Over recent years, China has shown consistency in one thing: disrupting the rules-based maritime order and violating international law, driven by the belief that it is above the law itself.
West Philippine Sea very much belongs to fishermen.
Those civilians have always been harassed by China.
The arbitral ruling is very significant for them. @MalayaIrredenta@leisbeth_recto
READY TO WELCOME ALEX EALA?
After her historic Wimbledon run, Alex Eala is coming home for a special fan event. Here's where you can see the Filipina tennis star in person.
READ: https://t.co/o98s5QRecj
‘BAWAL MAGKA-WARRANT. BAKA MAGKASAKIT’
Sen. Panfilo Lacson issues a warning about getting sick, a remark that comes amid Sen. Rodante Marcoleta's confinement at the PNP General Hospital after being placed under arrest.
Marcoleta complained of chest pains and high blood pressure when he surrendered to the Sandiganbayan on Monday, shortly after the antigraft court issued a warrant for his arrest.
READ RELATED STORY: https://t.co/89lQXdIkZg
ATENEO PRESIDENT TURNS EMOTIONAL DURING SENATE HEARING
Ateneo de Manila University president Fr. Roberto Yap turned emotional as he spoke about the deaths of student-athletes Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili during a Senate Committee on Basic Education hearing.
Yap held back tears as he discussed the impact of the tragedy on the victims' teammates and friends, many of whom, he said, continue to face cyberbullying and online harassment while grieving.
"They not only lost their beloved teammates and friends and witnessed this tragedy firsthand, but many continue to endure cyberbullying, online harassment, and trial by publicity while grieving," Yap said.
"We unequivocally condemn these acts because they only deepen the pain of those already grieving by spreading disinformation and causing further harm," he added. 🎥 Senate of the Philippines
'BATANES CONSTITUTE A NATURAL GEOGRAPHICAL EXTENSION OF TAIWAN'
'Yan ang pahayag mula sa ulat ng isang Chinese state media na binasa ni SeaLight Director Ray Powell.
Iginiit umano ng ilang Chinese scholars sa isang symposium na "natural extension" ng Taiwan ang Batanes at dapat itong mapasailalim sa China.
Ayon kay Powell, posible itong pretext upang palabuin ang usapan at bigyang katwiran ang presensya ng China sa Batanes.
Wala pang opisyal mula sa People’s Republic of China ang direktang nagsabi nito ngunit kumakalat na ang naratibong ito sa provincial level ng China. | via #MOJO Jazz Paredes
🚨 PROPAGANDA ALERT | China's Latest Territorial Fantasy: "Batanes Belongs to China."
When facts fail, Beijing writes fiction.
Chinese academics now claim that Batanes belongs to China through Taiwan—a narrative with no basis in history, no support in international law, and zero recognition from the international community.
🇵🇭 Reality Check:
Batanes has been an integral part of the Philippines for centuries.
The Ivatan people are Filipino—not subjects of Beijing.
No treaty, map, or internationally recognized legal instrument grants China sovereignty over Batanes.
This isn't scholarship—it's lawfare: using manufactured legal narratives to justify future territorial ambitions.
China already lost its sweeping maritime claims before the South China Sea Arbitration, where the tribunal unanimously rejected the legal basis of its expansive claims in the South China Sea. Inventing new claims over Batanes won't erase that ruling—it only exposes the desperation behind the propaganda.
You cannot redraw borders by rewriting history.
You cannot manufacture sovereignty through symposiums.
And you cannot turn fiction into fact simply by repeating it.
Batanes is Philippine territory. It always has been. It always will be. 🇵🇭
#BRPSierraMadre #WPS #WestPhilippineSea #July12 #RuleOfLaw #ArbitralAward #UNCLOS #FactsMatter #NotOneMore
CHINA CLAIMS THE BATANES ISLANDS
@GordianKnotRay of @SeaLightFound EXPOSES China's recent "pretext to escalation" by publically staking CLAIM to the Batanes Islands in the northernest tip of the Philippines as part of their territory, with the communists of Beijing convening a bunch of fake scholars to justify why they own islands that for centuries was long regarded as part of the Philippines. He was speaking just a short time ago at the National West Philippine Sea Summit in Manila.
This is disgusting provocation by Beijing. Filipinos must condemn this and talk about it more with righteous fury.
@wps_ph
🚨BREAKING -- 🇨🇳Chinese scholars have "concluded" that the 🇵🇭#Philippines' northernmost Batanes Islands legally belong to #China, by way of 🇹🇼#Taiwan.
At a June 30th symposium in Guangzhou hosted by Jinan University, roughly a dozen researchers from prominent Chinese universities and institutes declared that Manila's control over Batanes lacks historical and legal basis, and in fact the islands belong to China.
"Participants unanimously concluded that the Batan Islands constitute a natural geographical extension of Taiwan, with sovereignty belonging to China, and that so-called Japan-Philippines maritime delimitation negotiations in the area hold no legal validity. The symposium was convened in direct response to the joint statement issued at the recent Japan-Philippines summit." [Link in the comments below]
In other words, Beijing -- via its academics and aided by state media -- clearly orchestrated this symposium to propose a new territorial baseline, a "lawfare" tactic to back up the patrols it launched far to the east of Taiwan last month.
So far PRC government officials have not endorsed the symposium's conclusions, but that's not unusual in PRC gray-zone narrative warfare. For now, muddying the waters over Batanes' legal ownership is sufficient to help justify its "sovereignty" patrols.
Full SeaLight analysis coming soon.
🚨BREAKING -- 🇨🇳Chinese scholars have "concluded" that the 🇵🇭#Philippines' northernmost Batanes Islands legally belong to #China, by way of 🇹🇼#Taiwan.
At a June 30th symposium in Guangzhou hosted by Jinan University, roughly a dozen researchers from prominent Chinese universities and institutes declared that Manila's control over Batanes lacks historical and legal basis, and in fact the islands belong to China.
"Participants unanimously concluded that the Batan Islands constitute a natural geographical extension of Taiwan, with sovereignty belonging to China, and that so-called Japan-Philippines maritime delimitation negotiations in the area hold no legal validity. The symposium was convened in direct response to the joint statement issued at the recent Japan-Philippines summit." [Link in the comments below]
In other words, Beijing -- via its academics and aided by state media -- clearly orchestrated this symposium to propose a new territorial baseline, a "lawfare" tactic to back up the patrols it launched far to the east of Taiwan last month.
So far PRC government officials have not endorsed the symposium's conclusions, but that's not unusual in PRC gray-zone narrative warfare. For now, muddying the waters over Batanes' legal ownership is sufficient to help justify its "sovereignty" patrols.
Full SeaLight analysis coming soon.
The MMDA announced that several malls will provide free overnight parking for the public as safe parking spaces in anticipation of heavy rainfall and possible flooding due to Typhoon #IndayPH.
The free overnight parking will begin on the evening of July 9 and will remain available until Typhoon Inday has passed.
"Ang ililibre po nila kunyari nagsara sila ng 10 ng gabi, 'yun po libre. Pero starting 6 ng umaga siguro or ano may bayad na po," said MMDA Chairman Don Artes.
The agency said participating malls will announce the specific branches offering the service and the MMDA will also repost these announcements on its official social media accounts. | via @_izzylee
PH RAISES CONCERN OVER CHINA MISSILE TEST
JUST IN: The Philippines has expressed concern over China’s launch of an unarmed ballistic missile from a submarine into the Pacific Ocean during a military exercise.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Philippine authorities received prior notification of the launch on July 5, but warned that actions that erode confidence are unhelpful to dialogue, diplomacy and cooperation.
The DFA called on all parties to exercise restraint, promote transparency, and avoid actions that could heighten miscommunication and misunderstanding. @newswatchplusph
Nakapasa sa bar exam - yan lang ang common sa lahat ng abogado. Pero iba-iba ang pinanggalingan, iba-iba ng pinaninindigan.
Ang paalala ng @nuplphilippines : "Be the best lawyers money cannot buy". Hamon ito sa atin na huwag pasisilaw sa karangyaan o katanyagan.+
Root your hearts in the firm foundation of God's love for you. Discover the Heart of Christ, and do not be afraid to build your lives upon Him (1 Jn 4:16). In doing so, you will not only find the fullness you seek, but you will also be able to share with those around you the warmth of God's love and the reconciling power of His grace.
Comments on Day 3:
1. I admire the composure of the witness and his forthright answers. His pauses, after some questions, and his hesitation to answer confusing questions are badges of veracity.
2. Sen. Peter Cayetano's question: Since the PSG is the group tasked with protecting the President and the First Lady, why did you not coordinate with the PSG?
FOR GOODNESS SAKE! The witness is only an NBI operative -- probably one very low the ladder of officialdom. What is his business coordinating with other units without the order or consent of his superiors?
3. Attorney Narvasa's attempt to "show a pattern of persecution" was pathetic -- in fact, clutching at straws. He played the clip of the Chief of the Staff of the VP protesting against being transferred to another detention facility "in the dead of night". What does prove except that that the people working with the Vice-President believed themselves entitled to exemptions, privileges and special treatment?
4. There is no such thing as a conditional threat. A threat is a warning of the infliction of harm, punishment or sanction on another person. The witness was correct: Even if the respondent VP said "Kung papatayin nila ako...", that means that whether it is the President or the FL or Romualdez who causes her death, her intended victims will be killed by the hitman she had already contracted. Contracting a hitman is itself already a crime!