TREATY REVIEW PRESSED DEFENSE CHIEF WANTS U.S. TO DEFINE 'ARMED ATTACK'
VOL. XXXIII • NO. 21 • 4 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
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EFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has insisted the Philippines and the United States must review the Mutual Defense Treaty the two allies signed in 1951 and define in the review what constitutes an attack. Lorenzana’s insistence followed a declared vow by visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Washington would defend Manila against “armed attack” in the disputed South China Sea— seen by political analysts as the strongest warning thus far against Chinese claims to most of the strategic waterway. According to Merriam-Webster, attack is the act of attacking with physical force or unfriendly words or a belligerent or antagonistic action launched against one’s opponent. Lorenzana, citing the MDT, said in Filipino the Philippines was not being attacked militarily in the South China Sea by the Chinese. They (the Chinese) just got an island. Where will that fall under? Those are the ambiguities that must be reviewed. Turn to A2
DESTINATIONS / D1
5 DAYS ON
SUPERSTAR VIRGO'S LAST WINTER CRUISE
ENTERTAINMENT /D3
'TWEEN HEARTS' STARS
REUNITE IN NEW AFTERNOON SOAP
A4
SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2019
News
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‘CHARGE AQUINO, ABAD, TOO’
By Vito Barcelo
F
ORMER President Benigno Aquino III and former Budget chief Florencio Abad should have been included in the criminal charges to be lodged by the Department of Justice over the Dengvaxia mess, a senator said on Saturday. “Quite frankly, I am a bit disappointed because I figured they should have studied closely the involvement of President Aquino, Abad and company because they revisited the case,” said Senator Richard Gordon in a radio interview. Gordon, who chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon committee that looked into the controversy, was referring to a DOJ resolution finding probable cause to indict former Health Secretary Janette Garin and several others for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide over the deaths of eight kids allegedly due to the vaccine. “If you look at our investigation, you will see that the procurement of Dengvaxia is hastened whenever President Aquino is present,” he said. Gordon noted that following Aquino’s meeting with officials of Dengvaxia distributor Sanofi in Paris, the Special Allotment Release Order for the vaccines were immediately released. “How can you explain that the President met with a drug dealer from Sanofi three times? And if you take into account the time it took for Senfori to dialog with government, that was really fast!” the senator said. In its resolution, the Justice department said state prosecutors found Garin and the other respondents “exhibited ‘inexcusable lack of precaution and foresight’ when they facilitated, with undue haste, “the registration and purchase of Dengvaxia’ and used the vaccine in implementing a school-based dengue mass immunization program.” Malacañang, for its part, appealed to all stakeholders, including the public, to stop politicizing the Dengvaxia controversy as it has already affected the country’s health programs. “We wish everyone would finally stop politicizing the issue in the court of public opinion, noting that such exercise has only caused an unnecessary fear on the part of parents for good and creditworthy health programs of the government to the detriment of innocent children,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said. “As for the defendants, they should welcome this latest development as an opportunity to clear their names and raise whatever defense they have in relation to the matter before a court of law,” the Palace official said. According to the DOJ, Garin and the other respondents “have exhibited inexcusable lack of precaution and foresight when they facilitated with undue haste, the registration and purchase of Dengvaxia and used the vaccine in implementing a school-based dengue mass immunization program.” The DOJ added that Garin and the others “totally disregarded the identified risks and adverse effects of the vaccine.”
PALACE SLAMS COLMENARES FOR QUESTIONING CHINA DEAL MALACAÑANG has slammed senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares for being “pitiful” and “desperately seeking media mileage” in criticizing the administration’s Chico River irrigation deal with China. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo accused Colmenares of politicizing bilateral relations with China to boost his senatorial bid. “Mr. Colmenares is just desperately seeking media mileage by unduly compartmentalizing the loan agreements of the country without the benefit of context and by maliciously labeling it as a China issue,” Panelo said in a statement. “For the information of Colmenares, the Philippines and China signed a $62.09-million deal last year to help fund the construction of the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project, which will provide a stable supply of water to around 8,700 hectares of agricultural land, benefit 4,350 farmers and their families and serve 21 barangays in the provinces of Kalinga and Cagayan in Northern Luzon once completed,” Panelo said. He said the project has gone through an Investment Coordinating Committee approval and the loan agreement was reviewed, negotiated, and approved by the inter-agency committee composed of the Department of Justice, the Department of Finance and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. “On the concessional interest rate, according to the DOF, if we account for all salient factors and not just the nominal rate—or example, project cost, denomination of loan, and foreign exchange depreciation risk, among others—the effective interest rates between the recently signed Japanese and Chinese loan agreements are actually quite close to each other,” Panelo said. Vito Barcelo
‘EVALUATE PARTY-LIST NOMINEES’
BREAKFAST STAPLE. Salinas dried fish are beautifully arranged by vendors to attract more buyers in Quiapo, Manila. Lino Santos
PDEA WARNS VS ‘LEVELED UP’ DRUG OPS THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on Saturday warned drug syndicates are planning to ship illegal drugs through various ports in Western Visayas by hiding the contraband in other cargo. “This is a possible strategy that they will do knowing that the PDEA is persistent with its operations in Dumangas port and other ports in the region,” said Alex Tablate, PDEA Region 6 officer-in-charge. “Drug peddlers are thinking critically to evade arrest. They have formulated new ways and ‘leveled up’ with
their operations,” he added. Tablate noted that with the creation of the Seaport Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group, drug peddlers may be planning to stuff shabu and other illegal drugs inside fish, poultry, and even fruits that enter Western Visayas. “We need the cooperation of the public living in coastal areas to report to us immediately suspicious strangers who pretend to be fishermen so we can verify their identities,” he said. Another strategy, Tablate said, was to conduct drug transactions at the baggage counter of supermarkets.
He cited a report in Aklan where a drug peddler left a box containing dried marijuana leaves at the baggage counter of a supermarket that was later picked up by a client. “We had the names, but unfortunately we were unable to trace the suspects because the supermarket had a protocol in gaining access to their CCTV footage,” he said. “Malls and supermarkets must cooperate. We are not aiming to encroach for any personal purpose. Our point is to prevent illegal drug transactions in their establishments,” he added. PNA
THE Commission on Elections on Saturday said the release of the names of the nominees of over 130 party-list organizations will give voters a chance to know the personalities behind the organizations. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez noted that in party-list elections, voters must evaluate not just the sectoral organization but also the nominees. “While the Comelec maintains that, in a party-list elections, it is the party-list organization as a whole that should be evaluated by the electorate, it cannot be denied that the identity of the nominees remains a significant reference for voters,” he said. “This is especially true in view of the large number of party-list organizations currently participating in the #NLE2019 elections,” Jimenez added. On Friday, the Comelec released the list of nominees on its Twitter account. “The release of the names of party-list nominees was effected to enhance the transparency of the electoral process and to enable voters to make an informed choice,” Jimenez said. PNA
CRIME INCIDENTS IN MM DOWN By Joel E. Zurbano CRIME incidents in Metro Manila, including robbery, car and motor thefts, rape and physical injury, went down during the last quarter of 2018, the National Capital Region Police Office said. NCRPO data showed that 3,468 crime incidents happened between October and December last year, down from 3,750 cases in the third quarter. Crimes against person declined by four percent from 1,423 in the third quarter to 1,366 while crimes against property went down 9.6 percent from 2,327 to 2,102 incidents. Cases of carnapping were also down 31 percent from 54 to 37 while incidents of rape dropped by 7.86 percent from 280 to 258. NCRPO chief Dir. Guillermo Eleazar attributed the decline to the government’s continuing
war against drugs and other crimes as well as the serious internal cleansing policy of the Philippine National Police to eradicate scalawag cops. The NCRPO also reported that more than 780,000 individuals have been arrested in Metro Manila since it began implementing the intensified drive against street loiterers and those violating local ordinances in June last year. A total of 775,645 persons were apprehended for smoking, accounting for 24.01 percent arrests made. Minors violating curfew hours had the next biggest number with 47,034, followed by 41, 715 individuals caught half-naked. Those caught drinking in public places came next with 36,615. The Quezon City Police District still had the biggest number of arrests at 453,558 violators or more than half of all those arrested in Metro Manila.
LOUD AND
CLEAR. Leyte (1st District) Rep. and Tingog Partylist nominee Yedda Marie K. Romualdez joins actress and TV host Karla Estrada join a motorcade around Tacloban City during the second launching of the party-list group. Ver Noveno
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RULE OF LAW INDEX: PH NOTCHES 3 'POGI' POINTS
BAGUIO’S BLOSSOMS. Performers display their dancing skills during the Panagbenga 2019 Street Dance Parade on Saturday in the country’s summer capital. Panagbenga Festival, also known as the 'Blooming Flowers Festival,' is an annual flower festival in Baguio City. The term 'Panagbenga' comes from a Kankanaey term meaning 'season of blooming,' and this festival reflects the history, traditions and values of Baguio and the Cordilleras. Peter Paul Duran
MORE FILIPINOS FEARFUL OF EJK
By Vito Barcelo
By Vito Barcelo MANY Filipinos have expressed fear they would become victims of extrajudicial killings or EJKs, according to a new Social Weather Stations Survey. Results of a Dec. 16 to 19, 2018 poll of 1,440 adults showed 78 percent of Filipinos were worried they, or anyone they know, would be victims of summary execution, up by five points from the previous 73. But 22 percent said they were “not worried,” compared with 27 percent Turn to A2 facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH
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CADETS ON CALL. Cadets from the Philippine National Police Academy display their discipline and talent at the start of the Fire Prevention Month led by the Bureau of Fire Protection at the bayside Quirino Grandstand at the sprawling Luneta Park in Manila. The observance has been done for the past 52 years after then President Ferdinand Marcos signed a Proclamation making March the Fire Prevention Month. Norman Cruz
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THE Philippines has improved its ranking but remains to be among the lowest in a global index on the rule of law, placing 90th out of 126 in the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2019 released recently. Observers said the ranking was an improvement from 88th place out of 113 countries in the 2017 to 2018 index. Reacting to the report, Malacañang said it was pleased with the latest ranking, which is three notches up from its ranking in 2018. Turn to A2
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