Aiza Seguerra wants

accessible education for

youth
By: Nestor Corrales - Reporter / @NCorralesINQ
INQUIRER.net / 04:46 PM August 15, 2017

National Youth Commission (NYC) chair Aiza Seguerra. KING

RODRIGUEZ/Presidential Photo

The National Youth Commission (NYC) is pushing for accessible education for the
youth, especially in the countryside, saying the lack of it has become one of the root
causes of extremism.
“Because may lack po ng reach ng access ng education, dito po nag-uugat ang
tinatawag nating extremism dahil po walang counternarrative,” NYC Chairperson
Aiza Seguerra said in a Palace briefing.
But Seguerra warned that groups with political agenda should not infiltrate schools
and brainwash children with their own propaganda.
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“Minsan din kasi nagagamit ang ating mga eskwelahan ng mga grupo na masasabi
nating may iba ring agenda,” he said.
“I’ll be very firm about this. Let’s lay off our schools. Let’s make sure that the youth
will study. Ang mga kabataan natin ay matututo at mag-isip para sa kanilang mga
sarili,” Seguerra added.
Malacañang earlier tagged three Lumad schools in Mindanao allegedly spreading
subversive ideas.
President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to bomb these schools for allegedly having
links with communist rebels.
“We are asking the President to not do that,” Seguerra said.
“We want to make sure that all schools ay hindi maaapektuhan ng kahit anong war,
kahit anong power struggle na nangyayari,” the NYC chair added.
A Youth Manifesto for Just and Lasting Peace presented at the 2017 International
Youth Day Celebration in Iligan City on Sunday said schools should be free from
interference of “state or non-state armed groups.”
“Peace zones, including schools, hospitals and religious structures must be free from
the presence of state or non-state armed groups. Our government must also exhaust all
efforts to ensure access to basic social services despite conflict and to uphold and
respect for human rights at all times,” the manifesto read.

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North Korea leader holds off on Guam missile plan

Agence France-Presse / 12:57 PM August 15, 2017

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has been briefed on a plan to fire missiles near
Guam but hinted that he would hold off on the launch, Pyongyang’s state media said on
August 15. / AFP PHOTO / JUNG Yeon-Je

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said Tuesday he would hold off on a planned missile
strike near Guam, but warned the highly provocative move would go ahead in the event
of further “reckless actions” by Washington.

Some analysts suggested Kim’s comments opened a possible path to de-escalating a

growing crisis fueled by a bellicose war of words between US President Donald Trump
and the North Korean leadership.

Their recent exchanges were focused on a North Korean threat to fire a volley of four
missiles over Japan towards the US territory of Guam, which hosts a number of
strategic military bases.
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The North’s official KCNA news agency said Kim was briefed on the “plan for an
enveloping fire at Guam” during an inspection on Monday of the Strategic Force
command in charge of the nuclear-armed state’s missile units.

READ: North Korea leader briefed on Guam missile plan — KCNA

But Kim said he would “watch a little more the foolish and stupid conduct of the
Yankees” before executing any order.

If they “persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions on the Korean peninsula,”
then North Korea would take action “as already declared,” he was quoted as saying.

“In order to defuse the tensions and prevent the dangerous military conflict on the
Korean peninsula, it is necessary for the US to make a proper option first,” he added.

‘De-escalating’

Kim’s remarks would appear to bring into play the large-scale military exercises held
every year by South Korea and the United States that are expected to kick off later this
month.

The North has always denounced the drills as provocative rehearsals for invasion and
has in the past offered a moratorium on further nuclear and missile testing in exchange
for their cancellation — a trade-off promoted by Pyongyang’s main ally China, but
repeatedly rejected by Washington and Seoul.
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Some analysts said Kim was seeking a similar quid-pro-quo this time around, using the
Guam missile threat as leverage.

“This is a direct invitation to talk reciprocal constraints on exercises and missile

launches,” said Adam Mount, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

John Delury of Yonsei University in Seoul said Kim was “de-escalating, putting Guam
plan on ice” — at least for now.
“We are not out of the woods. Both sides need to keep taking steps to de-escalate in
words and deed. Diplomacy needs to go in high gear,” he added.

The United States and South Korea insist their annual joint exercises are purely
defensive in nature and cannot be linked to the North’s missile program, which violates
a host of UN resolutions.

Joshua Pollack, a senior research associate at the Middlebury Institute of International

Studies at Monterey, said Pyongyang was using the Guam threat as “straight-up
blackmail”.

‘Fire and fury’

Tensions have been mounting since the North tested two intercontinental ballistic
missiles last month, which appeared to bring much of the US within range.

Responding to the tests, US President Donald Trump warned Pyongyang of “fire and
fury like the world has never seen”, while the North responded with the plan to fire
missiles close to Guam.

The standoff has sparked global alarm, with world leaders including Chinese President
Xi Jinping urging calm on both sides.

South Korean President Moon Jae-In weighed in on Tuesday, saying Seoul would avoid
a second Korean War at all costs.

“Military action on the Korean Peninsula can only be decided by the Republic of Korea
and no one may decide to take military action without the consent of the Republic of
Korea,” Moon said.

But he added there could be no dialogue before the North halts its “nuclear and missile
provocations”.

Moon’s comments came after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson penned an opinion piece in the The Wall Street Journal insisting that
America has “no interest” in regime change in Pyongyang.
“We do not seek an excuse to garrison US troops north of the Demilitarized Zone,” they
wrote. “We have no desire to inflict harm on the long-suffering North Korean people,
who are distinct from the hostile regime in Pyongyang.”

Mattis and Tillerson called on China, which is North Korea’s main trading partner and
ally, to take advantage of an “unparalleled opportunity” to assert its influence on
Pyongyang.

“If China wishes to play a more active role in securing regional peace and stability —
from which all of us, especially China, derive such great benefit — it must make the
decision to exercise its decisive diplomatic and economic leverage over North Korea,”
the US officials wrote.

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PNP: 21 alleged drug
offenders killed in single
day in Bulacan
Associated Press / 12:11 PM August 15, 2017

PNP Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City (Photo from the PNP Facebook page)

The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Bulacan said on Tuesday that simultaneous
anti-drug operations in the northern province have left 21 alleged drug offenders dead.
Police officials said this could be the highest death toll in a single day since President
Rodrigo Duterte launched his “war on drugs” in July last year.
Senior Superintendent Romeo M. Caramat Jr., Bulacan police director, said Tuesday
that operations in Bulacan province in the past 24 hours left 21 dead and 64 others
arrested. Police disclosed the suspects had offered armed resistance against arresting
officers.
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Police records show since the crackdown started, 3,264 alleged drug offenders have
been killed in gunbattles with law enforcers. More than 2,000 others died in drug-
related homicides, including attacks by motorcycle-riding masked gunmen.
Human-rights groups report a higher toll and demand an independent investigation
into government officials’ possible role in the violence. JPV
EDITORIAL:

Our new foreign policy:

appeasement and isolation
By: Hermenegildo C. Cruz - @inquirerdotnet
05:05 AM August 15, 2017

It is official: Our policy on the West Philippine Sea is the appeasement of China. This is
confirmed by the statement of Foreign Secretary Alan Cayetano at the recent meeting of
Asean ministers that “…South China Sea claimants will suffer if they are harsh on
China.” What acts will be harsh on China will presumably be decided by China, with
the endorsement of Cayetano. It is a strange statement and explains why the Philippines
has kept quiet on its claim on the West Philippine Sea; in Cayetano’s perspective, it is a
harsh initiative that will displease China.

Ever since the modern nation-state was established following the Napoleonic Wars, a
country’s national interest has primarily been defined in terms of territorial integrity and
its impact on national security. Thus, in contemporary times the worst offense that one
country could inflict on another is grabbing its territory through intimidation or war.
Such an act of aggression is done through a combination of some high-sounding
ideology and perversion of historical facts. Adolf Hitler’s lebensraum, Hideki Tojo’s
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, and now China’s nine-dash line are clones: All
three doctrines have the common goal of seizing territory by intimidation or war.

Cayetano’s statement, under the circumstances, is very strange. By seizing territory that
belongs to us, China has done the harshest act that could be committed by one nation on
another. Cayetano’s statement is the equivalent of a person who, after being beaten and
robbed by a bully, tells everyone that they should be nice to the bully. A victim who
makes such an assertion will be labeled a coward, and the outcome is predictable: There
will be few takers. We have seen its immediate effect: The United States, Japan,
Australia, and even our Asean colleague Vietnam, took exception to the Philippine
position. Our new diplomacy is on a perilous path because it ignores the lessons of
history.
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During the reign of royal dynasties, territory was traded like an ordinary commodity,
and there were even cases where territory was given as a dowry in royal weddings. But
that was before the modern state system was established. National territory is sacrosanct
(a motherland inviolable); the only time territory is ceded is when a nation loses a war,
as seen in the outcomes of World Wars I and II. The losers in both wars, the Axis
powers, lost territory. Cayetano could be the first foreign minister in modern times who
gave up his nation’s territory without a squeak.

Appeasing a bully also has not worked, as noted in the oft-cited Munich Agreement in
1938. But at least in Munich, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain gave away
the territory of a “faraway country (Czechoslovakia).” In our case, Cayetano is
abandoning territory that belongs to us.

Our current policy of trying to do business with an aggressor replicates the policy of
Joseph Stalin on the eve of World War II. He believed that by allying himself with
Hitler, he would protect his country from Nazi aggression. Stalin forbade Soviet
reconnaissance of German territory and continued shipping vital war materials to
Germany until Hitler’s attack on June 22, 1941. This policy led to the death of 28
million Soviet citizens and, but for the American intervention in World War II, the
Soviet Union would have been gobbled up by Hitler.

If we maintain our current foreign policy, we will face isolation from the rest of the
world. Within Asean, we will be the partner of Cambodia in protecting China’s
interest. We will take the same posture before the rest of the world, acting as the
spokesperson for China. The Duterte-Cayetano foreign policy is also inconsistent with
the closing lines of our national anthem. They should take steps to amend the same to
make it consistent with their new foreign policy. Our countrymen may wish to offer
suggestions on how to revise our anthem.
***
Hermenegildo C. Cruz was Philippine ambassador to the United Nations in 1984-
1986.
SPORTS

Sepak takraw targeting 2

golds
By: Marc Anthony Reyes - Reporter / @marcreyesINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 08:09 PM August 15, 201
FILE — Rheyjey Ortouste, Mark Gonzales and Jason Huerte celebrate their first
international gold with Karen Tanchanco-Caballero (front row, left), president of the
Philippine Amateur Sepak Takraw Association and vice president of the Asian Sepak
Takraw Federation. —NONGLUCK MATVANGSAENG TITI TUK

KUALA LUMPUR—The Philippines’ sepak takraw men’s team is shooting for two
golds when competition starts Wednesday at Titiwangs A-indoor stadium here.
The coaching staff, including Romulo Rueda, said the 17-member men’s and
women’s teams are in high spirits after undergoing a two-month training camp in
Iloilo City.
“It had a great effect on the morale of the team that’s why we wanted to move them
out of Metro Manila for a change,” said Rueda in Filipino.
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The Philippines could only win a silver and a bronze two years ago in Singapore.
But this time the men’s team is shooting for two golds with the bulk of expectations
on the shoulders of Emmanuel Escote, Rheyjey Ortouste, and Jason Huerte who won
silver in team event in 2015.
Also in the field are last SEA Games’ bronze winners like John Jeffrey Morcillos,
Regie Reznan Pabriga, Rhemwil Catana, John-John Bobier, Ronsited Gabayeron,
Alvin Pangan, Joeart Jumawan, John Carlo Lee and Mark Joseph Gonzales.
The women’s team, which is hoping for at least a bronze finish, is composed of
Kristel Carloman, Lhaina Lhiell Mangubat, Mary Ann Lopez, Rizzalyn Amolacion
and Jean Marie Sucalit.

News and features about 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
from August 19-30. Visit http://inq.news/seagames
China, Korea advance to
AVC semis
By: Bong Lozada - Reporter / @BLozadaINQ
INQUIRER.net / 04:00 PM August 15, 2017

BIÑAN, Laguna—China and Korea locked up their respective seats in the semifinal
stage of the AVC Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship Tuesday at
Alonte Sports Arena here.
Both Asian powers swept their quarterfinals opponents with China, the no. 1 team in
the world, taking down Kazakhstan 25-16, 34-32, 25-23, in the first game.
Although this isn’t China’s main team, the Chinese showed their class in handling the
world’s 21st-ranked squad.
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Jin Ye put up 20 points to lead China while captain Liu Meng Ya and Cai Xiao Qing
adding 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Katerina Tatko had 15 points to pace the Kazakhs.
Korean team in the AVC Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship. Photo
from asianvolleyball.net
In the second game, Korea blasted Chinese-Taipei 25-20, 25-11, 28-26, to secure its
semifinals spot.
Skipper Kim Yeon-koung led the 10th-ranked team in the world with 17 points while
Park Jeongah added 16.
Kim Heejin and Kim Suji also finished in double-digits with 12 and 10 points,
respectively.
Chang Li-Yun had 12 points to lead Chinese Taipei, the no. 55 team in the world.
China will face the winner between Japan and Vietnam while Korea will wait for
either Thailand or the Philippines.

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SCITECH

Pair of oarfish washed up on southern Leyte shore before Luzon quake

Image: Facebook/Tourism Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte

The oarfish is among the most elusive sea creatures known to science. So when a
couple shows up dead on a beach, it raises a lot of questions.
A pair of oarfish was found beached on August 9, somewhere near the protected area
of the Pasahimapa Mangrove Park in Southern Leyte, as per reports posted via
Facebook by the local tourism office of Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte.
Coincidentally, this happened before a 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook Luzon on
August 11, as recorded by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
According to National Geographic, the fishes were 12-feet and 14-feet in length, with
the bigger one being the female.
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Scientists have been speculating that due to the deep-sea nature of oarfish, the creature
tends to live near fault lines. Because of this, some scientists say the oarfish developed
greater sensitivity to chemical changes in the water just before an earthquake occurs.
Meanwhile, other scientists believe that their appearance prior to some earthquakes is
pure coincidence. These two in particular were found 800 miles (roughly 1,287
kilometers) from the epicenter.
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Ichthyologist Prosanta Chakrabarty from Louisiana State University said in the report,
“There are a lot more earthquakes and there aren’t oarfish coming up every time.”
Based on the post by the tourism office of Saint Bernard, the fishes’ guts were
checked for anything unusual before being buried on August 10. The locals did not
find anything out of place but they did note a large volume of eggs inside the female
oarfish.

Image: Facebook/Tourism Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte

Deep-sea creatures are among the most difficult animals for scientists to study. The
oarfish is assumed to frequent depths of 3,300 feet. With that, oarfish need to be
observed more in its native environment before it can be concluded that its presence in
shallow waters serve as a warning for an impending earthquake. Alfred Bayle/JB
TECHNOLOGY / TECH NEWS

 4
SHARES

SpaceX launches
experiments, ice cream to
space station
Associated Press / 03:56 PM August 15, 2017
A Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket launches from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in
Cape Canaveral, Fla., Monday, Aug. 14, 2017. The mission of the spacecraft is a cargo
and supply delivery to the International Space Station. AP
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — A SpaceX capsule rocketed to the International
Space Station on Monday, carrying tons of science research, plus ice cream.
As has become customary on these cargo flights, SpaceX landed its leftover booster
back at Cape Canaveral shortly after liftoff, a key to its long-term effort to recycle
rockets and reduce costs.
“Gorgeous day, spectacular launch,” said Dan Hartman, NASA’s deputy manager of
the space station program.
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Experiments make up most of the 6,400 pounds of cargo, which should reach the
orbiting lab Wednesday. That includes 20 mice that will return alive inside the
SpaceX Dragon capsule in about a month.
The Dragon is also doubling as an ice cream truck this time.
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There was extra freezer space, so NASA packed little cups of vanilla, chocolate and
birthday cake ice cream, as well as ice cream candy bars. Those treats should be
especially welcomed by U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson, in orbit since November.
She’s due back at the beginning of September. Newly arrived U.S. spaceman
Randolph Bresnik turns 50 next month.
The space station was zooming 250 miles above the Atlantic, just off Nova Scotia,
when the Falcon took flight.
It was the 14th successful booster landing for SpaceX and the sixth on the giant X at
the company’s touchdown spot at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, just a few miles
from its NASA-leased pad at Kennedy Space Center.
“It’s right on the bull’s-eye, and a very soft touchdown,” said SpaceX’s Hans
Koenigsmann.
The mice on board are part of a study of visual problems suffered in space by some
male astronauts. Scientists will study the pressure in the animals’ eyes, as well as the
movement of fluid in their brains. Thirty days for mice in space is comparable to three
years for humans, according to Florida State University’s Michael Delp, who’s in
charge of the experiment. The study may help explain why female astronauts don’t
have this vision problem, which can linger long after spaceflight, he added.
The Dragon also holds an instrument to measure cosmic rays from the space station.
This type of device has previously flown on high-altitude balloons. The Army has an
imaging microsatellite on board for release this fall from the station. It’s a technology
demo; the military wants to see how small satellites like this, with low-cost, off-the-
shelf cameras and telescopes, might support critical ground operations. It’s about the
size of a dormitory-room refrigerator.
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Also going up on behalf of the Michael J. Fox Foundation: protein crystals that, in
space, might shed light on Parkinson’s disease. The mission got a televised plug from
Fox, an actor who has the disease.
Three Americans, one more than usual, and an Italian will tackle all this scientific
work in orbit. The station also is home to two Russians; that number will go back up
to three in a year or so.
This is the 13th delivery by the Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX, one of two
private shippers hired by NASA. The other is Orbital ATK; its next supply run is in
November from Wallops Island, Virginia.
The SpaceX Dragon is the only supply ship capable of returning items to Earth. It
parachutes into the Pacific; the others burn up during re-entry.
This particular Dragon is brand new, as is the Falcon rocket. In June, SpaceX
launched its first reused Dragon, and in March, its first reused Falcon. From now on,
the company said it may only fly used Dragons.
SpaceX is also developing a crew Dragon for NASA astronauts, set to debut next
year. Boeing is working on its own capsule to ferry space station astronauts.
In the meantime, SpaceX is aiming for a November debut of its Falcon Heavy rocket,
which will feature three first-stage boosters and 27 engines, versus the single booster
and nine engines on the Falcon 9. It will have two-thirds the thrust of NASA’s Saturn
V rocket, which was used during the Apollo moon program. All three of the Falcon
Heavy’s first-stage boosters are meant to fly back to a touchdown.

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Pinoys spend most time
online in Southeast Asia
By: Roy Stephen C. Canivel - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:15 AM June 06, 2017

INQUIRER.net photo

Netizens in the Philippines spend the most time online among select Southeast Asian
countries, with Filipinos “far more forgiving of poorly performing website
experiences,” according to a survey by a global content delivery network services.
The report by Limelight Networks Inc. titled “State of the User Experience—
Southeast Asia” was a result of a survey of 1,600 consumers in Malaysia, Thailand,
Singapore and the Philippines.
The report aims to qualify the consumer experience online, aiding e-commerce firms
in the best way to attract these netizens.
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One of the key findings of the survey showed that Filipinos spend the most time
online outside work, followed by Malaysians, allocating 16 or more hours every week
in the digital space. Netizens in Singapore spend the least time online.
Time spent online also varies by generation, with millennials spending less time
compared to other age demographics, a trend that was observed in all countries except
Singapore. The report described millennials as those aged 18 to 34.
When looked at closely, the findings showed that Filipinos spend most of their time
on social media networks, ranking ahead in this activity compared to the consumer
usage of other countries.

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