PDu30: ‘We cannot afford fighting with China’
MANILA, Philippines- Naninindigan si Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte na huwag isuko ang sovereign rights nito sa West Philippine Sea. Subalit binigyang-diin ng Pangulo na malabong sumiklab ang giyera sa pagitan ng Pilipinas at China dahil lamang sa nasabing usapin. Sa isinagawang commissioning ng BRP Melchora Aquino (MRV 9702 ) ng Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ay […] The post PDu30: ‘We cannot afford fighting with China’ appeared first on REMATE ONLINE......»»
Japan policy paper to focus on US, Philippines to counter China
Tokyo [Japan], March 23 (ANI): Japan released a draft of its annual foreign policy report stating that it will pay attention to the importance of boosting collaboration with the United States and the Philippines to counter China's assertive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region, Kyodo news reported on Thursday. The Diplomatic Bluebook for 2024 will also underscore that Tokyo "cannot afford to waste even a moment" to solve.....»»
President Marcos upset but won’t seek China envoy’s recall
While he may be personally “upset” by what has been described as the “hostile” behavior of Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian, President Marcos said he won’t seek the recall of the envoy because the Philippines cannot afford to commit mistakes that may cause “huge trouble.”.....»»
Teodoro gets CA nod
The Commission on Appointments on Wednesday approved the ad interim appointment of Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. as secretary of the Department of National Defense. Prior to his confirmation, the 12-member House contingent of the powerful CA spared Teodoro from questioning as a “courtesy” to the Defense chief who previously worked as Tarlac's 1st district representative. “The 12-member House of Representatives contingent will no longer ask questions regarding the nominee being a former member of Congress for three consecutive terms in the 11th, 12th, and 13th Congress,” said Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. LRay Villafuerte, the majority leader of the CA. Villafuerte added that the House contingent “has no doubt regarding the fitness and integrity of the nominee”. He appealed to their counterpart, the Senate to accord the same courtesy to Teodoro. From the 12-member Senate contingent, only Senator Risa Hontiveros asked questions to Teodoro. Hontiveros questioned Teodoro about his plans for the DND, now under his watch for the second time. He held the same position under the administration of then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the age of 43, the youngest ever appointee to the agency. Responding to the lawmaker’s query, Teodoro admitted that there has been a “shift in the evolution” from his first stint in the DND. He noted that he is now focusing on “straddling the balance between maintaining internal security and with an emphasis definitely given what is happening to the outside environment.” “We are strengthening our defense posture. We are gradually enhancing the capabilities of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines),” he said. The Defense chief said he is also working on “leveraging” the country’s alliance with other nations to strengthen the country’s capability to protect itself from external threats. By doing so, he noted that he would try to introduce “management solutions to managerial problems, and not military solutions to managerial problems.” “That is the transformation that we are trying to make. We are also deeply restrategizing what we intend to do at least in the next five years in order not only to make the defense department more responsive to the outside and internal environments but also to make more efficient our use of resources, and to use information technology to the highest extent possible,” he added. Teodoro also underscored the importance of strengthening the country’s capability to respond to external strength and not just rely on diplomacy. “[T]he intensity of the need to focus on protecting our sovereignty, our sovereign rights, in the exclusive economic zone and other jurisdictions of the country become more paramount now, as the whole world is in a raise for resources,” he said. “We could not afford to be laidback here. We should be cognizant of it because we can and principally use diplomacy, however, if diplomacy is not backed up by a strong spinal cord, then we will just be stymied by a greater force,” he added. He made the remarks amid the increasing tension between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea. China claims the vast South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. On 12 July 2016, the Philippines won its arbitral case against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration – a landmark decision that China continues to reject. Teodoro said the Defense Department wishes the concentrate on not only guarding the islands of the archipelago and its internal waters but also on securing “peaceful, unimpeded, and unobstructed exploitation, and exploration of our sovereign rights over the 200 nautical mile EEZ of the republic and in all areas of the Philippines, to secure our baselines.” Last June, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced Teodoro’s appointment as the new DND secretary, replacing Carlito Galvez Jr. who led the agency for five months. Aside from Teodoro, the CA also approved the promotion of 11 generals and senior officers of the AFP. Jose Jesus Luntok, Ramon Flores, Dennis Pacis, Nasser Lidasan, Benedict Balaba, Steve Crespillo, Arvin Lagamon, Ivan Papera, Lloyd Cabacuñgan, and Fernando Ventura secured CA’s approval for their rank of Brigadier General. Peter Jempsun de Guzman’s rank of Commodore was also approved. The post Teodoro gets CA nod appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Duterte: No ‘sensitive issues’ tackled in Xi Jingping meet
There were no talks on sensitive issues between Chinese President Xi Jinping and former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during his trip to China last 17 July. “I went there for a private visit. The invitation to meet President Xi Jinping was limited to government people… Nothing spectacular in the sense that—President Xi Jinping defined our discussions solely on our friendship and our wishes for our countries’ benefit, (it’s) mutual,” Duterte said during the recent episode of his program 'Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa’ over the SMNI News Channel earlier this week. “I was waiting for the opening of more or less sensitive issues but hindi nangyari ‘yun (It did not happen),” he added. Duterte also disclosed that his meeting with Xi lasted for about 1 hour and 40 minutes. “We are discussing just about anything under the sun, except our territorial dispute with them and sometimes there’s what you called — hindi naman (not like) provocative but it will be harder than in the past conflicts in that area where the vessels are colliding. So we stop there,” he said. Duterte said his last statement was telling Xi Jinping that the "Philippines is not one of the parties in the large conflict between China and the United States." “While we are allied with the US, it does not go beyond the state wars on other countries. As a former President, I will not allow my country to be embroiled in a war that is not our own making and of which we have no national interest (that) protects our own,” he said. Duterte added he only wished that both the Philippines and China would continue their “good relations.” “So that we can have trade relations, expand on it and perhaps talk things that could benefit our two countries in terms of infrastructure and mutual understanding of peaceful dimensions of our relationship.” The former president said the meat of his conversation with Xi was to emphasize that the Philippines can’t go to war with any state. “We cannot afford it because simply we’re just a little — a minor player in the Southeast Asian group of countries. I told him that we would just want to exist peacefully, develop maybe the higher phase to catch up to the rest of the world and have good relations with everybody,” he said. Duterte, accompanied by former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, met with Xi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. He also visited a college building named after his mother, Soledad Roa Duterte, in Fujian, China. The post Duterte: No ‘sensitive issues’ tackled in Xi Jingping meet appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pinoys torn between U.S., China in conflict
In an armed conflict between China and the United States, Filipinos would equally support and reject a government position of taking sides, based on the latest Pulse Asia survey commissioned by former presidential spokesman Harry Roque. An “Ulat ng Bayan” survey revealed that 45 percent of respondents said the Philippines should choose sides in the event of a war between the two superpowers. Another 45 percent believed that the country should not. Conducted from 19 to 23 June, the Pulse Asia survey had 1,200 respondents. In terms of geographical areas and socio-economic classes, the Visayas region (62 percent) and Class ABC (54 percent) registered the highest affirmative response. On the other hand, most respondents from Luzon (54 percent) and Class D (47 percent) answered in the negative. “Despite the strong pro-American sentiment in the Philippines, the survey results indicate that Filipinos are torn between China and the US in the context of an Indo-Pacific conflict because it would be catastrophic to our country,” Roque said. “Our economy has yet to fully recover from the inflationary effect of the Russia-Ukraine war, several miles away from the Philippines. We cannot afford to be embroiled in a war that is so close to our shores,” he said. Meanwhile, 78 percent of the respondents agreed with the constitutional provision of renouncing war and adhering to peace and freedom with all nations as a matter of national policy. The former party-list representative said it was the dominant opinion among the respondents regardless of geography and socio-economic status. Article 2, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution states: “The Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy, adopts accepted principles in international law as part of the law of the land and adheres to the policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with all nations.” Roque said, “The country must never fall into a proxy war trap perpetrated by any war-mongering hegemon. Likewise, our government should never permit a foreign state to use our territory, either through a military agreement or an unholy alliance, in attacking another county.” “Even as a third-party participant in a war, the Philippines stands to risk the lives and well-being of countless Filipinos. It is also counterproductive to our socio-economic gains in recent years, including our march towards an upper middle-income nation status.” Roque noted that the Philippines is a peace-loving nation that should continue advancing regional peace and stability in accordance with international law. Under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA, the Philippines currently hosts nine agreed locations aimed at strengthening the joint interoperability of the American and Filipino armed forces in the Indo-Pacific region. China has said America’s increased military deployment in the EDCA sites would jeopardize regional peace, security, and stability. The post Pinoys torn between U.S., China in conflict appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Hurry up
Looking back to the first year of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration leads us to believe that he has pivoted out of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s tight embrace of China and rebuilt friendships with old allies, particularly the US and Europe. In his official trips abroad to meet with leaders of other Association of Southeast Asian Nations, he never failed to be emphatic about the need to comply with international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Explicit appeals had also been made to European nations to support the enforcement of UNCLOS and the historic decision of the Arbitral Tribunal in the South China Arbitration (Philippines v. People’s Republic of China) of 12 July 2016 that unanimously favored our beloved Philippines in its dispute against Chinese claims on Philippine territorial waters. In rebuilding ties with the US, four more US bases were added to the existing five sites under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA that was signed to bolster the Visiting Forces Agreement between the two countries. While we leave the wisdom of more EDCA sites to the security sector, which should prioritize the national interest above anything else, there is another equally important sector confronted by challenges. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration raised the El Niño alert, saying it may declare the start of the phenomenon this week as it expects it in the next two months with a probability of 70 percent. Defined as a climate phenomenon characterized by the abnormal warming of the surface waters of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, El Niño could have significant effects on global weather patterns, including on agriculture. Given that farmers, policymakers, and agricultural communities must monitor weather forecasts and adapt their practices to mitigate potential impacts, the President continues to take the lead in handling agriculture — a stand that has been met with askance by many, even among those in the government. Eyebrows were raised at the seeming inability to effectively address what bedeviled agriculture in the past year, including the ginormous prices of essential commodities like sugar, eggs, and onions, which at one point rocketed to as high as P700 a kilo. Behind the critical headaches in the agri sector are the already suffering Filipinos whose pockets are badly frayed by inflation rates, and farmers losing their only source of livelihood. A lingering controversy is the government’s addressing of the soaring rise in sugar prices through importation. In 2022, Sugar Order No. 4 was issued by the Sugar Regulatory Administration, giving the nod to import 300,000 metric tons of sugar. Who would forget that the denial resulted in the firing of SRA and DA officials, along with then-Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez? Likewise puzzling is the recent selection of just three entities to import 440,000 metric tons of sugar. It remains unclear who handpicked sugar traders All Asian Countertrade, Sucden Philippines Inc., and Edison Lee Marketing Corporation. Either way, it doesn’t look good and bears clarification. Everyone, including many of the President’s supporters, is clueless as to why, despite the myriad issues and problems that he has to attend to in all other sectors, a full-time secretary is yet to be appointed — someone who could give the department and the sector his/her full-time attention. Faced with the imminent threats of El Nîno, time is of the essence. Lowly Filipinos cannot afford to wait unprepared for the dry spell with shifts in rainfall patterns. Whatever it takes, it is crucial to act quickly, efficiently, and without delay. In the words of Albert Einstein, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” To solve agricultural problems, we need to think beyond the existing mindset or approach that might have contributed to those problems in the first place. The post Hurry up appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
EU moves closer to launching digital euro
The European Union (EU) on Wednesday took its first significant step towards launching a digital version of the euro, a controversial project that has been questioned by politicians and banks. From China to the United States, Jamaica to Japan, more than 100 central banks worldwide are exploring or preparing to put in place digital currencies as electronic payments grow, changing the way people spend their money. The move to create a digital version of the single currency began in 2020 when European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde suggested the idea and her Frankfurt-based body launched a public consultation. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, published a proposal on Wednesday that will be the legal foundation on which the ECB could launch a digital euro. The currency would be available to individuals living in the euro area and for visitors. It would offer an additional payment option for citizens to use online and offline with their digital wallets, thus ensuring as much anonymity as coins and banknotes. The final law must be backed by the EU's 27 member states and the European Parliament. Digital euro enthusiasts say it will complement cash and ensure the ECB does not leave a gap later filled by private -- usually non-EU -- players and other central banks. "Given that the euro is already the world's second most-traded currency, it is not an area where can afford to stay behind the curve. We need to move ahead with a digital currency," commission vice president Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters. Critics question the need for a digital euro and banks warn of major risks, while the ECB's own study found the public was concerned over payment privacy. The ECB and the commission "have yet to make a compelling case of why we need the digital euro and what added value it will deliver," German MEP Markus Ferber said. Benefits 'outweigh' costs The commission's proposal argued that the digital euro's "long-term benefits... outweigh its costs" and warned, "the costs of no action can potentially be very large". Lagarde said in March that the digital currency was important for resilience and to "safeguard European payment autonomy". Many means of payment are "not necessarily European", she noted, adding it was "very unhealthy to rely on one single source of payment". US giants Visa and Mastercard currently dominate the global card payment market. Others argue, however, that the bloc's plans spell trouble unless the EU takes necessary other steps. Banks have warned of the risk of bank runs as customers could hold their funds in digital euro accounts and wallets, moving them away from the banks' balance sheets. "To shield banks from the risk of deposit flight and to limit the negative impact on banks' ability to finance the economy, it is important to set appropriate and firm limits in holdings and transactions," the European Banking Federation said on Wednesday. The proposal indicates there will be a limit to how much money people can keep in digital euros. ECB officials have suggested a cap of 3,000 euros ($3,300). The digital currency will be granted "legal tender" status, meaning it must be accepted as payment. But there would be exceptions, including for small businesses that do not accept any form of digital payment. The ECB is set to give the formal green light to a digital euro in October and the expectation is it would be available from 2027 onwards. The ECB welcomed the commission's proposal, which it said offered "private intermediaries appropriate economic incentives to distribute the digital euro as they do other digital means of payment while preventing excessive fees for merchants". Privacy concerns The ECB has a difficult battle to win over Europeans. A public consultation showed that the number one priority when it comes to the digital euro is privacy. To calm people's fears, the ECB has stressed it would not attempt to control how people can spend digital currency or use it for surveillance, as critics claim is the case in China. "This is not a Big Brother project for online payments," the EU's financial services commissioner, Mairead McGuinness, said during a press conference in Brussels. "With the digital euro, the data privacy will be the same as for existing private digital means of payment. For offline payments, the data privacy will be even higher." The commission's proposal said the digital euro "will be designed so as to minimize the processing of personal data by payment services providers" and the ECB. The post EU moves closer to launching digital euro appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Jeepney phaseout haphazard planning
In January 2018, during the Duterte period, the Department of Transportation tried to fast-track the jeepney phaseout plan, the so-called Transport Modernization Program or TMP, imposing deadlines to complete the phaseout by 2020. By November 2019, DOTr realized it was dreaming, and it finally dropped the plan. You cannot implement such a massive plan in so short a time. Not only was the time frame short, the plan was haphazardly done, with a lot of gaps. Either there was pressure from Malacañang or the DoTr was simply too gung-ho about it. At the time, there were about 300,000 jeepneys nationwide, on which a staggering 1.5 million, at an average of five persons per family, were dependent for their sustenance. Dislocating and rehabilitating such a huge number of drivers for new jobs would have been next to impossible, considering our high unemployment rate. This would have led to a social crisis inviting anarchy and unrest. We are not even talking about thousands of jeepney operators and dozens of affected downstream industries, such as jeepney manufacturers. The first to scream against the obsolescence of the jeepney and the pasaway (undisciplined) jeepney drivers were those who would benefit from the phaseout, namely, the oligarchs and powerful politicians who, in partnership, would take over the mass transport industry. Right now, they are drooling over the perceived windfall. They are planning secretly and organizing lobbies to influence PBBM and the government to implement mass transport modernization with their vested interests in mind. The pressure on PBBM will be so great and they will offer him a piece of the pie. The more he resists, the bigger the slice. The government will be forced to bear the brunt of mass transport modernization, allotting billions, so that the oligarchs and bureaucrats will spend less. Duterte’s TMP planned to replace current polluting jeepney engines with environment-friendly Euro-4 engines used in Europe. Back in 2019, one Euro-4 engine cost a staggering P1.6 million, beyond the reach of most operators. They would have drowned in debt or abandoned their businesses. Only the oligarchs-bureaucrats could afford this and so they would take over. Converting 300,000 jeepneys to Euro-4 would cost a dizzying P447 billion at 2019 prices. (Source: UPLB scientists interviewed). The Euro-4 is good for rich countries, not for poor countries with little capital. Its evolution was so rapid that Euro-1 to Euro-3 became ridiculously obsolete in so short a time. The Euro-4 is probably already obsolete today. The massive undertaking to convert 300,000 jeepneys may take 10 years, but only if the government borrows millions for the thousands of conversions nationwide. Also, imports may be available only in trickles, not considering that the Euro-4 is discontinued or rendered obsolete by newer versions. Let us assume the Euro series is replaced by better, cheaper technologies from China or even locally appropriate technologies. Present operators may need to get big loans. Only the oligarchs-bureaucrats will be ready to take over the mass transport system quickly. The fares of the modernized jeepneys and new hybrid mini-buses may easily reach four to six times the present rates. Commuters ultimately will bear the brunt of modernization. This does not even consider higher gas prices. Marginal commuters will be the ultimate victims. PBBM is in a dilemma. We are not ready for the massive changes and massive dislocations facing our mass transport system. We should have planned these expansions 10 to 20 years ago. PBBM will have to respond to the violent transport strikes brewing not with truncheons but with workable solutions that will address actual needs. He has very little time. PR and propaganda alone cannot contain the storm. The situation is not that hopeless, however. First, we must avoid quick-fix solutions in panic and come up with long-term solutions. Second, solutions should include funds to support our local inventors and manufacturers to avoid dependence on foreign technologies. Third, we must undertake intense research on alternatives to import-oriented modernizations. Removing the omnipresent jeepney completely is impossible for now. We can perhaps partly remove and partly improve the jeepney gradually. We can start by giving loans to operators to gradually replace their aging jeepneys. The key is to go slow. The age of cheap electric jeepneys may just be around the corner. We can perhaps ask Elon Musk or China to fund cheap e-jeepney engine factories here. Import the factories rather than the finished goods. We can retain local jeepney hybrid designs. That would be the perfect solution. eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com The post Jeepney phaseout haphazard planning appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PH can ill-afford escalation: DFA amid tensions over Taiwan
MANILA -Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the Philippines and Southeast Asian nations cannot afford escalation in the region as tensions simmer between the United States and China over the recent trip of Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.In a meeting with visiting US Secretary of St.....»»
PH can ill-afford escalation: DFA amid tensions over Taiwan
MANILA -Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the Philippines and Southeast Asian nations cannot afford escalation in the region as tensions simmer between the United States and China over the recent trip of Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.In a meeting with visiting US Secretary of St.....»»
PDu30: ‘We cannot afford fighting with China’
MANILA, Philippines- Naninindigan si Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte na huwag isuko ang sovereign rights nito sa West Philippine Sea. Subalit binigyang-diin ng Pangulo na malabong sumiklab ang giyera sa pagitan ng Pilipinas at China dahil lamang sa nasabing usapin. Sa isinagawang commissioning ng BRP Melchora Aquino (MRV 9702 ) ng Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ay […] The post PDu30: ‘We cannot afford fighting with China’ appeared first on REMATE ONLINE......»»
Duterte treads gingerly on China
President Rodrigo Duterte said he cannot afford to put up a brave front against China despite repeated incursions and provocative actions in the West Philippine Sea......»»
Biden knocks Trump as rivals barnstorm heartland in election finale
Joe Biden intensified his attacks Friday on President Donald Trump as they battled over the American Midwest, chasing every last vote with four days to go in a region that propelled the Republican to victory in 2016. RUS President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Rochester International Airport October 30, 2020 in Rochester, Minnesota. With Election Day only four days away, Trump is campaigning in Minnesota despite the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the state. In accordance with state orders, only 250 people will be able to attend the rally with Trump while thousands of others will gather outside the airport to watch on a large television screen. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP) Trump and Biden barnstormed three heartland states each — with a resurgent coronavirus passing the milestone of nine million cases as they hit the stump — highlighting their differences in a race overshadowed by the pandemic. Trump, heralded a “big day” of campaigning as he left the White House, then held a rally in Michigan before heading to Wisconsin and Minnesota, all states battling climbing numbers of virus cases. “We just want normal,” Trump told supporters — many of them unmasked — at an outdoor rally near Detroit as he pushed states to relax public health restrictions and resume daily life. He again bucked his own administration’s health experts as he downplayed the Covid-19 threat, saying “if you get it, you’re going to get better, and then you’re going to be immune.” Covid-19 has killed nearly 230,000 people in the US, which is experiencing surges in most states as the winter flu season looms. The outbreak has ravaged the economy, and while there have been signs of recovery, millions remain jobless. Biden was also stumping in Wisconsin and in Minnesota, where he sharpened his attacks on the president on everything from Trump seeking to dismantle Obama-era health care protections and keep his taxes secret to climate change and trade policy with China. “We can not afford four more years of Donald Trump,” the 77-year-old Democrat said at a socially distanced drive-in rally in St. Paul, Minnesota. “So honk your horn if you want America to lead again!” he said, embracing the awkward pandemic-era campaign trend of rallying supporters in their vehicles. “Honk your horn if you want to have civility again, and honk your horn if you want America to be united again!” Earlier in Iowa he attacker Trump over his handling of the pandemic. “Donald Trump has given up (and) waved the white flag,” Biden told a drive-in rally with more than 300 cars in Des Moines. – ‘Less divided’ – Trump flipped Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin from the Democrats to clinch his shock victory four years ago. Now polls show Biden leading in all three, albeit narrowly in Iowa. It was Biden’s first visit to Iowa since his inauspicious campaign start in February, when he placed a dismal fourth in the opening Democratic nominating contest. So can Biden win over enough voters to prevail in the Hawkeye State? “I wouldn’t put money on it,” Iowa attorney Sara Riley, 61, said at Biden’s event, although she was more confident about him clinching the White House. “I think Americans, even Trump supporters, want to get to a place where the country is less divided,” Riley said. With voters concerned about the health hazards of crowded polling stations on November 3, a record 86 million have already cast early ballots by mail or in person. Even as the US hit a grim new high in daily Covid-19 infections Thursday, Trump has stuck to his guns, downplaying the dangers and branding Democrats as rampaging “socialists” intent on shuttering the country. And while Trump has touted the economic successes of his presidency, including positive GDP figures Thursday, US stocks closed out their worst week since March, highlighting concerns about a shaky recovery. – ‘Turn Texas blue?’ – After a campaign largely muted by the pandemic, Biden is on the offensive, pushing Trump onto the back foot in unexpected battlegrounds like Texas, a large, traditionally conservative bastion now rated a toss-up by multiple analysts. On Friday the state reported that a staggering nine million residents had already voted, surpassing its entire 2016 total. Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris visited Texas Friday in a bid to turn the state Democratic for the first time since president Jimmy Carter in 1976. “We have a chance to turn Texas blue,” the 96-year-old Carter said in a fundraising email. Biden winning there would be a dagger to Trump, but the president dismissed the notion, saying: “Texas, we’re doing very well.” Trump and Biden are focusing their greatest efforts on traditional battlegrounds that will decide the election — such as Florida, where both campaigned on Thursday. On Saturday Biden returns to the Midwest bringing with him perhaps his strongest surrogate: ex-president Barack Obama, making his first joint in-person campaign appearance of the year with his former VP. Motown music legend Stevie Wonder will join them, the Biden campaign said. Trump will spend the day campaigning in the critical state of Pennsylvania, where he narrowly trails Biden in polls. Biden will follow suit there both Sunday and Monday in a clear sign that his campaign sees the Keystone State as absolutely crucial to his victory......»»
Philippines is just a mirón in US-China game
The Philippines is a minor player, actually mostly a mirón that can afford only small side bets, but it has much to gain or lose in the big-power geopolitical game raging between its friends the United States and China......»»
Opportunity to reform market economy
The crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic provides a singular opportunity to significantly reform the so-called free market economy that has been embraced by countries of different political shades and persuasions, from socialist China to capitalist America. Although it cannot be denied that the experiment with market-oriented economic policies by China has resulted in the liberation from dehumanizing poverty of hundreds of millions of people over the last 20 to 30 years, there continues to be scandalous disparity of income and wealth among those who have benefited from these reforms and those who have been left behind. The massive unemployment that has been caused by the lockdowns of economies all over the world has worsened the inequity in the distribution of income even in the most developed countries of Europe and elsewhere. The human sufferings that we are witnessing during the worst global economic crisis in 150 year should bring world leaders to finally come to their senses and listen to what Pope Francis has been saying about the limitations of the free market economy in respecting the dignity of each human person and in pursuing the common good of society. In The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis clearly states that “the dignity of each human person and the pursuit of the common good are concerns which ought to shape all economic policies. At times, however, they seem to be a mere addendum imported from without in order to fill out a political discourse lacking in perspectives or plans for true and integral development.” The Holy Father points out that growth in social justice “requires more than economic growth, while presupposing such growth.” it requires decisions, programs, mechanisms, and processes especially geared to a better distribution of income, the creation of sources of employment, and an integral promotion of the poor which goes beyond a simple welfare mentality.” In the publication “This Economy Kills,” authors Andrea Tornielli and Giacomo Galeazzi, inspired by the teachings of Pope Francis, enumerate the types of leaders who are needed for authentic human development in both developed and emerging markets. According to them, we need “men and women who look to the future, who are committed to pursue the common good and whose goal is not just the next election campaign. It requires men and women who not only look at the spread and stock market indices as indicators of the health of a country but inquire whether the younger generations have a job, a future, and hope; whether children have kindergartens and schools that can educate them by introducing them to reality; whether couples have the opportunity to buy a house; whether there are effective welfare programs available for the elderly; and whether those who still bet on the future by putting children into the world are justly taxed, rather than penalized. It requires men and women who are engaged in politics and work in institutions without corrupting themselves or letting others corrupt them, even managing perhaps to revive a minimum of esteem (which has never been so in decline) for that ‘highest form of charity’—that is, politics—in as much as it is exclusively committed to the common good and to the real lives of people, with special attention and dedication to those in difficulty, those left behind, those who are excluded and should be included.” We have in the above quote a program that should permeate the so-called new normal post-pandemic. What I have read so far about prognostications concerning the “new normal” are mostly about means, not ends. There is a lot of talk about the digital transformation that all economic sectors shall have undergone as a response to the changes in consumer lifestyle and business practices brought about by COVID-19. It asserted that digitalization will be a universal practice. Online purchases of practically all types of consumer goods and services; modes of payments; delivery of formal education and all types of skills training; banking practices; religious services; sports events; forms of entertainment; etc. These transformations, however, could occur without addressing the fundamental problem of great disparities in the distribution of income and wealth and may even exacerbate the problem of the poor if, for example, their children are further left behind because they lack the resources to participate in online learning. Although the means are also important, there should be greater emphasis in the transformation of the ends or objectives of the economic system. Our leaders should ask themselves how to make the structural changes necessary to reduce mass poverty (which has worsened during the many lockdowns made necessary by the pandemic). In more concrete terms, the economic system should be geared to providing more nutritious food to the poorest of the poor; better quality education and health care to the bottom 20 percent of the population; free health services to those who cannot afford them; socialized housing for the homeless; and well paying jobs for the unemployed and underemployed. The new normal should give the highest priority to providing the small farmers with what they need to eke out a decent living by providing them with the necessary infrastructures such as farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems, post-harvest facilities, access to credit and other farm support services that have long been denied the Filipino farmers. I have always maintained that the first cause of dehumanizing poverty in the Philippines is the long-term neglect of rural and agricultural development. It is not a coincidence that 75 percent of those who fall below the poverty line are in the rural areas. Many of them are the beneficiaries of agrarian reform who, after being provided with one or two hectares of land, were completely abandoned to their own resources. They are the landless farm workers, the “kaingeros” (slush-and-burn farmers), and the subsistence fisherfolk. Hopefully, the shortage of food during the pandemic has made it crystal clear that food security should be on top of our economic objectives. Food security now and in the future can be made possible only by a significant increase in the productivity with which we use our agricultural resources. To be continued For comments, my email address is bernardo.villegas@uap.asia.....»»
Pentagon chief reaffirms support after latest China aggression in WPS
Austin emphasized US support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in a phone call with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Wednesday. .....»»
Dela Rosa considers war with China but admits: ‘Hindi naman natin kaya’
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa is already fed up with China’s persistent harassments in the West Philippine Sea, prompting thoughts of engaging in war with Beijing. But he knows, war is not an option. “Naubos na ang sasabihin ko dapat dyan. Short of declaring war na tayo dyan against sa kanila e,.....»»
FOCAP condemns Chinese embassy’s claims on ‘manipulated’ West Philippine Sea videos
The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines strongly rejected and condemned yesterday China’s “false and baseless” claims that journalists manipulate videosthey recorded in the South China Sea to present the Philippines as a victim......»»
Roque: Xi, Duterte agreed to keep West Philippines Sea status quo
The Philippines under former president Rodrigo Duterte had a “gentleman’s agreement” with China to keep the status quo in the West Philippine Sea, a former Cabinet official said yesterday, as fresh tensions surround the WPS due to recent incursions by Beijing that targeted a Filipino resupply mission and a research team......»»
Opinion - South China Sea- Philippines must softly manage disputes or miss out economically
Manilas assertive transparency strategy is touted as a model for managing maritime disputes but it diminishes key economic opportunities. As Chinese investment pours into other Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines must reduce geopolitical risks without acquiescing to Beijing......»»