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2 women on way to Clark seized in Hong Kong for drug smuggling

 News
Jul 292013
 
2 women on way to Clark seized in Hong Kong for drug smuggling

Agence France-Presse 4:59 pm | Monday, July 29th, 2013 INQUIRER.net file photo HONG KONG — Hong Kong authorities said Monday they had arrested two women in possession of more than a dozen kilograms of crystal methamphetamine at the city’s airport. The women, sisters aged 27 and 31, were seized Sunday at Chek Lap Kok airport on their way to Clark in the Philippines. Airport authorities discovered they were carrying 14.5 kilograms (32 pounds) of “ice”, according to a customs official, who withheld their nationality. The drugs, worth HK$10.9 million ($1.4 million), were found concealed inside false compartments of three suitcases carrying men’s clothing, Customs Drug Investigation head Hui Wai-ming told reporters. “The weight of the suitcase was a bit abnormal,” Hui said, adding that the drugs could have been sold for more than two times the Hong Kong price in the Philippines. Crystal methamphetamine creates a feeling of euphoria and increased confidence but hallucinations and paranoia are potential side-effects. It has become a drug of choice for young addicts in Asia. Under Hong Kong law, manufacturing and trafficking dangerous drugs carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a fine of five million Hong Kong dollars. 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: Crime , Drug Smuggling , Global Nation , Read More …

July 24 – A Dark Day in Philippine History

 News
Jul 212013
 
July 24 – A Dark Day in Philippine History

Global Networking By Rodel Rodis 3:34 pm | Sunday, July 21st, 2013 Authors Walden Bello and Rodel Rodis As dark days go, July 24, 2012 is akin historically to what occurred in China on February 18, 1932 when Japan proclaimed the state of Manchukuo as the governing body for the region of Manchuria which it had invaded and detached from China.  The people of China were driven to erase that infamous day from their history just as the Filipino people today are determined to do the same with their own dark day. This July 24 marks the first anniversary of China’s creation of the “Sansha City” garrison to “oversee and administer” the whole West Philippine Sea and all the islands and terrestrial features within it.  Effective January 1, 2013, Beijing announced last October, its Sansha-based naval fleet would be authorized “to board, seize and expel foreign ships” found within the 3.5 million square kilometers of water that China claims it owns. Beijing’s creation of Sansha City was preceded by a series of provocative Chinese moves, including the June 2012 occupation of the Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) by up to 90 Chinese ships which barred Filipino fishers from their ancestral fishing grounds, an increased Chinese military presence at Ayungin Reef, and a Chinese general’s boastful exposition of China’s “cabbage strategy.” The thrust of the cabbage strategy, PLA Major General Zhang Zhaozhong explained, is to surround the Philippine territories with a massive Chinese naval presence to starve Filipino detachments and prevent Read More …

Gov’t disowns anti-China rallies to be held worldwide

 News
Jul 182013
 
Gov’t disowns anti-China rallies to be held worldwide

By Christine O. AvendañoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:44 am | Friday, July 19th, 2013 Department Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez: Anti-China protests led by private individuals and group. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The government said it has nothing to do with the planned one-day global action on July 24 by Filipinos around the world to protest against Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), but will not try to stop it either. “Filipinos have all the right to express and voice out in a peaceful manner their positions and sentiments on the issue of the West Philippine Sea,” said Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, the Department Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson. ‘In private capacity’ At a news conference, Hernandez stressed that the government “did not sanction” the Global Day of Protest to be staged worldwide by the West Philippine Sea Coalition, saying these were being led by “individuals and groups in their private capacity.” “These are not sanctioned by the government, but being in a democracy, people have a right to voice out their position on different issues,” Hernandez said. Asked whether the protests could inflame the already tense relations between Manila and Beijing, Hernandez said the DFA hoped it would not as people just want to express their positions on the issue. Hernandez also said the global protest action will not affect the Philippines’ arbitration case against China before the United Nations. “The arbitrary tribunal will proceed with the case based upon its rules and merits of this case, Read More …

Taiwan military drill stages China attack scenario

 News
Jul 152013
 
Taiwan military drill stages China attack scenario

Agence France-Presse 9:00 pm | Monday, July 15th, 2013 TAIPEI — Taiwan started a computerized military drill on Monday, set against an imagined scenario in which China invades the island in 2017. The five-day exercise is part of the island’s biggest annual military maneuver which is this year codenamed ‘Han Kuang 29′ (Han Glory 29), officials at the defense ministry said Monday. The drill simulates a surprise attack by the Chinese in 2017, followed by a large-scale invasion, the ministry said, without explaining why the scenario is being staged in that particular year. But analysts said the time-frame was reasonable, given China’s continued military development and its territorial disputes with neighboring countries. “Looking ahead, we can expect China to put into service — to name just a few — its first carrier battle group, stealth planes and Type 081 amphibious assault ships,” Kevin Cheng, editor-in-chief of the Taipei-based Asia-Pacific Defense Magazine, told AFP. “China’s landing capabilities would be significantly lifted once its forces are armed with the amphibious assault ships, designed to carry transport, anti-submarine and attack helicopters,” he said. The amphibious assault ships could be used in its disputes in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, Cheng added. He also warned of the threat from China’s deployment of more than 1,500 ballistic and cruise missiles targeting Taiwan, as their accuracy has been enhanced. Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have eased since Ma Ying-jeou’s China-friendly administration came to power in 2008 on a platform of beefing up Read More …

Canadian embassy opens new visa application centers in Makati, Cebu

 News
Jul 152013
 
Canadian embassy opens new visa application centers in Makati, Cebu

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:09 pm | Monday, July 15th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines–Hoping to bring its services closer to more Filipinos, the Canadian government has opened new visa centers in two key cities here to ease the application process for Philippine citizens. The Canadian Embassy in Manila announced on Monday its new visa application centers (VACs) in Makati City and Cebu City, facilities that aim “to make the process of applying for a visa to enter Canada easier and more convenient.” Those planning a trip to Canada may now apply at Canada’s VACs at the Ecoplaza Building on Chino Roces Avenue Extension in Makati City and the Keppel Center at the Cebu Business Park, Cebu City. Previously, visa processing was centralized at the Canadian Embassy at the RCBC Plaza on Ayala Avenue in Makati City. The opening of the two Canadian VACs is part of Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) efforts to widen its presence around the world, the Embassy said in a statement yesterday. “CIC is expanding its VAC network around the world to provide valuable administrative support to applicants before, during and after their temporary resident application is assessed by a CIC immigration officer,” the Embassy said in a statement. The visa services expansion is part of Canada’s plans to encourage more people to visit and work there to bolster the Canadian economy. “The Government of Canada plans to create new jobs and stimulate economic growth by attracting an increasing number of visitors as well as the Read More …

Bilateral talks with China becoming impossible – DFA

 News
Jul 152013
 
Bilateral talks with China becoming impossible – DFA

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 3:39 pm | Monday, July 15th, 2013 DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – Accept that we own the entire South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) before we talk. That was gist of “the Chinese unequivocal message” on the territorial dispute with the Philippines over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) despite several attempts at negotiations, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez told reporters Monday. “It has, therefore, become impossible to continue bilateral discussion on disputes in the WPS with China on the basis of this rigid position,” Hernandez said. “This led us to finally resort to arbitration under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS),” he said. The DFA’s statement was in response to another statement by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs that said “the Philippine’s claim that it had exhausted almost all political and diplomatic avenues for a peaceful settlement of dispute is completely not true.” Hernandez said that their statement was baseless and he enumerated the many attempts of the Philippines to settle the dispute. “Since intrusions in the Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag Shoal or Scarborough Shoal) started in April 2012 alone, we have had nearly fifty consultations with China,” he said. The DFA had officially asked China to bring the issue “to a dispute settlement mechanism to resolve the issue on a long-term basis” through a note verbale dated April 26, 2012. Hernandez said that China replied that it Read More …

6 Chinese nabbed for illegal mining in Agusan del Sur

 News
Jul 142013
 
6 Chinese nabbed for illegal mining in Agusan del Sur

By Chris V. PanganibanInquirer Mindanao 10:16 pm | Sunday, July 14th, 2013 SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — Six Chinese nationals were arrested on Saturday night for their alleged involvement in illegal mining operation near Mt. Magdiwata watershed that destroyed the waterways of a river in a remote village of this town. Police could not yet ascertain the identities of the suspects since only two of them presented identification cards from the Bureau of Immigration that already expired last May. Another Chinese national known as Jason Lu, believed to be the “big boss” and co-financier, managed to escape. Two local residents who worked with them positively identified the suspects, now detained at the town jail, after they accompanied operatives to raid their residence at the town center. Senior Inspector Ephraim Detuya, local police chief, said they would file on Monday formal charges against the Chinese nationals for violation of the mining act while awaiting information from the immigration bureau about their status in staying in the country. The arrest came after a two-day raid by a joint team of police and staff of Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office at the illegal mine site in Mati village that contaminated and depleted the source of potable water and irrigation for rice fields in nearby Maligaya village. The team confiscated a backhoe used to excavate and destroy the riverbed and banks, a power-generating set, steel pipes used to suction water, sand and gravel towards the mine tailings pond and other mining equipment. Read More …

20 hurt as portion of wooden arena in Zamboanga City collapses

 News
Jul 142013
 
20 hurt as portion of wooden arena in Zamboanga City collapses

By Julie S. AlipalaInquirer Mindanao 5:12 pm | Sunday, July 14th, 2013 ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – At least 20 persons were hurt when a portion of the Gallera de Ayala here gave way during a derby on Saturday night. Senior Superintendent Jose Chiquito Malayo, the city police chief, said 19 were slightly hurt while another suffered a fractured bone in the left leg. Malayo said a portion of the left wing of the wooden arena collapsed. Lawyer Cesar Jimenez, owner of the Gallera de Ayala, said the 10-year old arena was renovated in April before it was leased out to a new management. “It’s an accident and we allow the police to do the investigation,” Jimenez 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: accidents , collapse , Features , Gallera de Ayala , Regions 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:

Wealth sharing deal between PH gov’t, future Bangsamoro entity finished

 News
Jul 142013
 
Wealth sharing deal between PH gov’t, future Bangsamoro entity finished

By Ryan D. RosauroInquirer Mindanao 3:42 pm | Sunday, July 14th, 2013 A handout photo taken on July 13, 2013 and released by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) shows (Front, L-R) GPH peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Malaysian facilitator Tengku Dato Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed and MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal signing the wealth-sharing annex and joint statement at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. AFP PHOTO / OPAPP OZAMIZ CITY, Philippines — After toiling some 12 hours on their sixth day of talks, negotiators of the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) finally hammered a wealth-sharing arrangement between the central government and the future Bangsamoro political entity. The Office of the Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process said the wealth-sharing deal between the central government and the future Bangsamoro Entity was completed at 10:30 p.m. Saturday. This happened more than 12 hours after the negotiators convened at  9:40 a.m. The deal covers taxation powers for the Bangsamoro government; assured fund transfers from the central government to the Bangsamoro government through block grants; and sharing of revenues from the use of natural wealth, like energy sources and metallic minerals. The breakthrough comes after a four-month lull in the peace process, and could move the parties closer to crafting a comprehensive agreement that contains the totality of measures that address the four-decade Moro rebellion in Mindanao. Wealth-sharing is one of the four annexes to the preliminary Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) Read More …

SC urged to issue opinion on bid to let US, allies to use PH bases

 News
Jul 082013
 
SC urged to issue opinion on bid to let US, allies to use PH bases

By Tetch Torres-TupasINQUIRER.net 3:35 pm | Monday, July 8th, 2013 Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Fisherfolk group on Monday urged Justice Secretary Leila De Lima to issue a legal opinion that puts question on the constitutionality of the proposal to allow the US government and other military allies of the Philippines to use military bases across the country. In a three-page letter to De Lima dated July 8, members of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) through its Vice Chairperson Salvador France and Peter Gonzalez, Chairperson-Southern Tagalog said they believe the Justice Department is “constitutionally, politically and morally obliged to issue a legal opinion that questions the legality of such proposal. “We ask the honourable chief of the justice department to break her silence and tell the people in Malacañang that the proposal to give greater access to US, Japan and other junior partners of Washington DC for rated-A military intervention and aggression all over the country is a flagrant violation of the 1987 Constitution and grand affront to the sovereign rights of more than 100-million Filipinos,” they said in their letter. President Benigno Aquino III defended the plan to give the US and Japan access to the former US bases in the Philippines. The government has dismissed report that the Philippines is planning to build new air and naval bases that US forces could use to counter China’s creeping presence in the West Philippine Sea. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on Read More …

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