Mr. Marcos seeks stronger ties with China and Japan
Vol. 36
No. 270
2 SECTIONS
November 13, 2022 8 PAGES
20 .00
IN MET R MANILAO
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to strengthen bilateral relations with China and Japan during his talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the sidelines of the ASEAN-Plus Three (APT) Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Saturday. Aside from the pull-aside discussions, Mr. Marcos also held bilateral meetings with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Premier Li said he believes there should be continued growth of China-Philippines relations, underscoring that what the two countries have in common “far outweighs” their differences, a reference to the maritime dispute in the South China Sea. Mr. Marcos said he “absolutely” agrees with Li’s position. “And I thank you for remembering my father and his initiative to come to China and it was he after all who made Philippines and China CONTINUED ON 3A
ASEAN MEETINGS.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang during the ASEAN-China Summit as part of the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits in Phnom Penh on November 11, 2022. Inset photo shows President Marcos Jr. (3rd from left), accompanied by Speaker Martin Romualdez (2nd from left), exchanging pleasantries with Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (2nd from right) during a bilateral meeting Saturday afternoon. AFP, Ver Noveno
Prioritize food security—PBBM
Urges ASEAN to diversify emergency rice reserve, include other staple n By VINCE LOPEZ AND MARICEL CRUZ
P
RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Philippines will work closely with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its dialog partners in ensuring food security as he pushed for the expansion of the bloc’s rice reserve to include other staple commodities.
President Marcos Jr. on Saturday asked the United States to use its global clout to tame the rising fuel prices. ‘We appeal to the United States to use its global influence to help ease the current global plight of rising fuel prices that we all have to deal with,’ Mr. Marcos said.
“Attaining food self-sufficiency and security by seeking innovative solutions through adoption of new technologies and enhanced connectivity to national, regional and global value supply chains -- this must be one of our utmost priorities in the region,” Marcos said in his intervention during the 25th ASEAN Plus Three Summit in Phnom Penh on Saturday. CONTINUED ON 3A
‘Tap India for cheaper medicines, vaccines’ PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday rallied the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to work closely with India to secure cheaper medicines and vaccines. In his intervention during the 19th ASEAN-India Summit in Cambodia, Mr. Marcos said that as the region emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a matter of great urgency for governments to ensure better access to health services. “ASEAN friends, let us not miss the opportunity of having the ‘pharmacy of the world’ as our close neighbor and dialogue partner. The high cost of life-saving medicines and vaccines are barriers to a healthy population,” he said. “Let us work closely with India in ensuring that our region has access to a sufficient volume of affordable, high-quality medicines and vaccines,” Mr. Marcos added. In a separate statement during the 2nd ASEAN-Australia Summit, Mr. Marcos also called for stronger collaboration in combating transnational crimes. Mr. Marcos expressed gratitude to Can-
berra for supporting the Bohol Trafficking in Persons (TIP) work plan, which aims to implement the ASEAN Convention on TIP, Especially Women and Children. “This partnership will strengthen our regional responses and keep us in step with the constantly evolving schemes of transnational criminals and traffickers,” he said. The Philippine leader also suggested a deepening engagement with India, represented by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, on moving toward a blue economy, citing New Delhi’s continued support for the work of the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity “We cannot move toward a blue economy if our oceans cannot support sustainable vibrant life,” the President said. Mr. Marcos also took the opportunity to extend his condolences to the families of the victims of a pedestrian suspension bridge that collapsed in India’s western state of Gujarat. “At the outset, allow me to add our CONTINUED ON 3A
Remulla to Bantag: Just face murder raps ‘like a man’
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla
JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla just had a one sentence retort to multitude of accusations hurled against him by suspended prisons chief Gerald Bantag, who has been tagged as the mastermind in the murder of broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa. “Just face the charges like a man,” Remulla said, adding that he would give no further comment on Bantag’s allegations. Bantag on Friday accused Remulla of two things: that he was into drugs and may even have a hand in the drug case of his own son, and that he CONTINUED ON 3A
ICONIC BELEN. Araneta City holds its ceremonial lighting of a life-sized ‘belen’ located at Gen. Macarthur Ave. in Cubao, Quezon City late Friday evening. Manny Palmero
Twitter hits fake accounts, revives gray badge TWITTER moved to curb fake accounts that have proliferated since Elon Musk's takeover, suspending sign-ups for a new paid checkmark system and reinstating a gray "official" badge on some accounts. The U-turn was the latest of a string of chaotic developments at the social network,
which has lurched back and forth on the question of account verification since Musk's $44 billion buyout late last month. The @TwitterSupport account tweeted early Friday that a gray check mark indicating an "official" account was coming back, only days after it was introduced – then
almost immediately scrapped. "To combat impersonation, we've added an 'Official' label to some accounts," the profile announced. The rollout of the label appeared inconsistent: it appeared briefly then disappeared CONTINUED ON 3A
Journalist Beth Day Romulo dies at 98 VETERAN journalist and author Beth Day Romulo has died at the age of 98 on Friday, her granddaughter announced on Facebook. Romulo is the widow of former Foreign Affairs Secretary and United Nations General Assembly President Carlos Romulo. Memorial services will be announced soon by the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation. On its website, the Foundation wrote: “In
lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation for Peace and Development (text +63 917 815 9826 for information). Messages of condolence may be sent to romulocenter@ gmail.com.” Romulo was born in Indiana, United States, on May 25, 1924. She was a former associate editor of CONTINUED ON 3A
Beth Day Romulo