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Philippines slams patrols for Chinese fishers

 News
Feb 262013
 

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:52 am | Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines on Tuesday denounced China’s announced fishery patrols in the Spratly group of islands, as it asserted its sovereignty over its established maritime boundaries in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also called on China to “act responsibly” amid simmering tensions in the region over the contested waters, the subject of a Philippine arbitration bid in the United Nations. “We again call on China to respect our territorial sovereignty and exclusive economic zone. The Philippines strongly objects to the Chinese patrols in the Philippines’ maritime domain in the West Philippine Sea,” said DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. Chinese state media reported over the weekend that the South China Sea Fishery Bureau of China’s Ministry of Agriculture was set to undertake “routine fishery administrative patrols” in the South China Sea this year. The patrols “will be carried out to better safeguard the legitimate interests of Chinese fishermen,” Chinese media said, quoting Wu Zhuang of the fisheries bureau. Wu said that China would “speed up the routine patrols” with the growing capacity of Chinese law enforcement authorities. Hernandez said the move violated China’s international commitments, including its accession to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). The Philippines invoked the Unclos in taking its dispute with China to the UN arbitral tribunal in hopes of stopping Chinese incursions into its  waters and invalidating the Chinese Read More …

EU envoy: Journalist killings a concern

 News
Feb 262013
 
EU envoy: Journalist killings a concern

By Maricar Cinco Inquirer Southern Luzon 4:26 am | Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux: Journalist killings still do happen. FILE PHOTO LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—European Union (EU) Ambassador Guy Ledoux called journalists “true defenders of human rights,” but he said the continuing attacks on media workers in the Philippines and the government’s failure to pass the freedom of information bill remained a concern even after the country had transitioned from authoritarian rule to democracy. Journalists perform alongside lawyers, activists, politicians and other groups in defending human rights but they continue to fall victim to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, Ledoux said in a speech at the 8th National Congress of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) last weekend. The NUJP elected a new set of officers at the congress, six of whom were reporters and provincial correspondents of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Ledoux, who was appointed head of the EU’s delegation to the Philippines two years ago to look into media killings, said 11 to 14 Filipino journalists had been killed since June 2010 but the cases remained unsolved and the masterminds allowed to walk free. Maguindanao massacre “The EU recognizes the current administration’s efforts to eliminate extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, and to prosecute those responsible. But, at the same time, we observe that journalist killings do still happen, with the latest killing taking place on Nov. 8, 2012,” he said. Ledoux cited the massacre in November 2009 of 58 people in Maguindanao, among Read More …

BOC asks Laos Embassy to justify importation of 3 exotic sports cars

 News
Feb 262013
 
BOC asks Laos Embassy to justify importation of 3 exotic sports cars

Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:40 am | Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has asked the embassy of Laos to justify its duty-free importation of three high-end sports cars—a Ferrari Spider and two Lamborghini Aventadors. Customs Commissioner Rufino Biazon told the Inquirer the BOC at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) had declared the three exotic cars as “abandoned” since their consignees had not processed their papers since the vehicles arrived in November last year, or more than the 30-day limit to claim them. “The official and full report is being prepared by district collector (Carlos) So but offhand, unofficially, it’s confirmed that the Lao embassy is acknowledging the shipments,” said Biazon in an interview. An official of the Lao Embassy said it had submitted its reply to BOC and declined to discuss the matter. A source in the BOC said the Spider and Aventadors were supposed to be delivered to different consignees at the same address: 34 Lapu-Lapu St., Magallanes Village, Makati City, care of the Embassy of Laos. Since they arrived on Nov. 28, nobody has come forward to claim the cars after BOC agents questioned why diplomats would buy fast cars as their service vehicles. Biazon said the BOC would auction off the Ferrari and Lamborghinis if the Lao embassy fails to justify the use of its duty-free perk to bring in the pricey vehicles. “An order of abandonment was already issued. It is a step closer to seizure. The embassy says there’s a Read More …

2 Koreans, Filipino arrested for selling ‘carnapped’ vehicles in Cebu

 News
Feb 202013
 
2 Koreans, Filipino arrested for selling ‘carnapped’ vehicles in Cebu

By Chito O. Aragon Inquirer Visayas 6:10 am | Thursday, February 21st, 2013 CEBU CITY, Philippines—The police arrested two Koreans and a Filipino for alleged involvement in carnapping in Metro Cebu and recovered at least seven Hyundai Starex vans. The police identified the suspects as Korean nationals Kim Jae Young, 42, alias Leo Lim/Andy; Hong Seo Yong, 28, alias Luis; and Raphael Montilla, 27, alias Raprap, a registered nurse and a resident of Vista Grande, Barangay (village) Bulacao, Talisay City. Two of the vans were seized from the house of Montilla while five others were recovered along A.S. Fortuna St. and the streets in Maguikay highway and Cabangcalan, all in Mandaue City. Former Philippine Basketball Association player Ramon Fernandez and his wife, Carla, own one of the recovered vans. Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, chief of Police Regional Office (PRO-7) said the three allegedly belonged to an organized group operating nationwide. Chief Inspector George Ylanan, chief of Regional Operation Group (RSOG), an operating unit of Regional Intelligence Division (RID), said they first arrested Montilla at his home in Talisay City Tuesday afternoon after they received information that he was selling a Hyundai Starex van for only P40,000. When the RSOG operatives arrived at Montilla’s home, they saw two Starex vans parked there. The police asked for the certificates of registration of the two vehicles, but Montilla could not present any so he was arrested and taken to the RSOG office for questioning. During the investigation, Montilla admitted that two Koreans had Read More …

PH to press UN case on disputed sea despite China rejection

 News
Feb 202013
 
PH to press UN case on disputed sea despite China rejection

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:38 am | Thursday, February 21st, 2013 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez: We’ll proceed. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The arbitration proceedings that the Philippines has initiated before the United Nations (UN) against China to nullify the latter’s “excessive” claims in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) will not stop despite Beijing’s rejection of the legal action, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). However, the enforcement of any decision of the UN arbitral tribunal, three or four years down the road, will be “another question,” said DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. “The arbitration will proceed under Annex VII of Unclos (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) and the five-member arbitration panel will be formed with or without China,” Hernandez said. “Even if one party does not join or participate, the process will continue until a decision is made,” he said. Article 9 of Unclos’ Annex VII, which stipulates the mechanics of arbitration, states that the “absence of a party or failure of a party to defend its case shall not constitute a bar to the proceedings.” On Jan. 22, the Philippines went to the UN to challenge Beijing’s claim to most of the South China Sea (which the Philippines refers to as the West Philippine Sea) and compel it to respect the Philippines’ right to its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and stop Chinese incursions into areas in the disputed waters claimed by the Philippines. The Philippines initiated the Read More …

Honasan urges PH, Malaysia to hold talks to settle Sabah issue

 News
Feb 182013
 
Honasan urges PH, Malaysia to hold talks to settle Sabah issue

By Bobby Lagsa Inquirer Mindanao 8:37 pm | Monday, February 18th, 2013 Senator Gregorio Honasan. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — Senator Gregorio Honasan said the Philippines and Malaysia should talk to resolve the entry of 300 Filipino followers of the Sultanate of Sulu in the Sabah region to prevent an international incident involving armed skirmishes. “I think, both governments should sit down, and jointly help diffuse the situation, which if left unattended to, might become more complicated because of an armed confrontation,” Honasan said. Honasan also called on Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to recall his brother, Rajah Mudah, back into the Philippines. Rajah Mudah, in an earlier report, said that he will only follow orders from his older brother. Sultan Kiram III, in an earlier report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, said the royal decree that he ordered for his brother was not about war, and that he sent his brother to Sabah as an exercise of their historic, ancestral and sovereign right over Sabah. Honasan said that the Sultan must be made to realize that his order has not been helping the government in its foreign and security policies. “He must be made to realize that these have become more complicated,” Honasan added. “It is time for the government to clarify these with the Sultan of Sulu and if these go out of proportion, it is a problem that we do not need,” said Honasan, who was in the city to join the regional convention Read More …

DFA asks Kiram group anew to leave Sabah

 News
Feb 182013
 
DFA asks Kiram group anew to leave Sabah

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:39 pm | Monday, February 18th, 2013 DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday reiterated its call for a Filipino armed group holding fort in Sabah to return home peacefully saying the standoff could potentially impact the on-going peace talks in Mindanao and bilateral ties between the Philippines and Malaysia. Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, the DFA spokesperson, said Philippine officials have been in constant coordination with their Malaysian counterparts in hopes of settling the standoff without bloodshed. “We are endeavoring to have the group leave Lahad Datu peacefully and this remains to be a work in progress in coordination with the Malaysian government. We want this issue to be settled in a peaceful manner,” said Hernandez. “What is important for now is for them to leave that area because this could affect existing issues we have including peace talks and possible bilateral relations,” said the official in a briefing Monday afternoon. The DFA said the government has yet to officially confirm the identity and objectives of the armed group that landed on Sabah’s Lahad Datu district last week. But Sultan Jamalul Kiram had said he sent the group of some 400 people, among them 20 armed men, to establish permanent residence in the area, asserting his family’s ancestral ownership over the land. The DFA further lauded the Malaysian government’s peaceful approach to the dispute.

UAE healthcare firm to fund surgeries of 50 Filipino kids with heart defects

 News
Feb 132013
 
UAE healthcare firm to fund surgeries of 50 Filipino kids with heart defects

By Philip Tubeza Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:07 am | Thursday, February 14th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Thankful for the contribution of overseas Filipino workers in the growth of their business, a major healthcare company from the United Arab Emirates launched on Wednesday a P5-million campaign in Manila to save Filipino children with congenital heart defects (CHD) by funding their surgeries and treatment. DM Healthcare LLC, through its charity foundation, launched the Save the Little Hearts Program, which aims to help 50 Filipino children with CHD have their surgery here or in India for free. Annually, 20,000 children with CHD are born in the Philippines and one of out four of these patients die because they do not get medical treatment. “Why come here in Manila? We want to give back to the people who helped us and to the country where they came from,” Padma Shri Dr. Azad Moopen, the founder of DM Healthcare, said during the launch at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati. “This country and its people are very close to our hearts. Twenty percent of our staff is composed of Filipinos and they have given us excellent service for the past five years,” he said. “As an employer of choice to thousands of Filipino staff at DM Healthcare, we wanted to give back to the community that is integral to our growth, success and quality,” Moopen added. Moopen said the campaign would help children with CHD from the poorest families and those who have been in dire need of Read More …

Vegas judge nixes Mrs. Lapid bid to serve sentence in PH

 News
Feb 072013
 
Vegas judge nixes Mrs. Lapid bid to serve sentence in PH

By Tonette OrejasInquirer Central Luzon 6:03 am | Friday, February 8th, 2013 Marissa Lapid with husband, Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines—A judge in Las Vegas, Nevada, has turned down the request of the wife of Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid to live in the Philippines as she serves three years of probation for dollar smuggling and reporting violations, an Inquirer source said. Last Monday’s ruling by United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen denied Marissa Lapid’s request to live in the Philippines while on probation, said the source who was inside the courtroom when the sentence was handed to the senator’s wife. The sentence came more than a year after the Department of Homeland Security found $40,000 in her luggage when she entered Nevada in November 2011. She pleaded guilty in a plea bargain. Probation Aside from the probation that comes with travel restrictions, the sentence includes a five-month home confinement for which she was required to continue wearing an ankle bracelet that electronically tracks her location, according to reports quoting the spokesperson of Nevada US Attorney Daniel Bogden. The source explained this “means she can’t travel and has to report to an officer of the court in a supervised release system for three consecutive years, usually once a month.” The source declined to be named, citing future work in the Philippines. “There is usually a fine and an additional sentence of time served or added as possible total time to serve if they fail to adhere to Read More …

Cranes in place to lift US ship piece by piece; Aquino OK’s plan

 News
Feb 072013
 
Cranes in place to lift US ship piece by piece; Aquino OK’s plan

By Michael Lim Ubac, Paolo G. MontecilloPhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:58 am | Friday, February 8th, 2013 President Aquino approved Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, the salvage operations plan submitted by the US Navy to use floating cranes to lift piece by piece its stranded minesweeper out of the Tubbataha Reefs in the Sulu Sea. AP PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—President Aquino approved Thursday the salvage operations plan submitted by the US Navy to use floating cranes to lift piece by piece its stranded minesweeper out of the Tubbataha Reefs in the Sulu Sea. In a statement, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said, “We have carefully reviewed the US Navy’s salvage operations plan and we were assured that among their priorities is to have no further damage to the Tubbataha Reefs.” He said the DOTC had “considered several factors and imposed certain conditions before we gave clearance for the US Navy and commercial salvors it has commissioned to undertake the dismantling and vertical removal of the grounded US ship.” “It was presented to [President Aquino] by Secretary Abaya and he has approved it,” said Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang at a briefing in Malacañang. After getting the President’s approval, Abaya promptly issued a statement to formally announce the government’s acceptance of the salvage plan. Asked if the plan had been modified in any way following discussions between Philippine and US officials, Carandang said the salvage plan was approved “as presented” by the US Navy. He said the plan would follow “a general timeframe,” but declined Read More …

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