DEFENSE SECRETARY Delfin N. Lorenzana said on Monday, July 3, the Philippines will likely “protest” China’s reported militarization of the disputed South China Sea, following an update by a US think tank on Chinese military facilities there.

In a report dated June 29, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said China has built new missile shelters and communications facilities on Fiery Cross (or Kagitingan, as named by the Philippines), Mischief (Panganiban), and Subi (Zamora) Reefs in the Spratly Islands, about 230 miles southwest of the country’s archipelago province of Palawan.

“Kailangan mag-protest tayo diyan (We should protest that),” Mr. Lorenzana said when interviewed by reporters. “’Di natin pabayaan ’yan (We won’t leave that be).”

“Pinag-aaralan pa namin kung meron ba talagang dagdag, kasi yung nakita kong picture doon ngayon na pinapakita ng CSIS, halos wala akong makitang pagbabago (We are still studying if there are really additional defense structures, because based on the pictures that CSIS showed, I don’t see any changes from the previous satellite images),” Mr. Lorenzana also said, adding that this would be discussed at the Cabinet meeting that Monday.

Last March, CSIS said Chinese structures on Spratlys believed to be for military purpose are near completion, adding that Beijing can now deploy defense assets, including warplanes and missile launchers “at any time.”

But the think tank also noted, “While the region is engaged in peaceful discussion, China remains committed to developing its power projection capabilities.”

In a related development that day, the leaders of China and the United States spoke in a scheduled call hours after relations came under renewed pressure as an American warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea.

Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald J. Trump discussed efforts to denuclearize North Korea and improve US-Chinese trade relations, though the ship’s passage was not mentioned in a White House readout of the conversation.

Relations between the two nations had been warmer since Messrs. Xi and Trump met in April, but Washington has taken a series of actions that have infuriated Beijing in recent days.

‘SERIOUS PROVOCATION’
The latest move to anger China came on Sunday, when the USS Stethem destroyer sailed less than 12 nautical miles from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which is claimed by China as well as Taiwan and Vietnam, a US official told AFP.

The distance is commonly accepted as constituting the territorial waters of a landmass. Such operations are meant to demonstrate freedom of navigation in disputed waters.

The move prompted China to deploy military vessels and fighter jets, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement late Sunday, calling the US operation a “serious political and military provocation.”

The spokesman called on Washington to “immediately stop” operations that violate Chinese sovereignty and threaten the country’s security.

It was the second operation of its kind carried out by the United States since Mr. Trump took office.

Last week, China lashed out at Washington after Mr. Trump authorized a $1.3-billion arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a rebel province, and the US Treasury department imposed sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash.

Washington also vexed Beijing by voicing concern about freedom in semi-autonomous Hong Kong and placing China on a list of the world’s worst human trafficking offenders.

Hours after the naval operation, Mr. Trump held separate phone calls with Mr. Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe focused on the regional tensions over North Korea’s nuclear program.

In his call with Mr. Xi, “President Trump raised the growing threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs,” the White House said.

“Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula,” it said.

While there was no mention of the warship in the White House statement, it said the two leaders discussed “a range of other regional and bilateral issues of mutual interest” and indicated the two would meet at the Group of 20 summit in Germany this week.

The recent tensions marked a sharp reversal in tone from April, when Mr. Xi traveled to Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for a first face-to-face meeting that Mr. Trump later said had helped build an “outstanding” relationship.

The latest US “freedom of navigation” exercise came as Beijing continues muscular efforts to cement its claim to nearly all of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Taiwan and Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

On May 25, the USS Dewey guided-missile destroyer sailed less than 12 nautical miles from Mischief Reef — part of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, south of the Paracel Islands. — AFP, Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral

By Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral
Reporter

DEFENSE SECRETARY Delfin N. Lorenzana on Monday said he is “confident” the Supreme Court (SC) will dismiss all petitions questioning the validity of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s May 23 proclamation of martial law in Mindanao.

In a press briefing on Monday, July 3, Mr. Lorenzana expressed optimism the SC will favor Mr. Duterte’s imposition of martial law, saying security officials were able to “sufficiently” brief the Justices on the factual basis of the declaration.

“I believe we have sufficiently or competently answered all the questions on the basis of martial law,” Mr. Lorenzana said.

“Tomorrow is the day it will promulgate the ruling and I look forward to seeing that they will say it is legal for the President to declare martial law in the first place,” he added.

The Constitution mandates the Justices to release their decision within 30 days since the first filing of petitions challenging the declaration, as confirmed by SC Spokesperson Theodore O. Te.

“The Constitution gives a period of 30 days from first filing,” Mr. Te said in a mobile phone message.

The first petition was filed by legislators led by Albay Representative Edcel C. Lagman on June 5. The SC will have a full-court session today, July 4.

The 1987 Constitution has set safeguards on martial law by limiting its enforcement to 60 days and allowing the High Court and Congress to review the proclamation.

This is to prevent a repeat of the abuses under dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, who detained his critics during his martial rule and used this to stay in power for another 14 years. Mr. Marcos was overthrown in 1986 by a People Power revolution led, among others, by the PDP-Laban, Mr. Duterte’s own party.

Mr. Duterte has warned he would ignore a decision by the SC against his proclamation, and threatened to jail critics of martial law.

According to Mr. Lorenzana, security officials will wait for a “couple of weeks more” to determine whether martial law must be lifted. “We don’t have yet the necessary information to recommend the continuation or not of martial law,” he said.

The 60-day period of Mr. Duterte’s Proclamation 216 will have ended on July 23, the eve of his second State of the Nation Address.

Clashes between government forces and the pro-Islamic State (IS) Maute militants broke out in Marawi on May 23 — triggering one of the biggest internal security crises in the Philippines in years.

Mr. Duterte declared martial law and enforced warrantless arrests over Mindanao on the first day of the battle to foil what he said was Maute’s plan to establish a caliphate for IS in Marawi.

Yet the battle, despite being under a regime of martial law, has dragged on for six weeks. Proclamation 216 is only effective for two more weeks.

Amid the continued fighting, pursuing government forces have so far made 66 martial law related arrests, Mr. Lorenzana said. Meanwhile, as of July 2, 336 terrorists have been killed by troops while government casualties have risen to 84 and civilian deaths to 39.

Mr. Lorenzana also confirmed that Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, who joined the Maute bandits in the Marawi siege, is still hiding in a mosque inside the city based on “latest information.”

“There were three fighters from Marawi that arrived in Basilan more than a week ago but Isnilon is not one of them. We believe he’s still in Marawi,” he said, in contrast to reports last week suggested that Hapilon had escaped. — with Kristine Joy V. Patag

Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana gestures during a press conference at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters in Manila on March 9, 2017. — AFP

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte has signed Administrative Order (AO) no. 3 creating an interagency task force for the revival of the besieged Marawi City.

Signed by Mr. Duterte on June 28, the AO directs the formation of task force “Bangon Marawi” that will be headed by Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana as chairperson and Public Works and Highway Secretary Mark A. Villar as vice-chairperson.

The AO spells out the functions of the newly-formed body, which include the deployment of a quick response team as well as the assessment of “post-conflict needs” of civilians affected.

The AO also commands the members of the body to organize themselves into sub-committees that will focus on reconstruction, housing, health and social welfare, business and livelihood, and peace and order.

Moreover, the task force is mandated to facilitate and oversee the construction of temporary shelters for displaced civilians and coordinate the “immediate” restoration of public utilities.

“The chairperson is hereby directed to consult with Muslim leaders in the rehabilitation of predominantly Muslim localities,” the document read in part.

“The resources needed for the implementation of this Order shall be sourced from available funds of the member agencies of the Task Force and such other appropriate funding sources as the Department of Budget and Management may identify,” it added.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte last month promised to increase the allotted fund for the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi city, which is now at P20 billion from the initial appropriation of P10 billion.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) earlier said it plans to rehabilitate Marawi “as fast as it can,” although it has yet to determine when it can begin the rehabilitation and estimate the damage from the warfare.

“We are now preparing the mechanism to go into rehabilitation and recovery as soon as the fighting stops in Marawi,” Mr. Lorenzana said in a press briefing on Monday.

“We already have one engineering brigade, Army brigade, always on standby who will go there immediately once the fighting stops to start rebuilding the infrastructure of the city… and rebuilding of houses, buildings of the government,” he added.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has so far released a total of P662.5 million for the government’s response operation for civilians affected by the ongoing battle in Marawi.

In her press briefing at Malacañang in June, Social Welfare Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo disclosed that the said fund allotted by the DBM to her department as of June 6 will be used to buy food and non-food items for the evacuees.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lorenzana said the US has pledged to help restore Marawi, adding that Mr. Duterte and US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Y. Kim will discuss Washington’s aid in a meeting at Malacañang on Monday.

“We do not know if they (US) are going to help in kind or in funds or whatever,” the Defense chief said. — Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral

A displaced woman using an American flag as a scarf lines up to receive food from the government in Baloi, Lanao del Norte. — REUTERS

By Kristine Joy V. Patag
Reporter

REFORMS AT the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) were among the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) achievements on the first year of his watch, Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre said. Yet he also acknowledged that the illegal drug trade has made a comeback at the national penitentiary, even affecting the very police force tasked to end the illicit enterprise.

Interviewed by the media after a Thanksgiving Mass at the DoJ yesterday, Mr. Aguirre said: “When we changed the BuCor personnel with [Philippine National Police-Special Action Forces (PNP-SAF)] personnel on July 20, days after we assumed office, the SAF destroyed the syndicate there responsible for distributing illegal drugs.”

Mr. Aguirre earlier claimed that 70-75% of illegal drugs throughout the Philippines came from the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

But he admitted that despite last year’s success, there has been a “resurgence” of the illegal drug trade at the NBP. “I have received reports that there were some reactivation. We are doing something about this. We are going to end this resurgence, some sort of resurgence by some inmates,” he added.

The Justice chief is among the first appointees of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, who was catapulted to the presidency on his platform of eradicating illegal drugs, criminality and corruption.

Among the leading targets of Mr. Duterte’ss avowed crusade is Mr. Aguirre’s predecessor in the DoJ, Senator Leila M. de Lima — who is currently detained at the PNP headquarters and is facing three counts of what her supporters describe as trumped-up illegal drug trading charges. Ms. De Lima’s case is pending before the Muntinlupa Trial Court.

Ms. De Lima on Monday challenged her former colleagues at the DoJ to “salvage” the department that she formerly led from “gross mismanagement and further embarrassment.”

She said in a statement that some of the department’s executives and employees “were forced to do jobs with questionable motives and comply with unreasonable orders.”

“I hope that my former colleagues and coworkers, whom I will continue to pray and look out for, can endure these dark times and remain above the dirty fray. The people at the top cannot define you and your institution if the vast majority do not follow the bad examples being set,” Ms. De Lima said.

SAF ‘TAINTED’
Mr. Aguirre for his part said members of the SAF may have been “tainted” due to its prolonged deployment in the NBP and the large amount of money involved in the trade.

“Because of their familiarity, they have stayed there for more than six months. Our original plan was for them to be in the area for only three months,” Mr. Aguirre said, adding, “Because of the huge amount of money involved, they may have been tainted.”

The elite members of the police force were supposed to guard the NBP for three to six months, Mr. Aguirre said. But he noted that the rotation did not push through since members of the Philippine Marines, who were supposed to take over, were deployed to augment the military forces in war-torn Mindanao.

“We have successfully curbed 75% of the illegal drug trade. If ever, the resurgence is about five to 10% only and we are going to clip it again,” Mr. Aguirre said, adding that BuCor Director General Benjamin C. delos Santos has proposed measures to stop the trade.

Mr. Delos Santos, for his part, said in a text message to reporters that the BuCor had “random raids and [were] able to seize sachets of users surreptitiously entered [in the NBP].”

The BuCor chief, however, said he has “no information” on Mr. Aguirre’s source regarding his estimate on the resurgence in the drug trade at Bilibid. — with Jil Danielle M. Caro

Members of the CIDG at the Bureau of Corrections following an altercation late last year that led to the death of convicted drug lord Anthony Co. — EDD GUMBAN/THE PHILIPPINE STAR

GASOLINE, DIESEL and kerosene prices are increasing this week, starting the month of July with a reversal of June’s general decline in pump prices. After four straight weeks of decrease, prices are up effective 6 a.m. today, July 4, with diesel higher by P0.70 per liter (/L), gasoline by P0.30/L, and kerosene by P0.55/L. During the weekend, on the other hand, retailers of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) advised of a decrease in the price of the regular 11-kilogram cylinder. Petron Corp. cut the price of its Gasul and Fiesta Gas brands by P1.65 per kilogram, or a savings of P18.15 per cylinder. The price of its Xtend autoLPG also dropped by P0.92 per liter. Eastern Petroleum Corp. also slashed the price of its EC Gas LPG by P1.65 per kilogram. It imposed the price cut on Saturday, July 1. “These reflect movements in the international contract prices of LPG for the month of July,” Petron said. — Victor V. Saulon

JAPANESE INVESTORS are interested in developing an eco- and agri-tourism project at the Lanao Lake in Daanbantayan, Cebu, according to Mayor Vicente A. Loot. “They are interested in the development of the 16-hectare Lanao Lake into an eco- and agri-tourism destination. They’re sold out to our idea of desilting the lake and constructing a theme park and water sports at the center of the lake as we have proposed,” Mr. Loot said. The lake project is one of several proposals pitched by the local government to the Japanese investors during a recent visit. The mayor said the other items in their investment portfolio include a roll on-roll off port, breakwater and economic zone at the Poblacion, Malapascua Tourism Center, and adventure and water sports facilities in Logon. “They are also interested in the construction of breakwater and boardwalk at the back of the municipal hall traversing the old fish port towards Malocbaloc area. Then they will reclaim the eight-hectare area,” Mr. Loot said, adding that the group from Japan are scheduled for another visit to discuss details of the projects. “My vision and thrust now is focused in exploring the tourism potentials of Daanbantayan,” he said, noting that in the first six months of this year, the local government earned P5 million in dive fees alone, the same amount earned for the full year 2015. Malapascua is a popular dive site for its thresher sharks and manta rays. — The Freeman

THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the brutal murder of a family in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II, through Department Order No. 446, directed NBI Director Dante A. Gierran to conduct an “investigation and case build-up [on] the rape and killing” of Estrella Carlos and her mother Aurora Dizon, and the killing of Ms. Carlos’ three children last June 27. The victims, found dead in their home at Ridge Royal Subdivision, sustained multiple stab wounds, while the two mothers were also discovered to have been raped. The police is already in custody of construction worker Carmelino Ibañez, who admitted to committing the crime while under the influence of methampethamine, locally known as shabu. However, the drug test conducted on Mr. Ibañez turned out negative. In an ambush interview yesterday, Mr. Aguirre said that he “did not want to do it (order probe), but some people wanted the NBI to take a second look at the findings. — Kristine Joy V. Patag

THE REGIONAL Development Council has approved the construction of the Eastern Visayas Yolanda Memorial and Learning Center to serve as an educational venue and reminder of the super typhoon’s devastation, and of disaster mitigation and climate change adaptation. The project, proposed by the Tacloban City government, the Departments of Tourism, and of Science and Technology, would cost an estimated P602 million, including the operation and maintenance expenses during the first year of full operations. The project’s one-hectare site — at Barangay Suhi in Tacloban, where at least 8,000 Yolanda survivors are relocated — will have three buildings, a museum and knowledge center and a research laboratory. — The Freeman

MARKING HIS own first year in office, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director-General Ronald M. dela Rosa reaffirmed his vow to get rid of corrupt cops, citing that he had so far sacked 160 and plans to kick out 84 more due to alleged involvement in drugs and corruption. “I will never stop. I will be uncompromising. I will be unforgiving and I have no mercy for those corrupt and scalawag police,” Mr. Dela Rosa said in his speech before the police force on Monday. Last November, however, his boss, President Rodrigo R. Duterte made his own reaffirmation that he would protect the police and military. Mr. Duterte was speaking in a press conference within the context of the Espinosa-Yap killings of Nov. 5, 2016 for which 19 police officers have been originally charged with murder, and later downgraded to homicide. “But as I have said before, right at the start… I will protect and I will support the police in this drive against shabu (methamphetamine),” Mr. Duterte then said. Mr. Dela Rosa, for his part, said, “I will sign all [dismissal papers]. I don’t care. If you did wrong, I will really dismiss you.” — Jil Danielle M. Caro

AGRICULTURE SECRETARY Emmanuel F. Piñol has defended President Rodrigo R. Duterte from Albay Representative Edcel C. Lagman’s negative assessment of the administration’s first year. “I was deeply bothered and hurt by the statement issued by Albay Congressman Edcel Lagman, in assessing the first year performance of the Duterte Administration, that President Duterte has done nothing good for the country,” Mr. Piñol said in a Facebook post. “The statement of Congressman Lagman was not only an affront on the President but also a total and cruel disregard of the efforts of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to help his constituents,” he added, noting that the lawmaker had even joined in one of DA’s field visits for the distribution of various interventions to farmers. Mr. Lagman has been a staunch critic of the administration, especially on the alleged extrajudicial killings resulting from the government’s war against drugs. — Janina C. Lim