THE PHILIPPINES’ FORUM FOR INTERNATIONAL READERS SINCE 1981
January 8-28, 2017 Vol. XXXV No. 4
STILL IN STORES
Newspaper
www.expatphilippines.ph
The sun rises over Pacific Farms, the largest salt farm in the country, makers of Salinas salt products. Through incredibly hard work and continuous innovation, Salinas products have risen to the top of their game, dominating the industry and reaching levels of global competitiveness. Despite the challenges posed by imported salt products, Salinas continues to be a beacon of hope for the salt industry and many Filipino-made brands in the country. Photo by Ching Dee
The rogue one: Beyond the drug war story T
Phl’s top tourism events feted By BERNARD L. SUPETRAN
A look at some of the pressing issues to keep an eye on this 2017 By TIMOTHY JAY IBAY
T
here was no such thing as a slow news day ever since President Rodrigo Duterte took office last June 30. His brash and controversial statements, along with his war on drugs dominated headlines for nearly all of the latter half of 2016, ushering in a new divide between his unyielding supporters and those taken aback by the President’s unorthodox ways. But coming into the new year, apart from his pronouncements (frequently referred to as jokes or hyperbole by his Cabinet members), there are a number of pressing matters that need to be addressed, as opposed
to being left subject to interpretation. The ‘war’s’ end game The numbers may vary depending on your source, but there is no doubt that Duterte’s war on drugs has been filled with bloodshed. A popular estimate by varying news outlets has the number of deaths attributed to the anti-drug campaign at around 6,000. According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), 2,165 deaths have come as a result of their official operations, often following the usual script of suspects being shot following “violent resistance” to
their arrests. The PNP also claims that the campaign has also resulted in the surrendering of 1,007,153 “drug personalities.” As a note, local village chiefs come up with the “narco lists” of suspected drug users and or peddlers. The police then visit the individuals’ homes and “plead” for them to "surrender. " Curiously, a good percentage of the victims of the drug war have already surrendered before their deaths. “Without a doubt, the President’s antidrug war is a success. It is evident we are hitting the mark in our campaign page 5 against illegal drugs,” Com-
he country’s booming tourism industry took center stage once again as the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines (ATOP) feted the top tourism events and personalities in the DOT-ATOP Pearl Awards as part of its recent 17th National Convention at the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga. A collaboration between the Department of Tourism, the Tourism Promotions Board, and ATOP, the national group of local tourism officers, the prestigious award seeks to encourage excellence in promoting the culture of tourism in provincial, city and municipal levels. Awarded Best Tourism Events for Sports, Adventure and Wellness were La Union Surfing Break of La Union, the 16th National Scout Jamboree of Tagum City, Davao del Norte, and the Dolphin Watching and Bird Watching of Pupage 5