Today’s News 20 July 2021 (Tuesday)

A. NAVY NEWS/COVID NEWS/PHOTOS Title Writer Newspaper Page NIL NIL NIL NIL

B. NATIONAL HEADLINES Title Writer Newspaper Page Coast Guard monitoring 2 vessels from E Macairan P Star 1 1 Indonesia 2 Gov’t Loses landmark terror case vs 2 Aetas J Aglibot PDI A1

C. NATIONAL SECURITY Title Writer Newspaper Page 3 PCG vessel drives away China warship off E Macairan P Star 1 Palawan 4 Chinese Navy warship driven out of PF T Santos PDI A4 waters 5 ‘Compliance with int’l law needed in WPS Malaya A10 issue’ 6 PCG shoos away Chinese warship in WPS R Ayang D Tribune A1 7 PCG drives out China warship from Recto C Maghandoy M Times A3 Bank 8 PH Vessel drives away Chinese warship V Reyes Malaya A10

D. INDO-PACIFIC Title Writer Newspaper Page NIL NIL NIL NIL

E. AFP RELATED Title Writer Newspaper Page AFP chief thanks Muslim responders in C M Sadongdong Tempo 3 9 – 130 crash 10 Militar vs NPA: 2 rebelde todas J Hallare Ngayon 8

F. CPP-NPA-NDF-LCM Title Writer Newspaper Page 42 ex-rebels in NegOr start life anew under M Bulletin 5 11 E-CLIP NDF formally designated as terrorist E Macairan P Star 3 12 organization 13 NDF listed as terror organization M Ramos PDI A5 1st case under controversial anti-terror law A Hachero Malaya A12 14 dismissed Anti-Terror Council names NDF as terror A Geducos M Bulletin 1 15 organization V Reyes Malaya A12 16 Nat’l Democratic Front tagged a terrorist group 17 Court acquits 2 Aeta tribesmen in terror raps J Damicog M Bulletin 2 18 Two Aetas off the hook on terror case J Reyes D Tribune B15 19 Govt tags NDF as terrorist group D Reyes M Times A2 20 NDF gets terrorist tag H Lawas P Journal 3 NDF matagal nang markadong terorista - D Franche PM 2 21 Esperon

G. MNLF/MILF/BIFF/ASG Title Writer Newspaper Page 22 3 more BIFF members yield M Bulletin 5 23 ASG sub – leader Sawadjaan’s arrested L Aubakar Jocson M Bulletin 5 Dawlah Islamiya leader slain in Military M Bulletin 5 24 operation 25 Terorista utas sa shootout, 2 pa timbog R Benes Ngayon 8

H. EDITORIAL-OPINION-COMMENTARY-SPECIAL Title Writer Newspaper Page 26 Defeat A Magno P Star 4 27 No STC ‘terror’ tags arrest A Murcia D Tribune A3 Komunistang China matagal nang J Bondoc Ngayon 4 28 inaasahan ang Pilipinas Sinisira at dinudumihan ang West Philippine Ngayon 4 29 Sea

I. ONLINE NEWS Title Link NATIONAL NEWS Philippine economy to suffer if Delta https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/07/20/ 30 variant spreads 2113653/philippine-economy-suffer-if-delta- variant-spreads https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147625 31 PRRD eyes stricter measures vs. ‘more aggressive’ Delta variant Duterte blasts Del Rosario over China https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/20/duterte-blasts- 32 election interference claims del-rosario-over-china-election-interference- claims/ Firms’ tax perks cost government P481.7 https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/19/firm 33 billion in 2019 s-tax-perks-cost-government- %e2%82%a7481-7-billion-in-2019/ Face-to-face classes will help address https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/face-to-face- 34 challenges, limitations of pure distance classes-will-help-address-challenges- learning – DepEd limitations-of-pure-distance-learning-deped/ Western Luzon faces higher flooding, https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147531 35 landslide risk Group sees China ‘intrusion’ in https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/19/grou 36 implementation of Dumaguete City land- p-sees-china-intrusion-in-implementation-of- reclamation project dumaguete-city-land-reclamation-project/ Oil firms raise pump prices again https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/19/news/ 37 oil-firms-raise-pump-prices-again/1807614 PAGASA: 'Habagat' enhanced by two https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/pagasa- 38 tropical cyclones brings monsoon rains habagat-enhanced-by-two-tropical-cyclones- over parts of PH brings-monsoon-rains-over-parts-of-ph/ Tropical Cyclone 'Fabian' Tracker https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/20/tropical-cyclone- 39 fabian-tracker/ Storm 'Fabian' moves slowly but https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/20/storm-fabian- 40 maintains strength — PAGASA moves-slowly-but-maintains-strength-pagasa/ Pagasa: Rainy Tuesday in Luzon, parts https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1461812/pagasa- 41 of the Visayas rainy-tuesday-in-luzon-parts-of-the-visayas NAVY NEWS P9.4-M marijuana, arms cache seized in https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/19/p9- 42 Sulu raid 4-m-marijuana-arms-cache-seized-in-sulu-raid/ Madaling mapaalis’: Duterte says https://news.abs- Chinese ships do leave PH waters when cbn.com/news/07/20/21/madaling-mapaalis- 43 told duterte-says-chinese-ships-do-leave-ph- waters-when-told Palace says coast guard drove away https://news.abs- 44 Chinese ship from West Philippine Sea cbn.com/video/news/07/19/21/philippine-coast- guard-china-warship-marie-louise-bank PH Coast Guard stops China navy https://globalnation.inquirer.net/197820/ph- 45 incursion near Palawan resort town coast-guard-stops-china-navy-incursion-near- palawan-resort-town Cops told to secure southern border https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147507 46 amid Delta variant threat AFP RELATED Strong support for AFP, one of Duterte's https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147525 47 legacies Government sets freeze of NDF assets https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/19/gov 48 after ‘terrorist organization’ tag ernment-sets-freeze-of-ndf-assets-after- terrorist-organization-tag/ Labeling NDF a terror organization will https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/natio lead to Duterte rigging Eleksyon 2022 n/795987/labeling-ndf-a-terror-organization- 49 – Sison will-lead-to-duterte-rigging-eleksyon-2022- sison/story/ Essence of Eid'l Adha best https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/essence-of-eidl- 50 demonstrated by Muslim responders in adha-best-demonstrated-by-muslim- Sulu crash — AFP Chief responders-in-sulu-crash-afp-chief/ NTF-ELCAC funds used for good https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147592 51 governance, no taint of pork barrel UP freshmen, admin warned vs. NPA https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147554 52 recruitment NTF-ELCAC, NCIP welcome dismissal https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147520 53 of terror raps vs. 2 Aetas NTF-ELCAC reacts to acquittal of 2 https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/ntf-elcac-reacts- 54 Aetas in pioneer anti-terror case to-acquittal-of-2-aetas-in-pioneer-anti-terror- case/ Labor and human rights groups protest https://news.abs- 55 anti-terror law cbn.com/news/multimedia/photo/07/19/21/labo r-human-rights-groups-protest-anti-terror-law Bike event nation's call to bring Reds to https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147502 56 justice: DILG chief 2 rebels killed, arms cache seized in https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/19/2- 57 CamSur clash rebels-killed-arms-cache-seized-in-camsur- clash/ Abu Sayyaf sub-leader’s wife nabbed, https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/19/ab 58 explosives seized in Sulu raid u-sayyaf-sub-leaders-wife-nabbed-explosives- seized-in-sulu-raid/ 5 alleged Abu Sayyaf members https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regio 59 surrendered in Basilan —military ns/796013/5-alleged-abu-sayyaf-members- surrender-in-basilan/story/ NPA officer, wife, nephew surrender to https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/20/news/ 60 govt troops regions/npa-officer-wife-nephew-surrender-to- govt-troops/1807670 3 BIFF members surrender in https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1461762/3-biff- 61 Maguindanao members-surrender-in-maguindanao INDO-PACIFIC NEWS APEC leaders list to-dos in ensuring https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/19/ape 62 economic recovery c-leaders-list-to-dos-in-ensuring-economic- recovery/ US businesses 'fear Internet curbs in https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/ 63 Hong Kong' us-businesses-fear-internet-curbs-in-hong- kong-15248902 China is buying up American farms. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/19/chin 64 Washington wants to crack down a-buying-us-farms-foreign-purchase-499893 Competition over cooperation’ leaves https://www.scmp.com/economy/china- 65 regular US-China talks up in the air economy/article/3141700/us-china-economic- talks-infinitely-far-away-emphasis China Rejects WHO Call for More https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/china-rejects- 66 Transparency on Origins Probe who-call-for-more-transparency-on-origins- probe/ Has Beijing's investment in the region https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Has-Beijing-s- 67 won over Tibetans? investment-in-the-region-won-over-Tibetans China and Arab League pledge mutual https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 68 support, rejecting ‘interference’ article/3141692/china-and-arab-league- pledge-mutual-support-rejecting China woos Assad to win a foothold in https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/china-offers- 69 Middle East assad-hope-for-rebuilding-syrias-shattered- economy-7v70kgmvl Peace in Taiwan Strait a global concern: https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202107190025 70 Taiwan's foreign minister Japan govt to support development of https://the-japan- 71 small satellite constellation news.com/news/article/0007596043 Japan girds for a surreal Olympics, and https://apnews.com/article/sports- questions are plenty entertainment-lifestyle-2020-tokyo-olympics- 72 japan-olympic-team- 5ef97cab1da1c3001c4011934f997c87 Scholars, others call for canceling Tokyo https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 73 Olympics 0719_28/ South Korea's Moon drops plan to visit https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/s 74 Japan amid uproar over sexual innuendo outh-korea-moon-jae-in-cancel-japan-visit- olympics-uproar-15247624 SoKor: Some presidential candidates https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021 75 want compulsory military service for /07/356_312411.html

women Protests Greet Indonesia’s Renewal of https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/protests- 76 Papuan Autonomy Law greet-indonesias-renewal-of-papuan- autonomy-law/ Opponents of Myanmar coup hold https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/ 77 protests on Martyrs' Day holiday myanmar-anti-coup-protesters-martyrs-day- aung-san-suu-kyi-15249250 Water fight: Australia, China trade barbs https://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/austra over Great Barrier Reef lia-china-trade-barbs-over-great-barrier-reef-in- 78 danger- designation/4KSGU5245BATRZPDILCOYUV Q5I/ UNESCO chides Australia over Great https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world 79 Barrier Reef proposal /australia-great-barrier-reef-unesco-world- heritage-in-danger-15247384 Chinese UNESCO official defends plan https://asiapost.live/chinese-unesco-official- 80 to list Great Barrier Reef as ‘in danger’ defends-plan-to-list-great-barrier-reef-as-in- danger-great-barrier-reef/ A Pacific nation's Covid-19 crisis has https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/18/asia/papua- 81 become a political power play between new-guinea-china-vaccines-intl-hnk- China and Australia dst/index.html Australian alliance eyes bid for Pacific https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Telecommuni 82 telecom to block China cation/Australian-alliance-eyes-bid-for-Pacific- telecom-to-block-China International community calls for 'urgent https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world 83 end' to Taliban offensive /international-community-calls-for--urgent-end- -to-taliban-offensive-15249680 Afghan govt., Taliban to speed up peace https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 84 talks 0719_09/ Afghanistan withdraws diplomats from https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/19/asia/afghan 85 Pakistan following alleged kidnapping of istan-pakistan-ambassadors-daughter-intl- ambassador's daughter hnk/index.html Pakistan: Afghanistan recalling https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de ambassador, senior diplomats fence/pakistan-afghanistan-recalling- 86 'unfortunate, regrettable' ambassador-senior-diplomats-unfortunate- regrettable/articleshow/84546780.cms Pakistan says needs Afghan cooperation https://www.reuters.com/world/asia- for probe into envoy's daughter's pacific/pakistan-says-needs-afghan- 87 kidnapping cooperation-probe-into-envoys-daughters- kidnapping-2021-07-19/ Can Biden’s Build Back Better World https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the- 88 compete with the Belt and Road? interpreter/can-biden-s-build-back-better- world-compete-belt-and-road y In Oceania: Time For https://warontherocks.com/2021/07/americas- 89 America’s Strateg A Better Approach strategy-in-oceania-time-for-a-better-approach/ American Civil War and the Lesson for https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/07/19/a 90 China and Taiwan merican-civil-war-and-the-lesson-for-china- and-taiwan/ China Preparing to Expropriate Foreign- https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17579/china 91 Held Tech Shares -expropriate-tech-shares China: Xi Jinping Is About To Make Most https://www.eurasiareview.com/19072021- Important Strategic Decision Of Our Era china-xi-jinping-is-about-to-make-most- 92 – Analysis important-strategic-decision-of-our-era- analysis/ France, South Pacific nations to combat https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/worl extends d/795961/france-south-pacific-nations-to- 93 ‘predatory’ fishing as China reach combat-predatory-fishing-as-china-extends- reach/story/ Press freedom more important than ever https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the- 94 in the Asia–Pacific interpreter/press-freedom-more-important- ever-asia-pacific Why Strategic Ambiguity Over Taiwan https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/07/why- 95 Stabilizes East Asia strategic-ambiguity-over-taiwan-stabilizes- east-asia/ The arbitral ruling five years later https://adrinstitute.org/2021/07/17/the-arbitral- 96 ruling-five-years-later/ DEFENSE NEWS Duterte dangles VFA extension, seeks https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/20/duterte-dangles- 97 dialogue with United States vfa-extension-seeks-dialogue-with-united- states/ US Defense secretary to visit Vietnam, https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/natio 98 Philippines n/796010/us-defense-secretary-to-visit- vietnam-philippines/story/ Lorenzana says China 'doesn't want https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/20/lorenzana-says- 99 confrontation' with PH civilian ship china-doesnt-want-confrontation-with-ph- civilian-ship/ Why America Needs a Grand Strategy https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/07/why- 100 america-needs-a-grand-strategy/ US Navy Fleet and Marine Tracker: July https://news.usni.org/2021/07/19/usni-news- 101 19, 2021 fleet-and-marine-tracker-july-19-2021 U.S. Flexes Its Strategic Muscles During https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2 102 Pacific Exercises 021-07-19/pacific-iron-talisman-sabre-us- military-exercises-2190831.html US Navy Officials Explain Plan To Close https://www.defensedaily.com/navy-officials- 103 Fighter Gap Early explain-plan-to-close-fighter-gap-early/navy- usmc/ US carrier Ford conducts second shock https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2021/07/ 104 trial, after technical failure halted earlier 19/us-carrier-ford-conducts-second-shock-trial- attempt after-technical-failure-halted-earlier-attempt/ USS Ronald Reagan, carrier strike group https://www.upi.com/Defense- 105 conduct Arabian Sea exercises News/2021/07/19/reagan-ussreagan- arabiansea/7331626709206/ U.S. Navy Destroyer Assumes Air http://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News- Defense Duties as Part of Carrier Strike Stories/Article/2698887/us-navy-destroyer- 106 Group 21 assumes-air-defense-duties-as-part-of-carrier- strike-group-21/ The United States Marine Corps’ New https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/07/the- 107 Rocket Launcher Has One Mission united-state-marine-corps-new-rocket- launcher-has-one-mission/ DOD shutters Air Force Academy https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/j 108 oversight board, nixes review of critical ul/19/lawsuit-dod-shutters-air-force-academy- race theory oversight-b/ US, allies accuse China of global cyber https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/busin 109 hacking campaign ess/us--allies-accuse-china-of-global-cyber- hacking-campaign-15249866 U.S. charges four Chinese nationals https://www.reuters.com/technology/four- 110 charged in global hacking campaign chinese-nationals-charged-global-hacking- campaign-us-justice-department-2021-07-19/ Not just the m oney: Ransomware a https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/j 111 growing political threat to U.S. interests ul/18/not-just-money-ransomware-growing- political-threat/ MQ-9 Reaper Tests Prove It Can https://www.thedrive.com/the-war- 112 Operate From Unprepared Locations On zone/41579/mq-9-reaper-tests-prove-it-can- The Fly operate-from-unprepared-locations-on-the-fly Submariner with Indo-Pacific experience https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2021- 113 takes on Navy command on Guam 07-19/naval-base-guam-change-of-command- submariner-2191553.html US Navy conducts antiterrorism drills at https://www.upi.com/Defense- 114 Pacific bases News/2021/07/19/navy-antiterrorism- pacific/9231626717783/ US naval drill in Pacific ‘may be aimed at https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/arti 115 next-gen Chinese bombers’ cle/3141710/china-us-tension-american-naval- drill-dozens-f-22s-may-be-aimed US Air, Naval Forces Eating into Army’s https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/artic 116 Share of Budget les/2021/7/19/air-naval-forces-eating-into- armys-share-of-budget US Army Fires Patriot Missiles for First https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/07/19/u 117 Time in Australia s-patriot-test-australia/ Microsoft Exchange hack caused by https://apnews.com/article/microsoft- 118 China, US and allies say exchange-hack-biden-china- d533f5361cbc3374fdea58d3fb059f35 How China Transformed Into a Prime https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/19/technolo 119 Cyber Threat to the U.S. gy/china-hacking-us.html https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/07/19/c 120 Sense of Urgency’ to Confront China Has Never Been Greater onfront-china-pacific/ Pay Attention: China Is Still Building https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/pay- 121 Bases in the South China Sea attention-china-still-building-bases-south- china-sea-189537 China toughens military exercises https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/20/news/ 122 world/china-toughens-military- exercises/1807643 PLA holds beach assault drills after US http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0719/c90000- 123 military aircraft's Taiwan island landing 9873393.html Magnifying legal Chinese ship presence https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228 124 near US-Australian military drill 979.shtml unreasonable China's 'chilling' threat to Japan https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/china-video- 125 threatens-japan-over-possible-taiwan- intervention/Y5AEQWX34TVGMKFTDKOQ5O ERMU/ China brings its navy drills closer to https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/arti 126 home to focus on core issue: Taiwan cle/3141563/china-brings-its-navy-drills-closer- home-focus-core-issue Chinese experts: US military aircraft https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1229 127 landing on Taiwan a provocation, must 050.shtml not become routine Chinese government recruiting criminal https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/19/chin 128 hackers to attack Western targets, U.S. ese-government-recruiting-criminal-hackers- and allies say biden-500091 DOWNLOAD: Chinese Disinformation https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/r 129 Efforts on Social Media esearch_reports/RR4300/RR4373z3/RAND_R R4373z3.pdf China's already spending billions on https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/19/china/china 130 overseas investments. Does it need to -pakistan-bus-explosion-mic-intl- fund security, too? hnk/index.html Alit from China unveils LY-80N naval https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/na surface-to-air Missile Weapon System val-news/naval-news-archive/2021/10240- naval-news-july-2021-navy-forces-maritime- 131 defense-industry/10443-alit-from-china- unveils-ly-80n-surface-to-air-missile-weapon- system.html PLAN-AF J-11BH fighter seen using https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news- 132 potentially new ECM pod detail/planaf-j-11bh-fighter-seen-using- potentially-new-ecm-pod Details of Chinese martyrs who https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228 133 sacrificed their lives in Galwan Valley 981.shtml revealed for first time China developing new fighter aircraft https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de 134 base near Ladakh fence/china-developing-new-fighter-aircraft- base-near-ladakh/articleshow/84550286.cms Military expert calls on Taiwan to bolster https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4251 135 its drone defense capabilities 885 Japan's ATLA reveals more details https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news- 136 about next-gen Offshore Patrol Vessel detail/japans-atla-reveals-more-details-about- plans next-gen-opv-plans Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force joins https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/na drills with Pakistan val-news/naval-news-archive/2021/10240- 137 naval-news-july-2021-navy-forces-maritime- defense-industry/10442-japan-maritime-self- defense-force-joins-drills-with-pakistan.html Tokyo provides more details about https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news- 138 JGDSF's new UH-2 helicopter detail/tokyo-provides-more-details-about- jgdsfs-new-uh-2-helicopter Japan train operators begin anti-terror https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 139 surveillance 0719_24/ 82% of SoKor destroyer's crew is https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/07/ 140 infected with Covid 19/national/defense/Navy-Covid19- outbreak/20210719184912291.html Thai Navy to Pay in Yearly Instalments https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30053/Tha 141 for Chinese Submarines i_Navy_to_Pay_in_Yearly_Instalments_for_Ch inese_Submarines Indonesia, U.S. bolster ties through https://ipdefenseforum.com/2021/07/indonesia 142 exercises, engagements, partnership -u-s-bolster-ties-through-exercises- engagements-partnership/ Singapore Strait sees uptick in sea https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news- robbery cases for 1H 2021 despite detail/singapore-strait-sees-uptick-in-sea- 143 regional improvement robbery-cases-for-1h-2021-despite-regional- improvement Singaporean man charged with financing https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast- 144 Isis militants based in Syria asia/article/3141654/singaporean-man- charged-sending-funds-isis-militants-based Indian Navy ship exercises with French https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de 145 Navy fence/indian-navy-ship-exercises-with-french- navy/articleshow/84551629.cms Chaos in Afghanistan Threatens CPEC https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/chaos-in- 146 afghanistan-threatens-cpec/ Terrorists Target Chinese Nationals https://asiapost.live/terrorists-target-chinese- 147 Working on a CPEC Project nationals-working-on-a-cpec-project-the- diplomat/ Pakistan rejects accusations by Kabul https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news- detail/pakistan-rejects-accusations-by-kabul- 148 that it is providing the Taliban with ‘close air support' that-it-is-providing-the-taliban-with-close-air- support Russia to hold Central Asia army drills https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/de 149 near Afghan border fence/russia-to-hold-central-asia-army-drills- near-afghan-border/articleshow/84550086.cms State Trials of Zircon Hypersonic Missile https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30051/Stat 150 from Frigate & Submarine in August e_Trials_of_Zircon_Hypersonic_Missile_from_ Frigate___Submarine_in_August Russia reports successful test launch of https://www.news10.com/news/international/ru 151 hypersonic missile ssia-reports-successful-test-launch-of- hypersonic-missile/ Russia Has Made a World-Destroying https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/russia- 152 Nuclear Cruise Missile has-made-world-destroying-nuclear-cruise- missile-189648 New Russian Fighter in F-35 Class https://www.airforcemag.com/new-russian- 153 Echoes Other JSF Designs fighter-in-f-35-class-echoes-jsf-designs/ UK Carrier Strike Group To Conduct https://www.navalnews.com/naval- 154 Exercise With Indo-Pacific Partners news/2021/07/uk-carrier-strike-group-to- conduct-exercise-with-indo-pacific-partners/ British Carrier Group to join anti-sub https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-carrier- 155 exercise in Pacific group-to-join-anti-sub-exercise-in-pacific/ UK aircraft carrier to visit Japan in https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 156 September 0719_26/ British Royal Navy ships to be based in https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/royal-navy- 157 the Pacific ships-to-be-based-in-the-pacific/ British Royal Marines Have Swarm https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/07/the-royal- 158 Drones That Can Attack Underwater marines-have-swarm-drones-that-can-attack- underwater/ Norway says cyber attack on parliament https://www.reuters.com/world/china/norway- 159 carried out from China says-march-cyber-attack-parliament-carried- out-china-2021-07-19/ NATO Issues Rebuke of China Over https://www.newsweek.com/nato-issues- 160 Hacking Allegations, Says Nation Must rebuke-china-over-hacking-allegations-says- 'Act Responsibly' nation-must-act-responsibly-1611151 A Bold Agenda for National Spacepower https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/202 161 1/07/19/a_bold_agenda_for_national_spacepo wer_786000.html The Information Technology Counter- https://warontherocks.com/2021/07/the- 162 Revolution information-technology-counter-revolution- cheap-disposable-and-decentralized/ Technology Adoption: Are we too late to https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/technology 163 the party -adoption-are-we-too-late-party Revealed: leak uncovers global abuse of https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/18 cyber-surveillance weapon /revealed-leak-uncovers-global-abuse-of- 164 cyber-surveillance-weapon-nso-group- pegasus Reports full of wrong assumptions, says https://www.hindustantimes.com/world- 165 NSO Group news/reports-full-of-wrong-assumptions-says- nso-group-101626740609238.html WhatsApp and the right to encrypt https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/whatsapp- 166 and-the-right-to-encrypt/ DOWNLOAD: Combating Foreign https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/r 167 Disinformation on Social Media: Study esearch_reports/RR4300/RR4373z1/RAND_R Overview and Conclusions R4373z1.pdf DOWNLOAD: Learning from the War: https://csis-website- prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs- 168 “Who Lost Afghanistan?” versus Learning “Why We Lost” public/publication/210719_Cordesman_Learni ng_War.pdf Re-Thinking the Strategic Approach to https://www.militarystrategymagazine.com/arti 169 Asymmetrical Warfare cle/re-thinking-the-strategic-approach-to- asymmetrical-warfare/ Unmanned Ships and the Future of https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2 170 Deterrence 021/july/unmanned-ships-and-future- deterrence COVID NEWS Duque says best to 'assume' there is https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/duque-says- 171 already local transmission of Delta best-to-assume-there-is-already-local- variant transmission-of-delta-variant/ Phl confirms 3rd Covid-19 Delta variant https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/19/phl 172 fatality -confirms-3rd-covid-19-delta-variant-fatality/ Repeat test, quarantine for relapsed https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147615 173 Delta variant patients PHL Genome Center to double https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/19/doh- 174 sequencing efforts amid COVID-19 phl-genome-center-to-double-sequencing- variant threats efforts-amid-covid-19-variant-threats/ DOH asks public to be more cautious https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/doh-asks- 175 amid threat of Delta variant public-to-be-more-cautious-amid-threat-of- delta-variant/ OCTA calls for reimposition of stay- https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/octa-calls-for- home order on minors amid detection of reimposition-of-stay-home-order-on-minors- 176 first local cases of Delta variant amid-detection-of-first-local-cases-of-delta- variant/ The Variant Threat Is Real https://www.project- syndicate.org/commentary/covid19-new- 177 variants-threaten-progress-by-carl-bildt-2021- 07 Proposed WHO origins study https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 178 ‘inconsistent’ with China’s position article/3141709/coronavirus-proposed-who- origins-study-inconsistent-chinas Thailand: Sinopharm vaccine approved https://www.nationthailand.com/international/4 179 to treat children, teenagers 0003474 Indonesia plans Moderna booster for https://globalnation.inquirer.net/197828/indone 180 doctors, as ASEAN sees sharp drop in sia-plans-moderna-booster-for-doctors-as- new cases asean-sees-sharp-drop-in-new-cases Indonesia is battling a devastating https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/17/asia/indone 181 Covid-19 crisis. And its peak is likely still sia-covid-second-wave-outbreak-intl-hnk- to come dst/index.html Japan health ministry panel backs https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/07/19 182 lowering Moderna vaccine age limit to 12 /national/science-health/moderna-vaccine-age- limit-reduction/ What you need to know about the https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare- 183 coronavirus right now pharmaceuticals/what-you-need-know-about- coronavirus-right-now-2021-03-02/ Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020- 184 Across the World coronavirus-cases-world- map/?srnd=coronavirus Covid map: Where are cases the https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105 185 highest? Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid- 186 vaccine-tracker-global- distribution/?srnd=premium-asia

J. OPINION/EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Title Link 187 Why the CPP-NPA insurgency persists https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/bu siness-class-by-rudy-romero/360158/why-the- cpp-npa-insurgency-persists.html 188 Fatal ‘lambing’ https://opinion.inquirer.net/142245/fatal- lambing 189 Defeat https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/07/20/2 113728/defeat 190 Encourage pioneering spirit https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/20/en courage-pioneering-spirit/ 191 Asia's US partners must work better https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Asia-s-US- together on defense partners-must-work-better-together-on-defense 192 What Beijing wants to tell the rest of the https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/colum world ns/what-beijing-wants-to-tell-the-rest-of-the- world-7410971/ 193 A pity China can’t seem to ditch its wolf https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/com warrior diplomacy mentary/china-wolf-warrior-diplomacy-twitter- social-media-new-law-15242984 194 Hong Kong, Snuffed Out https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/07/hong- kong-snuffed-out/ 195 One China, one Taiwan is possible https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/ar chives/2021/07/20/2003761139 196 China and Taiwan’s ‘unrestricted vaccine https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2021/07/ warfare’ 19/commentary/world-commentary/china- taiwans-vaccine-warfare/ 197 Lahore blast reaction shows normalised https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article India-Pakistan ties are no sure thing /3141648/lahore-blast-reaction-shows- normalised-india-pakistan-ties-are-no 198 China, Russia must not use U.N. to https://the-japan- legitimize their repressive regimes news.com/news/article/0007596841 199 How strong is Russia? https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/how-strong-is- russia/ 200 When Biosecurity Is the Mission, the https://www.csis.org/analysis/when- Bioeconomy Must Become biosecurity-mission-bioeconomy-must- Government’s Strategic Partner become-governments-strategic-partner 201 Failure to learn from terrorism and https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2021/07/ disease hampered Japan's virus 19/commentary/japan-commentary/u-s-japan- response vaccines/ 202 South Korea’s 2022 election could https://www.scmp.com/week- reshape its US-China balancing act asia/opinion/article/3141711/how-south- koreas-2022-presidential-election-could- reshape-its-us

Philippine economy to suffer if Delta variant spreads Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star) - July 20, 2021 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine economy will be at the losing end anew once the Delta variant infects more people and prompts the government to impose another round of strict lockdown measures, highlighting the need to expedite COVID-19 vaccination in the country, economists said.

The country is facing another threat of COVID-19 case resurgence with the possible spread of the Delta variant, which is now wreaking havoc in neighboring Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The Department of Health earlier reported new local cases of the Delta variant, considered as the more dangerous and more transmissible strain of COVID-19.

ING Bank senior economist Nicholas Mapa expressed concern over the likelihood of another surge and its impact on the economy that has yet to see sustained green shoots of recovery.

“If another round of acceleration in infections, similar or even more severe than the Alpha variant-induced spike in March were to be felt, we may have to return to debilitating lockdowns once again,” Mapa said.

“From there, we are well aware of the negative impact on growth and we will likely downgrade our already pessimistic outlook for 4.7 percent GDP (gross domestic product) on account of the projected slowdown,” he said.

Union Bank of the Philippines chief economist Ruben Carlo Asuncion, for his part, said the already precarious state of economic recovery will definitely suffer if the Delta variant spreads like wildfire.

“Although I believe that the country’s healthcare system can cope based on the previous wave, this type of spread is the last thing that the ailing economy needs,” Asuncion said.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is also recognizing the higher risk posed by the Delta variant. But Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua said this can be better managed by guarding the country’s borders and enforcing health standards, as well as imposing localized lockdowns in areas of transmission, rather than placing the entire country or large areas in a higher level of quarantine.

“The far majority of people comply with health standards and need to work to address their hunger and other non-COVID-19 health concerns,” Chua said.

As to whether the country is better prepared this time should the situation get worse due to the Delta variant, Chua said “accelerating vaccination is key to our preparedness.”

Mapa said the government should speed up vaccination to about 760,000 doses per day from the current 350,000 level and ensure that supply is consistent.

“It is difficult, but doable. But the sheer difference in numbers shows how much faster we need to be doing this,” he said. https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/07/20/2113653/philippine-economy-suffer-if-delta-variant- spreads

PRRD eyes stricter measures vs

By Lade Jean Kabagani July 20, 2021, 12:49 am . ‘more aggressive’ Delta variant

STRICTER MEASURES. President Rodrigo Duterte gives updates on government’s response against Delta variant during his regular Talk to the People on Monday night (July 19, 2021). Duterte is eyeing more stricter measures against the more aggressive and fatal variant of Covid- 19. (Presidential photo by Joey Dalumpines)

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte is eyeing stricter health measures in preparation for the possible local transmission of the “more aggressive and fatal” Covid-19 Delta variant in the country.

"The reported local cases in the country is a cause for serious alarm and concern. Again it's redundant but it's good as any warning that can be given to people. We may need to impose stricter restrictions to avoid mass gathering and prevent super spreader event," Duterte said in his pre- recorded Talk to the People aired Monday night.

Duterte said the Department of Health (DOH) has reported 16 new cases of Delta variant in the country, as of July 16.

"We have seen and heard in recent news about the spike of Covid-19 cases in other countries, including our neighbor Indonesia, due to the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus," he said.

He cited the Covid-19 situation in Indonesia which, according to media reports, has averaged 49,435 new cases, and more than 1,000 deaths a day for the past week.

"Marami na silang na-stock na bakuna (They have many vaccines in the stockpile). They were one of the few countries that declared that they were almost Covid-free. Ang problema doon sa (The problem in) Indonesia and other countries, may pumasok na variant called Delta (the Delta variant entered). Actually, it's just a mutation of the Covid-19, but it is more vicious it's more aggressive and fatal," he said as he warned the public against the entry of the Delta variant into the country.

"That should give us – put us in grave concern because sabi nga na (they say) it is aggressive, vicious, and more virulent and can cause death faster than the Covid-19," he said. Based on the DOH report, the Delta variant is "60 percent more transmissible than the usual Alpha variant (B 117 UK lineage)."

Once more dreaded new variants will be detected in the Philippines, Duterte said "we will have to go with stricter measures."

"I hope that our existing infrastructure in dealing with the problem of Covid-19 can cope up depende kung (depending on whether) the Covid-19 vaccines can be as effective in dealing with the virus Delta," he said.

Duterte urged the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police to implement the existing health protocols with greater urgency and necessity.

"Is only by imposing stricter restrictions that we can fight the Delta variant," he said. "Remember the reason why the security forces of the government are very strict, is not that they want to be strict and they want to make it hard for the people to move, rather they are strict because they want to protect the country from a very contagious disease and may cause more deaths more than the lives that we lost in the past."

Meanwhile, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said the 16 additional cases of Delta va riant have been detected since last week – three cases in the National Capital Region, 10 cases in Region 10 (Northern Mindanao), and two cases in Region 6 (Western Visayas).

The government, he said, is closely monitoring the country's cases and health system indicators as well as intensifying the four response strategies to mitigate the spread of the Delta variant within communities. (PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147625

Duterte blasts Del Rosario over China election interference claims

Published July 20, 2021, 1:57 AM by Genalyn Kabiling President Duterte is confident that he won the 2016 elections fair and square without any interference from China.

President Duterte delivers a public address on July 19, 2021. (Malacañang)

The President has rejected former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario’s allegation that China supposedly interfered to secure his landslide victory in the 2016 elections.

Duterte addressed Del Rosario’s allegations during his televised address Monday night, July 19, and expressed doubt that 16 million votes were bought to secure his win during the polls.

Duterte, former mayor of Davao City, earned more than 16.6 million votes to win the presidential elections in 2016. He had 6.6 million votes more than his closest rival, then Liberal Party candidate Mar Roxas.

“Daldal ka nang daldal diyan. Anong China, China magtulong sa akin? Gago ka saan mo nakuha ‘yan? 16 million? Makuha mo ng tulong sa ibang bayan? 16 million mabili mo? (You keep on talking. China helped me? You fool, where did you get that information? Can you get 16 million votes from another country? Can you buy 16 million?),” Duterte said during a televised address Monday, July 19, addressing Del Rosario’s claims.

“Ang aking majority is 6 million over, lahat 16 million, 16 million plus vote. Six million of that was my majority over your friend,” he told the former foreign affairs chief.

Duterte later threatened to confront Del Rosario over the matter, asking where he could meet him. He admitted that he wanted to throw a cup of coffee into Del Rosario’s face.

Last week, Del Rosario claimed that some Chinese officials were bragging about being able to influence the 2016 elections to ensure Duterte’s victory.

The former foreign affairs chief mentioned a reliable international entity for the supposed information. Del Rosario alleged that Duterte’s actions, including professing support for the Chinese leader, gave credence to such claims. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/20/duterte-blasts-del-rosario-over-china-election-interference-claims/

Firms’ tax perks cost government ₧481.7 billion in 2019 BYBERNADETTE D. NICOLAS JULY 19, 2021 TAX perks to favored firms have cost the government P481.7 billion in foregone revenues in 2019 alone, a year before the passage of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law.

While this is 7.13 percent lower than P518.7 billion in tax perks given by the government in 2018 through various investment promotion agencies (IPAs) and through fiscal incentives granted to cooperatives, the Department of Finance (DOF) still considers this a substantial amount.

The DOF-Domestic Finance Group (DFG) reported to Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III that more than half or 58.8 percent of the total comprised incentives for value-added tax, accounting for P283.45 billion. This was followed by income tax incentives that made up almost a third or P149.28 billion of the total. Other forms of incentives extended by the government in 2019 were exemptions from customs duties, P47.59 billion (9.88 percent), and the percentage tax incentive availed by cooperatives, P1.38 billion (0.29 percent).

Finance Assistant Secretary Ma. Teresa Habitan of the DFG said at a recent DOF executive committee meeting that the income tax incentives include income tax holiday (ITH), accounting for P68.4 billion (14.2 percent); the special income tax rate for IPA-registered enterprises, accounting for P66.41 billion (13.8 percent); and the income tax incentives for cooperatives accounting for P14.47 billion (3 percent). The DOF study covered 11,431 enterprises that filed their tax returns, of which 5,749 were IPA-registered firms and 5,682 were cooperatives.

Of the 11,431 enterprises, 7,454 or 57.5 percent were granted income tax perks, Habitan said. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/19/firms-tax-perks-cost-government-%e2%82%a7481-7-billion- in-2019/

Face-to-face classes will help address challenges, limitations of pure distance learning – DepEd

Published July 19, 2021, 10:17 PM by Merlina Hernando-Malipot Recognizing the importance of in-person learning among students, an official of the Department of Education (DepEd) said that the agency has been preparing for the eventual resumption of face-to-face classes as it awaits the approval of President Duterte.

DepEd remains hopeful that the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes will be approved by the President. (RIO DELUVIO / FILE PHOTO/ MANILA BULLETIN)

“Alam natin na iyong pag-combine ng face-to-face classes dito sa distance learning ay mahalaga para ma-address iyong mga challenges at limitations ng pure distance learning (We know that combining face-to-face classes with distance learning is important to address the challenges and limitations of pure distance learning),” DepEd Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Nepomuceno Malaluan said during the Laging Handa public briefing on Monday, July 19.

ADVERTISING Malaluan said that DepEd also recognizes that giving the teachers the opportunity to see their students again and provide them with supplemental instruction directly will be a “big help” in the learning process.

Face-to-face classes, he added, will also address concerns on children’s assessment which include remedial measures and their learning progress.

This set-up, Malaluan explained, will also “help students” who are having difficulties at home such as lack of equipment and facilities for distance learning as well as those without able adults who will guide and help with their studies at home. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/face-to-face-classes-will-help-address-challenges-limitations-of-pure- distance-learning-deped/

Western Luzon faces higher flooding, landslide risk

By Catherine Teves July 19, 2021, 3:35 pm

MANILA – There is higher risk for flooding and rain-induced landslides in the western section of Luzon.

"Such risk is becoming higher," said Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) hydrologist Adel Duran.

She said increasing saturation of Luzon's rain-affected western section is making this area more prone to flooding and landslides.

The prevailing enhanced southwest monsoon or "habagat" may bring moderate to at times heavy rainfall that can trigger flooding and landslides there, she noted.

Communities concerned must prepare for such possibilities, she added.

In its 11 a.m. tropical cyclone bulletin on Monday, PAGASA attributed the enhancement of the southwest monsoon or "habagat" at present to severe tropical storm Fabian (international name "In-Fa") in extreme northern Luzon, and a tropical storm west-northwest of this area.

"Fabian" was 1,055 km east-northeast of extreme northern Luzon as of 10 a.m. Monday and will unlikely bring heavy rainfall over the country.

However, "habagat" rainfall is possible in the next 24 hours over Luzon's west-lying Region I (Ilocos), Zambales and Bataan provinces of Region III (Central Luzon), as well as Occidental Mindoro and Palawan provinces of Region IV-B (Mimaropa), the weather bureau said.

Either flash floods or landslides may occur there from scattered to widespread moderate to at times heavy rainfall, PAGASA said in its daily weather forecast.

PAGASA noted "habagat" rainfall can raise water level in western Luzon's major waterways and respective tributaries, and even cause water in these channels to overflow and flood surrounding areas.

Major Ilocos waterways that can be affected are La Union province's Amburayan, Baroro, Lower Bauang and Aringay; Ilocos Norte province's Bulu, Banban, Bacarra-Vintar, Laoag and Quiaoit; Pangasinan province's Balincaguing and Alaminos and Ilocos Sur province's Lower Abra, Silay-Sta. Maria and Buaya.

In Cordillera Administrative Region, the major waterways are Benguet province's Upper Bauang and Abra province's Upper Abra, Tineg and Ikmin.

Major Central Luzon waterways that can be affected are Bataan province's Balanga and Morong as well as Zambales province's Pamatawan, Sto. Tomas, Bucao, Bancal and Lawis, PAGASA said further.

The Mimaropa waterways are Palawan province's Abongan, Lian, Barbakan, Rizal, Caramay, Langogan, Babuyan, Bacungan, Iwahig Penal, Inagauan, Aborlan, Malatgao, Apurauan, Baton -Baton, Aramaywan, Ihawig, Panitian, Pulot, Lamakan, Kinlugan, Eraan, Tiga Plan, Malabangan, Ilog, Bansang, Conduaga, Culasian, Iwahig (Brookes), Okayan, Canipaan and Busuanga, Coron; Occidental Mindoro province's Abra de Ilog, Caguray, Labangan, Magbando, Lumintao, Anahawin, Monpong, Amnay, Pola, Pagbahan, Mamburao and Ibod; Oriental Mindoro province's Malaylay- Baco, Pulang Tubig, Mag-asawang Tubig, Butas, Pula, Agsalin, Bansud, Sumagui, Bongabong, Baroc, Bulalacao and Balete as well as all rivers and tributaries in Romblon province.

PAGASA reported "Fabian" as moving northwestwards at 15 kph while packing maximum sustained winds of 95 kph near its center and gustiness of up to 115 kph.

"Fabian" may already be outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Wednesday morning (July 21).

Even if "Fabian" crosses the PAR boundary, PAGASA expects this severe storm to continue enhancing "habagat" while moving away from the country. (PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147531

Group sees China ‘intrusion’ in implementation of Dumaguete City land- reclamation project BYJONATHAN L. MAYUGA JULY 19, 2021 2 MINUTE READ The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Monday warned that the implementation of a controversial land reclamation project proposal in Dumaguete City may open the gates to Chinese “encroachment” in surrounding waters.

“All the more reason to oppose this reclamation project that would involve a Chinese construction firm as this may be a prelude to another takeover of our waters and plunder of marine resources,” the group said in a news statement.

Expressing its strong opposition against the proposed 174-hectare reclamation in Dumaguete City, the group said the involvement of China-based construction firm Poly Changda Overseas Engineering Co. is fueling their suspicions.

Pamalakaya warned against what it called “sellout of pristine marine waters to China,” which the group said is plundering the Philippines’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.

“The environmental catastrophe that the reclamation project would bring to the marine ecosystem is one thing, but having a Chinese firm as its subcontractor is quite another. We all know how China rampantly occupies our exclusive economic zone and exploits our marine resources at the expense of the livelihood of our fisherfolks and the national patrimony,” Fernando Hicap, a former Anakpawis party-list representative and current national chairperson of the group said.

Pamalakaya earlier added its voice to the growing opposition against the Dumaguete reclamation project due to devastating impacts to the marine environment, coastal communities, and local fish supply.

“Having China in the picture makes the Dumaguete reclamation project not only an environmental and socioeconomic concerns, but also a matter of national patrimony. This is not development, this is profit-driven project and foreign takeover in disguise,” Hicap said.

The group said it would unite the local fishing communities with the environmental and science sectors in opposing the “destructive” reclamation project, and the “creeping Chinese encroachment” of different parts of the Philippine seas. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/19/group-sees-china-intrusion-in-implementation-of- dumaguete-city-land-reclamation-project/

Oil firms raise pump prices again By Jordeene B. Lagare

July 19, 2021

140

Oil companies will again increase their pump prices on Tuesday.

The cost of diesel and kerosene will go up by 30 centavos per liter each, and gasoline by 10 centavos per liter.

Chevron Philippines, Cleanfuel, Petro Gazz, Pilipinas Shell, PTT Philippines, Seaoil, Total, and Unioil announced the adjustment in pump prices on Monday.

Last week, the price of gasoline climbed by P1.15 per liter, diesel by 60 centavos per liter, and kerosene by 65 centavos per liter. https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/19/news/oil-firms-raise-pump-prices-again/1807614

PAGASA: 'Habagat' enhanced by two tropical cyclones brings monsoon rains over parts of PH

Published July 19, 2021, 5:48 PM by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the cyclone-enhanced southwest monsoon or “habagat” is expected to be the dominant weather system that could bring light to at times heavy rains over some parts of the country in the next few days.

PAGASA said the severe tropical storm “Fabian” (international name “In-fa”) and a tropical storm with the international name “Cempaka” are currently enhancing the habagat.

ADVERTISING Fabian and was estimated at 1,075 kilometers (km) east-northeast of extreme northern Luzon around 4 p.m.

It has maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 115 kph while barely moving over the Philippine Sea.

Meanwhile, Cempaka was at 945 km west of extreme northern Luzon or outside the Philippine area of responsibility.

Due to the enhanced habagat, scattered to widespread moderate to at times heavy monsoon rains may prevail over Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, and Palawan in the next 24 hours.

Scattered light to moderate rains with occasional heavy rains may also affect Metro Manila, Batanes, Cagayan, Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Pampanga, Tarlac, Bulacan Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental.

Meanwhile, the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy conditions with rain showers or thunderstorms.

PAGASA warned against possible flash floods or rain-induced landslides during heavy or prolonged rainfall, particularly in areas that are highly susceptible to these hazards. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/pagasa-habagat-enhanced-by-two-tropical-cyclones-brings-monsoon- rains-over-parts-of-ph/

Tropical Cyclone 'Fabian' Tracker

Published July 22, 2021, 12:13 AM by Jhon Aldrin Casinas 11 a.m., July 22

The Typhoon “Fabian” (international name “In-fa”) maintained its strength while moving slowly off the coast of Batanes.

PAGASA estimated the center of the eye of Fabian at 525 kilometers (km) Northeast of Itbayat, Batanes as of 10 a.m.

It maintained its strength packing a maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph, while slowly moving west southwestward.

5 a.m., July 22

The Batanes and Babuyan Islands remain under tropical cyclone wind signal number 1 as typhoon “Fabian” (international name “In-fa”) maintained its strength on Thursday, July 22.

PAGASA estimated the center of Fabian at 530 kilometers (km) Northeast of Itbayat, Batanes as of 4 a.m.

It still packed a maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph while moving West Southwestward at 10 kph.

11 p.m., July 21

Batanes and Babuyan Islands were placed under tropical cyclone wind signal number 1 due to the anticipated direct effect of typhoon “Fabian.”

As of 10 p.m., the center of the eye of typhoon Fabian was estimated at 575 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes while it maintained its maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph.

It is moving southwest at 15 kph. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/22/tropical-cyclone-fabian-tracker/

Storm 'Fabian' moves slowly but maintains strength — PAGASA

Published July 20, 2021, 12:14 AM by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

Severe tropical storm “Fabian” (international name “In-fa”) has maintained its strength while moving slowly over the Philippine Sea on Monday evening, July 19, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its 11 p.m. bulletin.

PAGASA estimated the center of Fabian at 1,065 kilometers (km) east-northeast of extreme northern Luzon around 10 p.m.

It has maintained its maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 115 kph while west-northwest slowly.

PAGASA said that Fabian and a tropical storm with international name “Cempaka” are expected to continue enhancing the southwest monsoon or “habagat.”

Cempaka was estimated at 950 km west of extreme northern Luzon or outside the Philippine area of responsibility on Monday evening.

Due to the enhanced habagat, scattered to widespread moderate to at times heavy monsoon rains may prevail over Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, and Palawan in the next 24 hours.

PAGASA warned against possible flash floods or rain-induced landslides during heavy or prolonged rainfall, particularly in areas that are highly susceptible to these hazards.

Track and intensity outlook

Based on Fabian’s latest forecast scenario, the hoisting of tropical cyclone wind signals over any part of the country remains less likely.

However, PAGASA still advised residents and disaster managers in Batanes and Babuyan Islands to continuously monitor the tropical cyclone bulletins as any further southward shift in the orientation of Fabian’s forecast track may result in the hoisting of Signal No. 1 over these areas. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/20/storm-fabian-moves-slowly-but-maintains-strength-pagasa/

Pagasa: Rainy Tuesday in Luzon, parts of the Visayas

By: John Eric Mendoza - @inquirerdotnet

INQUIRER.net / 08:17 AM July 20, 2021

MANILA, Philippines Most parts of Luzon and Western Visayas are expected to have rainy weather on Tuesday due to the southwest monsoon or habagat, — according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Severe Tropical Storm Fabian, last spotted 1,035 kilometers east northeast of extreme northern Luzon, and an active tropical cyclone 960 kilometers west of extreme northern Luzon continue to strengthen the southwest monsoon, but will not directly affect the weather conditions.

country’s Fabian is set to exit PAR by Saturday, and is forecast to be expected to be in the vicinity of Taipei City, Taiwan. nasabing mga bagyo o sama ng panahon ay walang direktang epekto sa anumang bahagi ng bansa ngunit patuloy itong nagpapalakas sa habagat na siyang “Ang nagdadala ng pag-ulan sa malaking bahagi ng Luzon at lang bahagi ng Pagasa weather specialist Meno Mendoza said. kabisayaan,”

(The said typhoons and weather disturbances have no direct effect on any parts of the country but strengthens the which triggers rains in most parts of Luzon and some parts of the Visayas.) ‘habagat’ Pagasa said the Ilocos region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, and Palawan will experience monsoon rains, while Metro Manila, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Mimaropa (Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan); and Eastern Visayas will have cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1461812/pagasa-rainy-tuesday-in-luzon-parts-of-the-visayas

P9.4-M marijuana, arms cache seized in

Sulu raid Published 3 days ago on July 19, 2021 11:02 PM By John Roson Security forces seized at least P9.4 million worth of marijuana and a cache of firearms during a raid in Luuk, Sulu.

Members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), backed by police and Marine troopers, carried out the operation Saturday, in Sitio Tangan-Tangan, Barangay Lingah, according to reports from the Bangsamoro regional police and Joint Task Force- Sulu of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Operatives seized 11,000 fully-grown marijuana plants and two boxes of marijuana leaves from a plantation measuring about one hectare.

An alias “Bakil” was arrested during the operation, while the people helping him maintain the plantation eluded arrest, police said.

“Bakil,” according to the military, owned the plantation and was arrested at his nearby house.

“This drug personality is a dangerous individual. We seized two M1 Garand rifles, an M14 rifle, and a Carbine rifle that were in his possession,” said Lt. Col. Abdulmoel Alamia, commander of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-8 which participated in the raid. https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/19/p9-4-m-marijuana-arms-cache-seized-in-sulu- raid/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_cc52f35a806d5e38a1482c5bb8d2e73d42a425c9-1626938546-0- gqNtZGzNAiKjcnBszQtO

‘Madaling mapaalis’: Duterte says Chinese ships do leave PH waters when told ABS-CBN News Posted at Jul 20 2021 02:13 AM MANILA—President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said the Philippine Coast Guard has successfully asked Chinese ships to leave the country's territorial waters on several instances.

According to Duterte, the foreign ships leave Philippine waters without trouble when asked by the Coast Guard.

"Why is it that in many occasions, the latest one was 'yung kanina, but previously, we had about two or three incidents which we drove away the Chinese vessel," the president said during his weekly recorded public address.

"Gusto ko lang basahin ang utak ng mga tao na bakit madali silang mapaalis? (Why is it much easier to make them go away?) Are they avoiding any confrontation, or parang good will, or something that we do not know. Madaling mapaalis ngayon (It's much easier to shoo them away.

"I think previously twice in the past, talagang pinaalis sila (we tell them to go away) and they readily agreed to the suggestion of the (Philippine) Coast Guard to move away from the territorial waters."

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Chinese ships appear to be avoiding confrontation with Philippine ships.

"Ang suspetsa ko po ay kaya sila umalis dahil napakalapit na nila sa Palawan. And that is already not contested. Sa atin 'yun. Isa 'yun," Lorenzana said.

(My guess is they left because they were really close to Palawan. And that's ours.)

He also said the Philippines uses civilian ships to tell the Chinese vessels to leave.

"Pangalawa, parang ayaw nilang magkaroon ng insidente diyan involving their naval ships kasi naval ships na 'yung ginagamit nila samantalang ang ginagamit natin ay civilian ships na Coast Guard," Lorenzana added.

(Second, it seems like they don't want any incidents that involve their naval ships, because they use naval ships while we use civilian ships of the Coast Guard.)

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque earlier said the coast guard last week drove a Chinese ship away from the West Philippine Sea.

BRP Cabra was returning to its base in El Nido, Palawan, when it spotted the Chinese vessel near the Louisa Reef on July 13 around 4:30 p.m. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/20/21/madaling-mapaalis-duterte-says-chinese-ships-do-leave-ph- waters-when-told

Palace says coast guard drove away Chinese ship from West Philippine Sea ABS-CBN News Posted at Jul 19 2021 11:24 PM | Updated as of Jul 20 2021 02:03 AM Palace says coast guard drove away Chinese ship from West Philippine Sea 00:00/00:00 The coast guard last week drove a Chinese ship away from the West Philippine Sea, Malacañang said on Monday.

BRP Cabra was returning to its base in El Nido, Palawan, when it spotted the Chinese vessel near the Louisa Reef on July 13 around 4:30 p.m., said Palace spokesman Harry Roque.

"Very politely naman daw, they (Chinese) were asked to leave the area," he told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

"Ito po ay nagpapatunay na ‘pag may presensya ang ating coast guard, napoprotektahan ang ating Exclusive Economic Zone at territorial seas," added the official.

(That proves when our coast guard has presence there, our Exclusive Economic Zone and territorial seas are protected.)

A separate statement by the Philippine Coast Guard said the vessel monitored by the BRP Cabra in the vicinity of Marie Louise Bank, which is 147 nautical miles from El Nido, was Chinese Navy Warship 189.

It did not respond to the initial radio challenge by the Philippine vessel, and only started to move away after another verbal challenge was coursed through the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), the PCG said.

BRP Cabra tailed the Chinese ship to ensure it leaves the Philippines' EEZ.

The BRP Cabra last June 30 also sent away Vietnamese and Chinese ships from the area. Two months ago, it shooed 7 alleged Chinese maritime militia ships near Puerto Princesa, Palawan, said Roque.

"Regular po ang pagbabantay at matagumpay naman po," he said.

(Patrols are regular and successful.) https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/07/19/21/philippine-coast-guard-china-warship-marie-louise- bank

PH Coast Guard stops China navy incursion near Palawan resort town By: Frances Mangosing - Reporter / @FMangosingINQ

INQUIRER.net / 12:23 PM July 19, 2021

MANILA, Philippines The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) recently expelled a Chinese navy ship near Marie Louise Bank, which is about 309 km off El Nido town — in Palawan province.

“Chinese warship 189 vicinity waters Marie Louise Bank, this is Philippine Coast Erwin Tolentino, of PCG vessel BRP Cabra could be heard as saying in a video Guard MRRV 4409….You are within Philippines’ exclusive economic zone,” Cmdr.

Thefootage incident of the between PCG’s radio BRP challenge Cabra and on Chinese Monday navy (July tugboat 19). 189 happened last July 13. The PCG used its long range acoustic device to issue a verbal challenge against the Chinese ship.

The PCG ship sailed closer and followed the Chinese ship to make sure that it each other, the Chinese ship sent a radio message: would leave the Philippines’ EEZ. When they were 500 to 600 yards away from nautical miles distance “Philippine Coast Guard 4409, this is Chinese Navy Warship 189. Please keep two from me,” the Chinese ship was quoted as saying. https://globalnation.inquirer.net/197820/ph-coast-guard-stops-china-navy-incursion-near-palawan- resort-town

Cops told to secure southern border amid Delta variant threat

By Priam Nepomuceno July 19, 2021, 12:49 pm

(Photo courtesy of PNP PIO)

MANILA – Police deployed in the southern provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (Basulta) are ordered to carry out intensified monitoring and regular patrols amid the threat of the Delta variant now wreaking havoc in neighboring Indonesia.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar visited over the weekend these provinces to check the local troops and get updates on the security measures implemented to prevent illegal entry of non-residents.

“Kahapon ay magkakasunod kong binisita ang ating mga kapulisan sa Basilan, Sulu atTawi- Tawi upang alamin ang kalagayang pangseguridad at pati na rin ang kalagayang pangkaligtasan sa patuloy na banta ng Covid-19, lalo na ang Delta variant na isang seryosong problema ngayon sa ating kapitbahay na bansang Indonesia (Yesterday (Sunday), I visited our police personnel in Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi to know the security situation there and their well-being amid the ongoing threat posed by Covid-19, especially with the threat posed by the Delta variant which is now a serious problem in Indonesia)," Eleazar said.

The Philippines shares borders with Indonesia and Malaysia in Mindanao. The porous southern border is reportedly being taken advantage of for smuggling activities, including those who want to easily get in and out of the Philippines.

The government has included Indonesia in the list of countries with strict travel restrictions amid the surge of Covid-19 cases which health experts attributed to the more transmissible Delta variant.

Eleazar is expected to meet with the regional police officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in a command conference Monday to discuss security and safety measures in the region. (with Lloyd Caliwan/PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147507

Strong support for AFP, one of Duterte's legacies

By Priam Nepomuceno July 19, 2021, 4:03 pm

SUPPORT FOR AFP. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte makes a “fist bump” with soldiers in this undated photo. Duterte's strong support to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has always been considered as part of his administration's legacies. (Presidential photo)

MANILA – President Rodrigo R. Duterte's strong support to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has always been considered as part of his administration's legacies.

"The AFP has always been grateful for the direction and support of the Commander-in-Chief in continuously improving its capabilities,” AFP public affairs office chief Navy Capt. Jonathan Zata said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency.

Under the term of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Zata said the AFP was able to complete a total of 54 projects under RA 7898 (AFP Modernization Act) and RA 10349 (Revised AFP Modernization Act) while 70 other projects were also delivered.

Some of the well-known products of the ongoing AFP Modernization Program are two missile frigates -- the BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) and the BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151) which are now commissioned and now deployed for patrol missions, the FA-50PH light-interim fighter aircraft, and the two AgustaWestland AW-159 "Wildcat" anti-submarine helicopters.

The AFP also procured Polish-made S-70i "Black Hawk" helicopters of which 10 units are now in the country with the remaining five to be delivered within the year.

Last June 24, an S-70i, part of the first batch of six delivered in November last year, crashed in Tarlac while conducting a night flying exercise.

He added that around PHP125 billion worth of funds was also appropriated for the procurement of these vital and game-changing assets under the present administration.

"New and better equipment, facilities and even personal protective equipment are now being made available to units (now deployed)," Zata said. He added that these capabilities improved the conduct of military operations against terrorists on the land and sea as well as in providing a more persistent monitoring of the country's interests in the West Philippine Sea.

"Many more lives and communities are saved during HADR (humanitarian assistance disaster relief) operations since most equipment needed during these instances are further improved. While more are still needed, these capabilities are likewise forthcoming," Zata said.

Earlier, AFP chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said the military will accelerate its modernization program to be at par with its regional counterparts.

"We will accelerate our modernization program. We should be at par with our neighbors, so we are almost towards 2028 which we envision to become a World Class Armed Forces that is a source of national pride," he added.

Sobejana estimated the completion of AFP modernization at "60 percent", adding that a lot of modern weapon systems and equipment for the military are in the pipeline.

He said this includes personal or individual equipment of troops as well as hospital and medical facilities that would greatly boost the morale of the soldiers.

In 2018, Duterte has fulfilled his campaign promise to increase the salaries of soldiers and cops when he signed into law the Congress Joint Resolution modifying the Base Pay Schedule for Military and Uniformed Personnel (MUP).

Overall, the salary adjustments resulted to a 58.7 percent average increase for all MUP ranks, effective January 1, 2018.

Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier cited Duterte’s continuous support to the AFP modernization program and doubling of salaries of military personnel as among the President’s most significant achievements as far as the security sector is concerned.

Lorenzana said military personnel can focus on their job better if they know they can adequately support their families with their salaries and at the same time do their mandated duty with the new equipment acquired. (PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147525

Government sets freeze of NDF assets after ‘terrorist organization’ tag BYJOEL R. SAN JUAN JULY 19, 2021 THE Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) has designated the National Democratic Front (NDF), also known as the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), as a “terrorist organization.”

In a five-page resolution, the ATC through its chair Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, said the NDF’s designation as a terrorist group was based on “verified and validated information as well as testimonial and documentary evidence” that the group has “committed, or attempting to commit, or conspire in the commission of the acts defined and penalized under Sections 7, 10, and 12 of the ATA [Anti-Terrorism Act].”

The ATC also accused the NDF/NDFP members of continuously luring or recruiting people to join the New People’s Army (NPA).

It also noted that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) admitted through its media releases and documents that the NDF/NDFP has a direct and indispensable role in its armed operations.

The CPP-NPA was previously designated also as a terrorist organization.

“The CPP/NPA continues to launch attacks, victimizing innocent civilians and destroying billions worth of public and private properties,” the ATC said. The link of the NDF with the CPP-NPA, according to the ATC, was bolstered by CPP founder Jose Maria Sison’s admission that it is an allied organization of the CPP-NPA in his message for the NDF’s 48thanniversary in April 2021.

The ATC also noted that Sison’s wife, Juliet de Lima-Sison, who was recently named as the interim chairperson of the NDF negotiating panel, claimed in January 2021 that the CPP-NPA-NDF is not subject to the authority of the government as CPP-NPA belong to the NDFP.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported that at least 1,506 terrorist activities have been committed by the NPA beginning 2010, including the abduction of 544 children who were forced and/or deceived to become child warriors— 304 of them boys and 240 girls.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/19/government-sets-freeze-of-ndf-assets-after-terrorist- organization-tag/

Labeling NDF a terror organization will lead to Duterte rigging Eleksyon 2022 – Sison By MA. ANGELICA GARCIA, GMA News Published July 19, 2021 11:15pm

The Anti-Terrorism Council's designation of the National Democratic Front as a terrorist organization was intended to allow President Rodrigo Duterte to control and rig the 2022 elections, self-exiled communist leader Jose Maria Sison said Monday.

In a statement, Sison explained that the designation will allow Duterte to stay in power together with his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, and prevent his arrest for crimes against humanity on the prospective warrant that may be issued by the International Criminal Court.

Sison said the designation is also clearly intended to "close further every possibility" of resuming the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations at least for the duration that Duterte is in power.

It is also intended to "harass, silence, arrest or even kill the NDFP consultants and resource persons and others involved in the peace negotiations and target even the broad range of peace advocates, critics, and oppositionists," Sison said.

He said it will also "pave a wider path for the Duterte regime to declare martial law and impose a fascist dictatorship on the people either before the anticipated uprising." 2022 elections or after this is rigged to preempt the 1986 type of people’s https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/795987/labeling-ndf-a-terror-organization-will-lead- to-duterte-rigging-eleksyon-2022-sison/story/

Essence of Eid'l Adha best demonstrated by Muslim responders in Sulu crash — AFP Chief

Published July 19, 2021, 2:24 PM by Martin Sadongdong The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) joined Muslim Filipinos in celebrating Eidl’l Adha or the “Feast of Sacrifice” on Tuesday, July 20.

Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, AFP Chief of Staff, said the essense of Eid’l Adha was evident when several Muslim civilians sacrificed their own safety and risked their lives in rescuing the soldiers aboard the C -130 cargo plane of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) that crashed in Patikul, Sulu more than two weeks ago.

“The nobility of this Feast was remarkably demonstrated in the people who responded to the survivors of the C-130 mishap in Sulu,” Sobejana said.

Twenty-seven Tausugs were recognized by the Joint Task Force (JTF) Sulu after they rushed to the crash site moments after the plane carrying 96 soldiers crashed in Barangay Bangkal on July 4.

The responders are militiamen who belong to the 8th Civilian Active Auxiliary Company (8CAAC) under the command of the AFP’s 5th Special Force Company, 2nd Special Forces Battalion.

For their actions that led to the safe extraction and rescue of 20 soldiers from the crash site, the civilian responders were recommended to be awarded with a Bronze Cross Medal.

The Bronze Cross Medal is a military decoration awarded to military and civilian personnel of the AFP for their “voluntary action in the face of great danger above and beyond the call of duty, or other deeds eviddenced by extraordinary bravery not involving direct combat with the enemy.”

The military chief paid tribute to the responders who have “shown solidarity with us in one of the most tragic accidents [in] our organization.”

“We thank you wholeheartedly and vow to repay your kindness by continuing to put our lives on the line in ensuring the peaceful celebration of Eid’l Adha,” Sobejana noted.

President Duterte has declared July 20 as a regular holiday across the country in observance of Eid’l Adha, which is considered as one of the most important holidays in Islam. It commemorates the willingness of prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son, Ishmail (Ishmael), as an act of obedience to Allah’s (God) command.

“As we continue to face unprecedented challenges, we hope that every Muslim both here and elsewhere can find the time and space to strengthen our faith and spirit, to triumph over despair, and embrace a life dedicated to the service of those who are in need,” Sobejana said. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/essence-of-eidl-adha-best-demonstrated-by-muslim-responders-in- sulu-crash-afp-chief/

NTF-ELCAC funds used for good governance, no taint of pork barrel

By Lade Jean Kabagani July 19, 2021, 8:12 pm

MANILA – National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said Monday the anti -insurgency funds are used for good governance and not as a pork barrel.

In a regular virtual press conference titled "Tagged: Debunking Lies By Telling The Truth”, Esperon said the bulk of the PHP19 billion total budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) funds had been allocated for the Barangay Development Program (BDP).

The BDP is the government's counter-insurgency program that aims to deliver various government projects in conflict-afflicted and geographically isolated villages that have been considered "cleared" from the influence of communist rebels.

Esperon said about 822 identified barangays nationwide have received PHP20 million each that they can use for the implementation of various developmental projects in their areas such as farm- to-market roads, classrooms, water and sanitation systems, health stations, and li velihood projects.

"The funds for the Barangay Development Program are directly released to the provincial and the city governments who will undertake, administer or contract out the BDP projects. That's the bulk of it," Esperon said.

He refuted Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon's earlier statement that the 2022 anti-insurgency fund could be used "as a huge campaign kitty for next year's election."

Esperon said aside from funds allocated for the BDPs, there are also funds given to the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) including the National Security Council, to pursue other developmental projects that will ensure the total dismantling of communist terrorist group’s (CTG) guerrilla fronts in the far-flung communities.

"Why would he say that it (fund) is not needed anymore? I have recently visited Sorsogon for a groundbreaking, because in the Bicol Region today, they have 49 barangays allocated with PHP20 million each, these are former guerrilla centers or strongholds," Esperon said.

Larger anti-insurgency funds

He noted that the local people in the area have proposed a larger amount of anti -insurgency fundings for the whole of Bicol Region, to make sure they will not anymore be infiltrated by the communist rebels. "It goes similar to Samar. For now, they have six barangays but soon Samar alone, they will have about 198 and there will be less for Mindanao since it was the concentration of the previous clashes," he said.

The local officials in the Ilocos Region have likewise asked the national government to put up BDPs in more villages as they have seen the improvements of some areas cleared from the influence of the CTGs, he added.

"Therefore, we are not the ones saying that (we need the fund), but the local officials and the residents themselves and that's the most important," he said.

Esperon said Drilon should also look up to the residents' feedback about the program.

"Those we are visiting for the groundbreaking nationwide, the people's feedback, never-mind the local officials or the governor, they say this has to be pursued here because we know it could be spent as needed. Listen to them because they are the ones identifying their needed projects in the areas. Although we have a menu, but, in the final implementation, the (project) listing must come from them," he said.

Esperon said he remains unfazed by Drilon's warning that the opposition senator will "vehemently oppose" the 2022 budget of NTF-ELCAC.

"Kung 'yan ang paniwala ng kagalang-galang na Senator Frank Drilon ay sige lang.Anyway dudulog pa rin naman kami dyan sa Kongreso (If that's the sentiment of Senator Drilon, then fine. Anyway, we will still appeal in Congress) because the budget passes to Congress, in the House of Representatives, and the Senate, and we hope to still get the support of the majority of Congress in both Houses to again fund these barangays because these areas really needed to be developed," he said.

Neglected 822 barangays

He emphasized that the task force is currently developing only 822 out of 42,000 barangays nationwide.

"These areas have been neglected for a long time and we have programs in other barangays. But remember, we are working with only on 822, for now, that's not even 1 percent of the 42,000 barangays, and if we have to add another 2,000 or even 3,000 more barangays -- that's what percent out of 42,000?," Esperon said.

Esperon said he would just talk with the officials and residents of those barangays formerly infiltrated by the CTGs if Drilon would really insist to defund the NTF-ELCAC by next year.

"Sasabihin namin sa mga barangay na hindi niyo na raw kailangan ito. Yun lang. Eh di wala nang pinagtalunan. Kung hindi maipasa yan eh di sabihin natin pumunta kayo kay Senator Drilon, sabihin natin na hindi na papayag, na hindi daw pwede (We will tell them he said you don't need it anymore. That's it. There's no argument on that. If we will be defunded, let's tell them to go to Senator Drilon, we'll tell them it's not allowed, we can't have the fund)," he said. He added the task force will further assure Drilon that the anti-insurgency fund, which is 99 percent released to the target barangays, will be properly implemented.

"On that note, I hope we will still get Senator Drilon's support after presenting to him our accomplishment report," he said. "So they would say that this PHP20 million budget went straight to the projects, not in a certain person, most especially it did not go to the pork barrel of Esperon. We don't do that," he said

Esperon assured that the implementation of the BDP nationwide is aligned with the good governance initiatives of the State.

"The BDP is branded with good governance. It has no taint of pork barrel," Esperon said. (PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147592

UP freshmen, admin warned vs. NPA recruitment

By Christine Cudis July 19, 2021, 5:47 pm

WASTED YOUTH. Members of the League of Parents of the Philippines display photos of University of the Philippines graduates who joined the armed struggle during a rally at the Diliman campus in Quezon City on Monday (July 19, 2021). The group warned the school administration to be on the lookout for leftist groups that recruit students to join the New People’s Army. (PNA photo by Joey Razon)

MANILA – The anti-communist group League of Parents of the Philippines (LPP) marched through the gateway of University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus on Monday as it called on officials and teachers to be more vigilant with the new batch of students for the coming school year.

The group, together with the Liga Independencia Pilipinas, strode along University Avenue in Quezon City with the advice to monitor about 11,000 freshmen of the UP System.

"We, parents, will not stop until the recruitment of our children also stop. We want our children to finish their studies but communist fronts inside UP lure them to join rallies, activism, immersion, take up arms, and fight the government. As a government-sponsored university, UP must be vigilant and not tolerate the presence of legal fronts that recruit students," LPP president Remy Rosadio told reporters in Filipino.

Rosadio said communist terrorist groups have deceptive schemes to disguise their agenda against the government and the Filipino people.

This recruitment process starts off as a "barkadahan" (peer group) system where small discussion groups take up national issues, Rosadio said.

He said talks will later on develop into a “brainwashing activity” with the students adopting armed struggle as the only legitimate solution to the country’s problems.

From there, she said students will be taken to immersion programs in the countryside, paving the way for their actual recruitment into the New People's Army (NPA). "We call on the UP administration to crack down on these front organizations. Since time immemorial, it has identified who are they and the style and schemes. The leaders and infiltration teams and individuals are not new to them," Rosadio continued.

The rallyists carried with them photos of UP graduates who were identified as NPA rebels.

The Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147554

NTF-ELCAC, NCIP welcome dismissal of terror raps vs. 2 Aetas

By Lade Jean Kabagani July 19, 2021, 12:45 pm

A joint statement released on June 17 by the NTF-ELCAC and NCIP said the court's decision to drop the charges against the two Aetas is a manifestation that the justice system in the country is functioning fairly.

MANILA — The National Task Force to End Local Communist and Armed conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) welcomed the dismissal by the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 74 of the Anti-Terrorism Case filed against Japer Gurung and Junior Ramos of the Aeta indigenous community in Zambales.

A joint statement released on June 17, the NTF-ELCAC and NCIP said the court's decision to drop the charges against the two Aetas is a manifestation that the justice system in the country is functioning fairly.

"The decision has clearly shown that our justice system works, hears, and decides cases fairly, without fear or favor," the statement read.

The notice, dated July 15, issued by the Regional Trial Court branch of Olongapo City, stated that the two accused "were not proved to be perpetrators of terrorism" under Section 4 of Republic Act No. 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

"The invalidity of an arrest leads to several consequences, one of which is any search incident to the arrest becomes invalid thus rendering the evidence acquired constitutionally inadmissible," it added.

Protecting IPs vs. exploitation

The NTF-ELCAC and the NCIP vowed to protect the indigenous peoples (IP) community against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and its front organizations.

"Both NTF-ELCAC and NCIP ceaselessly worked together to remove our IP brothers from the exploitative clutches of the CPP-NPA-NDF including their front organizations, like Karapatan, so that their case will the justly heard under our system of laws," the joint statement read. Communist groups, it added, had been using Gurung and Ramos' case to topple the anti -terrorism law.

"These groups had been exploiting this case and has used it to move for the invalidation of the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020, which our ICCs/IPs had sought and fully supported for their protection against the CPP/NPA presence within their lands. The case before the Supreme Court was later found to be filed without the consent of the Japer and Junior," it said.

Last February, the two Aetas disclosed that they were forced to sign the 42-page petition against the anti-terror law because of the persistence of the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL), allegedly linked to the CPP-NPA-NDF.

The NUPL earlier claimed it has been representing Gurung and Ramos since September last year.

The two Aetas, however, decided to reject NUPL's legal assistance and asked the help of the Public Attorney’s Office and the NCIP.

By then, the NTF-ELCAC and the NCIP assured Gurung and Ramos, they will be provided with the necessary legal assistance during the court's trials.

"We wish to thank our security forces and our agencies, especially the Public Attorney’s Office, for extending their consideration as well as tremendous assistance and support since the trial began," the statement said.

"We are one with our Aeta brothers and their families, in their quest for justice, and we will be with them as they walk free and return to their families and ancestral land," they added.

The government, through the NTF-ELCAC, is intensifying its fight against communist terrorist groups and its front organizations to end the 52-year old armed conflict.

Signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte in December 2018, Executive Order 70 created the NTF-ELCAC that institutionalizes a whole-of-nation approach in obtaining exclusive and sustainable peace, giving the government an effective solution against communist terrorists.

Duterte earlier acknowledged the efforts of the security forces to dismantle the remaining guerrilla fronts of the CPP-NPA-NDF.

He hoped the CTG guerilla fronts would be wiped out by the end of his term.

The CPP-NPA-NDF is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147520

NTF- ELCAC reacts to acquittal of 2 Aetas in pioneer anti- terror case

Published July 19, 2021, 1:12 PM by Martin Sadongdong

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) welcomed Monday, July 19, the decision of an Olongapo City court to acquit two Aetas who were the first individuals to be charged as terrorists under the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020.

Aeta farmers Japer Gurung and Junior Ramos were granted the demurrer to evidence by the Olongapo Region Trial Court Branch 97 after they successfully challenged the sufficiency of evidence filed against them for allegedly firing at members of the Philippine Army in Zambales in August 2020.

“The decision has clearly shown that our justice system works, hears, and decides cases fairly without fear or favor,” the NTF-ELCAC said in a statement.

Gurung and Ramos were considered as the test cases for the implementation of the much- feared ATA as they were accused by the government of being members of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Critics of the new law claimed that the “vagueness” of the law might be used by the government as a weapon in a crackdown against dissenters and activists.

The two Aeta farmers were facing terrorism charges for alleged violation of Section 4 of Republic Act 11479 or the ATA for “conspiring, confederating and cooperating” in engaging in terroristic acts that are “intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person, or endanger a person’s life” against members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Accordingly, Gurung and Ramos were part of an Aeta group that was evacuating due to “intense military operations and continued bombings” in their ancestral land in San Marcelino, Zambales on August 21, 2020 when they were caught by members of the 73rd Recoinassance Company, 7th Infantry Division (7ID).

At the time, the military were flushing out suspected NPA rebels in the area when a shooting incident happened, killing Sgt. Rudil Dilao. Soldiers who stood as witnesses blamed the incident on Gurung and Ramos.

However, the Olongapo City court said the prosecution “failed to discharge the burden of proving the identities of the accused as perpetrators of the crime.” It said the soldiers identified the Aetas as the ones who fired the gun during the shooting incident as stated in their judicial affidavit, but did not indicate it in their sworn statements, thus, creating an inconsistency as to who the real perpetrators of the crime were.

Gurung and Ramos were initially represented by the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) which used their case to challenge the constitutionality of the ATA before the Supreme Court (SC). The petition had been junked.

Gurung and Ramos then dropped the NUPL lawyers as legal assistance from the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) came in. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/ntf-elcac-reacts-to-acquittal-of-2-aetas-in-pioneer-anti-terror-case/

Bike event nation's call to bring Reds to justice: DILG chief

By Priam Nepomuceno July 19, 2021, 10:30 am

(PNA photo by Liza T. Agoot)

MANILA – The “Bike for Justice and Peace” campaign highlights the nation's constant call to end the violence and deaths caused by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said Monday.

Año said the killings of football player Kieth Absalon and his cousin Nolven, through an unprovoked anti-personnel mine attack, committed in violation of international humanitarian law, are proof of the terrorist group's victimization of the Filipino youth.

"The DILG strongly commends the organizers behind the nationwide Bike for Peace and Justice last July 17, 2021. Campaigns such as the Bike for Justice and Peace amplify the nation's united call against the condemnable violence and senseless deaths caused by the CPP-NPA," he added.

“The public cannot be expected (to) stay silent -- they have the right to be outraged and demand justice for Kieth, Nolven, and other victims of the CPP-NPA.”

The Absalon cousins were cycling with a group in Masbate City when APMs exploded by the roadside and killed them on June 6. They were also shot at point-blank by the terrorists.

The NPA later claimed responsibility for the deaths.

Año hoped that the success of the Bike for Justice and Peace may be emulated by other youth and civic groups that wish to join the "united voice" against communist rebels.

"The DILG and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) are fully supportive of these campaigns and activities expressing the people's urgent desire for peace, order, and accountability for those who terrorize the Filipino youth," he said.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147502 2 rebels killed, arms cache seized in

CamSur clash Published 3 days ago on July 19, 2021 09:08 PM By John Roson Two members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed and various high -powered firearms were seized when government forces clashed with the rebel group in Sagñay, Camarines Sur, on Monday, the military reported.

Members of the 83rd Infantry Battalion, backed by police, encountered about 20 rebels in Barangay Bongalon, according to a report from the Philippine Army’s 9th Infantry Division.

Troops earlier received information on the presence of rebels who were supposedly recruiting new comrades, so an operation was conducted, it said.

The firefight lasted for about 30 minutes, before the surviving rebels withdrew.

Soldiers later recovered the bodies of two slain rebels, as well as eight M16 rifles, two M14 rifles, two M653 rifles, ammunition, magazines, and personal belongings at the encounter site.

Col. Jaime Abawag Jr., 902nd Brigade commander, warned remaining rebels in the area to just surrender, as operations by the Army and police will continue.

Maj. Gen. Henry Robinson, commander of the 9th ID and Joint Task Force-Bicolandia, said Monday’s clash was a “big blow” on the rebels’ firepower and manpower.

“Tiyak na gagawa at gagawa sila ng mga desperate attacks and retaliation. Kaya mas paiigtingin natin ang seguridad na inilalatag natin dito sa Bicol para hindi na uli sila makapaminsala,” Robinson said. https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/19/2-rebels-killed-arms-cache-seized-in-camsur-clash/

Abu Sayyaf sub-leader’s wife nabbed,

explosives seized in Sulu raid

Published 3 days ago on July 19, 2021 04:52 PM By John Roson Security forces arrested the wife of notorious Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Mudzrimar “Mundi” Sawadjaan and confiscated some explosives during a raid in Jolo, Sulu, police reported.

Fatima Nasser Anilhusra-Sawadjaan, 28, was arrested Saturday, at her house in Sitio Badjao Annex, Brgy. Bus-Bus, according to a report from the Bangsamoro regional police.

Members of the Sulu provincial police, PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Special Action Force, and the Army conducted the operation.

They were supposed to serve arrest warrants against Mundi, who was implicated in some deadly bombings in Sulu, but he and his cohorts eluded arrest, the report said.

Operatives, however, found an MK2 grenade, two bottles of suspected ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO), two detonating cords, and a safety fuse in the house, so Fatima was arrested, it said.

Fatima, who had reportedly supported Abu Sayyaf’s bombing activities, is facing charges for violation of Republic Act 9516, or the law on explosives, and Republic Act 11479, or the Anti-Terrorism Act, police said. https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/19/abu-sayyaf-sub-leaders-wife-nabbed-explosives-seized- in-sulu-raid/

5 alleged Abu Sayyaf members surrendered in Basilan —military Published July 20, 2021 8:11am The Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) on Tuesday said five alleged members of Abu Sayyaf surrendered to the military in Lamitan City, Basilan, on Sunday.

In a statement, Wesmincom commander Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan Jr. said the bandits turned themselves in at the 68th Infantry Battalion Headquarters in Campo Uno.

The rebels were identified as alias Nori, 32 years old; Ansar, 44; Dam, 44; Miyo, 42; . Sharim, 30, according to 68th IB acting battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Napoleon Pabon, Jr.

ADVERTISING The five also surrendered their firearms including four M1 Garand rifles and one KG9 semi-automatic pistol with a magazine and five cartridge 9mm ammunition.

The Abu Sayyaf members and their firearms were presented to Joint Task Force Basilan commander Brigadier General Domingo Gobway.

Gobway said JTF Basilan with the provincial and local government officials will assist the five former Abu Sayyaf members in their reintegration into mainstream society.

According to Wesmincom, 21 Abu Sayyaf personalities have surrendered to JTF Basilan since January. Eighteen of them were regular members and three were supporters of the group.

and — Joviland“We are optimistic Rita/KBK, that GMA those News bandits who are still hiding will soon come out avail of the programs and projects that the government offers,” Vinluan said. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/796013/5-alleged-abu-sayyaf-members-surrender- in-basilan/story/ NPA officer, wife, nephew surrender to govt troops

CAMP MELCHOR F. DELA CRUZ, Upi, Gamu: A high-ranking official of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) surrendered to the 95th Infantry

Battalion (IB) in Palanan town, Isabela.

The CPP-NPA official's wife and nephew also yielded to government troops, said the Fifth

Infantry Division (ID) in a press statement.

For security reasons, the surrenderers were only identified as alias Badi, 49, a resident of

Barangay Puro, Legazpi City, Albay who was commanding the Regional Ordnance Group of the Regional Operations Command; alias Rowena, 36, a resident of Barangay Alomanay,

Palanan, Isabela who was a member of squad tres of the Regional Centro de Gravedad; and alias Eric, a resident also of Barangay Puro, Legazpi, Albay who was also a member of squad tres as a logistics officer.

According to the Fifth ID Public Affairs Office chief Maj. Jekyll Julian Dulawan, the former rebels operated under the Komiteng Rehiyon-Cagayan Valley.

Dulawan said the three ex-rebels also yielded three M16 rifles, two bandoliers, three mobile phones, medical paraphernalia and subversive documents with high intelligence value. Dulawan also said the surrenderers revealed valuable information to the joint troops of the

95th IB, the 98th IB and local police that resulted in the discovery of an arms cache at Sitio

Dadugen, Barangay Dibuluan, San Mariano on July 13.

The arms cache contained 68 pieces of anti-personnel mines, four detonating cords at 600 meters each, seven blasting machines, nine remote-control devices, two car remote controls, improvised explosive device paraphernalia, one portable power generator, a rifle scope, a hard drive, a printer and personal belongings.

The former rebels said they decided to surrender to authorities due to the deteriorating situation within the communist movement.

"Since the death of alias Yuni, the group [was] in chaos and in the pit of its downfall," alias

Badi said in the local dialect.

Dulawan said Yuni's death was an eye-opener for the former rebels to realize that the armed struggle against the government was one of the reasons for poverty.

Alias Badi also acknowledged that the CPP-NPA hinders the development in communities especially in far-flung areas. https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/20/news/regions/npa-officer-wife-nephew-surrender-to-govt- troops/1807670

3 BIFF members surrender in Maguindanao

By: Edwin O. Fernandez - @inquirerdotnet

Inquirer Mindanao / 05:25 AM July 20, 2021

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao, Philippines The military here announced the surrender of three members of outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters – (BIFF) who also turned in high-powered firearms to the Army.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Pondadera, commander of the 57th Infantry Battalion, said the three surrenderers, whose identities were withheld for the safety of their families, were part of the BIFF-Bungos Faction, the most radical among the three BIFF factions.

Pondadera said the Army accepted the surrender of the three fighters in the Army headquarters in Sitio Iking, Barangay Romongaob, South Upi, Maguindanao on Sunday.

Col. Eduardo Gubat, 603rd Infantry Brigade commander, said the trio surrendered one M1 Garand rifle, a Carbine rifle, and a .45-caliber pistol with magazines and ammunition. influencing (these former BIFF members) to denounce their affiliation with the “It is certain that the government’s peace program has been effective in terr

or group,” Gubat said. by the significant increase in the number of terrorist group members who “Our efforts in attaining peace in this part of the country are fruitful as evidenced surrend Division commander and commander of Joint Task Force Central. ered to the government,” said Major General Juvymax Uy, 6th Infantry Almost a hundred former BIFF and Dawlah Islamiya members have surrendered in areas covered under the 6th IDs area of operation that included the provinces of Maguindanao, Cotabato province, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and part of Sarangani. The Maguindanao provincial government has been extending aid to former extremist groups to reintegrate them into mainstream society and become productive citizens of the land.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1461762/3-biff-members-surrender-in-maguindanao

Apec leaders list to-dos in ensuring economic recovery BYTYRONE JASPER C. PIAD JULY 19, 2021 As the economy slowly reopens, vehicle traffic on Edsa, Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare is also returning to prepandemic levels. Actually, officials earlier predicted heavier traffic on Edsa, as Skyway Stage 3 started charging toll, prompting budget-conscious motorists to navigate the ground level. Pedestrian traffic has also increased, as people wait in line for free bus rides at the Edsa Bus Carousel on Monday, July 12, 2021. THE economic leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) stressed the need to redouble vaccine efforts, ensure job generation, further digitalization and enhance regional supply chain in supporting rebound for business activities.

In a joint statement, the Apec members expressed the urgency of having equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines in order to survive the ongoing pandemic, which has severely impacted economies.

“We recognize the role of extensive immunization against Covid-19 as a global public good. To that end, we will redouble our efforts to expand vaccine manufacture and supply, support global vaccine sharing efforts, and encourage the voluntary transfer of vaccine production technologies on mutually agreed terms,” the regional bloc said.

In addition, the Apec leaders said the health systems in place should be resilient enough to address the current and future related events.

To ensure inclusive growth, the Apec ministers vowed to implement macroeconomic and structural policies aimed at accelerating rebound. These include measures boosting job creation and initiatives enabling women to participate in the economic recovery.

The regional bloc underscored the importance of promoting sustainable financing and recovery as well. “In designing a sustainable recovery, and aligned with global efforts, we reiterate the importance of economic policies, cooperation and growth that contribute to tackling climate change and other serious environmental challenges,” the Apec members said. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/19/apec-leaders-list-to-dos-in-ensuring-economic-recovery/

US businesses 'fear Internet curbs in Hong Kong'

View of Hong Kong. (File photo: AFP/Anthony Wallace) 19 Jul 2021 04:05PM HONG KONG: American businesses in Hong Kong fear mainland Chinese Internet curbs and want local authorities to commit to the free flow of information, the head of the city's American Chamber of Commerce said on Monday (Jul 19).

Hong Kong has long marketed itself as an international business centre, free from China's controls and the "Great Firewall" used to censor online content.

But Beijing has started remoulding the city in its own image as it cracks down on dissent following huge and often violent protests two years ago.

A sweeping new security law imposed last year has criminalised much dissent and given authorities a suite of new controls, including Internet takedown powers.

The latest measure to worry business owners is a proposed privacy law that will hold international tech companies and their employees criminally liable for illegal content that users post.

Tara Joseph, president of the local American Chamber of Commerce, said that the government needed to address the business community's concerns.

"One of the key attributes of Hong Kong is that you can go onto Google, you can go onto Facebook and any other platform you want versus what you can do in mainland China," she told Bloomberg Television.

"So I do think it's important for the government to recognise that and to be open and say we're going to maintain that free flow of information." https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/us-businesses-fear-internet-curbs-in-hong-kong- 15248902

China is buying up American farms. Washington wants to crack down.

Bipartisan pressure is building to stop foreign nationals from purchasing American farm operations and receiving taxpayer subsidies.

Pallets of sod cover part of the 230 acre Kuenzi Turf & Nursery on June 2, 2021 in Salem, Oregon. | Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images

By RYAN MCCRIMMON 07/19/2021 04:30 AM ED

The push to drain China’s influence from the U.S. economy has reached America’s farm country, as congressional lawmakers from both parties are looking at measures to crack down on foreign purchases of prime agricultural real estate.

House lawmakers recently advanced legislation to that effect, warning that China’s presence in the American food system poses a national security risk. And key Senate lawmakers have already shown interest in efforts to keep American farms in American hands.

The debate over farm ownership comes amid broader efforts by Congress and the Biden administration to curb the nation’s economic reliance on China, especially in key industries like food, semiconductors and minerals deemed crucial to the supply chain. The call for tighter limits on who owns America’s farms has come from a wide range of political leaders, from former Vice President Mike Pence to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), after gaining momentum seeded in farm states. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/19/china-buying-us-farms-foreign-purchase-499893

US-China economic talks ‘infinitely far away’ with ‘emphasis on competition over cooperation’

• Last week, Bloomberg reported that US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had no intention to resume regular high-level talks • The US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) was created in 2009, but it was suspended by the Trump administration

The resumption of formal high level economic talks between China and the United States seems “infinitely far away”, according to Chinese experts, following reports the Biden administration has no plans to resurrect the regular communication channel that ground to a halt under former president Donald Trump.

The US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) mechanism was created in 2009 by the Obama administration as an upgrade to the Strategic Economic Dialogue that was initiated by the administration of president George W. Bush in 2006.

The upgrade agreed between former US president Barack Obama and former Chinese president Hu Jintao added a “strategic” track covering a broad range of global, regional and bilateral political and security issues, but it was suspended by the Trump administration. https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3141700/us-china-economic-talks-infinitely- far-away-emphasis

China Rejects WHO Call for More Transparency on Origins Probe

China’s Foreign Ministry bluntly rejected the WHO’s call for China to be more cooperative with investigations into COVID-19’s origins.

Chinese Foreign Ministry new spokesman Zhao Lijian gestures as he speaks during a daily briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. Credit: AP Photo/Andy WongADVERTISEMENT

On Friday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asked China to be more cooperative with the second phase of the -CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. WHO’s investigation into the origins of the SARS especially on the information, raw data that we asked for at the early days of the The WHO is “asking actually China to be transparent, open and cooperate,

Onpandemic,” Monday, Tedros a Chinese said. Foreign Ministry spokesperson said plan on the second phase origins study proposed by the WHO Secretariat is at bluntly that the “work to rule out any more transparency from the Chinese government. odds with the position of China and many other countries on the issue,” seeming Instead, Zhao Lijiang re- invest emphasized China’s preference for the next steps of the further understanding the role of cold chains and frozen foods in the igation to focus on “further research around earlier cases globally and

Thetransmission novel coronavirus of the virus.” that causes COVID-19 was first reported in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. But since the virus sparked a global pandemic, China has been trying to suggest that while SARS-CoV-2 may have been identified in Wuhan, it originated medical science; the latter is a mark of embarrassment that China is keen to somewhere else. The former can be spun as a triumph of China’s avoid. https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/china-rejects-who-call-for-more-transparency-on-origins-probe/

China and Arab League pledge mutual support, rejecting ‘interference’

• Joint statement opposes external interference in Arab countries but says Arab League welcomes China to help resolve regional disputes • The two sides agree to push for international talks based on a two-state Palestinian solution

China opposes external interference in Arab countries and fully supports the sovereignty of countries facing serious conflict in the region, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a joint statement with the Arab League.

The statement was released after a Sunday meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the secretary general of the Arab League, during which the two sides also agreed to push for international talks based on a two-state solution that would include the early establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

“The establishment of an independent Palestinian state should not be delayed indefinitely and the legitimate rights of the Arab people should not be ignored for too long,” Wang said, adding that China was willing to host the two sides for direct talks, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3141692/china-and-arab-league-pledge-mutual- support-rejecting

Peace in Taiwan Strait a global concern: Taiwan's foreign minister 07/19/2021 10:40 PM Listen Taipei, July 19 (CNA) Peace in the Taiwan Strait has become a global concern, rather than simply an issue between Taiwan and China, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) told a Spanish newspaper recently.

Wu was speaking in an interview with El Mundo, the second largest daily newspaper in Spain, last Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release Monday, the same day the interview was published.

According to MOFA, Wu mentioned China's frequent military sorties in airspace around Taiwan over the past few years during the interview, saying such actions have prompted the international community to express its concerns.

He also cited mentions of the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait by world leaders in the latest Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, United States-Japan summit, United States- Korea summit, European Union-Japan summit and G7 Summit.

This showed that peace in the Taiwan Strait has become a concern for the Indo-Pacific region and the entire world, instead of being a cross-strait issue, Wu said.

On Taiwan-U.S. relations, Wu said President Joe Biden has demonstrated his support for Taiwan with concrete actions, as shown by the invitation of Taiwan's representative to the U.S. Hsiao Bi- khim (蕭美琴) to Biden's inauguration in January and the easing of restrictions for official contacts with Taiwan.

https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202107190025

Japan girds for a surreal Olympics, and questions are plenty By FOSTER KLUGJuly 19, 2021

TOKYO (AP) — After a yearlong delay and months of hand-wringing that rippled across a pandemic-inflected world, a Summer Games unlike any other is at hand. It’s an Olympics, sure, but also, in a very real way, something quite different.

No foreign fans. No local attendance in Tokyo-area venues. A reluctant populace navigating a surge of virus cases amid a still-limited vaccination campaign. Athletes and their entourages confined to a quasi-bubble, under threat of deportation. Government minders and monitoring apps trying — in theory, at least — to track visitors’ every move. Alcohol curtailed or banned. Cultural exchanges, the kind that power the on-the-ground energy of most Games, completely absent.

And running like an electric current through it all: the inescapable knowledge of the suffering and sense of displacement that COVID-19 has ushered in, both here and around the world.

All signs point to an utterly surreal and atomized Games, one that will divide Japan into two worlds during the month of Olympics and Paralympics competition.

On one side, most of Japan’s largely unvaccinated, increasingly resentful populace will continue soldiering on through the worst pandemic to hit the globe in a century, almost entirely separated from the spectacle of the Tokyo Games aside from what they see on TV. Illness and recovery, work and play, both curtailed by strict virus restrictions: Life, such as it is, will go on here.

Meanwhile, in massive (and massively expensive) locked-down stadiums, vaccinated super-athletes, and the legions of reporters, IOC officials, volunteers and handlers that make the Games go, will do their best to concentrate on sports served up to a rapt and remote audience of billions. https://apnews.com/article/sports-entertainment-lifestyle-2020-tokyo-olympics-japan-olympic- team-5ef97cab1da1c3001c4011934f997c87 Scholars, others call for canceling Tokyo Olympics #Japan #Coronavirus #Tokyo 2020 Monday, July 19, 19:31 A group of scholars, journalists, authors and others in Japan has called for the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics to foreign media amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Representing the group, Sociologist Ueno Chizuko, former diplomat Iimura Yutaka and journalist Haruna Mikio made the call for cancellation at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Monday. The Olympic opening ceremony will be held on Friday.

The group has been collecting signatures online for the cancellation of the Games since July 2. Their campaign has so far drawn support from about 140,000 people.

At the news conference, Iimura said there are doubts about whether a safe and secure Games are feasible. He also said, "It may be too late, but as is often said, nothing is ever too late." Iimura added, "We should continue to advocate for cancellation of the Olympic Games to the end."

Ueno explained that she belonged to the student power generation who blamed their parents for not stopping the war. She added that she is now in a position to be accused by the younger generation of not stopping what she called "these ridiculous Games."

The group said the collected signatures would be submitted to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210719_28/

South Korea's Moon drops plan to visit Japan amid uproar over sexual innuendo A police officer stands guard near the Japan and South Korea national flags in Tokyo, Jun 22, 2015. (File photo: REUTERS/Toru Hanai)

19 Jul 2021 10:51AM(Updated: 19 Jul 2021 07:39PM) TOKYO: South Korean President Moon Jae-in will not visit Tokyo for the upcoming Olympics, his office said on Monday (Jul 19), scrapping plans for what would have been his first summit with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

The announcement came after Seoul lodged a protest over a news report on Friday that a senior diplomat at Japan's embassy in Seoul had said Moon was "masturbating" when describing his efforts to improve relations between the two countries. Advertisement "President Moon has decided not to visit Japan," Moon's press secretary Park Soo-hyun told a briefing. "As the Tokyo Olympics is a peaceful festival for all people around the world, we hope that Japan will host it safely and successfully."

The latest uproar further inflamed relations between the two nations feuding over territorial claims and their wartime history, dashing any remaining hopes that the Tokyo Games might offer a fresh start for bilateral and regional cooperation.

Japan's Yomiuri newspaper earlier on Monday reported Moon would meet Suga in Tokyo on Friday, in time for the start of the Olympics. But both governments quickly denied a meeting had been finalised, with Moon's office citing an "last minute obstacle".

Suga and Moon were planning to discuss issues that have strained relations over generations, including compensation for Koreans forced to work in Japanese firms and military brothels during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule, the Yomiuri report said. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/south-korea-moon-jae-in-cancel-japan-visit-olympics- uproar-15247624

Some presidential candidates want compulsory military service for women Posted : 2021-07-19 17:48 Updated : 2021-07-19 18:14

Some presidential candidates, from both the liberal ruling and conservative opposition parties, are saying that they will introduce mandatory military service for women.

Rep. Park Yong-jin, one of the presidential hopefuls of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea, announced July 16, that he will make both men and women perform up to 100 days of compulsory basic military training if he is elected president. After the training period, they will undergo exercises as armed reserves for a certain period of time. He said that he will establish a committee in the first year of his presidential term to introduce this compulsory military service.

In this way, "the compulsory military service, which is causing social conflict, will be contributing to a strong defense and social integration," the lawmaker said.

His move follows that of Rep. Ha Tae-keung, a presidential hopeful of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

Ha pledged the day before Park's announcement that he would make both men and women fulfill mandatory military service for one year. On top of the one-year mandatory service, he also vowed to strengthen voluntary recruitment.

He wrote on Facebook that "genuine gender equality will be achieved only when women are given equal opportunities to participate in domestic defense."

"The one-year mandatory service by both men and women, combined with both conscription and voluntary recruitment, will enable maintaining 500,000 in the forces, even if the military service is shortened to one year," the lawmaker said.

He added that it is an old 20th-century idea as well as prejudice to say that defensive power would be impaired if women joined the military. "In a 21st- century military, which is focused on science and technology, physical strength and condition don't have as much influence," he said. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/07/356_312411.html

Opponents of Myanmar coup hold protests on Martyrs' Day holiday Protesters holding National League for Democracy (NLD) flags raise three-finger salutes during flash protests against the military coup at Bahan township in Yangon, Myanmar on Jun 25, 2021. (AP Photo)

19 Jul 2021 05:55PM(Updated: 19 Jul 2021 11:18PM) Anti-coup protesters in Myanmar held demonstrations on Monday (Jul 19) to coincide with a public holiday to commemorate slain independence heroes, including the father of the country's detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Since the military seized power on Feb 1 and arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior members of her party, hundreds of people have been killed as the army quelled street protests and in clashes between soldiers and newly formed people's militias.

Advertisement In Yangon, military authorities held a tightly controlled ceremony for Martyrs' Day at a mausoleum dedicated to Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi's father and a national hero, who was assassinated alongside members of his cabinet on July 19, 1947.

Drivers in Yangon also blared their horns at 10.37am, a tradition to mark the time the independence leaders were killed.

Last year, Aung San Suu Kyi laid a wreath at the same ceremony but this year only some relatives were present at the event that was also attended by the military-appointed Minister of Religious Affairs and Culture Ko Ko. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/myanmar-anti-coup-protesters-martyrs-day-aung-san- suu-kyi-15249250

Australia, China trade barbs over Great Barrier Reef 'in-danger' designation

19 Jul, 2021 11:11 AM4 minutes to read

The Chinese host of this year's meeting of the United Nations World Heritage Committee has defended the body's proposal to label the Great Barrier Reef as "in danger" against Australia's suspicion that China influenced the finding for political reasons.

The committee, which is meeting both virtually and in the Chinese city of Fuzhou for the next two weeks, will consider the draft decision on Friday.

"Australia, as a member state of the World Heritage Committee, should ... attach importance to the opinions of the advisory bodies and earnestly fulfill the duty of World Heritage protection instead of making groundless accusations against other states," said Tian Xuejun, the Chinese vice minister of education and the president of this year's session, on Sunday.

The Unesco committee will consider adding new sites to the World Heritage list, taking some off and adding others to the in-danger category. A draft decision to put Venice on the in-danger list prompted the Italian Government to ban cruise ships from the lagoon city in a bid to avoid the designation. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/australia-china-trade-barbs-over-great-barrier-reef-in- danger-designation/4KSGU5245BATRZPDILCOYUVQ5I/

Chinese Unesco official defends plan to list Great Barrier Reef as ‘in danger’ | Great Barrier Reef July 19, 2021

https://asiapost.live/chinese-unesco-official-defends-plan-to-list-great-barrier-reef-as-in-danger-great- barrier-reef/

Afghan govt., Taliban to speed up peace talks #World #US Monday, July 19, 11:04

Delegates from the Afghan government and the Taliban have agreed to accelerate talks to end two decades of fighting in the country.

The two sides announced the agreement in a joint statement after wrapping up a two- day meeting in Qatar on Sunday.

The statement also says they have agreed to work together to provide humanitarian assistance as fighting continues across Afghanistan.

The chief of the National Reconciliation High Council, Abdullah Abdullah, who leads the peace process, represented the government at the meeting. The Taliban sent Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group's number two leader.

The Afghan government and the Taliban have been holding intermittent peace talks since last September, but they have made little progress. The government wants an early ceasefire, while the Taliban insist the country should be governed under Islamic law.

The US began a military campaign in Afghanistan after the September 2001 terrorist attacks. But the US now says it will withdraw its forces from the country by the end of August despite the deteriorating security situation.

A focal point is whether the Afghan government and the Taliban can reach a compromise to make steady progress in the talks. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210719_09/

Pakistan says needs Afghan cooperation for probe into envoy's daughter's kidnapping

Umar Farooq

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is seen, ahead of an agreement signing between members of Afghanistan's Taliban delegation and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar February 29, 2020. REUTERS/Ibraheem al Omari/File Photo

ISLAMABAD July 19 (Reuters) - Pakistan said on Monday it was waiting for information from the Afghan government in an investigation into the brief kidnapping of the Afghan ambassador's daughter in Islamabad, after Afghanistan raised questions over the credibility of the probe. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-says-needs-afghan-cooperation-probe-into- envoys-daughters-kidnapping-2021-07-19/

American Civil War and the Lesson for China and Taiwan

The willingness of countries to spill blood and treasure over secession is universal. Who thinks China would be any different?

JULY 19, 2021 Written by

Taiwan has become a flashpoint between Washington and Beijing, so much so that The Economist now judges the island state to be “the most dangerous place on earth.”

Formally the Republic of China, Taiwan is claimed by the People’s Republic of China. Beijing is threatening — without apparent plans to do so in the near-term — to use force to impose its authority over territory that has unofficially acted as a separate nation since 1949.

As the people of Taiwan created a country both free and prosperous, they grew increasingly apart from the mainland. For many, the PRC’s brutal crackdown in Hong Kong is destroyingany lingering appeal of the purported “one country, two systems” model.

The communist absorption of Hong Kong also increased sympathy in America for Taiwan. There appears to be increasing support in Washington for ending the policy of strategic ambiguity and forthrightly promising to defend Taiwan from Chinese attack.

Many triumphalist Americans believe that Beijing would not dare challenge such a U.S. guarantee. For instance, Leon Panetta, a former secretary of defense and CIA director, insisted that “We’re not going to allow China to invade Taiwan, and to undermine their independence.” He added: “if China understands that we’re serious about that, China’s not going to do that. They may be a lot of things, they’re not dumb.”

In short, Panetta sees a promise to protect Taiwan as a freebie: the United States need only say the word and China won’t test America. Xi Jinping and his Politburo full of blowhards will slink back into Zhongnanhai, never to be heard from again. https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/07/19/american-civil-war-and-the-lesson-for-china-and-taiwan/

China: Xi Jinping Is About To Make Most Important Strategic Decision Of Our Era – Analysis July 19, 2021 Observer Research Foundation 7 Comments

By Observer Research Foundation By John C. Hulsman

There was no longer any way to put it off; in July 1940, the army-dominated government of Imperial Japan had come to a strategic fork in the road. Angered by its ongoing aggression in China, the western powers (the US, UK, and the Netherlands) had enacted a full oil embargo to stop Tokyo’s militarism in its tracks. Despite its stockpiles, the Japanese high command knew this was a potentially game-changing economic blow as, together, the three countries supplied Tokyo with an overwhelming 90 percent of its energy needs. Unless Japan engaged in the most humiliating about face, ending its adventurism in China (on which its government had staked everything), Tokyo’s economy would soon literally grind to a halt. A decisive strategic choice had to be made, and quickly.

For a militaristic Tokyo, existentially endangered by the looming US oil embargo, the choices were: To double down on fighting in China, seizing the whole of the country (and controlling its resources); strike the resource-rich (and thinly defended) Dutch East Indies (today’s Indonesia); or obliterate the powerful American fleet in Pearl Harbour, destroying American influence in the Pacific as a whole. As the world knows, the Japanese disastrously opted for Option 3, leading directly to their own ruin.

Much as was true for Imperial Japan in the early 1940s, the China of today has reached a similar strategic fork in the road. Xi Jinping’s Chinese Communist Party finds itself under pressure, though its predicament is caused by nothing so much as the immovable forces of geography.

For it is geography that is hemming in Beijing’s efforts to dominate the Indo-Pacific. China is stymied by being bottled up by ‘the first island chain’ that rings it. Running from Taiwan through Japan and the Philippines before ending at the Strait of Malacca in the south (around Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia), China finds its commercial and strategic prospects under perpetual peril to blockade from the US and Japan to the north at the Strait of Taiwan, and from the US, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and India to the south.

Breaking out of its naval and commercial geostrategic imprisonment at the hands of an organically growing US-led anti-Chinese coalition comprising the key states of the first island chain is the key strategic battleground of the incipient Sino-American Cold War. It is simply impossible for Beijing to become master of East Asia, let along the Indo- Pacific and then emerge as the world’s dominant superpower, without it doing so. https://www.eurasiareview.com/19072021-china-xi-jinping-is-about-to-make-most-important-strategic- decision-of-our-era-analysis/

Press freedom more important than ever in the Asia–Pacific OLIVIA PIRIE-GRIFFITHS A new database tracks incursions and crackdowns on journalists’ capacity to report.

The current Covid-19 pandemic has had an alarming impact on press freedom. Over the past 18 months, governments across the Asia–Pacific have – knowingly or not – used the health crisis to restrict the flow of information, stifling the press freedom that underpins societies and the rights of its citizens.

Last week, amid growing evidence of media suppression across the region, the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom launched the Press Freedom Tracker – a database that monitors incidents related to press freedom in the Asia–Pacific.

Incidents that stifle press freedom are classified into five categories: physical attacks against journalists and media workers; police actions (such as searches and arrests); government regulations and laws; court cases, legal actions and imprisonment; and other incidents that qualify as violations of press freedom (including incidents of online abuse, doxing and misinformation campaigns).

While current government regulations and laws might be intended to protect citizens from the current health crisis, particularly amid warnings of an ‘infodemic’ of misinformation, if not carefully designed they risk undermining the ability of journalists to do their jobs and keep the public informed. A free press not only keeps governments honest, it also provides an essential service in circulating accurate information.

It’s not just overly zealous regulation that poses a danger, though. Physical attacks against journalists and media workers have become increasingly common in the region alongside legal action and imprisonment. Increasing – and valid – tensions around national security have stifled journalists’ ability to practice journalism without fear of legal reprisal too, and this undermines the civic freedoms that national security seeks to protect. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/press-freedom-more-important-ever-asia-pacific The arbitral ruling five years later

Paco A. Pangalangan, Executive Director, Stratbase ADR Institute

New satellite images show that swarms of Chinese ships have been dumping sewage and waste in the West Philippine Sea, damaging coral reefs and threatening the food supply of millions in the region. During a recent international conference organized by Stratbase ADR Institute (ADRi), a US-based geospatial imagery tech firm, Simularity, shared their analysis

and data showing sewage runoffs from Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea are “so Earlierintense thisyou year, can see nearly it from 300 space.” Chinese Maritime Militia vessels were spotted in the area of exclusive economic zone. Despite the efforts of our Departments of Defense and Foreign Affairsthe Julian to formallyFelipe (Whitsun) Reef in the West Philippine Sea, well within the Philippines’ withdraw them. protest these ships’ presence, the Chinese government has refused to their total lack of concern for the ecological and environmental damage they are causing to This continued presence of hundreds of Chinese vessels within the Philippines’ EEZ and intentionally set aside international law and the rule of law just to advance its expansionistsour marine resources agenda. underlinesSimultaneously, the Chinese the lack governme of resistancent’s focused from Malacañang strategy to also exposes

Duringthe extent the of same President Stratbase Rodrigo ADRi Duterte’s conference, ongoing former appeasement Foreign Secretary policy towardsAlbert del China. Rosario or -nautical mile EEZ,pointed that out the some Navy of would Duterte’s only drasticbe patrolling foreign a polic12-nay uticalshifts milesince territorial assuming sea office. of the F Philippines,instance, the he president entered decidedinto a verbal that instead agreement of pro wittectingh President the country’s Xi Jinping 200 allowing Chinese fishermen to fish in our EEZ, and has constantly dismissed and belittled the arbitral ruling that the Philippines won against China in 2016.

who should be looking after his own people relying on a foreign leader for his security of tenure as president. Moreover, such foreign“It is certainly leader disturbingrepresents to an see aggressor our president— that is openly and illegally occupying land and —

Itwaters has now that been belong five to years the Filipino since the people,” Philippines Del Rosa wonrio the said. arbitration case it lodged against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Netherlands, which -dash line claim that covered nearly the entire South China Sea. invalidatedhttps://adrinstitute.org/2021/07/17/the-arbitral-ruling-fi China’s nine ve-years-later/

Duterte dangles VFA extension, seeks dialogue with United States

Published July 20, 2021, 12:37 AM by Genalyn Kabiling The proposed extension of the country’s visiting forces agreement (VFA) with the United States is “on the table” pending a dialogue with Washington officials, President Duterte said Monday.

The President dangled the VFA extension in seeking information from US government officials amid the administration’s probe supposedly on the controversial Panatag Shoal standoff years ago.

Duterte previously blamed Albert Del Rosario, the foreign affairs secretary during the Aquino administration, for the country’s loss of Panatag Shoal during a standoff with China in 2012. He questioned the pullout of the country’s ship from the shoal supposedly under a United States-brokered deal while the Chinese vessels stayed put and consequently took control of the territory.

“Itong visiting forces agreement ang extension is on deck, is on the table,” the President said during a televised address Monday, July 19.

“Gusto ko lang makiusap, hindi makiusap, makipagsalita o makipag-ugnayan (I just want to talk, to reach out). I just want to talk some people in Washington be it from the Office of the President or State Department or the defense department,” he added.

Duterte then mentioned an ongoing government probe but was vague about the information he wanted from the US government.

He dropped hints though that the government investigation was in connection with Del Rosario’s role in the Panatag Shoal standoff. If ever he finds proof of irregularity, Duterte threatened to sue the former foreign affairs chief on the matter.

Back in April, the President asked Del Rosario and his ally former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio why the county lost Panatag Shoal if they were supposedly bright. He also said while the country won the arbitral ruling in a case against China’s claims in the West Philippine Sea, “nobody in the United Nations” was ready to go to war for the Philippines. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/20/duterte-dangles-vfa-extension-seeks-dialogue-with-united-states/

US Defense secretary to visit Vietnam, Philippines Published July 20, 2021 6:49am

WASHINGTON - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Vietnam and the Philippines later this month, the Pentagon said on Monday.

"Secretary Austin's visit will demonstrate the importance the Biden-Harris Administration places on Southeast Asia and on ASEAN as an essential part of the Indo-Pacific's architecture," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. -- Reuters https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/796010/us-defense-secretary-to-visit-vietnam- philippines/story/

Lorenzana says China 'doesn't want confrontation' with PH civilian ship

Published July 20, 2021, 12:20 AM by Martin Sadongdong Despite its aggressive behaviour in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), China will not confront Philippine civilian vessels in the hotly contested waters, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana disclosed late Monday night, July 19.

A Chinese navy warship is driven away from Marie Louise Bank in El Nido, Palawan on July 13, 2021 after getting a radio challenge from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). (Photo courtesy of the PCG ) In his public address, President Duterte asked Lorenzana why it appears that Chinese vessels are easier to drive away now from the territorial waters of the country compared to the past.

Duterte asked this question after learning that BRP Cabra (MRRV 4409) of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) successfully drove away a Chinese naval warship at the Marie Louise Bank located approximately 147 nautical miles from El Nido, Palawan last July 13.

“Sa palagay ko kaya sila umalis dahil napakalapit na nila sa Palawan and it’s not contested, sa atin ‘yon (I think they left because they are too near Palawan and it’s not contested, it is ours),” Lorenzana told Duterte.

Further, Lorenzana said the PCG was only using a civilian vessel when it shooed away the naval warship.

“Ayaw nila magkaroon ng insidente dyan kasi it’s involving a naval ship. Ang gamit natin civilian ship lang ng Coast Guard (They don’t want to make an incident there because it involves a naval ship. We only have a civilian ship from the Coast Guard),” the Defense Chief stated.

“Iyan ang dahilan kaya ayaw nila magconfrontation kaya umaalis na lang sila (That is the reason why they don’t want to have a confrontation so they just chose to leave),” he added. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/20/lorenzana-says-china-doesnt-want-confrontation-with-ph-civilian-ship/

Why America Needs a Grand Strategy

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (foreground) and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton steam in formation during dual carrier operations with the Nimitz and Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Groups in the Philippine Sea, June 23, 2020. (Mass Communication Specialist First Class John Philip Wagner, Jr./US Navy) If we want a strategic outlook that goes beyond Obama’s doctrine of ‘don’t do stupid sh**,’ we need a vision.

DWIGHT EISENHOWER famously said, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” In other words, leaders must create a conceptual framework from which their policies and actions will flow.

The concept of “grand strategy” is a reference from which a nation’s historical, cultural, economic, diplomatic, and military thought is brought to bear to create a strategic synthesis. In confronting the threat posed by China, America needs a grand strategy that preserves our essential national sovereignty while embracing our inheritance of Britain’s strategic imperative to defend the freedom of the commons.

The English military theorist Sir Basil Liddell Hart once opined that “grand strategy forces policymakers to look beyond the war to the subsequent peace.” Without such a synthesis defining the national interest, policy-making is reactive, often haphazard, and always dangerous. We are then reduced to what President Obama summed up as his strategic outlook — “don’t do stupid sh**” — while muddling from crisis to crisis. https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/07/why-america-needs-a-grand-strategy/

US military flexes its strategic muscles during summer of Pacific exercises

BY MATTHEW M. BURKE STARS AND STRIPES JULY 19, 2021

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Marines from 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division launch an M-270 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System from Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Australia, July 19, 2021, during exercise Talisman Sabre. (Alyssa Chuluda/U.S. Marine Corps)

The U.S. military with its allies is producing twin displays of air, land and sea power in Guam, the Northern Marianas and Australia this month in a demonstration for potential adversaries of its ability to move and fight.

Air Force commands in Alaska, Idaho, Hawaii and Japan are fielding more than 35 aircraft, many of them fifth-generation stealth fighters, to Guam and Tinian for Pacific Iron 2021, according to a Pacific Air Forces news release from July 12. That exercise, scheduled and fight them effectively, according to PACAF. through the remainder of this month, will test the Air Force’s ability to disperse its aircraft the Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility as part of the 2018 National Defense “Pacific Iron 2021 is a PACAF dynamic force employment operation to project forces” into Strategy, according to the release. The exercise will entail simulated combat flight operations from local airports on Guam, a U.S. territory, and Tinian, 106 nautical miles to the northeast in the Northern Marianas. https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2021-07-19/pacific-iron-talisman-sabre-us-military- exercises-2190831.html

US carrier Ford conducts second shock trial, after technical failure halted earlier attempt By: Megan Eckstein 2 days ago

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USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) successfully completed the second of three scheduled explosive events for Full Ship Shock Trials (FSST), July 16, 2021. The shock trials are designed to demonstrate the ship’s ability to withstand the effects of nearby underwater explosion and retain required capability. Mass Communications Specialist Seaman Jackson Adkins/US Navy. WASHINGTON – U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford completed its second in-water shock trial on July 16, after an attempt earlier in the month failed due to technical issues. Ford is undergoing a three-part test series to ensure the first-in-class carrier is properly battle-hardened. The service will set off three blasts in the water, each successively closer to the ship – and after each blast, the crew tests all major ship systems to ensure they weren’t harmed and inspects the hull for any signs of damage. https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2021/07/19/us-carrier-ford-conducts-second-shock-trial-after- technical-failure-halted-earlier-attempt/

U.S. Navy Destroyer Assumes Air Defense Duties as Part of Carrier Strike Group 21

19 July 2021

From Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Janiel F. Adames MEDITERRANEAN SEA - While operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea the Arleigh Burke- class guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) assumed air defense commander for the United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG) in support of joint operations and interoperability training, demonstrating mutual commitment to stability and security throughout multiple areas of responsibilities. Download The Sullivans is operating under tactical control of UKCSG providing multi-warfare defense to the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08).

exercise with our NATO Allies and regional partners to include operations with ItalianThe UKCSG’s and French transit Navies of the and Mediterranean Air Forces. Sea provided an opportunity to train and https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/2698887/us-navy-destroyer-assumes-air- defense-duties-as-part-of-carrier-strike-group-21/

Lawsuit: DOD shutters Air Force Academy oversight board, nixes review of critical race theory

In this image provided by the U.S. Air force Academy, academy cadets start the school year with a mix of reduced class sizes and remote learning on Aug. 12, 2020, at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. ... more >

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Print By Joseph Clark - The Washington Times - Monday, July 19, 2021

A member of the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors has sued over Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin suspending the board, claiming it prevented vital oversight, including over the potential introduction of critical race theory in the university curriculum.

The board is one of 42 Defense Department advisory committees that Mr. Austin suspended to consider their “continued utilization,” according to a Pentagon memorandum.

The Air Force Academy board or AFA BOV remains shut down despite passing Mr. Austin’s April 30 deadline to complete the review. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jul/19/lawsuit-dod-shutters-air-force-academy- oversight-b/

U.S. charges four Chinese nationals charged in global hacking campaign

Reuters

WASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters) - Four Chinese nationals have been charged in a global hacking campaign aimed at dozens of companies, universities and government agencies in the United States and abroad, the U.S. Justice Department said on Monday. https://www.reuters.com/technology/four-chinese-nationals-charged-global-hacking-campaign-us- justice-department-2021-07-19/

MQ-9 Reaper Tests Prove It Can Operate From Unprepared Locations On The Fly The Air Force recently tested a new landing and take-off capability that could allow the MQ-9 to self deploy to a much wider range of locales. BY BRETT TINGLEY for the MQ-9 Reaperthat could pave the way for the unmanned aircraft to deploy to and operate from a wider array of locations and without the need to have specialized infrastructure in place. The service has also now demonstrated how the drones can use targeting pods and other sensors to generate reference points for automatic landing and takeoff capabilities from the air to further support future agile, expeditionary deployments. This is a broader concept of operations that the Air Force has been developing, with a particular eye toward future distributed operations, particularly in the Pacific.

The 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada conducted two successful demonstrations of the General Atomics MQ-9’s Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability (ATLC) on July 8, 2021, according to a USAF press release issued recently. During the tests, crews operated the MQ-9 from Nellis Air Force Base, located 56 miles away, using a satellite datalink.

USAF

The successful demonstration shows the Reaper's ability to “divert to airfields without traditional launch and recovery infrastructure or personnel," according to the Air Force. The service said that this new capability for MQ-9, combined with an upcoming software upgrade and a new portable aircraft control station, will “change how it will be employed in theaters worldwide.” https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41579/mq-9-reaper-tests-prove-it-can-operate-from- unprepared-locations-on-the-fly

China-US tension: American naval drill with dozens of F-22s ‘may be aimed at next-gen Chinese bombers’

• Operation Pacific Iron 2021 will employ a high number of Raptor fighter aircraft in exercises in the Western Pacific • Retired Chinese colonel says the drills are a clear message to China and will raise tension in the region

An unusually large sortie of US warplanes deployed to join a naval exercise is an explicit warning to China and may be aimed at countering China’s next-generation strategic bombers, analysts said.

The assessment followed media reports that the United States was this month sending dozens of F-22 Raptors to join a military exercise in Guam and Tinian island in the western Pacific for Operation Pacific Iron 2021.

Pacific Iron 2021 is an operation by the US Air Force to project forces into the Indo-Pacific region and train them to be “more lethal, adaptive and resilient”, according to the US Indo-Pacific Command. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3141710/china-us-tension-american-naval-drill- dozens-f-22s-may-be-aimed

US Army Fires Patriot Missiles for First Time in Australia JOE SABALLA JULY 19, 2021 1 MINUTE READ

The US Army conducted its first-ever MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile test on Australian soil with the Australian Defence Force during a joint military training held on July 16.

Troops from the 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command shot down a pair of Phoenix drones using the weapon system. Footage of the missile preparing to engage the drones were uploaded on social media.

Brigade Commander Col. Matt Dalton said the exercise served as a way for the army “to demonstrate our ability to quickly move our units around the Indo- Pacific to be able to counter any threat that is out there.” After the bilateral training in Queensland, the units will reportedly move another Patriot battery to Hawaii.

Meanwhile, several Australian soldiers admitted that it was the first time they had witnessed the US tactical missile in action. Some of them said the weapon system exceeded their expectations.

“I thought it was going to be one of those underwhelming things,” Private Thomas Sorensen of the Australian 7th Combat Service Support Battalion said through the country’s Department of Defence. “But it’s the biggest weapon I’ve ever seen, that’s for sure.” https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/07/19/us-patriot-test-australia/ PLA holds beach assault drills after US military aircraft's Taiwan island landing

(Global Times) 08:08, July 19, 2021

Amphibious armored infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) attached to a brigade under the PLA 72nd Group Army drive into the waters during an amphibious training exercise focused on subjects of basic driving, landing craft ferrying and assault wave formation, etc. on May 21, 2021.Photo:China Military

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Army and Navy held joint amphibious landing exercises in waters off East China's Fujian Province on Friday, geographically divided from the island of Taiwan only by the Taiwan Straits, just one day after a second US military aircraft landed on Thursday on the island in less than two months.

This was a move experts said on Sunday that displayed the PLA's capability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and sent a warning to the US and Taiwan secessionists amid their "salami-slicing" tactics.

An armored unit attached to a heavy amphibious combined arms brigade affiliated with the PLA 73rd Group Army on Friday conducted a series of live- fire exercises in waters off the southeastern coastline of Fujian, China Central Television (CCTV) reported over the weekend.

Dozens of Type 05 series amphibious armored vehicles moved out from the coast into the sea and boarded PLA Navy's Type 072A tank landing ships, which carried them in a long-distance sea-crossing maneuver.

The domestically developed Type 05 series belong to the PLA's most advanced amphibious armored vehicle family, with good maneuverability at sea, strong firepower and a high level of informatization, the report said. After approaching the target area, the amphibious armored vehicles were released from the landing ships and launched fire assaults as they marched toward the target beach.

The troops trained not only in daytime, but also at nighttime, Lieutenant Colonel Zhu Chaojun, a battalion commander, was quoted as saying on CCTV.

"As primary-level troops based in the southeastern coast, we must train hard under scenarios just like those in real battles, be combat-ready at all times and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Zhu said.

The drills came only one day after a US Air Force plane, a C-146A, landed on the island of Taiwan on Thursday for the second time in 2021 after a US Air Force C-17 transport aircraft landed on the island on June 6.

The PLA exercises are likely routine and not directly related to the US military aircraft's landing on the island of Taiwan, but they definitely displayed and further honed the troops' capability in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, a Chinese mainland military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday. http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0719/c90000-9873393.html

China video threatens Japan over possible Taiwan intervention

19 Jul, 2021 02:58 AM6 minutes to read

news.com.au By: Jamie Seidel

"We will use nuclear bombs first. We will use nuclear bombs continuously. We will do this until Japan declares unconditional surrender for the second time," a threatening video circulated among official Chinese Communist Party channels warns.

"When we liberate Taiwan, if Japan dares to intervene by force – even if it only deploys one soldier, one plane or one ship – we will not only return fire but also wage full-scale war against Japan itself."

Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing have spiked high in recent weeks.

Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said: "We must defend Taiwan, under our alliance with the US".

Defence Minister Yasuhide Nakayama added Japan and the US must "protect Taiwan as a democratic country".

This was not what Beijing wanted to hear. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/china-video-threatens-japan-over-possible-taiwan- intervention/Y5AEQWX34TVGMKFTDKOQ5OERMU/

Chinese government recruiting criminal hackers to attack Western targets, U.S. and allies say

The joint announcement reflects the Biden administration's desire to form a global coalition to fight cyberattacks.

The Biden administration has “high confidence” that Chinese cyber criminals hacked into Microsoft email servers “with the Ministry of State Security’s knowledge,” a senior administration official said. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo

By ERIC GELLER 07/19/2021 07:01 AM EDT Updated: 07/19/2021 09:37 AM EDT

The Biden administration and U.S. allies on Monday blamed the Chinese government for a sprawling web of cyberattacks, including a blizzard of hacks into Microsoft email servers in March and intrusions for which Beijing partnered with cyber criminals.

The announcement by the U.S., the European Union, NATO and five close allies comes as the Biden administration attempts to establish a global consensus on limitations around cyberattacks, including discouraging hacks of critical infrastructure and breaches of businesses designed to extort money or steal trade secrets.

In a separate action, the Justice Department charged four Chinese nationals, three of them government agents, with engaging in a long-running hacking campaign aimed at stealing Ebola vaccine research, autonomous vehicle technology and other intellectual property from dozens of companies in the U.S. and other countries.

That operation involved creative means of exfiltrating stolen data, including by hiding it in a photo of then-President Donald Trump through a process called steganography.

Monday’s statements underscore how China’s aggressive digital army continues to wreak havoc while public attention largely focuses on the cyber threat from Russia. Intelligence officials have concluded that China’s Ministry of State Security “uses criminal contract hackers to conduct unsanctioned cyber operations globally, including for their own personal profit,” a senior administration official told reporters on Sunday. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/19/chinese-government-recruiting-criminal-hackers-biden- 500091

China's already spending billions on overseas investments. Does it need to fund security, too?

By Nectar Gan, CNN Updated 0621 GMT (1421 HKT) July 19, 2021

Rescue workers and onlookers gather around a wreck after a bus plunged into a ravine following an explosion in Pakistan on July 14. A version of this story appeared in CNN's Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three- times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country's rise and how it impacts the world. Sign up here.

Hong Kong (CNN)The death of nine Chinese workers in a bus explosion in Pakistan has underscored the security risks attached to China's overseas projects, as anti-China sentiment simmers in countries where official ties with Beijing are strong.

The bus was carrying a convoy of Chinese engineers to the construction site of the Dasu hydropower plant in northern Pakistan when the blast occurred, killing 13 people. Initially, Pakistan and China had released conflicting statements over the cause of the incident. Islamabad blamed a gas leak caused by mechanical failure, while the Chinese Foreign Ministry called it a "bomb attack," expressing "shock and condemnation" and asking Pakistan to "severely punish" the perpetrators. The discrepancy raised confusion -- and anger -- on Chinese social media, with some accusing Pakistan of "covering up" the truth. Then, in an apparent twist on Thursday, Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Twitter that "terrorism cannot be ruled out," after initial investigations confirmed "traces of explosives." By Friday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was describing the blast as a "terrorist attack" in his phone call with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan -- which Chinese state media took as a confirmation from both sides on the nature of the incident. China has sent a team of criminal investigation experts to Pakistan to join the probe, according to Chinese Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi. But will that be enough? As Beijing's economic footprint grows, so too do the security risks. According to data published by the RAND Corporation, a US-based nonprofit think tank, more than 30,000 Chinese enterprises are located overseas, and more than 100 million Chinese citizens travel abroad annually.

closedialog Will Beijing one day be forced to deploy its own defense assets overseas to protect those citizens and enterprises? The bus explosion is among the deadliest attacks on overseas Chinese nationals in recent years. Faced with rising nationalism at home, and increasing geopolitical tensions abroad, Beijing will need to show that it is serious about protecting Chinese citizens without damaging relations with Pakistan, one of its few close allies.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/19/china/china-pakistan-bus-explosion-mic-intl-hnk/index.html

PLANAF J-11BH fighter seen using potentially new ECM pod by Andreas Rupprecht & Alessandra Giovanzanti

Chinese state-owned media has released video footage showing a J-11BH multirole fighter aircraft operated by China's People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF) equipped with a previously unseen electronic countermeasures (ECM) pod.

Chinese state-owned media released video footage on 15 July showing a PLANAF J- 11BH multirole fighter aircraft equipped with a previously unseen ECM pod. (CCTV via http://www.js7tv.cn/)

The video, which was released on 15 July via the js7tv.cn website, shows the aircraft during take off carrying an ECM pod that is different in appearance from the KL700B pod commonly used by the PLA Air Force's (PLAAF's) J-11B fighters. This is also the first time that a PLANAF J-11BH has been seen carrying an ECM pod.

The footage was part of a news report by China Central Television (CCTV) about a combined naval exercise involving several PLA Navy vessels, as well as aviation units from the Southern Theatre Command.

No information was provided about the ECM pod.

A few days later, on 18 July, images emerged via the Weibo social media platform showing a PLAAF J-11A re-equipped with new identification friend-or-foe antennas under the nose and on top of the tail boom that are similar in appearance to those used to upgrade older J-10A and J-10S fighters. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/planaf-j-11bh-fighter-seen-using-potentially-new- ecm-pod

Military expert calls on Taiwan to bolster its drone defense capabilities Analyst says Taiwan should consider anti-drone weapons used by Western countries

By Kelvin Chen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer 2021/07/19 11:32

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) on Friday (July 16) published a paper recommending that Taiwan consider Western-developed drone defense systems, as dron es have become an increasingly prevalent technology in modern warfare.

The report, written by INDSR assistant researcher Hsu Ch ih-hsiang (許智翔) an d titled “The development of remotely-controlled weapons stations (RWS) to be integrated into anti-drone capabilities is worthy of Taiwan’s attention,” called on Taiwan to note the different approaches Western countries have taken to bolster their drone defense capabilities.

Hsu said that drone technology is growing exponentially an d has become a major threat on the battlefield. The researcher added that because China is already leading the world in commercial drones, Taiwan would certainly face the threat of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) deployed by its neighbor during a military con flict.

Hsu listed prominent drone defense solutions such as Fran ce’s M151 Protector RWS and Milad mobile anti-drone system, Germany’s installation of a Heckler & Koch automatic grenade launcher on a GTK Boxer armored fighting veh icle combined with a Spexer 2000 3D radar, and Russia’s addition of an Arbalet-DM RWS to a GAZ Tigr infantry mobility vehicle.

The researcher said that soft kill systems, including drone jamming guns, are useful during both peace and wartime, especially in den sely populated areas. He added that Taiwan should consider integrating RWS in to its drone defense capabilities as it reviews its UAV countermeasure needs. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4251885

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force joins drills with Pakistan Naval News July 2021 Navy Forces Maritime Defense Industry POSTED ON MONDAY, 19 JULY 2021 12:08 According to a tweet published by the Japan Maritime Self -Defense Force on July 19, 2021, JS Yūgiri conducted a goodwill exercise with PNS Alamgir in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Karachi, on an important sea lane.

JS Yūgiri (DD-153) is an Asagiri-class destroyer of the Japan Maritime Self -Defense Force.

The Asagiri class is equipped for combat and interception missions and is primarily armed with anti- ship weapons. They carry two of the Mk-141 Guided Missile Launching Systems (GMLS), which are anti-ship missile systems. The ship is also fitted to be used against submarines. She also carries the Mk-32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes (SVTT), which can be used as an anti-submarine weapon. The ship has two of these systems abeam to starboard and to port. It is also fitted with an Oto-Melara 62- caliber gun to be used against sea and air targets.

They are 137 m (449 ft 6 in) long. The ship has a range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) with a top speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph). The ship can have up to 220 personnel on board. The ship is also fitted to accommodate one aircraft. The ship's flight deck can be used to service an SH-60J9(K) Seahawk helicopter.

FFG 8 Ex USS MCINERNEY, an Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate, was built in Bath Iron Works and later commissioned into US Navy in Dec 1979. It was second of the series of total 51 OHPs commissioned into US Navy.

FFG 8 was handed over to Pakistan Navy on 31 Aug 10 and was subsequently commissioned on the same day as PNS ALAMGIR into Pakistan Navy at Naval Station Mayport, Jacksonville, Florida.

PNS ALAMGIR is 453 feet long and displaces 4100 tons. It is propelled by 2 Gas turbines on a single shaft and can achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots in 100 secs. The ship is well equipped for various national and multinational taskings. PNS ALAMGIR can carry two helicopters for multiple tasks.

https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2021/10240-naval-news- july-2021-navy-forces-maritime-defense-industry/10442-japan-maritime-self-defense-force-joins-drills- with-pakistan.html

Train operators begin anti-terror surveillance #Japan #Tokyo 2020 Monday, July 19, 17:21 Railway operators in the greater Tokyo area are increasing their vigilance against acts of terror targeting rail systems, ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The operators have been taking steps in stages to protect riders from terrorist acts, as the start of the Tokyo Games looms.

East Japan Railway began deploying dogs that sniff out explosives at its major transit stations on Monday.

The dogs have been paired with a trainer and a security guard. When a dog comes across a suspicious person, the security guard asks for permission to check the person's luggage at an inspection area.

People who refuse to comply will be asked to exit the station.

Similar steps are being taken at Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train stations within the Tokyo Metropolitan area and at Tokyo Metro subway stations.

Meanwhile, East Japan Railway has also set up more than 8,000 security cameras at its 110 major stations and at its key facilities. Those facilities include electrical substations and transport hubs.

A security company will monitor the captured images.

Security guards making rounds inside bullet trains will also be equipped with cameras. The footage will be sent to the security center.

Central Japan Railway Company has introduced a system that will automatically enable all the images taken inside a Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train to be sent to the command center, when an emergency button is pressed. Railway operator Tokyu Corporation has more than 1,200 trains. It has set up state-of- the-art cameras on all of them. The cameras can send images through mobile phone radio waves.

A technician at Tokyu Corporation explained that images taken with a conventional camera can only be confirmed if the camera's memory card is removed.

He expressed hope that people will feel safe riding trains during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. He added that the new cameras will allow the company to address trouble far more efficiently. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210719_24/

Thai Navy to Pay in Yearly Instalments for Chinese Submarines

• Our Bureau • 08:10 AM, July 19, 2021 • 3509

The Royal Thai Navy is pushing to pay yearly instalments for the two diesel- powered Yuan Class S26T submarines it is intending to purchase from China. Last year, the Navy’s budget was slashed by 4.1 billion baht ($126.15 million) from the initially-allocated 20.5 billion baht ($631 million), or 33% of the annual fund, due to the pandemic. The submarines were expected to cost around 22.5 billion baht ($684.7 million), with a payment plan spread over seven years beginning this October. The purchase is part of the larger 200 billion baht ($6.08 billion) defense budget being considered by a House scrutiny panel. The first payment was supposed to have been approved last year. It was postponed so the money could be diverted to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The Navy is now back at the House to defend the spending again. "We face resistance whenever the issue is brought before the committee. It's not the first time we've been given a dressing down,” Navy spokesman Chettha Jaipiam was quoted as saying by Bangkok Post on Sunday. “Disruption to the procurement would affect the submarine fleet structure as 2-3 subs are needed to be commissioned in case one comes in for maintenance and repair," Adm Chettha added. The Navy has negotiated with China to lower the first instalment by one-third. Details will be presented to the House scrutiny committee and released to the public later, the report said. https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30053/Thai_Navy_to_Pay_in_Yearly_Instalments_for_Chinese_Su bmarines#.YPkiBOgzbIU

Singapore Strait sees uptick in sea robbery cases for 1H 2021 despite regional improvement by Ridzwan Rahmat

The Singapore Strait recorded an increase in the number of sea robbery cases for the first six months of 2021 despite an overall improvement in the maritime security situation across Asia during the same period.

According to figures released on 16 July by the intergovernmental piracy watchdog, Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), a total of 20 incidents were reported between January and June. This is an increase of four incidents compared to the 16 incidents reported during the same period in 2020. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/singapore-strait-sees-uptick-in-sea-robbery-cases- for-1h-2021-despite-regional-improvement

Singaporean man charged with sending funds to Isis militants based in Syria

• Mohamed Kazali Sallehm was arrested by Malaysian Special Branch officers in December 2018 before being deported to Singapore • He was a close associate of a Syria-based militant known as Akel, who was reportedly the most senior Isis fighter in Syria before his death in 2019

A 50-year-old Singapore man was on Monday charged with providing about S$1,000 (US$740) to a member of Islamic State (Isis) to facilitate terrorist operations in Syria.

Mohamed Kazali Sallehm was arrested by Malaysian Special Branch officers in December 2018, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Monday. He was deported to Singapore and handed to the Internal Security Department in January 2019 for investigations into his terrorism-related activities.

Kazali was also subject to a detention order under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for his support of Isis.

He was a close associate of a Syria-based Isis militant known as Akel, whose real name is Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal Abidin. Akel, a Malaysian, was believed to be the most senior Isis fighter in Syria before he reportedly died in March 2019. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3141654/singaporean-man-charged-sending- funds-isis-militants-based

Terrorists Target Chinese Nationals Working on a CPEC Project – The Diplomat July 19, 2021 in DEFENSE

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https://asiapost.live/terrorists-target-chinese-nationals-working-on-a-cpec-project-the-diplomat/

State Trials of Zircon Hypersonic Missile from Frigate & Submarine in August Russia’s Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic missile is expected to undergo state trials involving its launch from a frigate and a submarine in August 2021. "The first launch from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate within the state trials is planned for the first part of August. The second part of August will see flight trials of Zircon from the Severodvinsk nuclear submarine," a source in the military-industrial complex was quoted as saying by TASS on Sunday. According to the source, the Severodvinsk will perform the first launch from a surface position, firing at a surface target. Another source told TASS that the Admiral Gorshkov will perform 4 launches. TASS had reported in March that Zircon’s flight trials from Admiral Gorshkov had been completed. A total of four launches were reportedly made. The NPO Mashinostroyeniya, the developer and producer of Zircon missiles, refrained from commenting on the present nor previous accounts of these tests. The Russian Navy’s Admiral Golovko, its third Project 22350 (Admiral Gorshkov) frigate, is expected to become the first warship to be equipped with Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. Russian President Vladimir Putin had stated in 2019 that the Zircon is capable of Mach 9 speed and its striking range capability can exceed 1,000 km and that there were plans to deploy Zircon on warships built for launching Kalibr cruise missiles. The Tsirkon (Zircon) 3M-22 hypersonic missile was designed by NPO-machinostroeniya in Reutov in the Moscow region. It is a part of the 3K-22 (Zircon code) complex which NATO reports as SS-N-33. The missile can develop a speed of Mach 9 and fly at an altitude of 30-40 km where the range and speed increase as air resistance is smaller. Experts estimate the payload at 300-400 kg and the missile length at 8-10 meters. The missile is to be fired from universal vertical launchers 3S-14 on warships and submarines and from Bastion mobile coastal missile launchers. Project 22350 frigates are multifunctional warships capable of effectively fighting surface, air, and underwater adversaries, as well as striking ground targets at a distance of over 1,500km. https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30051/State_Trials_of_Zircon_Hypersonic_Missile_from_Frigate_ __Submarine_in_August#.YPkifugzbIU

New Russian Fighter in F-35 Class Echoes Other JSF Designs

July 19, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak

The new Russian single-engine fighter in the F-35 class a field that is getting crowded echoes designs dating back to the Joint Strike Fighter — competition of the 1990s; ironically, borrowing most from the two — concepts that lost that contest.

The Checkmate fighter from Sukhoi is to be officially unveiled at the MAKS airshow near Moscow on July 20, but leaked photos of a mockup in the exhibit hall, and fast-edited clips from promotional videos released on the internet in the last few days. by Russia’s United Aircraft Corp., appeared The images show an aircraft with a large angular chin inlet reminiscent of -32 contender in the JSF contest ultimately won by - -10B. Boeing’s X CheckmateLockheed Martin’s also seems F 35 to and have also a short, on China’s clipped J delta wing, which does not extend to the tail; again, like the X-32. The jet has two canted elevons rather than a standard empennage of stabilizers and elevators, harkening to both the X- as to the YF-23 on which McDonnell Douglas was partnered with 32 and McDonnell Douglas’s JSF entrant, as well Northrop. The YF-23 lost out to the Lockheed Martin F-22 in the the must- Advanced Tactical Fighter competition, and McDonnell Douglas’s loss in merger with Boeing. win JSF contest was a major factor in the company’s 1996 https://www.airforcemag.com/new-russian-fighter-in-f-35-class-echoes-jsf-designs/

UK aircraft carrier to visit Japan in September #World #Japan Monday, July 19, 19:57

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says a carrier strike group led by the state-of-the- art aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth will visit Japan in September.

Wallace, now on a visit to Japan, spoke to NHK in an exclusive interview on Monday ahead of his meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo.

Britain places importance on the Indo-Pacific region. The carrier strike group is navigating in the Indian Ocean after leaving Portsmouth in May.

The ships are due to hold more joint drills with Japan's Self-Defense Forces after holding exercises with the Maritime Self-Defense Force in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia, recently.

Wallace indicated the British ships, joined by Dutch and US ships, will be spread out, visiting a number of ports around Japan.

Referring to China and North Korea, Wallace stressed it is important that Japan and the UK, which share the same values as well as open and free democracy, "stick together."

Cases of the coronavirus have been reported in the fleet, but Wallace said none of the sailors on board is seriously affected as they were all double vaccinated.

He said the vessels have plenty of medical support, so their crews will be "safe and well" when they visit Japan. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210719_26/

Norway says cyber attack on parliament carried out from China

Nora Buli

Norway's Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide talks to the media outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs due the Norwegian government believing that Russia is behind a cyber attack on the Norwegian Parliament, in Oslo, Norway October 13, 2020. Orn E. Borgen/NTB/via REUTERS

OSLO, July 19 (Reuters) - Norway said on Monday that a March 10 cyber attack on parliament's e-mail system was carried out from China, calling on authorities there to take steps to prevent such activities. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/norway-says-march-cyber-attack-parliament-carried-out-china- 2021-07-19/

A Bold Agenda for National Spacepower By Peter Garretson July 19, 2021

U.S. Space Force photo by SrA Hanah Abercrombie

In May, the Biden administration announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would be taking over a revived National Space Council. That is noteworthy news, given the potential reach and impact of the Council. In the previous Administration, the National Space Council, presided over by Vice President Mike Pence and ably administered by Dr. Scott Pace, produced an immense body of work. Nevertheless, it did not exhaust the possibilities, and a lot more remains to be accomplished – something that the Biden White House appears to recognize.

Indeed, kudos are already due to the Administration for maintaining the momentum of America’s space program, keeping intact the NASA-led international Artemis return-to-the-Moon program, preserving the independence of the country’s newest military branch, the Space Force, and imbuing authority into the nation’s top-level coordinating body, the National Space Council.

What will its focus entail? Vice President Harris’ space agenda is expected to include “supporting sustainable development of commercial space activity, advancing peaceful norms and responsible behaviors in space, achieving peaceful exploration objectives with our allies and partners.” That’s doubtless an important list, but the White House has the opportunity to do much more.

Over the next few years, vast possibilities will present themselves for economic growth in space, while Chinese accomplishments in this domain will continually challenge U.S. leadership, Climate change concerns will become more urgent as well, and we will be increasingly aware of the danger of asteroid impacts – and, thus, of the imperative of planetary defense. From my vantage point, here are some of the biggest and highest pay-off ideas available to the Administration in the near future. https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2021/07/19/a_bold_agenda_for_national_spacepower_786 000.html

Reports full of wrong assumptions, says NSO Group • NSO Group also said that it “has a good reason to believe the claims that are made by the unnamed sources to Forbidden Stories, are based on misleading interpretation of data from accessible and overt basic information...” Agencies | , New Delhi

PUBLISHED ON JUL 20, 2021 06:01 AM IST

NSO Group, a private Israeli cybersecurity firm that sells the spyware Pegasus, has dismissed media reports that alleged that phones of prominent personalities, including journalists, politicians and experts in India were targeted for surveillance, terming them “full of wrong assumptions and uncorroborated theories”.

“The report by Forbidden Stories is full of wrong assumptions and uncorroborated theories that raise serious doubts about the reliability and interests of the sources. It seems like the ‘unidentified sources’ have supplied information that has no factual basis and are far from reality,” the NSO Group said in a statement.

“We firmly deny the false allegations made in their report. Their sources have supplied them with information which has no factual basis, as evident by the lack of supporting documentation for many of their claims. In fact, these allegations are so outrageous... that NSO is considering a defamation lawsuit.”

An investigation by a consortium of media houses has alleged that phone hacking software Pegasus was used to target potentially thousands of people around the world, including 38 Indian journalists, and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, political strategist Prashant Kishor and former election commissioner Ashok Lavasa. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/reports-full-of-wrong-assumptions-says-nso-group- 101626740609238.html

Unmanned Ships and the Future of Deterrence By James Wirtz July 2021

Although the origins of contemporary naval strategy are often shrouded in the mists of time, the notion of a “bimodal” Navy, whereby the fleet is divided into one force specializing in sea control and the other in sea denial, can be traced to a 2007 article published by retired Navy Captain Wayne Hughes in the Naval War College Review. In his essay, Hughes mostly concentrated on explaining how the U.S. Navy contributed to the Cold War strategy of containment; nevertheless, his analysis eventually turned to the prospect of great power competition looming on the strategic horizon and what that competition would mean for the fleet: The existing Navy comprises large, efficient ships to project power ashore, principally in the form of air strikes, missiles, and Marine Corps elements. Against China, the need to threaten air and missile strikes will not change, but China has developed the means to attack large ships at sea. The Navy must now explore building a more distributed fleet that is offensively disposed yet can suffer losses and fight on, for no defense at sea can be perfect against a skilled opponent. 1 Hughes suggested that not only budgetary considerations, but also the physics governing the behavior of floating objects had driven the Navy to pack ever more capability into a shrinking number of large vessels, placing “too many eggs in too few baskets,” so to speak. This was fine in a permissive environment in which the Navy faced few threats, allowing it to project power ashore with relative impunity. If those same ships faced a credible threat, however, even the loss of a few vessels would represent an alarmingly high reduction of U.S. naval capability, especially because only a few warships are operating forward at any given time. For Hughes, the solution to the “too many eggs in too few baskets” conundrum was to build a force that could absorb significant but less-than-catastrophic losses while still retaining the firepower to hold the opponent’s fleet at risk. In the nearly 15 years since Hughes raised the bimodal idea, the growth in the size of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the expanding reach of its antiaccess and area-denial assets have given new urgency to developing a distributed offensive naval capability. Luckily for the U.S. Navy, new, inexpensive autonomous technologies offer a way to supplement its existing sea-control force that relies on the carrier strike group. A fleet of mostly small, inexpensive, and largely uncrewed offensive platforms could operate forward as sensors, decoys, and missile shooters, not only to absorb or misdirect the opponent’s first salvo, but also to engage the opponent’s sea- denial capabilities at the outset of a conflict. This bimodal approach to fleet design would allow the Navy to use its carrier strike groups as a sea-control force, protecting sea lines of communication from interdiction and harassment, while simultaneously using its sea-denial force to engage the PLAN’s growing offensive capability. A bimodal fleet allows the Navy to continue to operate its existing warships—built at enormous cost and operated with human capital that literally requires decades to develop— while creating cost-effective ways to deliver vast amounts of ordnance quickly and economically against a growing number of targets. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2021/july/unmanned-ships-and-future-deterrence

Duque says best to 'assume' there is already local transmission of Delta variant

Published July 19, 2021, 3:50 PM by Gabriela Baron Amid the limited capacity of the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) to hold genome sequencing, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said Monday, July 19, that it is best to assume that there is already local transmission of the Delta variant.

During the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Pandemic (CODE) Team visit in Cagayan de Oro City, Duque said the local transmission of Delta variant may be “underreported” due to limited genome surveillance studies outside the National Capital Region (NCR).

“Limited pa rin yung capacity ng Philippine Genome Center (Philippine Genome Center’s capacity is still limited) to hold genome sequencing and this is why we have been saying that it’s best to assume that there’s already local transmission,” Duque continued.

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“We don’t need to wait, it’s enough to see the presence here and not necessarily linkable to an international traveler, this is already a sign of a possible local transmission,” he added.

However, the Health secretary hopes that the results of the close contact of those who tested positive for Delta variant “would come up as soon as possible.”

“The Philippine Genome Center, I believe, can only do a run of 700 each time. So we’ll have to see once the region submits additional RT-PCR positive specimens, then they can already detect again if there’s indeed local spread of Delta variant,” Duque added.

The five Delta COVID-19 variant patients found in Cagayan de Oro City have recovered from illness, Mayor Oscar Mereno confirmed Monday.

Meanwhile, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said Monday, one close contact of the two Delta variant cases in Manila tested positive for COVID-19. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/duque-says-best-to-assume-there-is-already-local-transmission-of- delta-variant/

Phl confirms 3rd Covid-19 Delta variant fatality

Published 3 days ago on July 19, 2021 12:40 PM By Jom Garner

The Philippines on Monday reported its third coronavirus disease (Covid-19) Delta variant fatality, exactly three days since the country reported its first local cases.

The Department of Health said the third fatality was a 78-year-old woman from Antique who died in Antique. https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/19/phl-confirms-3rd-covid-19-delta-variant- fatality/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_24b2c8057524feb4f9dda14f61a90ec8f57933e1-1626940849-0- gqNtZGzNAiKjcnBszQsi

Repeat test, quarantine for relapsed Delta variant patients

By Filane Mikee Cervantes July 19, 2021, 8:34 pm

MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) is testing and quarantining previous Delta variant cases to verify their status as some who were earlier tagged as recoveries tested positive anew for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

In a Palace briefing on Monday, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the retesting and repeat quarantine will be done for nine local Delta variant cases and five returning overseas Filipinos.

"So that is our existing protocol right now," Vergeire said.

She said patients will remain in isolation until they test negative after 14 days.

In a separate statement, the DOH said all Delta variant cases "are immediately reassessed to determine their current clinical, laboratory, and isolation status”.

Patients shall be swabbed for repeat reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction tests at the end of their isolation or upon determination that they were positive for the Delta variant.

Contact tracing done shall be reviewed to identify close contacts whose samples may be eligible for sequencing, she added.

Currently, the Philippines has detected 35 Delta variant cases, three of whom have died. (PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1147615

DOH: PHL Genome Center to double sequencing efforts amid COVID-19 variant threats BYSAMUEL MEDENILLA JULY 19, 2021

The government is now eyeing to double the capacity of the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) amid the increasing cases of new Covid-19 variants in the country.

The Department of Health (DOH) announced on Monday that the PCG is procuring additional extraction machines for genome sequencing.

“Our current capacity is 750 runs or samples per week, once we get the additional extraction machines, which are being purchased by the Philippine Genome Center, this could be doubled to 1,500,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online press briefing. She said this will allow PGC to process five percent of Covid patients in the country.

Currently, she said only one percent of Covid-19 patients undergo genome sequencing due to the limited capacity of the PGC.

Vergeire said the PGC, which is currently based in Dilliman, Quezon City is also in the process of extending its capacity in the Visayas and Mindanao through the University of thee Philippines Network.

The government is currently trying to boost its genome sequencing capacity following reports of the entry of more cases of the Delta variant of SARs-CoV-2.

The said variant, which was first detected in India, is being blamed for the surge in Covid-19 cases in several countries including India and Indonesia. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/07/19/doh-phl-genome-center-to-double-sequencing-efforts- amid-covid-19-variant-threats/

DOH asks public to be more cautious amid threat of Delta variant

Published July 19, 2021, 7:51 PM by Leslie Ann Aquino The Department of Health (DOH) has asked the public to be more cautious especially amid the threat of the highly transmissible coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Delta variant.

“Be more cautious and comply with the (health) protocols because this is highly transmissible,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing Monday, July 19.

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“Based on evidence, it’s 43 to 90 percent transmissible than the UK variant…the Delta variant can infect up to 8 persons in just one sitting,” she added.

When asked if there are likely undetected cases of the Delta variant, Vergeire replied: “The possibilities are always there.”

“As we have said, we do purposive sampling, we do purposive sampling wherein what we do is we get samples in areas with high cases,” she said.

But the Health department expects the capacity to conduct genome sequencing to increase once new machines arrive.

“We are trying as much as possible to expand our capacity. So, our capacity now is 750 runs or samples that we test per week. Once the extraction machines bought by the Philippine Genome Center arrive, this will double 1,500 per week,” said Vergeire. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/doh-asks-public-to-be-more-cautious-amid-threat-of-delta-variant/

OCTA calls for reimposition of stay-home order on minors amid detection of first local cases of Delta variant

Published July 19, 2021, 1:56 PM by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David on Monday, July 19, urged the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to consider reimposing an order preventing children from going outdoors due to the threat of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

David cited as an example the spread of Delta variant in the United Kingdom (UK).

“Nung nagka-surge sila ng Delta variant, in fact, 98 percent ng cases nila sa UK ngayon ay Delta variant, ang maraming nahawaan ng COVID ay yung mga hindi pa bakunado saka yung mga bata kasi nakakalabas na yung mga bata (When they had a surge in Delta variant cases because 98 percent of their cases in the UK today are Delta variants, most of those infected with COVID are those who have not been vaccinated and the children who have been allowed to go out),” David said in a PTV interview on Monday.

“Ibig sabihin posible talagang tamaan yung mga bata ng coronavirus kaya medyo concerned tayo na ngayon hinayaan nating makalabas yung mga bata kahit nasa outdoors sila may threat pa rin yun (This means that the children can be infected by the coronavirus, so we are a bit concerned that we have now allowed the children to go out. Even if they are outdoors, there is still a threat of infection),” he added.

On July 9, the IATF has allowed children aged five and above to go outdoors in areas under general community quarantine and modified GCQ, as long as the areas are not under “heightened restrictions.”

“Yun sana yung gusto natin [bawiin ang pagpapalabas sa mga bata] para hindi na natin kailangan hintayin na magkaroon ng surge kasi pag dumating yung surge parang magugulat na lang tayo tulad ng nangyari noong February [2021] (That is what we are hoping for, to withdraw the order allowing children to go out. We must not wait for another surge to come because when the surge comes, we will be surprised like what happened in February 2021),” David said.

David noted that the COVID-19 situation in Metro Manila back in February was manageable when a sudden surged in cases was seen in Pasay City.

“Maganda yung situation natin tapos bigla na lang nagka-surge sa Pasay hanggang hindi na natin mapigilan (Our situation was good and then we suddenly saw a surge in Pasay until we could no longer stop it),” David pointed out.

He asked the IATF to re-implement the “NCR Plus” bubble policy over Metro Manila, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, and Cavite to prevent the local transmission of Delta variant. “Ang purpose niya dati para hindi lumabas ang virus ngayon para hindi makapasok yung virus in a way border control na rin siya para sa NCR Plus (The purpose of this before was to prevent the virus from coming out but now this will prevent the virus from entering, in a way border control for the NCR Plus),” David said. https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/octa-calls-for-reimposition-of-stay-home-order-on-minors-amid- detection-of-first-local-cases-of-delta-variant/

The Variant Threat Is Real

Jul 19, 2021CARL BILDT Rather than translating their own COVID-19 vaccination successes into a renewed global push to end the pandemic, rich countries are becoming complacent while the rest of the world grows increasingly desperate. But the emergence of dangerous new variants threatens everyone.

STOCKHOLM It has now been 18 months since the SARS-CoV-2 virus was first sequenced in China. Within a month, the World Health Organization had issued its highest possible– global alert, declaring the COVID-19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Weeks later, the WHO declared a pandemic. Yet we are nowhere near the end of the crisis. On the contrary, we have entered a dangerous new phase in its evolution.

While complacency sets in among richer, more vaccinated countries, a cloud of despair has descended on lower-income countries that lack the means to fight new variants of the virus. And, after reporting declining numbers of new infections for seven consecutive weeks, the WHO is now recording an increase in confirmed cases practically everywhere. In its weekly epidemiological update on July 6, for example, it found that there had been a 30% increase in COVID-19 incidence in Europe, even though the European Union had delivered enough vaccine doses to immunize 70% of all adults.

The reason for this global resurgence is well known. The Delta variant, now identified in 111 countries, is significantly more contagious than previous strains of SARS-CoV-2, and it is spreading very fast. The rise of new variants serves as a reminder that we are dealing with a living organism that can and will evolve in response to the measures (and half- measures) that we deploy to fight it.

While the Alpha and Beta variants were somewhat less problematic, the Delta variant has certainty is that with the virus raging around the world, new variants are inevitable. proved ruthless, and it is anyone’s guess what future mutations will bring. The only https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/covid19-new-variants-threaten-progress-by-carl-bildt- 2021-07

Coronavirus: proposed WHO origins study ‘inconsistent’ with China’s position

• Beijing says next phase of investigation should be led by UN body’s member states and search for possible early cases should be expanded worldwide • Foreign ministry spokesman also says inquiry should focus on tracing animal origins and zoonotic transmission of the virus

Beijing says the World Health Organization’s proposal for further research into the origins of Covid- 19 is “inconsistent” with its position and the focus of the next phase of inquiry should move away from China.The WHO plan was announced on Friday, a day after director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged Beijing to cooperate with the second phase of the studyand to be transparent, saying scientists still lacked enough raw data on infections and possible cases in the early days of the outbreak.

Beijing responded that the proposal was under review by Chinese experts. On Monday foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the next phase of investigation should be led by WHO member states and agreed upon through consultation, and that the search for possible early cases should be expanded worldwide. c https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3141709/coronavirus-proposed-who-origins- study-inconsistent-chinas

Indonesia plans Moderna booster for doctors, as Asean sees sharp drop in new cases

The Nation/Asia News Network / 05:49 PM July 19, 2021

Vials with a sticker reading, “COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only” and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Moderna logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS FILE PHOTO

BANGKOK — Southeast Asia saw a sharp drop in new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, but deaths were up marginally, collated data showed.

Asean recorded 84,518 new cases compared to Saturday’s 90,830, and 1,755 people died, up from 1,750 the previous day

The number of Covid-19 cases in the region crossed 6.12 million, while the death toll rose to 117,060.

Indonesia reported a sharp drop in cases from 51,952 on Saturday to 44,721. The Indonesian Medical Association revealed that from July 1-17, 114 doctors had died of Covid-19, accounting for 20 percent of the total 545 deaths of doctors since the outbreak, despite up to 95 percent of medical professionals in the country having been vaccinated. The government is planning to give mRNA Moderna vaccine as a booster shot to medics who have been vaccinated with two doses of Sinovac.

Vietnam announced a two-week lockdown starting from Sunday midnight to combat rising infections in the country. The lockdown areas will cover the Mekong delta and Ho Chi Minh City which has a population of more than 35 million, or one-third of the country. Public gathering of more than two people is prohibited with some exceptions. People are allowed to leave their homes only to buy food, drugs or for emergency.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/197828/indonesia-plans-moderna-booster-for-doctors-as-asean-sees- sharp-drop-in-new-cases

Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak Across the World Updated: July 22, 2021, 2:21 PM GMT+8

Brazil 2,594 92,600 N/A N/A

U.K. 1,974 85,375 3,500.0 2.5

U.S. 1,847 103,633 1,448.7 2.8

France 1,653 88,357 N/A 6.0

Germany 1,139 46,773 819.0 8.0

Russia 1,044 41,953 1,095.9 8.1

India 319 23,832 339.6 0.5

Japan 120 6,779 133.0 13.1

Mainland China 3 67 N/A 4.3

Testing data as of July 21, 2021, 3:50 AM GMT+8 Sources: OECD for number of hospital beds (2016 for the U.S., 2017 for other countries), government agencies and the COVID Tracking Project via Our World in Data for testing data (various recent dates) (reported in the past 45 days) and the U.S. Census Bureau for population figures (2019).

The world is bracing for a new wave of Covid-19 infections, as the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 190 million people and killed more than 4.1 million globally since late January 2020. Efforts many countries took to stamp out the pneumonia-like illness led to entire nations enforcing lockdowns, widespread halts of international travel, mass layoffs and battered financial markets. Recent attempts to revive social life and financial activities have resulted in another surge in cases and hospitalizations, though new drugs and improved care may help more people who get seriously ill survive.

01002003004005001 yrDays since 100 confirmed cases1001,00010,000100,0001,000,00010,000,00030,000,000CasesMainland ChinaFranceU.K.Hong KongU.S.AustraliaBrazilIndiaRussiaTaiwanNew Zealand Note: JHU CSSE reporting began on January 22, 2020, when mainland China had already surpassed 500 cases. Source: Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering 192,007,965 Confirmed cases worldwide 4,127,109 Deaths worldwide Jurisdictions with cases confirmed as of July 22, 2021, 2:21 PM GMT+8 1–99

100–999

1,000–9,999

10,000–99,999

100,000–999,999 1,000,000–9,999,999

10 million or more Where deaths have occurred Deaths Cases U.S. 609,862 34,226,820 Brazil 545,604 19,473,954 India 418,987 31,257,720 Mexico 237,207 2,693,495 Peru 195,243 2,094,445 Russia 148,229 5,955,089 U.K. 129,182 5,586,716 Italy 127,905 4,297,337 Colombia 117,482 4,679,994 France 111,737 5,973,912 Argentina 102,818 4,798,851 Germany 91,466 3,756,497 Where deaths have occurred Deaths Cases Iran 87,837 3,603,527 Spain 81,166 4,219,723 Indonesia 77,583 2,983,830 Show more Note: Totals for Denmark, France, the Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S. include overseas territories and other dependencies. Cases and deaths for cruise ships have been separated in accordance with JHU CSSE data.

The epicenter of the pandemic has continued to shift throughout the year, from China, then Europe, then the U.S., and now to developing countries like Brazil. Cases globally surpassed 10 million in late June, but ever since infections have been multiplying faster. The U.S. and India have the most infections, accounting for more than a third of all cases combined.

Global Cases Added Per Day New cases: 518,190 Jan 21, 2020 Jul 21, 2021 Brazil New cases: 54,517 Jan 21, 2020 Jul 21, 2021 U.S. 52,032 U.K. 44,081 Iran 27,379 Russia 23,164 France 21,573 Germany 1,651 Mainland China 72 India 0 Note: On February 14, 2020, Hubei officials changed their diagnostic criteria, resulting in a spike in reported cases.

Countries took drastic measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 on their homefront— with varying degrees of success. More than 140 governments placed blanket bans on incoming travelers, closed schools and restricted gatherings and public events, according to data compiled by Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government and Bloomberg reporting. As countries loosen lockdowns in an effort to reboot their economies, many have seen a resurgence of infections. The number of new daily cases in the U.S. rose to record highs after some states relaxed social distancing requirements. Even places that successfully contained infections earlier in the year, like China and South Korea, have seen cases bubble back up. Theories that warmer weather in the Northern Hemisphere would bring relief appear to be unfounded. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-coronavirus-cases-world-map/?srnd=coronavirus

Covid map: Coronavirus cases, deaths, vaccinations by country

By The Visual and Data Journalism Team BBC News

Covid-19 is continuing to spread around the world, with more than 190 million confirmed cases and more than four million deaths across nearly 200 countries.

The US, India and Brazil have seen the highest number of confirmed cases, followed by France, Russia, Turkey and the UK. Very few places have been left untouched. Show more

Note: The map, table and animated bar chart in this page use a different source for figures for France and the UK from that used by Johns Hopkins University. US figures do not include Puerto Rico, Guam or the US Virgin Islands.

Confirmed cases have been rising steeply since the middle of last year, but the true extent of the first outbreaks in 2020 is unclear because testing was not then widely available

The 100 millionth Covid case was recorded at the end of January - about a year after the first officially diagnosed case of the virus.

Deaths have also been rising, however official figures may not fully reflect the true number in many countries. Data on excess deaths, a measure of how many more people are dying than would be expected based on the previous few years, may give a better indication of the actual numbers in many cases.

Who has vaccinated the most? Several coronavirus vaccines have been approved for use, either by individual countries or groups of countries, such as the European Union and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Of the 194 countries and territories administering vaccines and publishing rollout data, 67 are high-income nations, 101 are middle-income and 26 low-income. The map below, using figures collated by Our World in Data - a collaboration between Oxford University and an educational charity - shows the total number of doses given per 100 people, mostly first doses. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105

Why the CPP-NPA insurgency persists posted July 20, 2021 at 12:00 am by Rudy Romero

"Moving countryside Filipinos out of poverty is the only way to put an end to this."

A day in the latter part of December 1969 is one of the most significant days in this country’s post-World War II history. It was on that day, somewhere in Central Luzon, that the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines) and its armed wing, the NPA (New People’s Army) were organized by Jose Ma. Sison and his fellow-ideologues.

Successive national administrations -- from that of President Ferdinand Marcos to that of the incumbent Chief Executive -- have deployed the totality of the nation’s military and police against the CPP-NPA and vowed to put an end to the communist insurgency before the end of their terms of office. But today, more than a half-century later - the CPP-NPA celebrated its 50th anniversary two years ago - the insurgency persists and continues to disrupt the lives of Filipinos residing in the nation’s hinterlands and to require the active attention of the PNP (Philippine National Police) and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines).

The government’s attitude toward Mr. Sison and his people has alternated between hot and cold, between all-out war and ceasefire-peace-pending-negotiations. During his 20 years (1966- 1986) in power, President Marcos waged a relentless war against the CPP-NPA, tracking down and jailing its leaders, including Jose Ma. Sison; as head of the PC-INP (Philippine Constabulary - Integrated National Police), Fidel Roxas was one of the lead implementors of Mr. Marcos’s policy.

When she became a revolutionary President in February 1986, one of Corazon Aquino’s first major acts was to grand freedom to Mr. Sison and the other CPP-NPA leaders, in the belief that they had mended their ideological ways and were now prepared to participate in a democratic and pluralistic governmental system. President Aquino’s fervent hopes were dashed by Mr. Sison, who, from a haven in The Netherlands, soon relaunched his organization’s insurgency against the government of this country.

Political commentators and intelligence-community analysts believed that the martial-law regime’s abuses and repressions were the CPP-NPA’s best recruiters. In the early 1980s, credible estimates of NPA strength placed this at 24,000 persons; today, four decades later, that number is down to between 4,000 and 5,000.

Most of the Presidents after Corazon Aquino - Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Arroyo, and Benigno Aquino III - strove to terminate the CPP-NPA insurgency during their term through a combination of force of arms and negotiation. But Rodrigo Duterte went further than that: He vowed to crush the CPP-NPA before the end of his term, which is June 30, 2022. Mr. Duterte, too, had tried the negotiations approach to lasting peace with the communists.

In response, Jose Ma. Sison has stated, arrogantly, that President Duterte’s threat will not materialize and that the CPP-NPA will outlast the Duterte administration.

It looks that way. There is less than a year left in the term of the Duterte presidency and the NPA’s disruptive activities show no signs of slowing down. The media continue to report armed clashes between the NPA and elements of the PNP and the AFP, NPA collection of what it calls “revolutionary taxes” and the destruction of crops and equipment of rural businessmen who refuse to pay such taxes.

In the CPP-NPA insurgency - one of two such insurgencies remaining in the world -- likely to end anytime soon? I don’t think so.

A lasting and final peace settlement with the CPP-NPA is unlikely, in my view, for as long as Jose Ma. Sison is its leader. Ateneo-educated Mr. Sison, now in his 70s, is feeling no pressure to come to terms with his country’s government. He has been living a comfortable life in The Netherlands with the protection of the Dutch government. Malacanang seeks him out - not the other way around - and he is accorded respect and courtesy. Were the CPP-NPA to sign a genuine peace accord with the government of this country, all of that would end and Mr. Sison would become just another politician. Such a prospect can hardly be attractive to the proud CPP-NPA chief.

The reality, as far as negotiations between CPP-NPA and the government are concerned, is that there is no one in the communist organization to match Jose Ma. Sison in stature, intellect, and capability. Mr. Sison is head and shoulders above his colleagues. He is the CPP-NPA.

From the standpoint of the success of its struggle to attain power, this country’s archipelagic character is both a plus and a minus factor for the CPP-NPA. Because the seat of government is in Luzon, the bulk of its forces must be deployed in the nation’s largest island. But it must maintain significant forces in all major islands if it is to have any credibility in those places. With its forces dispersed, CPP-NPA cannot hope to seize the reins of government, which are in Metro Manila.

In military terms, AFP-versus-CPP-NPA has always been a no-contest situation. The strength of the AFP and the strength of the CPP-NPA have over the years been moving in opposite directions: the Philippine Army has 12 infantry divisions while the CPP-NPA’s force has shrunk, as stated above, to 4,000-5,000/ Assuming a division size of 10,000 men, that’s approximately an 30-to-1 ratio.

Barring a totally unexpected socio-political catastrophe, there is absolutely no prospect of CPP- NPA attainment of political power. That does not mean that Jose Ma. Sison and his organization will disappear from the national scene and become insignificant. CPP-NPA will remain a significant part of this country’s political landscape, causing damage to life and property at every opportunity and seeking to alienate the rural folk from the government. Jose Ma. Sison and his organization are going nowhere, either militarily or politically.

The CPP-NPA will outlast the term of President Duterte, as Jose Ma. Sison boastfully predicted. And it will continue to exist - a dwindling bank of men and women left behind by the times - for as long as the government fails to effectively address poverty, chronic unemployment, low incomes, and the other economic problems that have long afflicted Filipinos luring in the countryside.

Moving countryside Filipinos out of poverty—at least making credible progress in that direction - is the only way to put an end to the CPP-NPA insurgency and take Jose Ma. Sison and his comrade-out of this country’s political landscape. The Duterte administration has no more time for that. https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/business-class-by-rudy-romero/360158/why-the-cpp-npa- insurgency-persists.html

Fatal ‘lambing’ Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:08 AM July 20, 2021

The Philippine National Police has announced that it considers the recent death of 19-year- old Jonash Bondoc, a cadet at the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA), a closed case after it filed homicide charges against another cadet who admitted to having punched

Bondoc as a “farewell gesture.”

cited a medico-legal But Bondoc’s family is crying for justice and has called for an “independent and impartial” report from the police regional crime laboratory in Zambales stating he had bruises on many investigation, saying he was a victim of hazing. Bondoc’s sister Glaiza parts of his body and had died from a blunt traumatic injury to the head.

Bondoc,“The autopsy a cadet report fourth clearly class, says was thatfound my dead brother in the was PMMA mauled barracks to death,” in San said Narciso, Glaiza. Zambales on July 6. Cadet third cla Bondoc twice in the chest as a gesture of affection and farewell as the latter was set to leave ss Jomel Gloria admitted that he had “unintentionally” punched for his hometown for a break.

police provincial director

“Pabaon ko lang ito, lambing lang,’’ Gloria was quoted by Zambales the academy, charged with homicide, and is now out on bail. Per a GMA News report citing Police Col. Romano Cardiño as saying. Following Gloria’s admission, he was removed from statements by PMMA chief of staff of the superintendent Chuck dela Cruz on the TV program

Unang Balita, “the academy’s investigation as well as the Prosecutor already ruled out hazing this case. If Bondoc was merely punched playfully in the chest, as Gloria claimed, how come in the incident.” Case closed? And yet there are more questions that beg to be answered in the medico-legal report attributes his death to blunt traumatic injury to the head and notes bruises all over his body?

https://opinion.inquirer.net/142245/fatal-lambing

Encourage pioneering spirit In the country’s history, it would be the first time that a Filipino concern is bold enough to take on a capital-intensive energy project.

Published 3 days ago on July 20, 2021 03:20 AM If there should be a probe the Senate may want to start on the Malampaya natural gas project, the subjects should be the two multinationals that had two decades of a profit run before finally selling their interests, still at a great gain, to the Udenna group of Davao City businessman Dennis Uy.

Even before the local group can seek government help in terms of fiscal incentives for the project, some legislators have jumped in to question the technical expertise of the new operators.

Both foreign firms earned a total of more than $1 billion from the sale of their 90 percent stake in the project, with Chevron Corp. gaining $565 million while the operator, Shell Petroleum Exploration, sold out for $460 million to Malampaya Energy XP Pte. Ltd. (MEXP), another subsidiary of Udenna.

Chevron and Shell, before earning their final windfall through the sale of their shares, have generated over P350 billion in revenue stream from the Malampaya gas field project, or about P17.5 billion a year, based on documents submitted to the government.

Both companies were also afforded cost recoveries as incentives, from which they got back P300 billion over the years. This means that much of the money both invested were merely returned to the oil giants.

Royalty share of both companies ran to almost P350 billion during their period of operations.

Chevron still collected earnings from the project until 2019, while Shell will be reaping its dues until the end of this year when the deal is consummated.

The natural gas operations were beneficial to the government as well.

As 10 percent owner, the state-run Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corp. (PNOC-EC) was able to remit P20.8 billion in dividends to the Bureau of the Treasury last year.

Bulk of the transfers to the government came from the $11.9 billion revenues from the Malampaya venture, which exceeded the initial projections of $10 billion in revenues for the entire project duration. The Malampaya field started producing gas for various power projects in the country in 2001; and its Service Contract (SC) with the Philippine government will lapse in 2024.

The Udenna group, however, is seeking to extend the contract as it expected the natural gas deposits to go beyond the estimate of a 2027 depletion.

Moreover, the project developed highly-skilled professionals in the upstream petroleum venture, who gained from technology transfer and training from the oil giants.

PNOC-EC’s involvement created opportunities for its personnel and prepared them to take on similar projects in the future. https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/07/20/encourage-pioneering-spirit/

Commentary: A pity China can’t seem to ditch its wolf warrior diplomacy warriors are here to stay. Their effects are not all positive, says Christian Le Miere. Despite recent exhortations from President Xi to tone down their language, China’s wolf Will a new law lead China to ditch its wolf warrior diplomatic tactics? (Photo: iStock)

19 Jul 2021 06:00AM(Updated: 19 Jul 2021 06:10AM) LONDON: In early June, President Xi Jinping called for a more “credible, loving and respectable” image of China.

While these comments suggested greater restraint from the more vocal of China’s “wolf warriors” – diplomats, journalists and think tankers who robustly defend China’s policies in public fora - their defensiveness has not subsided.

Leading Chinese English-language commentators continued to use abrasive language to defend China’s policies and deflect perceived slights from the US and overseas.

Perhaps Beijing continues to see its wolf warriors as a useful, perhaps even necessary, rhetorical tool to further China’s viewpoint and counter foreign criticism.

Perhaps they see them as an intractable part of a mosaic of foreign policy tools available to Beijing, from slickly edited videos presenting a softer image of China explaining things like the Five-Year Plan, to the harsh combative language of the wolf warriors attacking foreign critics.

But it is far from clear that these aggressive defenders of China’s viewpoint improve Beijing’s international standing or overseas support of Chinese policy. Moreover, the patriotism stoked by these commentators is only feeding a tiger that Beijing is riding – a nationalism that can be hard to control. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/china-wolf-warrior-diplomacy-twitter-social- media-new-law-15242984

Hong Kong, Snuffed Out

Pro-democracy activist Nathan Law, accompanied by supporters, walks out of the Final Court of Appeal after being granted bail in Hong Kong, October 24, 2017. (Bobby Yip / Reuters) This great, free, vibrant city was promised 50 years of autonomy. It got less than half that allotment.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Today, we publish an expanded version of a piece that appears in the current issue of NATIONAL REVIEW.

Simply put, “2047 has arrived.” These are the words of Nathan Law, a Hong Kong democracy leader, now in exile. Hong Kong was supposed to have 50 years, starting with the “handover” on July 1, 1997: 50 years of democratic life, 50 years of autonomy. The relevant slogan was “One country, two systems.” Hong Kong would be a little exception in vast, Communist-ruled China.

Cruelly, however, Hong Kong got half its allotment — not even that. Hong Kong is now a Chinese city like any other, more or less. In other words, it is unfree, and horrifying.

At the end of June, Vivian Wang and Alexandra Stevenson of the New York Times filed a dispatch from Hong Kong. The subheading of their dispatch read, “Neighbors are urged to report on one another. Children are taught to look for traitors. Officials are pressed to pledge their loyalty.” Here was one detail, among many — not the most horrifying, by a long shot, but striking all the same: “Police officers have been trained to goose-step in the Chinese military fashion, replacing decades of British-style marching.”

Question: Did they have to do it? Did the British have to hand the city over to the Chinese government, which is to say, the Chinese Communist Party? Yes, answers Nathan Law, and almost everyone else. The handover was inevitable. For one thing, the party could have sent the PLA — the People’s Liberation Army — into Hong Kong. What could Britain, and the “world,” have done then? https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/07/hong-kong-snuffed-out/#slide-1

One China, one Taiwan is possible • By Joseph Bosco

US President Joe Biden’s administration continues to build on the unprecedented efforts of former US president Donald Trump’s team to deepen US relations with Taiwan.

Without either administration explicitly declaring it, their combined policies have effectively transformed Washington’s ritualistic “one China” formula, while paying it deferential lip service.

The two administrations have instituted policies that de facto nullify one of the “three noes” that then-US president Bill Clinton affirmed during his 1998 visit to Beijing: no Taiwanese independence; no “two Chinas”; no “one China, one Taiwan”; and no participation in most international organizations. (Actually four noes.)

Last month, Washington opened a new front in the campaign to elevate Taiwan’s status as the two countries revived a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), which had been signed in 1994, but was essentially moribund since then.

One of the main obstacles to negotiating a trade agreement under TIFA had been Taiwan’s unwillingness to purchase US pork and beef treated with additives. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) last year broke the logjam over strong domestic opposition and announced that Taiwan would lift the ban.

With that hurdle overcome, the way was clear for serious talks potentially leading to a free-trade agreement, and the Trump administration seemed more likely to make it happen than any previous administration.

Despite the auspicious circumstances, the timing did not work because then -US trade representative Robert Lighthizer was immersed in critical negotiations with China, but more than his inability to commit the necessary time and energy was involved. Beijing strongly objected to the Trump administration’s growing ties with Taiwan and warned that Washington would have to choose which trade partner was more important to its interests.

The political impasse over Taiwan’s economic status was reminiscent of the years-long delay that held up its accession to the WTO in the 1990s. Although Taiwan early on had qualified for WTO entry, Beijing insisted that China be admitted first and that Taiwan could enter only as the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei). The WTO acceded to Beijing’s demands and held up Taiwan’s admission until China got its economic house in order to barely meet the minimum standards in 2001. Biden, then a US senator and vice chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, noted the linkage of accession for the cross-strait rivals. At a hearing on Permanent Normal Trade Relations in July 2000, he said that he had long supported linking trade with China to its progress on human rights, but had changed his mind. One reason he cited for reversing his position was that Taiwan could then join. He said that economic interdependence between the two new WTO members would reduce cross-strait tensions.

Last year, China had even greater leverage, since Trump placed all his political chips on getting a historic trade deal with China, but by the time Beijing’s negotiators had worn down Lighthizer and his team, the “phase 1” trade deal was more modest than the original US objectives, and Trump had far less to tout for his re-election campaign.

With the election looming, time had run out on opening trade negotiations with Taiwan. Not needing to please Beijing, the Biden administration was left to start the TIFA process. Preliminary negotiations are underway and the prospect for deeper US-Taiwan economic relations is good. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2021/07/20/2003761139

Failure to learn from terrorism and disease hampered Japan's virus response • While laboratories and pharmaceutical firms were mobilized quickly in the United States when the need for a COVID-19 vaccination become apparent, Japan's vaccine development lagged behind. | REUTERS • BY MITSUYOSHI URASHIMA • CONTRIBUTING WRITER • SHARE • Jul 19, 2021 While Japan is lagging far behind other countries in developing COVID-19 vaccines, the United States is already supplying its shots to the rest of the world.

The gap reflects the differences between what the two nations have learned from past bioterrorism attacks and epidemics of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases that occurred not only within the country but also elsewhere, and how they prepared for future risks and crises.

The following comment is not taken from a report, rather it is a remark made by a lecturer in 2000 during a class of disaster medicine at Harvard University School of Public Health.

“At 10:15 a.m., a professor at Shinshu University’s Faculty of Medicine, who treated patients in the sarin gas attacks in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, faxed a report to hospitals in Tokyo which were receiving the subway sarin attack victims, describing the symptoms of sarin exposure and how to treat them. That was an incredibly good judgment.” Indeed, the government has not compiled any report on the shocking sarin nerve gas attack on Tokyo’s subway system in 1995. The attack was carried out by the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult during the morning rush hour on March 20.

Cult members, carrying sarin in plastic bags wrapped in newspaper, got into trains on four subway lines and punctured the bags with the tips of umbrellas immediately before getting off the trains.

Thirteen people died in the attacks and some 6,000 people received hospital treatment.

Since I was the only Japanese attending the class at Harvard, I was asked how things were at the time of the incident.

Jikei University Hospital in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, where I had studied and where I later worked, accepted many people caught up in the attack at Kamiyacho Station on the Hibiya Line. The first victim was carried into the hospital’s emergency room on that day at around 8:30 a.m. Victims were rushed in one after another, saying they were having difficulty breathing and complaining of darkened vision.

The hospital did not have a department of emergency medicine at the time, and when emergency patients were brought in, nurses would call a doctor on duty at the department judged to be relevant to each case depending on the symptoms.

Since the attacks occurred in the morning when doctors were holding case conferences, it took some time for nurses to get hold of doctors. The emergency room soon started to overflow with patients.

At around 9 a.m., doctors took the initiative to begin treating patients without being called for, with a surgeon who had been on emergency duty serving as a leader to come up with a unified treatment policy.

Patients were placed not only in the emergency room but also on unoccupied beds in hospital wards and sofas in the waiting room for outpatients, without a doctor in charge. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2021/07/19/commentary/japan-commentary/u-s-japan- vaccines/

How South Korea’s 2022 presidential election could reshape its US-China balancing act

• The People Power Party, which is the main opposition, has been propelled by support from younger voters, who overwhelmingly prefer the US to China • On the other hand, should Lee Jae-myung from the Democratic Party succeed Moon Jae-in as president, he seems poised to seek closer ties with Beijing

South Korea has reaped rewards from its policy of strategic ambiguity towards the US-China rivalry, avoiding antagonising Beijing, its largest trading partner, while remaining Washington’s military ally. However, developments in domestic politics before next year’s presidential election could spell the end of this approach.On one hand, there is Lee Jun-seok, the Harvard-educated leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who clearly favours the US over China

. Lee, 36, is too young to run for the top job, as the constitution prevents anyone under 40 becoming president, but former prosecutor general Yoon Suk-yeol, who broadly shares Lee’s views, is expected to join the PPP as its presidential candidate.

On the other hand, if Lee Jae-myung from the ruling Democratic Party becomes president, that could also shake the US-South Korea alliance. Lee, the Gyeonggi province governor, believes Seoul should strengthen relations with Beijing and elevate them to the level of a strategic partnership. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3141711/how-south-koreas-2022-presidential- election-could-reshape-its-us