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What went wrong with the AFP’s modernization?

PHILIPPINE STAR/ MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

Why is the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) perennially ill-equipped? Why hasn’t the AFP managed to establish a credible defense posture despite clear and present threats as early as 1995?

In a recently concluded forum on maritime security, Dr. Renato de Castro of the Stratbase Institute provided valuable insights on the botched Armed Forces Modernization Program.

The first attempt to modernize the AFP was during President Fidel V. Ramos time following the withdrawal of US Military bases and subsequent illegal occupation of Mischief Reef by China in 1995. That same year, Republic Act 7898 was enacted into law. RA 7898 outlined the 15-year modernization program of the AFP with a commitment to spend P50 billion within the first five years. Six years after the law was passed, however, Congress had released only P5.7 billion. This is why the AFP remains sorely lacking in military hardware and why we stood defenseless when China expanded its illegal occupation of the West Philippine Sea back in 2012.

Republic Act 7898 bestowed upon Congress the power to determine the objectives of the AFP’s modernization program, the amounts and timing of budgetary releases. And here lay the problem. In progressive countries, military modernization programs are designed and implemented by the military itself, not by lawmakers. After all, the acquisition of military hardware is an exercise of defense planning against internal and external threats, both in peacetime and wartime. No one knows these better than the generals who have trained for it.

Giving Congress the power of approval and the power of the purse politicized the AFP’s modernization. Throughout the 2000s, Congress could not appreciate the urgency of military investments and always found “more urgent” uses of funds. Hence, the underspending on defense capacitation. They micromanaged every aspect of the modernization plan and imposed their preferences, biases, and preferred suppliers. The two Presidents of the era failed to appreciate the urgency of the matter and did little to nothing towards augmenting defense capacitation.

Republic Act 7898 specified that the Philippine Navy would get the lion’s share of the modernization fund to develop its patrol capabilities, surface warfare, and its maritime detection and surveillance capacities. The Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Coast Guard would get the next highest budget allocation. The authors of the law knew that the imminent enemy was China and the theater of engagement would be the West Philippine Sea. Yet, as the years went by, Congress still allocated the bulk of the budget to the Philippine Army.

This is why the Philippines was caught flat footed when China occupied Scarborough Shoal in 2012. Back then, the Navy only had obsolete combatants that included six corvette ships that were actually World War 2 minesweepers. The more modern BRP Gregorio del Pilar was actually a former US Coast Guard Cutter. None of the Navy’s ships were armed with anti-ship or anti-aircraft missiles. This explains why the Philippines was a sitting duck in that Scarborough Shoal standoff.

This prompted the government of President Noynoy Aquino to enact Republic Act 10349. The law was an expanded version of the AFP modernization program. Again, the needs of the Philippine Navy were given the priority.

However, Republic Act 10349 has the same flaws as Republic Act 7898 in that the allocation of financial resources was still subjected to a tedious, legalistic, and complex process with Congress having the final say. It’s also been said that the spending plan was not aligned with the capabilities that needed to be reinforced.

Ideally, the National Defense Strategy should be the basis of the modernization program. In reality, however, the funds were channeled to the General Headquarters and the different services of the AFP as their “fair share.” In other words, the appropriation of budgets was not strategy-driven but politically driven.

Prudent financial management under Aquino’s administration gave Mr. Duterte the financial latitude to spend on armaments. In 2017, the modernization program was given a 15% increase in budget versus the 2016 allocation. The supplemental budget for the AFP’s acquisition of arms was also increased from P15 billion to P25 billion.

In June 2019, President Duterte agreed to bankroll the second phase of the AFP’s modernization program, worth $56 billion. It is an ambitious and expensive program geared towards strengthening our territorial defense capabilities.

But we are far from where we want to be. Despite the Navy’s acquisition of a few combatants in 2020, the majority of its warships are armed only with machine guns which are no match for the arms carried by Chinese warships and fighter planes.

So, what do we do now? As Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. takes over the reins of government, he will do well to immediately convene the National Security Council to formulate a new Security and Defense Strategy.

Dr. De Castro recommends that Republic Act 10349 be repealed and a new AFP modernization law be enacted, the spending plan of which must be based on a Security and Defense Strategy. He further recommends that the power of the purse be removed from Congress and instead, budgets for modernization be fixed at 2% of gross national product, downloaded directly to the AFP by the Department of Budget and Management.

Moreover, the AFP must be weaned from handling internal security issues so it could focus on territorial defense. The Philippine National Police should be made to handle internal issues.

And of course, we cannot take on China alone. We must strengthen our security partnerships with nations forming the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), ANKUS, and ASEAN. Such partnerships are geared not only to secure our territorial sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea but also to ensure the continued freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight in the area.

There is much to do to modernize the AFP and its urgency cannot be over emphasized. We hope that the Marcos government makes this a priority.

 

Andrew J. Masigan is an economist

andrew_rs6@yahoo.com

Facebook@AndrewJ. Masigan

Twitter @aj_masigan

The proposed fiscal consolidation and resource mobilization plan

PCH.VECTOR-FREEPIK

At a press briefing at the Department of Finance (DoF) on May 25, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said that the implementation of a fiscal consolidation and resource mobilization plan is imperative to “ensure that the government can continue to effectively manage its increased budget deficit while spending on investments in infrastructure, education, and healthcare for economic growth and recovery.”

Fiscal consolidation is a purposeful and directed reduction of the fiscal deficit, which reached 8.6% in 2021 from the pre-pandemic level of 2% to 3%. “Our borrowings were necessary. At a time when government revenues were low, they allowed us to purchase much-needed vaccines and boosters, increase our healthcare capacity, provide ayuda (help) and other forms of support to vulnerable sectors, and keep the economy afloat during the most critical periods of the pandemic. We borrowed at least P3.2 trillion more than we expected due to the pandemic. In December 2019, prior to the pandemic, we expected our debt by end-2022 to reach only P9.9 trillion. As per the latest projection by the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), we now expect our debt to reach P13.1 trillion. The first principal payment will fall due as early as 2023,” the DoF said at the briefing.

According to the Bureau of the Treasury, to prevent having to use borrowings to pay P3.2 trillion in incremental debt, we need to raise at least P249 billion every year in incremental revenues for the next 10 years. Otherwise, using borrowings to service past debts will lead to increasing interest costs, which will eat into fiscal space for socioeconomic programs. For the first quarter of 2022, our debt-to-GDP stood at 63.5%, higher than the internationally prescribed best practice of 60% of GDP.

“The second option to cut (government) spending by P249-billion debt service per year is equivalent to forgoing the following: more than 140,000 public school classrooms; or more than 8,000 kilometers of paved roads; or free irrigation for more than 600,000 hectares of land; or almost 180,000 kilometers of temporary bridge upgrades; or almost 14,000 rural health units; or more than 110,000 barangay health stations; or 302 provincial hospitals,” the DoF estimates.

What to do now? The DoF under Dominguez offers this detailed fiscal plan to the economic managers in the term of the proclaimed President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., who is to be formally inaugurated on June 30 for a term of six years (until 2028):

PACKAGE 1 (TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN 2023):
1. The second tranche reduction in Personal Income Tax scheduled in 2023 under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law is to be deferred to 2026. This will save around P97.7 billion per year for three years until 2026 when fiscal conditions are hopefully more permissive to the reduction.

2. Limit VAT zero-rating to direct exports, and repeal VAT exemptions except for education, agricultural products, health, financial sector, and raw food. This measure is estimated to generate an average of P142.5 billion in additional revenues every year.

Consider repealing the immediate expending of input VAT on capital goods under TRAIN Law and reimposing the 60-month limit to credit input VAT on capital goods.

3. Impose VAT on digital service providers to cover online advertisement services, digital services, and supply of other electronic and online services, with an average annual revenue impact of P13.2 billion. (There is a pending House bill on this.)

4. Reform the Motor Vehicle Users’ Charge (MVUC) to impose a single and unitary rate based on the gross vehicle weight of all motor vehicles. This measure alone is estimated to generate an average of P38.3 billion every year.

Repeal the excise tax exemption of pickups and impose an excise tax on motorcycles. The repeal of the excise tax exemption on pickups will result in P19.2 billion on average in annual incremental revenues.

5. Establish a single and rationalized fiscal regime applicable to all mining agreements. Consider imposing an export tax on mineral ore to encourage domestic value-added on mineral products. All this is estimated to generate P11.4 billion on average per year.

6. Impose more taxes and charges on gaming: first, a mandatory admissions charge at a flat rate of P3,500 will be imposed in casinos. Second is on Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor)-licensed electronic betting activities such as e-bingo and electronic sports betting, which do not have a separate tax yet. Impose a 5% tax on gross gaming receipts, or the gross bets less payouts. Together, the preliminary revenue impact of the proposed taxes and charges on gaming is estimated to be around P13.1 billion on average every year.

7. Impose an excise tax on single-use plastic bags, like P20 per kilogram — estimated to generate around P1 billion incremental tax revenues every year. (This measure has been approved by the House of Representatives and is at the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.)

8. Impose excise taxes on luxury goods, expanding the tax on non-essential goods to include all watches, cellphones, vintage cars, and semi-essential goods, among others. (This measure has an existing bill.)

The outgoing DoF also has two packages of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program pending in the Senate.

9. The first is the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act, which aims to simplify and harmonize the taxation of passive income, financial services, and transactions.

10. The second is the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act, which aims to adopt internationally accepted valuation standards and professionalize real property valuation.

Overall, Package 1 will generate an average of P247.8 billion per year for measures with ready estimates.

PACKAGE 2 HAS AN ESTIMATED ANNUAL REVENUE IMPACT OF AROUND P126.8 BILLION.
1. Reform health taxes, particularly for alcopops, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, sweetened beverages, and non-nutritious food. These health-related tax measures have an average annual revenue impact of P91.4 billion.

2. Increase petroleum excise taxes by P1 per unit of taxation (liter, kilogram, or metric ton) for a minimum of three years and index the rates thereafter.

3. Increase and index excise tax rates on both domestic and imported coal. This is estimated to generate an average of P35.4 billion in additional revenues per year.

4. Study the tax treatment of cryptocurrency transactions and the prevention of its use for tax evasion.

5. Firm up proposed administrative issuance on transfer pricing, or the shifting of profits and expenses as a scheme to reduce tax obligations, to strengthen the capacity of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to perform transfer pricing audits.

PACKAGE 3 IS THE PROPOSED MEASURE ON CARBON TAXATION, DEFERRED TO 2025; THIS MEASURE IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING FURTHER STUDY.
All in all, the average annual revenue impact for all proposals with ready estimates stands at around P349.3 billion, before the earmarking provisions for certain revenue segments under the law. These deductions total an average of P41.6 billion per year. The balance then available for the National Government amounts to an average of about P307.7 billion additional collections per year, to comfortably pay for above P249-billion debt service estimated by the DBCC. “This new series of measures aims to reverse in a span of 10 years the additional P3.2-trillion debt incurred by the Philippine government due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the DoF says.

The DoF adds: “We propose pursuing these packages in addition to the following reforms:

“First, there must be further improvements to tax administration and enforcement. These improvements include 1.) capturing transactions that migrated to the digital space, 2.) implementing the tax administration reforms in the enacted packages of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, and 3.) sustaining the digitalization efforts of the BIR and BoC (Bureau of Customs).

“Second, we recommend government reengineering or rightsizing to control personnel services spending, which has reached almost 30% of National Government expenditures; and,

“Third, we recommend pursuing the Military and Uniformed Personnel (MUP) pension reform to ensure that the pension system is sustainably funded, partly through mandatory contributions. We also emphasize that despite the proposed reform, the MUP pension system will remain the most generous pension system in the public sector.

“Lastly, we recommend pursuing the Capital Market Development Act to build a sustainable corporate pension system that will ensure our workers can depend on adequate benefits for a comfortable and dignified retirement, and not have to rely solely on the strained resources of the Social Security System.”

Finally, a grave warning from the outgoing DoF:

“If we do not pursue fiscal consolidation and resource mobilization, there are serious and spiraling consequences to our fiscal and economic health. If no reforms are introduced or the reforms are diluted, there will be two scenarios ultimately leading to the same outcome: a fiscal and economic crisis, as a result of higher debt, lower socioeconomic spending, and fewer investments.”

Mr. Dominguez and his team of economic managers must be thanked and commended for their candid and unabashed acknowledgement of our fearsome fiscal deficit attributed to the more than two years of the COVID pandemic. The incoming economic managers under the newly elected chief executive should benefit much from the very detailed fiscal consolidation and resource allocation plan with its even more detailed expected results of incremental revenues, if only to set some impersonal, detached benchmarks for self-evaluation of their efforts in the still-unstable local and world political, economic and health situation.

But for an ordinary reader, the tangled knot of detailed prescriptions and expectations in a critical plan that must be followed — “or else” — can only bring bewildering helplessness. Or perhaps stoic cynicism. How can we count on “at least P249 billion every year in incremental revenues for the next 10 years” to cover the incremental COVID debt and contribute to the rising total debt service on the present level of debt “which may still go up to P13.1 trillion by year-end 2022,” according to the DBCC?

Thank you for saying it as it really is, Secretary Dominguez.

 

Amelia H. C. Ylagan is a doctor of Business Administration from the University of the Philippines.

ahcylagan@yahoo.com

South Cotabato governor acknowledges veto on open-pit mining won’t stop Tampakan project 

SCREENGRAB FROM SOUTH COTABATO LGU FACEBOOK PAGE

THE GOVERNOR of South Cotabato has vetoed a local council resolution lifting the ban on open-pit mining in the province but stressed that this does not affect the operation of the stalled Tampakan copper-gold project.  

“An ordinance is limited to the scope of the local government’s authority,” Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo, Jr. said in a streamed press conference on Friday before releasing his veto decision.  

“The local authority covers small-scale mining like the Minahan ng Bayan sites,” he said in mixed English and Filipino. “This ordinance has nothing to do with whatever the national government decides on large-scale mining.”  

President Rodrigo R. Duterte lifted in December last year a nationwide ban on open-pit mining that was imposed in 2017.   

Mr. Tamayo said this national policy gives the green light to Sagittarius Mines, Inc. (SMI), which has the license and permit to operate at the site which holds a potential of some 15 million tons of copper and 17.6 million ounces of gold.  

Nonetheless, the governor, who won a second three-year term in the May 9 elections, assured that he will protect the province and its residents in all aspects of development, which means striking a balance between economic growth and environmental protection.   

“Mining should be done responsibly,” he said.  

In a statement released after the briefing, Mr. Tamayo also appealed to the provincial council not to override the veto and allow the incoming set of legislators to further assess the open-pit mining ban contained in the local environment code.  

“It is fervently hoped and prayed that the SP (Sangguniang Panlalawigan) shall no longer override my decision to veto this ordinance and will allow the next Sanggunian to conduct its review of the province’s Ordinance No. 4 Series of 2010 otherwise known as the South Cotabato Environment Code,” he said.   

Groups opposed to the mining project welcomed the veto but at the same time acknowledged that they need to keep pushing for a total ban.  

“The outgoing Sangguniang Panlalawigan members could still override the veto. But at this point of the campaign, we consider this as a victory of righteousness. We remain vigilant until the present threat to amend the lifting of the open-pit mining ban is completely done,” Catholic leader Cerilo Casicas, bishop of the Diocese of Marbel, said.  

Non-government environmental advocacy group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) also lauded the governor’s decision but called for continued public vigilance.   

“We are hopeful that the ban on open-pit mining will remain. We also hope that the (incoming) Board Members who will sit in the Sanggunian will put the environment as their priority focus and not betray the call of the people they need to serve and protect,” IDIS said in a statement. — Maya M. Padillo 

Alert level raised as Bulusan Volcano erupts  

THE SORSOGON provincial government advised the public to avoid going to the towns of Juban and Irosin, which have been affected by ashfall due to Mt. Bulusan’s eruption. — SORSOGON PIO

BULUSAN Volcano erupted Sunday morning and spewed a kilometer high grey plume, prompting state volcanology agency Phivolcs to raise the alert level to 1, which means a “low level” unrest within a 5-level scale.    

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) directed local authorities and residents to strictly follow the no-entry policy within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone around the volcano and be on high alert within the two-kilometer extended danger zone on the southeast side. 

It also warned “people living within valleys and along river/stream channels especially on the southeast, southwest and northwest sector” for possible lahar flows should there be prolonged rainfall alongside continued eruptions.  

Mt. Bulusan, located in Sorsogon in the southeastern side of mainland Luzon, last erupted in June 2017, which was recorded as a “minor phreatic eruption” by Phivolcs.   

Sunday’s eruption was recorded at 10:37 a.m. and lasted for about 17 minutes.    

Phivolcs said “the event was poorly visible through cloud cover” but ashfall was reported in the towns of Juban and Casiguran, both in Sorsogon.   

Before the eruption, Phivolcs’ monitoring system recorded 77 volcanic earthquakes in the previous 24-hour observation period. — MSJ

Tawi-Tawi gets transport access boost with bridges, air service

THE SANGAY Siapuh Island Resort is promoted as one of Tawi-Tawi’s ecotourism destinations. — BANGSAMORO.GOV.PH

TAWI-TAWI, the Philippine’s southernmost province and major seaweed producer, is getting a major boost in transport access with the start of local flight services this week and the recent groundbreaking for two bridge projects.   

Flag-carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will start its twice a week flights between Tawi-Tawi and Cotabato City, the regional center of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), on June 9.   

Secretary Maria Belen Acosta, chairperson of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), said this first air service within the Bangsamoro opens economic and tourism opportunities for Tawi-Tawi and the region as a whole.  

“We commend the BARMM government and Philippine Airlines for this connectivity development, which will boost tourism and economic exchanges within and outside of BARMM, the country’s 2nd fastest-growing region in 2021,” said Ms. Acosta, who recently visited the province.   

PAL Area Head for Mindanao Sales and Services Reyani R. Romano said the inclusion of Tawi-Tawi in their flight network provides an opportunity to promote the largely undiscovered islands  

“The (Cotabato-Tawi-Tawi) route will help introduce BARMM, especially since not many people, even myself, are familiar with the region. So the air route can be an opportunity for people to see the touristic opportunities vis-à-vis these places,” Ms. Romano said during last week’s Habi at Kape media forum at the Abreeza Mall.    

“This will be an opportunity for us to help promote the attractions in Tawi-Tawi and Cotabato,” she said. 

Ms. Romano said the opening of the new air service to and from Tawi-Tawi’s Sanga-Sanga Airport will also help improve commerce.   

“To help them in economics and commerce because I understand in Tawi-Tawi it’s more on marine products that they can sell or extend to other regions or in the mainland (Mindanao),” she said.  

A bill was filed last year by Bangsamoro Parliament Member Amir S. Mawallil for strengthening the seaweed industry, with Tawi-Tawi as the hub and host of a proposed Bangsamoro Seaweed Industry Development Authority (SIDA).  

The province’s seaweed industry has been a recipient of various foreign-assisted development projects, including a solar energy facility funded by the European Union Access to Sustainable Energy Programme or EU-ASEP and the World Bank’s Philippine Rural Development Project.  

BRIDGES
Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officially launched on Friday the construction of two bridges that will connect Tawi-Tawi’s capital Bongao to the growth centers of Sanga-Sanga Island and Panglima Sugala.   

The two bridges with a combined cost of P2.14 billion are part of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project, said DPWH Acting Secretary Roger G. Mercado   

“The team of Undersecretary (Emil K.) Sadain and Project Director Sharif Madsmo H. Hasim have been working really hard for these projects for years now from the conduct of feasibility studies, loan agreement, detailed engineering design, and procurement for civil works contractor and consultant,” Mr. Mercado said during the launching ceremony. 

The bridges, he said, “will open up potential in the tourism and fishing industry for Tawi-Tawi.”  

Mr. Sadain said there is also a plan for the development of the Malassa International Port in the province, “as it is in the path of international shipping containers.” — Maya M. Padillo and Marifi S. Jara

Appeals court affirms kidnapping conviction of Palparan, 2 military officers 

PHILIPPINE STAR/KRIZ JOHN ROSALES

THE COURT of Appeals (CA) has upheld a trial court’s ruling convicting Jovito S. Palparan, Jr., a retired army general, and two other military officers of kidnapping two students in 2006.  

In a 61-page decision on May 31, the CA First Division ruled that the testimonies of the witnesses were credible and clear. 

“The details in their testimonies prove that they actually saw the victims and that they got acquainted with them,” according to a copy of the ruling written by CA Associate Justice Angeline Mary W. Quimpo-Sale. 

“The inconsistencies involve minor matters which are irrelevant and immaterial to the case and do not affect the established elements of the crime charged,” said the appellate court.   

“These inconsistencies actually indicate that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses were not rehearsed.” 

The retired army general and his accomplices were also ordered to pay P100,000 in civil indemnity and P200,000 for moral damages. 

The case involves the abduction of two students from the University of the Philippines in 2006, at the height of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s campaign against communist rebels and their supposed network within the academe and civil society.  

The two students remain missing.  

In 2018, a Malolos court sentenced Mr. Palparan and the two other military officers to life in prison without eligibility for parole.  

Despite being members of the military, Mr. Palparan and his accomplices were tried by a civil court since the crime was not connected to military service, the appellate court noted.  

Military officials may be tried by a court-martial if the crime is considered “service-connected” under the Articles of War such as mutiny and insubordination.  

Last week, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) committed a procedural lapse in protocol when it allowed Palparan’s interview with a television network owned by Filipino religious leader Apollo C. Quiboloy, who is wanted in the United States for sex trafficking and other charges.  

Mr. Guevarra has since ordered BuCor chief Gerald Q. Bantag to explain why the interview was allowed by jail authorities. — John Victor D. Ordoñez 

The ‘new’ Tivoli Royale Country Club: Your leisure and recreation haven

Tivoli Royale Country Club located in the Tivoli Royale Subdivision, nestled in an exclusive enclave with scenic views of Antipolo, San Mateo, and the Sierra Madres was launched as a premier leisure and recreation haven in Metro Manila.

The Italian-inspired country club is for families looking for an exclusive community and for the work-oriented Millennials to have an activity hub. Managed by New Creation 101 Realty & Development Corp., the club prides itself with a top-of-the-line fitness center, family pools, a wide variety of sports activities, and reinvented dining facilities.

New Creation 101 Realty & Development Corp. and Tivoli Royale’s President and Chairman, John Oliver Tio with Ms. Christina Tio.

Tivoli Royale Country Club’s Grand Royale Hall was the perfect setting for the event themed, ‘Stile Di Vita’ or Italian for Lifestyle. With the Club’s state-of-the-art amenities, stellar club membership privileges, and customer service, members and guests can enjoy a worry-free club membership way of living.

From left to right: TRCC, COO, Madelene Sy; Consultant, Eric JY Mananquil; General Manager, Cherryl Ann Go.

Members and guests were welcomed with pre-dinner cocktails followed by a grand buffet exquisitely prepared by the club’s World-Class Culinary Team. Commencement Dedication was officiated by CCF Pastor Eric Totañes and the program was hosted by 2007 Bb. Pilipinas World Ms. Maggie Wilson. Tivoli Royale Country Club’s Consultant, Mr. Eric JY Mananquil delivered the Opening Remarks and the distinguished guests and attendees were serenaded by Ms. Nicole Asensio.

Highlights of the event included a toast made in celebration of the birthday of New Creation 101 Realty & Development Corp. and Tivoli Royale’s President and Chairman, Mr. John Oliver Tio. Also, some guests were gifted by Club MD+ Medical Aesthetics and M+ Salon with signature treatments.

Tivoli Royale Country Club celebrated the return to completely revitalized status with their management team more energized than ever and the staff warm and genuine. The VIPs, celebrities, and distinguished guests were entertained and the party successfully ended with TAC 4 Band’s performance.

Tivoli Royale Country Club’s facilities are like no other, offering indoor and outdoor sports and activities that will surely enliven the bonds of families. The Club’s fully stocked Game Center features cosmic bowling lanes, exclusive arcade games, billiards, darts, golf simulators, a kiddie playroom, and a Snack Bar for everyone’s pleasure.

Food enthusiasts can indulge at the Club’s Royal Lounge with its all-day menu offers while enjoying the view of the pools. Get to sample the Executive Chef’s thoughtfully curated specials at The Grand Royal Cuisine and for those who just simply want to hang out with friends, the Club’s Grid Sports Bar is the place to be. Working millennials can connect with the club’s fast wi-fi while enjoying their favorite cup of coffee or milk tea from Beanleaf.

“Now families can bond and make beautiful memories here with us. Our members and guests experience fine dining to casual dining given the variety of restaurants and partners we house. This is the perfect place to plan your wedding and other special events. It’s like having a second home with the advantage of the outstanding club amenities, and superlative guest service without needing to travel far. We also have sports programs conducted by award-winning coaches and certified trainers,” said General Manager, Ms. Cherryl Ann Go.

Tivoli Royale Country Club is truly an awe-inspiring venue prevailing with a sense of peace and tranquility that it surely redefines Club Membership.

For more information about The Tivoli Country Club, visit their website, Facebook page and Instagram.

To learn more about The Tivoli Royale Country Club Membership, please email membership@tivoliroyalecountryclub.com or call 63 917 7081445.

 

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Biden says ‘Enough!’ on gun violence, demands action from Congres

REUTERS

WASHINGTON – Declaring “Enough, enough!” US President Joe Biden on Thursday called on Congress to ban assault weapons, expand background checks and implement other gun control measures to address a string of mass shootings that have struck the United States.

Speaking from the White House, in a speech broadcast live in primetime, Biden asked a country stunned by the recent shootings at a school in Texas, a grocery store in New York and a medical building in Oklahoma, how many more lives it would take to change gun laws in America.

“For God’s sake, how much more carnage are we willing to accept?” Mr. Biden asked.

Mr. Biden described visiting Uvalde, Texas, where the school shooting took place. “I couldn’t help but think there are too many other schools, too many other everyday places that have become killing fields, battlefields, here in America.”

The president, a Democrat, called for a number of measures opposed by Republicans in Congress, including banning the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, or, if that were not possible, raising the minimum age to buy those weapons to 21 from 18. He also pressed for repealing the liability shield that protects gun manufacturers from being sued for violence perpetrated by people carrying their guns.

“We can’t fail the American people again,” Mr. Biden said, pressing Republicans particularly in the U.S. Senate to allow bills with gun control measures to come up for a vote.

Mr. Biden said if Congress did not act, he believed Americans would make the issue central when they vote in November mid-term elections.

The National Rifle Association gun lobby said in a statement that Biden‘s proposals would infringe on the rights of law-abiding gun owners. “This isn’t a real solution, it isn’t true leadership, and it isn’t what America needs,” it said.

The United States, which has a higher rate of gun deaths than any other wealthy nation, has been shaken in recent weeks by the mass shootings of 10 Black residents in upstate New York, 19 children and two teachers in Texas, and two doctors, a receptionist and a patient in Oklahoma.

Lawmakers are looking at measures to expand background checks and pass “red flag” laws that would allow law enforcement officials to take guns away from people suffering from mental illness. But any new measures face steep hurdles from Republicans, particularly in the Senate, and moves to ban assault weapons do not have enough support to advance.

The U.S. Constitution’s second amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms. Mr. Biden said that amendment was not “absolute” while adding that new measures he supported were not aimed at taking away people’s guns.

“After Columbine, after Sandy Hook, after Charleston, after Orlando, after Las Vegas, after Parkland, nothing has been done,” Mr. Biden said, ticking off a list of mass shootings over more than two decades. “This time that can’t be true.”

 

PLEA FROM GRIEVING GRANDMOTHER

Gun safety advocates have pushed Biden to take stronger measures on his own to curb gun violence, but the White House wants Congress to pass legislation that would have more lasting impact than any presidential order. Read full story

Mr. Biden‘s evening address was aimed in part at keeping the issue at the forefront of voters’ minds. The president has made only a handful of evening speeches from the White House during his term, including one on the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and one about the Texas shooting last week.

More than 18,000 people have died from gun violence in the United States so far in 2022, including through homicide and suicide, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit research group.

Canada, Australia and Britain all passed stricter gun laws after mass shootings in their countries, banning assault weapons and increasing background checks. America has experienced years of massacres in schools, stores and places of work and worship without any such legislation. Read full story

A broad majority of American voters, both Republicans and Democrats, favor stronger gun control laws, but Republicans in Congress and some moderate Democrats have blocked such legislation for years. Read full story

Prices of shares in gun manufacturers rose on Thursday. Efforts to advance gun control measures have boosted firearm share prices after other mass shootings as investors anticipated that gun purchases would increase ahead of stricter regulations.

In the aftermath of the Texas shooting, Mr. Biden urged the country to take on the powerful pro-gun lobby that backs politicians who oppose such legislation.

The Senate is split, with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, and a law must have 60 votes to overcome a maneuver known as the filibuster, which means any law would need rare bipartisan support.

“The only room in America where you can’t find more than 60% support for universal background checks is on the floor of the U.S. Senate,” said Christian Heyne, vice president for policy at Brady, a gun violence prevention group.

While Mr. Biden and Congress explore compromises, the Supreme Court is due to decide a major case that could undermine new efforts to enact gun control measures while making existing ones vulnerable to legal attack. Read full story

Mr. Biden said he received a handwritten note from a grandmother who had lost her granddaughter in Uvalde that read: “Erase the invisible line that is dividing our nation. Come up with a solution and fix what’s broken and make the changes that are necessary to prevent this from happening again.” – Reuters

US-Taiwan trade talks could outpace Indo-Pacific effort -USTR official

WASHINGTON – New U.S. trade negotiations with Taiwan could move more quickly than broader talks with 12 Indo–Pacific countries given strong interest in Taipei and Washington in deepening economic ties, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi said on Thursday.

There are parallels between the newly launched Indo–Pacific Economic Framework talks and the Taiwan talks, Ms. Bianchi told Reuters in an interview, but the latter initiative is aimed at increasing links with Taiwan on specific economic issues.

“I think we are eager to get going with Taiwan and to scope out our negotiating mandate there and … a range of issues from small-medium enterprises to digital trade to labor and we look forward to getting going as quickly as possible,” Ms. Bianchi said.

Asked if the Taiwan initiative could bear fruit sooner then the Indo–Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) talks, she said: “Potentially yes, it could.”

The Chinese-claimed island was excluded from the 14-country IPEF initiative launched last week by President Joe Biden. However, USTR announced separate, bilateral trade talks with Taiwan on Wednesday.

IPEF, which seeks to return an economic pillar to U.S. engagement in the region, will include Japan, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia and other countries in the region, but not China.

Ms. Bianchi said IPEF would also get started right away, with plans for discussions, including ministerial-level meetings in coming months to organize the topics for the talks and to begin proposing texts for an agreement by the end of the summer.

 

CHOOSING PILLARS

The IPEF talks will allow member countries to choose among the key “pillars” in which they will participate, including digital trade rules, supply chain resiliency and trade facilitation, infrastructure development and strong labor rights and environmental standards.

But participation in all pillars is not required, and initial meetings will focus on defining which ones countries will choose, Ms. Bianchi said. Countries that choose only one or two can still have meaningful engagement with the United States and other IPEF members, she said.

Neither the IPEF nor the Taiwan talks will include the tariff reductions and enhanced market access offered by traditional free trade agreements.

Ms. Bianchi said IPEF is meant to be a “21st century agreement to really address 21st century problems,” including barriers to digital trade such as data localization requirements or onerous regulations that make it difficult for companies to operate in some countries. Fixing these problems will also enhance market access, she said. – Reuters

What does China want in the Pacific? Diplomatic allies and strategic footholds

STOCK PHOTO | Image by 珂 杨 from Pixabay

Disclaimer: This asset – including all text, audio and imagery – is provided by The Conversation. Reuters does not guarantee the accuracy of, or endorse any views or opinions expressed in, this asset.

 

By the time Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s ten-day tour of the Pacific is over in early June, he will have met with leaders from all ten Pacific island countries that have diplomatic relations with China.

This tour is the second of its kind since 2006 (his predecessor Li Zhaoxing visited the region that year). It follows a meeting of Pacific foreign ministers with China last year.

But what does China want from the region and why is it showing such strong interest in the Pacific?

China seeks two main things from the region – one diplomatic and one strategic.

Diplomatically, it needs the voting support of Pacific islands at the United Nations. These countries, most of which are small, have an equal vote at the UN.

Their support – on issues such as Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, South and East China Seas, and human rights – matters to China.

For example, during Wang’s visit, Pacific leaders pledged to stick to the “One China” policy. This means they will recognize the People’s Republic of China over the Republic of China (Taiwan).

However, the China-Taiwan diplomatic battle is far from over. In the Pacific, Palau, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Nauru still recognize Taiwan.

Strategically, China sees Pacific islands as a target of what’s known as “South-South co-operation” – partnerships between developing countries.

China’s mistrust of developed countries is deep rooted and has persisted since the founding of the communist regime in 1949. To reduce the strategic pressure from developed countries, China strives to forge close ties with the developing world.

In this sense, Wang’s Pacific visit is largely prompted by recent heightened competition between China and the US-led traditional powers.

The Quad countries (Australia, India, Japan, and the United States) recently released a joint leaders statement promising to increase their support to countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

It is hardly a coincidence that on the same day, China’s ministry of foreign affairs revealed the itinerary for Wang’s Pacific visit. Details of concrete achievements arising from the provinces of Chinese Guangdong, Fujian and Shandong’s engagement with Pacific islands were released the following day.

China is signaling it will not recede in its competition with traditional powers. It also wants to send a message that a closer relationship with China will benefit Pacific islands.

In the long run, the Pacific islands have great security significance for China.

China’s People’s Liberation Army, especially the navy, has aimed to break the “island chains” (in particular, there are a series of military bases on islands near China and in the Pacific, which Beijing believes the US and its allies are using to encircle China).

The Pacific islands sit along one of these island chains. Little wonder, then, the Chinese military is keen to gain a foothold in the Pacific in the long run – this would be crucial if competition between China and the US deteriorates into rivalry and even military conflict.

This is why traditional powers are alarmed by the China-Solomon Islands security pact – despite clarification from Beijing and Honiara China will not establish a military base in Solomon Islands.

To achieve these objectives, China has worked hard to foster a closer relationship with Pacific islands. In particular, it has highlighted its respect of Pacific islands as equal partners, economic opportunities for Pacific commodities to enter the massive Chinese market, and the benefits of Chinese aid for the region.

In this context, China proposed two broad agreements to be signed by all its Pacific partner countries during Wang’s visit.

However, this plan was shelved due to the lack of consensus among Pacific leaders on the nature of these agreements and potential negative implications for regional security.

For example, prior to Wang’s visit, President of the Federated States of Micronesia David Panuelo wrote to leaders of all Pacific island countries and territories warning that signing these agreements may drag Pacific islands into conflicts between China and the US in future.

This may have taken China by surprise; President Panuelo paid a successful state visit to China in 2019 and lauded his country’s relationship with China as “great friendship taken to a new high”.

This was a clear setback for China. As a suboptimal solution, China’s ministry of foreign affairs turned the two agreements into a position paper and published it on May 30.

A main difference is that in the position paper, China only briefly states its readiness to co-operate with Pacific islands to promote regional security, combat transnational crimes and tackle non-traditional security threats.

By contrast, the original two agreements had more details on security co-operation such as providing police training for the region and strengthening co-operation on cyber security.

Apparently, China has learnt to downplay its planned co-operation with Pacific islands on security, an increasingly sensitive area amid the competition.

Looking into the near future, it is likely China will be more cautious in expanding its engagement with the Pacific region.

It will likely focus on pragmatic co-operation in less sensitive areas like climate change, poverty reduction, agriculture and disaster relief.

China will lobby for more support from Pacific islands before it is willing to reintroduce the broad agreements. – Reuters

Mystery surrounds how munitions imported for Indonesia’s civilian spies were used in attacks on villages

JAKARTA – Almost 2,500 mortar shells from Serbia bought for Indonesia’s spy agency last year were converted to be air-dropped, and some were used in attacks on eight villages in Papua, according to a report from an arms monitoring group and photos provided to Reuters.

The alleged procurement for the state intelligence agency, known as BIN, was not disclosed to the parliamentary oversight committee that approves its budget, three members told Reuters.

The London-based monitoring group, Conflict Armament Research (CAR), said the mortar rounds were manufactured by Serbia’s state-owned arms-maker Krusik and later modified to be dropped from the air rather than fired from a mortar tube. It said the arms sent to BIN also included 3,000 electronic initiators and three timing devices typically used to detonate explosives.

The 81mm mortar rounds were used in attacks in October on villages in Papua, an Indonesian province where a decades-long campaign by armed separatists has accelerated in recent years, according to CAR, an eyewitness, and human rights investigators working on behalf of several church groups.

Reuters was not able to independently confirm certain aspects of the CAR report, including whether BIN had received the shipment. Reuters also could not establish who authorized the purchase of the munitions or who used them in Papua.

BIN and the Ministry of Defense did not respond to requests for comment about the purchase or use of the mortar shells.

The parliamentary oversight committee is holding a closed hearing next week with BIN, and the weapons purchase will be discussed, one committee member said.

Tubagus Hasanuddin, a former general who also sits on the parliamentary committee that oversees BIN, said that the intelligence agency can acquire small arms for its agents’ self defense but that any military-grade weapons “must be for education or training purposes and not for combat”.

“We need to conduct a hearing first with BIN and check the reason. Afterwards we will check the legality,” he said.

No one was killed, although homes and several churches burned down, according to one witness and investigators working for eight human rights and church groups to document the attacks.

“It’s clear cut that these mortars are offensive weapons that were used in civilian areas,” said Jim Elmslie, convenor of the West Papua Project at the University of Wollongong, who submitted CAR’s report to the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner in April. “This is a breach of humanitarian law.”

BIN is a civilian agency under the direct authority of Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, widely known as Jokowi. The president’s office did not respond to a request for comment about the purchase or use of the weapons.

A spokesman for Indonesia’s military, Col. Wieng Pranoto, told Reuters its forces did not drop the munitions on the villages. He declined to say whether BIN deployed the munitions.

Indonesian law requires the military, police and other government agencies to seek permission from the Ministry of Defense to buy arms, and requires them to use materiel produced by the domestic defense industry if it is available. The country’s state-owned arms-maker PT Pindad produces mortar rounds, and they are part of the armed forces’ arsenal.

A defense ministry source familiar with the procurement system said the ministry never approved the purchase or any regulation that would allow BIN to acquire the munitions.

“It raises questions of why BIN would want them,” this person said.

Another member of the parliamentary committee that oversees BIN said he was personally investigating the findings in CAR’s report to determine whether there was any wrongdoing. He said he had approached BIN and PT Pindad for an explanation but “found a lot of giant walls”.

“There must be something that is very, very sensitive about it,” he told Reuters.

PT Pindad’s spokesperson and chief executive’s office did not answer detailed questions from Reuters about how the mortar rounds were procured or who used them.

One of the company’s commissioners, Alexandra Wuhan, declined to discuss specifics of the purchase, but said: “Pindad is obliged and subjected to Indonesia’s laws, rules and regulations regarding military and civilian arms procurements, likewise BIN as the end user. Pindad cannot be held responsible for the when and where the arms are used by Indonesian authorities. We do not have such control.”

 

ARMS PURCHASE

CAR is a Europe-based arms monitor whose clients have included the European Union, the United Nations, and the U.S. and British governments.

The organization analyzed photos of ordnance used in the attacks in Papua and formally requested information on the shells from the Serbian government via the country’s mission at the United Nations in New York on Nov. 26.

Serbia’s UN ambassador, Nemanja Stevanovic, provided a response on Dec. 31 in a “note verbale,” a formal diplomatic communique. James Bevan, CAR’s executive director, said the information in that communique formed the basis of the weapons tracking group’s report.

CAR declined to share Serbia’s response, citing protocols. Stevanovic, and Serbia’s UN Mission, did not respond to a Reuters request to share the note verbale.

 

THE TRANSFER

The report said Serbia confirmed Krusic made the M-72 high-explosive mortar rounds, which were sold to Serbian arms supplier Zenitprom DOO in February 2021 along with the 3,000 electronic initiators and timing devices. The munitions were then exported by Zenitprom DOO to PT Pindad for BIN, the group says.

On Oct. 6, 2020, at the beginning of the procurement process, BIN provided Serbian authorities with end-user certificate No. R-540/X/2020, confirming that they would be the exclusive users of the items in the consignment and that the munitions would not be transferred or sold to other parties without the permission of the Serbian authorities, the report said. No request to transfer the weapons was made before the Papua attack, the Serbian government told CAR, according to the report.

In its report, CAR said Serbia confirmed the lot numbers on the shells used in Papua matched those of the ones purchased by BIN.

Some details of the report that Reuters was not able to independently confirm include the mortar shells’ matching lot numbers, the transfer of the munitions consignment to BIN or whether BIN complied with the end-user certificate. Reuters was unable to determine who had modified the mortar rounds or why BIN had purchased the timers and igniters.

CAR said BIN had provided the Serbian government with a “delivery verification certification,” although Reuters could not independently confirm the weapons had arrived in BIN’s hands.

An official at the arms-control section of Serbia’s Ministry of Trade in Belgrade and the country’s embassy in Jakarta did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment. Krusik and Zenitprom DOO did not respond to requests for comment.

 

VILLAGE ATTACKS

An independence rebellion has simmered in resource-rich Papua since 1969, when a United Nations-supervised vote involving only about 1,025 people led to the former Dutch colony becoming part of Indonesia.

The security situation in Papua has “dramatically deteriorated” since April 2021, when separatists killed the head of BIN’s Papua office in an ambush, according to a statement by three U.N. special rapporteurs in March. Between April and November last year, they said there were “shocking abuses” by the government. The Indonesian government rejected their statement. Read full story

Starting on Oct. 10, 2021, helicopters and drones fired into and dropped munitions on eight villages in the Kiwirok district for several days, according to the eyewitness interviewed by Reuters, human rights investigators and several local church leaders.

“They dropped bombs with drones,” Pastor Yahya Uopmabin told Reuters, saying he watched the assault from nearby mountains, where many residents had fled. “Places of worship, houses of residents were burning.”

Eneko Bahabol, a Papuan investigator working for a consortium of eight human rights and church groups, said 32 mortar rounds were dropped, including five that didn’t detonate. Reuters has seen photos of the unexploded rounds.

The photos from CAR show the mortar shells carry the markings of the Serbian state-owned arms-maker. Samuel Paunila, head of the ammunition management advisory team at the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, confirmed the mortar rounds had Krusic markings. – Reuters

S.Korea to lift quarantine requirement for non-vaccinated foreign arrivals

STOCK PHOTO

SEOUL – South Korea’s prime minister on Friday said the country will lift its quarantine requirement for foreign arrivals without vaccination from June 8 and also start lifting aviation regulations imposed for international flights.

However, the government will maintain the requirement of a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result prior to entry and a PCR test within 72 hours after arrival.

“While there was a 7-day quarantine obligation for non–vaccinated foreign arrivals until now, such requirement will be eliminated from June 8 regardless of their vaccination status,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told a pandemic response meeting, adding the country’s COVID-19 situation had stabilized.

Han said any aviation regulations imposed at Incheon International Airport will be lifted from June 8 to ensure that flights can operate in a timely manner, as current restrictions on flights and flight operation times have caused inconveniences such as lack of tickets and rising prices. – Reuters

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