Centrist Democracy Political Institute - Items filtered by date: November 2017
President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed former Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) chief Dionisio Santiago not just for contradicting his statements but due to complaints of alleged junkets abroad and acceptance of favors from drug lords, Malacañang said on Monday.

 

“Santiago was let go not only because of his statements on the mega rehab center, he was let go because of complaints,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing.

 

Citing the complaint, Roque said Santiago allegedly went on a trip to Vienna in Austria, and the United States together with his “mistress,” friends and favorite DDB employees.

 

“He was also being let go because of complaints that General Santiago was using taxpayers’ money for junkets abroad. In addition to bringing family members, Santiago brought six of his closest personnel, including a ‘girl Friday’,” Roque noted.

 

The Palace official said Santiago was also accused of receiving a house from suspected and slain drug lord Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog.

 

INQUIRER.net has sought Santiago’s comment but has yet to respond as of posting time.        /kga
Published in News
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno should just show up and refute the impeachment complaint against her before the House committee on justice on its hearing on Wednesday.

 

“Please tell her to just argue on the merits and appear before the committee on justice,” Alvarez said in a text message on Monday.

 

Alvarez was reacting to Sereno’s earlier interview, where she said that the former may have a hand in the ouster move against the chief magistrate.

Sereno, in a television interview on Monday morning, addressed speculations that Alvarez was behind the impeachment complaint as a way of getting back at her over the case of the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (PIATCO), builder of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport-Terminal 3 (NAIA 3).

 

“I testified against the onerous terms of the contract that was signed between the government and PairCargo (later named Piatco), and Speaker Alvarez at the time was part of the committee that approved the terms of reference for the contract,” Sereno said.

 

Alvarez, she said, was implicated for awarding the Naia 3 build-operate-transfer contract to Piatco when he was senior assistant general manager of Manila International Airport Administration (Miaa).

 

Sereno then said she hoped that the move was not fueled by “vengeance or personal agenda.”

 

Lawyer Larry Gadon, the complainant in Sereno’s impeachment, also challenged her to personally attend the hearing on Wednesday and “refute point by point each of the 27 articles of impeachment which (Gadon) will prove with official documents released by the Supreme Court no less.”

 

“As Chief Justice, she should be brave enough to face my complaints. She should not hide behind her lawyers. I also urge her to refrain from threatening me with perjury because it is she who has been dishonest all these time, not me,” Gadon said. /je
Published in News
Malacañang on Thursday, November 16, extended its gratitude to all Filipinos for their contribution to the “tremendous success” of the Philippines’ hosting of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

 

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in a press briefing, said the country’s Chairmanship of ASEAN 2017 was generally peaceful, orderly, and fruitful, owing to the Filipino people’s support and cooperation.

 

“We’d like to thank everyone, most especially the Filipino people, for the support and cooperation [in] making this event peaceful, orderly, fruitful, and very much a success,” Roque said.

 

He stressed that the success of the momentous event is indicative of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s ability to lead the country towards global recognition.

 

“The world community now recognizes not only the fact that the Philippine President is not just the President of the Philippines, a leader of Southeast Asia, but a recognized leader in the international community,” the Spokesperson said.

 

“And they have also given notice that the Philippines is able to competently host a bidding, a meeting of this scale and scope. And the fact that there was no untoward incident proves that the Philippines is safe to visit,” he added.

 

This year’s ASEAN Summit also set in motion a number of constructive negotiations among ASEAN member states and their dialogue partners, the Cabinet official noted.

 

For one, Roque cited discussions during the Summit, which led to an agreement between ASEAN and China to start formal talks on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the West Philippine Sea. The talks are set to commence early next year, he announced.

 

Roque described this as a “milestone agreement,” stressing that this was the first time claimant countries have agreed to start formal discussions on a CoC that is expected to be legally binding.

 

“I think all the parties want it to be somehow legally binding. Otherwise, if it’s merely aspirational,” Roque said. “I think that was a priority of the President because unless it becomes legally binding, we would not achieve the kind of predictability that all the countries want in order to achieve peace and stability in the region,” he added.

 

Roque further said that there is now easing of tensions in the disputed territories due to the countries’ willingness to adopt a more peaceful resolution to the conflict.

 

The Philippines for its part remains open to conducting bilateral talks with other claimant states, including China, the Spokesperson noted.

 

“President Duterte has been consistent that he is open to bilateral talks as far as resolving the conflict is concerned. He has said it time and again that he does not see any utility in talking to third parties who are not parties to the conflict,” Roque said. ( PCO-Content)
Published in News
Thursday, 16 November 2017 07:09

IS in the Philippines

Part 2 – Marawi aftermath
THE Islamic extremist leaders in the battle of Marawi—Isnilon Hapilon of IS and the Maute brothers Omarkhayam Romato and Abdullah of Dawlah Islamiya—were sent posthaste by the police Special Forces to Jannah with its 72 virgins (for each). But like the multi-headed Hydra of Greek mythology, once chopped off, more heads will regrow; and the current “Caliph” of IS in the Middle East, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has many candidates to choose from.

 

It is estimated that from 2013, 40,000 jihadists from 120 countries joined IS in Iraq and the civil war in Syria. What is disturbing is the approximately 1,000 Southeast Asian, including some from the Philippines, who trained and fought in these arenas. We don’t know how many were killed, but as IS is crushed in these wars and continues to lose territories, especially after the liberation of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, these highly trained and motivated jihadists with their deadly skills are returning to their countries.

 

The ascendancy of IS and the decline in influence of al-Qaida saw the transfer of allegiance by countless terrorist groups to the former. Among them was the Abu Sayyaf (ASG), founded by Abdurajak Janjalani. After his death in 1998 and a series of assassinated successors, the ASG pledged allegiance to IS in 2014. Fighting for an independent Islamic State in Mindanao, it struck an alliance with the Dawlah Islamiyah of the Maute brothers to establish a foothold in Marawi.

 

In the Marawi siege, Philippine intelligence reports said that approximately 500 jihadists joined the battle, of which 80 were thought to be foreign fighters. About a dozen of the dead were identified as coming from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Chechnya, Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia. These survivors from Marawi could apply their murderous skills in other parts of the country. They could regroup and may not be able to do an encore in Marawi, but they could wreak havoc on communities all over the country like Cotabato, Zamboanga, Basilan and the Sulu provinces. What could be replicated are bomb-making skills and placement of improvised explosive devices (IED) and suicide bombers; both were applied with devastating effect against the US led-coalition armies in Iraq. God help us if the same is employed in our cities and populated areas like Metro Manila.

 

But how did our country decline to this condition where the Islamic radicals are threatening to dictate their lethal agenda?

 

Our relations with our Muslim brothers go back centuries. The Crescent Moon and the Star came to the Philippines long before the Cross and the Sword of the Catholic faith were planted in our shores. Predominant in the south, the Moros resisted the Spanish conquistador for centuries, along with the subsequent American and Japanese intrusions. In effect, the Muslims were never a “conquered people.” But the enduring unresolved disputes involved the encroachments of the dominant “Christians” and the other “lowlanders” into their domain, constricting the Moros and their faith into pockets of territories, confined mostly within Mindanao.

 

Redress of these grievances centered on the economic, political, and cultural marginalization of the Moro,s were never seriously addressed by the Christian-dominated central government until the advent of the separatists Moros elevated the political and economic discourse through the articulate language of violence. From the Kamlon Rebellion in Sulu to the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), wars were intermittently fought. But over the decades, the shortsightedness of a highly centralized government exacerbated these conflicts, culminating in President Erap’s “all-out war” that resulted in an ever-escalating mindless quid pro quo of blood for blood.
These conflicts are no longer just confined to the Philippines although the solutions should have been characteristically Filipino. These centuries-old injustices were cloaked and turned deadly with the passionate divergences in faith and culture. Samuel Huntington succinctly describe this in his book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order. He wrote: “The most important distinctions among peoples are no longer ideological, political or economic. They are cultural. New patterns of conflict will occur along the boundaries of different cultures and patterns of cohesion (and) will be found within cultural boundaries”.

 

What at first was a countrywide Philippine problem could not simply be bottled up within national boundaries. It has broken out and taken on regional dimensions permeating Southeast Asia and beyond. Like that of the Middle East and the Levant, violence is a cancer that has metastasized.

 

Tomas Sanford reports: “Many conditions and features in Southeast Asia enable terrorism and insurgency: socioeconomic strain, sectarian friction, small groups of influential religious conservatives, radical ideologies, large archipelagoes and porous borders, preexisting insurgencies, jihadi veterans, permissive immigration rules, and flexible and informal funding networks. And unlike the 1990s and the early 2000s, social media is now everywhere, allowing for easy communications, recruitment, and financial transactions.”

 

But there are also mitigating factors that the DU30 government has in its favor. The two major separatist groups, the MILF and MNLF, with their weapons on stand-down. are assuming a “wait and see” posture and divining the body language of the Deegong government on the moves towards the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that will provide the Muslims a modicum of autonomy in a federal set-up. On the international stage, the Muslim community rejected and condemned terrorist attacks all over the world: the Bali, Indonesian bombing perpetrated by the Jemaah Islamiyah was one example.

 

But patience of even the majority moderate Muslims is running short. What we saw in Marawi are “the consequences of a failure of the Philippine government negotiations with Moro insurgents and the growing IS presence across the region—and ones that may be repeated across this large and restive region. ISIS could come to see this as its primary, extra-regional destination as its fortunes continue to tumble in the Middle East and North Africa.” (Anderson)

 

Before his report to the House committee of foreign affairs’ subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific of the US Congress, Thomas Anderson came up with his conclusion, and I agree with him.

 

“The violence in Marawi is a stark warning of a convergence of several troublesome factors, including an expanding, insurgent-minded IS, radical ideologies, poor (and violent) governance, highly stressed communities, returning and regional foreign fighters, accessible funding, criminal activity, and adept use of social media.”

 

And I might add, we can’t allow the Islamic radicals to arrogate unto itself the initiative to settle the Philippine agenda. Marawi’s rehabilitation will be the country’s focus in the coming months. If it goes the way of the “Yolanda-Haiyan” template, Deegong may as well forget about the BBL, his federalism legacy, and kiss his hold on power goodbye.

 

This article borrows from the testimony of Thomas Anderson, Director and Senior Fellow of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS); and the book ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, by Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan; and Samuel Huntington’s “The Clash of Civilizations”.
Published in LML Polettiques
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte affirmed the strong relationship of the Philippines with the United States during his bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings on Monday, November 13.

 

This is the first formal meeting between the two leaders since they assumed office last year.

 

In their 40-minute discussion, the two leaders touched on matters of mutual interest between the two countries such as trade and economy.

 

According to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who was present during the meeting, the Philippines expressed view of being appreciative of the Generalized System of Preferences and suggested that free trade agreement also be concluded between the US and the Philippines.

 

Roque said the US observed that the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry has become very important in the Philippines promising to find ways to reduce the trade surplus between the two nations.

 

He added that the US will try to work out something to reduce the deficit of trade between the Philippines and China.

 

On improving trade relations, Roque said President Trump singled out the issue on tariffs being imposed on US automobiles while such tariffs are not being imposed on Japanese cars.

 

The Palace official described the meeting between the two leaders as “frank.”
“They affirm the very close ties between the Philippines and the United States,” he said.

 

“President Trump specifically said that he has always been a friend of the Duterte administration unlike the previous administrations of the United States. But he stressed that he can be counted upon as a friend of the Duterte administration,” he added.

 

Roque, meanwhile, said the issue on human rights was not discussed during the meeting.

 

“It was not brought up. It was President Duterte who discussed with US President Trump the drug menace in the Philippines. And the US President appeared sympathetic and did not have any official position on the matter but was merely nodding his head indicating that he understood the domestic problem that we face on drugs,” he said.

 

Duterte also thanked Trump for extending assistance during the Marawi conflict.

 

On a lighter note, Roque said Trump revealed that he made Duterte sing after hearing him humming during the gala dinner hosted by the President for the world leaders on Sunday night.

 

In a short message made by President Trump before the bilateral meeting, he underscored the “great relationship” of the Philippines and US.

 

He lauded President Duterte for the successful hosting of the ASEAN Summit.
“The ASEAN conference has been handled beautifully by the President and the Philippines and your representatives,” he said.

 

“And I really enjoyed being here. The weather is always good. Today it’s pretty good. But one thing about the Philippines eventually it gets good no matter what,” he added.

 

He likewise thanked the Philippines for the hospitality and warm treatment afforded to him and his delegation.

 

“We very much appreciate the great treatment you have given us. I thought last night’s event was fantastic, tremendous talent. Most of them I guess from the Philippines. But tremendous talent. Musical talent, dance talent and we really had a tremendous time, all of the leaders,” Trump said of Sunday’s gala dinner.
“I think on behalf of everybody, I want to thank you and I want to thank the Philippines. Thank you very much,” he said. (PND)
Published in News
DAVAO CITY — Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, seven city officials and two representatives from an environment watchdog will travel to Japan next week to study the USD 70-million Waste-to-Energy(WTE) project which is eyed to improve the city’s waste management.

 

This was announced by the mayor saying that they will be going to Japan upon the invitation of the Japanese firm in the City of Kitakyushu to observe its own WTE operation. It will be an all-expenses paid by the city government of Kitakyushu.

 

The Japanese firm, Nippon Steel, has offered to do the WTE facility which can accommodate about 600 metric tons daily.

 

The project is eyed for a joint venture initiative between Nippon Steel, the city government, and the Kitakyusho City. Duterte-Carpio said the city will be a recipient of a grant from Japan for the implementation of the WTE project.

 

Duterte-Carpio wants to replicate the WTE project considering that the city’s landfill site at New Carmen is already in a critical stage. She said she invited two representatives of the Ecowaste Coalition, which has expressed its opposition to the WTE because it’s reportedly a form of incineration.

 

Incineration is not allowed under the Clean Air Act law. EcoWaste Coalition is a network of community, church, school, environmental and health groups pursuing sustainable solutions to waste, climate change and chemical issues facing the Philippines and the world has called for the city government of Davao to junk the waste to energy incineration proposal.

 

Earlier, City Planning chief Ivan Cortez said the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) is looking new areas in the north and southern part of the city that would measure about 15 hectares each. The site will be allotted for the landfill with 10 hectares and WTE with five hectares.

 

Councilor Marissa Abella backs the WTE as the other answer to the city’s garbage problem since the city is disposing of all garbage in the landfill. Abella said CENRO is collecting 400 to 500 tons of garbage daily.

 

She said the waste-to-energy will collect all residual waste and convert into energy that can be utilized by the households. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
Published in News
Thursday, 09 November 2017 12:35

IS in the Philippines

Part 1 – Genesis of IS
IN the afternoon of May 23, 2017, a joint police and military operation was conducted to serve a warrant of arrest on the terrorist Isnilon Hapilon, leader of the dreaded Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), in what was thought to be merely a walk in the park. A heavy firefight ensued. National security adviser Hermogenes Esperon declared that “the AFP was in full control of the situation.” This was echoed by Armed Forces Chief Gen. Eduardo Año. This was not true! The government forces were clueless. That same evening, the IS flag was flying over parts of Marawi, considered the Philippines’ only Islamic city. It was a total failure of intelligence. DU30 cut short his Moscow state visit and declared martial law in the entire island of Mindanao.

Facts intermittently filtered out through the haze of battle. The Maute, a small terrorist group headed by two brothers led a series of attacks upon the failure of government to arrest Hapilon. This was a different ball game being played by the terrorists as they have shifted strategy; from the usual kidnap-for-ransom (KFR), extortion and bombings to an all-out control of territory. The same strategy the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (IS) employed in Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria. The Maute and ASG combined under the leadership of Hapilon was to establish a caliphate in Marawi under the “Emir” Hapilon. This is the first major incident that saw the emergence of the IS. It was obvious that they have been preparing for months, digging tunnels between houses and buildings and stocking up on guns, ammunition, logistics and even cash.

The government was caught flatfooted and this exacted a terrible toll. Marawi was devastated almost beyond recognition and would take months if not years to rehabilitate costing billions of pesos: 168 military personnel gave up their lives; thousands of “collateral damage” of dead civilians; and hundreds of thousands more displaced Marawi residents called “bakwit.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I hereby declare Marawi liberated, from the terrorists’ influence that marks the beginning of rehabilitation,” Duterte proclaimed on October 17, the 148th day of the Marawi fighting. This prompted former President PNoy to later gloat, comparing statistics. The Mamasapano encounter, on which Pnoy’s reputation was tattered, lasted 24 hours, exacted 44 lives of the Philippine Special Action Force (SAF) that went in to capture the terrorist Zulkifli Abdhir. No city was obliterated and there was minimal displacement of residents.

Al-Qaida and IS
According to a book co-written by US journalist Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan, a Syrian political analyst, the pedigree of IS comes from various strains of faith-based Islamic groups, various terrorist fundamentalists and nationalists of many shades coming from the Levant around the Mediterranean basin.

In the aftermath of al-Qaida’s September 11, 2001 attack on New York’s Twin Towers, America with its NATO allies decided to invade Afghanistan to capture Osama bin Laden and destroy his al-Qaida network. They failed but toppled the terrorist’s sponsor, the Taliban government. Subsequently, a US-led coalition in 2003 invaded Iraq, the region’s sponsor of terrorist groups, although it was not involved in the 9/11 Twin Tower attacks, under the pretext that it had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the fear that it was going to farm these out to international terrorists like al-Qaida.

After the blitzkrieg invasion, Iraq was tragically managed by the conquering armies. The collapse of the Ba’athist government and the execution of President Saddam Hussein produced a vacuum that precipitated sectarian violence between the minority but politically dominant Sunni (Saddam was a Sunni) and the Shias. Saddam’s disappearance from the scene wreaked havoc on the fragile balance of political accommodation that for years had kept the peace between the two major Islamic strands. In the chaos, various Sunni, Shia and other ethnicities formed sectarian militias principally to protect families, clans and tribal interests against the others. The expulsion of the invading US-led Western “infidels, unbelievers and enemies of Islam” (jihad) was a common goal. But later, the appearance of a deadlier extremist Islamic jihadist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, working in tandem at first with Osama bin Laden, expanded Islamic extremism and reoriented their targets. IS champions Sunni minority in Iraq, the persecuted Sunni majority against the Alawite dictatorship in Syria and the encroachment of Russia, the Gulf States and the US, the Shias in Iran and “Iran’s satrapy in Baghdad.”

IS was bent on the elimination of national boundaries, redrawing the map and bringing back the 13th century idea of the Sunni-led caliphate of an Islamic empire “reaching Spain again and defeat the armies of Rome.” IS spokesman Abu Muhamad al-Adnani declared that killing disbelievers abroad, including Muslims allied with the West or against the Islamic State and salafism (irreconcilability of Islamic Faith with western-style democracy and modernity) are core tenets.

The two founders of these deadly Islamic extremist groups were both assassinated by the Americans; al-Zarqawi in 2006 through an F16 laser- guided 500-lb bomb and Osama bin Laden in 2011 by the Special Forces and Seal Team Six. They are now gone but they have spawned a coterie of zealots, a cancer that could metastasize worldwide by establishing franchises swearing their allegiance to IS.

The swift sacking of Mosul, a province in Iraq of two million, and Raqqa, a predominantly Sunni populated city in Syria, redirected the attention of the jihadists towards IS; which reflected the declining influence of al-Qaida’s brand and the ascendancy of IS. Also, Al-Zarqawi understood the power of the marriage of mass media and horror. Images of public televised beheading became the “de rigueur” in its propaganda and recruitment. These tools of terror were employed to establish a pattern for IS to hold territories and their people; although it held these areas only for three years (2014-2017), IS established a modicum of government administration extending public services and even health care for the remaining citizens. It was in Mosul that al-Zarqawi’s heir, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, proclaimed the birth of the Caliphate. But deadlier was the influx of foreign jihadists to Mosul and Raqqa to fight for IS. This was perhaps the IS template for future expansion of the Islamic Caliphate.

This loss in IS territories and the marked contraction of the caliphate produced an unintended chilling effect. Foreign jihadists (those from other Muslim countries outside of Iraq and Syria) heeding the call of the caliphate came in droves to train and fight in Iraq and Syria. The highly trained and motivated survivors may now have to use their deadly skills; skills to bomb, maim and kill, where it is needed most. A new battlefield—in a new country.

Among the dead jihadists in Marawi were those from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Chechnya, Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia. (Part 2—IS in the Philippines—Marawi aftermath)                                                                                                                                                 
Published in LML Polettiques
DAVAO CITY – The Davao City Council committee on Finance, Ways and Means is ready to deliberate on second reading the proposed P7.8 billion budget of the city government for 2018.

 

“The committee will favorably endorse the budget,” said Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, chair of the Committee of City Council Committee on Finance, as his committee already finished conducting hearings.

 

He expected the annual budget for 2018 will further address the social services of the city government and programs under the 10-point development agenda of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

 

Before that, Dayanghirang said the city council needs to approve the city’s Annual Implementing Plan and Local Development and Investment Plan, which is a menu of projects for the next three years.

 

“We can’t put the budget without the investment plan,” according to Dayanghirang.

 

He said 20 percent of the annual implementing plan will be allocated to the different projects of the executive departments.

 

Davao City is one of the billionaire cities in the Philippines.

 

This year, the city has annual budget of P6.9 billion, reflecting an increase of 10.2 percent from 2016 with P6.3 billion. In 2014, the city’s annual budget was P5.1 billion and increased to P5.8 billion in 2015.

 

Dayanghirang said the city council has yet to tackle two supplemental budgets before the year ends. He is not sure though how much the two supplemental budgets amount.

 

Like in 2017, the city’s Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the national coffers will remain the top source of the city’s budget. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
Published in News
Human rights will be a "big subject" at the approaching Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit next week, a Malacañang official said Tuesday.

 

“Mapag-uusapan 'yan, under the leadership of the DSWD. In fact, meron tayong agreement na mapipirmahan ng ating mga leader, ito yung consensus on the human rights of migrant workers around ASEAN,” said Presidential Communications and Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Kris Ablan in an interview on Unang Balita.

 

"Human rights will be a big subject during the ASEAN meetings," he said.
This, despite the attitude of President Rodrigo Duterte towards human rights, something local and international groups have criticized him for.

 

The Philippine government's respect for human rights has been put in question due to the killings associated with Duterte's war on drugs.

 

Ablan said the administration is hopeful the bilateral relationships between the Philippines and the United States will take a turn for the better.

 

Duterte-Trump meet
US President Donald Trump will attend the meetings next week and is expected to hold a bilateral discussion with Duterte.

 

“We are very optimistic sa kalalabasan ng agreement between the Philippines and the United States,” said Ablan.

 

He said Duterte and Trump could talk about “everything under the sun” in their one-on-one meeting, ranging from political security, economic and sociocultural topics.

 

“Tingin ko positibo ang direksyon ng kanilang...kung saan pupunta ang Amerika at Pilipinas under the Trump and Duterte administration dahil they will participate fully during the three-day ASEAN Summit,” he said.

 

Trump is also expected to attend the East Asia Summit, after initially cancelling his participation to the event due to a scheduling issue.

 

Other topics that could be discussed by the world leaders in the Summit are trade agreements and even the territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

 

Ablan said Philippine officials are doing their best to promote equality in terms of trade agreements in the ASEAN region, citing a “homecourt advantage.”

 

“Sinisikap ng head of the economic cluster—si DTI Secretary Lopez—na gawing patas ang mga trade agreements, he said.

 

“That’s the reason why maganda na meron tayong homecourt advantage dahil lahat ng mga miyembro ng ating economic committee ay talagang pinupursige na dapat iyong mga bilateral agreements between our economic partners as well as our member states are equal amongst members,” he added.

 

Benefits of ASEAN Summit
But how can the ordinary Filipino benefit from the ASEAN Summit?

 

Ablan said traders—those in hotel and car rental industries, for example—have seen increased business due to the several ASEAN meetings held in the country throughout the year.

 

Students can enjoy educational forums in different parts of the country, he added.

 

Ablan also claimed travel and goods between and among the ASEAN countries have dropped in price due to agreements reached in meetings such as the series that will occur next week.

 

study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies released in April this year said Filipinos are “moderately familiar” of the ASEAN and “modestly identify” as ASEAN citizens.

 

The ASEAN is composed of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. —Nicole-Anne Lagrimas/ALG, GMA News
Published in News
Malaysian terrorist Amin Baco is the new emir of ISIS in Southeast Asia, Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said Monday.

 

Dela Rosa said this was the information they got from arrested Indonesian terrorist Mohammad Ilham Syahputra.

 

“We received report na si Amin Baco na ang pumalit kay Isnilon Hapilon. Malaysian terrorist. E pwedeng umalis na sila dito,” he said in a press conference where he presented Syahputra.

 

“Si Amin Baco, leader hindi lang sa remaining Maute but as an emir of Southeast Asia ISIS,” he added.

 

He said Syahputra admitted that he was with Baco when they attacked Piagapo in Lanao del Sur.

 

Deputy Director General Fernando Mendez Jr, head of PNP Directorate for Operations, said Baco was one of the longest staying terrorists in the country.
“Nu'ng andun si Marwan (Zulkifli bin Hir) sa Lanao, andun siya (Baco). Sa Mamasapano andun din siya nakatira pero malayo lang siya sa pwesto ni Marwan,” he said. —KG, GMA News
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