The Standard - 2015 October 29 - Thursday

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VOL. XXIX  NO. 259  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  THURSDAY : OCTOBER 29, 2015  www.thestandard.com.ph  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Romualdez advocacy gains more supporters

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US VOWS TO SEND MORE WARSHIPS US DEFENSE Secretary Ashton Carter said Tuesday the US Navy will send more warships to sail close to artificial islands built by Beijing in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

sailed within 12 nautical miles of at least one of the land formations claimed by China in the disputed Spratly Islands chain early Tuesday. The move infuriated Beijing, which summoned the US ambassador and denounced what it called a threat to its sovereignty. “We will do it again,” a US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We “We will fly, sail and operate wherever sail in international waters at a time and international law permits and whenever place of our choosing.” The USS Lassen sailed through waters our operational needs require,” Carter told the US Senate Armed Services Committee claimed by China, the Philippines and Vietnam near Mischief Reef in the Spratlys. The official Tuesday. The USS Lassen guided missile destroyer said the sailing lasted about two hours.

China said two of its vessels had shadowed the USS Lassen. Another US official said there had been “routine” communication between the US and Chinese ships. Tensions have mounted since China transformed reefs in the area—also claimed by several neighboring countrie—into small islands capable of supporting military facilities, a move the US says threatens freedom of navigation. Washington has repeatedly said it does not recognize Chinese claims to territorial waters around the artificial islands. China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui summoned US Ambassador Max Bau-

cus Tuesday to announce that the USS Lassen had engaged in a “serious provocation,” the official news agency Xinhua said. “The Chinese government will resolutely safeguard territorial sovereignty and legal sea interests, and China will do whatever necessary to oppose deliberate provocation from any country,” Zhang added. A foreign ministry spokesman said that the ship had “illegally entered” waters near the islands. The state-run tabloid the Global Times hinted in an editorial that Beijing could respond more strongly if the US made similar trips in the future. Next page

Bongbong to Noynoy: Move on already By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday that President Benigno Aquino III should move on as most Filipinos have moved on from Martial Law and forgiven his family following their election into public office. The senator is the only son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the country for two decades, nine years of which were under Martial Law.

Since Marcos’ ouster in 1986 in the People Power Revolution, members of the Marcos family have been elected to public office, with the senator having served for more than 20 years. His older sister, Imee MarcosManotoc, is the governor of Ilocos Norte, while his mother, Imelda Marcos, is an elected representative of their province. In an ABS-CBN public affairs program, Marcos was asked if being elected to public office was an indication that Filipinos had forgiven

them, Marcos answered: “Perhaps yes. They are voting for us.” Marcos said moving on was the key when Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, a key Martial Law figure that turned against the older Marcos, raised his hand when he officially announced he would run for vice president. He said he and Enrile had talked about Martial Law, but added: “That was 30 years ago and many things have happened… Maybe we have both moved on.” Next page

Speech. President Benigno Aquino III delivers a speech during the 2015 Community-Based Forest Management-National Greening Program Congress at the World Trade Center on Wednesday. MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU


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