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Chinese poachers could face 20 years over pangolins

 News
Apr 172013
 
Chinese poachers could face 20 years over pangolins

Agence France-Presse 6:02 am | Thursday, April 18th, 2013 Members of the Philippine Coast Guard hold a frozen pangolin, or scaly anteater, on board a Chinese vessel that ran aground off Tubbataha coral reef in this April 13, 2013, photo released by the Philippine Coast Guard in Manila. AP PHOTO/PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD MANILA, Philippines—Twelve suspected Chinese poachers could face up to 20 years in prison for possession of hundreds of dead pangolins, or scaly anteaters, Philippine wildlife authorities said Wednesday. The boat carrying the 12 Chinese men ran aground on Tubbataha marine park, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed coral reef near Palawan, last week. “We are preparing a case. We are still compiling supporting documents (but) it carries a heavy penalty of 12 to 20 years’ imprisonment,” Adelina Villena, environment officer of the province of Palawan, told AFP. Mere possession of the threatened species is basis for criminal charges, regardless of where the pangolins were obtained, said Villena. All eight species of the insect-eating mammals are protected by international law. Two—the Malaysian and Chinese pangolins—are on the International Union of Conservation of Nature’s “red list” of endangered species. Prosecutors have already charged the men with illegal poaching and with corruption for attempting to bribe Filipino officials. The Philippine coast guard said Monday it had found hundreds of frozen pangolins, individually wrapped in plastic and hidden in sacks in the cargo hold of a Chinese boat. Pangolins are widely hunted in parts of Asia for their meat, skin and scales and in Read More …

Emulate Margaret Thatcher, Santiago urges fellow politicians

 News
Apr 172013
 
Emulate Margaret Thatcher, Santiago urges fellow politicians

By Cynthia D. Balana Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:07 am | Thursday, April 18th, 2013 Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The present crop of political leaders should emulate the integrity, competence and efficiency of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the first woman prime minister of the United Kingdom, who died recently, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said. Santiago said the influence of Thatcher, called the Iron Lady of the ’80s, on world politics will remain indelible in political history. She identified Thatcher, who was buried Wednesday, as one of her role models, together with Cleopatra and Marie Curie. “She was a nonpareil political genius,” the senator said. Santiago recounted to the Inquirer how she met Thatcher in Manila in 1994 after Santiago lost the 1992 presidential election to Fidel V. Ramos. Epitome of forcefulness and conviction “She was amazing. Lady Thatcher had obviously read up on me. She called me ‘Miriam’ and in effect taught me that in politics I should be thorough, passionate for change, tenacious and fueled by determination,” she said. “Thatcher was the epitome of forcefulness and conviction. Like a student, I was so happy to listen to her,” the senator recalled. Santiago said that when Thatcher came to Manila, she had lost weight but was still sharp as ever. She described her British idol as a person of few words, a “disciplined mass of kinetic energy,” both intellectual and physical. “I sensed that she did not suffer fools gladly,” Santiago said. Santiago said that at the time, she Read More …

Philippines, US end ‘Balikatan’ war games

 News
Apr 172013
 
Philippines, US end ‘Balikatan’ war games

By Nikko Dizon Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:54 am | Thursday, April 18th, 2013 US Marines from Company B, 1st Battalion Landing Team, 5th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and their Philippine counterparts storm a beach to simulate a combat rubber boat raid in the culmination of their 12-day joint military exercise dubbed Balikatan 2013 between the Philippines and the United States Monday, April 15, 2013, at the Philippine marine base, in Ternate, Cavite. The annual joint military exercise ended Wednesday. AP PHOTO/BULLIT MARQUEZ MANILA, Pilippines—The Philippines and the United States ended their 29th Balikatan joint military exercises on Wednesday, and immediately set about planning next year’s event, raising the possibility of inviting Japan and Australia to make it a multilateral exercise. Brian Goldbeck, the US deputy chief of mission here, described the recently concluded exercise as the “most ambitious intellectual exchanges in the history of Balikatan.” “This year’s exercise featured a medical symposium, an aviation forum, a senior enlisted forum, a chaplain forum and a search-and-rescue forum,” Goldbeck said in his remarks. He underscored the Balikatan activities that went beyond the traditional military exercises like the building of classrooms that can withstand typhoons and floods. He noted that most of the residents in areas where the engagement was held said all they wanted was for their children to have a good education. “So many of the families that our service members met in Zambales echoed the same concerns. They just want their children to be able to go to school. Read More …

PH embassy in South Korea preparing Filipino communities for possible conflict

 News
Apr 152013
 
PH embassy in South Korea preparing Filipino communities for possible conflict

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:56 pm | Monday, April 15th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – While the situation in the Korean Peninsula remains unchanged, the Philippine Embassy in Seoul has begun preparing Filipino communities for possible conflict scenarios amid tensions between North and South Korea, starting with those in vulnerable cities near the tense border between the Korean neighbors. The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday said that officials from the Philippine mission in Seoul on Sunday met with Filipino area coordinators in four areas near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the North-South border, part of a series of meetings with some 150 Filipino community organizations across South Korea. This even as the Embassy reported to the Manila home office that the atmosphere in South Korea “remains calm and normal” despite Pyongyang’s persistent threats of a missile launch against Seoul and its ally, the United States. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has been ratcheting up his war rhetoric against the South and its allies in protest of fresh international sanctions meted Pyongyang for nuclear tests earlier this year. “Nevertheless, the Filipinos in South have been well-advised to remain vigilant and alert and in the event of armed conflict to proceed immediately to the designated shelters closest to their homes or workplaces,” said DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez in a press briefing. He said officials from the Philippine mission in South Korea on Sunday gathered Filipino community leaders in the cities of Incheon and Seoul and counties in the provinces of Read More …

Sultan Bolkiah arrives in PH for state visit

 News
Apr 152013
 
Sultan Bolkiah arrives in PH for state visit

By TJ Burgonio Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:43 pm | Monday, April 15th, 2013 Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (C) salutes as he walks past Philippine honour guards as he arrives at Manila International Airport on April 15, 2013. Hassanal Bolkiah is in Manila for a two-day state visit. AFP PHOTO / NOEL CELIS MANILA, Philippines–Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah flew in Monday for a brief 24-hour-long state visit to the Philippines ahead of next week’s 22nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Brunei. The President will host a state luncheon for Bolkiah in Malacañang Tuesday when the latter pays a courtesy call. Malacañang said the two leaders will tackle Brunei’s chairmanship of the summit on April 24 and 25 in Bandar Seri Bagawan. The South China Sea conflict looms large in the agenda of their meeting. In the recent Asean Ministerial Meeting, Asean foreign ministers stressed the importance of peaceful resolution of the standoff in the South China Sea by four claimant countries, including the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia. Member-countries are looking to Brunei to mediate negotiations to reach a common position on the conflict by the signing of a Code of Conduct to minimize the risk of conflict in the international waterway. “Brunei is going to be the chairman, I think, of the Asean. So, as to what the details will be, that’s something that will be taken up during the bilateral meeting,’’ Secretary Edwin Lacierda, presidential spokesperson, said in a briefing. Lacierda could not Read More …

Binay skips UNA rallies to lead PH exhibit of pre-colonial art in Paris

 News
Apr 102013
 
Binay skips UNA rallies to lead PH exhibit of pre-colonial art in Paris

By Jerry E. Esplanada Philippine Daily Inquirer 9:57 pm | Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Vice President Jejomar Binay had no choice but skip several United Nationalist Alliance campaign sorties this week for representing President Benigno Aquino III in the April 8 opening of the “Philippines: Archipel des Exchanges (or Archipelago of Exchanges),” the country’s first-ever grand culture exhibit in Paris, the world’s cultural capital. Binay “opened (on Monday) the exhibit at the Musee du Qua Branly,” or the Branly musuem in the French capital, said the Department of Foreign Affairs. Citing a report from the Philippine embassy in the French capital, the DFA said on Wednesday the exhibit has been featuring “more than 300 essential works of pre-colonial Filipino art selected from both public and private collections in the Philippines, Europe and the United States.” The event will run from April 9 to July 14, 2013, according to the mission. The embassy quoted Binay as having thanked the French government for the “opportunity to showcase the Philippines’ pre-colonial art in the Branly museum.” “We are proud to share with France and the rest of the world our collection of pre-colonial  art, including four of our priceless national treasures and more than 300 ancient artifacts assembled from public and private collections, giving a glimpse of the Filipino soul in ancient times and the diversity and richness of Philippine culture and tradition,” he said. In his remarks during the exhibit opening rites, Binay pointed Read More …

Group decries ‘double standard’ in handling of US, Chinese Tubbataha intrusions

 News
Apr 102013
 
Group decries ‘double standard’ in handling of US, Chinese Tubbataha intrusions

By DJ Yap Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:56 pm | Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 Tubbataha Reefs. YVETTE LEE/CONTRIBUTOR MANILA, Philippines—Was there a double standard in the government’s handling of the back-to-back intrusions of a US Navy warship and a Chinese fishing vessel in the Tubbataha National Marine Park? The group Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment assailed what it called the “great disparity” in the way the Aquino administration handled the grounding of the Chinese fishing vessel on Monday night and the USS Guardian in January. “While the Philippine Coast Guard swiftly acted to apprehend the Chinese intruders, it is shameful and appalling how the Aquino [administration] handled the American trespassers from the US Navy,” said Kalikasan national coordinator Clemente Bautista. “Any foreign intrusion into our territorial waters or infringement of our national patrimony should be dealt with accordingly. Whether it is Chinese or Americans, they must pay the damages and if proven should serve time in jail,” Bautista said in a statement. He noted the disparity in the government’s response to the grounding of the Chinese and Americans in the Tubbataha National Marine Park in the Sulu Sea, a World Heritage Site. “First, the PCG failed to apprehend the officers and crew of the USS Guardian in spite of their clear violations of our local and environmental laws. Second, the Philippine authorities embarrassingly failed to assert our right to directly investigate and interview the personnel of the USS Guardian as the US Navy did not allow it,” Bautista said. “Worst, Read More …

Analyst urges emotional restraint over conflict in Sabah

 News
Mar 042013
 
Analyst urges emotional restraint over conflict in Sabah

By Karen Boncocan INQUIRER.net, Radyo Inquirer DZIQ 990 AM 3:38 pm | Monday, March 4th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – A political analyst on Monday called for emotional restraint as tension between the royal army of the Sultanate of Sulu and the Malaysian authorities escalated in Sabah. In an interview with Radyo Inquirer, Professor Rommel Banlaoi, executive director of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence, and Terrorism, said that violent reactions from the public would only aggravate the situation. “We have to exercise self-restraint,” he said, pointing out that he has observed “mutual reactions” from both sides of the Filipino and Malaysian people. Violent reactions could spill over and cause further conflict, he said. “We are observers, we have to be calm.” Banlaoi also urged the government to make a stand on the sultanate’s claim to Sabah. “Dapat ma-clarify ang position ng gobyerno sa Sabah. Napapanahon na rin na ma-clarify ng gobyerno kung ano talaga ang opisyal na position nito–kung dormant man, ida-drop ba o ipapaglaban ba? [The government should clarify its position on the sultanate’s claim to Sabah. It is about time that the government clarify its official position—if it is dormant, will we drop it or will we fight for it?]” he asked. For more of the interview, listen to Radyo Inquirer 990AM.

Aquino on top of Sabah situation, says Drilon

 News
Mar 042013
 
Aquino on top of Sabah situation, says Drilon

By Tetch Torres-Tupas INQUIRER.net 3:30 pm | Monday, March 4th, 2013 President Benigno S. Aquino III. Malacañang Photo Bureau MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino is on top of the situation with regards to the conflict in Sabah, Senator Franklin Drilon, Team PNoy campaign manager, said Monday. At the same time Drilon appealed to the people to stop inserting politics in the Sabah issue. “Campaign rhetoric should take a backseat so that we can properly address the welfare of the 800,000 Filipinos living in Sabah. Already 300 of our countrymen have been deported. We are making this appeal in behalf of our compatriots who are living and earning their living in Malaysia,” Drilon said at a press conference. Aquino has been criticized for being in Pampanga campaigning with Team PNoy senatorial candidates while the exchange of firefight was ongoing in Lahad Datu, Sabah. “Let me tell you from personal knowledge that while the President had to fulfill that commitment of the speaking engagement with the local leaders, he had to leave the stage to go back to the room and continue monitor the situation,” Drilon said. “He continues to govern, he’s on top of the situation and he has a schedule to follow. However, we will repeat, the welfare of 800,000 Filipinos which are caught in this very delicate situation in Sabah will be more than prime interest,” he added. “Let us not muddle an already complicated situation,” Drilon said.

PH asks Malaysia to exercise maximum tolerance on sultan’s followers

 News
Mar 042013
 
PH asks Malaysia to exercise maximum tolerance on sultan’s followers

By Matikas Santos INQUIRER.net 3:02 pm | Monday, March 4th, 2013 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines has asked the Malaysian government to exercise maximum tolerance in dealing with members of the Sultanate of Sulu’s “Royal Army” that figured in a weeks-long standoff in Sabah that turned violent last week. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Spokesman Raul Hernandez told reporters Monday that Secretary Albert Del Rosario had met anew with Malaysian Ambassador Mohammad Zamri bin Mohammad Kassim and had handed over a note verbale. “The note verbale states that the governments of the Philippines and Malaysia both value the lives of their citizens and share the same objective of preventing further loss of lives and further bloodshed,” Hernandez said “In this light the Philippine government has called on the forces of the royal sultanate of Sulu led by Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram to surrender peacefully,” he added. Hernandez said Del Rosario was set to fly to Kuala Lumpur to personally hand over the requests of the Philippine government to his counterpart in Malaysia, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman. The Philippines was requesting clearance to allow a Philippine Navy ship to dock and bring humanitarian and consular aid to Filipinos. He also reiterated the Philippines’ request for a full briefing on the operations carried out by Malaysian authorities against Kiram’s group.

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