THE 15-MAN Bangsamoro transition committee (BTC) will be racing against time and practically against federalism to draft a replacement to the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which was shelved by the previous Congress following a deadly clash that left 44 police commandos dead last year. Members of the government peace panel left early Friday for Kuala Lumpur to activate the implementation phase of previously signed agreements with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza said that the implementing stage of the Bangsamoro peace accords will be formally launched on Saturday, during which the composition of the BTC will be finalized to embark on two tasks: the crafting of an enabling law for the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro (CAB), and the drafting of proposed constitutional amendments. Replacement of BBL “The (Bangsamoro Peace and Development) Roadmap is for us to come together, get all the Bangsamoro groups to come together and then craft the replacement of the BBL that did not pass and recommend this to Congress for enactment and hopefully we can entrench and install the Bangsamoro government units as quickly as possible while our national government is working toward federalism as the end-game,” Dureza said. Dureza said the government was hoping that an enabling law to expand a Muslim autonomous region would be signed soon. “We hope for an early passage of an enabling law (for the CAB) that is inclusive and will converge all the signed agreements with Read More …
ON PRESIDENT Duterte’s orders, the Philippine government will be conducting forced repatriation operations involving 11,000 Filipino workers left jobless in Saudi Arabia. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) made the disclosure as Secretary Silvestre Bello III prepared to fly back to the Middle Eastern country on Monday to supervise the repatriation. Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who manage to find new employment there can stay behind, Bello said. “It will be a forced repatriation. It will be an involuntary repatriation. We cannot afford to let them stay and become a burden to the host country since it will involve feeding thousands of migrant workers and other necessities,” Bello said yesterday. He said the President even allocated P249 million from his contingency fund to finance the repatriation of the OFWs, who lost their jobs in nine construction firms there. “He is very precise. Get them back at any cost. That demonstrates the concern of our President for the plight of our migrant workers,” Bello said. The DOLE chief said the king of Saudi Arabia reportedly offered to pay for the plane fare of the jobless Filipinos. The Philippine government wants to complete the repatriation process as soon as possible. So far, only 1,700 Filipinos have managed to return home. Latest Maraño stills believes unsuccessful challenge touched the defense Austria expects war as San Miguel faces Ginebra PBA: Rain or Shine bucks Guiao ejection to trip Alaska Domestic flight cancelled due to mishap at Naia Recommended Disclaimer: Comments do not represent the Read More …
The US Embassy in Manila on Friday reiterated its concern about President Rodrigo Duterte’s homophobic comments against Ambassador Philip Goldberg and hinted Washington was reconsidering aid to the Philippines. But Mr. Duterte said he would not apologize to Goldberg. “He did not apologize to me when we saw each other, why would I apologize to him? He started it,” Mr. Duterte said in a televised interview on Friday. Goldberg drew Mr. Duterte’s ire during the presidential campaign when he commented about a joke made by the candidate during a rally. Mr. Duterte spoke about the gang-rape and murder of an Australian missionary during a prison riot in Davao City in 1989. He said the missionary was so beautiful and he should have been the first to rape her. Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely responded, saying violence against women was unacceptable and should not be trivialized. Joining her, Goldberg, speaking in an interview on CNN Philippines, said the United States did not condone any statement by anyone that degraded women or trivialized serious issues like rape. Mr. Duterte yesterday said Goldberg’s comment hurt him, as it came during the campaign. ‘I was hurt’ “I was hurt, it was election time. Now I’m somewhat OK,” he said. “Who would not get angry, it was election time and you would say things like that?” he added. Speaking at a military camp in Cebu City on Aug. 5 after a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry, who pledged $32 Read More …
Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army chief Benito Tiamzon (left) and his wife, Wilma (right). INQUIRER FILE PHOTO It’s all systems go for three National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultants facing criminal charges to participate in peace talks in Norway later this month, while three others may well be on their way as well. Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 32 Judge Thelma Bunyi-Medina granted on Friday the urgent motions for the issuance of a court order allowing Satur Ocampo and Randall Echanis to travel to the Netherlands and Norway “on Aug. 16 to Sept. 4.” The two are facing multiple murder charges in connection with the discovery of a mass grave in Leyte province in 2006. READ: NDFP consultants granted temporary liberty to join Oslo talks She also granted coaccused Rafael Baylosis’ petition to participate in the peace talks in Oslo, Norway, on Aug. 20 to 27. Medina made the decision after she reinstated bail at P150,000 for Baylosis, who surfaced earlier in the day at her court and was finally arraigned on multiple murder charges. Baylosis had forfeited a P100,000 bail earlier set by the Supreme Court after he skipped his arraignment in July 2015 allegedly due to “intense surveillance and reports of threats to him and his family,” according to Edre Olalia of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers that represents him. “I subjected myself to the jurisdiction of the Philippine government court to give the peace process a chance to continue and Read More …
In this Aug. 9, 2016 file photo, former Philippine President Fidel Ramos listens to a question during a press briefing at the Philippines consular office in Hong Kong. AP FILE PHOTO Former President Fidel V. Ramos on Friday said China had welcomed him to visit Beijing for discussions in the wake of last month’s ruling of an international arbitration tribunal in favor of the Philippines over China’s excessive claims in the South China Sea. President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Ramos his special envoy to China to initiate talks with Beijing after the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled last month that China’s claim to almost all of the South China Sea had no basis in international law. READ: Ramos accepts Duterte offer to become special envoy to China The tribunal also found that China violated the Philippines’ rights to fish and explore resources in waters within its 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone in the strategic waterway. Ramos, speaking in Hong Kong near the end of a two-day trip undertaken to rekindle Philippine ties with China, said he had met with two Chinese officials and they had discussed the need to build trust and confidence to reduce tensions in the South China Sea through talks. A longtime advocate of closer Philippine-Chinese ties, Ramos said he had discussions with Fu Ying, chair of the foreign affairs committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s communist-controlled legislature. Fu Ying is a former ambassador to the Philippines. Formal discussions Ramos said he Read More …
Diplomats and experts warned Wednesday of a heightened risk of armed conflict in disputed waters in the South China Sea due to a lack of cohesion among members of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). China has ignored a recent ruling by a UN-backed arbitration court finding in favor of the Philippines, and has claimed a recent victory when Asean foreign ministers failed to include a mention of the row in a joint communique issued at a recent meeting in Laos. “The risk of conflict is increasing in the South China Sea due to a lack of a unified position of Asean,” Prof. Michael Heazle of Griffith University in Australia said at the Second Manila Conference on the South China Sea, held at the Manila Hotel. He said the lack of a “unified” Asean position “is allowing major powers to come into play” such as the United States, which has steadfastly called on China to follow the ruling. He said that unity in Asean in the political front was needed “to keep the situation from escalating into greater tension between the great powers.” Lack of a unified Asean stand creates a more dangerous situation “because that means that external powers to the dispute such as the United States and potentially its allies will become more directly involved,” Heazle told reporters in the sidelines of the forum. Sumathy Permal, a senior researcher at the Center for Maritime Security and Diplomacy in the Maritime Institute of Malaysia, warned failure by Read More …
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has partnered anew with SM Supermalls in mounting a photo exhibit and a stage play to raise awareness and uphold the rights and welfare of children with disabilities (CWDs). The photo exhibit titled “See What I Can Do,” held in collaboration with Camera Club of the Philippines, was formally launched recently and opened by Vice President Leni Robredo, Unicef Deputy Representative Julia Rees and SM Supermalls president Annie Garcia. The exhibit featured photographs of CWDs and the outstanding achievements they have done despite their condition. After the opening of the photo exhibit, the play, entitled “Sandosenang Sapatos,” was staged by Tanghalang Pilipino. The musical play is based on Dr. Luis Gatmaitan’s Palanca award-winning children’s book of the same title. It tackles the love between the father and his daughter who was born without legs. Garcia said the objective of the exhibit, which coincided with the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week, was to help raise awareness and create an inclusive environment wherein CWDs’ abilities are highlighted instead of their disabilities. “It is said that children with disabilities are oftentimes misunderstood in society, facing discrimination at times. With society’s lack of understanding, these children and their parents find it hard to realize their full rights and potentials,” Garcia said. Garcia said the play was just one of the collaborative projects SM has with Unicef, being partners since 2008. “This event even becomes more special because it also touches on an advocacy close to our hearts—the Read More …
TOKYO—China risks triggering unintended conflict with its Asian rivals through its aggressive stance in maritime disputes, Japan warned on Tuesday in an annual security assessment. China’s sweeping claims in the strategic South China Sea, where Beijing has built a series of artificial islands capable of supporting military operations despite overlapping claims from other nations, have stoked international alarm. The region’s superpower “continues to act in an assertive manner,” and its actions “include dangerous acts that could cause unintended consequences,” Tokyo said in a white paper that was approved by the Cabinet. Beijing is under pressure to respect a UN-backed tribunal’s finding last month that there is no legal basis for its ambitions over the resource-rich South China Sea where the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and others also have claims. The white paper said China was “poised to fulfill its unilateral demands without compromise” including efforts “to turn these coercive changes to the status quo into a fait accompli.” And it again called on Beijing to abide by the ruling of the tribunal, which China has denounced as a fraud. Japan also expressed concern over increased activity in the East China Sea, where the two countries have competing claims over a group of small uninhabited islets called the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. “Recently, China has been intensifying activities near the Senkaku Islands, such as its military aircraft flying southward closer to the islands,” it said. Live-fire drills But even as Japan made public the content of the white Read More …
By: Lito B. Zulueta, January 29th, 2016 03:52 AM THUMBS UP Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle speaks before 15,000 delegates on the fourth day of the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu City. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ CEBU CITY, Philippines—Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle criticized corrupt politicians, saying they were part of the “throwaway culture” condemned by Pope Francis. Speaking on the fifth day of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) being held here, Tagle said materialism and individualism had skewed moral and social values, and there was a need to foster the “culture of giving and sharing.” “Politicians, will you throw away people’s taxes for your parties and shopping or guard them as gifts for social services?” the prelate said. While urging dialogue with “traditional and emerging cultures,” Tagle warned against dealing with people whose values were contrary to Christianity. “We should avoid cultures with widespread acceptance but are incompatible with Christian values,” he said. Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas admitted that members of the clergy might have committed moral lapses like politicians. Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, asked for forgiveness for the Catholic clergy whose questionable acts might have alienated them from the faithful. ‘Forgive us’ “Our parishioners, forgive us, your lost shepherds, and beg God to show us His mercy,” Villegas told 15,000 IEC delegates from 71 countries during the penitential service, a ritual that prepares Catholics before confession, at the IEC Pavilion. “May the shepherd and the flock be merciful with each other,” Read More …
Philippine Daily Inquirer By: Amy R. Remo, January 9th, 2016 12:12 AM Hopes for a resurgence in the Philippine automotive manufacturing industry could not have been stronger and more apparent last year especially after a new government fiat was released targeting to do just that. At least for the biggest automotive assemblers in the country, the promise of a P27-billion incentive package being dangled under Executive Order No. 182, which provides for the implementation of the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) Program, was deemed worth looking into despite the “ambitious” requirements set by the government. Trade officials are highly optimistic that the program will take off, as they anticipate applications to start coming in after the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) released the implementing rules and regulations last Dec. 19. A commitment was also made on the part of the trade agency to fast-track the applications for the CARS Program to enable local automotive assemblers to take advantage of what was perceived to be the third wave of Asean motorization. Only two assemblers, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp., have been vocal and concrete in expressing their interest to participate in a program that, if successful, is seen to attract more than P27 billion in new parts manufacturing investments among others. The program also aims to produce at least 600,000 vehicles, generate some 200,000 new jobs, and spur economic activity estimated to be worth P300 billion. The resulting contribution to gross domestic product is estimated at Read More …