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02/03/2023

AIR AMBULANCE MISSING IN PALAWAN

A helicopter used for medical evacuation was reported missing after taking off from Mangsee Island in Balabac, Palawan yesterday, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

In a message to The STAR, the CAAP said the Alouette helicopter operated by Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services went missing at about 9 a.m.

The helicopter took off at around 7:30 a.m. after picking up a patient on Mangsee Island.

The helicopter was on its way to the Southern Palawan Provincial Hospital in Brooke’s Point when it was reported missing.

Aside from the pilot, the helicopter was carrying a nurse, a patient and two other persons.

The CAAP said search and rescue operations are ongoing.

Cessna plane crash victims brought down from Mayon
Meanwhile, responders started bringing down yesterday the remains of four passengers of a Cessna plane that crashed on Mayon Volcano.

Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office chief Cedric Daep said one of the bodies was expected to be brought down from the slopes of Mayon early last night.

One of the bodies was brought down from the crash site to the Forest Ranger station early last night.

“If the improved weather continues, we are expecting that all the bodies will be brought down today,” Daep said.

He lauded the responders for setting up anchors and ropes along the treacherous terrain of the volcano.

He said it was agreed to bring down the cadavers on foot, which is considered the safest given the weather condition and rugged terrain.

Camalig Mayor Carlos Baldo said 20 responders were assigned to each cadaver as recommended by Daep to ensure a safe descent.

Four teams of responders are composed of personnel of the Naval Special Operations Group, Bureau of Fire Protection-Search and Rescue Force, Philippine Air Force and Philippine Army as well as mountaineers, local guides and porters.

The Philippine National Police provided ground security and crowd control in priority areas.

“We advised them to take a rest if they feel exhausted,” Baldo said.

The ill-fated plane, which has four passengers, two of them Australian consultants of the Energy Development Corp., crashed on Feb. 18.

via PhilStar

02/03/2023

ADAMSON STUDENT SUFFERED 70 BLOWS; 17 PERSONS OF INTEREST TAGGED IN HAZING DEATH

John Matthew Salilig was last seen by his family on Feb. 18. His decomposing body was found buried in a vacant lot in Barangay Malagasang in Imus City, Cavite on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

The third year college student of Adamson University who died in fraternity initiation rites in Biñan City, Laguna suffered at least 70 blows to the body, police said on Wednesday, March 1.

A witness told probers that chemical engineering student John Matthew Salilig, 24, was hit at least 70 times with a wooden paddle, according to Biñan police chief Lt. Col. Virgilio Jopia.

Jopia disclosed there are 17 persons of interest in Salilig’s hazing, seven of whom were taken into police custody. The others remain at large.

He said 14 suspects directly delivered the blows while three were Salilig’s companions who took part in the hazing.

Jopia added the paddle, which has yet to be recovered, has a length of one meter and width of six to eight inches thick, based on the witness’ accounts.

Laguna police director Col. Randy Glenn Silvio said the persons of interest are members of the Tau Gamma Phi fraternity.

Salilig was last seen by his family on Feb. 18. His decomposing body was found buried in a vacant lot in Barangay Malagasang in Imus City, Cavite on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Based on their investigation, Silvio said Salilig and other students were subjected to initiation rites from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 18.

The perpetrators stopped inflicting more injuries to Salilig after he vomited and defecated, probers said. Fraternity members then brought him to a sport utility vehicle (SUV) where he lost consciousness.

“Inikot-ikot na siya sa Parañaque hanggang nag-decide sila na itapon at ilibing sa Cavite,” Silvio said.

He said those involved might have panicked and decided not to bring Salilig to a hospital.

Silvio said most of the perpetrators are young, with the president of the fraternity only 22 years old.

Police seized the SUV from Gregorio Cruz in Parañaque City on Wednesday, according to Col. Redrico Maranan, public information officer of the Philippine National Police.

The father of the vehicle’s owner was taken into police custody for investigation, according to Silvio.

Silvio said they initially asked the family of the SUV owner to surrender the vehicle, but they refused and demanded that police secure a search warrant.

Call for justice

Student organizations from Adamson University demanded justice and accountability following the death of Salilig.

In a statement, student groups led by the Adamson University student government urged the school’s administration to take “bolder steps toward the search for truth.”

“We strongly urge the people involved to speak nothing but the truth about the incident. To speak ambiguously of the case only protects the offenders behind this heinous crime. It is only right for his story to be heard,” read the statement.

“The administration should impose sanctions on all concerned parties, in line with the university’s 2018 student manual and the law, without any exemption,” it added.

Salilig’s eldest brother, John Michael, said he was surprised that the no one among fraternity members tried to save the victim.

John Michael said he received information that among the suspects, one person suggested bringing the victim to the hospital.

“But the idea was shut down,” Michael, who is also a member of Tau Gamma Phi, said in an interview on dzBB.

via ONE News

02/03/2023

PHILIPPINES DISCUSSING SECURITY COOPERATION WITH SINGAPORE, VIETNAM

Amid tensions in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines is working on expanding defense and security cooperation with other countries in the region, particularly Singapore and Vietnam, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo told a Senate inquiry yesterday.

He said this strategy of multilateral cooperation in security is why the Philippines entered into talks with Japan on enhancing defense cooperation.

“I see that is the approach we’re taking now, multilateral, which is cooperation, not only in terms of it’s a multi but even tripartite with a number of our partners. It’s already been stated at the last visit of the President’s visit to Japan,” Manalo said.

He said there is an opportunity to build up not just military cooperation, but also economic and other areas of cooperation to enhance security.

“That’s being done with Australia. We’re also very much in touch now with Australia,” said Manalo. “And in terms of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian) partners, we’re also in touch with Singapore.”

He added that Vietnam is also being eyed for discussions on security cooperation.

“We will also embark on discussions with Vietnam and other countries in the region, all with the intention of trying to increase our security not only in terms of military and defense, but also through economic security,” the DFA secretary told senators.

EDCA to boost capacities
Manalo told the Senate that the implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States was meant to boost their “collective capacities” in addressing “shared security threats.”

He and Defense Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr., officer-in-charge of the Department of National Defense (DND), defended the EDCA before the Senate foreign relations committee, chaired by Sen. Imee Marcos.

Manalo described the EDCA, which is meant to support combined exercises and interoperability of militaries of both countries through the establishment of mutually agreed logistics hubs in military camps, as a key pillar of the Philippine-US security alliance.

“The full implementation of the EDCA will make our alliance more resilient and will accelerate modernization of our joint of our military capabilities,” Manalo said.

The EDCA is intended to supplement the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), especially in developing the two countries’ “individual and collective capacities in addressing security threats.”

The committee held the hearing a month after the Philippine and US governments announced four new EDCA sites that news reports indicate are all located in northern Luzon.

Both sides had initially agreed to 21 locations, of which five have been put up while nine are in various stages of completion, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Hechanova, Armed Forces deputy chief of staff for plans, told the panel.

Officials said the US government will put up facilities for the deployment and storage of defense equipment, supplies and material in the EDCA sites that would facilitate joint activities, such as training exercises and humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR).

“These new types of locations will allow more rapid response for humanitarian and climate related disasters in the Philippines as well as respond to other shared challenges,” Manalo said.

Why Northern Luzon
Marcos asked why the locations are all in Northern Luzon, which she said apparently belies the claim of officials of both sides that they could help protect the country’s sovereignty, particularly in the West Philippine Sea.

A more plausible reason, she said, is that the new EDCA sites could be intended by the US to be used as bases or staging ground in the event of a conflict in Taiwan, which China considers as a renegade province.

“What is the main consideration for choosing the locations? Is it really disaster assistance? Is it West Philippine Sea or something else?” Marcos asked Galvez, who replied that they could serve as “contingency on the defense of the country, so that we can have some sort of collective defense.”

Galvez said the sites are still under negotiations and they are not necessarily all located in Northern Luzon.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros cited China’s “consistent provocations” and that Beijing’s “utter disrespect is an affront to our sovereign rights” in the West Philippine Sea.

She thanked the US, Japan, Australia, Canada and Germany for asking Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“However, despite her belligerence, we have always believed in exhausting all political and diplomatic means available so we can assert our rights and stand our ground, while maintaining relative peace in the region,” Hontiveros said.

“This means we must not depend only on the help of our former colonizer, the US, but instead, exhaust all ways to have security arrangements with the wider international community that are more than willing to support our cause,” she said.

Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba, whose province is reportedly the location of one of the new EDCA sites, lamented there was no consultation with his constituents on the matter.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III cautioned officials against entering into agreements that end up having the Philippines caught between the US and China.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, however, said he fully supports the EDCA and enjoined his skeptical colleagues to visit the country’s dilapidated installations and fishing communities in the West Philippine Sea that are subjected to harassment from Chinese coast guard and militia vessels.

Sen. Francis Tolentino, vice chairman of the panel, said there must be a fusion of effort and goals of the DFA and the DND, “a convergence of military, economic, diplomatic and geopolitical needs.”

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said Washington should set the record straight on its intention for EDCA, adding the government should not allow the Philippines to be used by the US for its own interests in the region.

“America should clarify that they are not here to use the Philippines in advancing their own interest, particularly in making the country a launchpad in the event China invaded Taiwan,” Dela Rosa, who was guest at yesterday’s Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, said.

via PhilStar

02/03/2023

TIKTOK TO SET ONE-HOUR DAILY SCREEN TIME LIMIT FOR USERS UNDER 18

TikTok on Wednesday, March 1 said it would introduce automatic daily screen time limits of one hour for accounts belonging to under-18s, as the social media platform faces criticism over its addictiveness among young users.

Teenagers will have to enter a passcode to continue watching after 60 minutes and those aged below 13 require a parent or guardian to set or enter a passcode to release an additional 30 minutes, TikTok said.

The short-form video-sharing app said the changes would be implemented "in the coming weeks."

If a young person's access to TikTok is via a family pairing account, parents can set a maximum screen time for their child based on the day of the week, TikTok added.

The Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, is restricted to 40 minutes of daily use for under-14s and is inaccessible for them between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

The new feature adds to existing measures to control young people's screen time such as a prompt introduced last year that encourages teenagers to enable screen time management and a weekly inbox notification summarising a user's screen time.

But young users will still be able to deselect the time limit feature or lie about their age, as on other platforms.

The Chinese social media site has faced criticism over the soaring amount of time children aged between four and 18 spend scrolling through videos suggested to them based on their tastes and algorithms.

According to a recent study by parental control app Qustodio, minors spent on average one hour and 47 minutes on TikTok per day in 2022.

Concerns about data protection in the West have also affected the site owned by Chinese company ByteDance, with the European Union's institutions recently ordering their staff to purge the app from their devices.

The White House has given US federal agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from government-issued devices and Canada has implemented a similar measure.

via PhilStarLIFE

02/03/2023

GREECE TRAIN CRASH KILLS AT LEAST 38 PEOPLE, MANY OF THEM LIKELY STUDENTS

At least 38 people were killed when a Greek passenger train collided head-on with a freight train late on Tuesday, derailing carriages which then burst into flames in the country's deadliest rail crash in living memory.

Many of the victims were thought to be university students returning home after a long holiday weekend. Officials said the death toll was expected to rise further - temperatures in one carriage had risen to 1,300 Celsius (2,370 F) after it caught fire.

Authorities are working to establish how the high-speed passenger train collided with another carrying shipping containers, coming in the opposite direction and on the same track at speeds thought to be up to 160 km (100 miles) per hour.

"Everything in this tragedy points, unfortunately, mainly to human error," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address on Wednesday.

Passengers described a "nightmarish" crash which engulfed their train in flames just before midnight near the central town of Larissa, some 200 miles north of Athens. It had departed from the Greek capital and was headed to the northern city of Thessaloniki.

Some kicked through windows to escape the inferno. Others were flung up to 40 metres (130 ft) on impact.

A station master was arrested as investigators tried to work out why the two trains had been on the same track "for many kilometres", while the country's transport minister resigned. (Wire photos) | via Reuters

02/03/2023

LTFRB MOVES JEEPNEY PHASEOUT DEADLINE TO YEAR-END 'IN DEFERENCE TO SENATE'

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is pushing to the end of the year the deadline for individual jeepney operators to join a cooperative or corporation or be barred from plying roads.

LTFRB chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III announced Wednesday that they will be issuing a new memorandum circular extending the jeepney phaseout deadline to December 31, 2023.

The regulator had previosuly required jeepney operators to consolidate their franchises under a cooperative or corporation for their jeepneys to be allowed on the road past that date, and even then only until December 31.

Transport groups that have been opposing the government program to replace traditional jeepneys with minibuses said the new units are too expensive to buy and have said they hold a week-long strike in protest.

The LTFRB’s announcement came amid a looming week-long transportation strike scheduled to start on Monday and a day before a Senate hearing on the government’s push to modernize public utility vehicles.

Guadiz denied that their decision was due to pressure from transport groups,claiming also that 90% of the transport sector is supportive of the plan to replace traditional jeepneys with minibuses, which drivers and operators said they would be hard pressed to afford without going into debt.

He said they moved the deadline "in deference" to the Senate resolution strongly urging the LTFRB to postpone the jeepney phaseout and the request of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista "to allow the transport sector more time to consolidate."

Under the current PUV Modernization Program, operators must surrender their individual franchises for consolidation into a Fleet Management System, where cooperatives would have to purchase 15 imported minibuses per route.

According to PISTON, only large corporations would have the financial capacity to buy the 15 vehicles to operate a single route without being buried in debt.

Guadiz earlier said only 60% of the target number of vehicles for modernization have complied with the directive to consolidate franchises.

via PhilStar

02/03/2023

LALAKING GINAGAWANG COVER NG KOTSE ANG PH FLAG, KINASUHAN

Sinampahan na ng kaso ng Mandurriao Police Station ang lalaking ginawang cover ng kotse ang bandila ng Pilipinas.

Ayon kay PLt. Joebert Amado, deputy chief ng Mandurriao Police Station, kasong paglabag sa Republic Act No. 8491 o ang Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines ang isinampa laban kay Jared Serrano, 25, sa Iloilo City Prosecutors Office.

Nakasaad sa batas na ipinagbabawal ang paggamit sa Philippine flag bilang panakip sa kisame, dingding o kahit sa anumang bagay na nagpapakita ng pagkawalang-respeto sa bandila ng bansa.

Umaasa ang kapulisan na sa nangyaring paglabag ay magsilbi itong aral sa publiko na huwag gamitin sa anumang bagay ang watawat na nagpapakita ng pagkawalang respeto.

Ang mga mapapatunayang lalabag sa naturang batas ay maaaring makulong ng hindi hihigit sa isang taon at multa na mula P5,000 hanggang P20,000.

Sa ngayon, nasa kustodiya pa rin ng Mandurriao PNP si Serrano.

via Pilipino Star Ngayon

02/03/2023

AS STRIKE LOOMS, MARCOS SAYS JEEPNEY PHASEOUT 'NECESSARY' BUT CAN BE IMPROVED

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the government drive to phase out traditional jeepneys is necessary, but acknowledged in the face of announcements by transports groups of a week-long strike in protest, that implementation could be improved.

Transport groups, including Manibela and PISTON, warn that the minibuses that government wants them to use are too expensive and that financial support is not enough. They said that consolidating under cooperatives and corporations could leave them without a franchise and deep in debt.

"In my opinion, the modernization program really needs to be done. But it seems the implementation of the program is not good," Marcos said in Filipino.

He added that the government must implement the program "in a different way."

The chief executive also said he hopes that the planned transport strike from March 6 to 12 will not push through. Transport groups said they will hold a week-long strike to convince the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board suspend the phaseout of traditional jeepneys and UV Express vehicles.

The transport strike is the first major coordinated strike since full passenger capacity returned in March 2022.

"I think we can talk to transport groups and tell them that we will change the implementation so that they will not be burdened that much," Marcos said in Filipino.

"I’m hoping that with the initiatives we’re thinking of, we can convince them to not go on a strike because many will suffer," he added.

The LTFRB said last week that individual operators of traditional jeepneys will no longer be allowed to operate after June 30 unless they join a corporation or cooperative. Only those that do may continue to operate under provisional authority that will be effective until December 31.

Those opposed to the program say drivers and operators cannot afford new models, which cost around P2.4 million to P2.8 million per unit.

Electric vehicles
The program seeks to phase out old jeepneys that have been blamed for traffic congestion and pollution, and replace them with newer and bigger vehicles powered by cleaner Euro-4 engines.

Marcos said not all jeepneys are dilapidated and those that are well maintained might be allowed to stay on the road.

"The modernization program is also the first step toward electric vehicles. We will eventually move there but we need to fix the supply of renewables," he said.

Renewable energy only had a 21% share of the country’s energy mix in 2020. The government is eyeing to increase the share of renewables to 35% by 2030 and to 50% by 2040.

The chief executive stressed that a timetable for the introduction of e-vehicles, adding that it is "not urgent" as of now because the government still needs to build an infrastructure for modern transport.

via PhilStar

01/03/2023

FREE PARKING SA SENIORS, PWDS SA MGA MALL ISINULONG

Itinutulak ni Sen. Raffy Tulfo ang pagbibigay ng libreng parking fee ng mga commercial establishments tulad ng mall, restaurants sa mga senior citizens, Persons with Disability (PWDs) at valid customers.

Sa Senate Bill 1920 ni Tulfo, bibigyan sila ng libreng parking privilege sa loob ng tatlong oras at hindi kasama sa libre ang overnight parking.

Ang kailangan lamang umano ay magpakita ng valid IDs ang mga senior citizens, PWDs habang kailangan na P500 pataas ang resibo ng valid customers na tinatakan ng pinagbilihan ng produkto o serbisyo.

Habang ang commercial establishments naman na hindi susunod sa panukala kapag naisabatas ito ay pagmumultahin ng P10,000 at babawian ng business permit.

Paliwanag ng senador, ang panukalang libreng parking para sa mga senior citizens ay bilang pagkilala sa kanilang serbisyo at kontribusyon sa lipunan at pagtulong din umano sa publiko sa gitna ng mataas na presyo ng petrolyo at bilihin.

Nauna na rin naghain ng panukalang regulasyon ng parking fee sina Senators Sherwin Gatchalian at Jinggoy Estrada na kapwa pumuna sa mataas na parking fee sa mga mall.

via Pilipino Star Ngayon

01/03/2023

TAIWAN WILL PAY TOURISTS TO VISIT, INCLUDING THOSE FROM THE PHILIPPINES

Need a destination idea for 2023 and beyond? You might want to set your sights on Taiwan, as it is planning to pay tourists to visit in the coming months.

The Taiwan government approved on Feb. 23 its tourism bureau's proposal to give 500,000 international tourists an allowance of NT$5,000 each (approximately P9,000 per person) when they travel to the country.

Meanwhile, each group with eight to 14 will be given pocket money amounting to NT$10,000 (P17,980) and those with more members can expect to receive NT$20,000 (P35,960). According to a report by Taipei Times, the bureau is eyeing to distribute the money to 90,000 groups.

The move is part of the Taiwan government's NT$5.3 billion (P9.5 billion) project to attract six million tourists this year and ten million by 2025.

If you're one of the tourists who will be given NT$5,000 incentive, Tourism Bureau Director-General Chang Shi-chung said that you will receive the amount when you arrive in Taiwan.

“It will be stored in an electronic ticketing card, which can be used to pay for food, accommodation, and other travel expenses during their time here," Chang added.

The rest will be "given out through multiple tourism promotion events this year." Because of that, "not all international tourists would receive it," the director-general noted.

The bureau is aiming to attract tourists primarily from Japan, South Korea, Europe, and North America.

Good news is that Filipino travelers are also eligible for the incentive as the program covers countries under Taiwan's New Southbound Policy as well. This includes the Philippines, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Prior to Taiwan, Malta launched a program in 2021 granting tourists €200 (P11,700) when they stay in the island for more than two nights during summer of that year. The amount was paid both by participating hotels and the government in an attempt to put Malta's hotels in a "competitive position," according to Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo.

Hong Kong is likewise stepping up its game, with the launch of Airport Authority Hong Kong's "World of Winners" campaign in February this year. With the program, 500,000 tourists around the globe will be given free airline tickets when they visit the country. Filipinos can avail of the offer through Cathay Pacific's contest until March 9, 2023.

via PhilStarLIFE

01/03/2023

QUAKE KILLED MORE THAN 50,000 IN TURKEY, SYRIA - REVISED TOLL

A devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria killed more than 50,000 people, in a toll revised by AFP that includes figures from both government and rebel-controlled parts of war-torn Syria.

A total of 5,951 people were killed across Syria, while Turkey recorded 44,374 deaths after the Feb. 6 earthquake.

The new tally brings to 50,325 the total number of deaths caused by the disaster across both countries.

The Syrian government said 1,414 people had been killed in areas under its control, while Turkish-backed officials in Syria have put the death toll at 4,537 throughout rebel-held areas of the country.

The toll in areas outside government control includes deaths in territory held by rival rebel groups.

Local authorities relied on data collected from hospitals, medical centers, and civil defense in Idlib and northern Aleppo province, health official Maram al-Sheikh told AFP.

He said they also included civilian sources, many of whom buried their dead without taking them to the hospital.

The toll was finalized with help from the Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU) organization, a local United Nations partner.

The UN said it relied on the ACU's data, including death tolls.

The death toll in rebel areas was "almost final since most victims have been pulled from under the rubble," he said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor had reported 2,243 people killed in government-held areas—recording 824 more deaths than the official toll.

Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Britain-based group, said their tally was higher because it included "50 villages that rescuers did not reach."

The group, which relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria, had reported the same death toll as the rebels in the northwest.

AFP had previously reported 3,688 deaths across Syria, compiling official government figures and data released by the White Helmets rescue group in the northwest.

The rebel rescuers told AFP their toll mostly included bodies they had removed from the rubble themselves.

The quake came nearly 12 years into Syria's civil war which devastated swathes of the country, killed nearly half a million people, and displaced millions more.

via PhilStarLIFE

01/03/2023

P5.7 MILYONG SHABU, ITINAGO SA MGA BUTONES

Mas nagiging malikhain ngayon ang mga smugglers makaraang itago ang tinatayang P5.7 milyong halaga ng shabu sa loob ng malalaking butones ng isang damit na natuklasan rin naman ng Bureau of Customs sa Port of Clark nitong Pebrero 14.

Dumating sa Port of Clark ang shipment nitong Pebrero 14 mula sa Harare, Zimbabwe, at agad isinailalim sa K9 sniffing at X-ray scanning. Dito isinunod ang physical examination at nadiskubre ang nasa 838.7 gramo ng puting pulbos na nasa loob ng 255 piraso ng dress buttons at sa gilid ng karton.

Kumuha ng mga sampol na dinala sa Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency para sa chemical laboratory analysis. Dito nakumpirma na shabu ang naturang substance.

via Pilipino Star Ngayon

01/03/2023

MARCOS TO ARMED FORCES: DEFEND OUR TERRITORY

Speaking to troops of the Visayas Command in Cebu, President Marcos described the current geopolitical situation in the world today as “most complicated.”

President Marcos called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday, Feb. 27, to defend the country’s territory amid a new security landscape and the South China Sea row.

Speaking to troops of the Visayas Command in Cebu, Marcos described the current geopolitical situation in the world today as “most complicated.”

He said there was a time when the Philippines did not have to worry about threats and the intensification of competition between the superpowers.

“For many, many years, we were able to maintain that peace and maintain that understanding with all of our neighbors. Now things have begun to change and we must adjust accordingly,” he said. “We know that the Philippines is just a small country but we still need to defend our territory.”

He said the Philippines used to have clear boundaries, but now these are being questioned – a situation that further highlights the military’s important mission of safeguarding the country.

“We are facing a more complex foreign situation in the Philippines. Like what I said, that in this part of the world, here in the Philippines, South China Sea, among all issues, it is said to be the most complicated geopolitical situation,” the President said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“Even if there is war in Ukraine, the South China Sea is said to be the most difficult and most complicated problem. That is why I said the mission of the AFP has changed. We need to safeguard those that we did not need to think much about previously,” he added.

The Philippines and China are embroiled in a longstanding dispute over some parts of the South China Sea, where more than $5 trillion in goods passes through every year. Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims in the area.

In 2016, an arbitral court based in The Hague invalidated China’s historic claims in the South China Sea but the Chinese government refused to recognize the ruling.

“We still need to fight for the rights of every Filipino because the Philippines is a sovereign nation, the Philippines has a functioning government and that functioning government includes the members of the military and that is why it remains to be our duty to protect the country, to protect our citizens,” Marcos said.

Marcos expressed confidence that soldiers would “always stand up to the challenges that the Philippines faces in the best tradition of the military, in the best tradition of our heroes that have gone past.”

“Once again, we continue to see heroes being made in our military. Keep up the good work. The country thanks you. The country is counting on you,” he said.

“The Armed Forces has never failed the country and a grateful Philippines knows that... The entire Philippines knows how difficult your job is and the entire Philippines is very much thankful for your service.”

The President also reiterated that the country’s foreign policy is “guided by a commitment to peace and guided by the national interest.”

He also thanked the military for helping ensure the conduct of a safe, peaceful and honest elections in 2022.

via ONE News

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