09 APRIL 2019 - Copy

NEWS
2
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
Daily Tribune
‘War’ vs enemies of state
The threat — if it was a
threat — was not against
the people but precisely
against the enemies
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industry, corrupt bureaucrats,
greedy politicians, communist
rebels, foreign and local terrorists
and other enemies of the state,”
Panelo said.
The President made the
pronouncement about declaring
a revolutionary war until the end
of his term over the weekend
after he was questioned over his
decision to review government
contracts that he said would be
found onerous.
According to Panelo, Mr.
Duterte “was not threatening the
people on a whim” when he said
he would declare a revolutionary
war if “pushed to the wall.”
I have enough problems
with criminality, drugs,
rebellion and all. If you
push me to my limit, I will
declare a suspension of
writ of habeas corpus and
I will arrest all of you. I
will detain you along with
the criminals, rebels and
drug lords.
The Chief Executive was
referring to the country’s
continuing problem with
illegal drugs — despite the
administration’s unceasing
campaign against narcotics, graft
and corruption in government,
impunity of criminals and the
alleged questionable deals
entered into by the government,
he explained.
These issues frustrate the
President who wants to see
results, he said, adding Mr.
Duterte was just expressing his
right to exercise powers accorded
him by the Constitution to duly
serve and protect the people.
“When the very democratic
institutions are being used to the
detriment of the people and have
become illusory for the people’s
interest, when their safety is
imperiled, when the territorial
integrity is at stake, and when
the enemies of the republic are
bent on bringing it down, then
it becomes the constitutional
duty of the President to use the
powers reposed to him by the
Constitution to quell the attacks
on the people and save the state,”
Panelo said.
“I have enough problems with
criminality, drugs, rebellion and
all. If you push me to my limit,
I will declare a suspension of
writ of habeas corpus and I will
arrest all of you. I will detain you
along with the criminals, rebels
and drug lords,” the President
exclaimed.
Mr. Duterte was not
threatening the people
on a whim when he
said he would declare a
revolutionary war if pushed
to the wall.
“If you give me a hard time, I
will declare a revolutionary war
until the end of my term. Deal
with it,” he added.
“The seeming impunity of
criminals to do their nefarious
trade, the onerous contract
entered into by the government
that prohibited it from
performing government action
protective of the interest of
the people and the communist
rebels’ attacks and ambushes
of military and police personnel
and local government units
and their continuing extortion
activities may have triggered
the President’s statements,”
Panelo said.
The Palace official also
mentioned the “continuing
threat” from terrorists that
endangers the security of the
state and “other acts of its
enemies” that imperil the safety
of the nation as the other issues
that the President wants to
face.
Panelo said it was more of
an exasperated expression
by the President as he
tried to address the
threats imposed by
enemies of the state who
do not want government to
succeed in bringing quality
life to the people.
Calling the Constitution a
“living instrument,” Panelo said
the framers of the country’s
charter “would have not
intended the President to have
without recourse in confronting
any exigency that places the
people’s interest in jeopardy
and their safety in mortal
danger.”
Palace to US solons: Don’t dictate on us
Panelo said the foreign officials should better mind their own business and
focus on their own country’s concerns
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executive officer and executive
editor Maria Ressa dropped.
US Senators Edward Markey
(Massachusetts), Marco Rubio
(Florida), Richard Durbin
(Illinois), Marsha Blackburn
(Tennessee) and Chris Coons
(Delaware) slammed the
Philippine government for what
they called were attempts to
arrest and jail “human rights
defenders and political leaders
who exercise their rights to
freedom of expression.”
It only means one thing,
they don’t like this
administration. They
believe what the opposition
or critics say.
They also condemned the
administration’s alleged hand in
“state-sanctioned extrajudicial
killing by police and other armed
individuals.”
But presidential
spokesman Salvador Panelo
said the foreign officials
should better “mind their
own business” and focus
on their own country’s
concerns.
T h e
Philippines,
Panelo said,
is “not
under
t h e
dominion of the United
States of America or any of
its high-ranking officials.”
“It is an outrageous
intrusion to our nation’s
sovereignty as the subject
cases are now being heard
by our local courts. It only
means one thing; they don’t
like this administration.
They believe what the
opposition or critics
say,” Panelo
said.
“No government official of
any foreign country has the
authority or right to dictate on
how we address the commission
of crimes,” he added.
De Lima, one of President
Rodrigo Duterte’s staunchest
critics in his unrelenting
campaign against narcotics,
is detained at Camp Crame
since February 2017 for allegedly
coddling convicted drug lords at
the national penitentiary while
she was still serving as Secretary
of the Department of Justice.
It was also alleged that
De Lima received campaign
contributions in behalf of the
Liberal Party from the drug lords
who were allowed to continue
with their trade despite their
incarceration.
Ressa, meanwhile, is
entangled with charges of cyber
libel and tax evasion.
The veteran journalist has
repeatedly claimed the cases
against her were meant to curtail
freedom of the press and silence
those who openly criticize the
President’s policies.
Panelo, however, insisted
that De Lima and Ressa’s cases
passed through administrative
and judicial processes before
their respective warrants of
arrest were issued by the courts.
It is an outrageous
intrusion to our nation’s
sovereignty as the subject
cases are now being heard
by our local courts.
“Senator De Lima is no
prisoner of conscience, but rather
a prisoner of no conscience or a
prisoner of her own folly. She is
charged with illegal drug-related
transgressions committed while
she was Justice Secretary. But
(she) thought she could get away
from them by virtue of being a
member of Congress,” he stated.
“Ms. Ressa, on the other hand,
is a high-profile journalist who is
obsessed with hiding behind the
mantle of the freedom of speech
but who is criminally charged
due to her commission of illegal
acts, which include the offense of
tax evasion, breach of our antidummy
laws and violation of our
cyber libel laws,” he reiterated.
He also rebuked claims
regarding the alleged extrajudicial
killings and stressed that the
incidents were absolutely not
state-initiated nor state-sponsored.
THE US Senate building in Washington DC.
The Philippine Army
announced that it
has 5,387 slots
to fill
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on a massive recruitment of
additional personnel.
Army spokesman Lt. Col.
Ramon Zagala revealed that
of the total slots, 4,777 will be
allotted for enlisted personnel,
while 610 will be filled by officials
graduating from the Philippine
Military Academy (PMA).
Some 4,000 Filipino,
3,500 American and 50
Australian troops are
participating in the annual
military maneuvers from 1
to 12 April.
Applicants who will qualify
as privates will get P41,000 in
monthly basic pay and allowance.
New Filipino heroes needed
Those who wish to join the
Army should be natural-born
Filipinos between the ages of 18
and 23 and must have completed
high school or have taken at least
72 units in college and are at
least five feet tall.
The Army has long been in
the forefront of the country’s
defense against external and
internal threats, including those
from the Maoist Communist Party
of the Philippines-New People’s
Army (CPP-NPA), which has been
waging a five-decade protracted
war against the government.
The Army has also been
fighting religious, secessionist
and terror groups in Mindanao.
They should be emulated and
honored alongside the veterans
who have sacrificed their lives to
keep the country glued, Department
of National Defense (DND)
spokesperson Arsenio Andolong
said, even as he reminded the nation
to continue honoring Filipino heroes.
“As we remember our heroes,
let us not forget that they put
their lives on the line when
they were needed and we must
always prepare, just as we are
doing in these exercises with
our allies, for the day when our
nation calls us to action during
disasters or when our freedom
is threatened,” Andolong said
ahead of the celebration of the
Day of Valor.
As we remember our
heroes, let us not forget
that they put their lives
on the line when they were
needed.
Andolong added that this
year’s observance of Araw
ng Kagitingan is made more
meaningful as it coincides with
the annual Balikatan exercises,
with Filipino troops joining
forces with their American and
Australian counterparts.
“This year’s Balikatan is more
meaningful because it coincides
US Marine personnel take the Stryker for a drill during yesterday’s Balikatan exercises with Filipino and Australian
soldiers in Pampanga.
AFP
with our Araw ng Kagitingan,
which commemorates the
courage and sacrifices of Filipino
veterans and our allies, who
valiantly fought side by side to
defend the Philippines during
World War II,” he said.
This year’s Balikatan is
more meaningful because it
coincides with our Araw ng
Kagitingan.
Some 4,000 Filipino, 3,500
American and 50 Australian
troops are participating in the
annual military maneuvers from
1 to 12 April.
Military personnel from the United
Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand,
Japan, Thailand and Vietnam are also
in the country to observe the drills.
Armed Forces of the
Philippines public affairs
office chief Col. Noel Detoyato
remembered the “shared
sacrifices by the Filipino and
American soldiers during World
War II, especially during the
infamous Bataan Death March
(a 140-km trek from Bataan to
Capas) where thousands died
before reaching Capas, Tarlac
(where they were interned).”
Detoyato thanked the joint
troops as they are “together
again in a different situation, like
delivering basic services, training
together to prepare for calamities
and shoulder-to-shoulder in the rigors
of exchanging skills in anti-terrorism
training and exercises.”
Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo,
AFP spokesperson, said this year’s
Balikatan exercises are a tribute to
the Filipino and American troops
who have fallen in defense of
Bataan.
PNA
CANCER patients, health advocates and other stakeholders gather at the
AFP Theatre of the Camp Aguinaldo to celebrate the passage of the National
Cancer Control Act.
ANALY LABOR
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driving while under the
influence of alcohol may result
in an accident and they may
hurt themselves or others.
“That’s better than drunk
driving because it’s safe,”
commented MS.
From CCA: “Very good,
instead of putting your life on
the line.”
From HDDW: “This is the
right one. I hope the same thing
should be done by others. If they
can no longer drive, they should
just rest.”
“It’s obvious they are
drunkards because they both
have big bellies. But what they
did is good. If you can’t drive,
Sleep talk
rest,” posted DA.
From LAR: “I salute you sir.
Even though drunk, you think.”
For such a post coming from
a motorcycle group, it reinforces
the safety tip of not driving when
drunk to avoid a road crash and
loss of life or limb.
Other netizens saw another
story angle in the photos.
They commented that the two
sleepers are true friends for not
leaving each other.
But one observation aptly
sums up why two sleeping
drunkards can become the talk
of the town.
The comment from NCM:
“That’s the power of liquor. It
can make you sleep even on
the road.”