besguerra

‘Shelve sea dispute to save reefs’

News

Sep 112016

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—As the Philippine and Chinese governments fight for control over territories in the South China Sea, the sustainability of the waterway’s rich marine resources has become the silent casualty in the dispute, according to a marine expert. “A Scarborough [Shoal] peace park right now could be the foot in the door for the entire [South China Sea] situation,” John McManus, a leading marine scientist from the University of Miami, told the Inquirer during a recent visit to Puerto Princesa City, capital of Palawan province. McManus has proposed to China and the Philippines to set aside their territorial dispute over Scarborough Shoal—known to Filipinos as Panatag Shoal—not only to ease the tensions between them but also to preserve what global marine experts claim to be one of the most beautiful and productive coral reefs in the world. McManus is also behind a proposal to create an international peace park in the Spratly Islands following the conduct of marine studies in the late 1990s on reef and fishery conditions in the disputed region. A professor of marine biology and fisheries and director of the National Center for Coral Reef Research at Rosenstiel School of the University of Miami, McManus pioneered a scientific research initiative to map out coral reefs in the world, through a project called Reefbase. Irreplaceable loss McManus, who was in Palawan to promote his peace park proposal through the assistance of the United States, warned that China’s plan to build an artificial island on Panatag Shoal would Read More …

Duterte brings ‘new normal’ to PH-US ties

News

Sep 112016

Duterte brings ‘new normal’ to PH-US ties

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) RELATIONS between the Philippines and the United States have been historically stormy but close, but the arrival of a roughneck in Malacañang who says he is no fan of the Americans has brought a “new normal” to those ties and Washington is not unlikely to keep Manila at a distance in the next six years. While China’s increasing aggressiveness in the South China Sea keeps US-Philippine security relations “indispensable,” according to Richard Heydarian, a political science professor at De La Salle University, it is clear that under the administration of President Duterte, “the United States can no longer expect the same level of strategic deference and diplomatic support” from the Philippines. “This is the new normal in Philippine-US relations,” Heydarian wrote in a commentary published by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. Mr. Duterte’s declaration that he is adopting an independent foreign policy for the Philippines, Heydarian said, is a “brazen and audacious policy pronouncement in a profoundly pro-American society, where much of the intelligentsia and security forces feel deep affinity with the United States.” Falling out with Obama Mr. Duterte, who has made it clear to his supporters and opponents from the get-go that he is no ordinary politician—uncouth, brutally frank and even murderous at times—declared an independent course for the Philippines on Saturday after a spectacular falling out with US President Barack Obama that became the buzz at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Laos last week. It was Read More …

Duterte names two Bedans to immigration board

News

Aug 162016

Duterte names two Bedans to immigration board

Two lawyers appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as deputy commissioners at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) complete its three-man board. Lawyers Michael Robles and Al Argosino were named deputy immigration commissioners by Mr. Duterte last week. The appointments completed the BI board of commissioners headed by Commissioner Jaime Morente as chair, BI spokesperson Antonette Mangrobang said. Before the designation of the two, the board was composed of Morente and BI career officer Jose Carlitos Licas, who was named OIC deputy commissioner. “Now that the board is complete, we can work together and immediately implement the President’s directives for a more efficient, effective and corrupt-free immigration service,” Morente said. Argosino graduated from San Beda College of Law, like the President years earlier, and Robles from San Sebastian College of Law. But Robles, from Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, also went to San Beda and obtained an economics degree before passing the bar in 2000. In a statement, the BI described him as a veteran government lawyer who served as a prosecutor for many years. He first worked as a legal researcher in a private law firm, joining government in 2001 as an Attorney IV in the Court of Appeals. He served as Clerk of Court in the Manila Regional Trial Court, and later as Pasig City prosecutor and senior assistant city prosecutor. Argosino, from Quezon, obtained a business management degree at San Beda as well before passing the bar in 1994. He began his career in government serving as legal officer for Sen. Read More …

PH nanny helped raise Olympic champ

News

Aug 142016

‘SECOND MOM’ Singapore’s Olympic gold medalist, swimmer Joseph Schooling, shows his appreciation for the support of Filipino Yolanda Pascual, his family’s domestic helper for 19 years. SINGTEL YOUTUBE VIDEO GRAB COACHES, teammates and rivals may have seen the evolution of Joseph Schooling, the swimmer. But very few would have witnessed the boy-to-man story of Singapore’s Olympic champion from diapers to Mizuno trunks who went prospecting in Rio de Janeiro and struck gold. Filipino Yolanda Pascual, or “Auntie Yolly,” is Schooling’s loyal domestic helper, who has seen him through his formative years to adulthood, although in her loving eyes he is always her “water boy.” In a Sunday Times phone interview on Sunday, Pascual said: “I’ve always believed in him. I was watching and shouting for him. I cannot express how happy I am … I was jumping and crying after he won.” Still with family Still working for the Schooling household after 19 years, Pascual has always been close to the swimming champ. The 21-year-old Olympic gold medalist has even called her a “second mom” in a YouTube video made by Singtel, where he showed his appreciation for her support. She said: “When I miss him, I read our messages (on the phone). He’s like my own son.” The Filipino domestic helper started working for Schooling’s family in 1997. She recalled: “He was playful like all boys, but [has] always been loving and caring and a very good boy. He never shouts at me or anybody.” To be No. 1 Read More …

Dole hastens aid to OFWs

News

Aug 142016

FILE PHOTO THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (Dole) will deploy more labor attachés to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “I think we need more labor attachés and welfare officers there considering the number of overseas Filipino workers. In fact I am placing two for Riyadh and two for Jeddah,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in an interview. He said a labor attaché could also be assigned to Al Khobar once a consulate is established there. “With the number of migrant workers with problems, I think we need more labor attachés,” he said. Bello earlier recalled Riyadh-based Labor Attaché Rustico dela Fuente and Jeddah-based Labor Attaché Jainal Rasul Jr. for failing to provide assistance to the 11,000 stranded OFWs. Bello is set to fly to Saudi Arabia today to bring home the thousands of OFWs still stranded at nine Saudi jobsites. “The immediate purpose of our visit is to bring home all of them,” Bello said. Tina G. Santos Latest De Lima: Duterte may be charged with crimes against humanity Filipino OFWs affected by new labor order Korean R&B artist DEAN serenades, amazes PH ‘Rebels’ NASA mistakenly sold Apollo 11 moon landing bag in gov’t auction Recommended Disclaimer: Comments do not represent the views of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments which are inconsistent with our editorial standards. FULL DISCLAIMER View Comments For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.

Pinoys abroad who didn’t vote face Comelec axe

News

Aug 142016

Pinoys abroad who didn’t vote face Comelec axe

FILIPINO citizens living abroad who registered but failed to vote in the last two national elections—in 2013 and this year—will be delisted from the overseas voter rolls. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has formed a resident election registration board under its office for overseas voting (OFOV) to oversee the deactivation of the voters’ registration. “The OFOV, after verifying the voting history of each registered overseas voter, noted that there were voters who failed to vote in two consecutive elections, the 2013 and 2016 national elections,” the Comelec said. The formation of a resident election registration board (RERB) was provided for in a Comelec resolution promulgated on Aug. 11. Under the law, Filipino voters who fail to vote in two consecutive national elections shall have their registration records deactivated by the Comelec. The turnout for the 30-day overseas voting in last May’s elections was 406,780, much higher than the 112,310 turnout for the 2013 national elections. The RERB will be composed of a senior Comelec official as chair, with officials of the Department of Labor and Employment and of Foreign Affairs as members. The OFOV was granted authority to constitute additional RERBs to ensure that all registration records for deactivation are acted upon. The RERB will begin processing the deactivation with five summary hearings from Aug. 30 to Oct. 31. Julie M. Aurelio Latest Aquino admin last net satisfaction rating ‘very good’ 1 dead, 5 missing as flood hits MWSS tunnel in Quezon De Lima urges Duterte: Monitor hearings on extrajudicial Read More …

No Asean consensus on sea row–for now

News

Jul 242016

Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, sixth from left, and Laotian Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, sixth from right, stand with with Southeast Asian foreign ministers, from left, an unidentified delegate from Malaysia, Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, Vivian Balakrishnan of Singapore, Don Pramudwinai of Thailand, Pham Binh Minh of Vietnam, Thongloun Sisoulith, Saleumxay Kommasith, Perfecto Yasay Jr. of the Philippines, Brunei’s Trade Minister Jock Seng Pehin Lim, Sakhonn Prak of Cambodia, Retno Marsudi of Indonesia and Asean Secretary General Le Luong Minh, as they pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the 49th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Sunday, July 24, 2016. AP VIENTIANE—The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with China’s territorial expansion in the South China Sea, intensifying a diplomatic stalemate that officials said they hoped to resolve in further closed-door parleys on Sunday. The foreign ministers of the 10-member Asean deliberated for about three hours, continuing the unfruitful discussions their senior officials had on Saturday, but with no result. “They haven’t completed their discussion,” said Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Sek Wannamethee. “They are now having a working luncheon followed by an Asean retreat, so the issue will be discussed during the retreat.” Like all other Asean meetings, the foreign ministers’ conclave at the Laotian capital Vientiane also traditionally ends with a joint statement. But the sticking point is whether to include a reference to the South China Sea. Consensus Asean’s cardinal principle is Read More …

BCDA posts 51% jump in revenues

General

Feb 012016

Philippine Daily Inquirer By: Amy R. Remo, February 1st, 2016 11:58 PM STATE-RUN Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) performed better than expected in 2015 as the agency’s revenues rose by 51 percent to P10.7 billion on the back of windfall profit from the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx). In a briefing Monday, BCDA president and CEO Arnel Paciano D. Casanova said the consistent increases in the agency’s revenues over the past years were due to “good financial housekeeping, which has created more value for assets and led to record increases in revenues.” Boosting last year’s revenues were the P3.5 billion upfront payment made by the Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC). The agreement, which would be in effect for 28 years until 2043, gave MNTC the responsibility over the management services, toll collection, traffic safety and security management, toll road and facilities maintenance and all necessary support services required for the 94-kilometer SCTEx. Gross toll revenues generated from the SCTEx grew by 22 percent to P1.45 billion in 2015 from the previous year’s P1.18 billion. This was due to the growing number of vehicles plying the said expressway. The BCDA also secured P12.5 billion in investment commitments and P312 million in cash inflows from new business contracts for areas being managed by the agency, including Clark Green City, special economic zones, and Metro Manila military camps. As of end 2015, BCDA’s ending cash balance stood at P17.5 billion, which the agency is reinvesting in new projects that can create value and benefit for Read More …

Krispy Kreme pays tribute to Benguet’s strawberries

General

Dec 242015

Krispy Kreme pays tribute to Benguet’s strawberries

Inquirer Northern Luzon By: Kimberlie Quitasol, December 25th, 2015 12:10 AM KRISPY Kreme goes to Baguio City, opens its first factory store in the Summer Capital. PHOTOS BY EV ESPIRITU BAGUIO CITY—’Twas five days before Christmas when international doughnut brand, Krispy Kreme, opened its first factory store here, the 75th outlet it put up in the country in nine years. Krispy Kreme Baguio at the SM City Baguio’s Cyberzone II will also be the only store to offer its new product, the Double Chocolate Strawberry Cake, said Ariane Valinton, the firm’s senior marketing manager, during the media launch on Dec. 19. The new product is a reinvention of Krispy Kreme’s Double Chocolate, which will be topped with fresh strawberries supplied by organic farmers in Benguet. “We will be very willing to sell the Double Chocolate Strawberry Cake nationwide or even globally, in time. But for now, it will be available only in our very first factory store here in Baguio City,” she said. Being an international brand, Krispy Kreme needed its local market to have something which it could identify with, she said. “Baguio has really been known for its sweet juicy strawberries [produced in Benguet capital, La Trinidad town]. We also want to give back to the community, so we are tapping local farmers for supply,” she said, citing the La Trinidad Organic Producers Organization (Latop). Valinton said the Baguio store would offer 30 to 40 dozens of Double Chocolate Strawberry Cake each day. KRISPY Kreme Baguio is the Read More …

WTO members to scrap export subsidies

General

Dec 212015

Philippine Daily Inquirer By: Ronnel W. Domingo, December 22nd, 2015 12:30 AM MEMBERS of the World Trade Organization (WTO), including the Philippines, moved to scrap agricultural export subsidies, providing a fresh whiff of agreement even as the global grouping continued to be divided on the direction of worldwide trade reforms. WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo said in a statement that the decision was the “most significant outcome on agriculture” since the group was formed 20 years ago. “WTO members—especially developing countries—have consistently demanded action on this issue due to the enormous distorting potential of these subsidies for domestic production and trade,” Azevedo said. “Today’s decision tackles the issue once and for all.” Gathered in Kenya for the 10th Ministerial Conference of the WTO, the ministers adopted the so-called Nairobi Package that includes a decision on export competition. The nine-page decision states that WTO members that are developed countries will immediately eliminate their remaining export subsidy entitlements. Also, members that are developing countries will eliminate their export subsidy entitlements by the end of 2018. However, developing members may keep the flexibility to cover marketing and transport costs for agriculture exports until the end of 2023. As for the poorest and food-importing countries, they are provided additional time to comply with the decision. The United States and the European Union, among the Philippines’ major trading partners, have in years raised concern about the latter offering support for exporters. In particular, the EU has described this as a “potentially trade-restrictive” measure. Also, Washington Read More …

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