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IN MET R MANILAO
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 74 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES APRIL 28, 2024
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BLINKEN WARNS CHINA: DEESCALATE WPS TENSIONS NSC: BEIJING INVENTED NEW VERSION OF ‘AYUNGIN DEAL’
MARCOS: BE LIKE LAPULAPU, RISE VS. OPPRESSORS By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Marcos challenged Filipinos to uphold the enduring legacy of Lapulapu by upholding patriotism and rising against modern-day oppressors. “The same is what the nation needs today. Despite being in a world incomparable to that of Lapulapu, we are called to rise against our modernday oppressors – greed, selfishness, and divisiveness – and uphold the legacy of patriotism that has been passed onto us through the years,” Mr. Marcos said during the 503rd commemoration of the victory at Mactan Liberty Shrine in Cebu. “The challenge now for all, especially the youth, is to continue embracing his [Lapulapu] ideals and the wealth of our heritage as we realize a ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ that is built on the foundations of the liberty and freedom that he and all our other heroes fought hard for,” he added. The President also pushed for developing investments that would cement Cebu as the primary driver of economic growth in the country. During the capsule laying ceremony of the Mactan Expo Center at Mactan Newtown, Lapu-Lapu City, Mr. Marcos affirmed the government’s continued investment in Cebu’s success, together with the private sector’s participation in nation-building.
By Maricel V. Cruz and Vince Lopez
U
S Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he warned China directly about its assertive moves around the Philippines and vowed to defend its oldest treaty ally in the region. “I made clear that while the US will continue to de-escalate tensions, our defense commitments to the Philippines remain ironclad,” Blinken told reporters in Beijing. Blinken, who met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, said he raised Beijing’s “dangerous actions in the South China Sea” during meetings with top leaders. During his visit to Manila last month, Blinken said: “Repeated violations of international law and the rights of the Philippines – water cannons, blocking maneuvers, close shadowing, other dangerous operations – these waterways are critical to the Philippines, to its security, to its economy, but they’re also critical to the interests of the region, the United States, and the world.” “We stand together in our determination to uphold international law – for the Philippines, for everyone else – against any provocative actions,” he added. For its part, the National Security Council on Saturday said the “new model” of the so-called gentleman’s agreement between Manila and Beijing is just a “new invention” of China amid the ongoing Balikatan military exercises between the Philippines and the United States. “This ‘new model’ announced by the Chinese Embassy is nothing more than a new invention,” National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said in a statement. “Every now and then, China has a new narrative about alleged arrangements in the West Philippine Sea. First, it was the alleged ‘promise’ which then became the ‘gentleman’s agreement’ and now the latest version, the ‘new model’ or ‘internal understanding,’” Año said.
REMEMBERING LAPULAPU’S BRAVERY. President Ferdinand Marcos is joined by Speaker Martin Romualdez and Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo, Lapu-Lapu City Rep. Ma. Cynthia Chan, and Lapu Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan for a group photo with members of Lapu-Lapu Arnis De Abanico, who performed a reenactment of the Battle of Mactan on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at Liberty Shrine in Mactan, Cebu. Ver Noveno
CHINA NAVY SHIPS SHADOW BALIKATAN VESSELS By Vince Lopez WEST PHILIPPINE SEA—Two Chinese Navy spy ships shadowed Philippine and American vessels during the Balikatan exercises as they sailed at the westernmost portion of Palawan on Saturday. During the formation drills of the BRP Ramon Alcaraz, BRP Davao del Sur and USS Harpers Ferry, a spy ship of the People’s Liberation Army-Navy with bow number of 793 tailed the convoy. MN Vendemiaire of the Marine Nationale of France that was originally part of the Balikatan flotilla
went back to Palawan for refueling. BRP Ramon Alcaraz issued radio challenges to PLAN 793, which did not respond. Commander Jennifer Monforte said an unknown PLAN Electronic Warfare Vessel was also spotted near the location of the participating ships for the Balikatan exercises, within the country’s EEZ, some 147 nautical miles from the mainland Palawan. “There were 2 vessels spotted today – one was detected by our radars and spotted by our sailors, and one was seen following the first ship spotted shadowing our ves-
sels” Monforte said. Foreign ships may enter another country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but cannot explore for or extract resources from the area. “It’s safe as long as there is no impeding and there is no obstruction,” said Commander Marco Sandalo, commanding officer of BRP Davao del Sur. Earlier, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said the number of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea surged to 124 this week, double the usual average of 60 vessels in the past two months.
VETERAN CAVITE SOLON BARZAGA PASSES AWAY
Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr.
By Ratziel San Juan
PISTON SETS 3-DAY TRANSPORT STRIKE By Ratziel San Juan
WHERE A FISHPOND USED TO BE. A fishpond owner walks on his dried up pond in Laur, Nueva Ecija on Saturday, April 27, 2024, amid the El Niño phenomenon. The scorching heat has resulted in a staggering P4.39 billion in damage to the country’s agricultural sector. Danny Pata twitter.com/ @mnlstandardph
TRANSPORT group PISTON on Saturday announced a three-day transportation strike from April 29 to May 1 in protest of the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program. Members of labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and party-list Bayan Muna are set to join the transport strike in solidarity until it culminates through Labor Day demonstrations on May 1. This as President Marcos earlier this month said there would be no further extension of the program’s April 30 deadline for franchise consolidation. PISTON deputy secretary-general Ruben Baylon said although jeepneys that
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fail to consolidate will be apprehended beginning May 1, they will continue plying their routes. “It is the right of Filipino citizens to serve their country. That is why even if the deadline lapses, drivers and operators will keep hitting the roads,” Baylon said in Filipino. The strike’s convergence areas in Metro Manila will include Agoncillo, Alabang, Anonas, Baclaran, Katipunan, Litex, Monumento, Novaliches, Philcoa, Sucat, and Taft. The first jeepneys rolled onto the streets of the country just after World War II – noisy, smoke-belching vehicles initially made from leftover US Jeeps that became a national symbol.
CAVITE Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. passed away at the age of 74 on Saturday (Philippine time) in California in the United States, his family confirmed. He is survived by his wife, Dasmariñas City Mayor Jenny AustriaBarzaga, as well as his sons Kiko, Third, and Enzo. “Throughout his life, Cong. Pidi dedicated himself to serving the people of the Province of Cavite and the City of Dasmariñas with unwavering commitment and passion,” Austria-Barzaga posted on Facebook. “His dedication to education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation transformed lives and shaped the future of his constituents. He will be remembered for his compassion and relentless pursuit of justice,” she added.
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