CHINA BLAMES PH COAST GUARD OVER LASER INCIDENT NEAR AYUNGIN SHOAL

MANILA - China on Monday blamed the Philippines over a recent incident wherein a Chinese Coast Guard vessel directed a military-grade laser at a Philippine Coast Guard vessel.

The PCG earlier bared that a Chinese vessel with bow number 5205 was seen approximately 4 nautical miles away from the Philippines' BRP Malapascua, which was going to the Ayungin Shoal in the South China Sea.

The Chinese ship shone a green laser light twice toward the BRP Malapascua, causing temporary blindness to its crew.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin claimed that the PCG vessel entered the waters near Ayungin Shoal, which China calls "Ren’ai Reef", "without permission."

"The Ren’ai Reef is part of China’s Nansha Islands," he told reporters, referring to the Spratly Islands. 

Wang further claimed that the Chinese Coast Guard only "upheld China’s sovereignty and maritime order and acted in a professional and restrained way."

"We hope the Philippine side will respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea and avoid taking any actions that may exacerbate disputes and complicate the situation. China and the Philippines are in communication on this through diplomatic channels," he said.

The Philippines, a major claimant in the Spratly Islands, calls the maritime area as the Kalayaan Group of Islands.

Despite a 2016 ruling from a UN-backed tribunal that favored Manila and ruled China's claims as illegitimate, the Asian giant has been aggressive in its military activities in the South China Sea.

In recent years, China has built artificial islands on reefs while constructing military facilities and airstrips.

The Philippines has also repeatedly accused Chinese coastguard and maritime militias of harassing and attacking fishing boats and other vessels in the region.

AFP TELLS CHINA TO ‘CONTROL ITS FORCES,’ TAGS LASER INCIDENT AS PROVOCATIVE ACT

AFP tells China to ‘control its forces,’ tags laser incident as provocative act

The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Monday called on China to control its forces following reports that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel pointed a military-grade laser at a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship, causing “temporary blindness” to the crew of the BRP Malapascua.

“The Secretary of National Defense has already declared… that the act committed by the Coast Guard of China is offensive and unsafe,” a spokesperson for the AFP, Col. Medel Aguilar, said.

“Therefore, I think it is time for the Chinese government to restrain its forces so that it does not commit any provocative act that will endanger [the] lives of people,” he added.

Aguilar said this was the first time that the CCG directed a laser light at a PCG ship.

The PCG on Monday accused a CCG vessel of pointing a “military-grade” laser light at one of its vessels supporting a military rotation and resupply mission in Ayungin Shoal.

The PCG said the Chinese vessel with bow number 5205 directed a laser light at PCG vessel BRP Malapascua during a Feb. 6 rotation and resupply mission of the Philippine Navy.

The Chinese vessel also made “dangerous maneuvers” by coming within about 140 meters of the Philippine boat, the PCG said.

The incident happened nearly 20 kilometers from Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, where Philippine marines are stationed, the Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement.

“The deliberate blocking of the Philippine government ships to deliver food and supplies to our military personnel… is a blatant disregard for, and a clear violation of, Philippine sovereign rights in this part of the West Philippine Sea,” the Philippine Coast Guard said.

Meanwhile, The United States on Monday criticized China's reported use of military-grade laser light against a Philippine coast guard vessel in the disputed South China Sea last week, which left the ship's crew temporarily blinded.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the Chinese coastguard's "conduct was provocative and unsafe, resulting in the temporary blindness of the crew members."

"The United States stands with our Philippine allies in the face of the People's Republic of China Coast Guard’s reported use of laser devices against the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard ship," Price said.

IN PHONE CALL, ZELENSKY THANKS PBBM FOR ‘SUPPORT’

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday finally talked with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who thanked him for supporting his country’s sovereignty amid its ongoing war with Russia, which is entering its first year.

“Had the first phone call in the history of bilateral relations with President of the Philippines @bongbongmarcos,” Zelenskyy announced on his official Twitter account.

“Thanked him (Mr. Marcos) for supporting and territorial integrity of Ukraine (flag symbol). We discussed further deepening of cooperation, in particular on international platforms,” the Ukrainian leader added in his tweet, which was liked 3,390 times and viewed 250,000 times as of press time.

The Presidential Communications Office also had yet to issue a statement on the development as of press time, but it marked a breakthrough in Ukraine trying to rally more international support for its cause.

Last month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Ukraine must schedule an appointment with President Marcos before a phone conversation with him and Zelensky could push through.

This was after DFA Undersecretary Carlos Sorreta expressed the government’s displeasure after Denys Mykhailiuk, the chargé d’affaires of the Ukraine Embassy in Malaysia, revealed that Ukraine has yet to receive a response from the Philippines despite having made a formal request since June last year.

“If he wants this to happen, we have to discuss it. These things are arranged, talking points are discussed…It’s not good diplomatic practice to be doing it the way he did,” Sorreta said in a press briefing in January. Vince Lopez

Sorreta also maintained that the Philippines continues to have a “good relationship” with Ukraine, but Mykhailiuk’s decision to air his grievances publicly does not sit well with him.

Sorreta deplored it as “not good diplomatic practice” for the Ukrainian diplomat for telling members of the Philippine press that the government is not responding to Ukraine’s request for a phone call between the two leaders.

The Ukrainian envoy later apologized for “any misunderstanding” his revelation had caused.

PHILIPPINES, CANADA HOSTING MILITARY PLANNING COURSE IN PAMPANGA

MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and its Canadian counterpart are currently hosting a five-day military operational planning course in Clark, Pampanga.

Participating in the training are 35 military officers from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam as well as the Philippines,.

The activities started yesterday and will continue throughout the week, according to AFP public affairs office chief Col. Jorry Baclor.

Canadian Ambassador David Hartman attended the first day of the event.

Brig. Gen. Noel Beleran – AFP deputy chief for education, training and doctrine – thanked the embassy and the defense department of Canada for sponsoring the training.

“This is significant for the AFP as this marks the robust partnership between the Philippines and Canada, which benefits the AFP in terms of capability enhancement,” said Beleran, who represented AFP chief Gen. Andres Centino at the event.

CHINESE CRYPTO SCAMS TARGETING FILIPINOS TO WORK FOR THEM: OFFICIAL

MANILA — Chinese criminals running cryptocurrency scams in Southeast Asia are targeting Filipinos to work for them because of their English-language and computer skills, a Philippine foreign ministry official said Monday.

Filipinos were "prized" targets for scam networks operating in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, said Eduardo de Vega, acting undersecretary for migrant workers' affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

De Vega said efforts to repatriate Filipinos sucked into the scams were ongoing, with more than 100 brought home since last year.

The latest group arrived in Manila on Monday. Four men, all in their 30s, had been trafficked into Myanmar for "less than two months", during which they were held in compounds, De Vega told AFP.

The men were in Dubai when they were recruited online to work as "customer support representatives" in Thailand, the ministry said.

When they arrived in Bangkok, they were taken to the western Thai city of Mae Sot and ferried across the border into Myanmar "rebel territory", De Vega said.

There they were "forced to trick individuals into investing in cryptocurrency", the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Myanmar's rugged borderlands are home to a patchwork of ethnic rebel groups and military-aligned militia that have fought each other for decades over territory, lucrative timber and jade resources, and the drug trade.

Typically, Filipino recruits would pretend to be women and develop online relationships with their targets, usually Westerners, De Vega said.

They receive a wage and get a share of the profits, but are subjected to corporal punishment if they do not scam enough people, he said.

PNP: SIM CARD SCAMMERS ‘RUSHING’

The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) on Monday warned scammers were rushing to victimize SIM card owners as the deadline for its registration draws near.

ACG director Brig. Gen. Joel Doria said scammers were aware it will be difficult to dupe mobile phone users once the SIM registration was fully implemented.

“We noticed that the scammers are working double time because they know that sim card registration was being expedited,” he said.

PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. urged SIM card sellers to record and register the names of their buyers and check their IDs.

As of February 5, ICT Secretary Ivan John Uy said at least 28 million SIM cards have been registered.

The number is a little less than 20 percent of the 150 million SIM cards issued by telecommunication firms.

Uy, however, said scammers use SIM cards only once and then throw them away.

Users are given 180 days to register their SIM cards, or else face the risk of having these deactivated.

The deadline for SIM registration is on April 26.

HOW FIRST COUPLE WILL MARK V-DAY? SECRET!

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he has plans to mark Valentine’s Day today (February 14) with First Lady Liza Marcos but did not detail them.

“Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day again. Time passes by so fast, Oh, gosh. Do I have any plans? I do now” he said in a chance interview with the media.

Mr. Marcos just came from a five-day working visit to Japan where he was accompanied by the First Lady and their eldest son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos.

The Marcos couple first met in New York when the First Lady was still a practicing lawyer.

They got married at the San Francesco Convent in Fiesole, Italy on April 17, 1993.

Aside from Sandro, the presidential couple has two other sons: Joseph Simon Marcos and William Vincent Marcos.

During Mrs. Marcos’ birthday in August, the President serenaded his wife, whom he described as the family’s “all-around lifesaver,” with his rendition of “Never Let Her Slip Away.”

THE REST

========

BAKERS CLAIM LOW SUPPLY OF PINOY BREADS

Budget breads, which are a staple food for many Filipino families, are now seldom seen in groceries and supermarkets, a group of bakers said Monday.

Henry Ah of the Filipino-Chinese Bakers Association Inc. (FCBAI) said store inventory of budget breads seems to be low as there is not enough supply.

“I heard many consumers are looking for Pinoy Pandesal and Pinoy Tasty but some are not able to buy since the product, sometimes, is not available,” he said in a pre-event briefing on the upcoming Bakery Fair on March 2 to 4, 2022 at the World Trade Center.

He said the high prices of sugar, flour and other raw materials for baking made it difficult for bakers to adjust to inflation.

The recent P2 bread hike allowed by the Department of Trade and Industry under the new Suggested Retail Price (SRP) Bulletin is not enough to make up for the increase in manufacturing cost, said Ah.

“But it’s better than nothing. Malaking bagay din sa amin ‘yun (It’s a big deal for us),” he added.

Bakers who are signatory to the agreement with the DTI to produce and sell affordable breads to consumers said their petition was for a P4 adjustment.

“Let us not count logistics or fuel costs. Just allow us to recover our cost on major ingredients,” Ah said.

Based on the new SRP bulletin published on February 8, 2023, the retail price of budget breads Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy pandesal went up by P2 per to P40.50 per loaf and P1.50 to P25 per plastic pack of pandesal.

Meanwhile, Philippine Baking Institute (Philbaking) president Jerry Lao said his group will continue to fight for the balance of P2 increase in budget bread prices.

“Actually, the P2 adjustment was not enough. It may cover sugar and flour, but we still subsidize for the rest of the ingredients and manufacturing costs,” he said.

KEROSENE DOWN P2.50/L, DIESEL BY P2.20/L TODAY

The country’s oil firms cut fuel prices by as much as P2.50 per liter effective 6 am Tuesday to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market.

The firms cut the price of kerosene by P2.50 per liter and diesel by P2.20 per liter, but did not move gasoline prices.

“PTT Philippines to implement a P2.20 per liter rollback on diesel price effective 6 am Tuesday, February 14, 2023. No movement on gasoline prices,” the company said in its advisory.

Seaoil Philippines, Cleanfuel, Jetti Petroleum, Chevron Philippines, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, and PetroGazz issued separate advisories of the latest oil price movement.

This is the second consecutive week of fuel price rollback.

MANILA OFFERS FREE ECG

MANILA — Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna yesterday urged city hall employees to avail themselves of free electrocardiogram (ECG) services starting today, Valentine’s Day.

Lacuna said employees aged 40 above and those with comorbidities may get free ECG test until Feb. 17.

“This is our way of helping employees ensure that they have a healthy heart not just romantically, but also physically,” she said.

The clinic will accommodate 100 employees per day, city hall said.

Lacuna also urged residents to visit the “MayniLOVE” display at the Mehan Garden and support local businesses there.

RAINY VALENTINE'S DAY AHEAD DUE TO LOW PRESSURE AREA: PAGASA

MANILA -- Parts of the Philippines may experience on February 14, Valentine's Day, due to the trough of a low pressure area (LPA), according to state weather bureau PAGASA.

In its latest weather bulletin, PAGASA said Visayas and Mindanao may have cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms due to the trough of the LPA.

Flash floods or landslides due to light to moderate with at times heavy rains are possible here, according to state meteorologists.

Palawan may also face partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to localized thunderstorms.

Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, meanwhile, is still feeling the effects of the northeast monsoon or amihan.

There may be partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with light rains in these areas, PAGASA said.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

COCO MARTIN EMBRACES NEW CHARACTER TANGGOL; THANKS CARDO DALISAY

MANILA -- Just hours before he debuts his latest character Tanggol in the ABS-CBN series "FPJ's Batang Quiapo," Kapamilya actor Coco Martin formally bade farewell to his iconic character Cardo Dalisay in "Ang Probinsyano."

In an interview with ABS-CBN News on Monday morning after his guesting in TeleRadyo's Sakto," Martin admitted that he feels sad saying goodbye to Cardo.

"Nakakalungkot kasi ang tagal ko ring isinabuhay si Cardo. Ang tagal ko siyang isinapuso, pitong taon. Kasi kapag gumagawa ako ng character sa buhay ko, sa mga proyekto ko, hindi siya parang damit sa akin na hinuhubad lang. Kapag sinimulan ko ang proyekto huhubarin ko 'yung character ko pagkatapos na nung project," Martin said.

"Kaya minsan nawi-weirdohan sa akin ang mga tao. Sabi sa akin, 'Ang init-init lagi kang naka-jacket' Totoo 'yon. Sabi ko, 'Paano ko maaarte ang isang character kapag hindi ko isinabuhay?' Kapag isinabuhay mo siya, kapag alam mong everyday ikaw na si Cardo, hindi ka na maliligaw kahit nakapikit ka pa, kahit biglang gisingin ka pa, si Cardo ka na. Wala akong magagawa 'yon ang hanapbuhay ko. Kaya minsan anuman ang pananamit ko, eh sinasadya ko 'yon," he added.

Martin also thanked Cardo for all the help and inspiration he gave to Filipino viewers

"Nung hinubad ko na 'yung ano ni Cardo, nag-iba na rin ako, pati gupit ko, lahat. Kasi sabi ko nga siguro ganoon ako magmahal sa trabaho ko. Ganoon ko siya nirerespeto. Ngayon na kailangan ko na siyang bitawan (si Cardo Dalisay) gusto kong magpasalamat sa kanya kasi napakalaki nang nagawa niya at naitulong niya sa buhay ko, personally at sa lahat ng mga tao at Filipino. Kasi alam ko nakapagbigay siya ng saya at inspirasyon sa bawat Filipino," he said.

"At ngayon sa pagbubukas ng pinto para kay Tanggol, ibang aral naman ang ihahandog ko para sa mga tao o ibang inspirasyon," he added.

Asked of his expectations of "Batang Quiapo," Martin said: "Honestly hindi ako nag-expect ng kung ilang taon siya, kasi ganoon din naman 'Ang Probinsyano' walang expectation. Depende 'yan sa mga manonood kung ano 'yung pagtanggap nila. Basta ang alam ko lang ang buong team ko, lahat ng mga kasama ko rito, sabi nga namin 'never say die.' May sakit umuulan, ano man ang panahon lahat ng mga kasama ko sundalo."

"Basta nandito kami alam namin na may obligasyon kami sa viewers namin sa mga manonood. Alam namin ang obligasyon namin sa viewers namin lalo na sa mga bata na makapagbigay sa kanila ng inspirasyon. Kaya kung saan man mapupunta ang kuwento, kung tatanggkilikin man nila. Sobra kaming nagpapasalamat doon. Isa lang ang maipapangako namin, alam namin na ibinibigay namin ang pinaka-best para masulit ang pagmamahal at suportang ibinibigay nila sa amin gabi-gabi."

"FPJ's Batang Quiapo" will air on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z, TV5, iWantTFC, and TFC starting February 13.

The original “Batang Quiapo” starred Lovi Poe's father, the late film icon Fernando Poe, Jr.

SPORTS

NBA SCORES OF FEB 12

FINAL

1          2          3          4          T

Grizzlies34-22   28        20        33        28        109

Celtics41-16      26        35        21        37        119

TD Garden , Boston, MA

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

player headshot

J. Morant MEM PG

25 PTS , 6 REB , 7 AST

player headshot

D. White BOS SG

23 PTS , 3 REB , 10 AST

FINAL

1          2          3          4          T

Pistons15-43     29        23        25        41        118

Raptors27-31    31        22        31        35        119

Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

player headshot

B. Bogdanovic DET SF

33 PTS , 5 REB , 3 AST

player headshot

F. VanVleet TOR PG

35 PTS , 3 REB , 8 AST

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 54.76

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence. - Willie Jolley