20 NOVEMBER 2018

NEWS
2
Tuesday, 20 November 2018
Daily Tribune
Belt, Road, Build
The two leaders have
worked hard to make
the WPS a sea of
peace, friendship and
cooperation
From page 1
Golden era begins
The envoy said PROC is ready
to work with the Philippines to
help and support each other and
jointly move forward towards
a new golden era of the two
countries’ relations.
Xi’s visit has far-reaching
significance and it will be a
milestone for stronger and closer
relations between the two
countries.
Practical cooperation
in all fields between the
two sides has started to
resume and bilateral
relations are entering
a brand-new period,
Zhao said.
He said Xi and
Duterte will exchange
“in-depth views over
issues of common
concern and map
out a new blueprint
to develop the two
countries’ ties.”
He pointed
out that Xi and
Duterte have
met several
times before
and forged a
solid working
relationship
and strong
personal
friendship.
W i t h
political
wisdom, the
two leaders
have reached
important
consensus that
the West Philippine
Sea (WPS) issue should
be handled through dialogue and
consultations, he said.
The two leaders have
worked hard to make the WPS
a sea of peace, friendship and
cooperation, Zhao added.
“We hope that the two
countries could set a fine
example on dealing with the
WPS issue,” Zhao said.
Xi sked out
As major thoroughfares will
be temporarily closed while
school and work in government
offices in Manila have been
suspended in time for Xi’s state
visit, Malacañang has released
the official schedule for the
duration of the leader’s stay.
Xi’s stop in Manila, the first
for a sitting Chinese leader in
13 years, will be highlighted by
the official welcome ceremony
at the Palace to be led by Mr.
Duterte followed by an expanded
bilateral meeting by the two
heads of state.
The Chinese leader’s schedule
as released by the Presidential
Communications Operations
Office (PCOO) would have him
arriving today at the Ninoy
Aquino International Airport
(NAIA).
We hope that the two
countries could set a fine
example on dealing with
the WPS issue.
Xi will lead a wreath-laying
ceremony at Rizal Park before
attending an official welcome
ceremony in Malacañang.
He would then hold an
expanded bilateral meeting
with Mr. Duterte and Cabinet
members and witness the signing
of exchange of agreements on the
same day.
A state banquet with
ceremonial toasts will be held in
the evening
On Wednesday, 21 November,
Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
and Senate President Vicente
Sotto III will pay a courtesy call
on Xi at the Makati Shangri-La,
Manila.
He will also meet with
leaders of the Filipino-Chinese
community on his final day
before leaving for PROC.
As instructed by Malacañang,
exact times of the scheduled
activities were not included for
security reasons.
Firming of ties
Xi’s visit is a “turning point”
for both countries’ histories. This
would be the first state visit of a
Chinese president since Hu Jin
Tao in 2005, reciprocating a state
visit made by Duterte last year.
“The Chinese leader’s visit
to the Philippines marks an
opportunity to further strengthen
and sustain our bilateral relations
with the foreign country, which
surged forward under the
visionary leadership of President
Duterte,” presidential spokesman
Salvador Panelo said.
He also stressed Xi and
PROC’s continued efforts in
promoting peace and stability
in the region “through dialogues
and consultations in handling the
WPS issue” to ensure a peaceful
resolution to the territorial
matters of the contested
waterway.
“Indeed, amity solves
international disputes and even
forges a more powerful alliance
between both countries against
threats to security, including
terrorism, violent extremism,
criminality and the drug menace,”
stated Panelo.
Table economic deals
Economic partnership and
the WPS dispute are among the
key issues the senators wanted
President Duterte to tackle with
Xi during his visit.
Senators Panfilo Lacson and
Sonny Angara cited the possible
joint oil exploration in the WPS as
a topic amid the much-improved
bilateral relationship between
the Philippines and PROC.
Angara also wanted to
expedite projects pursued by
the Duterte administration with
Chinese support.
He said this should cover “any
possible partnership with respect
to WPS since relations seem to
be going well the past few years
and also the fast tracking of
infrastructure projects all over
the country.”
“These would be among
the most pressing and possibly
fruitful discussions they could
have,” he added.
On the other hand, Lacson
said Mr. Duterte could tackle
the planned joint exploration of
minerals in the disputed WPS
with PROC.
This would be the first
state visit of a Chinese
president since Hu Jin
Tao in 2005.
“China is pretty excited
about the possibility of joint
exploration,” Lacson said.
Senate Minority Leader
Franklin Drilon said, apart from
the WPS issue, he hopes the
President will bring up with
Xi the apparent delays in the
release of Chinese loans and
investment pledges.
Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito
echoed Drilon’s sentiments,
stressing that PROC should
clarify that there should be no
strings attached to loans granted
to the Philippines.
“China claims to be a friend.
They want to do a lot of our
big projects. Our worry is that
if there are strings attached.
They also have to clarify,” said
Ejercito, citing the terms of what
Japan is extending to Manila
via its Overseas Development
Assistance.
“The Japan package is really
friendly. On the Chinese side,
they have to be friendly also.
Hopefully, there are no strings
attached,” he added.
Shared principle Presidents Rodrigo Duterte and Xi Jinping stand side by side on the
Asian way of mutual trust and respect in resolving differences in the region.
AFP
From page 1
Full-scale
drugs war on
Government offices,
agencies and
instrumentalities
should immediately
mobilize assets and take
an active role in the
campaign
his plan in a lecture in Malacañang
to employ the entire resources
of government for the war
against drugs.
Before members of the
Filipino community in
Papua New Guinea, Mr.
Duterte vowed to solve
the narcotics problem
before he steps down
from office.
Under Memorandum Circular
53, signed by Executive
Secretary Salvador Medialdea
on 12 November, Mr. Duterte
directed “all government offices,
agencies and instrumentalities,
including GOCC and SUC, to
immediately mobilize their
assets and take an active role
in the government’s anti-illegal
drugs campaign, in accordance
with their respective mandates.”
Do you know why drugs is
hard to stop? Because it’s
money and it’s very hot.
The memorandum stated that
the drug problem continues to
degrade the moral fiber of society
as it undermines the rule of law
and that it had evolved into a
national security problem.
Policy issue
It also recognized the
policy of the State to pursue
an effective campaign
against trafficking and use
of dangerous drugs through
an integrated system of
planning, implementation
and enforcement of anti-illegal
drug abuse policies, programs
and projects.
Now at the forefront of
the anti-drugs crackdown
are the Dangerous Drugs
Board and the Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency.
Before members of the
Filipino community in Papua
New Guinea, Mr. Duterte vowed
to solve the narcotics problem
before he steps down from
office.
“I have three years
remaining. I hope that I can
put in place something,” the
President said.
“Do you know why drugs
are hard to stop? Because it’s
money and it’s very hot,” he
explained, saying that several
police personnel were drug
coddlers themselves.
The drug problem
continues to degrade the
moral fiber of society as it
undermines the rule of law.
Constant efforts
Last year, Mr. Duterte issued
Executive Order (EO) 15, creating
the Inter-Agency Committee
on Anti-Illegal Drugs and the
National Anti-Illegal Drug Task
Force to address the drug
problem.
Section 4 of EO 15 provides
the National Anti-Illegal Drug
Task Force composed of
members of law enforcement
agencies, including members
of the institutions called upon
for assistance, shall undertake
sustained anti-illegal drug
operations.
EO 66, meanwhile,
institutionalized the Philippine
Anti-Illegal Drugs Strategy
by directing all government
offices, including GOCC and
SUC, to implement the strategy.
Kristina Maralit
From page 1
posts of photos of newly paved
roads, a mini desalination plant
in Carnaza, a tourism information
center and restroom in the Port of
Maya, a community stage, water
pipelines, daycare center, street
lights, newly roofed old public
market, perimeter fence, well,
tombs and a chapel in the public
Facebooking mayor
cemetery, wastewater treatment
facility and improvements in the
municipal hall building.
He also posted a message
explaining his absence from
office as a tactic to win a fight.
The post of Loot, who was
reportedly named by President
Rodrigo Duterte as a coddler
of druglords, read: “I am not
in hiding but I preferred to lay
low and limit my exposure for
security reasons as I perform my
job away from the prying eyes of
interested parties.”
Loot also said in the post that
he is doing his job.
“Leadership may sometimes be
unseen but it should always be felt.
And the manner the governance
is effectively working in DB at
present, that is an assurance that
they have a leader who knew his
job, did his job, did his job well
and did it with lots of difference,”
read his post.
The Facebook mayor, however,
may have to work harder in
reaching out to his constituents.
There are more than 85,000
people in Daanbantayan but his
Facebook followers are only more
than 3,000.
They never learn Metropolitan Manila Development Authority enforcers haul equipment of sidewalk vendors in the notoriously chaotic flea market area
of Baclaran during operations held periodically to clear obstructions to vehicle traffic.
RAFAEL TABOY