‘No territorial conflict with China’ But ‘territorial challenge’ exists for claiming West PH Sea —PBBM n By VINCE LOPEZ
Vol. 36 No. 221
2 SECTION
September 25, 2022 8 PAGES
20 .00
IN MET R MANILAO
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OWING not to surrender even a square inch of territory, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asserted the country’s sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, saying there is no “territorial conflict” with China. Instead, Mr. Marcos said what exists is a “territorial challenge” with Beijing claiming what is part of the Philippines. “The position that the Philippines takes is that we have no territorial conflict with China. What we have [is] China claiming territory that belongs to the Philippines,” Mr. Marcos said in an interview with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who hosted the meeting with the Asia Society in New York Saturday morning (Philippine time). Mr. Marcos told members of Asia Society that incursions in the West Philippine Sea has become “an issue right at the gut of our people.” CONTINUED ON 3A
DIALOG. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. takes questions from former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who hosted the meeting with the Asia Society in New York Saturday morning (Manila time). Inset photo shows Mr. Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, Speaker Martin Romualdez, and other members of the Philippine delegation eating Filipino food like bulalo, pansit, lumpia, pork barbeque, and other dishes at two food trucks outside the Carlyle Hotel. Ryan Ponce Pacpaco
Mr. Marcos tags US trip a ‘success’ n By VINCE LOPEZ PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ended his six-day working visit to the United States on a high note, describing the trip as a “success” as he bannered the country’s economic rebound trajectory on the back of sound macroeconomic fundamentals and enabling policies to potential investors and members of the Filipino community alike.
“I consider the trip a success and overall I am satisfied with the work that we have done. What we set out to do, we were able to do so. And all the people we wanted to talk to were very much ready to talk to us,” the President said in an interview with members of the media delegation in New York prior to his departure for Manila. Mr. Marcos is set to arrive in the country at around 6:30 a.m. today (Sunday).
“That kind of response is of course very gratifying. So that is the way I see the trip here to New York. Of course the central purpose was to speak before the United Nations General Assembly and I called for unity on a global scale and the response I think was very good.” “We have made progress and all in all I’m very happy we came. I am very happy with the results of the visit,” he added. CONTINUED ON 3A
President bares new drug war Digong still gets Badoy accuses judge as ally by zeroing in on big fish, rehab ‘excellent’ rating of CPP-NPA over redtag rule up to final week PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he will recalibrate the anti-narcotics campaign to focus on the big fish and to include prevention and rehabilitation. "For the enforcement, look I am not interested in the kid who makes P100 a week selling weed, that is not the person I want you to go after," Mr. Marcos told members of Asia Society in New York Saturday morning (Manila time). "I want you to go after people, who if we
get them, if we neutralize them or put them in jail. we will make an actual difference so that the supply of drugs, the system of distribution, the system of importation – much of it really comes from abroad. That will actually make a difference. That will put a stop to it. That's what we are working on right now," he added. The President acknowledged the war against drugs has to continue, but he will CONTINUED ON 3A
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte got an “excellent” net satisfaction rating of +81 in the Social Weather Stations survey conducted from June 26 to 29 – his final week in Malacañang. According to SWS, 88 percent of adult Filipinos were satisfied, 5 percent were undecided, and 7 percent dissatisfied with Duterte’s six-year term. This resulted in a net satisfaction rating of +81 (percentage of satisfied minus percentage of dissatisfied). “This is 16 points above the very good +65 in April 2022 and a new record-high that surpassed the previous record of +79 in November 2020,” the pollster said. Duterte was excellent in urban and rural areas nationwide, all age groups, all educational groups, and among men and women. Duterte’s rating rose from very good to excellent in Metro Manila by 22 points from +63 to a new record-high +85, surpassing the previous record of +76 in November 2020. CONTINUED ON 3A
A FORMER anti-insurgency task force official has accused a judge of “lawyering” for communists after she dismissed a proscription case against the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army. In a Facebook post Friday afternoon, Lorraine Badoy criticized Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 19 Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar for ruling that rebellion and political crimes are not acts of terrorism. Badoy called Magdoza-Malagar’s deci-
sion a “judgment straight from the bowels of communist hell.” She then posted a hypothetical scenario: “So if I kill this judge and I do so out of my political belief that all allies of the CPP NPA NDF must be killed because there is no difference in my mind between a member of the CPP NPA NDF and their friends, then please be lenient with me.” On Saturday, however, Badoy denied CONTINUED ON 3A
‘Karding’ intensifies, now a typhoon THE areas of Camarines Norte and the Pollillo Islands were placed under Signal No. 3 as Tropical Cyclone Karding rapidly intensified into a typhoon, state weather bureau PAGASA said yesterday evening. In its 8 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said Typhoon Karding was 490 kms east of Baler, Aurora.
WEATHER
It had sustained maximum winds of 120 km/h near the center, and gustiness of up to
150 km/h. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Operations Center has been on “red alert” since Friday night. CONTINUED ON 3A
Yulo bags gold in floor exercise in Japan championships FILIPINO gymnast Carlos Yulo bagged the gold medal in the floor exercise of the 55th All-Japan Seniors Championships on Friday (Manila time). The 22-year-old Yulo also won a bronze medal in the vault event.
According to his longtime coach Munehiro Kugimiya, Yulo was forced to skip other events due to a finger injury. Yulo is set to compete in the World Championship slated from October 29
to November 6 in Liverpool, England. He is hoping to duplicate or eclipse his record in last year’s World Championship where he got a gold mint in the vault finals and a silver plum in the parallel bars.