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IN MET R MANILAO
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 222 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES SEPTEMBER 24, 2023
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CHINA ‘HYPOCRITICAL’ OVER WPS ISSUE—GIBO AS PH, US, JAPAN CRAFT ‘WORK PLAN’ FOR INDO-PACIFIC
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EFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. chided China on Saturday over its “propaganda lines” accusing the Philippines and the BRP Sierra Madre, Manila’s outpost in the Ayungin Shoal, of marine damage. “The statement of China that the grounded Sierra Madre is causing irrevocable harm is to put it as politely as possible, hypocritical,” Teodoro Jr. said in a statement. “Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! China continues to damage the West Philippine Sea by its illegal reclamation activities in the South China Sea,” the Department of Na-
tional Defense (DND) chief added. This developed as the Philippines, the United States, and Japan will craft a “work plan” that would advance their trilateral cooperation, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Saturday, as the three states explore ways to further promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, US State Secretary Antony Blinken, and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko convened the second trilateral ministerial meeting among the three states on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23. DFA Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said the ministers “will come up with a work plan” after discussing possible activities under the trilateral cooperation. The US State Department said the officials also agreed to “continue to call out behavior that is inconsistent with international law,” including
China’s recent actions near Ayungin Shoal that interfered with the Philippines’ lawful exercise of high seas freedom of navigation.” The Philippines’ economic cooperation with the United States must keep pace with steadily growing defense relations, the country’s top diplomat said. At an event hosted by the Asia Society in New York, USA on Sept. 22, DFA chief Manalo reiterated President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr’s call to ensure that the US-Philippine partnership is relevant and responsive to the current and emerging realities in the region. Charles Dantes
LOCKED IN. Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez listens to the speech of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as he leads the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) launch for the Visayas region in Tolosa, Leyte on Saturday (see story below). Ver Noveno
‘CHINESE MAFIA INVOLVED IN PH RICE SMUGGLING’ THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) is looking into information that a “Chinese mafia” is supposedly involved in smuggling rice into the country. During a Saturday news forum in Quezon City, BOC Director Vernie Enciso said they have received reports regarding the issue. “Either they are on the side of financing, distribution, or other sides, they are present in many levels of agricultural smuggling. The Bureau of Customs is looking into all of these,” he added. But lawyer Marlon Agaceta, BOC’s chief of staff, said it was hard to determine the source of the smuggled rice and who were behind this. Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said the country does not have a problem with its rice supply, only with issues related to its distribution. At an event in Camarines Sur, the President also said government’s price control on regular and wellmilled rice might be reduced as palay harvests begin across the country. Mr. Marcos, the concurrent Agriculture Secretary, noted that market forces would be at work due to the new rice harvests, pulling down the cost of the staple Filipino commodity. Charles Dantes
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HABAGAT RAINS REMOVE SMOG, BUT ADD FLOODS
ASIAD BEGINS. Performers dance across a digital projection of a pond scene at
the ‘Big Lotus’ Olympic Stadium in Hangzhou, China, as the 19th Asian Games opened on Saturday night. Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach to begin the games, while the Philippines’ EJ Obiena and Margielyn Didal wave miniature flags as they lead the Filipino athletes in the opening ceremonies (inset photos). AFP with IOC and POC Photos
NEWS | A3
XI JINPING OPENS 19TH ASIAN GAMES IN GLITTERING HANGZHOU HANGZHOU, China—Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the 19th Asian Games open at a glittering ceremony in Hangzhou on Saturday, kickstarting a sporting behemoth that boasts more athletes than the Olympics. The Philippines got its campaign off the right foot as the women’s national football team hurdled Hong Kong, 3-1, on Friday night. Bannered by its FIFA Women’s World Cup core, the Filipinas improved to 1-0 in Group E while Hong Kong slid to 0-1.
After being delayed by a year due to China’s strict zero-COVID regime, more than 12,000 competitors from 45 nations and territories across Asia and the Middle East are in the eastern city to compete in 40 sports. Xi is scheduled to open proceedings officially in one of the country’s most prosperous regions, in front of invited guests including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But rain could put a dampener on the occasion, with persistent drizzle lingering. Assad—on his first visit to China
SPICE OF LIFE.
A vendor displays ‘sili labuyo’ (chili peppers) that retail for P400 per kilo – about half the prevailing market rate -- at the Kadiwa ng Pangulo of the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair at Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges in Nabua town on Saturday. Joan Bondoc
since war erupted in Syria in 2011— will join leaders from ally Cambodia, Kuwait, and Nepal, among others at Hangzhou’s Olympic stadium, state media said. The Games are “likely to be China’s post-pandemic soft power exercise in the fully packed stadium with the presence of political and business leaders in Asia,” Jung-Woo Lee, sport policy expert at the University of Edinburgh, told AFP. But they have already been rocked by a row between New Delhi and China, with a trip to Hangzhou by India’s
sports minister cancelled on Friday. It followed three women martial arts fighters from the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh claiming they were denied accreditation, a move China disputed. The northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh is claimed almost in full by Beijing, which calls it “South Tibet”. China’s status as a sporting destination took a severe hit during the first three years of the pandemic, when snap lockdowns and travel rules saw almost all international events cancelled in the country. AFP
CAVITE’S BEAR MUSEUM STIRS HAPPY THOUGHTS BUSINESS | B1
BAGONG PILIPINAS SERVICE FAIR BEGINS PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday led the simultaneous launching of the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) to help deliver government services across the country. “This program is just one of the first steps taken by the government to give Filipinos new hope and a fresh start,” the President said during the launching in Nabua, Camarines Sur. The Serbisyo Fair was launched simultaneously in Laoag, Ilocos Norte for Luzon; Tolosa town in Leyte for Visayas; and in the Mu-
nicipality of Monkayo, Davao de Oro for Mindanao. Presidential son and Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos led the BPSF caravan for Luzon, while Speaker Martin Romualdez led the Visayas contingent in Leyte. Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo led the BPSF opening in Poblacion Monkayo, Davao de Oro. “Although our islands are apart, we are united by one spirit and one dream: a New Philippines for the New Filipino,” the President said. Charles Dantes
TWICE AS READY SHOW | C2