Philippines news and discussion thread

weatheriscool
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Philippines news and discussion thread

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Philippines' Duterte threatens unvaccinated people with arrest
Source: CTV

MANILA -- Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday people who have not taken COVID-19 shots will be arrested if they disobey stay-at-home orders as infections hit a three-month high.

Duterte in an televised address to the nation said he was asking community leaders to look for unvaccinated people and make sure they were confined to their homes.

"If he refuses, if he goes out his house and goes around the community, he can be restrained. If he refuses, the captain is empowered now to arrest recalcitrant persons," Duterte said.

Daily coronavirus infections in the Philippines hit the highest since Sept. 26 at 17,220 cases on Thursday, the health ministry said, including those caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Read more: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavir ... -1.5729850
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Philippines, US Militaries Begin Large-Scale Joint Exercises
by Aie Balagtas See and JC Gotinga
March 29, 2022

https://www.eurasiareview.com/29032022- ... exercises/

Introduction:
(Eurasian Review) The Philippines and the United States kicked off one of their largest-ever joint exercises Monday with officials saying they hoped it would convey a message of strong bilateral military ties in the face of maritime challenges from China.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the exercises called Balikatan, which means “shoulder-to-shoulder” in Tagalog, “marks another milestone in the enduring alliance” between the two countries. The drills will end on April 8.

“This year’s Balikatan exercise is no ordinary iteration because it is the largest edition ever held, with almost 9,000 participants from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Indo-Pacific Command,” Lorenzana said in his opening remarks read out by his assistant at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

“We are, thus, sending a message to the world that the alliance between our countries is stronger than ever and that we remain committed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in response to the evolving security challenges that face both our nations and the region,” Lorenzana said.

The 37th edition of the annual exercise under the countries’ Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) is designed to enhance force capability and strengthen cooperation in maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban operations, aviation operations, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, according to organizers.
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caltrek
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Philippines: Xi, Duterte Agree To ‘Positive Engagements’ Over South China Sea
by Camille Elemia
April 9, 2022

https://www.eurasiareview.com/09042022- ... china-sea/

Introduction:
(Eurasian Review) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed during a bilateral meeting on Friday to remain “committed to broaden the space for positive engagements” in dealing with disputes over the South China Sea.

The telephone summit between the two leaders took place the same day the Philippines and the United States wrapped up two weeks of war games, which were among the biggest between both allies. The scenarios included the defense of an isolated island from foreign invaders.

In their phone call, Duterte and Xi “stressed the need to exert all efforts to maintain peace, security and stability in the South China Sea by exercising restraint, dissipating tensions and working on a mutually agreeable framework for functional cooperation,” Duterte’s office said in a statement.

“Both leaders acknowledged that even while disputes existed, both sides remained committed to broaden the space for positive engagements which reflected the dynamic and multidimensional relations of the Philippines and China,” it said.
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Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte Blocks Bill to Register Social Media Users
April 15, 2022

https://www.courthousenews.com/philippi ... dia-users/

Introduction:
(AFP via Courthouse News) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has rejected a proposed law requiring social media users to register their real names and phone numbers, citing threats to free speech and privacy, his spokesman said Friday.

The legislation, designed to combat fake news, online abuse, text scams and militant bombings, also required mobile phone users to provide their personal details when buying SIM cards.

It was approved by both houses of Congress in February, but critics said it was a form of state surveillance.

While supporting efforts to tackle cybercrime and other online offenses, Duterte said he opposed the inclusion of social media user registration in the bill.

He called for “a more thorough study” of the provision, citing concerns it could lead to “dangerous state intrusion and surveillance threatening many constitutionally protected rights” such as individual privacy and free speech, presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said in a statement.
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The Son of a US-Backed Dictator Is the Favorite in the Philippines’ Upcoming Election
by Dan Spinelli
April 25, 2022

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/20 ... ns-imelda/

Introduction:
(Mother Jones) When Filipinos elect a new president next month, polls suggest they will select a man with a familiar name. Front-runner Ferdinand Marcos Jr., known by the nickname “Bongbong,” is the son and namesake of the brutal dictator who ruled the island nation for two decades before a popular demonstration forced him out.

Since Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda, fled the Philippines in 1986, their family has crept back into politics and began systematically whitewashing his tyrannical regime. With more than 50 percent of support in the most recent polls, Marcos Jr. is set to complete that process—to the horror of the Filipinos who survived his parents’ violent crackdowns on dissent.

The Marcos family history reads almost like a collection of tall tales. Ferdinand Marcos grew up in an influential family—his father was a member of the state legislature—and he first became famous as a college student after a judge convicted him of murdering his father’s political rival. The charge was eventually overturned, part of a decades-long trend in which, as the New York Times put it, the Marcoses have been “remarkably adept at avoiding jail time.”

Marcos became president in 1965, quickly becoming a key Cold War ally of the United States even as his rule turned more despotic. In 1972, he declared martial law, jailing and torturing dissidents while he and Imelda plundered the national treasury. By the time a popular resistance movement, known as the People Power Revolution, forced the Marcos family from power in 1986, they had amassed a nearly $10 billion fortune despite Ferdinand Marcos never collecting a salary greater than $14,000 a year. As Human Rights Watch noted, a commission once estimated that his government “killed more than 3,000 people and tortured thousands of others.”
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caltrek wrote: Mon Apr 25, 2022 2:56 pm The Son of a US-Backed Dictator Is the Favorite in the Philippines’ Upcoming Election
by Dan Spinelli
April 25, 2022

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/20 ... ns-imelda/

Introduction:
(Mother Jones) When Filipinos elect a new president next month, polls suggest they will select a man with a familiar name. Front-runner Ferdinand Marcos Jr., known by the nickname “Bongbong,” is the son and namesake of the brutal dictator who ruled the island nation for two decades before a popular demonstration forced him out.

Since Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda, fled the Philippines in 1986, their family has crept back into politics and began systematically whitewashing his tyrannical regime. With more than 50 percent of support in the most recent polls, Marcos Jr. is set to complete that process—to the horror of the Filipinos who survived his parents’ violent crackdowns on dissent.

The Marcos family history reads almost like a collection of tall tales. Ferdinand Marcos grew up in an influential family—his father was a member of the state legislature—and he first became famous as a college student after a judge convicted him of murdering his father’s political rival. The charge was eventually overturned, part of a decades-long trend in which, as the New York Times put it, the Marcoses have been “remarkably adept at avoiding jail time.”

Marcos became president in 1965, quickly becoming a key Cold War ally of the United States even as his rule turned more despotic. In 1972, he declared martial law, jailing and torturing dissidents while he and Imelda plundered the national treasury. By the time a popular resistance movement, known as the People Power Revolution, forced the Marcos family from power in 1986, they had amassed a nearly $10 billion fortune despite Ferdinand Marcos never collecting a salary greater than $14,000 a year. As Human Rights Watch noted, a commission once estimated that his government “killed more than 3,000 people and tortured thousands of others.”

How exactly is he a dictator if he is democratically elected and gives up power once his term is over? How exactly is he a dictator if his nations legislative body has more power then him and he has to pass bills through it to move his beliefs forward. Just because he is killing drug dealers and scum doesn't exactly make him a dictator! I wish our president would kill all the leaders of the cartels that are killing our children with drugs and invading our nation on a daily basis.

Not even in the roman republic sense is he a dictator. I'd have more power.
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Dictator's Son a Front-Runner as Filipinos Elect Next Leader
Source: Associated Press

Filipinos began voting for a new president on Monday with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of reforms and human rights as top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the strongman ousted in a 1986 army-backed “People Power” uprising, has led pre-election surveys with a seemingly insurmountable lead. But his closest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, has tapped into shock and outrage over the prospect of another Marcos recapturing the seat of power and harnessed an army of campaign volunteers to underpin her candidacy.

Eight other candidates, including former boxing star Manny Pacquiao, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and former national police chief Sen. Panfilo Lacson have lagged far behind in voter-preference surveys.

The winner will take office on June 30 for a single, six-year term as leader of a Southeast Asian nation hit hard by two years of COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns.
Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/artic ... ext-leader
weatheriscool
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Marcos set for landslide win in Philippine presidential election
Source: Nikkea Asia
MANILA -- Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the late Philippine dictator, is set to win the country's presidency by a landslide, in a remarkable reversal of fortunes for a political dynasty that 36 years ago was ousted by the "People Power" revolution.

Marcos is on course to secure around 60% of the vote in Monday's election, giving him the strongest mandate for president since his father's rule.

As of 11:24 p.m. and with votes counted from 77.32% of precincts, Marcos has 25.05 million votes, according to multiple local media outlets that cite data from the election commission late on Monday. His closest opponent, Vice President Leni Robredo, was on 11.92 million votes.

Marcos' win concludes a decadeslong effort by his family to reclaim power after the 1986 mass uprising, which abruptly ended his father's 20-year rule and forced the Marcoses into exile in Hawaii until the early 1990s.
Read more: https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Philip ... l-election
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weatheriscool wrote: Mon May 09, 2022 6:07 pm Marcos set for landslide win in Philippine presidential election
Source: Nikkea Asia
MANILA -- Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the late Philippine dictator, is set to win the country's presidency by a landslide, in a remarkable reversal of fortunes for a political dynasty that 36 years ago was ousted by the "People Power" revolution.

Marcos is on course to secure around 60% of the vote in Monday's election, giving him the strongest mandate for president since his father's rule.

As of 11:24 p.m. and with votes counted from 77.32% of precincts, Marcos has 25.05 million votes, according to multiple local media outlets that cite data from the election commission late on Monday. His closest opponent, Vice President Leni Robredo, was on 11.92 million votes.

Marcos' win concludes a decadeslong effort by his family to reclaim power after the 1986 mass uprising, which abruptly ended his father's 20-year rule and forced the Marcoses into exile in Hawaii until the early 1990s.
Read more: https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Philip ... l-election
Hmm, are you sure he won't become a dictator as well?
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caltrek
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weatheriscool wrote: Mon Apr 25, 2022 3:50 pm
caltrek wrote: Mon Apr 25, 2022 2:56 pm The Son of a US-Backed Dictator Is the Favorite in the Philippines’ Upcoming Election
by Dan Spinelli
April 25, 2022

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/20 ... ns-imelda/
...

How exactly is he a dictator if he is democratically elected and gives up power once his term is over? How exactly is he a dictator if his nations legislative body has more power then him and he has to pass bills through it to move his beliefs forward. Just because he is killing drug dealers and scum doesn't exactly make him a dictator! I wish our president would kill all the leaders of the cartels that are killing our children with drugs and invading our nation on a daily basis.

Not even in the roman republic sense is he a dictator. I'd have more power.
You pose a good question. Some of it has to do with due process. Killing "leaders of the cartels that are killing our children with drugs" without due process is a threat to democracy. It can become too easy to also use such methods against political opponents who have nothing to do with peddling harmful drugs. Also, I think that the following article very much addresses your question, although perhaps only in an indirect manner.

A Member of the Marcos Family is Returning to Power – Here’s What it Means for Democracy in the Philippines
by Adrian De Leon
(The Conversation) Some 36 years after the People Power Revolution restored democracy to the Philippines, a member of perhaps the most brutal and corrupt political dynasties in the nation’s memory is set to return to the Philippine presidency.

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., has won the presidential election, according to preliminary results. It will return him to the Malacañang Palace where he lived as a child and from which his parents fled in 1986. His running mate, Sara Duterte, the daughter of current President Rodrigo Duterte, is also set to win the vice presidency by a landslide.

Both candidates hail from political dynasties with long histories of abuses of power. The human rights offenses of the first Marcos regime, from 1965 to 1986, are well documented, involving an estimated 3,257 deaths and over 50,000 victims who were tortured and detained during the martial law period alone. Also well documented is the estimated US$10 billion Marcos plundered.

Meanwhile, the outgoing Duterte administration is notorious for its so-called “war on drugs,” during which his infamous death squads killed more than 6,200 as of 2022.

The election has been mired in tax scandals, bureaucratic corruption and voter suppression.
Read more here: https://theconversation.com/a-member-of ... nes-182503
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