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Nov 212016
 
Firefighters and others watch the port to check the water level as a tsunami warning is issued following an earthquake in Soma, Fukushima prefecture, northern Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016. Coastal residents in Japan were ordered to flee to higher ground on Tuesday after a strong earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima prefecture. (Hironori Asakawa/Kyodo News via AP)

Firefighters and others watch the port to check the water level as a tsunami warning is issued following an earthquake in Soma, Fukushima prefecture, northern Japan, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016. Coastal residents in Japan were ordered to flee to higher ground on Tuesday after a strong earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima prefecture. AP

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said it had not received reports of any Filipino affected by the strong 6.9 magnitude earthquake that hit northeastern Japan and triggered a 3-foot-high tsunami.

In a text message, DFA assistant secretary Charles Jose said the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo continues to monitor the situation of Filipinos in Japan, following the quake that struck off the coast of Fukushima prefecture, site of the crippled Fukushima Daiishi nuclear power plant.
READ: 3-foot-high tsunami recorded after strong quake in Japan

“So far there are no reports of any Filipino affected by the earthquake in Japan. Our Embassy in Tokyo continues to monitor the situation closely,” Jose told INQUIRER.net

In 2011, a massive undersea quake that sent a tsunami killed more than 18,000 people and sent three reactors into meltdown, in what was considered as one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters.

Japan’s meteorological agency initially estimated the quake’s magnitude at 7.3. The quake was felt in the capital of Tokyo, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damages.

There are about 240,000 registered Filipinos in Japan. CBB

TAGS: DFA, Earthquake, Fukushima, Japan, ofws
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Nov 212016
 
Duterte blames ‘jet lag’ for skipping Apec socials

President Rodrigo Duterte said he missed the socials of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leader’s Forum due to jet lag. He said he couldn’t keep his eyes open and needed to rest. INQUIRER FILE LIMA, Peru — “Jet lag” did President Duterte in during his first appearance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit here, forcing him to skip both the gala dinner and traditional family photo of the world leaders. The President said he was still feeling “lightheaded” as the scheduled activities happened to coincide with his sleeping times back home. READ: Duterte ‘falls ill,’ skips Apec gala dinner for world leaders “I sleep at 3:45 [a.m.]. That’s the time here. I really couldn’t keep my eyes open. And even [though] I was listening to others, my eyes start to close on their own,” Mr. Duterte told reporters covering the Apec in this South American country. “I said it’s not good to be present with the greats of the convention with my eyes closed. So I said I better go home. But I also couldn’t sleep though I was sleepy. Jet lag, simply,” he said. Mr. Duterte sent Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay to stand in for him in the two events. “I was not able to attend the socials because I wanted the Secretary of Foreign Affairs…I wanted to promote his acting career,” he joked. But the President said the events he did attend were eye-opening and fruitful. “I said it’s not good to be present with the greats of the Read More …

Nov 202016
 
Asia-Pacific summit closes with call to work for free trade

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (center) jokes around with fellow leaders during the group photo at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Lima, Peru, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016. The forum closed with a joint pledge to work toward a sweeping new free trade agreement that would include all 21 members as a path “sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth,” despite the political climate. At right is Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay who stood in for President Rodrigo Duterte, whom Malacañang said was indisposed. AP LIMA, Peru — Leaders of 21 Asia-Pacific nations ended their annual summit Sunday with a call to resist protectionism amid signs of increased free-trade skepticism, highlighted by the victory of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum also closed with a joint pledge to work toward a sweeping new free trade agreement that would include all 21 members as a path to “sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth,” despite the political climate. READ: Russia to buy $2.5B in PH agri produce | Duterte ‘falls ill,’ skips Apec gala dinner for world leaders “We reaffirm our commitment to keep our markets open and to fight against all forms of protectionism,” the leaders of the APEC nations said in a joint statement. APEC noted the “rising skepticism over trade” amid an uneven recovery since the financial crisis and said that “the benefits of trade and open markets need to be communicated to the wider public more effectively, emphasizing how trade promotes innovation, employment Read More …

Nov 202016
 
Duterte to declare lagoon in Scarborough off limits to fishermen

President Duterte is set to declare the triangular lagoon inside Scarborough Shoal as a marine sanctuary where Filipino and Chinese fishermen would not be allowed to fish or gather marine produce. Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Chinese President Xi Jinping had committed to work with Duterte to create and promote a favorable environment in the disputed territory. INQUIRER FILE LIMA, Peru — President Duterte will issue an executive order unilaterally declaring the triangle-shaped lagoon inside the disputed Scarborough Shoal a marine sanctuary, where neither Filipino nor Chinese fishermen would be allowed to fish. Mr. Duterte told Chinese President Xi Jinping of his intentions during their bilateral discussion on Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit here, according to National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., who was present at the meeting. READ: Esperon: A ‘win-win’ for PH, China on Panatag “The President has decided to declare that as a sanctuary. That is a unilateral action from government,” he said, referring to the lagoon “as big as Quezon City” and known to be a spawning area for fish. Scarborough Shoal is a traditional fishing ground locally known as Panatag. It has been under the control of Chinese authorities since 2012, though China has recently allowed Filipinos to fish again in the area as a result of warming ties with the Philippines. Esperon said Mr. Duterte “clearly talked about maritime arrangements” with Xi, including the prospect of cooperation between their coast guards. “The implication and the effect of this is that Read More …

Nov 202016
 
Russia to buy $2.5B in PH agri produce

More Philippine babanas will be shipped to Russia in the coming months after Moscow said it would by $2.5 billion in agricultural products from Manila. The trade plan came after bilateral talks between President Rodrigo Duterte and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the 2016 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Peru. INQUIRER FILE LIMA, Peru — Russia committed to buy up to a staggering $2.5 billion worth of Philippine fruit, grains or vegetables during last Saturday’s bilateral discussions between President Duterte and Vladimir Putin, officials said on Sunday. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the Russian side agreed “immediately” to a proposal for the importation of Philippine fruit and other agricultural products in the next 12 months. READ: Duterte to Putin: PH longing to be part of Europe | Duterte slams US, praises Russia “Their immediate estimate is $2.5 billion. That’s a number they [Russian side] quoted,” the Cabinet official told Filipino journalists covering the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders Meeting in Peru’s capital. This dwarfs the $80 million worth of exports the Philippines currently ships to Russia every year, he said. “We were talking of what they could buy from us, especially agricultural products, but nothing was specified. But I understand we supply them with a huge quantity of bananas… and mangoes. With these kinds of discussions, these present more trading opportunities between us,” Lopez said. Lopez said Putin also offered to help the Philippines through investments in energy and infrastructure. “Their immediate estimate is $2.5 billion. That’s a number they [Russian side] quoted,” Read More …

Nov 192016
 
Duterte ‘falls ill,’ skips Apec gala dinner for world leaders

President Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO LIMA, Peru — President Duterte skipped the gala dinner for leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) here on Saturday evening (Sunday morning in Manila) as he was not feeling well, Philippine officials said. Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told reporters Mr. Duterte was ill and opted to have Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay attend on his behalf the dinner hosted by Peru President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. READ: Duterte talks to Putin about distrust with US, hypocrisy of the West Practically all the world leaders, with the exception of those who had sent representatives due to troubles at home, like South Korea and Thailand, were in attendance at the dinner, including Presidents Barack Obama of the United States, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Xi Jinping of China. Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau of Canada and Shinzo Abe of Japan were also present. The Apec leaders toasted each other with champagne and watched cultural presentations. The traditional dinner is typically seen as an opportunity for Apec leaders to hold informal talks with each other in the absence of time for formal bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the main Apec summit. Andanar said Kuczynski had been told beforehand that Mr. Duterte would not be able to make it to the dinner. The two leaders had a prolonged conversation earlier in the day during the official welcome ceremony for the arriving heads of state just before the formal opening of the annual trade gathering of Pacific Rim economies. In the Read More …

Nov 152016
 
US eyeing ‘bigger’ military exercises in PH — official

A US air force V-22 Osprey unloads Philippine marines during live fire drills of the annual US-Philippine joint military exercise at the former US target range in Crow Valley, Capas, Tarlac, on May 15, 2014. US Pacific Command chief Harry Harris says the US is eyeing bigger military drills in the the Philippines despite a pronouncement of President Rodrigo Duterte that he was ‘separating’ from the States. AFP FILE WASHINGTON, United States — Military cooperation between the US and the Philippines is unchanged for now despite inflammatory statements from the Filipino president directed at US President Barack Obama, a top American commander said Tuesday. President Rodrigo Duterte has voiced willingness to request the withdrawal of American troops from his country. READ: Duterte announces military, economic split with US | Duterte: Separation with US doesn’t mean cutting diplomatic ties “Despite what he has said, there has been no change in anything with the Philippines,” said Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, during an event in Washington. Harris was slated to participate Tuesday in high-level meetings between the two countries to schedule joint military exercises for 2017 and after. “I am optimistic,” he said of the meetings, adding that thus far the exercises program has been on track. Harris said there could be “a refocusing or a rescoping of some of the bigger exercises in 2017.” Harris said there could be “a refocusing or a rescoping of some of the bigger exercises in 2017.” Until Duterte came to power in June, Manila was one Read More …

Oct 032016
 
Philippines, US hold war games after Duterte tirades

FILE PHOTO The Philippines and the United States launch war games on Tuesday against the unusual threat of American forces being ejected from the Southeast Asian nation as its firebrand leader pivots to China. President Rodrigo Duterte has launched a sustained verbal assault on the United States, the Philippines’ former colonial ruler and mutual defense partner, since he took office on June 30 in response to criticism of his deadly war on crime. READ: 2016 PH-US war games will be the last – Duterte | Military defies Duterte on war games Duterte has in recent days warned the war games will be the last of his six-year term, and threatened to scrap a defense pact implemented by his predecessor that was meant to see more US troops in the Philippines to counter Chinese expansion in the South China Sea. “Better think twice now because I will be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether,” Duterte said on Sunday as he launched a tirade against the Americans full of typical invective. “The Americans, I don’t like them… they are reprimanding me in public. So I say: ‘Screw you, fuck you’,” he said, while signaling again that he wanted to forge closer alliances with China and Russia. Last week Duterte, 71, also claimed the CIA was plotting to assassinate him. This came after foreign media claimed that Duterte branded Barack Obama a “son of a whore” in response to being told the US President planned to raise human rights concerns over his drug war. Duterte Read More …

Oct 022016
 
UN official: Rody remark ‘deeply disrespectful of right to life’

United Nations special adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng expressed alarm at public comments of President Rodrigo Duterte who cited Adolf Hitler’s killing of Jews before declaring that he would be “happy to slaughter” three million drug addicts. The UN official said the statement of the Philippine leader was “deeply disrespectful of the right to life of all human beings.” “Holocaust was one of the darkest periods of the history of humankind and that any glorification of the cruel and criminal acts committed by those responsible was unacceptable and offensive,” said the UN adviser in a statement on Monday sent by UN in Manila. He said the statement undermines the efforts of the international community to institute strategies to prevent the recurrence of the brutal crimes of Nazi Germany, anywhere in the world. Dieng called on Duterte, who is known for swearing at leaders who criticized his war on drugs, “to exercise restraint in the use of language that could exacerbate discrimination, hostility and violence and encourage the commission of criminal acts which, if widespread or systematic, could amount to crimes against humanity.” The UN official also requested Duterte to support the investigation of the reported rise of killings in the context of the anti-crime and anti-drug campaign targeting drug dealers and users to ascertain the circumstances of each death. CBB Latest GALLERY: La Salle rips Ateneo, sweeps first round Japan big manufacturers’ confidence at multi-year low — BoJ Hospitals under ‘unprecedented’ attack in war zones — MSF WATCH: Read More …

Sep 242016
 
Philippines at UN tells world not to interfere

Perfecto Yasay, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, addresses the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York on September 24, 2016. AFP UNITED NATIONS, United States — The Philippines’ foreign secretary on Saturday pushed back against criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, telling the United Nations not to interfere. “We urge everyone to allow us to deal with out domestic challenges in order to achieve our national goals, without undue interference,” Perfecto Yasay told the UN General Assembly. There has been growing international alarm over the rising death toll from Duterte’s crackdown on crime, with human rights groups saying that security forces are engaging in extrajudicial killings. READ: Duterte hits ‘stupid’ UN criticism of PH anti-drug campaign |  Duterte won elections in a landslide in May after vowing to eradicate the illegal drug trade in six months, and promising that 100,000 criminals would be killed in the process. Since he took office on June 30 about 3,000 people have been killed, about a third of them suspects shot dead by police and the rest murdered by unidentified attackers, according to police statistics. “We have not and we will never empower our law enforcement agents to shoot-to-kill individuals suspected of drug crimes,” the foreign secretary told the General Assembly. “Extrajudicial killings have no place in our society, and in our criminal justice system.” READ: DFA: UN, EU envoys should follow PH protocols in drug slays probe The top diplomat told the General Assembly that Read More …