Ex-AFP vice chief Mison passes away

FORMER Armed Forces of the Philippines vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Salvador Mison died on July 19 at the age of 90, his family announced on Thursday.

The AFP will give full military honors to Mison during the burial over the weekend.

Mison is survived by his wife Ione, and children Irene and Dave, Jun and Cherry, Gy and Albert, Frankie, Ione and Tom, and Michael, and 13 grandchildren and one great grandchildren. His remains lie in state at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

Instead of flowers, his family is requesting to donate to the “Ang Mission ni Mison Foundation, Inc.” to know the outcome of the meeting, noting that the administration encourages all efforts to engage with China, especially amid the ongoing disputes in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

He said that as a former leader of the country, the defense establishment is expecting Duterte’s priority to be the interest of the Philippines during the meeting with Xi.

“We’d like to wait as to what was the outcome of such a meeting and we encourage all efforts, anyway, to engage with China on a track to [diplomacy or] non-formal track,” said Teodoro.

“From where I sit, my position is to build a credible deterrent posture against all threats,” he added.

Xi met Duterte on Monday, July 17, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he was aware of the meeting and was confident his predecessor would share details of the discussion.

Mr. Marcos said it is not important who is talking with Xi as long as somebody is having a conversation with China, which may help in resolving issues in the region.

China refuses to recognize the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Netherlands in favor of the Philippines, invalidating its claims within the sea areas falling within its so-called nine-dash line that is over 90 percent of the WPS.

The ruling also affirmed the traditional and legitimate fishing rights of Filipino fishermen in the area.

Duterte, in one of his Talk to the People public addresses during his term, said the arbitral ruling is nothing but a piece of paper that can be put to trash.

But in contrast, Duterte, addressing the United Nations General Assembly in September 2021, said no country can disregard or diminish the fiveyear ruling of the PCA.

He maintained that the disputes should be resolved “peacefully,” noting that China is an allied country of the Philippines.

Vince Lopez

On his appointment as WPS adviser, Centino said: “There was a need to bring focus on the matters in that part of the country.”

“We have actually mechanisms as to how these issues should be addressed, we have the National Task Force -West Philippine Sea but our leadership has deemed it important that (we give) focus and importance on the way we address the issues there in a bigger scale and that’s why they thought of creating an Office of the Presidential Adviser,” he added.

Also, Centino said there is a need to address “geopolitical issues” more appropriately.

When asked what issues the President wants to address in the WPS, the outgoing AFP chief said there are incidents that should not happen if addressed properly.

He cited the recent swarming of dozens of Chinese militia ships at Sabina Shoal that alerted the Philippine Coast Guard and military personnel stationed in the Western Command in Palawan to take necessary steps to protect the country’s sovereignty.

“It can be gleaned from what’s happening with the reported incursions in the past months that added focus is necessary, and perhaps it should be addressed properly to avoid such recurrence,” Centino said. He said that his office, which is being established, will be an “interagency task force.”

“As to the specifics, you know the office has yet to be created, but what is clear is that there should be more focus on how we handle or address the problems there (in the WPS),” Centino added.

The DND chief said the change in AFP chiefs from Centino to Brawner will be as seamless as possible with as “much continuity of policies both in the transition to external defense and internal security.”

Malacañang on Wednesday announced the appointment of Brawner as the military’s next chief.

Centino already reached the mandatory retirement on Feb. 4 this year but qualified for another three-year term following the signing of Republic Act 11709.

Under Republic Act 11709, the AFP chief of staff, vice chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, heads of the major services (Army, Navy, and Air Force), unified command commanders, and inspector general will have a threeyear term of office “unless sooner terminated by the President.” cular diseases, diabetes and asthma.

As to his message to Brawner, Centino said the AFP must be a “discipline, determined and dedicated military organization capable of addressing all threats.”

Teodoro was asked if the current defense program of the Philippines also prepares for the likely invasion of Taiwan by China.

“First and foremost, we really have to make an assessment whether such is likely or not,” he said.

“Nonetheless, we continue to plan on all contingencies not merely any flashpoint between China and Taiwan but any contingency within the theater and it’s a multi-agency effort not only the defense effort,” he added.

China, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, in April staged drills around the island in anger at President Tsai Ingwen’s meeting with the speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Taiwan’s government strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims and vows to defend itself if China attacks the island.

In May, President Marcos responded with an outright “no” when asked if the United States government requested Filipino soldiers to be deployed to Taiwan if tension escalates.

Mison, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1955, was known for his gallantry in combat, particularly at the outbreak of the Mindanao war against the Moro National Liberation Front known as the Burning of Jolo, Sulu on Feb. 8, 1974 where his unit, the 14th Infantry Battalion, though outnumbered was the first to mount a counter-attack against the rebel forces.

His brilliant war strategy led to his promotion as full army colonel on the recommendation of then AFP chief of staff Gen. Romeo Espino to then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

After his retirement from the military, he was appointed Customs commissioner in 1987.

Mison also served as president of Fortune Tobacco and Basic Holdings and was a spokesperson of the Lucio Tan Group. Ben Cal

Marcos:...

From A1 try’s maritime workers “an asset to the entire world.”

According to Dr. Paul Martinez of RPMD, the independent and non-commissioned “Boses ng Bayan” public sentiment survey was carried out from June 25 through July 5, 2023.

In the realm of congressional leadership, Filipino citizens delivered strong approval ratings for Romualdez, who saw his rating leap 10 percentage points.

The Speaker “experienced a ninepoint ascension, culminating in an admirable 72-percent trust score,” RPMD added in a statement.

This data underlines the escalating wave of public goodwill toward the stewardship of Romualdez, Gutierrez said.

Among other government officials, Vice President Sara Duterte Carpio received 86 percent and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri got 69 percent.

President Marcos and Vice President Duterte also reflected “remarkable levels” of public trust—an indispensable cornerstone of effective leadership, RPMD said.

Within a year, President Marcos achieved the deep-rooted confidence of 86 percent of Filipinos, and Vice President Duterte got a 90-percent trust score, the survey showed.

Zubiri garnered a 69-percent approval rating, indicating a significant growth of 7 percentage points, and the Senate leader’s trust rating is now at a solid 71 percent.

“I am not leaving. I started building this house when I was 27 years old by myself,” said Dimitris Michaelous, a resident in the fire-threatened town of Pournari.

Greece’s firefighters said Romania, Slovakia and Poland would send some 230 firefighters to help it tackle the blazes.

Polish fire services said 149 firefighters were on their way to Greece -- 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) away -- aboard 49 vehicles.

France recorded temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the country’s south, including on the Mediterranean holiday island Corsica.

Beijing broke a 23-year-old record with 27 consecutive days of temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius.

‘My skin is burning’

“At noon, it feels like the sun is roasting my legs, it feels like my skin is burning,” said Qiu Yichong, a 22-yearold student.

Han Weili, a delivery driver, said: “Sometimes when it is very hot, I feel a little confused or dizzy.”

The Beijing government urged the elderly to stay indoors and children to shorten outdoor playtime to reduce exposure to the heat and ground-level ozone pollution.

People were cranking up air conditioning, leading to a surge in energy demand.

The World Health Organization said the extreme heat was straining health care systems, hitting older people, infants and children.

The WHO said it was particularly concerned about people with cardiovas-

In the Canary Islands, some 400 firefighters battled a blaze that has ravaged 3,500 hectares of forest and forced 4,000 residents to evacuate, with authorities warning people to wear face masks outside due to poor air quality. Temperatures were also ferocious in other parts of Spain, with three regions on red alert.

Coastal waters around Spain have hit a record high temperature for this time of the year, the national weather office said Wednesday. The Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily have been forecast to possibly surpass a continent-wide record of 48.8C recorded in Sicily in August 2021. At Lanusei, near Sardinia’s eastern coast, a children’s summer camp was restricting beach visits to the early morning and banning sports, teacher Morgana Cucca said.

‘Better at the beach’

Many throughout Italy sought escape by the sea, including outside Rome, where the heat hit 40C.

“You can at least get a little wind from the sea,” said Virginia Cesario, 30, at the Focene beach near the capital.

“This has become the new normal,” said Fabrizio Carozza, a 26-year-old office employee from Belgium.

In North America, meanwhile, tens of millions of people woke up to another scorcher Wednesday, having experienced dangerous heat the previous day.

‘Running out of ways’

In the town of San Angelo, Texas, where temperatures were expected to reach 108F (42C), the National Weather Service said it was “running out of ways to say that it’s gonna be hot out there today.” formance of the President.

“We implore you to continue to practice heat safety,” the agency said on Twitter.

And in Arizona, the mercury at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport again reached 110F on Tuesday, breaking the previous record of 18 consecutive days at or above that temperature, set in 1974.

Even Iraq, used to average July temperatures of around 32C, found it hard to cope with the heat surge, prompting the mayor of Basrah in the south to give civil servants a day off Thursday when 50C or more is forecast.

The world is on track for its hottest July since measurements began, the European Union’s climate observatory said Wednesday.

“The first 15 days of July have been the warmest 15 days on record,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service(C3S).

The heat waves across Europe and the globe are “not one single phenomenon but several acting at the same time”, said Robert Vautard, director of France’s Pierre-Simon Laplace climate institute.

“But they are all strengthened by one factor: climate change.”

‘Climate-change hot spot’

Struck by near-record temperatures and wildfires during this week’s heatwave, the Mediterranean region is ranked as a climate-change “hot spot” by scientists.

The beaches, seafood and heritage sites in the region spanning parts of southern Europe, northern Africa and western Asia are under threat.

Here are five key threats to the region flagged by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Its reports are the most comprehensive summary of scientific knowledge on global warming. AFP

The Chief Executive also ordered all concerned government agencies to take a whole-of-government approach to help the nation keep up with the global maritime industry standard.

Mr. Marcos told government agencies to work closely with PMMA to allow the country’s maritime industry to be more innovative, more resilient, and adaptive to the changing demands.

He also acknowledged the support of the private sector in elevating the capabilities of the Philippines as a maritime nation.

“As your partner in improving the skills and capabilities of our people in the maritime industry, I call on all the concerned agencies to coordinate closely with the PMMA,” President Marcos said.

“Facilitate what will make our maritime education even more responsive to the needs of the nation while ensuring that whatever steps that we take will be in compliance with laws and regulations. This feat represents all that you have brought to the table so that we may fulfill the goals that you have set for your lives,” the President added.

The President also said the success of the Philippine maritime industry would benefit not only for the graduates, but also their families, and the Filipino people and for the Philippines.

“Let that thought and let the opportunity to make a change in our society propel you to excel further and to become the leaders that you were trained and meant to be ... May all of you be blessed as you navigate the world’s seas and oceans in the days and years ahead. My heartfelt congratulations,” he added.

Former president and Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was also present during the graduation rites along with Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio Lagdameo, Zambales Gov. Jun Ebdane, and PMMA Supt. Commodore Joel Abutal.

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Benjamin Abalos (42 percent), Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Sec. Renato Solidum (42 percent), and Department of National Defense (DND) OIC Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez (41 percent).

President Marcos’ agreement rating as DA Secretary stands at 57 percent, slightly higher than the previous quarter’s rating of 56 percent. An overwhelming 60 percent of respondents identified inflation as the most pressing national issue affecting the overall per-

On the other hand, Vice President Sara’s agreement rating as Education Secretary remained steady at 66 percent. The survey also indicated the following issues where respondents showed agreement: Mandatory ROTC (26 percent), Intelligence and confidential funds for DepEd (24 percent), and the Proposed new curriculum offering students the choice of enrolling in two additional years of pre-university study to prepare them for college (24 percent).

The Pahayag 2023 Second Quarter Survey is an independent and non-commissioned survey conducted by Publicus Asia Inc. between June 7 and 12, 2023. It is a nationwide purposive sur- vey with 1,500 respondents randomly drawn from a market research panel of over 200,000 Filipinos maintained by PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace with a multinational presence.

Meanwhile, a think tank gave the Marcos administration a barely passing grade days before the President is to deliver his State of the Nation Address (SONA).

The Center for People Empowerment in Governance gave the administration a grade of 5 out of 10 because of its apparent lack of urgency.

“We will award President Marcos during his first year a rating of 5, which is barely passing, mainly because there is a failure in response to address our most urgent issues,” said Dr. Remerio

Rivera, chairman of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance.

Temerio criticized the President for having failed to appoint secretaries earlier than required to resolve problems in the departments of Health, National Defense, and Agriculture.

“There’s nothing wrong with appointing technocrats. What Marcos Jr. did is to take a page literally out of his father’s approach to governance by appointing many of the most experienced technocrats,” he said.

Temerio also criticized Marco’s strong fixation on rebranding the family’s image through revamping projects associated with his late father as well as the rebranding of “Bagong Pilipinas”.