besguerra

Snub by Chinese foreign minister no big deal–Del Rosario

 News
May 052013
 
Snub by Chinese foreign minister no big deal–Del Rosario

By TJ A. Burgonio Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:52 am | Monday, May 6th, 2013 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, shakes hands with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at Government House in Bangkok, Thailand Wednesday, May 1, 2013. AP PHOTO/SAKCHAI LALIT MANILA, Philippines—Filipinos shouldn’t make a big deal over the failure of new Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit the country even as he called at four other Southeast Asian nations, Malacañang said on Sunday. “We have not given a second thought to the visits to four Southeast Asian countries by the new Chinese foreign minister. The visits are his prerogative,” said Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario in a statement released by the Palace. Undersecretary Abigail Valte, deputy presidential spokesperson, agreed. “We recognize perfectly the prerogative of the Chinese foreign minister to set his own agenda for his trips outside his country,” she said in a radio interview. Wang made his first official visits to Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei between April 30 and May 5. Manila and Beijing are locked in a long-running dispute over islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The Philippines has brought the matter to the United Nations. Portions of the South China Sea are being claimed in whole or in part by China, and the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan. Still, Del Rosario said, he looked forward to meeting Wang and working closely with him “at the appropriate time.” “We reiterate our congratulations and wish him great success,” he added.

BOC inks pact with Russia, Netherlands

 News
Apr 292013
 
BOC inks pact with Russia, Netherlands

By Jerry E. Esplanada Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:52 am | Tuesday, April 30th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Russian Federation and the Netherlands have joined the growing list of countries that have forged customs cooperation agreements with the Philippines. Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said this would boost the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) campaign against all forms of smuggling, commercial fraud and transnational crimes. He said the agreements would initiate information exchanges for the benefit of all countries and provide assistance in the areas of trade statistics, customs law enforcement, human resource development, technical know-how and trade facilitation. In a text message to the Inquirer on Monday, Biazon said these were the second and third agreements entered into by the BOC since he assumed office in September 2011. “The first agreement, which involved Mexico, was signed last year,” he said. Biazon disclosed the BOC was holding exploratory talks and negotiations for similar arrangements with a number of nations. He did not identify the countries. “We’ve had similar agreements with the United States, South Korea, Australia, China, Taiwan and Israel. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) also has multilateral agreements, which we are a part of,” he said. Borders divide, customs connect Citing the World Customs Organization motto, “Borders divide, customs connect,” Biazon said the country’s agreement with Moscow “is expected to enhance cooperation between the customs agencies of the Philippines and Russia.” “The cooperation agreement between the two countries is expected to prevent breaches of customs laws and protect their economic, fiscal, social Read More …

2 recruitment agencies lose licenses over collection of placement fees

 News
Apr 252013
 
2 recruitment agencies lose licenses over collection of placement fees

By Tina G. Santos Philippine Daily Inquirer 8:25 am | Friday, April 26th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—For allegedly violating the rule on placement fee, two recruitment agencies engaged in the recruitment and placement of household service workers to Hong Kong have been stripped of their licenses to operate by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). According to the Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines (SHARP), an association of Hong Kong deploying agencies, the POEA issued the orders of cancellation against All Pro Staffing & Constructing Services and ABC Manpower Agency Inc. with offices, respectively, at Cubao, Quezon City and San Isidro, Makati. The two agencies belong to the top 10 agencies deploying household service workers to Hong Kong, said SHARP. The cancellation came on the heels of the moratorium on deployment of household workers to Hong Kong staged by SHARP member associations. SHARP initiated the moratorium on Feb. 27 to convince the Hong Kong employers and its counterpart Hong Kong employment agencies to pay the costs of recruitment instead of passing them on to the household service workers in the form of excessive placement fee.  It was lifted after a month as a substantial number of Hong Kong employment agencies agreed to the new terms of recruitment based on no placement fee. “The cancellation, I believe, is part of the pro-active position undertaken by the POEA with respect to the pronounced goal of the moratorium, which is to attain a hiring system of absolutely no placement fee for Read More …

Chinese fishermen were checking on USS Guardian?

 News
Apr 142013
 
Chinese fishermen were checking on USS Guardian?

By Marlon Ramos, Jerry E. EsplanadaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:12 am | Monday, April 15th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Chinese crew of a fishing boat that ran aground on Tubbataha Reef last week could have been checking to see if the Americans had installed “military equipment” in the protected marine sanctuary where a US Navy minesweeper got stuck on an atoll nearly three months ago, a Philippine military officer said Sunday. The officer, who asked not to be named for lack of authority to talk to the media, said it was possible the 12 Chinese nationals on board the Ming Long Yu were “Chinese soldiers who were sent on a mission.” “This is just one of several possibilities the Philippine government should look into. The Chinese boat could have been part of a Chinese military operation,” the officer told the Inquirer. The source, who was familiar with previous incidents of Chinese military intrusions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), said there were several indications the 48-meter-long Ming Long Yu was “not a fishing boat.” “As has been noted, the Chinese boat was not like the fishing vessels used by Chinese poachers who were arrested in Palawan. It was not carrying ice to preserve their catch. It did not have refrigerated storage,” he said. It was also noted that the men had “flawless” complexions, not the dark leathered skin of fishermen. He said there was “speculation” the Chinese military sent the 12 “fishermen” to conduct an inspection of the area where Read More …

FilAms mark Bataan Day; vow to finish fight for WWII vets’ rights

 News
Apr 102013
 
FilAms mark Bataan Day; vow to finish fight for WWII vets’ rights

By Jon Melegrito INQUIRER.net U.S. Bureau 4:25 am | Thursday, April 11th, 2013 WASHINGTON, D.C.– Leaders of the Filipino American community in this city, Philippine Embassy officials, students and supporters of Filipino World War II veterans on Tuesday marked the 71st anniversary of the Fall of Bataan by pledging to continue the fight to negate the effects of the 1946 Rescission Act, which stripped Filipino soldiers of their official status as U.S. military veterans, Their immediate demand: recognize the claim of more than 24,000 surviving veterans whose service certifications have been rejected by the U.S. Army. A bill providing monetary compensation to eligible veterans was signed into law by Pres. Barack Obama in 2009. But of the 43,000 claims of surviving veterans who applied for benefits under the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation (FVEC) Act, only 18,615 were granted. “The Fall of Bataan is considered one of the darkest moments in our nation’s history,” said Philippine Ambassador Jose Cuisa, Jr. “We recognize the injustice done to those who have been denied because of documentary requirements and we will continue to press the relevant US government officials to clarify the procedures in certifying claims and to assist our veterans who are appealing.” The embassy is calling on the Filipino American community to join a nationwide letter-writing campaign to the White House. “We want to bring attention to the injustice caused by the certification process,” Cuisa added. In response to public pressure, the White House six months ago formed an interagency task force Read More …

LP candidates on way to rally lost at sea, end up in Sabah jail

 News
Apr 102013
 
LP candidates on way to rally lost at sea, end up in Sabah jail

By Nikko Dizon Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:53 am | Thursday, April 11th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Rough seas swept away a motorboat carrying a Liberal Party mayoral candidate, his running mate and 30 supporters from Tawi-Tawi on Tuesday and took it to, of all places, Lahad Datu in Sabah, site of five weeks of fighting between Malaysian security forces and followers of the sultan of Sulu. As a result, Rommel Matba, his vice mayoral running mate Amman Matba and 30 village leaders from Languyan town in Tawi-Tawi landed in a police station in Sandakan, where Malaysian police took them on suspicion they were reinforcements for the decimated forces of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. Jamalul’s press officer Abraham Idjirani confirmed on Wednesday that Matba and his group were politicians campaigning for local elections in Languyan and not members of the sultanate’s security forces. “I was told they were traveling to Mapun municipality, also in Tawi-Tawi, for [a Liberal Party] rally when they were lost at sea because of strong currents in Tambisan Bay,” Idjirani told the Inquirer by phone. Capt. Rene Yongque, commander of Naval Task Force 62, reported that rough seas swept the Liberal Party group’s motorboat across the border at Taganak Island in Tawi-Tawi where it was intercepted by Malaysian border police. Rescued? But Acting Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao used a different term to describe the misadventure of Matba’s group. “They were rescued by Malaysian maritime personnel and were taken to Sabah,” Hataman said. “We Read More …

12 Chinese seamen charged

 News
Apr 102013
 
12 Chinese seamen charged

By Redempto D. Anda Inquirer Southern Luzon 10:11 pm | Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines—The 12 Chinese nationals whose boat got stuck in the Tubbataha Reefs on Monday night were slapped with charges of poaching and other violations of the marine park’s rules. They were detained at the provincial jail facility here following inquest proceedings on Tuesday afternoon. The Chinese, all crew members of what was reported as a 48-by-8-meter fishing vessel that rammed into Tubbataha’s north islet, were also expected to face additional charges, including attempted bribery. Marine park rangers at the World Heritage Site in the Sulu Sea said the Chinese offered them a bribe of $2,400 immediately after the boat ran aground. “We went ahead with the filing of the poaching case first and other violations under the law that created the Tubbataha marine park,” lawyer Adelle Villena of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development told the INQUIRER. She said other cases, including that one involving bribery, would follow. In Roxas City, President Benigno Aquino III said he was taken aback that yet another foreign vessel ran aground in the natural park, but this time he vowed to throw the book at the Chinese crew. “Wow! We’ve just finished (extracting the USS) Guardian, and here comes another one,” the President recalled what he told Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya when the letter reported to him the latest incident on Tuesday. Mr. Aquino said swift legal action would be taken against crewmen of the steel-hulled Read More …

Philippines says Syrian rebels firm on hostage demands

 News
Mar 082013
 
Philippines says Syrian rebels firm on hostage demands

Agence France-Presse 2:14 pm | Friday, March 8th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines–The Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday that rebels who are holding 21 Filipino peacekeepers hostage in the Golan Heights are insisting Syrian troops leave the area before releasing their captives. The refusal by the Syrian rebels to compromise had dampened hopes of the UN peacekeepers being released quickly, and forced the government to step up its negotiation efforts, foreign affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said. “The demand of the rebels for the re-positioning of Syrian forces in the area of Jamla is still outstanding so this is still being worked out,” he said on ABS-CBN television. The rebels want the Syrian troops to move 20 kilometers (12 miles) back from Jamla, an area in the Golan’s ceasefire zone, before they will free the Filipinos, he said. “That is the main demand of the rebel group,” he told AFP, adding he did not know of any other conditions. The Philippine government had previously received information that raised hopes the 21 would be released on Friday morning, Philippine time, and the government now did not know if or when they would be freed, Hernandez said. “We are trying to intensify our negotiations with the rebel groups,” he said. However he said the Filipino peacekeepers were still being treated well. “(They are) being treated as guests and are unharmed,” Hernandez said. The 21 Filipino troops, members of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) observing a 1974 ceasefire between Syria and Israel, were abducted Read More …

Ferdinand Marcos’ mortician offers to embalm Chavez

 News
Mar 072013
 
Ferdinand Marcos’ mortician offers to embalm Chavez

Agence France-Presse 1:25 pm | Friday, March 8th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The mortician famous for putting dead dictator Ferdinand Marcos into a glass display case offered his services Friday to the deceased Hugo Chavez, whom Venezuela wants embalmed “like Lenin”. Manila-based embalmer to the stars Frank Malabed stressed experts must act quickly if they wanted to successfully preserve the Venezuelan president, who died on Tuesday from cancer. “I have not been contacted for it but I am always expecting a call. I will process anyone, anywhere,” Malabed, 62, told AFP. He said the methods employed would depend on the condition of the corpse of Chavez, who his successor said on Thursday would be preserved “for eternity”. “What is important is they must not delay (choosing an embalmer). The longer they delay it, the more difficult it would be,” Malabed said. While Venezuelan authorities said they wanted Chavez embalmed “like Lenin”, Malabed said he would not use the same techniques as those employed for the Soviet revolutionary leader. “I was told they preserved Lenin using resin. It’s like making a block of ice. You have a box, you pour water on it and freeze it. If I were asked to do it (embalm Chavez), I would do it differently,” he said. Malabed detailed some chemicals that would need to be used. “You need to inject fluid into the arteries after draining blood from the veins. You use a hypodermic needle for that. Then you replenish it regularly. It has to be checked Read More …

Navy intercepts 2 boats from Sabah

 News
Mar 072013
 
Navy intercepts 2 boats from Sabah

By Julie S. AlipalaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:24 pm | Friday, March 8th, 2013 ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—Navy Capt. Rene Yongque of Task Force 62 in Tawi-Tawi confirmed to the Inquirer that a Navy patrol boat has intercepted two motorboats loaded with some 80 people entering the Philippine waters from Sabah. Yongque said Navy personnel aboard patrol ship Auxiliary Transport AT 291  spotted the two moto rlaunches around 9 a.m. Friday and were now escorting the boats  to Bongao in Tawi-Tawi. Yongque said those intercepted were Filipinos fleeing the Sabah violence and were not followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. “They will immediately be turned over to the Task Force Basulta on Sabah Crisis for processing. I repeat, they are not armed nor they are followers of Kiram.They are just ordinary people.” he said. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: navy , Navy Capt. Rene Yongque , Sabah Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Advocate: c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94

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