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The Philippine president threatened to shut down major telecom operators and said Beijing “is in possession” of the South China Sea.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday defended his administration’s reaction to COVID-19 and pledged to fight the pandemic with the “same fervor” as his infamous war on drugs, as the number of cases in the country has risen to 82,040 and nearly 2,000 deaths.
Duterte, in his annual State of the Country address, also took aim at “oligarchs,” adding the owners of the recently shuttered broadcasting giant ABS-CBN, calling himself a “victim” of their alleged opposition to his 2016 presidential campaign. The spokesperson had in the past called the president “completely neutral” on the recent congressional resolution rejecting the renewal of the chain’s franchise.
The speech comes amid growing fears about the Philippines’ stagnant economy, as well as local and foreign complaints about rights abuses committed by the military and police forces in the wake of a new and debatable anti-terrorism law.
Dozens of demonstrators were arrested ahead of the speech, including five members of a progressive transportation organization and five others wearing protest cloths while in a jeepney. No entry permits have been issued for mass gatherings in Metro Manila, which remain prohibited with the exception of the University of the Philippines Campuses in Diliman, Quezon City.
In Cavite, on the outskirts of the capital, another 64 people on their way to a protest were released Monday night after being arrested around noon.
Duterte’s speech began with a crackdown on ABS-CBN homeowners in the first five minutes, and then the president threatened to shut down the country’s two largest telecommunications corporations if they didn’t “improve” by December.
His repeated condemnations of “oligarchs,” as well as an economic stimulus plan that remains sparsely detailed, have led to rebukes from business teams and analysts concerned that takeover threats and uncertainty may give would-be investors pause.
Duterte also said he had asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to give the Philippines priority access to a COVID-19 vaccine if it developed one and reiterated his preference for maintaining friendly diplomatic relations with Beijing. “Unless we are in a position to go to war, we don’t want to go to war. “
He also deviated from the script by claiming that Beijing “is in possession” of the South China Sea and dismissed complaints that his government had not done enough to protect the Philippines’ claims in the disputed region.
“China is demanding it. We demand it. China has the guns. We don’t have them,” Duterte said. So, it’s as undeniable as that. They own the property. . . So what can we do?
Duterte has rejected a plan for the U. S. to return to its former naval base in Subic Bay, saying he fears “war will break out” if the U. S. restores its bases in the Philippines.
“I have nothing against the United States Unidos. No I have nothing against China,” he said. “But if you lay a foundation here, you’re doubling down on something maximally destructive. “
Duterte ended a key military agreement with the United States in February, though he returned to it by postponing its termination in June. This agreement allows U. S. forces to provide in the Philippines and participate in joint training with Philippine troops.
It was one of several tangents the president used in his speech, which Cabinet officials had previously said would focus on the response to the pandemic and the administration’s stimulus package.
Duterte said the Philippines, which has instituted one of the world’s strictest lockdowns, is not yet in a position to reopen the economy to its previous levels. Whatever intelligent it can produce will only be absorbed or counteracted by the evil it will generate,” he said.
He called on Congress to approve spending to supply the hardest-hit businesses, adding corporate tax cuts, as well as task education systems for Filipino personnel returning abroad, deferrals of rent and bank loan payments, and more monetary assistance to deficient citizens.
Duterte’s reaction to COVID-19 has sparked complaints about the heavy involvement of the armed and police forces tasked with enforcing quarantine rules. Critics say this has led to human rights violations, which could worsen under the new anti-terrorism law.
The president, however, rejected the idea, vowing to continue his fatal war on drugs and calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty by lethal injection for drug-related crimes. “If you go back to your old ways, the corpses will pile up. “”Go back to the way you came back,” he said. I’m going to stop by to hunt you down. “
Duterte, after calling on citizens to lend a hand to the government in its reaction to COVID-19, called on the country to “fight this pandemic with the same fervor as our crusade against illegal drugs, crime, insurgency and the upper echelons. “
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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday defended his administration’s reaction to COVID-19 and pledged to fight the pandemic with the “same fervor” as his infamous war on drugs, as the number of cases in the country has risen to 82,040 and nearly 2,000 deaths.
Duterte, in his annual State of the Country address, also took aim at “oligarchs,” adding the owners of the recently shuttered broadcasting giant ABS-CBN, calling himself a “victim” of their alleged opposition to his 2016 presidential campaign. The spokesperson had in the past called the president “completely neutral” on the recent congressional resolution rejecting the renewal of the chain’s franchise.
The speech comes amid growing fears about the Philippines’ stagnant economy, as well as local and foreign complaints about rights abuses committed by the military and police forces in the wake of a new and debatable anti-terrorism law.
Dozens of demonstrators were arrested ahead of the speech, including five members of a progressive transportation organization and five others wearing protest cloths while in a jeepney. No entry permits have been issued for mass gatherings in Metro Manila, which remain prohibited with the exception of the University of the Philippines Campuses in Diliman, Quezon City.
In Cavite, on the outskirts of the capital, another 64 people on their way to a protest were released Monday night after being arrested around noon.
Duterte’s speech began with a crackdown on ABS-CBN’s owners in the first five minutes, and then the president threatened to shut down the country’s two largest telecommunications corporations if they didn’t “improve” by December.
His repeated condemnations of “oligarchs,” as well as an economic stimulus plan that remains sparsely detailed, have led to rebukes from business teams and analysts concerned that takeover threats and uncertainty may give would-be investors pause.
Duterte also said he had asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to give the Philippines priority access to a COVID-19 vaccine if it developed one and reiterated his preference for maintaining friendly diplomatic relations with Beijing. “Unless we are in a position to go to war, we don’t want to go to war. “
He also deviated from the script by claiming that Beijing “is in possession” of the South China Sea and dismissed complaints that his government had not done enough to protect the Philippines’ claims in the disputed region.
“China is demanding it. We demand it. China has the guns. We don’t have them,” Duterte said. So, it’s as undeniable as that. They own the property. . . So what can we do?
Duterte rejected a plan for the U. S. to return to its former naval base in Subic Bay, saying he feared “war would break out” if the U. S. re-established its bases in the Philippines.
“I have nothing against the United States Unidos. No I have nothing against China,” he said. “But if you lay a foundation here, you’re doubling down on something maximally destructive. “
Duterte ended a key military agreement with the United States in February, though he returned to it by postponing its termination in June. This agreement allows U. S. forces to provide in the Philippines and participate in joint training with Philippine troops.
It was one of several tangents the president used in his speech, which Cabinet officials had previously said would focus on the response to the pandemic and the administration’s stimulus package.
Duterte said the Philippines, which has instituted one of the world’s strictest lockdowns, is not yet in a position to reopen the economy to its previous levels. Whatever intelligent it can produce will only be absorbed or counteracted by the evil it will generate,” he said.
He called on Congress to approve spending to supply the hardest-hit businesses, adding corporate tax cuts, as well as task education systems for Filipino personnel returning abroad, deferrals of rent and bank loan payments, and more monetary assistance to citizens in need.
Duterte’s reaction to COVID-19 has sparked complaints about the heavy involvement of the armed and police forces tasked with enforcing quarantine rules. Critics say this has led to human rights violations, which could worsen under the new anti-terrorism law.
The president, however, rejected the idea, vowing to continue his fatal war on drugs and calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty by lethal injection for drug-related crimes. “If you go back to your old ways, the corpses will pile up. “”Go back to the way you came back,” he said. I’m going to stop by to hunt you down. “
Duterte, after calling on citizens to lend a hand to the government in its reaction to COVID-19, called on the country to “fight this pandemic with the same fervor as our crusade against illegal drugs, crime, insurgency and the upper echelons. “
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday defended his administration’s reaction to COVID-19 and pledged to fight the pandemic with the “same fervor” as his infamous war on drugs, as the number of cases in the country has risen to 82,040 and nearly 2,000 deaths.
Duterte, in his annual State of the Country address, also took aim at “oligarchs,” adding the owners of the recently shuttered broadcasting giant ABS-CBN, calling himself a “victim” of their alleged opposition to his 2016 presidential campaign. The spokesperson had in the past called the president “completely neutral” on the recent congressional resolution rejecting the renewal of the chain’s franchise.