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Rep. Gary Alejano said Chinas activities in the West Philippine Sea and the Philippines exclusive
economic zone are concerning and urged the government to be transparent on issues related to the
maritime dispute

President Duterte has vowed to discuss the arbitral ruling with Chinese officials within his term but
maintained that it would be foolish to quarrel with China over conflicting maritime claims.

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in Malacaang that China has planted its flag in a sand cay
near the Philippine-controlled Kota Island in the West Philippine Sea, the portion of the South China Sea
that Manila claims.

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said on Thursday that a very reliable source had told him that
there were no China flags off the Kota Island, which is part of the Kalayaan Island Group.

I inquired about that and apparently, as of this stage, there is no flag, you know, as of this
stage, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a press briefing

Abella confirmed the presence of civilian ships in the area.

It seems that the place, in itself, is subject to manypassers-through and in fact, there are evidences of
people who do park there, the presidential spokesman said.

But these are not military but mainly these are citizensand not white or gray ships, Abella added.

The Chinese government dismissed the ruling of Hague based tribunal as illegal.

White and gray ships refer to Coast Guard and Navy ships, respectively.

Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano revealed that a Chinese flag has been planted on a sand cay
located seven nautical miles off Kota Island, a development that he said proved the continuous activities
of China in the West Philippine Sea.

A former military officer and a critic of the Duterte administration, Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano,
said the flag was mounted on a steel pipe and was discovered last July. A Chinese ship erected the three
meter high flag on the sand cay.

China claims about 90 percent of the South China Sea

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims.

It includes the Kalayaan Island Group

Expansive maritime claim of China was invalidated by a Hague-based tribunal last year.
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Superintendent Chito Bersaluna said they counterchecked the information they got from a certain drug
personality they identified only as Nono.

Chief Superintendent Roberto Fajardo, who has been relieved as Northern Police District chief pending
investigation of Kian's death, insisted that delos Santos was involved in illegal drugs.

Sacked Caloocan City police chief, Senior Superintendent Chito Bersaluna, admitted that they "validated"
the alleged drug involvement of 17-year-old student Kian delos Santos through some social media posts
after he was killed.

Facing the Senate Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs on Thursday

Nono used to get illegal drugs from delos Santos.

The identity of the suspect was not yet revealed. We also based some sa lumalabas na ano (information)
doon sa social media na nagsasabi (na drug courier si Kian). Yun lamang po ang basis naming after na
noong operation,

Days after Kian was killed, social media users, particularly on Facebook, claimed to be neighbors of the
delos Santoses and claimed that the slain Grade 11 boy was a "known" drug courier or runner.

Senator Manny Pacquiao was dismayed by Bersaluna's answer and said that social media posts are not
valid sources of information.

So-called fake news accounts and blogs also posted links to videos and articles that supposedly proved
Kian's drug ties.

After noong incident we have to check the background. Actually we only happen to know the involvement
of Kian because of the arrested, alias 'Nono',

Hindi puwede rito 'yan. Hindi puwedeng sabihin mo na ang basis mo lang ay social media, the senator,
who supports the drug war and the reimposition of the death penalty.

These posts were not verified but were shared anyway.

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"We send condolences to the families of the three who lost their life and messages of support for the
injured," Cayetano said.

It is the highest typhoon warning signal in Hong Kong's weather warning system and has only been raised
15 times since 1946. The last time it was raised was in 2012.

Typhoon Hato affected Hong Kong and Macau.

Initial reports from Consul General Lilibeth Deapera of the Philippine Consulate in Macau and Deputy
Consul General Roderico Atienza of the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong and indicate that
there are no Filipino nationals among the six casualties or forty injured by the typhoon, the DFA said.

No Filipinos were reported hurt in the onslaught of Typhoon Hato, according to Department of Foreign
Affairs.

Typhoon prompted authorities to raise Typhoon Signal No. 10 over the Special Administrative Region,
according to the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong.

South China Morning Post reported that the typhoon is estimated to have caused around HK$ 8 billion in
damage, around $1.02 billion.

Hong Kong has around 5.9 percent of around 2.4 million overseas Filipino workers deployed abroad.

China's official Xinhua News Agency: four more people were killed in the neighboring province of
Guangdong while the Associated Press reported that 153 were left injured by the typhoon.

Hong Kong is the third most common destination for OFWs behind Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates.

The Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano was saddened by the destructive effects of Hato on
Hong Kong and Macao and offered sympathies to those who lost their loved ones.
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Si Sen. Lacson, marami siyang naipangalan sa kanyang expose kahapon. Palagay ko,
lumalapit na nga siya sa katotohanan kaya siguro nagkakaroon ng ganitong klaseng
mga akusasyon. Sen. Lacson, I think, will be able to defend himself and will be able
to see them face off in the next hearings, said Aquino. (Sen. Lacson has named a lot
in his expose yesterday. I think he has been getting closer that is why there is this kind
of accusation coming out.)

Senator Bam Aquino said in a statement, Suspecting iyong timing ni Commissioner

Faeldon. Pagkatapos siya akusahan, ngayon lang niya ilalabas? Nakakaisang taon na
siya sa Customs. Nakakapagtaka talaga.
(The timing of Commissioner Faeldon is suspecting. After he was accused, only this
time hes exposing all of these. He has been a year at Customs. It is very suspicious.)

Resigned Customs Chief Nicanor Faeldon said allegations against Senator Panfilo
Lacson and his son.

Faeldon gave his statement on Thursday in response with Lacsons allegations

He should have come out with this earlier on.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon pointed out that Faeldons expose was an act
of desperation.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said, Bakit ngayon lang (why only now?),
24 hours after Sen Lacsons expos? An act of desperation on the part of Faeldon.

I have full faith in the uprightness of Sen. Lacson and his family. Without any
evidence other than Faeldons allegation, I will oppose any investigation. It will be a
waste of time and will simply be used as a venue for character assassination.

Bam Aquino said that he is confident Lacson could defend himself against the
allegations of Faeldon.

Faeldon accused the company of Lacsons son as the number one cement smuggler
in the country.

Panfilo Lacson had earlier denied Faeldons accusations, saying that the former
Customs chief should have filed charges against his son if the smuggling issue was
true.