Family, friends, and supporters of the late President Noynoy Aquino marked his third death anniversary with a Mass at the Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque City, on Monday, June 24. Kiko Aquino Dee, a nephew of Aquino, recalled after the Mass the late leader’s principle of “right makes might,” which he said “was often...
Tag: West Philippine Sea
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Atin Ito marchers denounce China’s ‘acts of aggression’
On the eve of the 126th anniversary of Philippine Independence, hundreds of activists, fishers and their supporters marched to the Chinese consulate in Makati City in protest against China’s incursions into the West Philippines (WPS), warning Beijing not to underestimate the Filipinos’ resolve to resist foreign aggressors. “China will not intimidate us,” said Akbayan Party...
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Jubilation, relief, and a little disappointment on the West Philippine Sea
Jubilant, relieved, but a bit disappointed at not coming close to Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. That was how some people felt at the end of last week’s small flotilla of the “Atin Ito” coalition that had for its mission to supply food and fuel to fishermen at Bajo de Masinloc...
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‘Atin Ito’ heads back; ‘Mission accomplished!’
ABOARD THE FB AGUIAN—With at least three Chinese Coast Guard ships threatening their main convoy of four fishing boats flying Philippine flags, “Atin Ito” leaders decided on Thursday not to pursue its final task of resupplying Filipino fishers at Bajo de Masinloc (also known as Scarborough Shoal and Panatag Shoal). The seeming premature end of...
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‘Atin Ito’s’ mission is for Philippine sovereign rights and a rules-based global order
BOTOLAN, Zambales—The fight of Filipinos for their sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea is intended as much to protect their national interest against China’s encroachments into their exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as it is to help establish an international rules-based order against a superpower bully, the citizens’ coalition “Atin Ito” (This is Ours) declared...
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‘Atin Ito’ sets new mission to Scarborough Shoal to assert Filipinos’ fishing rights
Four commercial fishing boats carrying some 200 civilian volunteers, journalists, and observers, and about 100 smaller vessels will head to Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) on May 15 on a three-day mission to assert the Philippines’ fishing rights in the West Philippine Sea. Leaders of “Atin Ito” (This is Ours), a coalition of social movements,...
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Filipino fishers are called upon to sacrifice during PH-US Balikatan
Fishers in San Antonio, Zambales, may have to sacrifice days’ worth of catch as the Coast Guard enforces a three-day “no-sail zone policy” in the municipal waters during next week’s war games between Philippine and US troops, according to security analyst Chester Cabalza. The policy, which bans fishing within the municipal waters on May 6-9,...
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How to take back what’s ours
Surely many Filipinos were startled by footage shown on ANC last week of a Chinese Navy helicopter hovering perilously low over Sandy Cay last March 23. On the ground were Filipino marine scientists doing research on biodiversity and inspecting the apparently poor state of the corals at the sandbar about two nautical miles from the...
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War between wars
My parents were shaped by World War II (my father became a young guerrilla and my mother had to flee with her family to their mountain farm), followed soon after by the Korean War (which has not officially ended), and then the Vietnam War, in all of which the Philippines was directly involved. We so-called...
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Gov’t urged: Defend, assert territorial integrity in West Philippine Sea
The Philippines should step up its joint patrols with other countries around Recto Bank and other reefs and shoals in the West Philippine Sea to forestall any attempt at occupation by the Chinese military, a political analyst said on Tuesday. On June 30, a Philippine military reconnaissance plane spotted dozens of Chinese vessels swarming a...