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Regain Scarborough as proven Phl territory

Regain Scarborough as proven Phl territory

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Gotcha

Wikipedia photo of Scarborough Shoal

GOTCHA

written on May 28, 2021

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

China stole Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in 2012. The Philippines must regain it by diplomatic and geopolitical means. The 2016 international arbitral victory was a good start. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague illegalized China’s occupation. Next steps are, with the help of allies, to make China abide by the ruling, and recompense the Philippines for environmental destruction and poaching.

Panatag is Philippine territory. A day’s sail by banca from mainland Luzon, it is traditional Filipino fishing ground. Ancients called it in different periods Panacot, Galit, Lumbay and Bajo de Masinloc. The 1.5- to five-meter shallow waters teem with seafood. Enclosed horseshoe-shape by rocks and reefs, the 15,000 hectares is the size of one-fourth of Metro Manila.

Spanish maps from the 1700s label Panatag, as with other far-flung seamarks, as “Punto de Mandato” (Point of Command), or jurisdiction. Old Japanese and British navigational logs include it among the Philippine Islands 120 miles off. American colonial, Commonwealth and Republic records call it “island territory.”

China claims the shoal by pseudo-history. The legend that an ancient Chinese engineer observed it from a series of towers in the mainland is possible only if the earth was flat. Panatag is 750 miles beyond the horizon. No ancient record or map backs up Beijing’s “historical right.” From China’s own annals, its earliest navigators hitched rides on Malay trading ships. Sea masters in the archipelagos now known as Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, the brown race conquered Madagascar across the Indian Ocean two millenniums ago.

Philippine historical proofs are extant, extensively researched by international maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal, PhD:

The Murillo Velarde map of 1734 draws the shoal as part of Luzon. The 1748 shipwreck there of Britain’s HMS Scarborough, officially reported to Spanish authorities in Manila, led to its detailed cartography. The Malaspina Expedition of 1792 located the shoal 57 leagues from land. In 1800 Admiral Alava dispatched from Cavite the steamer Sta. Lucia, under Capitan Francisco Riquelme, to survey the shoal and thereafter regularly patrol it. The summary of Riquelme’s findings became a fixture of the Doroteo del Archipelago Filipino, the Spanish guide for mariners. The description of the shoal in the 1879 edition of the Doroteo jibes with an 1866 British survey by the sloop HMS Swallow.

Spain ceded the main Philippine islands to the United States via the 1898 Treaty of Paris, and Panatag and outlying islands via the 1900 Treaty of Washington. The US took over jurisdiction of the shoal, including vessels in distress. When Sweden’s SS Nippon was shipwrecked there in 1913, the rescuers and salvors came from Manila. The scientific study on the salt water’s effect on the copra cargo, and the insurance litigation, also were held in the capital. The Philippine Supreme Court affirmed the insurance ruling in 1916. The American colonial administration listed the shoal in the 1918 Census of Philippine Islands.

In 1937, Commonwealth President Manuel Quezon formally inquired about the status of the shoal, which he wanted the newly formed Coast Guard to patrol. The US Departments of State, War, Navy and Commerce, and Office of Geodetic Survey ascertained that no other country had contradictory territorial claim.

Throughout the 1960s-1980s the independent Philippines exercised authority over Panatag. Every time the Philippine and US Navies held exercises like bombing runs there, Manila issued Alerts to Mariners safely to steer clear. Passing ships recognized Manila’s power. When smugglers hid out in the shoal, the Philippine Constabulary drove them away.

Panatag is part of the definition of Philippine territory in the 1936, 1972 and 1987 Constitutions. It is specified in the 2009 Archipelagic Baselines Law (Republic Act 9522).

(The complete text of Batongbacal’s study, “Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal): Less-Known Facts vs. Published Fiction,” is posted in imoa.ph, website of the Institute for Maritime and Ocean Affairs.)

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Navy did not give up Panatag to China, former chief clarifies

Navy did not give up Panatag to China, former chief clarifies

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Gotcha

PNA photo of PH Navy

GOTCHA

written on May 26, 2021

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

The Philippine Navy did not give up Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal to China in the 2012 standoff. Its warship was ordered out two days after the impasse began that April to resume an original mission in northern Luzon waters. And that was only on arrival of Philippine Coast Guard patrols to continue confronting the proliferating Chinese gunboats and poachers.

This was clarified by then-Navy Flag Officer in Command Adm. Alexander Pama. “We did not retreat, we did not withdraw; we were, in military parlance, relieved in place,” Pama told Sapol-dwIZ Saturday. “Never did the Navy back out of any challenge.”

“Relief in place” is “an operation in which, by direction of higher authority, all or part of a unit is replaced in an area by the incoming unit. The responsibilities of the replaced elements for the mission and the assigned zone of operations are transferred to the incoming unit. The incoming unit continues the operation as ordered.” (thefreedictionary.com)

The clarification came in wake of repeated Duterte administration claims that its predecessor’s withdrawal of Navy ships let China occupy Panatag. Criticized for his appeasement policy on China, Rody Duterte has alleged that then-foreign secretary Albert del Rosario and Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio ordered a back off. Neither the foreign office nor the High Tribunal is part of the Armed Forces command chain.

“It was not the Navy that withdrew in June 2012,” Pama said, reacting to Duterte’s late night telecast the other Monday with former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. “The President was misinformed of the timeline. If we cannot get the data correct, our credibility is shot.”

To begin with, only one Navy vessel, BRP Gregorio del Pilar, was involved. It was en route on emergency to northeastern Luzon on info that a North Korean missile fired at Guam might hit Philippine mainland or boats in Benham Rise. On report that the missile splashed into sea April 8, BRP del Pilar was then diverted to Panatag, 123 miles off Zambales, Pama recounted. Navy reconnaissance planes had sighted eight to ten illegal Chinese fishing trawlers there.

BRP del Pilar entered the horseshoe-shaped shoal in the wee hours of April 10, Pama said. At daybreak an inspection team on rubber boat boarded one of the Chinese trawlers. Discovered were hundreds of live and dead sharks, giant sea turtles, giant clams and fan corals. The species were internationally listed as endangered, thus prohibited to catch or harvest. “We have photos,” Pama recalled. “It took four to six men to carry even just half of each decades-old clam.”

Midmorning three gunboats of the China Maritime Surveillance (CMS) and one from Fisheries Law Enforcement Control (FLEC) barged into the scene. Pama identified two of them: Zhongguo Haijian 75 and Zhongguo Haijian 84. “Agad nakipag-patintero sila sa boarding party,” he said, suspecting a set-up. Not only were the Chinese gunboats protecting the illegal fishers, they also were just lingering nearby. Panatag, a former Navy bombing range, is 750 miles from China, well outside its 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

The 1998 Fisheries Code (RA 8550, Section 124) deputizes the Navy, Coast Guard and PNP-Maritime Command as enforcers. In past interdictions they brought poachers to San Fernando, La Union, for prosecution and detention.

But Beijing turned the tables on Manila, propagandizing that the latter was bullying Chinese fishers by sending a warship. Thus, the decision from Malacañang to pull out BRP del Pilar. The order came after a meeting in Malacañang attended by Enrile and other Congress leaders, a military source said. It was relayed to the Armed Forces North Luzon Command and to the Naval Forces-North which had operational jurisdiction over Panatag.

By April 12 Coast Guard patrols BRP Pampanga and BRP Edsa arrived from different ports. A craft of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources joined in, then-BFAR director Atty. Asis Perez said last month also on Sapol-dwIZ. BRP del Pilar moored in Subic Bay, Zambales.

In the following weeks 15 additional CMS and FLEC gunboats escorted nearly 200 more Chinese poaching vessels to the traditional Filipino fishing ground. Each 80 meters long, the Chinese gunboats dwarfed the 45-meter Philippine patrol craft.

In the third week of June the approach of Super Typhoon Butchoy prompted talks to end the standoff at sea. The US brokered a simultaneous pullout from Panatag, del Rosario has recounted several times. The Philippine craft departed as agreed, but China deceitfully reneged. The Chinese gunboats even chained off the mouth of the shoal to prevent Filipinos from returning. Beijing could only have planned it from the start, Pama concluded.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Against Duterte’s advice, Comelec grants Smartmatic P1.04 billion – so far

Against Duterte’s advice, Comelec grants Smartmatic P1.04 billion – so far

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Gotcha

GOTCHA

written on May 21, 2021

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

The Comelec has awarded P1.04 billion in new contracts to controversial Smartmatic Inc. for the 2022 elections. This is despite President Rody Duterte’s repeated advice to the poll body to replace the electronic systems provider due to fraud allegations.

On May 5, 2021, the Venezuelan Smartmatic was given the software deal for election management system, vote-counting machines and consolidation-canvassing system. Price: P402,725,549.70.

In December 2020 it was granted the refurbishment of 97,345 VCMs. As well, the supply of 109,745 SD (secure digital) main cards, the same number of SD WORM (write once-read many) cards and 250,000 cleaning sheets. Price: P637,443,308.45.

The Comelec has yet to award multibillion-peso contracts to accessorize the VCMs for result transmission and to organize and manage Election Day call centers. Ongoing is a separate warehousing contract, about half-billion pesos a year.

Smartmatic has won all the main hardware, software and service deals for national and local balloting in 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019. Competitors’ complaints of bidding irregularities have been quashed. Information-technology experts’ findings of result tampering have been rejected.

Despite his 2016 presidential victory on Smartmatic systems and VCMs, Duterte prefers switching to other suppliers and modes. Smartmatic’s precinct count optical scanners had been criticized as “hocus-PCOS”. The Comelec and Smartmatic shifted from PCOS to the term vote counting machines, VCMs, to refer to the same 97,345 units. Smartmatic and partners have been accused of result rigging in US and other countries’ elections.

Comelec chairman Sheriff Abas signed the P402.7-million software contract. Commissioner Marlon Casquejo said they “did not choose Smartmatic; it joined the competitive bidding. Who won it was beyond our control.” The special bids and awards committee (SBAC) selected Smartmatic based on lowest calculated bid. Observers from the Government Procurement Policy Board were present.

Rival bidder Pivot International Inc.-Power Serve Inc. is contesting the earlier P637.4-million win of Smartmatic. Documents show that Pivot Group had bid P490 million – P170,741,660.47 lower than the Comelec ceiling price of P660,741,660.47. It is also P147,443,308.45 lower than Smartmatic’s winning bid of P637,443,308.45.

The Comelec SBAC disqualified Pivot on Dec. 11 on two grounds: failure to indicate a “zero” or “dash” in one annex item, and to specify the price of the cleaning sheets and SD cards. Smartmatic submitted a single calculated bid for all items, the SBAC said.

Pivot, three days later, sought reconsideration. It said the SBAC misinterpreted the rule requiring the zero or dash “as the price if the item is being offered for free.” The SBAC’s rule amendments in two bidding bulletins also no longer required separate pricing for the cleaning sheets and SD cards, it added. Reconsideration was denied.

On May 5, Pivot accused the SBAC members of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. Administratively charged were Jeannie Flororita, Information Technology Department head; Allen Francis Abaya, SBAC chairman; John Rex Laudiangco, vice chairman; and members Jovencio Balinguit, Divina Blas Perez and Abigail Clare Carbero Llacuna. Mentioned too but not identified were members of the technical working group (TWG).

Pivot alleged that the officials conspired to commit irregularities during the bidding. Supposedly the TWG tampered its SD card to malfunction, leading to its disqualification.

Pivot also denied that its SD cards had only 15 gigabytes capacity, short of the required 16 GB. A small portion of the card’s capacity is taken up by built-in solutions like file allocation, block management, error management and other internal functions.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez told The STAR yesterday that the bidding called for “WORM-able” SD cards. Meaning, capable of being reformatted, which is what the TWG did. Pivot should have protested the bidding award, instead of filing an administrative complaint. The complaint has yet to be resolved.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

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Cabinet gagged on China; ex-generals assert sea rights

Cabinet gagged on China; ex-generals assert sea rights

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Gotcha

PNA photo of President Duterte

GOTCHA

written on May 19, 2021

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

• Only Roque, who misreported Julian Felipe Reef as outside Philippine jurisdiction, may continue to speak on maritime issues.

• Retired AFP and service chiefs rally for unity against China threat.

President Duterte banned his Cabinet on Monday from talking about sea disputes amid months of China’s escalating incursions. “This is my order now to the Cabinet, and to all and sundry talking for the government, to refrain from discussing the West Philippine Sea with anybody,” he said in a late night recorded telecast. “If we talk, we talk but just among us.” Only his spokesman Harry Roque may speak on the matter, the President added.

Since March the foreign and defense offices have been rebuking China’s increasing numbers of maritime militia vessels trespassing the WPS. First, 220 trawlers “swarmed” and “threatened” Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef. Reinforced by a dozen more, they then spread out to poach in other reefs in Pagkakaisa Bank and in Kalayaan Islands municipality of Palawan. Last week the National Task Force-WPS reported at least 330 still there, plus in Recto (Reed) Bank. The WPS, the part of the South China Sea within the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone, is rich in fisheries, oil and gas.

After telling the intruders to leave to defuse tensions, Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana was badmouthed by the Chinese embassy. Diplomatic protests are filed every day until they depart, according to Foreign Sec. Teodoro Locsin Jr.

Last week Roque misstated that Julian Felipe is outside the Philippine EEZ. Supposedly critics are fussing over it to assail Duterte’s appeasement policy towards Beijing. The National Task Force corrected him: Julian Felipe, 175 miles from Palawan, not only is within the EEZ; it is also within the 12-mile territorial waters of McKennan (Hughes) and Rurok (Sin Cowe) Isles of Kalayaan. Locsin reminded Roque that statements on international relations are the “exclusive remit” of the foreign office.

Also on Monday the Advocates for National Interest (ANI) called on Filipinos to “unite in assertion of our rights in the WPS.” Consisting of retired generals who took on other government and private positions, ANI said “China’s creeping aggression must be stopped (but) war is not the only option.”

ANI consists of, among others, Amb. Ramon Farolan, former defense chief Renato de Villa, former senator Rodolfo Biazon, former congressmen Plaridel Abaya and Ashley Acedillo, Commo. Plaridel Garcia, Col. Niceto Festin, former SSS administrator Renato Valencia, Police Gen. Recaredo Sarmiento, Col. Guillermo Cunanan, Col. Mariano Santiago, Maj. Gen. Melchor Rosales, Col. Alejandro Flores, Brig. Gen. Eliseo Rio Jr., Vice Adm. Emilio Marayag Jr., Gen. Alexander Yano, Gen. Eduardo Oban, Gen. Emmanuel Bautista and Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan (chairman).

Excerpts: “As our nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, let us remember how we Filipinos, more than a century ago, stood up to challenge a much stronger power in order to be freed from subjugation and bullying. Having realized the vital necessity of being united as a people, we zealously guarded and preserved our freedom and independence.

“Today we face a real threat to our nation’s security. China’s transgression of Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights in the WPS, in violation of international law, jeopardizes our future. The vast resources of the WPS present a promise of deliverance for our people. But China is taking that away from us.

“The ANI strongly advocates a rules-based international order and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. We thank the international community for their unambiguous support for this principle.

“Notwithstanding our peaceful overtures, China employs coercion and intimidation to expand and maintain its unlawful presence in the WPS as seen in Julian Felipe Reef, Ayungin Shoal, Panganiban Reef and Bajo de Masinloc. China’s creeping aggression must be stopped.

“Employing ‘gray-zone’ tactics that are short of an armed attack, China uses strong-arm diplomacy, political intervention, legal warfare, informational, financial and economic coercive tools to secure its interests. It seeks to undermine our will to resist and to divide us from our traditional allies and friends.

“Now is the time to unite once again as a people. We must set aside any partisan political agenda and parochial interests. This conflict with China should serve to unify rather than divide us. The protection and defense of our sovereignty and territory is a national obligation.

“Our people should know that an information war is going on that uses psychological, propaganda and media tools to make us believe that their unlawful actions in the WPS are justified – the China narrative. Let us take the side of the Filipino people.

“War is not the only option left in order to defend our sovereignty and sovereign rights. We are not alone. There is a range of diplomatic, legal, informational tools or soft power that can be deftly used. We have allies, partners and friends willing to share the burden to keep a secure, stable and free-flowing trade through the South China Sea.”

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

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Duterte’s 16 M voters ‘stupid’? How not to be fooled next time

Duterte’s 16 M voters ‘stupid’? How not to be fooled next time

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Gotcha

PNA photo of people during the “Salamat PRRD” thanksgiving concert on June 26, 2022.

GOTCHA

written on May 14, 2021

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

A meme revives the 2016 presidential campaign leaflet, “Platform of Government Rodrigo Roa Duterte”. It detailed his “15-Point Legacy Agenda”. No doubt it convinced voters that he’s their man.

But the meme grades each item with a bold red “X” and a comment “2021 na!”:

1. Ending criminalities in 2016,

2. Ending corruption in 2016,

3. Ending illegal drugs and human trafficking in 2016,

4. Ending social injustice in 2017,

5. Judicial reforms in 2017,

6. Global connectivity in 2017,

7. Adapting to climate change by 2017,

8. Ending political turncoat-ism in 2018,

9. Ending insurgency in 2018,

10. Ending political dynasties in 2018,

11. National reconciliation in 2018,

12. Ending poverty in 2018,

13. Ending traffic congestion in the metropolitan areas in 2019,

14. Shift to new form of government in 2019,

15. Economic power in Asia in 2019.

The meme concludes, “-9.5% GDP decline pa!”

His Cabinet may need to explain to President Duterte the 15 flops. Then again, the answer might be with Duterte himself. Did he take those seriously at all?

On TV last Monday Duterte reiterated that his 2016 “jet ski promise” to confront China was a “pure campaign joke” and those who believed him were “stupid.” His words: “Panahon ‘yan sa kampanya ‘yan. At saka ‘yung biro na ‘yun, ‘yung bravado ko, it was a pure campaign joke, at kung naniniwala kayo sa kabila, I would say you are really stupid.”

China’s reef-grabbing was a hot election issue then. Its coastguards were menacing Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea. Damage was evident in the concreting into island-fortresses. Expecting action, voters asked candidates their stand. Duterte dramatized that he’d jet ski to Chinese-occupied Scarborough Shoal, plant the Filipino flag, and declare, “This is ours, so do what you want with me.”

Sixteen million voters believed Duterte’s 15-point plan and toughness against bully-China. They gave him a plurality win over four rivals. Now he calls them dolts.

Duterte hails China as best friend and protector. Yet China still bars tens of thousands of Ilocos, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales and Bataan folk from their traditional Scarborough fishing ground.

Fisherman Carlo Montehermozo of Infanta, Pangasinan, took offense at Duterte’s words. Not only was he among Duterte’s electors. It was also he who asked the five presidential aspirants, during their last of three public debates in 2016, about the Chinese harassment. On Wednesday he told reporters: “Kaming mga mangingisda dito, masama ang loob namin. Ba’t ganoon lang, joke joke lang ‘yong sinabi niya sa akin noon?”

Montehermozo was one of several questioners picked by debate organizers from the audience. His query was not coached, he said. It came from the heart, for he and barrio-mates had experienced being chased away by Chinese gunboats. “Nagpangako siya ng gan’un, tapos hindi niya tinupad.”

“Hindi ako istupidong tao,” Montehermozo said about Duterte’s term for his believers. “Kahit ‘yong hindi nakakapunta ng Scarborough, kahit ‘yong hindi pa nakarating, sinasabi sa akin, ‘Wala na, nag-uulyanin na talaga ‘yong Presidente natin’.”

“Joke joke lang din siya naging presidente natin,” Montehermozo added. Perhaps a new leader in 2022 can help: “Pag-isipan na lang mabuti kung sino talaga ‘yong makakatulong sa atin, sa ating mga kababayan.”

Lawmakers caution Duterte against making light of campaign vows. Magdalo Party Rep. Manuel Cabochan III remarked: “The Filipino people are not stupid. The 16M who voted for Duterte were deceived big time. Duterte intentionally lied to the people. He betrayed their trust. So please do not insult them by calling them stupid. Magaling lang manloko ng tao si Duterte. Nahihirapan na nga ang taumbayan, niloko na, kukutyain pa. Sobra na.”

It’s only on matters of great principle that some people can lie with a clear conscience.

*      *      *

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Voters must avoid being hoodwinked in 2022. Commonsense is key. Discern deeper meanings from a candidate’s words. Examples:

• When a candidate cusses a visiting pope for traffic, it may mean he has no respect for people’s faiths. A curser of any religious leader is a godless bigot.

• If a candidate says he should have been first to gang rape an attractive murdered missionary, it can come from depravity, disrespect for women and disregard for human life and dignity.

• When a candidate incites citizens to “kill criminals”, it may mean distrust in the justice system, good policing and the right to due process.

Choosing the right leader can be made tougher by the more than five candidates for president. For some, it becomes a guessing game like in a beauty or singing contest of who will win, not of who can best serve. The new democratic, patriotic coalition 1Sambayan proposes the acclamation of only one candidate to stand for change. Requiring neuropsychiatric tests would also help; also for candidates to sign their published platforms.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Back out from debate projected Duterte as loser, Carpio as hero

Back out from debate projected Duterte as loser, Carpio as hero

by | Sep 22, 2022 | Gotcha

PNA photo of President Rodrigo Duterte (left) and retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio (right)

GOTCHA

written on May 12, 2021

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

The folly in President Duterte’s challenge to debate Antonio Carpio was that people expected him to back out. Upon announcement of his retreat, friends and foes groaned in texts: “Hay, sabi ko na nga ba!” The Cabinet’s assignment of his spox Harry Roque in his stead only magnified the shame. Memes instantly mocked, “Sa Japan kapag napahiya, nagha-harakiri; sa Pilipinas, nagha-hariroki” and “Biden-POTUS, Duterte-POTSU” (dud). Another, with a photo of potbellied Duterte, counseled that he take back too his threat to slap Albert del Rosario, a taekwondo master and descendant of warrior-martyr Gregorio del Pilar.

A leader does not taunt only to turn tail later. Adding to the months-long hashtag #DutertePalpak, Netizens joined in with new #DuterteDuwag and #DuterteTraydor. Broadcasts from 2003 were reposted online of then-Davao City mayor Duterte daring feisty commentator Waldy Carbonell to a gun duel at a specified date, time and spot at City Hall then not showing up.

Carpio came out a hero. Circulating in social media: “Duterte has made Carpio ‘presidentiable’.”

Soft-spoken, polite and patriotic, the former Supreme Court justice is the opposite of Duterte. For years he has been debunking through facts and law Beijing’s claim to the entire South China Sea. To Beijing’s challenge of “historic rights,” he dug up ancient Chinese maps and records, none of which mention the SCS. On the contrary, old Spanish, Japanese, British and American maps, navigation charts and treaties show the West Philippine Sea overlap in the SCS as Philippine territory. Beijing thus had no right to occupy Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal and concrete seven Philippine reefs in the Spratlys as island-fortresses.

Carpio’s research helped win in July 2016 international arbitration for the Philippines. The Hague court outlawed Beijing’s sea claims. China and Duterte belittled the ruling. Beijing in August 2017 blockaded a ninth Philippine sea-feature, Sandy Cay, within the territorial waters of Kalayaan Island municipality of Palawan.

Cussing Carpio on national TV last Wednesday. Duterte said, “Pareho man tayo abogado. Gusto mo mag-debate tayo?” He enumerated two or three topics. Accusing Carpio of involvement in the withdrawal of Philippine Navy ships from Panatag during the 2012 standoff with China, the President said he would resign if unable to prove it. The 2016 Hague ruling supposedly is trash paper because unenforceable. China reportedly is in possession of the West Philippine Sea. Carpio gladly accepted “the challenge to debate anytime at the President’s convenience.”

It would have been an enlightening exchange. As the Philippine Bar Association said in offering to host the event, “The Filipino public will benefit immensely from a frank and straightforward discussion on a matter that affects the entire citizenry.” Hours later Duterte withdrew. Popping in for his boss, Roque proposed a new set of topics that were not in dispute to begin with.

Had the debate pushed through, Duterte could have been put on the defensive. Carpio would have cited facts:

• Duterte in November 2016 set aside The Hague ruling. A President is bound by law and Constitution to defend sovereign rights in the Philippine exclusive economic zone. Duterte had invoked $24 billion in new Chinese loans. That only less than five percent has materialized to date would have been detailed.

• Duterte in September 2016 limited naval patrols to only territorial waters 12 miles from shore. That left open to Chinese incursions the remaining 188 of the 200-mile EEZ. Unprotected, Filipinos could not fish or survey oil and gas. Territorial waters are only seven percent of the WPS.

• Duterte disclosed in July 2019 a “verbal agreement” with President Xi Jinping since 2016 for Chinese to fish in the WPS. Again unconstitutional, since natural resources are reserved for Filipino citizens and firms.

• Duterte said in the November 2018 ASEAN-India Summit in Singapore, in his 2019 and 2020 State of the Nation Addresses and on TV last Apr. 19, 2021, that “China is in possession of the WPS.” Fact is, China controls only nine reefs, shoals and cays. Freedom-of-navigation patrols by naval powers in the area are unchallenged by China. But conceding possession to China derogates national territory and sovereign rights.

• Duterte in his 2019 State of the Nation announced he is “inutile” in defending territorial seas and EEZ. He surrendered national interest.

Carpio’s alleged role in the Navy’s 2012 departure from Panatag would have been easily disproved. Testimonies, official reports and attendance logs will show him busy then in the judiciary. But people expect Duterte to not stand by his word of honor to resign despite his false accusation.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

* * *

            “Gotcha: An Exposé on the Philippine Government” is available as e-book and paperback. Get a free copy of “Chapter 1: Beijing’s Bullying and Duplicity”. Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE. Book orders also accepted there.

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying

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  • Your IP address
  • Your contact information and email address
  • Other information such as interests and preferences
  • Data profile regarding your online behavior on our website

 

Why We Collect Your Data

We are collecting your data for several reasons:

  • To better understand your needs
  • To improve our services and products
  • To send you promotional emails containing the information we think you will find interesting
  • To contact you to fill out surveys and participate in other types of market research
  • To customize our website according to your online behavior and personal preferences

 

Safeguarding and Securing the Data

jariusbondoc.com is committed to securing your data and keeping it confidential. jariusbondoc.com has done all in its power to prevent data theft, unauthorized access, and disclosure by implementing the latest technologies and software, which help us safeguard all the information we collect online.

 

Our Cookie Policy

Once you agree to allow our website to use cookies, you also agree to use the data it collects regarding your online behavior (analyze web traffic, web pages you spend the most time on, and websites you visit).

The data we collect by using cookies is used to customize our website to your needs. After we use the data for statistical analysis, the data is completely removed from our systems.

Please note that cookies don’t allow us to gain control of your computer in any way. They are strictly used to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not so that we can provide a better experience for you.

If you want to disable cookies, you can do it by accessing the settings of your internet browser.

 

Links to Other Websites

Our website contains links that lead to other websites. If you click on these links jariusbondoc.com is not held responsible for your data and privacy protection. Visiting those websites is not governed by this privacy policy agreement. Make sure to read the privacy policy documentation of the website you go to from our website.

 

Restricting the Collection of your Personal Data

At some point, you might wish to restrict the use and collection of your personal data. You can achieve this by doing the following:

 

  • When you are filling the forms on the website, make sure to check if there is a box which you can leave unchecked, if you don’t want to disclose your personal information.
  • If you have already agreed to share your information with us, feel free to contact us via email and we will be more than happy to change this for you.

 

jariusbondoc.com will not lease, sell or distribute your personal information to any third parties, unless we have your permission. We might do so if the law forces us. Your personal information will be used when we need to send you promotional materials if you agree to this privacy policy.

 

II. COPYRIGHT NOTICE

All materials contained on this site are protected by the Republic of the Phlippines copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of jariusbondoc.com or in the case of third party materials, the owner of that content. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.

However, you may download material from jariusbondoc.com on the Web (one machine readable copy and one print copy per page) for your personal, noncommercial use only.

If you wish to use jariusbondoc.com content for commercial purposes, such as for content syndication etc., please contact us at jariusbondoconline@gmail.com.

Links to Websites other than those owned by jariusbondoc.com are offered as a service to readers. The editorial staff of jariusbondoc.com was not involved in their production and is not responsible for their content.

 

III. TERMS OF SERVICE

 

  1. GENERAL RULES AND DEFINITIONS

 

1.1 If you choose to use the jariusbondoc.com service (the “Service”), you will be agreeing to abide by all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement between you and jariusbondoc.com (“jariusbondoc.com “).

 

1.2 jariusbondoc.com may change, add or remove portions of this Agreement at any time, but if it does so, it will post such changes on the Service, or send them to you via e-mail. It is your responsibility to review this Agreement prior to each use of the Site and by continuing to use this Site, you agree to any changes.

 

1.3 If any of these rules or any future changes are unacceptable to you, you may cancel your membership by sending e-mail to jariusbondoconline.com (see section 10.1 regarding termination of service). Your continued use of the service now, or following the posting of notice of any changes in these operating rules, will indicate acceptance by you of such rules, changes, or modifications.

 

1.4 jariusbondoc.com may change, suspend or discontinue any aspect of the Service at any time, including the availability of any Service feature, database, or content. jariusbondoc.com may also impose limits on certain features and services or restrict your access to parts or all of the Service without notice or liability.

 

  1. JARIUSBONDOC.COM CONTENT AND MEMBER SUBMISSIONS

 

2.1 The contents of the jariusbondoc.com are intended for your personal, noncommercial use. All materials published on jariusbondoc.com (including, but not limited to news articles, photographs, images, illustrations, audio clips and video clips, also known as the “Content”) are protected by copyright, and owned or controlled by jariusbondoc.com or the party credited as the provider of the Content. You shall abide by all additional copyright notices, information, or restrictions contained in any Content accessed through the Service.

 

2.2 The Service and its Contents are protected by copyright pursuant to the Republic of the Philippines and international copyright laws. You may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, reproduce (except as provided in Section 2.3 of this Agreement), create new works from, distribute, perform, display, or in any way exploit, any of the Content or the Service (including software) in whole or in part.

 

2.3 You may download or copy the Content and other downloadable items displayed on the Service for personal use only, provided that you maintain all copyright and other notices contained therein. Copying or storing of any Content for other than personal use is expressly prohibited without prior written permission from jariusbondoc.com or the copyright holder identified in the copyright notice contained in the Content.

 

  1. FORUMS, DISCUSSIONS AND USER GENERATED CONTENT

 

3.1 You shall not upload to, or distribute or otherwise publish on the message boards (the “Feedback Section”) any libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise illegal material.

 

3.2 (a)Be courteous. You agree that you will not threaten or verbally abuse jariusbondoc.com columnists and other jariusbondoc.com community Members, use defamatory language, or deliberately disrupt discussions with repetitive messages, meaningless messages or “spam.”

 

3.2 (b) Use respectful language. Like any community, the Feedback Sections will flourish only when our Members feel welcome and safe. You agree not to use language that abuses or discriminates on the basis of race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual preference, age, region, disability, etc. Hate speech of any kind is grounds for immediate and permanent suspension of access to all or part of the Service.

 

3.2 (c) Debate, but don’t attack. In a community full of opinions and preferences, people always disagree. jariusbondoc.com encourages active discussions and welcomes heated debate in our Feedback Sections. But personal attacks are a direct violation of this Agreement and are grounds for immediate and permanent suspension of access to all or part of the Service.

 

3.3 The Feedback Sections shall be used only in a noncommercial manner. You shall not, without the express approval of jariusbondoc.com, distribute or otherwise publish any material containing any solicitation of funds, advertising or solicitation for goods or services.

 

3.4 You are solely responsible for the content of your messages. However, while jariusbondoc.com does not and cannot review every message posted by you on the Forums and is not responsible for the content of these messages, jariusbondoc.com reserves the right to delete, move, or edit messages that it, in its sole discretion, deems abusive, defamatory, obscene, in violation of copyright or trademark laws, or otherwise unacceptable.

 

3.5 You acknowledge that any submissions you make to the Service (i.e., user-generated content including but not limited to: text, video, audio and photographs) (each, a “Submission”) may be edited, removed, modified, published, transmitted, and displayed by jariusbondoc.com and you waive any moral rights you may have in having the material altered or changed in a manner not agreeable to you. You grant jariusbondoc.com a perpetual, nonexclusive, world-wide, royalty free, sub-licensable license to the Submissions, which includes without limitation the right for jariusbondoc.com or any third party it designates, to use, copy, transmit, excerpt, publish, distribute, publicly display, publicly perform, create derivative works of, host, index, cache, tag, encode, modify and adapt (including without limitation the right to adapt to streaming, downloading, broadcast, mobile, digital, thumbnail, scanning or other technologies) in any form or media now known or hereinafter developed, any Submission posted by you on or to jariusbondoc.com or any other website owned by it, including any Submission posted on jariusbondoc.com through a third party.

 

3.6 By submitting an entry to jariusbondoc.com’s Readers’ Corner, you are consenting to its display on the site and for related online and offline promotional uses.

 

  1. ACCESS AND AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE AND LINKS

 

4.1 jariusbondoc.com contains links to other related World Wide Web Internet sites, resources, and sponsors of jariusbondoc.com. Since jariusbondoc.com is not responsible for the availability of these outside resources, or their contents, you should direct any concerns regarding any external link to the site administrator or Webmaster of such site.

 

  1. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

5.1 You represent, warrant and covenant (a) that no materials of any kind submitted through your account will (i) violate, plagiarize, or infringe upon the rights of any third party, including copyright, trademark, privacy or other personal or proprietary rights; or (ii) contain libelous or otherwise unlawful material; and (b) that you are at least thirteen years old. You hereby indemnify, defend and hold harmless jariusbondoc.com, and all officers, directors, owners, agents, information providers, affiliates, licensors and licensees (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all liability and costs, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees, incurred by the Indemnified Parties in connection with any claim arising out of any breach by you or any user of your account of this Agreement or the foregoing representations, warranties and covenants. You shall cooperate as fully as reasonably required in the defense of any such claim. jariusbondoc.com reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you.

 

5.2 jariusbondoc.com does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement, or other information displayed, uploaded, or distributed through the Service by any user, information provider or any other person or entity. You acknowledge that any reliance upon any such opinion, advice, statement, memorandum, or information shall be at your sole risk. THE SERVICE AND ALL DOWNLOADABLE SOFTWARE ARE DISTRIBUTED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF TITLE OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. YOU HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK.

 

  1. COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN JARIUSBONDOC.COM AND MEMBERS

 

6.1 If you indicate on your registration form that you want to receive such information, jariusbondoc.com, its owners and assigns, will allow certain third party vendors to provide you with information about products and services.

 

6.2 jariusbondoc.com reserves the right to send electronic mail to you for the purpose of informing you of changes or additions to the Service.

 

6.3 jariusbondoc.com reserves the right to disclose information about your usage and demographics, provided that it will not reveal your personal identity in connection with the disclosure of such information. Advertisers and/or Licensees on our Web site may collect and share information about you only if you indicate your acceptance. For more information please read the Privacy Policy of jariusbondoc.com.

 

6.4 jariusbondoc.com may contact you via e-mail regarding your participation in user surveys, asking for feedback on the Website and existing or prospective products and services. This information will be used to improve our Website and better understand our users, and any information we obtain in such surveys will not be shared with third parties, except in aggregate form.

 

  1. TERMINATION

 

 

7.1 jariusbondoc.com may, in its sole discretion, terminate or suspend your access to all or part of the Service for any reason, including, without limitation, breach or assignment of this Agreement.

 

  1. MISCELLANEOUS

 

8.1 This Agreement has been made in and shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the Republic of the Philippines law. Any action to enforce this agreement shall be brought in the courts located in Manila, Philippines.

 

8.2 Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, nothing in this Terms of Service will serve to preempt the promises made in jariusbondoc.com Privacy Policy.

 

8.3 Correspondence should be sent to jariusbondoconline.com.

 

8.4 You agree to report any copyright violations of the Terms of Service to jariusbondoc.com as soon as you become aware of them. In the event you have a claim of copyright infringement with respect to material that is contained in the jariusbondoc.com service, please notify jariusbondoconline.com. This Terms of Service was last updated on November 7, 2020.