TRANSPORT STRIKE WON’T PARALYZE METRO—DOTR
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IN MET R MANILAO
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 60 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES APRIL 14, 2024
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PBBM TO DU30: SEND ‘SECRET DEAL’ PAPERS
RODY CAN BE CHARGED WITH GRAFT — CARPIO FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte can be charged with graft for entering into a “gentleman’s agreement” with China that barred the Philippines from sending repair materials for BRP Sierra Madre, retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio said. “Duterte agreed not to bring construction materials but we have exclusive rights to put up a structure in Ayungin Shoal. He crippled our exclusive right,” Carpio said in a television interview. He said even if the deal was only verbal, it was still unconstitutional as the state is obligated to protect marine wealth within the country’s exlusive economic zone.
Says Duterte admin should be accountable for deal with China
President Marcos, with Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Philippine Ambassador to the US Babe Romualdez, meets with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (2nd, right photo) at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 12, 2024. AFP
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RESIDENT Marcos on Saturday told his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, to turn over all documents related to the latter’s “secret deal” with China on Ayungin Shoal. Both Duterte and the Chinese embassy in Manila confirmed the “gentleman’s agreement” but the former president denied “conceding” anything in the deal. “Send them to me personally and then we’ll sit down. Send those documents to me. I’ll do my homework for him. I read all the materials first so when I’m in the conference, I can ask intelligent questions,” Mr. Marcos said in an interview in Washington. “What did you agree to? What did you compromise? What you gave out – why is our friend from China getting mad that we’re not following it?” “With the confirmation of the Chinese Embassy, we now know that there was a secret agreement. Now, this is the second question that I have – what is contained in the agreement? What did the Duterte administration promise to China? Because we don’t know yet,” the President added. He said the Filipino people, elected officials, and the Senate, which is in charge of ratifying
treaties entered into by the government, must be aware of any deals entered into by the government with another sovereign state. “In that way, you are accountable. If it’s a bad decision, you’re accountable. Let’s say the decision was wrong – What are you hiding? Why was it secret?” Mr. Marcos said. Duterte said his discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping only focused on maintaining the status quo in the West Philippine Sea. “Aside from the fact of having a handshake with President Xi Jinping, the only thing I remember was that status quo. That’s the word — no movement. No movement, no armed patrols there. As is, where is, so that there’s no trouble,” Duterte said Thursday evening. “We have not conceded anything to China. There might have been [an] exchange of control over the China Sea to those who are really territorial in nature, [but] not involving the encroachment of China in our exclusive economic zone. That’s different,” he added Duterte also confirmed the statement of his former spokesperson, Harry Roque, that the Philippines committed to refrain from bringing construction and repair materials to the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. “As is where is as I said. You cannot bring in materials to repair and improve — none of that,” the former President said.
PH CAN’T BE COMPLACENT—PBBM By Charles Dantes and Maricel Cruz THE country cannot afford to be complacent despite its “increased and intensified” defense and security relations with the United States, President Marcos said Saturday (Manila time). “We have come a long way...But we cannot sit back and say that the mission has been accomplished quite yet,” he said in an interview in Washington. “The nature, the intensity, and the potential disastrous consequences of the security threats facing us today necessitate that we work harder and continuously improve.” During his meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III at the Pentagon, Mr. Marcos said trilateral alliance with the United States and Japan would usher in sustained peace and stability in the South China Sea. “I view the new agreements, and the new partnerships and alliances that we have
forged, including the trilateral agreement, not as a response to any particular challenge or threat but merely a continuing development and evolution of the relationship that we have been fostering over a hundred years,” he said. Austin, for his part, said US President Joe Biden is seeking $128 million in congressional allocation budget to execute projects for Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the Philippines. PRESIDENT Marcos said Vice President Sara Duterte’s silence on China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea does not mean she is not aligned with the government’s foreign policy. “That’s not the role of the Vice President or the Secretary of Education to talk about China, so I think we are all in line,” Mr. Marcos said in an interview in Washington. “I’m very sure that if Inday Sara had some very serious misgivings about what we are doing in terms of foreign policies, she will bring them to me,” he added.
3RD CHINA COAST GUARD SHIP AT BAJO DE MASINLOC
TRANSPORT STRIKE WON’T PARALYZE METRO—DOTR
THE China Coast Guard has deployed another ship at Bajo de Masinloc, to join the buildup of Chinese vessels at Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, ex-US Defense Attache Ray Powell said. This brought the number of Chinese vessels swarming the area to 28 – three China Choast Guard ships and 25 Chinese militia vessels. Powell provided digital imagery showing the trajectory of the third China Coast Guard ship as well as at least eight Chinese militia vessels and two CCG ships closer to the shoal. The Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West
By Joel Zurbano
Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said the number of Chinese vessels at Bajo de Masinloc, a rich fishing ground, has increased more than four-fold compared to its presence in February. Beijing on Friday criticized the United States, Japan and the Philippines and defended its actions in the South China Sea as “lawful” after US President Joe Biden hosted a trilateral meeting in Washington. A joint statement issued by the leaders of the trio of nations voiced “serious concern” over Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea, slamming its behavior as “dangerous and aggressive.” AFP
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RODY WON’T HELP QUIBOLOY NEWS / A2 Arlene Stone, a former member of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, posts a wanted poster of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy at Woodside in Queens, New York. Stone was a former pastoral member who testified during the Senate investigation against the fugitive televangelist.
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THE planned two-day transport strike starting on Monday will not paralyze Metro Manila, an official of the Department of Transportation said yesterday. “Those planning to rally or protest account for merely 5 percent of the entire transportation sector... Clearly they will not paralyze Metro Manila and most especially not the whole of the Philippines,” said DOTr Undersecretary for Roads Sector Andy Ortega. Transport groups PISTON and Manibela on Thursday said they would
hold a nationwide strike from April 15 to 16 amid the looming deadline for the consolidation of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators by the end of the month. President Marcos earlier announced there would be no more extension of the April 30 deadline for the application for consolidation of individual public utility vehicle (PUV) operators to form or join transportation cooperatives. Ortega nearly 78 percent of PUV operators in the country have already complied with the consolidation requirement.
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