However, through effective monitoring, forecasting, and the implementation of adaptive measures, the country can better manage the impacts of El Niño and build resilience against future climate-related events.

El Niño’s impacts are not easy to overcome but good governance and a united society will make it easier for us to ride out this storm.

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THE Land Transportation Office is the frontline agency of the government under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) whose primary mission is to rationalize land transportation services and facilities, promote safety in land travel, and provide fast and efficient services to the land transport sector. Hence, it performs a vital role in our over-all socio-economic development program.

The agency is now led by an officer-in-charge pending the appointment of a permanent head. To fill up the vacancy, two Cabinet officials have endorsed the appointment of a new LTO chief.

In late June, Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista sent a letter to the Office of the President through Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin endorsing the appointment of Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II as DOTr assistant secretary and LTO chief.

But Secretary Bautista made it very clear that the endorsement was based on the recommendation by Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin C. Abalos Jr. Why the Interior Secretary is endorsing Mendoza as LTO chief is unclear.

What we gathered is that the lawyer-nominee is a former board member and officer-in-charge of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) who was sacked from government service for alleged graft practices more than two decades ago.

It appears that in 1999, then President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, through his Executive Secretary Ronaldo B. Zamora, issued Administrative Order 97 for the dismissal of Mendoza as LTFRB board member, as recommended by the Presidential Commission Against Graft and Corruption (PCAGC).

Mendoza was dismissed for violation of Section 3(a), Republic Act 3019, as amended, and Section 4(c), of RA 6713, based on a complaint that he, as officer-in-charge of LTFRB at that time, lifted the moratorium on processing of public utility buses applications on his own, contrary to the existing policy of the board, a collegial body.

The PCAGC said a closer look at Mendoza’s memorandum had a net effect of a policy change, effectively lifting the moratorium policy. Before this, the LTFRB, under then chairman to strengthen security partnerships with the Philippines and other parallel nations like the United States and Australia to maintain peace and stability in the volatile Indo-Pacific region.

The aim of the DCA is for the ‘participating forces to enhance their interoperability, refine tactical approaches, and bolster their overall effectiveness in countering airborne threats’

France also expressed concern over the recent swarming of Chinese vessels in the Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. In a press statement, the French Embassy in Manila called for respect for international law and the resolution of disputes through dialogue.

“We are resolutely opposed to any use of force or threat to do so. We recall, in this regard, the Arbitration award rendered under UNCLOS on the 12th of July 2016,” the embassy said. According to the PAF spokesman, “the objective of the DCA is to enable coordinated air operations among aircraft of different types, encompassing airspace control, threat identification and engagement, and mutual support.”

Castillo said the aim of the DCA is for the “participating forces to enhance their interoperability, refine tactical approaches, and bolster their overall effectiveness in countering airborne threats.”

The first iteration of Cope Thunder for this year took place May 1 to 12 and focused on mission planning capabilities and execution of defensive and offensive counter-air operations utilizing fighter and cargo aircraft.

The ongoing drills consist of subject matter expert exchanges and field training exercises held at several PAF air bases, including Basa Air Base and Clark Air Base in Pampanga, Col. Ernesto Ravina Air Base in Tarlac, Brig. Gen. Benito N. Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, and General Santos City. The original Cope Thunder exercises, which provided regular flight training for US pilots and those of allied nations, were first held in 1976 and continued annually in the Philippines until 1990.

Dante M. Lantin issued Memorandum Circular 97-009 dated August 6, 1998 re-imposing the moratorium on the acceptance, processing and resolution of all applications, including those pending, for certificates of public convenience for the operation of buses in Metro Manila and on provincial routes given the fact that those issued certificates of public convenience (CPCs) terminating outside Metro Manila have been entering Metro Manila as far as Cubao and other points inside Metro Manila and also the difficulty of monitoring their operations to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of their franchises.

President Marcos should be made aware of the impending appointment to the LTO which could work at cross-purposes to his administration’s goal of good governance

Mendoza’s appointment as LTO chief could open the floodgates for potential conflict of interest since the lawyer is said to own and operate a fleet of modernized public utility vehicles.

President Marcos, whose appointments to key economic posts were received favorably by those in the know, should be made aware of the impending appointment to the LTO which could work at cross-purposes to his administration’s goal of good governance.

Why the rush?

While at this, reports indicate that the Transportation Department has awarded the driver’s license cards supply contract to the winning bidder, Banner Plasticard, Inc.

But what’s this we’re hearing that the process seemed to have, in transport parlance, exceeded the speed limit?

The other bidder, AllCard Inc., is said to have submitted a request for reconsideration upon receipt of the disqualification notice. But the RR was denied on June 20.

Based on RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Law, the losing bidder after the denial of RR may file a protest and submit a verified position paper within seven calendar days.

Given this scenario, the government agency is supposed to wait for the lapse of the sevenday window to file a protest, before they award contract to the winning bidder, with or without an advance letter signifying its intent to file a protest.

Despite efforts of the agency to assure the public that the bidding and procurement process for the license cards to be used by the LTO was “aboveboard”, it seems the DOTr chose to take the faster lane. It released the decision to award the contract to Banner on June 22, five days short of the seven-day window to file a protest. We were also told that Banner’s total bid was P42M higher than AllCard’s.

Surprising? Not really. Illegal? We can only assume.

Unfair? We can only ask.

Insiders say that some industry players were surprised the DOTr did not wait for the other bidder to file a protest. They could have taken that route to prove that their post-disqualification process was, indeed, “aboveboard.”

This could have cleared assumptions and settled doubts that they were favoring the winning bidder. But since the DOTr already awarded the contract to Banner, we can only ask, why the rush?

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com) of dead bodies, types of evidence and sampling, autopsies and the analysis of human remains, as well as several guidelines, annexes and pictorial charts including anatomical sketches.

The firm grounding in the Minnesota Protocol and other international human rights standards was a unique feature of the training.

Facilitators and participants applied these to practical exercises, real-life scenarios, and best practices from other countries where the Minnesota Protocol is adapted to the national forensic guidelines.

Last week’s training brought together global experts in this field.

Dr. Morris Tidball-Binz, a forensic doctor who currently serves as UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary killings, has conducted fact-finding, technical assessments and capacity-building missions in over 70 counties.

In 1987 he was invited by the Presidential Committee on Human Rights of the Philippines, in his capacity as director of the Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropology, to train Philippine investigators on the recovery, identification and documentation of the remains of the disappeared.

Stephen Cordner, professor of Forensic Medicine at Monash University with experience globally, has undertaken autopsies in, and/or death investigations from, most jurisdictions of Australia, New Zealand, Timor Leste, Fiji and other Pacific Island nations, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, India, Jamaica, Canada, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Atty. Kingsley Abbot has worked at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia and as a Trial Counsel in the Office of the Prosecutor at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the Hague and has contributed to the development of the Minnesota Protocol as part of the International Commission of Jurists. Dr. Luis Fondebrider, co-founder and long-term head of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, has worked in 60 countries advising the ICRC and the UN, and has provided advice to truth commissions and international criminal tribunals.

Ms. Leone Scott is a former police officer who has led and contributed to the development of methodologies for victim and survivor interviewing and investigative interviewing, with a particular focus on handling and effective interviewing of vulnerable and at-risk victims and witnesses, including victims of sexual assault and abuse. National experts, including Dr. Raquel Fortun and Dr. Cecilia Lim of the University of the Philippines Medical College also facilitated sessions. Global experience shows that the application of the

Minnesota Protocol either through enacting legislation or adapting the Protocol into the existing manuals or guidelines at the domestic level has proven to be a useful tool for investigating cases of unlawful killings and enforced disappearances. Its practical approach complements other protocols such as the so-called “Istanbul Protocol” on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

For example, training participants explored what the Minnesota Protocol says about interviewing victims and witnesses and were able to compare this to their everyday work.

They also worked in teams to solve resources constraints that may exist when arriving at crime scenes.

The training program is just one element contributing towards strengthening investigations and addressing impunity.

The week-long session also served to go more indepth on issues related to legal and policy reform, and to explore how to strengthen forensic capacity in the Philippines, which is one of the key priorities of the Department of Justice.

In this sense, the establishment of a National Forensic Institute, legislation related to mandatory autopsies, adoption of specialized training for Philippine doctors, and further cascading of knowledge about the Minnesota Protocol to be used alongside domestic procedures in all regions of the Philippines are all elements that will definitely strengthen accountability. Cooperation with other countries, including in the Southeast Asia region, will also contribute to exchanges on best practices.

The participation of the academe and civil society organizations in the training together with prosecutors, investigators and medical personnel has been critical.

This enhanced a common understanding of the investigation procedures and steps to be taken when investigating potentially unlawful killings, and may also help strengthen coordination among different stakeholders.

A trust building investment.

The Minnesota Protocol provides civil society actors with another tool in their advocacy, and a framework for detailed engagement with state actors when helping families of those killed.

Through a framework of State obligations, such as the duty to investigate, the Minnesota Protocol outlines the steps of what is required, so that victim family members and CSOs supporting them can ask detailed questions related to what steps have and have not been taken.

As the UN, we are certainly proud of bringing the best knowledge and expertise to address complex development issues, such as justice and accountability. Without them, development risks not being as sustainable as we want.

We remain committed to continuing the work towards the full implementation of the Minnesota Protocol, and appreciate the constructive engagement that has started in this area, which is supported now by nine strong friends of the Philippines[--contributors to the UN Joint Program for Human Rights.

The nine are Australia, Ireland, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States and the European Union.

(The author is UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines)