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A30 world news
Diahuebs 12 Mei 2022

Marcos Jr. declares victory, faces calls to ensure democracy

ing in poverty were a winner committed to good neigh- The 64-year-old former pro-
too.” borliness and friendship, fo- vincial governor, congress-
cus on post-COVID growth, man and senator has kept
The United States, a long- expand win-win cooperation mum on key political, eco-
time treaty ally of the Phil- and bring more tangible ben- nomic and foreign policy is-
ippines, was among the first efits to both peoples.” sues, including how he would
foreign governments to is- address calls for the pros-
sue a comment following Marcos Jr. has said he wants ecution of President Duterte,
the elections. It expressed to pursue closer ties with who oversaw a bloody anti-
willingness to work with the China, as did outgoing Presi- drugs campaign that alarmed
next Filipino president af- dent Rodrigo Duterte, who the international community
ter an official proclamation at the end ended up relying and sparked an investigation
but stressed the relationship on the U.S. military alliance by the International Criminal
should be grounded on re- despite initial misgivings as Court.
spect for human rights and Beijing showed no willing-
the rule of law. ness to compromise on its U.S.-based Human Rights
(AP) — Ferdinand Mar- dent and vice president will vast territorial claims in the Watch asked Marcos Jr. to take
cos Jr., the namesake son take office on June 30 after “We look forward to renew- South China Sea on the Phil- immediate action to improve
of an ousted Philippine the results are confirmed by ing our special partnership ippines’ doorstep. human rights conditions in
dictator, declared victory Congress. With a single, six- and to working with the next the country once he takes of-
Wednesday in this week’s year term, they are poised to administration on key human The election outcome was fice, including by helping the
presidential election and lead a Southeast Asian nation rights and regional priori- an astonishing reversal of ICC prosecute Duterte, free-
faced early calls to ensure in dire need of economic re- ties,” U.S. State Department the army-backed but largely ing his long-detained critic,
respect for human rights, covery following two years spokesman Ned Price said. peaceful “People Power” up- Sen. Leila de Lima, and or-
the rule of law and de- of COVID-19 outbreaks and rising that ousted Marcos’s dering the military and police
mocracy. lockdowns. They’ll also in- He cited Washington’s long father in 1986 — a democrat- to stop targeting activists and
herit huge expectations for a alliance with Manila “that ic triumph in an Asian region rights defenders.
Marcos Jr. garnered more way out of crushing poverty, shares democratic values and considered a human rights
than 31 million votes in an gaping inequalities, ending interests,” and added that the hotspot where authoritarian More hardline left-wing
unofficial vote count from Muslim and communist in- U.S. government would con- regimes flourish. groups and survivors of the
Monday’s polls in what’s surgencies and political di- tinue “to promote respect for Marcos dictatorship rejected
projected to be one of the visions, which were only human rights and the rule of Marcos Jr. has steadfastly de- Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte
strongest mandates for a inflamed by the turbulent law which is fundamental to fended his father’s legacy and outright, accusing them of
Philippine president in de- presidencies of their fathers. U.S. relations with the Phil- refused to apologize for the whitewashing their fathers’
cades. His vice-presidential ippines and in other bilateral massive human rights viola- legacies on the campaign trail
running mate, Sara Duterte, Marcos Jr.’s key rivals have contexts.” tions and plunder under his and in social media propa-
appeared to have also won by conceded defeat, including rule. He visited his father’s ganda.
a landslide. former boxing star Manny Price sidestepped the ques- grave at the national heroes’
Pacquiao. Marcos’ closest tion if the U.S. has any con- cemetery on Tuesday, laying “Our generation has shown
Marcos Jr.’s electoral tri- challenger, Vice President cern with the apparent vic- flowers and, at one point, ap- that even the most ruthless
umph is a victory for democ- Leni Robredo, a human rights tory of Marcos Jr. He said pearing overcome with emo- tyrant can be defeated by
racy and he promised to seek lawyer who ran on a promise the elections and subsequent tions. the people’s collective ac-
common ground across the of badly needed reforms, has vote count followed interna- tion,” said SELDA, a group
political divide, his spokes- only acknowledged his mas- tional standards without any He and Sarah Duterte, the of ex-political detainees and
man, Vic Rodriguez, said. sive lead. major incident. daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, human rights victims in the
campaigned on a platform of martial-law era under the late
“To the world: Judge me not “As a boxer and an athlete, I China congratulated the national unity without say- dictator. “Now is the time
by my ancestors, but by my know how to accept defeat,” “leading candidates” and the ing how they would heal the to harness that power again
actions,” Rodriguez quoted Pacquiao said in a video mes- Philippines for the smooth wounds that have festered - the power to change the
Marcos Jr. as saying. sage. “But I hope that even if conduct of the elections. Bei- since their fathers’ presiden- course of history and reject
I lost in this fight, my fellow jing said it will continue to cies. this nefarious pair of tradi-
The separately elected presi- Filipinos who are wallow- work with Manila “to stay tional politicians.”

Al Jazeera reporter killed during Israeli raid in West Bank

(AP) — Veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen her death “an affront to media freedom.” been formed to investigate.
Abu Akleh was shot and killed while covering Israel released a video of Palestinian gunmen firing
an Israeli military raid in the occupied West She was fatally shot in the head early Wednesday in an alley of the Jenin camp, later saying the video
Bank town of Jenin early Wednesday. The on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp in the was meant to bolster its contention that Palestin-
broadcaster and a reporter who was wounded northern West Bank. Her producer, Palestinian ians were firing in the area.
in the incident blamed Israeli forces. journalist Ali Samoudi, was hospitalized in stable
condition after being shot in the back. However, the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem
The Israel army initially raised the possibility that released its own video casting doubt on those
Abu Akleh might have killed by stray Palestinian Al Jazeera accused Israel of “deliberately targeting claims.
fire, saying militants were also present in the area, and killing our colleague.” Palestinian journalists
However, army chief Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi later who were with Abu Akleh at the time said they
stepped back from that assertion, saying that “at made their presence known to Israeli soldiers, and
this stage, we cannot determine by whose fire she that they did not see militants in the area.
was harmed and we regret her death.”
The Israeli military said its forces came under at-
Abu Akleh, 51, was a respected and familiar face tack with heavy gunfire and explosives while oper-
in the Middle East, known for her coverage of the ating in Jenin, and that they fired back. The mili-
harsh realities of Israel’s military occupation for the tary said it was investigating “and looking into the
past three decades. Her death reverberated across possibility that the journalists were hit by the Pal-
the region and set alight social media. She reported estinian gunmen.”
for Al Jazeera’s Arabic language channel and was
also a U.S. citizen. The State Department called Kochavi, the army chief, said a special team had