Sea games

There was so much hype about the Philippines’ pivot to China, but there are no significant results until now. After President Duterte’s visit to China last month, his fifth, we can’t help but ask whether the foreign policy shift has indeed translated to tangible benefits for Filipinos.

The stronger and warmer Philippine-China bilateral relations were expected to boost investments, provide additional capital to finance the so-called golden age of infrastructure in the Philippines, and promote peace and stability in the West Philippine Sea.

However, as the noted American historian Alfred McCoy has put it, Mr. Duterte is playing a dangerous game with China. Are we gaining or losing momentum in the game that we are playing with Beijing? Are we getting the mutual benefit and respect that we have envisioned for the Philippines?

Many political experts have warned the Duterte administration that the Philippines has more to lose with its ‘policy of appeasement.’ The asymmetric trade relations have not changed over time. China remains the biggest supplier of imported goods to the Philippines, with a 23-percent share of total imports in July 2019. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, import payments from China reached $2.20 billion from $1.91 billion in July 2018. On the other hand, our exports to China have only reached $860.19 million as of July 2019.

So far, we have not benefited significantly from China loans to support our infrastructure development. Contrary to the $9 billion worth of official development assistance (ODA) promised in 2016, China’s ODA to the Philippines as of March this year has only reached $364.92 million, which accounts for 2.03 percent of the total net active ODA. The amount consists of $273.30 million worth of loans and $91.62 million worth of grants. There are two flagship projects that will be funded through China loans as of March 2019: the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project ($83.01 million) and the New Centennial Water Source Kaliwa Dam ($231.59 million).

As of March 2019, Japan remained the biggest source of ODA, accounting for 46 percent of the $17.9 billion total net commitment of active ODA received by the Philippines. Japan has provided a total of $8.2 billion worth of ODA.

Mr. Duterte, in his opening remarks during last month’s bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasized ‘a stronger momentum’ to work together with China. He also cited the need for the two countries to determine steps to create a ‘strong and special relationship that is mutually respectful, collectively beneficial, and decidedly reciprocal.’

However, the rising incidents of incursions, cases of harassment of Filipino fishermen and other aggressive acts in the West Philippine Sea cannot be considered as actions based on mutual respect, reciprocal friendship and goodwill.

While the Philippines has given China more concessions and privileges because of the so-called renewed friendship, Xi has continued to reject the outcome of the arbitral ruling, which legally invalidated China’s supposed ‘nine-dash line’ claim to seize the whole South China Sea as part of its sovereign territory.

The Philippines, in fact, was hit by a double whammy during Mr. Duterte’s last visit to China. First, there was Beijing’s outright rejection of the landmark ruling. Second, Xi stressed that the two countries should ‘set aside disputes, eliminate external interference, and concentrate on conducting cooperation, making pragmatic efforts and seeking development.’ He then challenged the Philippines to take a ‘bigger step’ in the joint development of offshore oil and gas.

These developments only put the Philippines in a more disadvantaged position. Instead of the country being able to maximize the use of its natural resources in the West Philippine Sea, its aggressive neighbor China might end up getting the bigger part of the planned joint exploration deal between the two countries.

Given these lackluster trade benefits and economic aid so far, there is a need to reexamine the deference being given to China at the expense of pursuing the arbitral award won by the Philippines.

The time to stand as a nation is now. Under the current circumstances, the Philippines is not only undermining its legal victory, it is not even gaining the economic rewards expected from such a Beijing-friendly stance.

The next generation of Filipinos shouldn’t have to pay the price of losing their pride and sovereignty as a nation in pursuit of an ill-considered foreign policy. The Philippines’ sovereignty and sovereign rights shouldn’t be compromised with any form of aid or investments, let alone vague promises of them.

Dindo Manhit is founder and managing director of the Stratbase Group, and president of the Stratbase ADR Institute.

Author George R.R. Martin has confirmed a report that HBO is developing a new Game of Thrones spinoff series about Jon Snow and starring Kit Harington . The show has the working title “Snow,” Martin revealed on his Not A Blog .

This is one of four live-action Game of Thrones successor shows in the works right now at HBO. The others include Ten Thousand Ships, Sea Snake, The Hedge Knight/Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Martin said Snow has been in the works for “almost as long as the other three,” but, for whatever reason, HBO never announced it and it never managed to leak until now.

“There’s not much more I can tell you, not until HBO gives me a green light,” Martin said.

Martin also confirmed that it was Harington himself who brought the idea to the author and HBO. Additionally, Harington brought in writers and showrunners, Martin said. These people are “terrific,” but their names cannot be disclosed yet, Martin said.

Emilia Clarke, who played Daenerys in the original Game of Thrones, told BBC that she already knew about the new Jon Snow series. “I know it exists. It’s happening,” she said.

She also spoke about Harington’s deep involvement. “It’s been created by Kit as far as I can understand, so he’s in it from the ground up. So what you will be watching, hopefully, if it happens, is certified by Kit Harington.”

Martin is involved in the new Snow series, just as he is with the other Game of Thrones projects. Harington’s team came to Martin’s home in Santa Fe, New Mexico and worked with Martin and his own team of writers and consultants to “hammer out the show,” Martin said.

While Snow and the three other series are in development, that doesn’t mean they will ever be released. They are each in the script stage, which means outlines and treatments have been written and approved, Martin said. The writing has gotten as far along as second and third drafts of scripts, Martin said. But again, just because the shows have moved this far, that doesn’t mean they will go any further.

“So far, that’s all. This is the way television works. Please note: nothing has been green lit yet, and there is no guarantee when or if it will be… on any of these shows. The likelihood of all four series getting on the air… well, I’d love it, but that’s not the way it works, usually,” Martin said.

“There are all sorts of reasons pilots never get picked up to series, all sorts of reasons scripts never got shot as pilots, all sorts of reasons great treatments never get sent to script. That’s the way the business works.”

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One Game of Thrones spinoff that is definitely happening is House of the Dragon, which releases on August 21. Set before the events of Game of Thrones, it focuses on the Targaryen family. Check out the image gallery above to find out more.

Ubisoft’s long-in-development pirate game Skull And Bones is getting closer to launch, and now it’s been rated for release in multiple territories, suggesting that the game will soon see the light of day.

South Korea’s Game Rating and Administration Committee has posted a rating for Skull And Bones, as discovered by @the_marmolade on Twitter ( via VGC ). The rating doesn’t reveal anything new about Skull & Bones, but it does pave the way for the game to be released. The ESRB database now shows a rating for Skull And Bones as well , along with a description about its M-for-Mature rating.

Skull And Bones ESRB Rating Summary

“This is a naval-combat action game in which players assume the role of a shipwrecked outcast on a journey to become a pirate captain. As players take on missions, they can explore settlements and engage in dramatic sea battles. From a first-person perspective, players command their crew to shoot cannons at rivals (e.g., warships, merchant ships, settlements/forts) in attempts to obtain loot/goods. Enemy ships can be rammed and boarded, resulting in brief cutscenes of crew members shooting or slashing at each other. Combat is highlighted by gunfire/cannon fire, explosions, and blood-splatter effects. Some territories depict corpses impaled on spikes or hanging from nooses; beaches may depict corpses and large bloodstains in the aftermath of battle. Settlements occasionally contain brothels and prostitutes that call out to players when approached (e.g., “Come spend your coin all over me”; “The price of my a*se goes up tomorrow, so buy a piece today!”). Players can also engage in quests to bring poppies to opium dens, which are depicted with patrons lying on couches smoking pipes. The words “f**k” and “sh*te” appear in the dialogue.”

Skull And Bones getting a rating is no big surprise, as Ubisoft plans to release the title sometime in the next year , and getting approval for release by ratings groups is part of that process.

Skull And Bones was announced at E3 2017, but its road to launch hasn’t been smooth sailing. The game, which is in development at Ubisoft Singapore, is said to have undergone numerous changes throughout the course of its development, including a shift to a live-service approach in 2020 .

In April, a lengthy gameplay video emerged from a Skull And Bones technical test that provided the best look yet at the pirate game and what it will offer. The goal is to become the most infamous pirate on the seas during the golden age of piracy. Players can disembark their ship at a place called Saint-Anne where they can craft new ships and equipment, collect provisions, take on contracts, and socialize with other human players, according to the leaked video.

The video also reveals that players will have their reputation tracked through an “infamy” scale that they can grow by taking on contracts with rewards for succeeding and penalties for coming up short. Users can also take part in world events and plunder treasure chests to gain infamy. What’s more, the video reveals some of the character creation and customization options available to players, as well as the systems that call on players to manage their ship health and crew morale when at sea.

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Ubisoft reacted to the leak by telling fans to “keep your eyes on the horizon.” Reading between the lines here, it appears Ubisoft might be gearing up to make some kind of an official announcement about the game soon. Ubisoft historically holds a summer games showcase of some kind, but the company has not yet announced plans for this as of yet.