Presidential son and political neophyte Sebastian “Baste” Duterte takes his oath as the elected vice mayor of Davao City on Friday, June 21 at the city’s Sangguniang Panlungsod. The ceremony was witnessed by the first family including President Rodrigo Duterte. (Ken E. Cagula/davaotoday.com)
‘Busina’ protest vs Duterte’s pro-China stance on Recto Bank ramming
Activists held a protest action in Quezon City last June 19 and asked motorists to honk their vehicle horns to show solidarity with 22 fishermen whose boat was rammed by a Chinese ship and President Rodrigo Duterte’s obvious pro-China stance in the controversy.
Urban poor resident suffers miscarriage due to demolition threats
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – A resident of a community in Quezon City suffered a miscarriage after being harassed by a security guard, threatening them to demolish their homes, an urban poor group reported.
“They thrive on generating fear within the community only to make way for their multi-billion endeavor. It shows how those in power, public and private sector, put a premium on profits while neglecting the fact that the residents have a legitimate basis for staying and then punishing them for it. Even if it costs the life of someone as innocent as an unborn child,” Gloria Arellano of Kadamay said.
In a statement released by Kadamay, the group said that Sitio San Roque resident Yolanda Ladiao was three months into the pregnancy of her second child when she began to profusely bleed on Tuesday evening. The bleeding continued for the next two days, until she collapsed earlier yesterday, June 20, and was brought to the hospital.
Ladiao remains confined after doctors confirmed her miscarriage.
Earlier that day, Kadamay said that security guards hired by the private land developer began to harass Ladiao and her family, telling them to tear down their own home. The confrontation eventually led to one of the guards to take out his gun “in a threatening fashion.”
The guards then demolished parts of their home and told them not to join rallies.
Kadamay, in its statement, condemned the incident as heartless and increased the “bar of terror in the community.” They plan to file charges against the perpetrators.
Residents of Sitio San Roque are facing threats of demolition to give way to a business district in Quezon City.
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Duterte selling out sovereignty for Chinese funding – IBON
Research group IBON
said that the Duterte administration’s downplaying of the hit-and-run by a
Chinese vessel of a Philippine fishing boat in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)
shows how it gives more importance to Chinese funding over Philippine
sovereignty.
On June 9, a Chinese
vessel rammed and sank the Filipino fishing boat F/B Gem-Ver and left the 22
fishermen on board adrift at sea. President Rodrigo Duterte’s first comment on
the issue over a week after it happened, on June 17, was to dismiss it as a simple
“maritime incident” being played up by “stupid politicians”. The president echoed the Chinese foreign
ministry’s statement a few days earlier calling the boat sinking “an ordinary
maritime traffic accident” and warning against “irresponsibly politicizing” the
collision.
IBON explained that
the Duterte administration’s position is most likely influenced by how it is
courting billions in dollars in aid, debt and investments from China. The
government is reportedly seeking as much as US$14.3 billion in official development
assistance (ODA) from China to finance 29 ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure projects
costing US$16.8 billion.
China ODA has already increased
by 24,200% under the Duterte administration – from US$1.5 million in 2016 to
US$364.9 million in 2018, said the group. China ODA is seen as essential to fund
flagship infrastructure projects. Loan agreements with China have already
become controversial for having terms disadvantageous for the Philippines and compromising
its sovereignty. The most expensive infrastructure project to be funded by
China is the Philippine National Railway (PNR) South Long Haul Project worth
US$3.3 billion. China is also being targeted to fund the Mindanao Railway Project
Phase 1 worth US$677 million.
IBON also noted surging
foreign direct investments (FDI) from China. China FDI increased from US$0.4
million in 2016 to US$163.4 million in 2018. Moreover, the Duterte administration
also managed to get pledges from Chinese companies of around US$12.1 billion
during the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation last April
2019. Prime Minister Xi Jinping also pledged US$148 million in grants to help
boost the Philippine economy during the forum.
The Duterte
administration is not asserting the country’s sovereignty or upholding the
rights of the Filipino fishermen for fear of jeopardizing the China aid and investments
it is so eager for, said IBON. It is desperate to stimulate the Philippine
economy amidst its sluggish performance. Growth of gross domestic product (GDP)
fell to 5.6% in the first quarter of 2019 from 6.5% in the same period last
year.
IBON also warned that
China has already been implicated in controversial deals gone bad where
governments were pressured to give up strategic assets like ports. China-funded
projects around the world have also been hounded by allegations of hundreds of millions
of dollars in corruption and overpricing.
IBON said that a truly
independent foreign policy includes asserting the country’s sovereignty and
upholding domestic economic development including the welfare of all Filipinos.
The Duterte administration should stop privileging China in Philippine
territory just because it is promising so much financing, the group said. ###
Betrayed
We have come to the point where we neither have the right to feel aggrieved nor the right to tell the truth.
Junel Insigne told the media he was no longer sure if the Chinese boat rammed their fishing vessel. This, after President Duterte himself and other government officials downplayed the issue, and after a phalanx of policemen in full battle gear visited his home.
Insigne and his crew could not have just imagined how their boat sank, how they fought to stay afloat shivering and hungry. The Vietnamese who helped our fishermen could not have just imagined the same narrative. Their corroboration of the incident is the strongest and disproves Malacañang’s spin.
Our hearts sank as we watched Insigne “eat his words.” How could he muster the courage to continue speaking the truth against the mighty China when the betrayal came from the country’s highest seat of power?
Our dignity is crushed into pieces as the man who promised to defend our sovereignty is the very first to spit on our territorial integrity.
No, we are not expecting from the President the boldness and impulsiveness of boyhood. At the very least, we were expecting compassion, which he proves again and again that he is incapable of.
It’s as clear as day that Duterte has sided with China. He and his officials must have benefitted so much from Beijing to justify their behavior.
We, whose rights have been trampled upon, must refuse to be silenced and say, “The Philippines is ours!”
More importantly, the most treacherous must be made to pay.
#BuhayManggagawa | Dyipney
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UNCHR reports high level of internal displacement in PH
In its Global Trends Forced Displacement report, the international agency said that the Philippines has as many as 212,600 victims of forced internal displacement “due to armed conflict, generalized violence and human rights violations.”
Labor union urges Japanese consumers to boycott Sumifru bananas
A local labor union of a banana-export plantation run by Sumifru Philippines Corp. in Compostela Valley sought the support of the Japanese consumers to boycott the company’s banana brand.