SUMMARY
Almost without fail, whenever I am away or I go on a break, breaking news happens. This recent short vacation, which ended today, June 27, was no exception. Former senator and justice secretary Leila de Lima was cleared of all drug charges, Vice President Sara Duterte quit as education secretary and deputy of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, and the Philippine government tripped over itself over a “misunderstanding” – no, an “aggressive and illegal use of force” by China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel – on Ayungin Shoal.
By Tuesday, June 25, the Philippine Navy’s Seaman First Class Underwater Operator Jeffrey Facundo confirmed during a Senate hearing what had already been reported in the news. Facundo was the soldier who was injured and whose evacuat…