Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Monday, May 20, 2024.
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READ: Chinese ships swarm Julian Felipe Reef
CHINA is poised to take effective control of Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef, a large boomerang-shaped shallow coral reef that is within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and its continental shelf. A May 9, 2024 satellite photo showed a swarm of 82 Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels at the reef, SeaLight, a maritime transparency project that monitors and reports activities in the South China Sea, said. Retired US Air Force Col. Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, described the Chinese swarm as "impressive" and "extraordinary," but this is not the first time they have been seen in the area. He said the Chinese swarm at Julian Felipe Reef first generated an outcry from the Philippines three years ago in what was then called the "Whitsun Reef Incident." Although China has denied that it has plans to maintain a permanent presence at Julian Felipe Reef, the continued presence of CMM vessels in the area for three years "proves this was a lie," said Powell on May 19. He noted that the "massive size" of the CMM ships and the long-term persistence "remains extraordinary." He also said there are certainly more CMM ships at Julian Felipe Reef, as dozens of others are usually scattered to the west outside of the scope of satellite photos.
READ: EJ Obiena captures gold in LA Grand Prix
POLE vaulter Ernest John "EJ" Obiena resumed his Paris Olympics build-up by capturing the gold medal in the Los Angeles Grand Prix at the Drake Stadium on May 19. The first Filipino Paris Games qualifier cleared 5.80 meters to rule the competition and claim his third championship out of four tournaments he joined this year. Obiena bested Norway's Simen Guttormsen and home bet KC Lightfoot, who both cleared 5.70 m. Guttormsen defeated Lightfoot via countback (fewer attempts) to claim the silver medal, while the latter settled for bronze. Obiena skipped 5.30 m and then aced 5.45 and 5.60 in just one try each before finding a bit of trouble at 5.70, where he needed two attempts to clear. The 28-year-old went on to be the lone athlete in the eight-player field to have surpassed 5.80 m for his third gold of the year. Obiena claimed the first of his three golds at the Memorial Josip Gasparac in Croatia with a 5.83 m clearance and the second at ISTAF Indoor in Berlin, Germany, with a 5.93 m jump. Both tournaments were held in February. The following month, Obiena could only place ninth at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, where his best clearance was just 5.65 m.
READ: Marcos orders probe of embassy 'wiretap'
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. over the weekend said he has ordered the investigation on the alleged wiretapping of a ranking Armed Forces of the Philippines official by the Chinese Embassy in Manila. The President's directive came after claims made last week by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice that foreign diplomats may have violated the Anti-Wire Tapping Act and diplomatic protocols. On May 7, the Chinese Embassy in Manila released a recording and transcript of an unverified phone call between a Chinese diplomat and Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, who was then commander of the military's Western Command, on the so-called new model arrangement on the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. The government had since repeatedly insisted no such agreement was reached and that only the Chief Executive can make decisions in relation to the territorial row, but has nonetheless replaced Carlos with Rear Adm. Alfonso Torres Jr. as Wescom chief. Until the probe is concluded, he said they will not draw any conclusions until he personally hears the audio from the supposed wiretapped conversation. Malacañang has tasked the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of Science and Technology to closely work together to beef up the country's cybersecurity and make it more robust and secure.
READ: House probes 'gentleman's agreement' on WPS
THE House of Representatives probe on the alleged "gentleman's agreement" with China concerning the West Philippine Sea (WPS) is set to start May 20. The probe will be jointly conducted by the House Committee on National Defense and Security and the House Special Committee on the West Philippine Sea. House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro lauded the decision to investigate the alleged "gentleman's agreement" between former president Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping. She said she hoped Duterte would be invited to the hearing because he was best positioned to say what he discussed with Xi. Duterte has admitted that he had an agreement with Xi to keep the status quo in the WPS. The agreement said the Philippines would not deliver maintenance or repair materials for the BRP Sierra Madre, which is the country's outpost on Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. Last month, House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jefferson Khonghun said a probe was needed to get to the bottom of the rather "confusing versions" of the issue. In his speech when the House resumed session on April 29, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said the appropriate committees would be ordered to conduct the probe in aid of legislation "to determine the adverse impact of such [an] agreement on our national interests, particularly our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and territorial integrity." Romualdez said Ayungin Shoal is part of the Philippines's EEZ "as reaffirmed by the 2016 arbitral ruling on the South China Sea arbitration case."
In Business
READ: Analysts still expect BSP to move after Fed
PHILIPPINE monetary authorities are unlikely to cut key rates ahead of the US Federal Reserve despite pronouncements to the contrary, analysts said. Last week, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr. said the Monetary Board could start easing in August, before a widely-expected Fed move in September. The central bank chief said they were not worried about the possible impact on the peso and attributed the confidence as due to lower-than-expected April inflation. The market had expected a breach of the 2.0- to 4.0-percent target of 4.1 percent, but the rate — while up from March's 3.7 percent — came in at 3.8 percent. Remolona said that consumer price growth could peak this month and then decline moving forward, contrary to earlier projections that it would remain above target until the third quarter. HSBC Global Research economist Aris Dacanay, however, said the inflation result and lower-than-expected first quarter economic growth were not large enough to warrant cutting ahead of the Fed. Rather, these may be enough for the BSP to "keep its monetary stance steady if another episode of Fed repricing occurs." HSBC's baseline scenario, Dacanay said, is for the US central bank to begin easing in the fourth quarter of 2024, starting with a 25-basis-point rate cut. Remolona has said that one or two rate cuts could be ordered in the second half of the year, with a "range of between 25 and 50 [basis points] for the rest of 2024."
Topping Sports
READ: Mavs down Thunder to reach West finals
LOS ANGELES – Luka Doncic posted a triple-double and P.J. Washington drilled the deciding free-throws as the Dallas Mavericks erased a 17-point deficit to beat Oklahoma City, 117-116, to reach the NBA Western Conference finals on Saturday (Sunday in Manila)The Mavericks beat the top-seeded Thunder 4-2 in the best-of-seven conference semifinal series to reach the conference finals for the second time in three years. They'll face either the defending champion Denver Nuggets or the Minnesota Timberwolves, who faced a deciding Game 7 in their series on Sunday. Doncic scored 29 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Kyrie Irving and Derrick Jones Jr. scored 22 points apiece and Dereck Lively added 12 off the bench for the Mavs. Washington scored all nine of his points in the fourth quarter — including two free-throws with 2.5 seconds remaining that lifted the Mavs to victory.
READ: Opinion
China's threat to detain trespassers could backfire according to today's Times editorial. Read the full version on print or digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad. Tglao calls The Atin Ito 'swarming' a classic budol-budol; Aquino on an ecological and prayer journey as Tatad asks Can China de-escalate?
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