An American-built 155mm howitzer is seen firing during training at Taiwan’s Penghu islands in this handout photo that was made public on Wednesday, August 24, 2022.
(Photo from Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense via AFP)

TAIWAN – Matapos ang pagsasagawa ng malalaking military drills sa China noong unang bahagi ng buwan, nag anunsyo ang Taiwan ng mga plano para sa  record increase ng defense budget nitong huwebes. 

Iminungkahi ng Taipei ang Tw$415.1 billion ($13.7 billion) na defense budget para sa susunod na taon, 13.9% na pagtaas.

Ayon sa nangungunang budgeting agency,ang isang karagdagang espesyal na badyet ay gagawin din partikular upang makakuha umano ng mga bagong fighter jet at iba pang mga proyekto upang palakasin ang naval at air capabilities. 

“To protect national security, the overall defense budget for next year will reach Tw$586.3 billion to a record high,” ani ng cabinet spokesman na si Premier Su Tseng-chang.

Ang Taiwan ay patuloy na nasa ilalim ng panganib na salakayin ng China, na itinuturing na ang demokratikong isla ay bahagi ng teritoryo nito na balang araw ay maaaring sakupin ng puwersa, kung kinakailangan.

Sa ilalim ni Pangulong Xi Jinping, ang pinakamalakas na pinuno ng China, tumindi ang saber-rattle mula sa Beijing.

Matapos magsagawa ng isang miitary drill ang Beijing sa paligid ng Taiwan bilang ganti sa pagbisita ni US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sa Taipei noong unang bahagi ng buwang ito, isinapubliko ang tumaas na badyet ng militar.

Samantala, nagreact din ng galit ang Beijing sa mga pagbisita ng mga opisyal at mambabatas sa Kanluran at binatikos ang anumang diplomatikong hakbang na maaaring magbigay ng lehitimo ng Taiwan.

Isinagawa ng China ang pinakamalaki at pinakamatinding drill nito mula noong kalagitnaan ng 1990s sa tubig at sa hangin na nakapalibot sa Taiwan sa loob ng isang linggo kasunod ng pagbisita ni Pelosi.

Pinataas ng Beijing ang panggigipit ng militar sa Taiwan sa mga nakaraang taon, lalo na sa mga paglusob sa loob ng air defense identification zone (ADIZ) ng isla, bago pa man ang mga maneuver ngayong buwan.

Ayon sa isang database na ginawa ng AFP, nagtala ang Taiwan ng humigit-kumulang 970 Chinese warplane incursions sa air defense zone nito noong nakaraang taon, higit sa doble sa humigit-kumulang 380 noong 2020.

Ang bilang sa taong ito ay lumampas na sa 980, na may higit sa 360 na mga paglusob na naitala noong Agosto lamang.

Ang aktibidad ay naglalagay ng higit na diin sa mga outgunned na mapagkukunan ng militar ng Taiwan, lalo na ang tumatanda nitong fleet ng mga fighter jet.

There have been significant increases in operation maintenance in response to the cross-strait situation as our aircraft and naval ships have been (increasingly) deployed,” saad ng budgeting chief na si Chu Tzer-ming.

 Sa kasaysayan, pinaboran ng militar ng Taiwan ang mga pagbili ng malalaking tiket tulad ng mga fighter jet at barkong pandigma.

Gayunpaman, ang mga strategist ng Amerikano at Taiwan ay lalong nagtulak sa Taipei na magpatibay ng isang “porcupine” na diskarte ng asymmetrikong pakikidigma..

Ang naturang estratehiyang ito ay nagbibigay-diin sa pagbili ng medyo mura at mobile system ng armas, tulad ng mga anti-ship at aircraft missiles, pati na rin ang pagsasanay sa mga sundalo at sibilyan na reservist na lumaban sa likod ng mga linya ng kaaway upang makagawa ng isang pagsalakay na lalamang sa malaking militar ng China.

(Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP)

KUALA LUMPUR – Rosmah Mansor, Malaysia’s ex-prime minister Najib Razak’s wife, was found guilty of graft on Thursday and sentenced to (10) ten years in prison with a $216 million fine, just over a week after her husband began serving a 12- year sentence for his own corruption conviction. 

Malaysians have long chastised the 70 year old for allegedly amassing a vast collection of designer handbags, clothing and jewelry on overseas shopping trips.

She is accused of seeking a $41.8 million bribe for helping secure a solar power project for rural schools in Borneo during her husband’s tenure.

According to High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, Rosmah was accused and found guilty of all three charges. 

The judge added that her defense was “bare denial and unsubstantiated”. 

On Thursday afternoon, the Kuala Lumpur court began mitigation proceedings in preparation for sentencing.

Rosmah will not go straight to jail despite being sentenced, pending what could be a lengthy appeals process. 

She remains on bail and faces 17 other charges related to tax evasion and money laundering. 

Born the only child of two teachers in the country’s south, Rosmah rose to become one of Malaysia’s most influential people. 

She made headlines a decade ago when she established “FLOM,” an acronym for First Lady of Malaysia, as a new unit within the prime minister’s office. The full-fledged department, which riled critics, was tasked with handling Rosmah’s operational requirements.

Her love of luxury, particularly Hermes Birkin bags, came to light following 2018 raids in which police seized more than 500 handbags and 12,000 pieces of jewelry valued at $270 million.

This drew unflattering comparisons to former Philippines first lady and renowned shoe enthusiast Imelda Marcos, a big-spending woman who was a lightning rod for anger over alleged corruption for years.

On Thursday, dressed in a peach-colored traditional Malay dress, scarf with a floral print, and matching face mask, Rosmah arrived in court escorted by police. 

Her son and daughter were also present in court. 

Najib was sentenced to prison nine days ago for the first set of charges stemming from the multibillion-dollar financial scandal at state fund 1MDB that brought down his government in 2018. 

He is currently on trial on four new charges. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for abuse of power and 15 years for money laundering if convicted. 

Rosmah’s reputation fueled accusations that the deposed ruling establishment had lost touch with economically disadvantaged and middle-class Malaysians.

The 1MDB scandal sparked investigations in the United States, Switzerland, and Singapore, all of whose financial systems were suspected of being used to launder money.

According to the US Justice Department, high-level officials at 1MDB and their associates stole more than $4.5 billion from the fund between 2009 and 2015.